It's more than just a fight!

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Mariah Tolbert
  • 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  Blinding lights, cheers and screams surrounding you, sweat dripping down your face and the taste of blood in your mouth. These are just a few things that Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) members experience every fight.

"When I step into the cage my mind becomes completely clear," said Staff Sgt. Ferdinando Acerra, 20th Maintenance Operations Squadron, Shaw AFB, S.C., maintenance training flight instructor and MMA fighter. "The enormous crowd that surrounds the cage disappears in the lights and all I see is chain link fence that wraps the cage. Two people go in, one person comes out."

Fighting is more than just a competitive drive, for some it's a way of life.

At the age of 24, almost four years ago, Acerra set his mind and heart into becoming a MMA fighter, and since then he has become one of the top five in his weight class for North and South Carolina, just recently knocking out the fourth ranking fighter.

"I remember sitting around with some friends a few years back watching UFC on television and I said to them, 'I think I'm going to give that a shot,'" Acerra said. "Everyone kind of blew me off and laughed, and nobody took me serious. Now, here I am, four years later, doing what I set out to do, and nobody is laughing anymore."

Acerra was always active in sports. Starting around the age of eight, Acerra found his niche in competitive sports such as, basketball, soccer and football. When he joined the military, he didn't have much time to dedicate to playing sports.

"[Fighting] started out as something to do to get in shape," Acerra explained. "After my first grappling tournament, the competitive fire was lit back up and I have been doing it ever since."

Training for this sport is unlike any other. It's extensive, painful and challenging.

"I train two to four times a day, six days a week, all the time," Acerra said. "I don't take time off, so preparing for fights is a continuous thing for me, so that when I do get a short notification to fight, I will be prepared."

"Anyone can train like a fighter but it takes a certain individual to endure the type of sacrifice that fighters do," Acerra said. "Time from family and friends, not eating foods everyone else does, endless training, painful training, cutting weight, the list goes on. A lot of people see being a fighter as cool and a lot of people want to do it, but the first time they get punched, they quickly find that it's not for them."

On top of extreme workout sessions and a supportive wife waiting for him back home, Acerra continues to do his job in the Air Force without any downfalls.

"Staff Sgt. 'Fred' Acerra is one of my most devoted and hardworking instructors," said Master Sgt. Lisa Youngblood, 20th Maintenance Operations Squadron maintenance training flight superintendent. "His solid work ethic makes him a "go-to guy" in our flight. He is highly motivated and smart, this will take him to the distance, and he will be a star in either career."

Being in the military is challenging. Being in the military and a MMA fighter is even more difficult. A good support system along with strong dedication to the sport and yourself, reaching your goals become easy.

"Right now, my goal is to win my next fight on Nov. 4th and after that, I will set another goal and bulldoze whatever or whoever I have to in order to reach it," Acerra explained.

On Nov. 4, 2011, Acerra will be stepping into the cage sporting a pink breast cancer awareness ribbon and the name Roxanne on his shorts in honor of a family friend who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. However don't let the pink fool you, Acerra plans on being the only one to walk out of the cage.

"The 'chair force' is no more and you will see a warrior step into the cage on the 4th (Friday)," Acerra exclaimed.