09/16/2026
ONE LAST ROUND.
October 31st, I’ll lock the doors of Combat Academy for the final time.
That’s difficult for me to even write.
Martial arts has been part of my life for more than 20 years.
I’ve trained. Fought. Coached. Promoted. Taught. Built gyms. Torn things down and built them again.
There were years when martial arts consumed nearly every part of my life.
And I wouldn't trade those years.
But I'm 50 now.
And one thing I'm beginning to understand is that eventually you start looking at life differently.
Time becomes more valuable.
The truth is, running a small martial arts gym is hard.
The rent doesn't care how many students showed up that month.
Insurance doesn't care.
Utilities don't care.
Equipment isn't free.
And beyond the financial cost, there is a cost that's even harder to replace:
Time.
Hours preparing.
Hours teaching.
Hours cleaning.
Hours answering messages, scheduling, promoting and trying to keep everything moving.
I've carried that weight because I love the people who walked through these doors.
But eventually you have to be honest with yourself.
The financial cost and the amount of time required to keep Combat Academy going have simply become too much.
Maybe the fighter in me would have once said:
Just keep fighting.
But life has taught me something martial arts couldn't teach me when I was younger.
Not everything is supposed to be fought forever.
Sometimes strength is recognizing when a chapter has given you everything it was meant to give you and having the courage to close it.
So October 31st will be our last day.
And I'm not going to pretend that doesn't hurt.
Because when I look around this gym, I don't see walls and equipment.
I see people.
I see the nervous beginner who walked through the door and eventually found confidence.
I see fighters preparing for battle.
I see friendships.
I see laughter.
I see frustration.
I see sweat on the mats.
I see people getting knocked down and learning to stand back up.
Not just in fighting.
In life.
And somewhere in all of that, I grew too.
Maybe that's what this place was really supposed to be.
Not something that lasted forever.
Something that changed people while it was here.
Including me.
At 50, I'm realizing there are still things I want to experience.
There are people I want to spend more time with.
There are places I want to go.
There are challenges I haven't attempted yet.
There are parts of myself I haven't discovered yet.
And there are only so many hours we're given.
I don't want to spend the rest of mine holding onto something simply because I've always held onto it.
So this isn't me giving up.
It's me letting go.
And there is a difference.
To every person who ever trained with me…
Every fighter who trusted me in their corner…
Every coach who stood beside me…
And every person who ever supported Combat Academy:
Thank you.
You gave this place its heartbeat.
When I turn the lights off October 31st and walk through those doors for the last time, I'll leave the building behind.
But I'll carry the people and the memories with me.
Because buildings close.
Businesses end.
Chapters finish.
But what we leave inside another human being can last a lifetime.
More than 20 years of martial arts.
Countless memories.
Thousands of rounds.
And absolutely no regrets.
One last round.
Then I walk forward into whatever life has waiting next.
With gratitude.
With love.
And with the understanding that none of us know how many rounds we have left.
So make them count.
LONG LIVE THOSE WHO LOVE.
