Mixed Martial Arts

One thing's for sure when it comes to Mike "Quick" Swick, one of the premier welterweight mixed martial artists of the world: You're going to remember his name. Born in Houston on June 19, 1979, Swick loved martial arts movies as a child and was taking Tae Kwon Do when he was only eight years old. By 18, Swick (who had progressed to kickboxing, Thai boxing, and mixed martial arts) was involved in amateur fights, and a year later, he made his pro debut with a submission win over Victor Bell.

Fighting wasn’t paying the bills yet, though, so he got a job working with his mother for the US Embassy in Moscow (Swick and his mother were the first mother-son team to be granted top-secret government clearance and to work on such a top-level government project overseas together), where he trained in his free time. But while overseas, Swick was given a life-threatening scare when he was diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation (irregular or rapid heartbeat). At 20 years old, Swick had some serious decisions to make about his life: He could either take the medication every day (which made him drowsy) and take a risk if he continued to fight, or he could undergo a dangerous surgery that could kill him.

Video:

Mike Swick's Gym Tricks #1: Kimura To Triangle Choke

Webisode #1 of Mike Swick's Gym Trick's. In this clip, UFC Fighter Mike demonstrates one of his favorite Triangle Choke setups from Kimura position. Category: Entertainment Tags: MMA Mike Swick UFC NHB Kickboxing Muay Thai triangle choke kimura jiu-jitsu grappling wrestling