** Welcome Jon Murphy Thread **

[Sheikh Zubeer]

Jon Murphy, a professional fighter for EliteXC and all-around nice guy, has registered here and we'd like to take this opportunity to welcome him and make him feel at home, you can also ask him questions on life as a fighter, and depending on him ( fighters are busy people!) he may respond !

All respect Jon -

Let's hear it for Jon Murphy !!!

[God_Of_MuayThai]

greeting and salutations.....I hope you find this thread informative, unique and full of freedom of speech

[KneeOnBelly]

Hey Jon, welcome bro! I was just checking out your myspace and was really impressed by how open and transparent you are with your life--your faith, you battles with alcohol, and your relationship with the woman you speak of.

so what's your current training schedule like? are you in San Jose at Frank Shamrock's gym? Tell us about your next fight if you have time.

Thanks,
James

[MirkoSledgehammer]

Hi Jon, and welcome to Cameldog!

[Jon Murphy]

Thanks for the welcome fellas. It's great to be here!

KOB - I made a lot of bad decisions in my life, but I've always had a deep-seeded faith. That's what truly brought me out of the dark places I took myself to. I re-iterate "took myself to." Nobody ever held a knife to my throat and said drink this, smoke this, snort this, etc. I made those decisions the whole time turning my back on Christ.

See, I've recently come to realize (through the help of an old-timer who's a still practicing Dr. of 53 years) that the life of a Christian isn't about chasing after God, but about stopping and turning to face God, accepting him. I was running through life scared, not knowing that all I had to do was stop and turn to face Him. He's been there the whole time chasing after me and I, fully self-centered and self-driven, was blind to His love all along.

That pretty much sums up what got me to where I am today. Hope it wasn't to preachy for you. It's a personal testament, not a sermon.

Anyway, as far as training. I train out of Philadelphia at Daddis Training Camp. MMA/Grappling under Brad Daddis (Lloyd Irvin Black Belt) and Muay Thai under Kru Rigel Balsamico. Both of whom are phenomenal coaches and people. I train there along with fellow Elite XC fighters Matt Makowski and Wilson Reis. We've got a great camp with a lot of young fighters on the rise.

As far as my training schedule. I do skill training 5 days (M-F) a week, a variety of strength and conditioning 6 days (M-Sat.) a week, and Sunday I rest. Some Sundays I'll do light activity. If anybody wants detail on anything that I do, just ask.

As far as my next fight, I'm looking at August. My manager's been in touch back and forth with the guys from EXC and it looks like a ShoXC card in August. When I get more details, I'll be sure to post them.

[5150]

Welcome Jon!

I'd like to hear how being a Christian affects you being an MMA fighter. I would have thought it would be difficult being a (born again?)Christian and then trying to inflict enough physical trauma to an opponent to render them unconscious. lol. I figured a sport that didn't involve striking like Judo or Jui Jitsu would be more of a draw.

[Jon Murphy]

5150 - I've been asked that question a lot. I look at it this way - There is a mutual agreement between two parties to get in the cage and kick the shit out of each other. We both mutually agree that injury is a very real possibility. Second of all it's a sport. I try not ever take it out of that context. Third and personally most important, it's a matter of intent. I have no conceived ill-will or hatred towards that person. I don't want them dead or injured to the point of physical incapacity. Now, I'd like them to take a nap for a few seconds, but I'm not in there to physically hurt someone more than it takes to win.

It might sound like a little bit of mental gymnastics to some people, but I deeply understand my own intent and drive when going into the cage, ring, whatever. I train to win, not to injure, but if injury occurs, it's totally out of my best interest for that person ...

[Sheikh Zubeer]

Hi Jon, I;m curious about the strength conditioning work-out you follow, do you do traditional bodybuilder type exercises and routines like curls , or more focus on body weight and power-lifting routines ?

[Khellus]

Welcome Jon, it's great to have a pro fighter on the forum.

[jarwillie]

Great to see you here. Hopefully you enjoy your time here at Cameldog.

[Jon Murphy]

Thanks again guys for the welcome.

Sheikh - As far as strength and conditioning, it depends a lot on how far out from a fight I am. Right now, I'm focusing on full-body strength. A lot of heavier (rep range of 3-5 reps) multi-joint movements like squats, deads, bench, dips, cleans, push-press, etc. I also throw in heavy kettlebell work right now. The in between days (usually Tues, Thurs, Sat) I do core/ab work along with push-up pull-up circuit. I also condition 4-6 days a week depending on the intensity of the work.

Generally, I run a hard 3 miles everyday. On certain days I'll work sprint intervals, burpee intervals, sledge and sandbag work for time, kettlbell conditioning (timed sets and intervals), etc., but I most always run 3 miles every morning Mon-Sat.

A lot of days, strength and conditioning is split into two sessions along with skill training which makes a lot of days a 3 banger. It truthfully is a full-time job prepping for fights.

Alright fellas, I'm off to the gym right now. Catch up with you guys later...

[Sheikh Zubeer]

Thanks for taking some time !

Have a great work-out , and if you have time later, we'd be interested in how you structure your diet and manage cutting !

Thanks -

[5150]

Originally Posted by Jon Murphy I train out of Philadelphia at Daddis Training Camp.

Isn't that a good 2 hours away from you? That's over 4 hours driving each day.
Since you live in the hicks can we assume you've been blessed with "Farm Boy Strength"?

[Jon Murphy]

Sheikh - Definitely bro. I'll hit you up later.

5150 - Yeah, the drive sucks, but it's more than worth it. The guys down there are great trainers, but great friends to boot. Plus, I'm looking to move closer in the future.

And for me, it's more like "Coal Miner Strength".

[KneeOnBelly]

Originally Posted by Jon Murphy 5150 - I've been asked that question a lot. I look at it this way - There is a mutual agreement between two parties to get in the cage and kick the shit out of each other. We both mutually agree that injury is a very real possibility. Second of all it's a sport. I try not ever take it out of that context. Third and personally most important, it's a matter of intent. I have no conceived ill-will or hatred towards that person. I don't want them dead or injured to the point of physical incapacity. Now, I'd like them to take a nap for a few seconds, but I'm not in there to physically hurt someone more than it takes to win. It might sound like a little bit of mental gymnastics to some people, but I deeply understand my own intent and drive when going into the cage, ring, whatever. I train to win, not to injure, but if injury occurs, it's totally out of my best interest for that person ...

I understand what you're saying about it being about intent. It has to be a delicate balance in a sport where aggression is one of the winning components.

it's interesting though--a lot of very spiritual people feel a burning fire inside and a motivation that is much bigger than themselves. i think there has to be a strong warrior mentality in the spiritual path, don't you? hmmm.....maybe we can continue this conversation in the spirituality thread

oh man, i checked out some pictures of your pooch! that has GOT to be one of the most adorable pups i've ever seen--the one where he's sleeping with his tongue out is soooo cute!!