Stlll evolving

MMA fighter suffers defeats, celebrates wins

ALBUQUERQUE

His first bout as a mixed martial artist resulted in a TKO loss.

Since then Sidiah Parker, Omaha/Navajo, has been making strides at perfecting his craft in hopes of fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship with the 18-7-0 record he sports now.

“That’d be huge,” said Parker of making the sport’s top tier of MMA fighting. “It’s something I’ve been working on but being in the UFC or not – you have to work and train hard. You can never stop training regardless of what level you are at. You have to have an open mind and learn as much as you can because this sport never stops evolving.”

As a Utah high school state wrestling champion and with an ample background in boxing, Parker got his first taste of MMA fighting in 2008 when he was knocked out by Zach Caldiero in a carded fight in Salt Lake City. Needless to say, Parker said the transition to MMA was a learning experience.

“I thought it was going to be easy because I thought wrestling and boxing would go hand-in-hand,” he said. “I thought it was going to work well with MMA but you have to learn all the aspects of it.”

With the sport involving other aspects including stand-up, clinch and ground disciplines, Parker said he didn’t know what to expect in his first fight.

“I found out how hard the transition was in my first fight,” he said. “I didn’t have much training and that is why I lost. MMA involves punches, knees and takedowns. All that stuff is combined and I had never done that before. It’s real hard to describe but that was the scariest feeling that I ever had.

“I learned my lesson though,” he added. “Losing that match was a good experience for myself because I learned how to respect the sport. Like anything else you have to work hard. It takes time and dedication on your part.”

With his father, Derwin Parker, a member of the Omaha tribe in Macy, Nebraska, and his mother, Carlene Jones, Diné from Montezuma Creek, Utah, the Parker family took up two residences, bouncing between the two areas.

“We moved around with my parents,” said Parker, who has a younger brother, Oliver, who also competes as an MMA fighter.

With the family settling down in Blanding, the two brothers were star athletes at San Juan High School with Oliver an All-State football player.

“We were both state wrestling champions so we had that background,” Parker said. “My dad started us out in boxing at an early age and I think I got my first fight when I was 15.”

---