There’s a question all newlywed couples have for every married couple that will listen and that is “what advice do you have for us to make this work?”
That’s a loaded question and you can find hundreds of answers depending on who you ask. When you’re both working on your second marriage it’s typically not even a question you bother to ask. You just look at each other suspiciously and hope for the best.
In the beginning, every couple feels unstoppable. It’s the honeymoon phase and nothing can go wrong. Anyone with experience knows that will fade and preparing yourself for life after the honeymoon is what counts. That’s not to say all couples will end up hating each other or just going through the motions each day. I do believe with the right partner and a lot of work, people can live happily together, no matter how far into a marriage they go.
Couples do have to understand there is life after the honeymoon though. There will be days that you question how this person in front of you could do no wrong at one point but be on your last nerve at another. I do not see anything wrong with asking yourself these questions though, and I would even encourage it. The day you no longer ask yourself anything about your partner, you become complacent.
The mistake a lot of couples make is just accepting a few bad days as their new reality. The best thing you can do to get through this part is to ask yourself and your partner, “how did we get here?”
“How did we get to the point of arguing every day for a week straight? Where did I lose my respect for you and your opinions? When did I decide that it was no longer worth my time to fight for you?”
It’s easy to forget to fight for your partner. Once you get engaged or married it may seem like you won. People are raised to believe that finding a person to settle down with is an end state. Though it should be looked at as the beginning.
The first day of making decisions with someone else rather than just yourself. In fact, I would argue that a majority of issues in a marriage or relationship start the day you stop fighting for your partner. Most issues can be fixed by remembering what won over your partner in the first place.
In a weird and awkward transition to a new segment, here is a fighter that I’m reminding myself what it is I saw in them in the first place, and a fighter I’m moving on from.
Fighter I’m Standing By
Derrick Lewis
Anyone who has seen Derrick Lewis fight is instantly a fan. He is one of the few fighters who is guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time. Any given punch not only can but will end a fight if it lands.
That being said, I was very down on him for the Ciryl Gane fight. Against someone of that talent and technical ability, I knew Lewis had to bring a little bit more than a puncher’s chance against Gane. I also knew he had never truly been required to and outclassed as he was.
Now that that is behind him, I fully expect Lewis to take that next step and approach these next few fights with a newfound sense of urgency. Lewis will be facing Chris Daukaus at UFC Fight Night 199 on Dec. 18.
Daukaus, like Lewis, is an exciting fighter with a long list of knocked-out opponents behind him. This may be the safest bet for Monkey Knife Fight‘s Knockout Kings and my money is on Lewis. Daukaus has never faced an opponent of this caliber and when he faced the top competition in Cage Fury FC, he fell short.
Fighter I’m Moving on From
Conor McGregor
It’s hard to ignore the accomplishments of Conor McGregor. They are not only impressive but historic. He is the biggest draw in MMA history having hosted the six highest pay-per-view events. He is the world’s highest-paid athlete. He was also the first fighter in UFC history to hold belts in two different weight classes simultaneously.
Connor McGregor has lost four of his last seven UFC fights.
I do believe all of that is in the past though. You can point to his mountain of legal issues on any given day. You can point to his four losses in seven fights. For me, it’s the lack of adjustment. A lot of people will point to the injury McGregor sustained as a loss that was out of his control. I wouldn’t argue that, and I don’t think it tarnishes his accomplishments. I do find it concerning that following this injury and loss that McGregor has responded by focusing purely on building muscle and walking around at possibly the biggest weight he has ever been.
I don’t see how this helps McGregor succeed in the long run. McGregor is one of the best MMA strategists and counter punchers of all time he seems to be sacrificing speed for pure power.
I don’t think that’s an extremely important skill to go all-in on in the lighter weight divisions, and if anything it puts more strain on the lower body that he has already struggled with. Unless McGregor is planning for a massive jump in divisions, I believe we have seen his best days.
Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley II
Now to take a break from real fighting and discuss YouTube fighting …
In their first bout, it was very clear that Tyron Woodley was out of his element. He’s nearly 40-years-old and significantly smaller than Jake Paul. It was evident in their first fight that Woodley had the strength advantage while Paul had the speed and reach.
I am leaning towards Woodley for this fight. Aside from a near knockdown, he had nothing much to offer in their first fight. But I do believe Woodley’s experience will come through. Years of fighting experience over Paul will help him adjust his game plan. He will have a sense of urgency in this next fight with the embarrassment of a former UFC champion losing to a YouTube star will fuelWoodley to a knockout. If Paul’s motivation is money, what is more lucrative than a trilogy?
Preliminary Fight: Frank Gore vs. Derron Williams
We get to witness the boxing debut of former NFL running back Frank Gore on the same fight card. He will be boxing former NBA player Derron Williams. Both men are in their late 30s but Williams will have a significant height advantage at 6 foot 3 inches to Gore’s 5 foot 9 inches. In the heavyweight division, cardio is everything and Gore is known for his relentless pace and work ethic. Countless NFL defenders found out the hard way how hard Gore hits and I think Williams will learn the same way.
“Now the night is coming to an end … The sun will rise and we will try again.” – Twenty One Pilots
Thank you for allowing me to share this. @3rdandShortt