Under Pressure: Diary of a Cage Fighter’s Wife

So you wanna be a MMA fighter, huh? You just told your family that you were tired of doing the same old things and it was time for something new. Well, you’re certainly not the first person to feel that way and fortunately, there was someone else before you who took the time to show everyone else just exactly how it went down and he put it on a DVD for you to watch.

Back in 2003, the MMA scene wasn’t filled with The Ultimate Fighter, Affliction shirts, and prime time television coverage. Instead, you had small name fighters across the country who were looking to make their mark in a sport that was finally reaching a level of maturity. Under Pressure: Diary of a Cage Fighter’s Wife is the story about one man who decided to drop everything to become a MMA fighter in the years leading up to the explosion of mixed martial arts.

This one man, Todd Sturgis, reveals what it’s like to take an amateur wrestling background to the next level before the country was filled with upstart MMA gyms and overwhelming sponsor support. The film starts with the story of Todd and his wife Tamera as they decide to temporarily halt their lives as long-haul truckers to begin the MMA training process at Cal Worsham’s Team X gym with fighters like James Franshier and Jaime Jarra. It’s not as quick and easy as it sounds though.

Throughout the film, Tamera does a good job of explaining her fears as her husband explains his cuts and bruises from his nights of training. Not only is she there to provide commentary on the day to day routine of training MMA, but other family members are interviewed throughout the film to share their thoughts on a fighting family member. Todd’s parents are not against the idea of him fighting, but like many parents, they really don’t want to see their child get hurt. Jaime Jarra is shown in two of his fights against a once unknown Scott Smith, and it’s evident that his family is busy taking care of him between his fights.

The families, are supportive like you would expect, but they wear their worry before and during the fight. A win to them means more than just another number on their favorite fighter’s record. A win means that their husband, father, or son has walked out of the cage and escaped seriously injury once again.

Under Pressure: Diary of a Cage Fighter’s Wife is an interesting film that showcases the highlights and the lows of supporting a cage fighter from a point-of-view perspective. There’s no fancy camera work, no big name music acts on the soundtracks, and you won’t see Joe Rogan or Mike Goldberg at any of the events. You will, however, see and hear emotions coming straight from the hearts of the wifes and families.

The ending gives you something to remember as the story of Todd’s training comes to a climax when he finally gets his chance to showcase all of his hard work and dedication. I won’t give any more details; you’ll just have to check out Under Pressure: Diary of a Cage Fighter’s Wife yourself.

The DVD can be purchased for $15 from MyCageFighter.com or for $20 from Amazon.