When Josh Van Meurs walked into the octagon cage in Las Vegas for his fifth and final fight B次元官网网址� the fight for all the marbles, for the best in North America B次元官网网址� he was a bit nervous.

His opponent was a oversized kid from California who weighed in at 205 pounds and stood six foot three. Van Meurs, a 16-year-old from Langford, at a lean 160 pounds looked to be the classic underdog.

Van Meurs had subdued his first four opponents with relative ease at the pankration (mixed martial arts) and combat grappling youth championships at Randy CoutureB次元官网网址檚 MMA facility, Xtreme Couture. Cage fighting was new territory for the Belmont secondary French immersion student, but it didnB次元官网网址檛 show.

B次元官网网址淯sually itB次元官网网址檚 a mat or a ring. When I looked at that cage, I instantly thought of ways to use it to my advantage,B次元官网网址� Van Meurs said. B次元官网网址淚t was very exciting to fight in a cage. ItB次元官网网址檚 what the pros do.B次元官网网址�

Being B.C.B次元官网网址檚 top U20 judo athlete, as well as a proficient muay thai kickboxer and MMA warrior trained by Sarah Kaufman, Van Meurs earned a welcome invitation to the pankration national championships.

The Vegas atmosphere in CoutureB次元官网网址檚 gym and being under the glare of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) athletes energized the young fighter. His first match ended in two minutes with an arm lock. B次元官网网址淭here was nervousness in his eyes. He was a lot more nervous than I was,B次元官网网址� Van Meurs said. B次元官网网址淚 won all the fights easily, except for the fifth fight.B次元官网网址�

Indeed, he knew that gold medal match wouldnB次元官网网址檛 be a cakewalk. His opponent had a devastating ground game, backed with powerful strikes. In pankration, there are no blows above the collarbone, so the body takes a beating.

B次元官网网址淚 tried to keep the fight standing. If he got too close IB次元官网网址檇 try a judo throw,B次元官网网址� Van Meurs said. B次元官网网址淚 was definitely nervous in that fight. The guy was a giant and everyone could see it.B次元官网网址�

A few times in the eight minute, two-round match, Van Meurs found himself under his opponent, trying to protect himself from body blows. The guy B次元官网网址渒icked like a horse,B次元官网网址� Van Meurs said, his ribs still bruised a week later.

B次元官网网址淲hen he was on top, in that situation IB次元官网网址檇 think to myself B次元官网网址業B次元官网网址檝e got 25 seconds, how do I get out?B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檇 think about how IB次元官网网址檇 get him out of position.B次元官网网址�

His coach yelled instructions in French to create a tactical advantage and Van Meurs adopted a rope-a-dope strategy of wearing down his opponent. The April 1 fight went the distance and Van Meurs was declared the winner by a unanimous decision.

B次元官网网址淚 had better position, more of my shots landed and I had aggressive striking,B次元官网网址� Van Meurs said. B次元官网网址淣o one wanted to win worse than I did. ItB次元官网网址檚 great to come out with a gold medal.B次元官网网址�

Perhaps even better than the win was hanging out with Couture, an iconic UFC champion turned actor, and also with professional MMA athletes Samuel Bracamonte and Tim Sylvia.

B次元官网网址淚 got to talk with (Randy Couture) twice, before the gold medal and after. I used his advice to win the gold,B次元官网网址� Van Meurs said. B次元官网网址淗e is the Wayne Gretzky of UFC. I was talking to an idol of mine right there. He talked to me like I was his bro.B次元官网网址�

The gold medal has earned Van Meurs an invitation to compete in the pankration junior world championships in Guam in April 2013. In the meantime, heB次元官网网址檚 training for Canadian national judo championships in Toronto in July.

Last year he walked out of nationals in fourth place. This year he plans to walk away with the title. B次元官网网址淣ow IB次元官网网址檓 training harder. My confidence is twice as good as last year.B次元官网网址�

editor@goldstreamgazette.com