I'm 42 and don't feel a day younger at this point but the gym has come along nicely, despite the retirements of nearly all my fighters that had joined me on this journey at the start.
Gabe left the gym for the most part and pursued his passion in surfing, even though I definitely believe he had EFC champion potential hidden within. Unfortunate, but he still drops by from time to time.
The brute Isak returned back to his native country and I haven't heard from him since which is unfortunate but you can't always expect to have a great relationship with each fighter.
Kevin was supposed to be the gym's superstar, we groomed him carefully but it wasn't enough. His good looksdid not translate in much monetary gain for us, but he did launch several books on work out routines and most notably 'Road to the ULTIMATE 6 pack' and 'Shredded Physique for Dummies'. He fought in the EFC but was far from a contender. Despite the bumps in his road, I am proud of the kid for having a career going.
Carl Wang is STILL at it. Over a hundred fights and he is still taking up MMA as a full time occupation and providing for his family. He isn't the biggest of names overall in the EFC but he is huge in Sweden. Still shy as always, the family has done well to carve out a respectable career. He is currently on a 5 fight win-streak in the EFC, but we will need to ride a lot of momentum of he truly wants one last title shot. His body has been having trouble keeping up in training so it might just be time for him to hang 'em up, but even he is aware of that. Regardless? He made a good living off fighting. Good luck Carl!
I never thought Sammy boy truly had it in him to become an EFC champion given his womanizing ways but he became a 2 time Champion and was on pace to win it yet again, that was until injuries got to him and he was unable to continue on without being destroyed mentally. Danielsson is widely known by most MMA fans and when they think of Swedish fighters as of recent? They always name Sam.
Can't believe we did this, but Sammy boy had a statue of himself made and put it on the fucking roof of the gym! Usually I would kick his ass, but I just didn't have the heart to do it this time. He brought the gym so much joy and his laser focus when challenged was second to none. I will always remember Danielsson through out the years for granting me my wish. EFC gold.
Thank you, Sammy boy.
We've had quite a few guys at our gym lately and some young promising prospects. Charlie has been in charge for training most of them alongside me, and Kevin provides meal plans for free every now and then. Carl is still training for his upcoming EFC bouts and Danielsson drops by here and there to pick on the new kids. He has really taken the finish kid Samuel Pajari under his wing given their first names being so close. Hah, but there will always only be one Sammy boy to me.
Will Soldberg, Ruotsalainen and Pajari be able to succeed the previous heroes and make a name for themselves? I sure hope so because Gustafsson's Wrestling is far from cementing a legacy at this point.