One Man Tries to Forge a New Identity in Life Against an Untested but Trained Opponent

We caught up with Olivier Busquet, aka livb112 aka adonis112, about his upcoming MMA fight with JC Alvarado.

The popular conversation topic today in the poker world was that Olivier Busquet had officially come to terms with JC Alvarado to compete in a MMA fight sometime this spring (April 2016 is the target). Olivier's 120k versus JC's 150k is on the line, more than a majority of big name MMA fighters make in a single fight.

HUSNG: How did you get interested in MMA?

Olivier: I've always wanted to learn how to fight.

HUSNG: How long have you been training for?

Olivier: I started training for this bet. I had no prior training.

HUSNG: What do you know about your opponent?

Olivier: I know that he's had about 50 kickboxing classes, is a white/blue belt in BJJ and has a real passion for MMA.

HUSNG: It's rare, but not unheard of, for people die in mma or kickboxing. 1-2 times a year it seems. More frequently there are fighters that suffer permanent brain injuries from their profession. Do you have any fears stepping into the ring and engaging in a sport this violent with another trained individual?

Olivier: It would be a major concern if I were becoming a professional fighter but this is really about training and fighting one fight. It's a fight vs someone who has never fought before and will be over 20 lbs lighter than me. Sure there's some risk, but there's risk when you drive a car or go skiing - I'm pretty sure many more people die every year from skiing than from MMA.

For me this bet is about a number of things.....
- I've always wanted to learn how to fight.
- I've been looking for a way to get to the highest fitness level I can get to.
- I think the process of training will help instill better overall discipline in my life.
- I've just gone through a traumatic personal experience, specifically a divorce and this is part my attempt to forge a new identity.

HUSNG: What venues are you considering?

Olivier: We haven't worked out the venue yet.

HUSNG: Did you have any other serious challengers or was JC Alvarado the main contender from early on?

Olivier: JC answered pretty quickly and we were negotiating since then - I was pretty sure we would work something out so I didn't really entertain other people

HUSNG: Do you have an escrow for a bet of this size (120k vs 150k) or is this a gentlemen's wager in the high stakes world?

Olivier: Gentlemen's wager.

HUSNG: Are you taking any action in addition to the 150k that you have on this?

Olivier: No, I'm not taking any side action, 150k is plenty of money.