Local MMA fighter takes international title (10 photos)

“I remember my grandpa telling me, ‘don’t take sh*t from anybody and stick up for yourself’ ... that was another big thing that stuck with me when I was little. You know how it is — when you’re in grade school getting called silly names — with that mentality in your head you’re not going to back down because you don’t want to be a wiener, right?” said Garden River’s Spencer Pine, who just won the first Wreck MMA International Bantamweight title on Saturday.

Pine said mixed martial arts has been a way for him to put his life back on track after a troubled childhood fighting with other kids throughout his school years until Grade 12 when his principal suggested he study from home to avoid getting into fights.

Pine said he considers himself a natural fighter and someone who had ‘the mentality of not getting along’.

“I wasn’t as scared to get judged (and) I wouldn’t take the sh*t that people were saying — even teachers — and obviously you can’t do that in high school because it’s just a friendly little setting,” he said.

Pine said he was never afraid of a physical confrontation and, so, the type of situation that would only escalate to a few harsh words for most people, for him, would often turn physical.

Things started to change for him after starting to do home schooling and then registering for a summer wrestling program with his former English teacher and wrestling coach Brent Fryia.

Fryia is also the head coach for Steel City MMA and Jiujitsu and he soon started training Pine in boxing and Brazillian Jiujitsu.

Pine now works as a trainer at that gym and is also a promising young MMA fighter who wants to someday fight professionally in either the UFC or in a professional kickboxing league.

Pine said that Fryia’s guidance, and MMA itself, has given his natural aggressive tendencies focus and put him back on the right path.

Now Pine has to use his energy to train, exercise, and keep a healthy diet.

All this has led to Pine being a much more dangerous fighting machine than he was in high school, but also one that is more controlled and less likely to get in casual fights out of the ring.

“Brent talked to me about that. You’re basically a bully (if you fight others) with the skills you learn.... Just being able to go in and hit stuff — to let out some frustration and exercise is always good and healthy anyways. I think that avenue has got me out of the troublesome part of fighting,” he said.

Pine’s fighting talent was demonstrated Saturday night at the Wreck MMA Amateur Fighting Championships at Rankin Arena.

Pine, who was fighting for Steel City MMA, was able to defeat Maurice Montgomery of Team Kaos out of Port Huron, Michigan with a rear naked choke and in doing so became the first  Wreck MMA International Bantamweight title holder.

“We were exchanging, I went for a shot and I felt he was physically smaller and weaker than me so I knew in the second round if I really dedicated a shot I was going to get it. As it happened, he hit the mat and I just had more experience on the ground,” said Pine.

Pine will hold the belt for that title until he loses in a challenge at a time that has yet to be determined.

Organizers said around 800 people showed up for Saturday’s event which included nine fights from fighters that came from as far as Michigan, Ottawa, Kenora, and Thunder Bay.

Other match results:

Owen Martin of Steel City MMA beat Marc LeFebvre of OAMA

Keryl St. Helene of Gracie SSM bear David Firlotte of Team Tsunami

Jo Degenais of OAMA beat Emma Horner of Leading Edge

David Reid of Sudbury MMA beat Jordon Wardlaw of Steel City MMA

Stephen Baxter of United Fighter beat Bryan Babic of UFC gym Mississauga

Jason McCoy of Steel City MMA beat Ricky Collinson

Jose Zavala of United Fighter beat Adam Brock of Tsunami

Alex Buttineau of Driven MMA beat Daniel Washington of Team Kaos