His time is almost up at Tri-Star Gym in Montreal, but Marco “Machete” Viedas says he is having the time of his life while learning valuable lessons in the world of mixed martial arts (MMA).
Viedas flew to Montreal and was fortunate enough to have the chance to train at Tri-Star Gym, home of MMA stars like Georges St. Pierre, Rory MacDonald, Jon Jones and Kenny Florian, just to name a few, for the entire month of June.
All the while, Machete is learning more and more about the MMA game while getting the chance to see Rory MacDonald in full-on training mode, as he prepares for his shot at the UFC welterweight championship.
“It’s been crazy,” Viedas said while enjoying some down time in Montreal.
“Things have been non-stop in this place and I have been loving every minute I’ve been here. I’ve learned so much just from being in the same gym as these guys and having the chance to live in a dorm with other fighters and learning from them both in the gym and away from it as well, it’s been amazing.”
It’s an equally exciting time for Machete, who started out in the world of mixed martial arts thanks in large part to his idol, Georges St. Pierre.
Having the chance to train at his gym in Montreal was one thing, but the possibility of being there and having the chance to learn from his idol was another.
“It wasn’t certain if he was gonna be there,” Viedas said. “Sure enough, he’s been in and out and even taught a grappling class that we had too. It was so exciting to be able to not only see him in person like that but to be able to take part in a class that was taught by him. He’s the reason that I got started in MMA and being able to do this has been unreal.”
There have been lots of things to pick up along the way, learning different techniques and disciplines in class, as well as little things from other fighters in the gym as well.
It’s been the learning experience of a lifetime for Machete and it’s something he’s excited to bring back with him and hopes to carry over with into his own MMA career.
“There’s so much to learn,” Viedas said. “I have a notebook full of things that I’ve written down that we’ve been learning, just so I can remember it all.”
“When I’m in the gym, I get to go up against guys that have been training and fighting in MMA longer than I have, some of them even from the UFC like Chad Laprise (UFC lightweight). It’s a real good way to see where you stack up against guys that have made it to the big time.”
For Viedas, just the chance to train at Tri-Star Gym itself was an amazing oppourtunity, but to learn from some of the best in the world in MMA, he’s very thankful.
“It wouldn’t have happened without my team,” Viedas said. “All my sponsors, Siege Consulting, Ecstasy Audio, Body Basix, Riptide Graphics and Ocean Sands Resort, they made this happen. Parksville Taekwondo too, they’ve been huge supporters of me and this whole thing and I owe a lot to them.”
