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There are two similar, but slightly different meanings for the term ‘greenlighting’ inside Xtreme Couture. Shawn Tompkins explains the kindler, gentler meaning in the above video. Basically, it’s when the pros spar and don’t hold back, which means somebody is probably getting knocked out. That’s pretty normal for an MMA gym, but there’s another meaning too. When someone comes in to Xtreme Couture who isn’t a member of the team, someone who for one reason or another thinks he’s the baddest son of a bitch in a room full of bad sons of bitches, that’s when a different kind of greenlight might occur. It’s the kind that begins with the guy feeling like a certified grade A ass-kicker, and ends with him begging for the beating to stop. And who is the greenlight specialist down at Xtreme Couture? None other than Jay Hieron, who loves – absolutely loves – to put a hurting on big-talking newbies. I heard about Hieron’s love of the greenlight when I spent some time at Xtreme Couture last week. One of the stories involved a guy coming in and claiming to be a pro fighter with ten fights under his belt, asking if he could train with the pro class. Once the class started it became quickly apparent that he wasn’t quite as skilled or experienced as he was letting on. ‘Can I get a greenlight on this guy?’ Hieron is said to have asked Shawn Tompkins. ‘Sure,’ Tompkins told him. The guy wasn’t a team member, and wasn’t showing the proper deference as a guest in the Xtreme Couture household. So Hieron greenlighted him, which meant beating him up and down the mat, dropping him several times and waiting for him to get back to his feet, pounding on him until the guy asked him to let up. Hieron just looked at him, shrugged, and said, “It’s the pro class, man.” “Nobody likes douchebags coming in their gym,” Hieron explained when I asked him about his passion for greenlighting. “You get these guys, they think they’re the toughest dudes in the world and so they just walk right in to our place. I love guys like that. They need to be humbled.” The first thing I wondered when I heard this was, who is dumb enough to think he can walk into Xtreme Couture, where there are more high-level pros on the mat at any given time than there are in any one county in the rest of the nation, and think he can act hard? It can’t happen very often, right? “You wouldn’t believe how many of these guys there are,” said Hieron. “It happens way more than you’d think. I can’t stand it. I wouldn’t go to someone else’s gym and disrespect it that way. That’s like you coming into my house and disrespecting me. That’s not gonna happen.” Hieron even has a special pair of shorts that he puts on for a greenlight. Other guys on the mat see those shorts, he says, and “they know what time it is.” Hieron’s greenlighting might prove to be good practice for his next fight with Paul “Semtex” Daley at Affliction III, which he says he’s just recently signed the contract for. “I’m excited. It’s been about six months since I’ve fought and I can’t wait to get back in there,” he said. Daley’s known as an explosive striker on the feet, but isn’t exactly renowned for having a great ground game. Asked if this might play right into his background as a wrestler, Hieron replied: “We’ll see. I feel like I’m very well-rounded at this point. I always try to use my wrestling, but I’ll take what the guy gives me. I think my striking’s just as good as his.”
why did they need to make up a term for this?
Man, this makes me want to fly out to Cali right the fuck now!
If I WAS a pro MMA fighter, I would not want to get the greenlight on me.
Is this like a code red? Is Tompkins like Colonel Jessup?
Or is this thread about unwanted boners?
What is Jay Hieron-Killer Kowalski or Stu Hart or something?
for later
matt murdock - for later
Did you order the greenlight?
YOU'RE GOD DAMN RIGHT I DID!
guy1 - Did you order the greenlight?
YOU'RE GOD DAMN RIGHT I DID!
LMAO!!! Voted up!
I always knew those as "tune ups."
MushroomHead - "None other than Jay Hieron, who loves – absolutely loves – to put a hurting on big-talking newbies."
I guess when you're having a lackluster MMA career, beating up newbies/weaklings/etc probably feels pretty satisfying...
Jay Hieron=Hardcore Holly.
Bullies.
I love hearing things like this. The fake tough guys need to be put in their place.
we call it "real position" at our BJJ gym.
taken from Carlson Gracie Sr.
But dont just beat them up,spiral fracture their leg like they did to that guy who came to Gokors gym.
That will teach them to act tough,make sure they never walk again.
4 later
MushroomHead - "None other than Jay Hieron, who loves – absolutely loves – to put a hurting on big-talking newbies."
I guess when you're having a lackluster MMA career, beating up newbies/weaklings/etc probably feels pretty satisfying...
MushroomHead hits the correct.
Pat Miletich told me some stories about a couple TMA guys who thought they were complete badasses and wanted to spare in the advanced classes. The story ends with both of them KO'ed in the corner within the first round.
Sometimes it needs to be done. If it needs to be done, why not put a name to it?