North Texas mixed martial artist finds salvation through fighting

by Sean Malone of of North Texas Fisticuffs

Throughout the annals of combative sports young men and women have flocked to the art of professional fighting as an escape. Be it an escape from financial strains or an escape from some form of personal demons, fighting has offered individuals a cathartic release since the dawn of man.

For Justin Wenokur, fighting offered him an opportunity to release pent up anger and frustration born out of a less than ideal home life. Quick tempered and filled with a burning rage that threatened to boil over, Wenokur found a sort of salvation in the ancient martial art form known as Muay Thai.

“What got me into the Muay Thai initially was that I had a little bit of a rough upbringing and had some anger issues,” explains Wenokur. “After Muay Thai I stopped getting in trouble and I started finishing school.”

But training in Muay Thai also had another surprising affect on Wenokur, it opened up a dormant desire to consume the various martial arts techniques that comprise what is modern day mixed martial arts.

“[Muay Thai] really helped me and it sort of evolved,” Wenokur states. “I mean Muay Thai is good, but eventually you want to learn more and do more and MMA was kind of exploding so I started dabbling in it and in the last six months I have gotten more serious training with my Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.”

Fully embracing his new found lust for mixed martial arts, Wenokur started pitting his cage fighting skills against other practitioners in the amateur ranks. Unfortunately, the demands of life and holding down a full time job forced his amateur career to be a relatively short experience.

“I didn’t fight very often so I had four fights over a year and a half. I didn’t get to fight very often because I did, and I still do, have a full time job,” explains Wenokur. “I didn’t get to really devote a lot of time like I needed to so I would fight like every three or four months. I went 3-1 as an amateur.”

But unlike the majority of fighters who are forced to toil day jobs while trying to make their way as professional prize fighters, Wenokur’s full time gig actually aids him in his fighting endeavors.

“I’m a health fitness specialist for a company called Health Fitness Corporation. It’s pretty cool,” says Wenokur. “It definitely helps me out a ton because I basically live in a gym. If I’m not at the gym that I fight out of, I’m in a gym that has weights and various tools at my disposal. I mean my athleticism has definitely helped me out in fights. There are a lot of guys who are better than me at the gym but a lot of them have trouble tapping me out due to my strength.”

While Wenokur is quick to express the fondness he has for his job, deep inside he knows that fighting is what he wants to do. The old adage states that fighters are not made, they are born and for Wenokur nothing could ring more true. This Thursday night, the 23 year-old Wenokur takes the first and arguably largest step in realizing his dream of fighting for a living when he takes on tough Chris Brooks on the Steele Cage Promotions fight card at the Dr. Pepper Arena in Frisco. As if making your pro debut on one of North Texas’ biggest fight cards is not pressure enough, the fact that Wenokur will be fighting in his backyard, in front of a throng of adoring friends and family does not make things exactly stress-free.

“It definitely adds a lot of pressure. Especially being that I’m from Dallas and a lot of my amateur fights were not in Dallas,” Wenokur concedes. “I haven’t really had a venue where all my friends could come. I used to do some submission wrestling tournaments and my friends would come to that but in that you are talking 200 people watching you and here we are talking about 6,500 people. I’ve already sold to me friends over 100 tickets and that’s just to personal friends and family. So yeah it adds some pressure with this being my pro debut and also the first time all my friends will get to watch me.”

Such pressure would surely consume most people but Wenokur is surprisingly upbeat and optimistic in discussing the daunting task before him. In fact Wenokur seems downright elated that his opponent shares his penchant for stand-up fighting.

“I mean, I’m probably not going to be tapping Chris Brooks out,” Wenokur says with a laugh. “Most of the Jiu-Jitsu I use is defensive, but I knew with this guy, he’s all stand up, I really don’t see him taking it to the ground.”

But Wenokur is quick to add that should the fight go to the ground he will be ready.

“I’ve been really working more on my striking but I feel if he does take me down I can do enough to get back standing or if I see an opening I know enough that I can tap him out.”

It is amazing how life turns out sometimes. Growing up there were cards clearly staked up against Wenokur yet through fighting a drive and a purpose was installed in his life. It is a lesson that has not been lost on him and one that he hopes to share with the young boys and girls who take to the sport of mixed martial arts in search of the same thing Wenokur sought as teenager.

“I definitely would [recommend MMA training as a release],” Wenokur states bluntly. “If it hadn’t been for fighting and the combination of my mom’s boyfriend of ten years providing me the support, I don’t know what would have happened. I might be some drug addict out on the street somewhere, I don’t know. I think it’s a great way to let out your aggression. It really helped me work out a lot of [my] issues. It’s crazy but being a pro cage fighter now I’m way less angry than I was before I got in this sport. Back in the day I was just looking for an excuse to pop off, now I very easily avoid all those situations. It’s definitely been a great thing for me. I’m a youth trainer at my gym and I always encourage for them to get into Jiu-Jitsu, to get into boxing classes because it is a great way to just vent.”

Justin Wenokur found salvation in the fighting arts. Now he seeks the rewards that are gained by select few fighters who have gone on to do great things in the sport. It is this very reason that he has set for himself the loftiest of goals.

“I want to be the best fighter ever. I know everybody says that but anything less will feel like a disappointment to me.”