Photo By Master Sgt. Michael Matkin | U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Nathan Coy, 41st Expeditionary Electromagnetic Warfare...... read more read more
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What does wrestling, mixed martial arts and the Air Force have in common? Staff Sgt. Nathan Coy, 41st Expeditionary Electromagnetic Warfare Combat Detachment, Aerospace Ground Equipment technician, recently shared his life experience of competing as a wrestler and an MMA fighter.
“I loved Basic, because it was everything wrestling and MMA was,” said Coy. “It was structured, you had to be there at a specific time, you had to do your very best, and you had to lead by example. I almost joined the military out of high school. The Marines and the Army have a wrestling program where you can compete for their branch. I almost did that, and part of me wishes I had, but I like the road I took. The military was for me one way or another.”
Coy grew up in Portland, Ore. and began wrestling at a very young age. He would go on to compete at the highest levels, to include wrestling for Oregon State University and moving to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. to compete for the sole wrestling spot for Team USA.
“Only one person goes to the Olympics [in wrestling],” said Coy. “It breeds a competitiveness that is just unlike any other sport.”
The competitiveness of wrestling starts at a young age when children as young as six years old compete every weekend in tournaments. Coy explained that this competitiveness is also brought on by the very nature of the sport, which is dominance.
“You have to take somebody from their feet to their back and that means you have to take their will - in a way - away from them, and dominate your will on them,” said Coy. “It just creates a different type of mindset. It creates this kind of mental toughness that I just don’t see in other sports, so I am thankful for it. A famous wrestler once said, ‘Once you do wrestling, everything else is easy’. There’s confidence in that mindset. People ask me what is harder, MMA or wrestling? It’s not even close, MMA is nowhere near as tough as wrestling.”
Because only one person makes it to the Olympics, and Coy was roughly 7th on the Olympic Wrestling ladder, he said he could see making the Olympics wasn’t going to happen and decided to get out in 2006. He moved back to Portland and was working as a carpenter, when one night, over dinner, his father suggested he check out MMA. A lot of the wrestlers he had grown up with were getting into MMA and it just so happened that Portland, at the time, was one of the few places in the country that had good MMA gyms.
“That sparked my interest,” said Coy. “Knowing I could actually compete, that I could transition to MMA, that is where it started. I think wrestling is the best foundation for MMA, which is why I had the confidence to compete in the sport.”
Coy said in the early days, MMA was more of a competition between the competitors’ style of fighting. Eventually, MMA started to become a melting pot of ideas, possibilities and abilities from other sports.
“The mindset of imposing your will translated from wrestling to MMA very well; although, I think people who want to be number one in the world will take ideas from all around - anything that works for them - and bring it into their routine,” said Coy.
He said wanting to be number one in the world, whether it’s wrestling, MMA or anything else, takes discipline and commitment. You have to be willing to do more than anyone else and you have to be open to different viewpoints.
“You start by waking up early,” said Coy. “You have to be there every day to hone your craft and become better. You have to be positive, because you have to take in ideas from everyone and establish what is going to be best for your style. You have to be empathetic towards others. You have to be thoughtful. If you want to be the best in the world, it takes the people around you to get there, so you have to have a little give and take; you have to be able to compromise. There are thousands of people trying to be the best, so you work together. You can’t do it on your own. You have to respect others. I think that’s why I like MMA and wrestling, because it’s not just talk. I’m not just going to talk a big game. I’m actually going to do it. When you get around a bunch of people with that mindset you have to be respectful or you are going to get hammered.”
Coy said respecting others and empathizing with them includes your opponents.
“You have to be understanding of your opponent and you have to be respectful of your opponent - probably more so in MMA than in wrestling,” said Coy. “MMA is even more beautiful than wrestling in that regard. It’s the essence of the human spirit. After a fight, opponents are always going to shake hands and hug, even though they just spent the last 15 min. to get each other to submit or to knock them out. There’s such a respect that you get from putting it all on the line - you have to be empathetic.”
Putting it all on the line is what Coy did every fight. He said his best fight was one of the last times he fought in the Washington Park Rose Garden amphitheater (Moda Center) in his hometown of Portland against the Ultimate Fighting Championship champion, Tyron Woodley.
“I went into the fight just so sharp and mentally excited. Anytime I fought in front of my friends I was excited to fight – they give you an extra bit of momentum – it’s the best,” said Coy. “I fought a very good fight. I felt like I had won the fight, but I lost the split decision; and that was fine. I gave it everything I had. That’s the nice thing about leaving it all on the table, there’s no regret. Although the judges didn’t give it to me, it was my best fight.”
Coy said a loss in MMA can really knock you down, both literally and figuratively, as one loss can drop you pretty far down in the MMA stats. Eventually, he had too many losses and had to move on from MMA; however, Coy doesn’t regret not making it to the top, true to his kind nature, he is happy for those that did.
“Just because I didn’t achieve my goals, there’s a lot of people I trained with that did,” said Coy. “I trained with the best in the world. I got to watch a lot of people achieve their goals, and that is kind of special too. I see millionaires that I trained with, and you have to be happy for them. We all had no money and were just a room full of guys with aspirations. To actually see some of them make it, you have to be proud of that. There’s something really cool about just being a part of the amazing things that are happening in the world.”
He said he really feels there are so many blessings he got out training and being around like-minded people, people who were truly trying to be the best in the world.
“It’s such an awesome environment,” said Coy. “I miss it a great deal. I am thankful for the military because there’s that same spirit in the military that was in MMA.”
When he left MMA, he said he thought he’d just go back to carpentry, but through the thoughtfulness of his wife and some friends, he was persuaded to go to Emergency Medical Technician school, Fire School and then to eventually join the military.
“For 30 years, all I did was fight and wrestle,” said Coy. “My wife guided me into my career, I was not looking for it, but I am very thankful for it. I see a lot of good in the military - a lot of positivity - what I loved about wrestling and MMA.”
At the age of 39 he began speaking to recruiters, but due to his age, his choices for serving were limited. He ended up joining the Air Force one day before his 40th birthday. He said the Air Force was, and still is, a perfect continuation of his careers of wrestling and MMA. Coy believes joining the military was a “side step” or lateral move from wrestling and MMA, as there are a lot of similarities.
“The core values of the Air Force are the core values of wrestling,” said Coy. “Also, you earn your rank in wrestling and fighting, you don’t just have a rank and be admired for it. Untimely, you have to give equal respect to all, and demand it, and that way they give it back to you. Respect and commitment are important things in life, you need to have that in any strong relationship, any good friendship or team. Respect has to be earned.”
He said he really respects his deployed team members and said each individual has strong character.
“If I have a problem with the civilian side of the world, it’s that sometimes people don’t always carry their weight,” said Coy. “I don’t see that here one bit. Everyone’s doing the best they can. There’s a lot of people here who want to get better and do something positive with their time.”
Coy said it isn’t easy being positive all the time and it can be challenging seeing people prosper, whether in wrestling, MMA or other aspects of life, while you fall short. Coy said when he experienced that he overcame it mentally by making daily goals and going back to his days of wrestling and MMA, days of adversity, but where nothing was going to keep him down.
“There’s something really special about going into an arena, like a gladiator, when your friends and family are supporting you, and potentially you’re going to ride or die, live or fail, in front of a bunch of people,” said Coy. “The excitement of that, you just can’t explain it. Looking back now, it’s all about the journey.”
| Date Taken: | 02.28.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 02.28.2023 11:32 |
| Story ID: | 439362 |
| Location: | AB 201, NE |
| Web Views: | 478 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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