Brenneman on his own autobiography
Charlie Brenneman today posted on the Underground and gave our community a quick background of his new autobiography.
Charlie Brenneman today posted on the Underground and gave our community a quick background of his new autobiography:
From: Charlie Brenneman
Posted: 37 minutes ago
Edited: Member Since: 5/22/09
Posts: 1
Let me first say that I’ve been a UG visitor for almost a decade. The characters, stories, arguments and anything in between have been enjoyable. Thank you for all of that.
Almost nine years ago, I left teaching to pursue professional fighting. It started on a whim. One day, in between classes, I saw an article online about Frankie Edgar signing with the UFC. Frankie was a collegiate wrestling friend of mine, and we had crossed paths throughout our wrestling careers. Up until that point, professional fighting never crossed my mind. I hated fighting.
I had just finished up a pretty good wrestling career, and I wasn’t completely fulfilled as a Spanish teacher. I didn’t have a sense of purpose. I had spent my whole life wrestling, working toward big goals (state title, All-American medal), and now it was gone. I was empty inside.
I saw what Frankie was doing and asked myself, Why can’t I do that? The only attribute I had to achieve something great was that I was physically capable of handling my own on the wrestling mat. Fighting was certainly different than wrestling, but they share similar characteristics.
When I got home from school that day, I called my best friend and said to him, One day, I will fight in the UFC. The rest is history. I left my job and pursued that goal with a calculated, systematic approach.
On the other side of my experiences in the UFC, I have embarked on a new journey of professional speaking. As part of that journey, I have recently penned my autobiography, Driven: My Unlikely Journey from Classroom to Cage. I wrote the book by myself and had the help of three mentors in editing and formatting. It’s a book for any fan of combat sports, or for any person who appreciates the realization of a dream.
After getting knocked out by Danny Castillo on live television, my approach to life was intensified. It was a weird time. As any fighter on here knows, the hate in MMA is EXTREME. I still get memes and pics on Twitter from that night. I’m wiser as a result of the sport and have much thicker skin.
My motivation in writing this book is to share my story. There are superstars who write books about sex, drugs and lots of money. And then there are a whole slew of guys just like me, guys who have achieved some neat things and want to share his story.
I GREATLY appreciate any support in helping me get the word out. You can find it at the link above or click on Charlie-brenneman.com/book to purchase. Any fighters looking for help in packaging your story, I’m here to help. I’ve been given a lot, and I’m happy to pay it forward.
Thank you UG!
Charlie The Spaniard Brenneman
