Jimmy "Maverick" Garner Is My Main Man at Featherweight

Through a series of circumstances that occurred shortly after I became a member of the Fightbook site which I dearly love, I met a young man who definitely has me in his corner.

When Jimmy "Maverick" Garner was looking for sponsors on the Fightbook site, I answered his ad to see how much he needed.  It was not what I considered a great amount, so I first asked my grandson Cody if he would mind if I became one of Jimmy's sponsors.

Since Cody thought it was a great idea, I contacted Jimmy's mother to be sure she was okay with his fighting aspirations and my sponsorship.  Mrs. Garner was charming to speak with and assured me of what a dedicated and hard worker her son was and thanked me for my interest in helping him.

Although I do not attend his fights, Maverick keeps in touch with me to update me on his progress.  He and my grandson communicate too and I am sure that Jimmy's success will help keep Cody's hopes of becoming an MMA fighter alive until after he finishes his high school career in wrestling.

When I met Jimmy he was 17 and going to a fight in Flint,Michigan.  His enthusiasm was contagious and I stayed faithfully by my laptop hoping for a win with no injuries.  The report was something completely unexpected.  Upon arriving at the fight the other fighter backed out and Jimmy and his family ended up being spectators rather than participants.  What a huge disappointment!

But with the persistence of an orphaned calf, Maverick has continued to pursue his dream and now has a record of 5-1-0 while fighting with Team Vaghi. 

Standing 5'5" and weighing 135 pounds (61.3 kg) with a reach of 64" Jimmy fights Featherweight and on August 2, hopes to win the title of the ECC fight in Paris, Tennessee at the Community Center.

September 13, 2008 will see Jimmy at the Battle of the Blast IV in Carbondale, IL for Kage One Mixed Martial Arts (KOMMA), in a Bantamweight title match.  His opponent will be Justin Fortner 3-1-0 of Herrin, IL., who is 135# but 5' 10" and may also have a reach advantage.

The tools in Maverick's tool belt are a Black Belt in Tang Soo Do and a Blue Belt in Brazilian Jui-Jitsu.  He also wrestled in high school.

Going into every fight and giving his "120 percent" has brought him this far. And emulating his heroes—Cung Le, Jim Bradock, Muhamad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, George Forman, Royce Gracie, Bruce Lee, and Chuck Norris—has obviously helped put him in the win column.

Along his way he has met Matt Hughes and Mark Fiore and even cornered some of their fighters.  He has many pictures of them and himself on his MySpace page.

Another serendipitous event was meeting a soul mate and now sweetheart named Meghan who is also an MMA fighter with dreams similar to his.  Can life get any better?

Still what has impressed me the most is that he began his journey at the age of 17 with the maturity of a much older man.  He has been very gracious to me and my family and I hope he will go as far as his dreams and determination will carry him. 

Indeed, I hope to be seeing him soon competing in his favorite league, the WEC organization.  Future fans can catch Jimmy on his MySpace page or on Fightbook. 

If you fight fans are at all like me, you will want to watch Jimmy "Maverick" Garner's progress as he climbs the ladder to the top of his weight division.

"War Maverick"—Bring it on, my young friend!