Memphis has a reputation. It is the home of the “Homeroom Chicken and Grids,” served at the Lunchbox Eats a school cafeteria-themed diner popular for its soul food sandwiches. If you let your nose lead you around the city you might also stumble upon “Barbecue Nachos” or “Maple Bacon Donuts.” Turn the corner and be introduced to Sonny Salt dry rub ribs or even the juiciest thing east of the Mississippi, the immortal, “Soul Burger.” It is here in this culinary candy land with a sprinkle of the blues, where Antonio Washington grew up. Even though he had to leave to pursue his dreams, Memphis will always be a place he holds close to his heart, because it was part of what made him who is he today.
Wrestling is what allowed Antonio to travel and experience different locations. And it was King that recruited the star athlete, a wrestling phenom whose dream is to fight in the UFC. “I want to be an MMA fighter,” Antonio said. “I’ve competed in a few fights.” In high school, he assisted his coach during training sessions with elite fighters and took the opportunity to learn as much as he could about mixed martial arts.
MMA or Mixed Martial Arts is a full-contact sport that incorporates various styles of fighting including grappling, striking, and ground fighting that can be a combination of (jiu-jitsu, wrestling, Sambo, or other techniques). The fight is between two people, of the same weight class, who square off and either try to knock the other out, submit them, or win after accumulating the most points after several 3 or 5-minute rounds. To knock a fighter out can be accomplished through a punch, kick, knee or elbow. A submission is won by forcing the opponent to tap out due to pain or lack of oxygen by way of a chokehold, pressure point technique, joint lock, or other methods.
But Antonio knows that to be a great fighter you have to be a great preparer. As Muhammad Ali once said, “The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses – behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I ever dance under those lights.” So, it is preparation, both physically and mentally that Antonio focuses on, as he pursues a successful wrestling career at King.
Being on the wrestling team at King, he feels will provide him with the foundation he needs to be successful at the next level. When he first arrived for a tour of the school, he was immediately struck by the scenery. “It was different from Memphis and the buildings. I liked that it was open. I really like the mountains,” Antonio said.
He also liked the small close-knit environment where it is easy to build relationships with other students and the professors and where you can nurture those relationships because you are constantly running into people you know. Antonio is a dedicated student and works hard to be able to perform at the highest level. He wants to take his work ethic, and knowledge of what it takes to be a successful athlete and train others as a physical therapist. “I want to someday pursue a doctorate in physical therapy,” Antonio says.
Antonio is hard-working, focused, and ambitious, determined to succeed. But he is also soft-spoken and humble, taking each challenge as it arrives with a positive outlook and a dedication to learning as much as he can with each opportunity that presents itself. He is just the kind of student that excels at King, that enrolls at the school, and the type of student that King goes out and recruits.
Interested in a career in exercise science, please click on the link https://www.king.edu/programs/health-sciences/exercise-science/
Interested in a career in athletic training, please click on the link https://www.king.edu/programs/athletic-training/