When Carson Googe’s father, Mike, bought him weights and a punching bag to start working out two years ago, he never dreamed that his son would be one of the region’s up-and-coming mixed martial artists by his freshman year of high school. Googe, who won his first competitive boxing match in September, also trains in Jiu Jitsu, Judo and is one of two-time National Kickboxing Champion Jamz Manning’s top prospects for the IKF Kickboxing Championship in Orlando next summer.
“When I first started training, my coaches kept telling me what a natural I was. They thought I had been doing this for years,” Googe said. “When they found out I was only 15, they were amazed because I was able to keep up with all the older competitors whose ages range from 18 to 35. They immediately said I needed to start competing, so my father took me to two-time World Boxing Champion Lee Fortune and I started training for my first fight.”
Googe’s training paid off on Sept. 5 when he won his first-ever boxing match in a hard-fought unanimous decision against a senior from Coosa High School. His opponent was given five standing eight counts in the four-round match.
“I think my coaches were more nervous than I was,” Googe said. “The match was the most intense thing I’ve ever experienced by far. Each time I landed or dodged a punch, I could hear my coaches scream with encouragement. After it was over, I felt a connection to my opponent, and we gave each other a hug. When the referee raised my hand high in the air and announced my name as the winner, I knew it was all worth it. I looked out in the crowd and saw my family with their hands raised as well, and I was proud.”
Googe said he looks to UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin for inspiration. Griffin, a Georgia native and University of Georgia alum, is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship promotion. He was recently one of the coaches on Spike TV’s popular reality series “The Ultimate Fighter,” the show that made him famous when he defeated Stephan Bonnar by one point to be named winner of season one and earned himself a six-figure contract in the UFC.
“The final two guys had such a competitive match and showed so much heart that the president of the UFC eventually decided to give both fighters a contract,” Googe said. “Forrest is my favorite UFC fighter. He never gives up, and neither do I.”
Googe also credits his coaches and trainers for pushing him to his maximum potential in all that he does. He currently works with kickboxing instructor Jamz Manning, owner of Intense Martial Arts; boxing instructor Lee Fortune, owner of Royz Boyz Boxing; and Josh Cochran, Jason Hamilton and Jake Farrer for Jiu Jitsu. Hamilton has also started teaching him Judo.
“My coaches are the greatest. They call me their little brother,” Googe said. “Jamz is really hard on me, but he says it’s because he sees a lot of talent in me and doesn’t want to let me down by letting me under achieve. So I don’t want to let him down. He has gotten me into tremendous shape. Josh has been doing and teaching Jiu Jitsu his whole life. He puts so much time and effort into it that it makes me want to do the same. He has made me a lot tougher. The other guys have really helped me as well.
“I have found that to be successful in mixed martial arts, you have to be a good all-around athlete. You have to be strong, quick, and have great balance and endurance. My coaches work me really hard, and I have been able to improve in these areas,” he continued. “The one thing they taught me, though, that is the most important and that I use the most is the mental part. If you really concentrate, you can actually see what your opponent is going to do next. It’s amazing. I’m able to use my mind to keep from getting tired and stay relaxed no matter what.”
Less than a week after his first boxing victory, Googe competed at the NAGA Tournament, the largest Jiu Jitsu tournament in the United States. Unfortunately, he was suffering from a broken hand and was unable to pull out a win over his 17-year-old competitor in the semi-finals. In the end, he was defeated 1-0. With his cast now off, Googe said he looks forward to competing in the Casca-Grossa Jiu Jitsu Tournament, the Golden Gloves State Boxing Tournament, The Georgia Games State Boxing Tournament, the IKF Kickboxing Championships, and to being a part of Darlington’s varsity wrestling team this winter.
“In mixed martial arts, you go after your opponent with all you have to try to beat him, but no one gets mad regardless of the outcome,” Googe said. “You always hug in the end and show great sportsmanship. That’s what I love most about this sport. Everyone loses, and it really is OK to lose, but 95 percent of the time it’s the competitor who works the hardest that comes out on top. It feels great to win and then show respect.”
Carson Googe is the son of Jill and Mike Googe of Cedartown, Ga.
