Not as “Quick” as You Think

By Greg Savage

When Mike Swick burst into mixed martial arts fans' consciousness during the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter the experience was life changing for the Texan. While stardom may have come overnight for Swick, the road that led him there took a number of twists and turns before he arrived at the promised land of reality television.

A native of Houston, Swick will experience a homecoming of sorts when he steps into the Octagon Saturday night. His journey to MMA acclaim began in earnest when he made the trek west to his adopted hometown of San Jose, Calif. in 2001. He traveled there originally in 1998 to try out for the then Frank Shamrock-led American Kickboxing Academy.

Swick was successful in his quest but reconsidered the move to Northern California when he took a peek at his bank statement. With a lucrative offer as a private security contractor on the table, Swick knew he could not pass it up.

The middleweight contender padded his checking account while providing security at the United States Embassy construction site in Moscow before deciding it was time to seek out MMA success in the Golden State.

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