Hometown fighter up for the challenge
Medicine Hat’s Rick Bitz on Fight Night 3 mixed martial arts card set for June 10 at Canalta Centre
For the first time in nearly four years, a Medicine Hat fighter will step in to the octagon with a home crowd behind him.
Rick Bitz, a 35-year-old former oil and gas worker who’s now training to be a firefighter, is part of the Fight Night 3 card at Canalta Centre June 10. He’s untested in mixed martial arts but will debut as a pro against 1-2 Randy Mahon from Grande Prairie.
Sound crazy? Bitz sure doesn’t come off that way, a religious man who simply wants to see what he can do in the sport.
“Why not, right? You can do anything in life if you put your mind to it,” said Bitz. “If you want to look at your age and think that’s your hindrance, your stopping point, that’s your mindset.
“My mindset is I can do this. Thirty-five is just a number at this point.”
Growing up he dabbled in karate, and a couple years ago did the same at a local MMA gym. It was the bust of the energy sector that ultimately led him to this particular fight card, forcing a career change and giving him time to pursue a longtime dream. The June 10 event is the first of the Fight Night series to feature someone from the Gas City; the latest Hatter in an MMA card here was Mike Goehr in 2013’s Hard Knocks event at the Cypress Centre.
“It always intrigued me,” said Bitz. “I was never going to be a dancer, a singer or a musician. Everybody has their gifts... as I decided what I wanted to do as a dream I felt like my body composition, my strength and mental was a good package to be able to do this.”
The timing also was right for Bitz’s trainer. Bryan Anderson, who’s got a long resume in several martial arts, recently opened Now and Zen Martial Arts downtown. In their first session, Anderson pushed Bitz until he puked, mainly to see if the newcomer really had the desire to train hard enough to make it.
Bitz got sick, then went right back to training.
“I’ve been a big fan of Rocky, the heart and the drive,” said Anderson. “All the time, in every fight I’ve ever seen, the person who wants it the most usually wins. The ones willing to fight and crawl and push, they’re the ones who take those chances.
“His confidence level is incredible, which is good as well. It’s almost reminiscent of an early Connor McGregor.”
As for a strength, Bitz won’t specify one although Anderson is impressed with the 163-pounder’s grappling skills. While Anderson has some information about Mahon, having coached judo in Grande Prairie when he was a teenager, the plan is not to focus on the opponent. There’s enough for the rookie to learn about himself.
“I’ve made it my goal not to research him,” said Bitz. “This is a personal thing (for now). I just want to see what I can do.”
Though there’s a bit of money on the line, that’s not the focus either. In fact, any prize money Bitz wins will be donated to the campaign of David Dale, who’s already raised $35,000 for his Sears National Kids Cancer Ride later this year. Dale will cycle with a team across Canada, and Bitz — who has a young daughter with his wife Tracey — was inspired by going to a fundraiser for the cause.
And as to where the fight game takes him, well, Bitz is taking it day-by-day but isn’t stupid: Few people in MMA make a living off of it. If it goes well he’s up for seeing where it takes him though. He’s looking for sponsors.
“I’m definitely going to finish the firefighting and ultimately do that no matter what,” he said. “If you wanted to be a dreamer and think that this fighting was going to take you to the next level... you’d assess that. But I’m a realist, Plan A is firefighting, Plan B is dabbling into this. We’ll play it by ear.”