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Real Estate and The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), HOW THEY ARE SIMILAR

By
Mortgage and Lending with HPM Financial LLC

When reading the thread title you are probably thinking, what the heck does the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Real Estate have to do with each other? The answer is... EVERYTHING!

How it all began:

It all started on November 12, 1993 the date of the the first UFC. There was a fighter named Royce Gracie, who was a 170-pound Brazilian guy who had a slim build he was about 5'10 and looked like your average guy. He was fighting in a no hold barred tournament where two guys were locked in a cage fighting with no gloves. The only rules were as follows:

1. No biting.
2. No eye gouging.

The only ways to win were either...

1. To tap your hand on the mat signaling you have had enough which was referred to as a "Tap Out"
2. To have your corner throw in the towel.
3. To get knocked out.


Royce was by far the smallest guy in the tournament. The only way to win the tournament was to win four fights which took place all in ONE NIGHT.

Using your strengths against the other guy’s weakness:

Royce was determined to win, the martial art he used was called Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (a martial art that is similar to wrestling and judo, the goal is to get your opponent into a joint lock where the joint and bone would be broken, or a choke) his uncle was the founder of this martial art, and his father was the co-founder. The bookmakers had never heard of this sport and Royce was a 70-1 underdog to win the tournament. After all there was a sumo wrestler who was in this tournament who weighed over 450lbs as well as various highly skilled fighters who were all well over 50lbs heavier then him and at much stronger. What Royce accomplished that first night was nothing short of amazing, He ended up winning all of his fights against much bigger and stronger opponents.


How did he manage to accomplish this? He brought the opponents down to the ground. You see since Jiu Jitsu is based on ground fighting the first thing Royce diid was take the opponents down. By doing this he is now brought him to his world. He knew that he could not risk being knocked out while trying to box with a former professional boxer, he knew his only chance was to bring the fighter to an area where they did not know what to do next, like what happens when a crocodile kills a gazelle when the go to the lake to drink water. Obviously a gazelle can outrun a crocodile, so the crocodile waits patiently for the precise moment to strike then he moves in for the kill.

The other thing that Royce used to defeat these much bigger and stronger opponents was to use their own force against them. When someone pushed he pulled, when the pulled he pushed. Trying to beat a stronger opponent by out muscling them will only result in Royce being tired and the opponent winning this contest. When someone tried to punch him, he would get them in a submission. He made history by not only winning the first Ultimate Fighting Championship, he won the first 3 championships.


What does The Ultimate Fighting Championship have to do with the Real Estate Market?


The answer is everything. When I am competing against a much larger competitor such as Wells Fargo or Washington Mutual what do I do? I bring the fight to where I am more comfortable, I let the client know that I will meet with them at their house, take there calls 24/7 and make sure that they get the correct financing for their needs as I can shop there loan to many different lenders. Can the major banks beat my rate? Sometimes they can, but they can not beat my service. My strong points are my service, my work ethic, my professionalism, my ability to think fast, my training, and my ability to custom tailor a loan specifically for my clients needs. Why would I try to fight against my competitor where they surely would beat me? I need to do what Royce did that night in 1993, I need to take the fight where I can win.

In this market when there are less deals with more competition I need to make sure that I am fighting using my strengths against my competitors weakness. This is the way to survive this tough market.

I have personally been training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for about 10 years, and have done some of these kinds of fights. I always find it interesting when I end up in the emergency room with something broken or bleeding and the doctor asks me if I do this for my living, I always respond with “No, I actually am a mortgage broker” the look on the doctor’s face is always that of total surprise. I have to say that this sport has taught me many things about life as well as my job.



Two other things that I learned since I have been training in this kind of martial art, Never violate your own integrity. Whatever you do, do not be dishonest with yourself or with your clients. I have dealt with many competitors who are willing to lie, cheat, and do whatever it takes to get the deal. I will not cheat under any circumstances it is very dishonorable. Martial Arts teach a lot about yourself and about life. The only thing you have in life is your honor. When you are willing to dishonor yourself or your client’s you have already lost. You may win the fight, but you lost the battle. Your integrity is worth more then any amount of money in the world, once you lost your integrity it is hard to get it back. Always keep your word, and always make sure you follow through. The other thing is, be confident in what you do. If you are not confident about an aspect about your life or your job you are bound to be defeated. Make sure you constantly taking continuing education classes, and working on improving, as this will grow your confidence. If you want a serious boost in confidence, take a martial art, once you have been training for a while, your outlook on life will be much more positive.



World Championships

On a side note, I am competing in the World Championship of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in December, I will always remember what Royce taught me, as well as what I taught myself about life, I will apply these principles in this difficult tournament, I am confident that I will do well.

Pictures and Video

Me after a fight in the ER: I am lucky, just a few stiches this time.

After a fight, I needed a few stitches.

Current and Future Champion: Left to Right

Current champ, and future champ

(My friend and I)

Royce

Royce going for the kill via Armlock

Royce Gracie, the first Champion

To see Royce in action click here

http://youtube.com/watch?v=oG9Pz6xXrl4

http://youtube.com/watch?v=_vGVKMPs-fs

Hayden Gerson is the Branch Manager of America One Mortgage Group located in Sherman Oaks California. He is also a real estate coach focusing the success of the Realtors that he works with. If you would like to inquire about free real estate coaching, Hayden can be contacted at (800) 505-7554 or go to his website, Sherman Oaks Mortgage.

Comments (6)

Rosario Lewis
DDR Realty - Newburgh, NY
GRI, SRES - DDR Realty - Orange County, NY
Interesting parallel. I bet your martial arts also act as a great stress reliever.
Sep 04, 2007 07:13 AM
Hayden Gerson
HPM Financial LLC - San Diego, CA
It is an amazing stress reliever. It also helps with being "gun shy" with clients. If getting punched in the face doesn't make you flinch, then nothing a client does will cause you to. Thanks for the comment.

Sep 04, 2007 07:18 AM
Brian Block
RE/MAX Allegiance, Managing Broker/Branch Vice President - McLean, VA
Northern Virginia & D.C. Real Estate
Hayden, good luck in the World Championship.  I've been training in BJJ for about 6 months and Krav Maga for 1 1/2 years.  I love it, but definitely not at your level yet.  Interesting post.
Sep 05, 2007 04:27 PM
Hayden Gerson
HPM Financial LLC - San Diego, CA
Thanks for the comment Brian, that is awesome you are training as well. The first 6 months are by far the hardest. I am going on 10 years and I am now finally ready to do the worlds. Do you like to watch MMA?
Sep 06, 2007 09:19 AM
Brian Block
RE/MAX Allegiance, Managing Broker/Branch Vice President - McLean, VA
Northern Virginia & D.C. Real Estate

Hayden.  I do watch the MMA when I get a chance.  We've had a couple of UFC fight parties hosted by our instructor, which were pretty cool.  He's amazing, having trained with the Gracie family.  He's should have his black belt later this year, and has black belts in about 12 other martial art styles.  

I'm also trying to arrange for a Realtor safety seminar with my instructor for my brokerage. 

Sep 06, 2007 11:45 AM
Hayden Gerson
HPM Financial LLC - San Diego, CA
Clark Gracie used to work for me doing loans, I know a majority of the family being out here in Southern California and the time I spent in Brazil. I primarily train without the kimono at this point. The Realtor safety class is a great idea. What are you going to teach them?
Sep 06, 2007 03:04 PM