Jake Matthews, a 20-year-old lightweight prospect out of Melbourne, Australia, was just one of those kids who fell in love with a specific sport and dedicated himself to it early in life.
Imagine if that sport had been mixed martial arts.
Matthews, who fights James Vick at UFC Fight Night in Adelaide, Australia on Saturday, is considered one of the brightest up-and-comers on the UFC's roster -- amazing, considering he only started training when he was 15.
Prior to competing in mixed martial arts, Matthews had aspirations of a professional career in Australian football (similar to rugby). The only reason he ever stepped into a martial arts gym was to stay in shape during football's offseason.
"From the time I was 7, all I wanted to do was be a football player," Matthews told ESPN.com. "My dad said, 'Why don't you try kickboxing or boxing to stay fit in the offseason?' It just so happened the gym I went to had mixed martial arts classes.
"I was never really interested in fighting, but about eight months in, my coach asked if I wanted an amateur fight on four days' notice. One of the guys from our gym pulled out of a fight and I said, 'Yeah, I'll jump in.' I won the fight by head-kick knockout. That was the turning point. I said to my dad: 'I don't want to play football anymore. I want to fight in the UFC.'"
Matthews (8-0) has become known as somewhat of a phenom in Melbourne -- a potential star with potential to bring a title home to Australia one day.
The word phenom seems to describe Matthews rather accurately. No one would refer to him as being "classically trained" in MMA. Within months of his introduction to the sport, Matthews says he outgrew his first gym. The majority of his development took place in a small shed in his backyard. His father, who participated in martial arts earlier in life but never MMA, has served as Matthews' head coach.
"I was at that first gym for maybe 10 months, probably not even that, and I started to outgrow it," Matthews said. "I would be rolling with the head instructor and getting the better of him. I couldn't stay in that one spot. Five years ago, there weren't a lot of high-level gyms in Melbourne, so I sought out the best wrestling and jiu-jitsu clubs and the rest of my training took place in that shed. I would say 80 percent of it was between me and my dad in the shed.
"My dad was a national taekwondo champion and he took part in the first jiu-jitsu seminar in Australia -- but he hadn't done anything in a while. When I got into martial arts, he got back into it with me. I call him the 'Greg Jackson of Australia,' because he's just very savvy when it comes to game plans and techniques. I'll ask him sometimes where he learned something and he'll say it's common sense to him. 'If someone attacks your arm this way, you defend it this way.'"
Matthews compiled 10 fights as an amateur, essentially biding his time until he turned 18 and could accept a professional fight. His pro debut took place less than one month after his 18th birthday. He won via TKO.
As high as expectations are for Matthews now, he says he dealt with the opposite effect early in his career. As an 18 year old fighting grown men with far more experience, Matthews was a constant underdog. It wasn't until he accepted a role as a contestant on "The Ultimate Fighter: Canada vs. Australia" reality show in 2013 that people began to take notice.
"I was 18 and fighting guys who were 30," Matthews said. "I was always the underdog. I think it was when I got onto 'The Ultimate Fighter,' after filming, as previews started to run, that people started to get on-board."
Matthews lost his only fight on the show, via unanimous decision to Olivier Aubin-Mercier. It was the first time Matthews had fought in a cage instead of a ring (cage fighting was actually banned in Melbourne until new legislation allowed it in March). Mercier, who fights out of Tristar Gym in Montreal, was also considered one of the top fighters going into the tournament.
Matthews says he doesn't use either of those as an excuse and, in fact, wouldn't change anything about his experience on the show -- including the loss.
"At one point in the house, we were all sort of calling each other out and I said, 'Olivier, you and I are going to fight,'" Matthews said. "He was the youngest guy on the Canadian team. I was the youngest on the Australian team. In my eyes, if you can't beat the best you don't deserve to win anyway, so I wanted to fight the so-called 'favorite.' I didn't get the win, but I learned a good lesson and now I'm here, getting the wins that count."
Thus far in the UFC, Matthews is 2-0 with two wins via submission. He fights another undefeated lightweight in Vick (7-0), but admits he doesn't see any major threat in this fight. Should he win, Matthews is already eyeing a prime spot on an already announced UFC event in Melbourne in November.
"This fight is a step up in terms of where [Vick] is ranked, but I don't believe he's my toughest fight," Matthews said. "He doesn't pose as many threats as some other people. I think I've faced tougher guys than James outside the UFC.
"There is a lot riding on this fight -- potential sponsors and a main card spot in Melbourne. There is no pressure, though. I always say, no matter what anyone says or what's at stake, there is no pressure because I want to win anyway. Anything that people say is all based on winning and that's something I want to do anyway."