MMA Worldwide

Brian Foster: The Foster Boy

Posted by Shane Lee on the 9 December 2009 | No Comments

My satellite went out so after a marathon of movies including “Troy”, “Kingdom of Heaven”, and “Gladiator”.  I’m sitting in my media room watching “A Man Apart” and wondering what I would do if my wife, child, or close family member died accidentally or were killed.  I know it’s a terrible thing to think about but these movies kind of stir those emotions and thoughts up in one’s mind.  I started thinking how would I react, would I go crazy, withdraw from the world, realize how short life is and do something great, or give up.  But you just never know and I hope I am never faced with these horrible circumstances.  

This made me think of my good friend and occasional training partner Brian Foster of the HIT Squad and a UFC fighter. Just coming off a huge win against a game opponent in Brock Larson in UFC 106, I knew he would be taking a little time off for his family. So I called Brian and asked if I could write this column about him and how MMA has affected his life.  

Brian has a unique story to tell of a young country boy turned MMA fighter, his love for family, his unquenchable thirst for pushing himself beyond his limits, and his desire to concurrently tell his deceased brother’s story while he is writing his.

Brian grew up and still resides in a small Oklahoma town called Sallisaw. It’s a typical small town where everyone knows everyone and the young boys work hard to establish the pecking order and the young girls select their suitor based on that order. He is the oldest of four children in a single parent home. His Dad, whom he barely knew, died when he was 13 so he filled the “Man of the house” role and he was very close to his siblings. In school he and his brothers played sports but knew it wasn’t going to take them anywhere. 

Always the athlete, he and his brothers frequented a tough hiking trail near their home in which they would jog or bike to stay in shape. Once at the top, there were rewards to gain as it had a tranquil “swimming hole” as Brian puts it and a quiet area just to toss rocks and talk. They had been hanging out here all their life. Then one warm day in April 2006, Brian and his kid brothers, Brandon and Justin, went to their favorite spot to hang out. Brian was swimming; Brandon was sitting on a ledge where mining companies blast for rock when tragedy struck. The ledge gave way and took Brandon with it. Brian heard a girl scream and ran to see what was wrong. He quickly made it to his brother’s side only to hold him for the last few breaths he would take on this Earth. 

These two brothers were so close it devastated Brian who began to withdraw from the world. His relationship with his children’s mother suffered and they split up. He quit the job that he and Brandon worked together at. He was lost without Brandon. For Brian, the always serious and quiet big brother, Brandon was his alter ego, he was the one always joking, outgoing, and mischievous. Now this part of him was gone. There was a huge crater inside of him that he couldn’t fill; then he found MMA. He began training locally with friends and he found that pushing himself to extremes, training to a breaking point, and putting himself through the pains of Mixed Martial Arts seemed to be a temporary anesthetic to the pain that crater was placing on him emotionally and mentally. Then the most significant revelation came, if just training helped him cope with the pain then getting in the cage should certainly yield a tremendous amount of pain relief.

In June 2006, two months after his brother’s untimely death at 20 years old, Brian Foster, the 21 year old MMA fighter, emerged and stepped in the cage in Oklahoma City for the Masters of the Cage 2 event. In 1:09 of the first round Brian knocked out Derric Harris for his first “W”.  With adrenaline still pumping and the mental pain reliever setting in, Brian accepted another fight on the same night. He lost in the third round by submission but his destiny was set.

Brian realized he had found something that could bring equilibrium to his life and a platform in which to keep his brother’s story and memory alive. Brian went on to fight ten more fights only losing two of those before I met him in 2008. Brian and I met at a fight I helped organize in Arkansas in which he was a big time underdog squaring off against Team Quest’s Nathan Coy.  Brian had been at the HIT Squad training for three weeks before this match, although he had not been accepted on their team. It paid off and he pulled off a destructive first round win over the beast that is Nathan Coy. I remember telling HIT Squad grapping trainer Marc Fiore, “That kid is good!” That night he became a member of the HIT Squad. Brian went on to win two more fights with the master trainer Fiore in his corner before getting his chance in the UFC.

I have seen firsthand the tenacity this guy trains with.  I have ridden hours in a vehicle with him and heard the strength, honesty, and sincerity in his voice.  I was in the hotel room with Brian, Fiore, Robbie Lawler, and Matt Veach for UFC 103 in Dallas and held the framed picture of Brandon he carries wherever he travels. I have seen his love for family and friends. Brandon’s death taught him that life is short and you need to go out and make the most of it. Brian had severe stage fright until he came to this realization and kind of started doing what Brandon would do – just get out there and do it because you can’t worry about what people think! I don’t think Brandon’s totally gone because I see Brandon in Brian every time I’m near him. 

When asked how MMA has affected his life he says that it gave him something to help kill the pain while helping him heal. He says he has people in his corner and in his life that believe in him now, want to see him become a success, and work hard to give him the guidance and knowledge to get there. The MMA community is a strong family and it’s good for Brian to be part of that as he tells the story of a brother that inspires greatness even while not physically on this Earth. I have to believe that even though Brandon could not speak in his last seconds, in his last breath, he gave Brian the greatest gift he could; a part of himself. 

Oh and next time you watch my buddy fight, look at his back, and I bet you’ll recognize a couple faces or at least a couple alter egos.  If you are not already inspired, I hope then you get those chills down your spine, your tiny hairs stand up, and Brian’s story encourages you to love a little harder, give a little more, and you decide to write your own story! How will let MMA affect your life? 

Until next time, remember, “Everyone deserves a fighting chance!” 

If you want to contact Shane Lee or find out more about A Fighter’s Chance please go to www.afighterschance.com . Shane would love to hear your story, tell us if you need a fighting chance, or if you would just like to make a comment or donate. Shane is also available for speaking events.