Schmit wins rematch after brother’s passing

Times Reporter

 

When mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter  Justin Schmit of Strathmore fought Medicine Hat’s Mike Goehr over two years ago, he came out victorious after a war of three rounds. On Sept. 27 at Medicine Hat Arena, the two squared off again in a King of the Cage match – basically a junior division of the UFC – with Schmit once again on top in a much faster-paced battle. Goehr was down after two rounds. Schmit is the only fighter Goehr has ever lost to.

“The first time I fought him, it went to the judges’ scorecards, so we went the full three rounds,” Schmit said. “It was a great fight; it was light heavyweight at the time, and it was one of the best fights in Canada that year.”

Schmit’s younger brother Eric, who passed away this past August, was also a mixed martial arts fighter. Schmit said he didn’t fight necessarily in remembrance of his brother, but Eric was in his thoughts during the match.

“I’d already signed a contract with King of the Cage before he passed away, but Eric wouldn’t have wanted me to pull out of the fight,” Schmit said.

With 10 fights under his belt in the past few years, Schmit said he wants to take some time to analyze and heal – both from fighting, and from Eric’s death.

“I was thinking about retiring before Eric died,” Schmit said. “When your brother does something like fighting…I never liked watching Eric fight and he never liked watching me fight. But I mean we both loved it. When Eric was alive, it was kind of a love/hate relationship.”

Schmit said that while Eric’s participation in mixed martial arts didn’t have anything to do with his death, there is speculation that head injuries and suicide have some correlation.

“I haven’t seen any scientific evidence to back it up. Maybe people who are prone to participating in high intensity, high contact extreme sports might be more prone to depression and mental illness,” Schmit said. “He made enough of an impact and a statement in his fighting career that I don’t need to go further in making people remember him. But obviously, there are steps for people to remember the person he was, and provide awareness and help for people dealing with suicide.”

If Justin does choose to fight again, he won’t do so until next spring. In the meantime, he plans on helping his teammates..

“My body’s starting to break down, but there are a lot more opportunities for fighters out there than there were five years ago when I started,” he said. “I don’t ever plan on stopping training or being a martial artist, it’s just whether or not I plan on getting in the cage again.”