I met The Dragon near Parliament & Winchester. He was standing outside with his Timmies and a cigarette. Why The Dragon? He said it was because his mom gave him a crazy-assed name no one could remember or pronounce. He told me the name and he’s right; I couldn’t remember it or pronounce it if I tried. Did he have a hard time in school because of his name? He told me he’d had a hard time all of his life.
But why The Dragon? Why that and not something else? He chose The Dragon because he’s a martial artist. He wants to fight in the UFC. But he needs to do it fast. He’s 37 now. 43 is the limit. Beyond that, he’ll be too old.
He said to me: “You have to kung fu everything you do.” We talked about creativity, and spirituality, too. “A creative man deserves more respect than any consolidated style.” I think he was talking about mixed martial arts instead of fighting with just one discipline. But I think he was talking about life, too.