Phuket Prospect: A'Keitheon on survival in East Atlanta, football success/failure & faith in GOD

Ringkasan

A'Keitheon Whitner is a mixed martial artist coming from Atlanta, Georgia, USA repping Bangtao.

Transkrip (youtube_captions)

download the allstar app make your picks for UFC fights challenge your friends level up and win prizes Link in description get it now what's going on everybody this is a Keon water Whitner I am a 2 and0 professional MMA fighter fighting out a bang to Muay Tha living here in the beautiful puket Tyler and I am the next featherweight great just to break down my whole story I'm from Georgia I'm from Atlanta I'm from well I was raised on the East Side in zone 6 I went to Redan middle you know what I'm saying I got in a lot of trouble there butow growing up basically I was in in in gangs you know like my older cousin was one of the biggest Crips in Georgia and he would basically I wouldn't say put bounties on my my head but he would make me fight every day like cuz my my mom was known for fighting like it's a notorious story of my mother um getting jumped and getting like stabbed with nails and she still fought and beat up the girl so it's like I come from a fighting family my granddad was a was a was a fighter but the thing is growing up I I I wouldn't say I had it hard but it was kind of it was rough and my cousin he would just make me fight cuz I don't I don't know why but he he was somebody that I looked up to so basically he would hang out we would hang out and and if he seen a little kid he would just tell me to go fight him I got out the bus he would tell me to go fight him I'm at school is one time I remember vividly where he's telling me like to go up to to a guy and just slap him so it's like I just I was bad like and I grew up kind of a bully like I was the bully because that's who I was like moed to be but I say all that to say I think well I know that that's how my faith in God got strong because I knew that that wasn't the right path that I needed to go down so um I saw my mom change as a person too I saw her change from like this like wild individual to following God and and kind of like changing like her whole heart posture change and I think that's where that's what led me to my faith and and how I'm so strong with Christ and um I really really really appreciate my mom for that so if you could get anything out of this interview I would know that like my mom is like my rock even though like I grew up with no dad like for the longest time till I was 24 years old I didn't even know that I had a dad and and um yeah I I I'm very grateful for it which led me into uh being in sports and and and excelling in sports actually so I was known for fighting and then when I got probably to high school my my mom moved us she moved us from the East side to Clayton County and I just was all into the sports and I was known as as the as the little guy who always had a ball in his hand like I always had a football a soccer ball anything that I could do to keep myself active that's what I did and I excelled at everything from from high school long even though we we kind of lost I was always the star of everything everything I've ever done every single sport that I've ever done I've always been great at and I'm not talking about oh he scored a couple goals he no I was like top in the nation and everything everything that I've done and with that being said it kind of took away from my sports I mean from from my um grades because I didn't have the best grades so I had to go to Jo so once I went Jo I got many offers from many division one schools and I chose Colorado State because I I I really found a home with Coach Bobo and all of them cuz they were originally from Georgia so I get this you know things are are okay I guess it it was going good and then I actually end up getting kicked off the team because I was having sex with a with with a girl and the next door neighbors actually thought that we were fighting crazy so there's a law in Colorado that say that if there's a domestic disturbance if I open the door I have to go to jail so I ended up going to jail off that and then off off of that I was racially profiled for dating a white girl so I've never quotequote did anything wrong it's just for me being black in Colorado it was a lot of racially profiled experiences that actually moed me to the man that I am today cuz I after those experiences I didn't like police I didn't like I did I didn't like anything with the government but then I had to sit down and talk with myself and talk to God and I was just like that don't make me just because that happened to me it it it doesn't it it doesn't mean that I have to hate anybody but piggybacking off of that I went through all of that I went through those experiences I've been through so much in my life like I like even at the age of 10 I had a female babysitter and she basically like had her way with me like that like I've been through a lot like a lot and I want to believe and I know that God got me on this path for a reason because I truly honestly believe that it it it it Formed me with this mindset that I have now for for fighting this is why I'm the best at fighting this is this is why I can go go go this is why I won't be broken this is why I can't be broken it's because I've been through so much in in my life to where a lot of y'all would have folded a lot of people wouldn't been able to do what what I've been able to do a lot of people would have broke down a lot of people would have would have would have threw in the towel and worked 9 to5 but it's like I just can't stop I this is this is who I am I'm a winner I'm a born winner and in every circumstance of my life no matter how low I've gotten I proved to myself that I was a winner and it's it's it's not that that in the moment I'm saying oh I'm a winner I got to no in the moment I'm saying I got to keep putting one one foot forward and and it all led me to fighting because after football I didn't get a shot at the NFL I'm only 510 and I was only probably like 85 lbs but at the same time I was I was great but I just didn't have I I didn't pass the test you know what I'm saying like I didn't I didn't I didn't have what they wanted so I I I went into a little rut and I was like man I got to compete I got to I got to continue to push I got to I I can't just work a 9 to5 I can't like I couldn't do it it's not like an excuse like I honestly tried to I honestly tried to work and I was making good money but it just like it wasn't me so I remember watching Leandro low rest in peace and I remember just watching him one day and I was like dang I want to be like him so I started doing jiujitsu then I was like this this this is this is it's cool but it's not getting that itch off then I started doing mu Tha like this is this is cool too and then once I started wrestling and I and I started like seeing what what I could do and what I could be and and the people that was the people that I naturally gravitated towards were winners it wasn't because oh he's this this this this I'm going to go no I'm if you know me I'm pretty much of a sheld up person I don't talk to I don't care if you Obama like I won't just go to you like is it's it's it has to be natural so the people that I was naturally drifting towards were winners Douglas Lima Tran Gore Diego Lima like Cody deran like these are people that I'm looking at and I'm like oh they're pretty cool people but we all have this this this this mindset like we love love God and we love winning and and we and we have a purpose so for the longest time I always wanted to try fighting like I always wanted to wrestle in high school and all stuff but I remember go I remember wrestling and my mom was like no you ain't doing that you playing football you ain't doing that you playing soccer like she wanted me always to do like the hard grid iron Sports which I thank her for because bro without football that's the mindset that anybody need to have like without football I wouldn't be as much of a leader as I am on every team that I've ever been on no matter if it was from peeee to division one I've been a leader I've been the person who had what it took to to to bring my troops and rally my troops that's who I naturally am I'm not trying it's just now that I sit here and talk about it and think about it it I'm I'm I'm recognizing it and um um yeah so I remember watching Israel out of Saia his first fight in the UFC and I was there with my cousin and my cousin was like bro I bet you can't do that like I bet you can't like fight I bet you can't D and I'm like bro who can't I'm the most competitive person I know I'm the most like you can't tell me something that I can't do you can't you can't tell me something that I won't do like I'm from Atlanta this is this is just who I am and he told me that the next day I was in the gym and and day after that and day after that and day and I've been in the gym almost every day since so I say that to say that was only I I was 24 that was only about 3 4 years ago I've been training 3 4 years and I'm above many people this is this is no shade to those people but I work hard bro I work so hard I work hard that everything I've ever done and and my fruits have always proved how hard that I work and and it's not about the fame and the glory and all that stuff yeah I want it yeah I'mma have it yeah I'mma get it yeah of course but it's about proving to myself and proving and proving to to to the people around me that it's possible that that it don't matter where you come from like I'm I'm from Atlanta Georgia nobody does MMA that's really from Atlanta nobody like all of my family members all of my friends is either selling drugs have have this that going on scamming all this stuff like honestly I beat the odds I'm I I'm I'm I'm different I'm I'm I ain't going to say I'm not supposed to be here but I'm here and and and it makes a difference because people DM me and tell me that I Inspire them that that that that the things that I do and I post it makes them want to get up and go work out it makes them want to get up and go follow their dreams if it's doing stocks or trading or or or whatever they're into selling shoes or or or cooking plates whatever they're whatever they want to do it it it it fills my heart with joy to know that me following my path has inspired somebody to get up and walk in theirs and that's what I'm about bro like that's that that's everything that I'm about and and I wouldn't say I had a late start in MMA I wouldn't say nothing because bro I'm not even 30 and I'm and I'm 2 and 0 I'm going to be 6 and 0 by the end of the year by the end of the year I'm going to be in the UFC I'm going to be a contender and bro it it's like the sky the limit nobody can beat me Everybody's scared of me for a reason I I'm I'm I'm him I'm that guy and I'm going to keep being that guy there is there is it's not not about if you can outwork me it's it's not about none of that it's about on that night you won't be able to beat me period and and and Me growing up where where I grew up how I grew up from getting shot at to getting robbed like I lived in Thomasville and we got robbed six times in 3 months like it was crazy like bro like it's it's crazy if I really delve into the stories and stuff of my youth you wouldn't believe it that and and sometimes I like every morning I thank God because I'm here I am in puket bro like I'm in puket Thailand from the six to here like it's it's it's all a blessing bro and I give everything to God I give everything to God every single thing that I have right now it doesn't belong to me it's all God like I have a horse behind me like we don't have horses in Georgia and if we do they book up County somewhere so like I appreciate what's going on in my life and I know that it's only going to get better every day I see it get getting better and I can't even be I can't even there there is no room for negativity like I Nam myself water my nickname water because not because it just sounds cool because water is the most persistent thing on this planet water can cut through anything with enough persistence and I feel like I'm just persistent I floow I I crash I I do it I do it all but I put one foot forward and I always have my goals my mindset and God in in front of me to the point where nothing can stop me brother nothing can stop me nothing in this world can stop me from achieving my goals nothing can stop me from from getting what I want out of this life and I know that I'mma get it because what I want is to help others what I want is to put my mom in the big house what I want is is is to share the gospel what I want is is to spread love and spread joy and if you really hang out with me this is this this is my first time ever even openly EXP because I don't like talking about this type of stuff I rather show you better than I can tell you I don't I don't go around saying oh I'm going to be the champion or I'm no I know I am he know I am everybody know that I'm going to be great but I show people I I come into the gym every day I do what I need to do I I I work my hardest even when I'm injured I'm in the gym even when I'm hurt and can't train I'm in the gym even even when I'm not fighting I'm in the gy helping somebody somebody else with their fights it's like it's it's not it's not a choice this is just who I am um I grew up in the church my uncle was a pastor he had his own church in um in the heart of Atlanta actually so yeah he had he had a church right off of Ralph David abony right by the Coca-Cola so it's like that alone just growing up in it it already set a foundation and I know that without that I wouldn't be who I am either but of course you kind of get burnt out in your teens of it and I think that's where I kind of drifted away from it but seeing my mom turn from I don't want to say wild but like she was like a black mom like she was like fighting and you know what I'm saying smoking all that stuff like she was a mom but I seen her heart posture uh turned from that to like this amazing woman of God and I look at it and I and and I was like damn bro like one day I remember looking at my mom like bro this is a different person and I was like trying to like take off boxes of why and it just clicked on me like bro God really changed my mom like Mom mom is is a a completely different person from who she was 15 years ago and and it's because of God like she has shown me that it don't matter who you are and and what your circumstances are as long as you got God is going to continue to to he's going to continue to change you and continue to try to get closer to him because it was time bro like we didn't have likes for a month like we literally didn't have lights for a month we had to take everything out the refrigerator and stuff like that and I remember my mom just saying just just be patient God got to just be be be patient and I remember like crazy stuff happening like like I for instance I got locked up for kicking in the door and I remember um going to court I remember I got locked up and I went to court that Monday I got locked up on a Friday went to court that Monday so I had to sit and I remember the judge saying we're not going to let you go you're a Flight Risk and I was like hold on like how am I Flight Rising and and this is my first time getting locked up you yeah so I remember like being appalled at it and I remember going to my cell crying and and not crying because I was there it was crying because like the circumstances are like bro why and I remember praying and I and I remember that was my first time really praying hard and there was like there was no chance of Bill there was no chance of I was getting out to my next court date which was 6 months after that so I'm praying for an hour praying praying praying hard praying hard and I remember getting a bang on the door and um there was like Whitner I was like huh he was like you gone I was like how how and he was like I don't know something happened and the system D but come on I was like bro you playing bro stop playing with me he was like bro like you really gone and I was like you couldn't get me out there quick enough like so once that happened that's when my faith like activated like it was like oh snap for God is real and even when I when I was like released I called my mom was like Mom come pick me up and if you know Clayton County Jail it's the worst jail besides R Street in Georgia so like I just remember vividly being treated like an animal and I remember that whole experience to this day I was I was about 16 and and it it I still think about it because it's just a testimony and I really really really wouldn't be here today without that experience because that's what activated my faith and that's why I have so much Faith now and I'll be around people and they'll be like how H how is this going to happen how you going to do I like bro I give it to God everything right now is for is for God to God With God through God so I don't know how I'm GNA get here tomorrow I don't know how I'mma do do this I don't know how I'mma pay these bills every single time God has came through it's amazing to say it's amazing to finally say it out loud and put it on record like God has came through every time that man is 100% from the free throw line he 100% from the three-point line so it's like things like that help me to exercise my faith and help me to spread how I'm so great to people I guess like how how how I feel about life because BR brother I'm from Georgia I'm living in Thailand and and and it's all through faith uh this year I will be in the UFC this year I probably end up fighting and Rising uh maybe April or May I will get maybe two or three more stoppages I'm going to probably end up coming in short notice on the card on the UFC card probably at the end of this year like I know it's it's going to happen like I I God has told me this I know for fact and going to go to the UFC I'm going to keep working hard I'm going to stay healthy I'm keep putting God first and I'm going to do my thing I'm just going to be me like there is nobody like me my name is Aon there is no other person like me on this planet I'm going keep being me I'm keep doing what I do I'm keep on being a a creative I'm keep coming in with diamonds own Fashion on point you know what I'm saying I'm bring Atlanta to the UFC I'm going to be the first Atlanta Champion I'm just going to continue to surround myself with positive people like George Frank you know like people that that that I can not depend on for something but just here just the mental so yeah and I'm I'm I'm in the right place I'm in the right place of M I'm in the right state of mind I'm in a like I I just it's it's kind of hard to explain it's not something that you can feel a touch it's like it's it's it's it's a it's like knowing something like it's it's you have to really understand to to know like I know what I'm capable of and I know where I'm going to be and I know that once I get to the UFC it's not going to be a if and a but I'm not going to say no to anybody I'm not going to you know what I'm saying like I've trained with UFC top 15 people I've sparred them and they've asked me like questions about stuff and and like I just know dog and that yeah next couple years I'll be on the billboard somewhere I'm already in commercials I'm already in movies now I've been in so it's like it's only up and I just thank God in advance for it I just want to let everybody know back at home keep going don't stop use me as an example I never stop no matter if it was from football from soccer from from anything like keep putting God first it's going to get times where you you not going to be able to see what's going to happen in front of you but if you keep putting that foot forward if you keep putting your faith in God that's where it starts it's not it starts by God giving you something it starts by the faith that you set for him cuz that's what he wants to see he's he is the father like he if if you had a child or some of you have kids your children depend on you for stuff they have faith in you to pay the bills so have childlike faith in everything you do I have childlike Faith like it's only positive it's it's only positivity coming from from me every second because I know where I came from and I know what could have been I know what should have been and I know that I'm here so that's my Miss to everybody keep putting God first keep working hard if you want to if you want to be a a a model if you want to be a a a swimmer a wrestler a rapper bro keep putting God first and keep putting your foot on these folks neck don't change who you is for nobody because ain't nobody going to change for you whatever you want state it write it down make it plain and go for it and shout out to my mama shout out to my mama shout out to anet shout out to my little sister shout out to Baer shout out to American top team back at home without none of y'all like I want to give all of my respect to y'all because so many people have poured into me that I have no choice but to give back like I'm not that type of person whatever I get I give back with everything and if you truly know me you truly know that that's true