Jerrod Sanders knows his life would've been different had he given up wrestling.
"It probably would've been easier," he said.
He chuckled.
There would've been fewer earlier mornings and long practices. Fewer achy muscles and dead legs. Fewer laps run and weights lifted.
But the El Reno native and Oklahoma State alum also knows that without the lessons learned in wrestling, he wouldn't be where he is today — in Las Vegas preparing for UFC Fight Night. Now in mixed martial arts, Sanders will fight Thursday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Two years ago, Sanders would've never thought he'd be fighting for MMA's biggest promotion on the sport's biggest stages.