MMA Profile: Olin Pettit Jr.
Pictured Above: Olin Pettit Jr. at the Nick Diaz Academy
It was December 2013, Olin Pettit Jr. was hanging out with his Dad in Lodi, California, and he was about to discover a hidden passion. The two were watching the Nick Diaz vs. BJ Penn fight on television. “My Dad is really into the fight scene. I remember he put on a Nick Diaz fight.
It was the first time I had ever seen him [Diaz] and I told him I want to be just like him [Diaz],” Pettit said, “I said, ‘I want to do that.’ Nick Diaz was pretty bad ass.”
It’s no surprise that when his father told him that the man he admired on screen was not only local, but actually owned his own gym, that Olin immediately asked his father to sign him up for classes. His father did. And, Pettit’s journey began.
That was nearly four years ago. Today Pettit is not only training at the Nick Diaz Academy, now located in Stockton, California, but he is also
competing, fighting, and serving Randy Spence (head coach of the Academy) as an assistant instructor for a weekly kids class.
“I used to get into street fights and I would win. I used to think I was the best. Then I came in (to the Nick Diaz Academy) and got whooped,” laughs Pettit. Jiu jitsu has taught him quite a
Pictured above: UFC advertisement of Penn & Diaz
great deal, both physically and mentally. He’s learned to stay humble and be disciplined.
When asked what jiu jitsu does for people in general, Pettit replied, “It gives you a lot of self-confidence. You’re not worried in negative situations, because you know if someone tries to attack you that you can just put them in a choke-hold and de-escalate the situation. It helps kids too if they get bullied at school, they will learn how to defend themselves.”
Let us help you Get into Your Dream Home Today with a number of different ways to qualify.
Serving the entire Central Valley-Hablo Espanol
Regarding instruction, Pettit feels as though the Nick Diaz Academy has some of the best teachers. “We have Randy Spence, Nick Diaz, Nate Diaz, and Victor Galdon who teach consistently,” he stated.
And, if anyone was thinking that jiu jitsu is too rough, Petit disagrees. “Football is more brutal than mixed martial arts and jujitsu is not either of those,” he said. Pettit maintains that jujitsu teaches you self-defense and confidence.
Pettit’s plan is to have a professional Mixed Martial Arts career. He wasn’t kidding when he said he wanted to be just like Nick Diaz. He wants to be the best. “I’ve got to get my ground game up and perfect my striking,” said Olin. He still loves jiu jitsu and is active in tournaments but it is sandwiched between training and competing as a young mixed martial artist and his teaching responsibilities.
Pictured above: Nate Diaz, Olin Pettit Jr., & Head Instructor at the Nick Diaz Academy,
Randy Spence
He is a blue belt and you can catch him training 6-7 days a week. I asked him if his mother supports his ambitions and he replied, “My Mom is really supportive. She makes sure that I eat a good diet. She does get worried though-she didn’t go to my last fight. She didn’t want to watch.” By the way, he won that fight and is slated to fight again very soon.
Pictured above: Olin teaching a student at Nick Diaz Academy
Pictured above: advertisement from Olin's last fight
To keep up with Olin Pettit Jr., you can follow him on social media.
Olin_209
www.twitter.com/olinp209
