Dominick Meriweather
Anchorage’s Dominick Meriweather is no different.
Raised by an abusive father, he lived with rage and carried it everywhere. He needed an outlet.
“I was really angry when I got involved with mixed martial arts,” he told me.
A formula of training, discipline and structure did wonders for Meriweather. His attitude on life shifted. Confidence replaced doubt, peace overcame fury.
“I didn’t expect it to impact my life,” he said. “People don’t realize how much it clears your mind and heals the soul.”
Meriweather turned pro in 2015 and the 5-foot-9, 155-pounder has won his first four fights, including three by TKO.
The hard-hitting lightweight is one of Alaska’s most promising fighters and was included on FloCombat’s list of North America’s top 155-pound prospects.
“I want to win for Alaska,” he said. “Eventually I want to bring a belt back home. This is my home and I want to continue to build it up.”
Growing up in an abusive environment didn’t push him towards MMA; in fact, he initially grappled with the idea of using his fists to make money.
“It definitely felt weird to go hit people and get paid for it,” he said.
Meriweather, 25, doesn’t have a violent nature. He has a full-time job with K&L Distributors during the week and he works with children on the weekend, something he takes serious.
The kids get a kick out of him being a pro fighter and they gave him a nickname and slogan: ‘Mocha Bear Don’t Care.’
“I put that on my fight shirts,” he said, proudly.
Meriweather also draws inspiration from his daughter, Arya, who pushes him to work hard as a fighter and as a father.
“My ultimate goal in life is to give her all the things I didn’t have and I will die to make it happen,” he said.
He trains at Anchorage Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The coaches there have changed his life.
They convinced him that an angry mind is a narrow mind. They pushed his limits. They broke him down and put him back together.
“Martial arts is without a doubt the best way to cope with multiple issues in life, especially if you have a fantastic team behind you that supports and cares about you,” Meriweather said.