Standing ovation for grappler who used NCI 17 victory speech to talk mental health after father’s passing

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Middleweight grappler Ollie Studer’s biggest opponent at Northern Combat Invitational (NCI) 17 was not Luis Martinez, a mixed martial arts (MMA) veteran who was on the opposite side of the mat.

It was the decision of whether or not to perform after the recent suicide of his father, who passed away in the weeks leading up to the event on Saturday, January 24th at the Royal Canadian Legion in Fort St. John. 

After his victory by rear-naked choke, he spoke to the crowd and told attendees he would “rather hear someone cry all night than hear they took their own life” and received a standing ovation.

He later told Energeticcity.ca about his decision to take part in the event and his desire to spread the message about mental health. With his win, he secured a future middleweight title shot against Ryan Tuka, who won his matchup versus Jani Cells by split decision.

“Well, it’s too common these days,” said Studer. “I know too many people who have taken their lives. My father, unfortunately, was one of those people. I just wish that I would have reached out.

“At the end of the day, you have a lot of people who care about you. I care about you. God loves you. Your parents love you, your best friends love you, and you have too much to live for. Just don’t give up on your dreams, because anything is possible if you stick with it.”

The middleweight contest was the co-feature on a five-fight main card. The NCI 17 main event was a lightweight contest between Aiden Hoffmeyer and Conan Fowler.

Hoffmeyer needed just 1:32 to win the match by triangle choke, retaining his lightweight strap. 

With the crowd being another sell-out at the legion, NCI promoter Clint Parker said he couldn’t have been happier.

“I thought it was excellent,” said Parker. “I really want to give props to Ollie and all the people that came. Ollie’s had to deal with a lot of adversity. He talked about his dad, and everybody was quite emotional.

“The crowd was amazing. The crowd blew the roof off in the main event. I loved it.”

As is the case with most NCI events, Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitors from all over the region came – including from Grande Prairie, Dawson Creek and Fort Nelson.

Timber Bigfoot, who competed to a draw on the preliminary card against Ali Massara, feels small shows like this are what gives up-and-coming athletes a chance to showcase their skills in a big-event like atmosphere.

“I’m excited about these competitions,” said Bigfoot. “The biggest thing is showing people in the north [skills like] defence, technical skills [and] showing that we can fight. But also showing everybody’s still getting along. There’s respect.”

NCI 17 took place on Saturday, January 24th at the Royal Canadian Legion in Fort St. John. NCI’s next event – NCI 18 – will take place in May.

Full results can be found on MMA event website Tapology.