Brooks' dream of fighting in UFC now a reality

Local MMA fighter Will Brooks is finally getting his opportunity to fight in the UFC.

Brooks, who grew up on the South Side of Chicago and Schaumburg, signed a six-fight deal with the UFC on June 15 and will be fighting as a part of The Ultimate Fighter Finale season 23 card as a part of the UFC's International Fight Week.

The fight will take place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas at 9 p.m. on Friday, July 8.

The chance to fight in the UFC has been a dream of Brooks' since he began fighting back in 2009.

But the dream almost didn't happened.

The 5-feet 11-inch, 155-pound Brooks struggled to find his way in the early stages of his MMA career.

Physically he was fine, but he said the weight of everything he had going on in his life carried him to a dark place. One day he decided to walk into the middle of busy intersection in Schaumburg and end his life.

"I was doing a lot of knucklehead things and making a lot of wrong decisions," Brooks said. "Unfortunately, it made my family have to turn their backs on me at the time. All because of me. The bad decisions I made and the people I was hanging around."

As the car sped closer and closer, Brooks had made his mind up. He was going to go through with it. But instead of hitting him, leaving him unconscious in the street, the car swerved and missed him.

As the emotion of the situation hit him, he said, the switch flipped. He wanted to make it. He wanted to succeed.

"I was put in a position were I said 'What are you gonna do? You can get it together and focus up or struggle for the rest of your life."

It was only the beginning of his long road. He had to make sacrifices in order to prove to himself he could achieve his goal of being a fighter.

He even slept in the gym some nights at Midwest Training Center in Schaumburg where he trained, but was eventually kicked out because the owner found out about it.

"I was broke. I didn't have a job and I didn't have anybody to borrow money from either. All I had was a car, a back seat full of clothes and a pair of cheap gloves I bought from Sports Authority," Brooks said. "I made sacrifices. I wanted to rely on myself and not go and beg so I lived out of my car."

A year and a half of sleeping in his car and hours of nonstop training helped push Brooks closer to his goal of competing at the highest level of MMA. He began his MMA career locally fighting all over the Chicago area from Villa Park to Hoffman Estates at the Sears Centre. Brooks became a household name in the local circuit eventually joining Bellator MMA in 2013. He would waste little time becoming one of the best lightweight fighters in the sport becoming the Bellator Lightweight champion in 2014 defending his title three times.

This May, Bellator decided not to renew Brooks' contract, paving the way for him to finally achieve the goal he had been striving for since the beginning, joining UFC.

"To be able to accomplish this goal and fight UFC is an amazing opportunity. To be able to fight in the MGM Grand is going to be an amazing experience and I'm really excited for it," Brooks said.

Now a father, soon-to-be husband, and new member of the UFC family, Brooks hasn't forgotten the past, but is using it to propel him into a bright future.

"I've failed in my life and I've made mistakes," he says. "Now I have the opportunity to do what I want with my life, and I'm excited for that opportunity.

• Follow Russ on Twitter @Russ_Dorsey1

Vital stats

Name; Will Brooks

Age: 29

Fighting Record: (17-1, 5 TKO)

Resides in: Coconut Creek, Florida

Height: 5 feet, 11 inches

Weight: 155 pounds

College: Harper College (played football for one season)

Team Association: American Top Team