Kyle “Crash” Bochniak will step into the octagon as a member of the UFC for the seventh time Friday night in what will be a key featherweight bout against Sean Woodson.
While that fight can propel Bochniak up in the rankings and even land him a new UFC contract, it’s nowhere near the biggest fight of his life.
That fight took place outside of the octagon.
In an exclusive NESN.com interview, Bochniak opened up about his battle with addiction and highlighted the darkest points of his life, including a drug overdose that put him in a coma for a week.
“I remember taking the whole bottle saying, ‘If I die, I die. If I survive, it’s meant to be. I’ll change.'”
Bochniak did turn his life around eventually, but not before spending 33 days in jail. Bochniak revealed that following his arrest, he sobered up and began to make positive changes in his life.
He attended welding school in Connecticut, where he was introduced to mixed-martial arts and used it as an escape. Soon after, Bochniak was participating in amateur fights and eventually after years of hard work and sobriety, he signed a deal with the UFC.
Bochniak now uses mixed-martial arts as a means to motivate others going through hardship, so that they too can reach their goals and dreams.
“I was fighting before so I can run away from my past,” Bochniak said. “I’m 10 years clean now … Now it’s different. I’m honored of what I went through and I’m fighting to help and inspire other people to make positive changes in their life.”
