CHAMPION

Who

David Evans

journalist & editorElliotCarlyleatCurrent•lyGlobal photographer, creativedirector & stylistEdwinBorquezPierrot NewYork, NewYork

Merriam-Webster defines a champion as a winner of first prize or first place in competition, one who shows marked superiority, a militant advocate or defender, a warrior, a fighter, and / or one that does battle for another’s rights or honor. In this issue, we’d like to introduce the PEPPER Magazine audience to 2X World Champion Professional Mixed Martial Arts Fighter, David Evans. As a recognized champion in his own right, David shares who he is and what it is to be defined in his own words.

Who is David Evans?

“That’s a very good question, but it’s a loaded question. I would be doing myself a disservice to isolate myself in a category of one or two things. I think David is a multi-faceted person that lives within an intersection of several difference places. Ultimately, in character, I think he’s someone of good moral compass. He is someone who is very passionate about the things, people, and beliefs that he loves, has, and holds. He’s a motivated, headstrong person with a solid foundation at the core of his identity. However, he is someone who is able to adjust, adapt and evolve as necessary.”

Would you say that people experience your definition of yourself?

“would say. I often get from people that I’m someone that may be hard to read or pinpoint regarding what I’m thinking or feeling. I also think that certain people get certain parts of me. This speaks back to the multifaceted-ness of me, and I believe everyone experiences me in this way to some degree.”

How would you define a fighter?

“A fighter is someone who is resilient.

I think a fighter is someone who is comfortable being uncomfortable. I think a fighter is someone who is not only able to overcome obstacles and challenges, but someone who looks at them and affords them as an opportunity more than anything.”

Resilience is such a powerful inner force that is strengthened with time. Do you believe a person is born a fighter? If so, when did you connect with the fighter in you? If not, how did you connect with the fighter in you?

“I think both things can be true at the same time. There are people who are born with this innate sense of being a fighter. Then there are people who are just born and go through experiences that shape, mold and condition them to be a fighter. I would say, historically, for the people who have that innate sense of fight in them, it could be good, great or bad. Once you learn to exercise it in a positive way, I would say the people that are born fighters are generally people who are ground-breaking— they push the envelope and make the most impact.

I was born a fighter. Literally, I was born premature. I was born 4 pounds, 10 ounces. I was in the hospital for months fighting to live and develop. Of course, there’s more to that story, but I fought for my space on this earth before I was even conscious. Just reflecting on that part of my journey is a testament to me being born a fighter and I think it’s how I connected externally with fighting from a young age.

Environmentally, I dealt with abuse in the household, financial and economic struggles, family issues and being able to learn and grow through adverse circumstances enabled me to consciously connect with the fighter inside me.”

Wow! Your story has such depth and it’s obvious you’ve been winning since the beginning. You’re here already having won the fight for your life, which made you a champion from the day you left the hospital because you made it out!

What is a champion to you?

“A champion is someone who fights—no pun intended—for what they believe in.

They fight for their truth against all odds. I believe a champion is someone who not only champions for themselves but most importantly, for other people. I believe a champion has a greater impact beyond themselves and ultimately, they aren’t results-driven or married to a result. The moral compass and character of a champion holds true to any circumstance or outcome; favorable or unfavorable. I believe a champion is in spirit more than anything.

Ah, spirit…the source of life. I would say you spoke to this previously in our conversation, but what are some of the personal championships you’ve experienced in life that didn’t happen in a ring or before an audience? They may even be spiritual.

“To date, I truly believe the majority—if not all—of my personal champions have come to fruition outside of me performing as an athlete. When I think about where I started in life, the things I went through, and how I got here today it’s all awesome. The fact that I’m having this conversation with you today as the person that I am is a testament to me being a champion.

I’ve navigated failures. I’ve lost in life; I’ve lost in love. I’ve won in life; I’ve won in love. I’ve supported other people and I think those are my biggest championships. I’m able to pass on wisdom to the people I touch and constantly move forward with the belief and idea that I leave things and people better than I find them.

As a human, I come up short sometimes. But even that speaks to the truth that the things & people that we idolize because of external things such as money, success, career accomplishments, etc. Those aren’t the things that make me a champion. Ultimately, being able to find my voice through the fray of life that I’ve experienced and being able to use it to transcend what’s directly in front of me and touch people beyond my initial grasp is what makes me a champion.”

We could take a pause right there just to reflect on transcendence and the power of being able to keep moving. You’re very connected with your internal core as a winner.

Let’s shift a bit to go deeper. I’d like to look at championship and fighting as a profession. Mixed Martial Arts is a rather new professional sport. Tell us why you chose to be part of the MMA world?

”First things first, I say this all the time: Mixed Martial Arts is something I do, but it’s not who I am. I can honestly say that me being here is more of a course of action that was beyond my control. Don’t get me wrong! I love it! But when I think of how I got here today from square one to being where I am in this present moment, is just me being a fighter innately coupled with chance encounters throughout life.

It’s the fact that I was able to channel this energy through wrestling as a 12-year-old…and boxing as a 12-year-old…and I happened to be indirectly connected to someone who is a major name in sports at that time and today. They then helped to set me on this path and now I’m here and can be recognized as a professional, and getting paid for it is just a blessing!

I can’t say I chose it—it’s just something I believe I was always meant to do. I can’t explain it, but this is one of the few things in life that when I am doing it —in motion with fighting and martial arts—I’m at the most peace. The fact that I get paid for it is just icing on the cake at this point.”

I love that for you, and I would coin this revelation as power point for your life. Personally, I believe that your purpose should and does always pay you. Do you feel that MMA serves as a channel for you to perform your purpose through? If so, how, and why?

“I definitely feel this is an outlet for me to exercise and execute my purpose. However, I have not always been sensitive and conscious to it. I’ve been ignorant to it for a long time.

Initially, when I entered combat, sports, and martial arts, it was a reaction and a reflection of everything I had gone through. This made the sport an emotional outlet for me where I could channel some of the negativity. I would go out and do this “thing” we call martial arts—a combat sport—and I could channel it to become a positive thing. It’s been a way for me to self-consciously rebrand energy.

But as I got closer to myself throughout my process, I started to realize that it’s even bigger than that for me. I started to see my purpose lies in me being a performer beyond being a fighter. Once I was able to break off the shackles of trauma, disappointment, and other negative things that can impact your life; I was able to see fighting for what it truly was. I saw the positive light. I’m an artist. I’m a performer.

I’m out here and there are eyes on me from people who are seeing me in a way I never saw myself, so yeah, I think fighting has been a great platform for me to elevate my purpose. I can now keep going into places and spaces I would have never been in without it. I feel like I’m just now tapping into this energy to be honest.”

Okay, so you almost took me out with “rebrand energy.” It takes a lot of energy to climb. Your energy has taken you to the world stage in your career. Earlier, you defined a champion in your perspective. You’re a respected professional MMA Fighter holding 2 World Medals. How does it feel to be accomplished on a global scale?

I don’t know. You could probably tell me more than I could tell you.

I say this because I had global success early. I earned those two world medals in my amateur career before I ever turned professional. I’ve been able to make an impact globally before I was even being paid to perform. But the thing is, there’s a good and bad when you’re trying to build, be successful and grow when life is happening all at the same time.

Oftentimes, you don’t get to reflect. You don’t have the time to process things because you have to always be on. You have to always be cognizant of what your next move is going to be. Your mind is always like, “when is going to be my next fight? When is going to be my next opportunity on air?” I just don’t think about it. Those victories are good notches on the belt and the gravity of having those accomplishments attached to me is not lost on me. However, I honestly feel for better or worse, if I’m constantly sitting back reflecting on those things then I’m not moving forward.

Now, I just try to remain as present as I can be in those moments, but to also recognize when it’s time to move on and put those moments behind and build off of them.”

Cheers to you for forward movement and forward thinking! You are also more than just a fighter. What are other ways in which you are expressing your passions to the world?

“I think first and foremost, I’ve gone through life to understand fighting is something I’m more than, so I’m learning to express myself and be more vulnerable around my inner circle.

This comes from me being more comfortable with the performance aspect of fighting and understanding how fighting isn’t just about me. I’m performing in a cage but I’m connecting with people in a roundabout way. The more I open myself to it and allow myself to be vulnerable there, I’ve been able to transfer it into my personal life.

Career wise, I express through modeling, acting, commercial work, and it’s all become this big, synonymous and relevant thing. Now I approach acting the same way I approach fighting…I approach modeling the same way I approach acting... It’s all become this one, fluid synergy. Those have been my outlets to expatiate my purpose…magnify my purpose…and amplify my purpose.”

What is one of the greatest lessons life has taught you thus far, and do you feel a responsibility to teach that through your movements and missions?

“The most beautiful things in life ask not to be seen. You are not in control. However, you always have two things: a choice, and a decision. I feel a responsibility to degree. However, I’m only human and the way I look at life today could change tomorrow. Most of all, I feel a responsibility to stay true to myself and to what I believe. If I feel like I have positives that I can pass on to people, I feel a responsibility to do that. But I feel more of a responsibility to live in my truth and as my true self and pass that on to whoever needs to take note of it.”

There is something I heard you share on a podcast, and I wanted to get you to expound a bit on the topic. You said, “Me and you…we’re the same. I’m an artist. You’re an artist.” This resonates with me and I’m sure it resonates with anyone who reads this interview. How do you define yourself as an artist?

“I define myself as an artist because just being in martial arts—the profession—is an art form in itself. I think everyone is essentially born an artist and whether we realize it or not, we have the ability to paint a life or a canvas the way we want to.

Ultimately, that is the core of what I was expressing in that interview. I’m an artist when I express myself to the people I love and care about the most.

I’m an artist when I walk into a stadium and I decide what I’m going to wear, how I’m going to talk in an interview, how I’m going to approach a fight.

Everything you see is me putting my best foot forward and me putting my artistry on display to the world. It’s taking the internal and making it external while at the same time, consistently remaining attached to who I am.”

In your perspective, what makes ALL of us ‘artists’?

“It’s the ability of choice and the ability to design the life we want to live…through whatever we want to live… however we want to live it. The ability to look at one thing—which is life—through so many lenses which are all uniquely our own; and then put them out into the collective. We are all painting this canvas together whether we realize it or not.”

Ladies and gentlemen, David Evans…the fighter, the champion, the artist. Thank you.