Six months ago, Lance Benoist was on a path toward what certainly could be perceived as an established life.

Then he opted to turn it all upside down.

Benoist left a well-paying gig as a journeyman laborer to put all that he had into the unpredictable and fierce world of professional mixed martial arts.

"I was 19 years old making $23 an hour," Benoist said. "I wish I could have videotaped the look my boss gave me. It was scary, and I was conflicted. But I made the choice and never looked back."

At the time that choice looked dicey, but now it can be deemed correct because just a few weeks ago he signed a four-fight contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC).

Benoist becomes just the fourth professional fighter from the St. Louis area to reach the UFC, the global pinnacle for most in the sport. The 22-year-old Ballwin resident and 2007 Festus High School grad, backed by a short but dynamic resume, has jetted into the orbit of his sport's top professional organization.

Benoist, 5-0 as a pro, brings to the octagon exactly what the UFC has built its multi-million dollar brand on - electricity. The 170-pounder has ended all five professional fights (and all but one of six amateur fights) in the first round. Two of his first three pro fights ended within the opening minute.

"He does what they like," said Mike Rogers, Benoist's trainer and manger. "He finishes fights, and he's exciting."

And versatile.

While his undefeated amateur record is marked by flashy TKO victories - like one opponent who didn't properly block a Benoist head kick and ended up with a broken forearm - his professional record boasts four submission wins.

But even with such explosive beginnings, earning a UFC contract is a towering accomplishment for any fighter clawing his way out of the relative obscurity of regional cards, Of the legion of mixed martial artists worldwide, the UFC's number of fighter contracts generally hovers around 200.

"I have made my coaches and teammates proud, and that means a lot to me," Benoist said. "I've been lucky."

Benoist, who fights for St. Charles MMA and Team Vaghi, caught the eye of UFC scouts by shining at two opportune moments this last year.

First, he flattened "The Ultimate Fighter 11" (the hyper-popular UFC reality television show) contestant Cleburn Walker with a kick to the head in August. Then in November at the Midwest Cage Championships in Iowa, a hotbed for the sport, Benoist choked out Miguel Rios in 57 seconds.

"That was a great experience, and a lot of people had some very nice things to say," Benoist said. "That is when word started to spread."

Benoist tried out for the "The Ultimate Fighter 13" late last fall. Though not selected for the show, he felt he made a strong showing. He thought he came across as polished. One of the last of hundreds of welterweight fighters to meet with TUF-13 producers, he was pleased with how he handled himself.

"I was professional and grateful," Benoist said. "And I didn't sound like an idiot."

 

FIRST AN ATHLETE, THEN A FIGHTER

Benoist never was nudged toward fighting though his involvement with another sport. He didn't start as a wrestler. He didn't belong to the local boxing club.

Jefferson County schools are rich with wrestling heritage. Several of the St. Louis area's current high-level mixed martial artists - Tyron Woodley (McCluer), Justin Lawrence (Pacific), and Mike Chandler (Northwest) - come from strong wrestling backgrounds. But at Festus, wrestling was not one of Benoist's options. Festus didn't - and doesn't - offer wrestling.

"At the time, I wish (Festus) had it," Benoist said. "But in some ways I'm glad. I didn't pick up any nasty habits. For me, from day one, it's been about MMA."

While growing up in Festus, Benoist gravitated toward whatever sport was in season. He was a decent southpaw pitcher and first baseman. He also tried his hand at football and basketball. At 16, he started tae kwon do at World Martial Arts Academy in Festus. Benoist would have gotten into martial arts sooner, but his family felt it the better for all involved that he and twin brother Logan (along with older sister, Nicole) didn't learn the finer aspects of hand-to-hand combat.

"We would have killed each other," Benoist said. "It was already bad enough."

Benoist made his amateur mixed martial arts debut when he was 18 and even missed his senior prom because of a scheduled scrap. Through following the UFC, he became aware of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, the grappling, submission-based martial art that is prevalent in the sport. Benoist began focusing on his BJJ skills while training with Rogers at Vaghi Martial Arts in Fenton.

Working with Rogers, he came to appreciate the almost limitless number of ways a fighter could employ Brazilian jiu-jitsu to defeat an opponent.

"That opened my eyes to a whole new thing," said Benoist, who is a blue belt in the art.

Benoist is getting ready to experience another whole new thing. His first fight for the organization is likely to be announced any day. None of the previous St. Louis fighters have had their hand raised inside a UFC cage. Benoist certainly wants to be the first.

"He is really good about handling pressure," Rogers said. "In fact, it kinda excites him."

 

A DIFFERENT WORLD OF HURT

In previous summers, Benoist tortured himself in the searing Midwest heat.

Clearing brush, cutting trees, and mowing grass may put money in the bank but it can grind a man down.

"It's dangerous work," Benoist said. "After awhile you feel trapped."

Now he works weekends as a bartender, which allows him time to spend the week under a different kind of distress.

While in photos and on video, MMA training looks inspiring and flashy. In reality it can be backbreaking and unchanging.

The day-in, day-out commitment to all aspects of the sport, both in the gym and out, is what makes or breaks many fighters.

Two or three times a day, every day, Benoist toils and fine-tunes his skills. As Rogers shouts instructions, Benoist scrambles and scrapes, ducks and dodges.

For every session of striking, there is another for BJJ and yet another for wrestling. There is also strength and conditioning where he can be found slamming a sledgehammer, one-armed, multiple times into a tractor tire or pressing his body weight on gymnastic rings.

"By mid-week, I can barely roll out of bed," Benoist said.

With a rangy frame, he has room to add muscle.

Benoist is brawny at 170 pounds. A move up to middleweight (185) could be on the horizon as he ventures into his 20s.

"I still haven't gotten my man strength," Benoist said with a wry smile. "I'm growing."