uper intense.” That’s how David Mitchell described his initiation at Dave Terrell’s NorCal Fighting Alliance. “I definitely got knocked out the first day I trained, and pretty much every day I got some kind of concussion.”
In the early 2000s NorCal Fighting Alliance boasted a strong roster of fighters, including many that would make it to the UFC. The gym also hosted frequent visitors who would become some of the biggest stars in the sport. The gym was tough on David and he was expected to return the favor in hard-sparring sessions, held five to six times a week.