Regina's Floyd Papequash finding success in mixed martial arts

A Regina athlete from the inner city says mixed martial arts helped him overcome a troubled past and find success in life.

Floyd Papequash, 28, has been competing at a high level for only the past two years, but already, he's racked up 15 gold medals. Papequash also works in construction. 

He says martial arts and organized fights have saved him from a potentially deadly life on the streets. 

"Coming from a troubled home and coming from where I came from ... I wasn't supposed to succeed in anything, right?" he said. "You get told that so much, you start to believe it."

Instead, mixed martial arts gave Papequash a confidence he's never had before.

He realized fighting on the streets and fighting in the ring were two different things — one could be a path to jail and another could be a path to success. 

"I probably would be sitting behind bars," he said. "In all honesty, that's pretty much where I think I would be."

Papequash's discipline is jiu jitsu, a martial art that focuses on grappling and ground fighting.

"For me, jiu jitsu made such a positive, because I've never had people cheer for me," he said. "This is all new to me." 

A.J. Scales, who owns a gym where Papequash trains, says stories like his are becoming more common, and success in the ring is having an effect on the street, too. 

"Teaching in my gym I realized, I wasn't creating tough guys. I was creating successful people. And not only in martial arts but in life," Scales said.

Papequash said he hopes others follow in his footsteps. 

Belonging to the MMA community is an alternative for aboriginal men like himself, who may otherwise drift into Regina's gang lifestyle, he said.

Papequash's next fight is in Winnipeg next month.