PHOENIX – “Don’t ever doubt me again. Don’t you ever bully somebody. Don’t you ever talk about somebody and think you’re better than them.”
That’s what massive underdog Ben Parrish barked into the camera moments after his shocking knockout of top Bellator prospect Christian Edwards at Bellator 266 in September.
The words were passionate, but the origin wasn’t known to MMA fans, who largely knew nothing about Parrish at all. From the in-cage interview to his post-fight news conference, “Big Tuna” was fired up.
In the weeks leading up to the fight with Edwards, he received numerous messages from people he never met. The messages poked fun at his appearance. They said he’d lose – and do so badly. They said he didn’t stand a chance.
Parrish blocked out the haters and doubters. Instead of being rattled by the nastiness of complete strangers, he believed in himself, and shocked the world. In victory, he validated his fighting career, something he at times contemplated altogether.
People ask him all the time, but the answer is no. Parrish wasn’t bullied growing up. That said, his first Bellator experience showed him how nasty people can be to one another. Entering his second fight with the promotion, Saturday at Bellator 273, Parrish is an advocate for anti-bullying efforts.
“I’ve always felt that way, but it definitely reinforced it,” Parrish told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “They were 100 percent trying to e-bully me into mentally shaking out of my fight, not realizing that it was just going to make me go harder. I don’t operate that way. I don’t get stage fright or whatever. If anything, I get more serious when I get in there.”
Growing up in Mississippi, Parrish was the youngest of 10 children in his neighborhood. Sure, the crew had plenty of fun times. But being the little guy, Parrish and his best friend (the second-youngest) grew thick skin. By the time he was in high school, no one would mess with him. They knew better than that.
Whether he was bullied or not, it doesn’t matter. As Parrish eluded to, he doesn’t need to experience intense bullying first-hand to know it’s wrong. He’s always known it was wrong. It’s bothered him. Now with a platform, Parrish has partnered with a charity organization, The Jesse Dylan James Foundation, to raise awareness.
The foundation started in honor of a 17-year-old Arkansas boy, who committed suicide after he struggled to deal with bullying at school. According to the organization’s website, its mission statement is “to educate and raise awareness about the horrific damaging effects of peer pressure, bullying, and cyber relations to help prevent teenage suicide.”
Connected through UFC featherweight contender Bryce Mitchell and their manager, Matt Weibel, of First Round Management, “Big Tuna” saw the partnership as perfect. To team up was a no-brainer.
“Try to bring awareness to this thing. Let’s put this thing to bed.” Parrish said. “I’m sick of this society we live in,” Parrish said. “They want to one-up everything, one-up everybody. You can’t even enjoy life without being in competition with somebody. Cut that sh*t out. Just enjoy life. We could be gone tomorrow.”
Maybe, Parrish will go down as a Bellator champion. Maybe, he’ll go down as a fighter, who had his one shining moment in the spotlight. Either way, Parrish finds peace in knowing he did something good outside the cage.
“Like, you never know how precious life is,” Parrish said. “This stuff, I know you see this drip that I’m wearing. It don’t mean nothing. Posting pictures of how good you look on Instagram ain’t going to last forever. The picture will last forever, but all that stuff fades away, man. What they’ll remember you for is what you stood for. This is something I stood for.”
Bellator 273 takes place Saturday at Footprint Center. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.
