His name is Mark Chauppette, and 48 hours from now he will be stepping into the ring to compete in a mixed martial arts match (MMA/UFC).

Mark is 37 years old, a father of four and has only one MMA fight under his belt from seven years ago. For the last two months he's been training at four different gyms, re-molding his body, getting his weight down to what it was when he played football and wrestled for Whitman Hanson Regional.

Today he stands before me looking worn and tired, yet he's able to crack a smile an half hour before he's ready to hit the airwaves for his local radio show "On the Mark."

Some of you are probably asking… "Why would a father of four do this?" "What is this guy thinking?" "Is he having a middle age crisis?" "What does he have to prove?" "Is this an ego thing?"

Answer… The clock.

The clock is ticking, and when Mark steps out of that ring on Saturday, regardless of the results, he will be hoping that the money he raises for his charity will aid his battle in slowing that clock down.

Troy and Andrew are twins. They are Mark's 11-year old boys, and they have been diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD).

DMD attacks the muscles by stripping away the muscles' protein, which is called "dystrophin." Most who end up affected have a life expectancy of 20 years.

Due to restrictions in this country, Mark has been getting treatments for his boys in Canada, and today they are beating the odds with the ability to walk and attend school. But, everyday the clock ticks, something Mark is very aware of and uses in his fight to keep raising money for a good cause, and this fight would be the most extreme thing he's done for the sake of his boys.

So how did it happen that a father of four is getting into the MMA ring for charity?

Well two months ago, Full Force Productions Promoters Mike True Sr. and Mike Varner (also a MMA Fighter) stopped by our show to promote an MMA event. Varner knew of Mark, the match he had seven years ago, and asked Mark if he ever wanted to get back into the ring.

I looked at Mark, and could see the fire in his eye, but it was only a spark; nothing worthy to feed the flames. Then it happened… The idea of Mark doing it for charity got tossed around, and as the talk continued, the flame in Mark’s eyes began to burn because he knew it was another avenue, another weapon in his war to slow the clock and buy some more time for his boys. Once Varner (an established fighter) offered to train Mark personally, the deal was done and the training began.

Some of you may be wondering if it's a hoax or a fix? It's not. One of the stipulations that Varner stated on the radio was that the fight would be legit, a two-round match at four minutes each, and if they end in a draw, the combatants would fight a third round to decide. He's also wanted a legit match to make sure Mark would have a worthy opponent so a loss for Mark would help his opponent's rankings.

So now here we are doing this crazy radio show with Mark getting waxed on air for fight preparation, and the studio is filled with laughter and jokes. But looking at Mark I know he realizes the importance of this event coming up Saturday night, 48 hours from now.

The clock is still ticking.

Event:
Untamed 7
Where: Plymouth War Memorial Hall
When: Saturday August 19th
Time: 6:30 pm
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