Between fights, Bellator 162's Virgil Zwicker a football coach and youth leader

Virgil Zwicker has no problem admitting there are times when his focus is splintered away from MMA.

He can also admit that splinter has led to some losses in his carer, specifically in his most recent fight, a second-round submission loss to Brian Rogers at Bellator 147 in December.

Zwicker (14-5-1 MMA, 3-2-1 BMMA) doesn’t have much in the way of regrets, though, he said. When his attention isn’t centered around training and fight preparation, the light heavyweight slugger spends his time coaching a youth football team, as well as running a martial arts program for kids.

“The funny thing is, working with kids has made me learn about myself a lot more,” Zwicker told MMAjunkie. “Knowing that when they’re looking up to me they understand that and put that in themselves – that’s the reward. It’s not always about the winning and the fighting, it’s also about watching the growth that comes in the kids. That instills confidence in me to where if I am in the gym, I’m can still feel good. That’s a big part of my training, too.”

Zwicker is the defensive coordinator for a youth football team in Temecula, Calif., where he currently lives. The commitment to coaching the team, along with running the youth program up to four times a week, can be time consuming, but Zwicker wouldn’t have it any other way, he said. His own career is important, but helping guide the next generation of athletes across multiple sports is an unmistakable passion.

“I think I was more pumped up and excited for (my team) than the (last) fight,” Zwicker said of his loss to Rogers. “I used the motivation of the boys for it, but I took a lot from it. I didn’t overlook anybody. I was expecting to go in and destroy him. Brian is a tough guy. I think a couple of the shots I took kept me being hesitant and I just wanted to hit him. Ever since then, I’ve been smart and trying to stay focused and got better at what I need to do and I’m ready to fix things.”

Although Zwicker thoroughly enjoys what he’s doing outside of competition, at the end of the day he’s still an athlete, and no athlete likes to lose, which is what happened against Rogers.

“Rezdog” wants to get back on track, and he will have his opportunity tonight when he takes on Dan Charles (10-3-1 MMA, 3-2-1 BMMA) at Bellator 162, which takes place tonight at FedEx Forum in Memphis. The main card airs on Spike following prelims, including Zwicker-Charles, on MMAjunkie.

Zwicker said unlike his previous bout, he is highly motivated going into Bellator 162. Why? Because he not only wants to win and earn a payday, but he wants to set an example to his two kids who are just getting into athletics, as well as the rest of the youngsters who look to him for inspiration and view him as a mentor.

“In this culture, not a lot of us are in position to lead them the right way,” Zwicker said. “I have a vision of where I’m going and the program has been taking off. I have four different classes, three different days. It’s about knowing your boundaries, setting your boundaries and believing in yourself. That comes with MMA. You need to know how to carry yourself and have that confidence. Make it so you expect to get respected.”

Zwicker has competed just once in the past 13 months, but said he hasn’t been bothered by the inactivity because he’s found alternative ways to occupy his time. That doesn’t mean he still doesn’t enjoy fighting, though, and at 34, he said there’s still plenty of meaningful years of the sport left in him.

However, he is wisely looking at life beyond his career as a cage fighter, and in that place, he said he sees good things.

“I definitely got a few years left to go in MMA,” Zwicker said. “It’s not always about fighting. I would like to have a life outside the gym and cage. My biggest sport is football, I do love football. I love coaching, I love helping kids and doing all that stuff. I try to keep myself busy and spread out so I’m not just focused on the fighting – because I think too much of one thing could be a bad thing. I definitely just try to keep myself focused with other things in life than just fighting.”

For more on Bellator 162, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.