Ode' Osbourne Dreams Big

It’s worked for him, even if there have still been bumps in the road to deal with, particularly a team change and a knockout loss to Tyson Nam a year ago that snapped a two-fight winning streak. But Osbourne landed on his feet, bouncing back into the win column with a split decision victory over Charles Johnson in February and finding a perfect training situation with head coach Dewey Cooper.

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“Dewey is amazing,” said Osbourne. “He puts you in the trenches and he keeps you there. So that way when fight time comes around, you're just like, okay, I'm used to this. It's the type of culture that Dewey brings to the table. It’s a rugged culture that he puts you into and the reason he does it like that is to get you used to feeling anxiety and pressure. We're doing these five-mile runs up Mount Charleston, it’s hot outside, and he makes you embrace it. So that way when fight time comes, it's much easier. And it's not an experiment. I've found that a lot of coaches experiment a lot. Dewey has lived it already, so it's a lot easier to trust him and put my faith in Dewey.”

Osbourne may need to deal with some trench warfare this weekend in Nashville when he faces Kazakhstani newcomer Assu Almabayev, winner of 13 straight heading into his UFC debut. But winning big on the regional circuit and winning big in the Octagon are two different things, and that could be the edge the 29-year-old Osbourne needs to secure his fifth UFC victory and keep moving up the 125-pound ladder.

That’s the plan for “The Jamaican Sensation” when it comes to fighting. When it comes to everything else, perhaps the real reason Osbourne is comfortable calling Las Vegas home is that the former Milwaukee schoolteacher has found a way to work with kids again in his new city. And this time, it’s not all about reading, writing and arithmetic; it’s about life.

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“I've been doing a youth program with the Las Vegas Metro Police where we go into schools,” he said. “I can be a positive influence to the kids, and I'm not just teaching them reading or math. Now I'm actually speaking to them about life, which is what I've always wanted to do. They give me full autonomy to implement my own curriculum. And I pretty much just give the kids what they need, not things that they're not going to use. For example, schools are teaching kids Pythagorean Theorem and all the stuff that kids probably won't use right now. Kids need to know about taxes, credit, stuff like that. They need to know about discipline, respect, structure, how to motivate yourself.”

And how to dream big, just like Osbourne did – and is still doing. And if one of his students wants to be a prizefighter like him, he won’t discourage it. But he will let them know that before you settle on one thing, get a look at a lot of things. It’s a big world out there…experience it.

“My response would be, college isn't for everybody, but at least try, at least attempt it,” he said. “At least get the experience. Go to college first, and then if you want to be a prizefighter after that, by all means, but if you didn't go to attempt something, you're not going to know what you're missing.”