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By Greg De Sanctis
Special to CBSSports.com
Just as Robert Frost was once forced to chose from two paths diverging in a yellow wood, we have all chosen a path in life, and the one Brad Imes took has seen as many twists and turns as the giant Burmese python he keeps next to his bed.
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A country boy from Missouri, Imes grew up close to nature learning to fish and hunt and found out at a young age he was a gifted athlete. As an adolescent, sports always played an active role in his life, but when he attended the University of Missouri to play football, it might have been the first indication that sports would become his life.
But none of this suggested he would end up living in a converted apartment above Pat Miletich's gym in Bettendorf, Iowa, as he prepared to fight Roy Nelson for the International Fight League heavyweight championship.
After a successful college football career, Imes took his first shot at professional sports and landed a job in the Arena Football League with the Iowa Barnstormers (now New York Dragons). When that well dried up, he returned to Mizzou and put his talents to work as a strength coach, but he quickly learned that this was not what he had been searching for.
Free from constraints, he was set up for what would arguably become the biggest twist his life had yet taken. He befriended an investor with interests in the botanical sciences, and when a position as general manager opened up at a plant nursery in Sacramento, Calif., Imes got the recommendation. It was enough to convince the 6-foot-7 country boy to pick up and head for the coast, leaving everything he knew behind.
Though he had settled down just long enough to adopt a pet -- the python -- it wasn't long before he found himself out of work and picking up odd jobs just to pay the bills.
Imes was not intended to run a nursery.
Clearly unhappy, he get involved in mixed martial arts at the suggestion of a friend, and with nothing to lose, he gave it a shot. Finally something felt right, and it seemed as though one of his life's drastic turns was starting to lead him in the right direction.
After only eight months of training, Imes landed himself a role on the uber-popular reality series The Ultimate Fighter. He worked his way into the final round with a gutsy win over Seth Petruzelli, but would fall to Rashad Evans via split decision in the championship bout. Despite having lost the UFC contract, effectively failing this venture, the experience was hardly a waste.
When it looked like he was running out of options, Imes' snaking path was about to take another sudden turn. He had made enough noise to catch the attention of Matt Hughes and Tim Sylvia and earned himself a personal invitation to move back to Iowa and refine his skills with Pat Miletich, a man who was shaping his own reputation for grooming champions.
The prospect was too good to pass up. "It was a chance for me to come back to the Midwest. It was a good opportunity for me. I'm thankful for it," Imes remarked.
Without hesitation, he picked up once again and made a move for a new life. But this time he was moving home.
Like so many fighters who have passed through Miletich's gym, Imes arrived in Bettendorf, put down his bags and made permanent residence in the annex apartment just above the gym. He's close to the action and can focus on the demands of being an MFS elite. He has kept himself busy -- eight fights in 2007 and two already in '08 -- making sure he'd be ready when his next shot at the big leagues came rolling around.
That shot would come as a phone call, out of nowhere, from IFL operations with an offer to fight the heavyweight champ.
Now on the cusp of yet another coil in Imes' life, he's prepared to take on Roy Nelson for the IFL heavyweight championship Friday at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. Win or lose, this is not likely to be last twist of fate in the life of this boundless fighter.
