International Fight League and Jeremy Williams

This past weekend, I decided to catch up on some episodes of the International Fight League that I'd recorded.

The IFL puts second-tier MMA fighters onto teams — with names like the Southern California Condors or the Tokyo Sabres — offers them salaries and benefits, then stages regular events pitting two teams against each other, like scholastic wrestling teams.

Anyway, I was watching when they started showing a profile piece on one of the fighters, Jeremy Williams, who seemed like a remarkably nice guy who had gone through some (undefined) bad times and turned his life around by finding Jesus, getting married, etc.

He also seemed vaguely familiar.

When he quickly submitted a guy with a beautiful triangle choke, I immediately recognized his style. Wait, is that Jeremy Williams from Chris Brennan's school? He was older, and his hair was different, but it was the same guy I kinda-sorta knew from back in the day.

So I looked him up, started reading about him, then came across this:

On May 5, 2007 in Laguna Niguel, California, Williams died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Wow. I was not expecting that.

Rest in peace, Jeremy.