Under Pressure

Documentary follows diary of a cage fighter's wifeTodd Sturgis searches briefly for the right word to describe the lifestyle led by he and his wife Tamera. Seconds later, he settles on "unconventional.""We're gypsies really," said the 1988 Lincoln High School grad. "The one thing that I'm going to do is get back into comedy on a part-time basis."Todd's been making people laugh for years. In fact, he met Tamera in a comedy club 13 years ago."It was love at first sight," she said. "I thought he was just passing through and I would never see him again. I went up to him and told him he needed to save me a dance."Two years later, the couple married and soon thereafter it was determined both Sturgises would get their commercial driver's licenses and hit the road."I figured, while I'm of working age, I wanted to set up myself and my wife financially," Todd said of his thoughts.Tamera responded to the plan with good humor and even dove into a photography habit she used to fill the time as the couple rolled across the American landscape in an 18-wheeler.Life was good. There were stops from the Cascades to the Appalachians, New York to Seattle.But, despite an affinity for open spaces, Todd also found himself drawn to life in a cage."I thought 'there is no way'"One day, with little to no warning, Todd told Tamera he wanted to be a cage fighter. But she saw nothing funny about the prospects of seeing the one-time comic getting his face beaten in.Tamera knew that her ex-wrestler husband was a fan of the no-holds-barred, often-bloody bouts sponsored by groups such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship series. She even heard Todd's friends goading him, trying to convince him that - even at age 32 - he could grapple his way to victory against the best of the best.But she knew nothing of the thought in the back of his mind, the voice whispering "just maybe ...""The first thing was that I wanted to learn self defense," Todd said, attempting to explain away a decision his wife still prefers to classify as a case of temporary insanity. "I'm small in stature and I wanted to make sure that I was a little more well-rounded. "I wanted to learn how to throw a punch and how to defend punches," he added. "Because, once you get tired, you can't take a big guy down."Still, from Tamera's perspective, there was no way to justify the move, let alone endorse it."I thought 'there's no way,'" she said. "We'd been driving a truck for almost a decade. I told him 'if you get in fighting shape, I'd think about letting you fight.'"Tenacious T on tapeProtests aside, Tamera knew she was in trouble right away."He's tenacious," she said of Todd. "I knew when he first said that he wanted to do it that he'd end up doing it."It probably had something to do with the wrestler in him. He took up the sport - where tenacity is pretty much the name of the game - at 7 and excelled. By the time he landed in Lincoln High blue and yellow, his abilities carried him to 12th place in the state.Todd believed his wrestling skills gave him a leg up on other cage fighters, but he knew he needed to improve several other skills in order to compete with the mixed martial artists who call the cage their home."I needed to learn boxing, kickboxing and Brazilian Jujitsu," he explained. "I don't think it works to be a specialist because the other guys are learning the specific counters to the specialist's moves." So, with that in mind, Todd found a gym near his home to train.Meanwhile, Tamera - whose penchant for documenting their life was well established - decided to pick up their video camera.And then there was movieWe all have them. They're crammed into photo albums, VHS tapes, DVDs and computer files. They're the captured moments in our lives when we embarrass ourselves, and we love them. Just ask your mother, who still has an affinity for pulling out your baby book.That's the sort of moment Tamera Sturgis was going for when she started following Todd to the gym, camera in tow."I wanted to show friends and family 'get a load of this,'" she said.What she ended up with was a full-blown documentary."Under Pressure: Diary of a Cage Fighter's Wife" captures the frustrations, anger, thrills, shock, satisfaction and fun experienced by both Sturgises in the months leading up to Todd's one-and-only cage fight.As Tamera explains, the frustrations and anger were a direct result of Todd's initial choice of gym."It was all about who was tougher there," she said. "It wasn't about learning."You can't train if you're so hurt you can't get out of bed," she added. "I don't know a lot about training for mixed-martial arts. But I know that much."So Tamera, who realized she needed to prove to her husband that he was in the wrong place, made herself a reporter and a student of the fight game.She began meeting other fighters as well as other fighters' wives and documented the way they approached the often-brutal sport. She visited gyms throughout the Sacramento region and noted how the fighting clubs housed in those gyms - including Worsham Team X out of Folsom - approached the sport.She made friends with Team X standouts such as Jaime Jara and James Fanshier."Basically, when I saw Todd getting hurt at his gym, I knew that there were other fighters out there that I needed to learn about," she said. "And when I went out there and started seeking out other people, I realized that there was more to this sport and this movie than what meets the eye."After I saw other gyms and what they had to offer and the skill and professionalism there, I chose to stop supporting Todd," she added. "Finally, one night when he was watching the fight of one of his gym mates where the guy was losing because he didn't have the skills, he made the change."What a difference, what a fightTodd's transfer to No Limits Gym in Sheridan, where he trained under Chuck Wagner and Steve Renaud altered both his approach to the cage-fighting experience and Tamera's mindset."(From that point on), I was on board 100 percent," she said. "People there were decent and friendly. We actually still see his coach on a regular basis."The last third of "Under Pressure" documents how Todd rounded out his fighting skills by becoming a better boxer and back fighter, thanks to the expertise of Wagner and Renaud.His progression skyrocketed from there and viewers can pick up the distinct notion that fight time is near.The movie culminates with Todd taking to the ring for a three-round bout at the Colusa Casino Resort in Colusa. Footage bounces between his father, Tamera and the ring, where Todd has his hands full in a back-and-forth bout. His advantages as a grappler come into play several times as he's about to keep his opponent on his back more often than not.The final bell rings and, after a few tense moments, the judges return with the decision - Todd's the winner.No masThe next shot is from the locker room, where an exhausted Todd is curled up in the fetal position on the floor. But he's trying to smile and field the congratulations of his gym mates, who bend over to offer a pat on the back or a handshake.Seconds later, Tamera walks in as Todd receives assistance in making his way to a chair. There are hugs and a few tears.In this moment it's hard to believe it, but this is exactly what Todd wanted. His first cage fight will be his last.Four years later, there are no regrets."I don't have the personality to do it as a living," he said. "But I do have the personality to do it once to test myself."I won't fight again because it was hard to do it emotionally," he added. "I don't have the time as an over-the-road truck driver to train. But it was fun, and we met some fantastic people along the way."