by Hunter Azure is a Fort Peck Sioux and Assiniboine tribal member and grew up in Poplar Montana. He is 26 years old graduated from PHS in 2010. His parents are Howard and Deb Azure and be has 3 siblings; Dustyn Azure, Autumn Fuzesy, Ashley Rafiu.
Hunter has been fighting and training for 4 years, he started in Montana and then moved to Salt Lake City, Utah for 2 years and now he made the move to the MMA Lab in Phoenix, Arizona; home of and training along side Benson Henderson along with other top UFC and Bellator fighters since December 2017.
Hunters main goal in his fighting career is to make it in to one of the top UFC fighters and make this as his career and living. His short term goals is to improve and train hard each day, take it fight by fight, “We try to get one percent better everyday this isn’t a sport you play around in, it’s a game of inches with every fight counts in the professional level.”
One of his biggest hardship is leaving the family and friends behind to a whole new state half way across the country and walk into a gym and try out for a top level team where he didn’t know a single person or if he would even make the team and being the new guy in a fighting gym isn’t the easiest to overcome. He had a chip on his back everyday. They all wanted to test him and try to break him down a little and see if he would keep coming back. He also states a disappointing wrestling career in his eyes pushed him to go out and chase what He really knew He was capable of doing.
Coming from the reservation made him realize how much more to life there is out there and all the opportunities people have, to go do anything they want in this life that’s in any career or path you choose. Also being told or looked at cause of where I’m from people already had doubt I couldn’t do things. “When you come from a small town you don’t have the gyms or same training as other people but that just made me find a way and want to prove everyone wrong that much more. Poplar is my home and always will be. Just find where and what best fits your career and goals.”
Advice for kids back home who have a big dream like you did?
Hunter’s advice to kid back home on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation is “Don’t give up, and Never stop dreaming! It Doesn’t have to be a sport but whatever you want to do in life make sure you don’t cheat yourself, there is no short cuts to anything successful you have 24 hrs in a day to get that one percent better or that percent closer to your dream. They don’t come fast or easy, and I’m still not there at 26 years of this but I’m closer then I was at 22. And I’m sure as hell enjoying every step of the way knowing I’m trying to be the best I can be.”
Where can people watch your fight? You can watch Hunter’s fight, LFA53 live on AXS Tv Friday Nov.9th or be streamed with LFA fighting.
