From drugs to the octagon: A UFC fighter's journey to recovery

BOSTON — To some, fighting is just a sport, but for Kyle Bochniak, it was how he saved his own life.

For the past ten years, Bochniak has been struggling with his past, eventually winning in the biggest fight of his life - overcoming his drug addiction.

It took many years for Bochniak to find himself in the mat of Broadway Jiu-Jitsu in South Boston, a place he now calls his sanctuary.

A Gloucester native, Bochniak thrived as a football player throughout high school, with dreams of playing in college and even professionally. At some point, however, he had lost his way.

"Quickly I found myself going down the wrong hole, not going to school anymore," said Bochniak. "Alcohol, pills, coke...I ended up going to a couple of rehabs, [I was a] third-year freshman, fell way behind in school, decided to drop out at 17."

Bochniak says he gave up when he felt his future was lost.

"What’s the point of trying if I’m just going to be disciplined or lose something?" said Bochniak. "So I was like, you know what, screw it, get messed up and see what happens."

He was deep into that lifestyle until it all went south and Bochniak landed in jail.

"The closest I’ve ever been to my father was in jail actually," said Bochniak. "I never met him physically. He was next block over. And I was like, 'If I continue this path…that’s gonna be me.'"

The minute he was out, the then 22-year-old Bochniak decided to take a 180 turn in his life. He got his GED, took up welding in school and eventually became familiar with the mat.

A friend introduced him to training, which ended up being the structure he needed to start setting some goals.

"These goals add up, add up, add up," said Bochniak. "You look back ten years later [and] you’re on a mountain of goals."

For Bochniak, that mountain of goals included 10 years of sobriety as of August as well as opportunities on MMA's biggest stage - the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Now, Bochniak is using his platform to teach kids about being positive and showing everyone that, with a lot of hard work and even more determination, you can achieve your goals.

"Even though things can get hard, keep moving forward and get through it," said Bochniak.

Bochniak will be fighting in a UFC event at the Boston Garden on October 18th. It'll be the third time he gets to compete in front of a hometown crowd.

>> MORE: New England submarine lost in 1963 honored in Arlington Nat'l Cemetery

Cox Media Group