Azure Explains His Route To Success

Youth Summit

Mixed Martial Arts fighter Hunter Azure discussed his path to success during the third annual Fort Peck Tribes Youth Summit held in Poplar on Thursday, June 13.

Azure, a native of Poplar, says he balances his personal and work life by knowing his mindset and what he want to accomplish.

His advice to young athletes is “Stay true to yourself. The bigger the dream, the bigger sacrifices.”

He credits his work ethic and being coachable as the keys to his success. He has won 11 professional fights and nine amateur victories during his career. He is currently the UFL bantamweight champion.

Tentatively, his next fight is scheduled for the end of August.

Azure’s training schedule includes weight lifting, boxing and running. He also spends time coaching amateur fighters between the ages of 5-13. He trains between three and five hours a day.

“The big thing is nutrition,” Azure said of his long training hours.

During his athletic career, he has suffered his share of setbacks and injuries but has kept a positive attitude.

“Stay in the present, know what you want to accomplish,” Azure told the students. “We’re all going to lose sometimes, get knocked down.”

He added that a person should try to get better each day. “Take care of today,” Azure said.

He urged student to set the bar high in order to achieve their goals. “It takes a team, a village,” Azure said. “It takes more than yourself.”

Azure, 32, says he looks to friends and coaches to gain advice of how to get better. People should keep setting new goals.

“You always need to keep searching for knowledge,” he said. “No one’s perfect, but we should always search to be perfect.”

His advice to the students included not to be afraid to pursue their dreams.

“Listen to your heart, the kid in you right now,” Azure said. “There’s going to be some bad times, but reaching the goal is worth it. The worst you can do is not even try.”

Azure’s next goal is to get back in the UFC. He said he’s still chasing the title.

When asked about retiring, Azure replied, “I hope I’ll never retire. I want to fight forever.”