“After training is done around 10, I may have to go home and grade papers for an hour or so, sometimes,” said Holscher. His schedule has been in the same taxing state for a year and a half since he initially accepted the teaching position.

“It’s a challenge, but I was a college athlete and I grew up on a farm so time management was ingrained in me a long time ago. If I wanted to make my schedule easier, I could just take a few things off my plate, but I don’t want to do that right now.”

While a number of his teaching colleagues used their recent spring break to vacation and regroup, Holscher continued his daily MMA regimen and even ventured north one week to San Jose, an MMA hotbed and the home of Strikeforce, to train with a number of the sport’s top athletes. “I slept in the gym for almost the whole week,” he noted.

“Right now, I’m just enjoying the ride. I’m blessed that I have the opportunity to train with some of the top guys. Wherever this takes me, I’m going along with it and going to bust my butt. Wherever I end up in a year or 10 years, that’s where I’ll be.”

Tickets for the first SHO MMA: StrikeForce Challengers event are on sale at the Save Mart Center box office and select Save Mart Supermarkets as well as at all Ticketmaster locations (800-745-3000), Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com) and Strikeforce’s official website (www.strikeforce.com).

Undefeated lightweight (155 lb. limit) sensation Billy Evangelista (9-0) will face off with hard-hitting brawler and BJ Penn protégé “Iron” Mike Aina (11-6-1) in the main event that will air live, along with as many as four other Strikeforce bouts, on SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) from the Save Mart Center.

Also during the live telecast, female MMA upstart Kim “Sugar Free” Couture (1-1), wife of MMA legend Randy Couture, will take a major step up in competition when she squares off with submission expert Miesha Tate (5-1) in a 135 lb. limit featured contest while Aaron Rosa (11-2) will meet Anthony “A Train” Ruiz (21-12) in a light heavyweight (205-pound limit) fight.