Mast waits patiently for foundation, fights to pick back up
Hiland graduate Lucas Mast has made MMA fighting his passion, but he continues to build toward creating a foundation to help youth achieve all they can be.
Holmes County native Lucas Mast continues to work hard in the mixed martial arts platform that has seen him advance through the ranks. The only problem is finding a venue that is promoting fights.
Mast’s next scheduled fight is not until June 5, and he has to travel to Alabama to actually experience the action that takes place inside the octagon.
Like every other fighter, Mast has had to try to remain focused and in tip-top shape despite the lack of having a fight. For Mast, remaining focused during this down time has been a challenge.
“Right now, I’m just trying to stay healthy and get ready for my next fight,” Mast said.
The MMA up-and-comer’s second professional fight is slated to take place June 5, but he is hoping to find something in April that can get him back into the flow of fighting for more than just sparring purposes.
As it stands, Mast must continue to grind away at training in his new gym while he waits.
“Everything has been so few and far between as far as shows go,” Mast said.
Mast said heading to Alabama is something he is looking forward to because he has always fought close to home in Ohio. He said the experience of going on the road and competing somewhere new is a welcomed challenge.
“At some point I need to experience being away from the home crowd and being in a hostile arena where nobody really knows me,” Mast said. “I think it will only help me grow as a competitor.”
In between his first professional fight, which ended in a defeat, and his scheduled June match-up in Alabama, things have changed quite a bit for Mast. He married his high school girlfriend, Sasha Goings, in late August; her father, Trent Goings, passed away; he changed training facilities, moving north to Apex Fight Systems; he suffered a broken foot in December that washed away what would have been his second fight in January; and then when he came back, he broke a rib in training.
Mast said doctors told him his calcium was low, a result of getting too few calories on a plant-based diet combined with over-training.
“I’m healing quickly, so I am getting through that,” Mast said.
While the physical challenges of not having any fights and battling injuries are difficult, Mast said the mental part of not being able to compete in the octagon is just as difficult as dealing with the training.
“There are times when I definitely get stressed out, and it is hard to stay positive knowing I am not going to be fighting any time soon,” Mast said. “I am very good at staying focused on the training, and I have been training hard and preparing myself to expect to win when the chance to fight does actually come. But at the same time, there are times when you wonder if you’ll ever get back in the octagon and wonder why you’re doing all of this training with the shows so far away.”
One thing Mast said has helped him stay focused is he lost his professional debut. That alone has helped him stay in the moment and has driven him to continue to work harder than ever.
“You have to take something like that, learn from it and move forward,” Mast said.
While the training continues and Mast grinds through the mental and physical challenges of waiting, his foundation also is taking a back seat for the time being because he isn’t fighting.
Mast created the Lucas Mast Foundation with a goal of helping youth learn how to focus, prepare and work hard toward attaining their goals. Mast told his board he doesn’t want to do fundraisers right now because there are no fights taking place. He said he didn’t feel it was fair to ask people to financially support his foundation while he wasn’t in action.
“We will start some actual fundraisers once the action picks back up,” Mast said.
Currently, Mast is working on strength and conditioning with 8-year-old Mason Mast, a tae kwon do specialist. Mast said working with kids to build strength and conditioning is a large part of what he hopes to accomplish through his foundation.
Mast said that desire arose from his time playing basketball at Hiland High School, where he found out how important the role of mentor and teacher is to younger people.
“One of my passions is to work with kids to build mental toughness and strength conditioning and developing the will to compete to the best of their ability at whatever they do,” Mast said. “When I got out of high school and was on my own, I realized I didn’t know how to take care of my body the best I could. I didn’t know how to eat right and continue to train properly without the guidance of coaches. That was when I realized that a lot of kids are in that same boat. I want to do what I wish someone had done for me when I was young.”
Keith Green, who is the foundation president and sets up foundations for professional athletes, said Mast’s passion creates a perfect way to connect and work with youth and help them grow.
“Lucas shared his vision with me, and I was immediately sold on his passion to better the lives of kids,” Green said. “His goal is to empower youth in his area by focusing on cardio, physical exercise, developing self-esteem and improving their mental outlook on life. His goals are to build great character and sportsmanship while building them up physically. There is a great deal of respect and honor in MMA fighting, and that is something he wants young people to gain in their lives."
Green said the foundation board is currently in the process of creating a fundraiser schedule, and ultimately, the kids will benefit. They also are working on creating some individual and team-building events for kids in the future.
The Lucas Mast Foundation can be found on both Facebook and Instagram by searching “at Team Lucas Foundation.” Anyone wishing to donate to the foundation can do so through Venmo, a fundraiser account that can be visited by searching “TeamLucas-Foundation.”
Mast said the hope of the foundation is they will soon be back into creating some fundraisers once the MMA fight venue reopens in earnest.