While Sam Darnold quarterbacked the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl win last month, he spent the first several years of his career being labelled a bust. After finding stability in Minnesota two seasons ago, Darnold found the right situation in the Pacific Northwest, leading to a championship and a reexamination of the importance of putting players in a position to succeed.
Fittingly, the UFC is in Seattle this week for where Lerryan Douglas will make his promotional debut against Washington-product Julian Erosa. Like Darnold, all the 30-year Brazilian featherweight needed was to be surrounded by the right people in order to tap into his full potential.