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Caged Fighter { 12 images } Created 26 Aug 2013

"'Don't Give A F--k' is my favorite tattoo," said 22-year-old Tom Morales. After winning his first two bouts, Tom decided to become a professional cage fighter. He now trains regularly at the Chiles Martial Arts Studio and at the Community Center in Clinton, Mo. Tom and his wife Jerica Ridings, 22 both served in the Navy. Tom was a Navy Seal and Jerica was a aircraft mechanic, both owned guns. They moved from his hometown of Las Vegas to Clinton about a year ago when "guns, drugs and lots of troubles" led them to leave. Jerica recently had to sell her Pink AK47 in order to help pay the family's bills. Their marriage was suffering in Las Vegas, but their shared love for their now 2-year-old daughter Paiyten has turned things around. Together, the young family has started down a new path in Clinton, with new dreams and new expectations. If Tom wins his next two fights, he can go pro, the next step on their journey.
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  • Tom Morales, 22, practices alone the Community Center in Clinton, Mo. He went by the nickname "Dirty" when he lived in Las Vegas but moved to Clinton a year ago to clean up his life.
    "I want to be famous"!
  • Jerica and Tom play with Paiyten in the park near their new home. "We don't go out a lot and don't have any friends," Tom said, "we just stay home."
    we don't go out much
  • Tom plays with Paiyten among the unpacked boxes in their new trailer home. "Paiyten is all we have," says Tom, "Because of her, we are still together." His hands are tattooed with "Dirty" and "Life," a reference to his Vegas nickname.
    bonding
  • Jerica fishes money from a piggybank to determine her garage sale shopping budget.  Earlier in the day, Jerica's mother, Jacalyn Long, treated her to a haircut which Jerica wanted but couldn't afford.
    Last money in piggy bank
  • "I really hope we get the car back," Tom says as his car is loaded onto a tow truck.  Tom and Jerica bought the car a month ago knowing it needed repairs, "now there is no money to pay the car registration and there are so many bills to be paid," said Tom.
    No money to pay bills
  • Jerica shops in a local second-hand shop where she went to look for a table. Jerica and Tom are both unemployed and have to stretch each dollar.
    at a local secondhand shop
  • Tom trains with Jeff Atkinson, his brother-in-law, at Chiles Martial Arts Studio. Jeff just began training, but has not yet entered the cage.
    learning kicks
  • Tom and his brother-in-law Jeff grapple on the floor of the Chiles Martial Arts Studio.
    teaching skills
  • Jerica cleans a scrape on Tom's face after a sparring session. Tom credits her with caring for more than just surface wounds. "She got me out of there," says Tom crediting Jerica for helping him leave LasVegas and the troubles he was in.
    happy to have Jerrica
  • Tom walks outside to play with Jerica, Paiyten and their three dogs. "It is very hot as there are no trees for shade," says Tom about their new yard. It is their third home since moving to Clinton a year ago. Tom and Jerica spend evenings in their yard after the sun sets.
    moving a lot
  • Jerica rubs Tom's back as the family settles in for the night. The family, complete with their three dogs, have been sleeping together in front of the television since they moved into their trailer four days earlier. "We put on a DVD and just fall asleep," Tom said.
    Settling in for the night
  • Tom, Jerica and Paiyten fall asleep as the dvd plays. Tom prays once a day when he passes a Church, "Dear Lord, please continue to watch over and protect me and my family as we travel through lives journeys, Amen."
    sleeping in front of TV