a wrestler so he put me in there with a 230 lb. guy and we went round after round after round. My dad was encouraging and was happy to see that I "still had it" from when I was younger. It was the most fun I'd had in a long time. A couple days later, I met a promoter and that weekend he had a fight. Eight days removed from prison I had my first cage fight and picked up my first win. I ended up fighting 12 times in a nine month period beating everyone around. I had a bunch of amateur belts and there was basically nowhere left for me to go. I was only 9 or 10 months out of prison so I didn't think I was ready to go pro, but I did anyway. I got a call from a promoter in California who had a pro fight for me and I stepped up to the plate. In the 2 ½ year period I feel that I learned a lot more about the sport by diving in instead of taking my time and possibly out-thinking the situation. If you're the right person, when you get thrown out to the wolves, you will learn what you need to do to stay above water. If you're the right person, you will find a way to win, learn, and get better.

FiveKnuckles.com: Did the guys you trained with know you were a former drug addict?

Lyle Beerbohm: Coming into it, nobody knew about my story... I didn't tell anybody at all. All the guys from my gym didn't even know I went to prison. Many months after I started my training, the word got out and nobody believed it. If you met me on the street, there's no way you would know I've been to prison, but that's exactly what happens when you get addicted to meth. The drug steals your soul and you'll end up doing things you would never imagine. My advice to anyone would be: "Don't try it even once!" Don't even get involved with meth one time because it can ruin your life instantly. If you're around somebody that's doing it, run as far as you can in the other direction.

FiveKnuckles.com: Have you heard about Junie Browning's overdose and do you have any advice for him or other athletes facing addiction?

Lyle Beerbohm: Speaking for myself, I have to stay as far away from that stuff as possible. I can't put myself in that kind of danger. If I put myself around somebody that gets in trouble, I would go to prison for a long time. I just don't put myself in those situations anymore. The best advice I can give is to just stay away from those situations because it's just not worth it. You lose out on so many things in life going down that road. That stuff kills you. If you have close family you don't want to lose them or put them in jeopardy. That's my take on it. That stuff kills you, bottom line.

Click here for part I of FiveKnuckles.com's exclusive two part interview with Lyle Beerbohm.

Lyle Beerhohm would like to thank Phil from Fight of your Life. You can check him out at fightofyourlife.com. He's also in the process of writing a book...