Ride Home Rants
Ride Home Rants
Fight Night Glory: The Journey of a Champion
Join us on this exciting episode of Ride Home Rants as we welcome Tony Tortorici, a fierce competitor in the MMA world and the recent champion of Made Man Promotions. With a perfect record and replete with dedication, passion, and drive, Tony shares his unique journey from an aspiring fighter to a champion, encompassing the struggles, triumphs, and deep love for the fight game.
Listen as Tony dives into the nitty-gritty of training, the importance of wrestling as his foundation, and how mental preparation intertwines with physical readiness in combat sports. He explores the gritty realities of live fights and contrasts the thrill of watching the sport on-screen versus experiencing it from the front row. Learn about Tony's mindset regarding training camps and what it takes to recover successfully, especially as he faces the challenges of fighting later in life.
Through entertaining anecdotes, including some rapid-fire fun questions, Tony reveals his lighthearted side amidst the rigor of an athlete's life. You won't want to miss his hilarious preferences on things like snow days and childhood candy!
This episode carries a beautiful reminder that pursuing one's passion is not solely about victories; it's also about community, resilience in the face of adversity, and maintaining a lighthearted approach along the way. If you want to see what fuels a champion’s spirit and makes every fight worth fighting, listen now, and don’t forget to share your thoughts with us!
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Welcome everybody to another episode of the Ride Home Rants podcast. This is, as always, your host, mike Bono. I have a great guest for us today. He is a fighter fighting out of the Made man Promotions MMA. We just got to see him a couple weeks ago after this airs Fight and win the championship at the Made man Promotions at the Mountaineer Casino in Noel, west Virginia. I am so pumped to talk to him. But Tony, the Latin assassin Torlisi, joins the show. Tony, thanks for joining, brother. Thank you for having me. Hey, not a problem man. Yeah, I mean, like I was telling everyone you know I was at the fights, got to see you fight live win. Yeah, I mean, like I was telling everyone you know I was at the fights, got to see you fight live, win the championship. I do forget, was it light, heavyweight or heavyweight that you fight out of?
Speaker 2:Oh, that was light heavyweight, Light heavyweight okay.
Speaker 1:I couldn't remember what weight class they said you were fighting out of, but, yeah, congratulations on that, and I believe you just recently retired, but you retired with a perfect record, if I remember correctly, and a championship under your belt.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, seven MMA fights, seven and oh, and I have one Muay Thai fight. So technically, if we do all combatives, I'm eight and oh.
Speaker 1:Eight and oh, that is impressive in any sport, especially the MMA game and the mixed martial arts game for sure. So kudos to you, congratulations. It was an awesome fight. Getting to see you in your last belt was amazing. It was my first MMA fight that I got to go and watch live. My wife and I are huge mixed martial arts fans. Watch live. Uh, my wife and I are huge mixed martial art fans. I watch the ufc every saturday. Uh fight nights and uh try to get any any pay-per-view that we can if I don't have any shows. And so to actually go and see one live, it's for anybody out there. Uh, definitely put that on your bucket list. It is a whole different experience when you see it live versus when watching it on tv. But, um, you fight out of Kirkland, ohio, but for the most people don't know that's actually a suburb of the east side of Cleveland, but is that where you originally grew up?
Speaker 2:I grew up in Euclid so I was a little closer to Cleveland when I grew up. So Okay, okay, not, yeah, I mean, there's so many suburbs of cleveland, though, so yeah, euclid's more east side, cleveland before you get to willoughby and wickliffe, willowick and all that you're gonna run into euclid. Yeah, yeah, yeah, don't mind, we got. We got a young kid coming to check his weight in one of the yakabuchi boys.
Speaker 1:They're studs little stud wrestling. Hey, no worries, I mean, fight game doesn't stop for anybody. I definitely understand that. Um so how did you get into into mixed martial arts?
Speaker 2:um, I tried it out when I was 20, 21 years old and then I uh, I had two kids at the time, so I put that on hold. I did like seven or eight months at a gym and I liked it. I loved it, um, but I had to put it on hold and then, when I was 33 or 32, one of the guys I grew up wrestling in the wrestling community messaged me needing some help prepare for a fight, and I'm like yo bud. I'm like I have minimal experience and he goes, I just need your wrestling. I'm like, okay, I wrestled since I was four, so, okay, you know, I have, uh, three junior high state titles. I have a freestyle state championship. I wrestled for teamimo Heil multiple times going to Fargo, so he just needed my wrestling and so I went and helped him. He's like, hey, you might find some success in this. I was like, really, at 33?.
Speaker 2:He's like oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. So I was like okay, so I just went for it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean I feel like anymore you don't see a lot of fighters into their 30s. Have you seen that just with? You know the time that you've been in mixed martial arts and you know the combat sports in general.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but they're not making their debuts, their anime debuts, if they're in their 30s to mid to late 30s. They usually have been pros for a long time. So to me I think I've seen it's been, it's been very rare to watch someone make an Emmy debut at 33, 30, you know. But it's done, it's being done, but it's just. The career length tends to be a lot shorter and instead of someone starting at 21, 20 years old, uh, becoming a pro mid-20s and then by the time they're 35, they've already have 10 years as a pro.
Speaker 1:you know, that's a lot of time, that's a lot of time, a lot, because I mean I see these guys in the uc like they're fighting and then, like a month, two later, they're back in the ring again. That to me is insane, especially some of the beatings that some of these guys take, and then they're turning around and they're fighting again. Is that kind of typical for the fight game, where you see fighters that are just eager to get back into the cage?
Speaker 2:I train at Upgraded Industries and we have a handful of fighters and they're always itching to get back in. They just had a fight. They're coming in. Let's say they fight on a Saturday, they're coming in Monday, sometimes Sunday. They're just getting a light stretch sitting in the sauna. I'm looking at it, I'm like I wouldn't be here. But yeah, they're itching to get back.
Speaker 2:But I mean I've seen some fighters take a beating at fights and then I see him fighting a month or two later. I'm like wow. But I mean that's how you have to be. You have to be very active. The more experience you have, the better. I mean that's how you have to be. You have to be very active. Um, the more experience you have, the better. So if you can, if you're healthy enough to fight, I suggest that you fight as often as possible, especially in the Emmys. That is your experience, that's your gauge, that's that's everything you're going to need to go pro is your amp Emmy career. It just sets everything up and then you know, when you go pro, then it's a little more serious, as in your record and you know.
Speaker 1:Finishing fights of that sort that's you know becomes very apparent that you need to do yeah I, I relate to that a lot because, you know, as a comedian, you know people see the finished product of these guys that are getting Netflix and now Hulu and Amazon Prime specials and all that.
Speaker 1:They don't see all the we'll call it amateur for sake of argument, but the open mic nights in bars that these guys are doing and that I've been doing for 13 years Still going to bars and doing an open mic night to work out a joke, going to bars and doing, you know, an open mic night to work out a joke, that's my gym is getting into just something, just to tell the joke in front of people.
Speaker 1:Because I can sit here and write jokes all day and think, oh well, this is hysterical, and then you tell it to a room of people and it's crickets. You know, you gotta find a way to find a way to work it out. And that is our gym uh, for lack of a better term and our amateur, uh, fight style too, as well as comedian, and it's just, it's a grind though, but you know it's not something like that. But I see fighters, I mean, and I I've taken a little bit of martial arts when I was a teenager in Taekwondo, do you see a lot of different fight styles where you fight out of, or is it mostly now more people are going to like the Muay Thai and Jiu-Jitsu?
Speaker 2:So our gym is very wrestling based. Tj the owner, the head MMA guy, the boss here. He wrestled back in the day. Then he's trained at Strong Style. He's fought. He's a black belt now in Jiu-Jitsu. Our gym is very heavy wrestling based. We have a lot of great boxing coaches, so we're building up to it.
Speaker 2:I would say I probably have the based Um. We have a lot of great boxing coaches, so we're building up to it. Um, we have a lot of. Actually, I would say I probably have the worst hands out of everyone, um. So we got a bunch. We got a handful of fighters. All their hands are way better than mine. So I don't know if it's because I'm old and I couldn't like pick it up as good as them, but they're definitely way better up as good as them, but they're definitely way better. We got a couple judo guys here, um, so that helps, um. But yeah, a lot of other gyms are.
Speaker 2:I, from what I see, a lot of muay thai, a lot of stand up. I would say yeah, um, I prefer wrestling as my strength and incorporating the striking into my takedowns just works better for me, since I don't have the greatest stand up, as you would say but I can take you down and then it builds from there. But yeah, I see a lot of strikers, a lot of great strikers out there. Um, actually I think yeah. So I don't know if you ever heard of them, but Cage Thunder is another promotion and I saw a boxer.
Speaker 2:He's actually a solid boxer and he came in to make his MMA debut and he got slapped in like 20 seconds, and I'm talking, he got caught and face down. I was like, oh wow, so striking is huge, but you but incorporating takedowns, wrestling jiu-jitsu that's where it's got to be, but I do see a lot of boxing and Muay Thai guys out there.
Speaker 1:I was going to say for you to say that your hands aren't that good from what I saw live. If there's guys better than you, I'd be afraid of anybody coming out of your gym with Strike 8 because your stand-up looked on point when I got to see Saturday Night at Mountaineer.
Speaker 2:I appreciate that I really do. That really makes my day because, honestly, I'm the worst out of all of them with the hands. They they're ronalds, chris, anthony, even holly she's making her debut next weekend. Their heads are phenomenal and for you to say that just it just makes me so happy. I'm gonna go tell them later on and they're gonna tell me to shut up because they are, they're really great. I mean, chris. Chris has a title, actually he owns, he has the made men's one, 85 title now.
Speaker 2:Okay, yeah. So he fought at Mountaineer a few months ago and he wanted that was a dog fight. He's, he's great. He's been part of my camp since day one. He's great. He's been part of my camp since day one. All-american wrestler, purple belt in jiu-jitsu and his boxing is phenomenal. His kickboxing is phenomenal. He goes out to Hawaii every once in a while to train with I don't know their name, but the family, the son one of the fighters is a welterweight and middleweight champ for one fighting championship. So they're solid and he just comes back with a wealth of knowledge. We got Ron, who hits like a Mack truck and he floats just on the mat. He just floats, he just he'll kick you twice, punch you three times. You're like where'd that come from? And you got Anthony Prosley. He's, technically, he's my cousin. So, okay, we have family beef sometimes, but we settle it okay now he's a good guy.
Speaker 2:He has hands, he just that boy. He hits. He fights 160 but he hits like a 230 pounder. He just he just knocks people. I, I think he's, he's eight, no, as well, but in a kickboxing I think he's seven known and kickboxing Muay Thai and one or no. In MMA he's. He's a stud. And Holly's making her debut and I'll say it on here right now Uh, a lot of us are in agreement that she probably has the best boxing on the team. She's just, she's looking at Chris and looking. I'm really looking forward to her debut coming up.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely. I'm definitely going to have to check that out for sure, because we've had other combat fighters on here who are MMA or pro boxing realm. Do you think that MMA fighters who come into the sport with some type of background, um, have a better chance to make it further in their mma uh career, you know, such as martial arts, wrestling or boxing? I mean, do they have a leg up on everybody or is it more just your camps that you go through to really show the success?
Speaker 2:Like I said, my strong style is wrestling. If you could stop my takedowns, if you could stop my advances on the ground when we get there, which becomes jujitsu at that point, when we get to the ground, then we can work on the hands and stuff, like you know. So, honestly, I will be biased about wrestling, right.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:It's better to have a wrestler turn to boxer, kickboxer, jujitsu guy, then a boxer to like wrestling jujitsu. But honestly, I've seen a ton of people that might have strictly boxing come in and pick up wrestling very easily. And then I've seen wrestlers come in and have great boxing, kickboxing, five, six months into coming to the gym. I'm like whoa. And then I see someone who's never done anything like that. For instance, my buddy, zach Berkey, came in. I think he played the cross and a couple other sports, but nothing like wrestling. And he's phenomenal in BJJ he's, he's one of the you know, but he's a stud, you know, he just he comes in and competes, he trains all the time.
Speaker 2:Um, but I would say wrestling. But I can't, I don't know. For me it was wrestling. For me it worked. For me Wrestling was my first love in sports, so that would be my guess. But I'm sure anyone coming in with any kind of combatives, whether it's Taekwondo, muay Thai, boxing, anything like that, coming into MMA, they have a leg up on someone who's just totally coming in, not competing at all, like that, just because the adrenaline dump the nerves, the camps. You've already been through something like that before so you can kind of understand what's to come yeah, I was.
Speaker 1:Just I would have to agree with the wrestling because, like I said, I have a black belt in Taekwondo and I remember for like a month straight, like every wednesday, they had, uh, someone from jujitsu come in and it was strictly jujitsu class day and learning the advances on the ground. And it's a lot tougher than like people see like oh, it looks like they're just laying on each other, like there's a lot of work going into trying to advance your position. And a lot of us were struggling at like that first week, like trying to figure out like we're used to standing up, we're not used to being on the ground, and now it's a completely different world when you're down there. And yeah, it took us, it took us all a while to to get to it. So I give anybody who can do jujitsu and ground work a ton of credit, because I did it for a month and I was just like I don't, I don't know if this is, I can't, I'm not good on the ground.
Speaker 1:One, I'm six five and like that's tough enough as it is. But you know, I wasn't always. I was a 155 or so, okay at six five. You know that that's, that's skin and bones.
Speaker 1:It looks like it's pretty skinny, so uh, not so much anymore now that I'm getting older. I wouldn't be. I wouldn't be in your weight class at 205. So, um, still look worlds different compared to you, but still, I also have lived basically in bars for the past 13 years being a comedian, so that doesn't it's not good weight. Let's put it that way well, yeah, I get it.
Speaker 2:I mean, that's how this fight came about, really my last fight. It's just hard finding fights, so you know, like, oh, when's the next one, don't know.
Speaker 2:People said no Fights fell through. So I'm like, let's turn pro. That fell through. And then this opportunity came up and me and a few buddies and the gym owner were out in Canton watching Alonzo Turner fight and the gym owner were out in Canton watching Alonzo Turner fight. And Alonzo Turner is a great pro fighter out of the Revolution fight team out in Euclid or Cleveland and we cross-trained with them and he comes over and he helps me a lot and he was out there fighting and obviously, when I'm not in camp I'm drinking.
Speaker 2:Especially at a fight, I'm drinking and we we had some. We had a bit of drinks and I saw the matchmaker and I was like I'll take the fight. And she's like are you serious? I'm like, yes, 100 percent. And I think two days later she sent me the contract. I'm like, oh shit, this is really going to happen. Two days later she sent me the contract. I'm like, oh shit, this is really going to happen. And I sent it to my coach, the owner, my buddies, and they're like, oh, wow, yeah, it's really happening. I'm like, yep, here we go.
Speaker 2:And it's like yeah you know, that's what got me into the situation for the last one, which it was a good situation. I don't mind it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, came away with a title. That's a good day at the office. You know what I mean and so you know. Former guests of the show. Dr Roger Wang. How did you guys meet? Is it more through His work or did you know him Previously?
Speaker 2:When I started training at Upgraded I had my right arm, so I can't straighten my right arm All the way, it's stuck. If arm all the way and that's stuck, I mean, if you can see it like that's it right there, that's about as straight as it gets compared to my left yeah so it was really bad.
Speaker 2:I couldn't cover my face. Uh, dj was like get your hands up. I'm like I can't. He's like you mean, I'm like I can't touch my right hand in my face. So I couldn't. So when I first started having a lot of issues covering my face, anytime you would hit it back or touch it, it would go dead, shooting pain, and then it would go dead for five, 10 seconds. I couldn't pick it up, I couldn't throw a punch. So he's like I got this guy. He's a chiropractor. I'm like oh, I love chiropractors. My neighbor used to be a chiropractor, dr William Buster. He used to be one. I love him. They just help with my body. I said give him a shout, I'll let him know you're coming. I'm like okay, I met Roger. I went on the Matrix Arms, started feeling great. So now I can touch my face. See, that's my right arm, that's the bus, that's the one that is straight.
Speaker 1:That's the one that is straight.
Speaker 2:I could touch my face with it before I was out here, like three inches away from my face. Um so he, I went to him and I never stopped, never stopped. He has a decompression table. Works wonders on my neck and back. Uh, the matrix is like, I guess, how do you put it? Uh, tins unit on steroids it, just it's amazing.
Speaker 2:And then he has a soft way of this machine. It's supposed to help stimulate cells and help the rebuilding process. With all that, he kept me in fighting shape. So I met him through the gym and I just never stopped going.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, roger is phenomenal and I didn't even know he was there and he was the former guest in the show and, honestly, you know, standing in line it's kind of a funny story and I was. I was just kind of looking at him and he was talking to somebody else. Like that guy looks familiar. Why does he look so familiar?
Speaker 2:And.
Speaker 1:I'm talking to my wife about it. I was like I think that's Roger and I pulled up my phone and I pulled up his Instagram. I was trying to pull up a picture of him to kind of like, look and see, and my wife was like you know what I'm not playing? This game was on near season one. You know we're in season five of the show now, awesome, yeah. So you know, and it was just, it was nice to see you know and get to have that moment with the another former guest, because you know I follow everybody that comes on the show and you know, keep up, keep up with them if you know, whatever they're doing and you know I see projects constantly posting stuff all the while. But you know it was, it was just a surreal, but it was one of those moments like I was just looking at him. He looks so familiar and I couldn't put my finger on it. Yep, that's Roger. There he is at a fight.
Speaker 2:Of course he's at a fight. Of course he's at a fight. You know he works with a lot of fighters oh yeah, he's uh, dissenters of america and it's. They kept my body right, I mean from when I had acl surgery. Um, that's when he started getting a soft wave. So we do all everything possible to try to, you know, keep me because I'm getting older. Right, you get older.
Speaker 2:Things take longer to recover, to heal up, and I'm like I still want to fight. I only did the surgery because no one wanted to fight. And I'm like, well, I've been fighting on this completely torn ACL for three years now. I'm like no one wants to fight. I have a bug attack on the meniscus, a partially torn MCL. I'm like, well, let's just do the surgery. And my coach was like, well, wow, he's like I guess you are getting wise. I was like, well, I mean, I don't have anything else going on, so let's do it. So we did it and Roger was a huge part of that recovery, just with the soft wave and I was adjusting me, just because, you know, I didn't walk, I couldn't do anything for about 10 weeks, so just my back and my neck and just I just felt real lopsided because I just you know I was right Just at one leg, yeah, he's.
Speaker 2:I mean, it's been plenty of times I get hurt and I call him like, hey, roger, you busy tomorrow, are you busy right now? And he's like, hey, roger, you busy tomorrow, are you busy right now? He's like, oh no, I'm just One time, because he has a shop in Willoughby and he was almost home and he lives like 45 minutes away. He was almost home and I called him and said, hey, please, my back and my rib I think it popped out Are you on your way Pass. He turned around. He come back and do all that. I felt so bad because he's coming back a half hour to drive another half hour. I have all love and respect for him and so appreciative that he's kept my body healthy like this.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, just with talking to him, so appreciative that he's kept my body healthy like this. Yeah, absolutely, you know I, yeah, yeah, just with talking to him on here and keeping up with him, you know, as best I can via social media and everything like that. I mean he's, he's doing good things and you know I'm proud for him and you know, and you as well, but you know you fighting at mountaineer uh casino, you know, can you talk about? You know what you did. What was your training camp like? You talk about what you did. What was your training camp like? You talked about a little bit of how you got the fight. What was your training camp like and how did you prepare for this fight?
Speaker 2:I work 860 Laborers Union so I do a lot of construction.
Speaker 2:That's usually my training every day. We've been slow, so I would come in and do a lot of grappling rounds with whoever was available. What's that? Alonzo Turner would come in, a lot of wrestlers would come in and we would do what you would call a gauntlet kind of thing Situational 45 minutes straight. I would just get mulled, then I would get my sparring in. Um, I don't really run too much. I don't know if I should say that on here, because I see people running miles and miles and miles and they're like what do you run? I'm like, uh, you know five, ten minutes to warm up. They're like what? Like, yeah, you know, I to me, I'm a very big believer on, if you're gonna wrestle, you should to be in wrestling shape. You need to wrestle.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that makes sense fighting shape to get your sparring rounds and your grappling rounds in. Do your mma rounds. You know you do five, five minute rounds in mma and you got a fresh guy coming in each round. You know it's gonna help. But these technique rounds, those helps.
Speaker 2:So I did a lot of grappling um sparring. I'm older so I think I did once a week I did a hard spar and then 200 times. So the week I did a lot of flowy sparring um, a lot of mitt work. You and I didn't have to cut any weight so I had to eat whatever I wanted. A lot of steak, a lot of steak um, huge steak yeah, I would get like a porterhouse and stuff like that. So a lot of food. That was big in this camp. A lot of food, um, yeah, and just getting pushed to the max by these guys. I was exhausted every time. So I might be eight no, on the books but I lose. Every day in here that I come in here and train, I literally I lose. These guys are great and they just beat the tar out of me and I don't feel like I win anything. I okay, let me take that. If I escape something and if I get out of something. I'm like that's a win. You know what I mean. That's a dub for me with these guys. But yeah, just breaking it up to where my body stayed healthy, seeing Roger two, three times a week eating, mentally, preparing, uh, and I, uh, chris, draggy and alonzo um, this was a big part that I never really talked about too much but it to me it helped out a lot.
Speaker 2:Was they preached a word? Um, so I had a bible and I put it in my truck. So whenever I would have a break or something, I'm like, oh, what am I doing? Waiting on my kids to, you know, get out the house with their clothes. I can take them somewhere, read a little scripture, a little prayer. I don't do it every day, so I'm not gonna be like, oh, every day I was doing this. No, I, I started a habit of just doing these things, not every day, but it helps clear my mind. But I think reading the scripture and talking to them about it helps out a lot with my mental state this time.
Speaker 2:Um, so, scripture, training, eating and, uh, you know that was from roger, that was my camp and uh, very happy, it all worked out because you know, like I said, I'm gonna be 38, so we had to find a, a routine that worked best can't be too sore, because it takes my body longer to recover. What are the steps of recovery that I was doing? So it's basically just just getting in shape and recovering. You already know how to fight, you know. You know can't teach an old dog new tricks. I guess you want to say yeah, but make sure that I'm in shape, because if I'm in shape then everything should fall into place. So that's basically making sure I'm in shape, staying healthy mentally and physically.
Speaker 2:And I got the flu actually a week and a half before this fight, which sucked because I was two, 12 and after the flow I was the first two days I slept 44 hours. So at a 48 hours I slept 44. I didn't eat for four days, so I was one 98. When I stepped on the scale I was like, oh wow, I'm way underweight, so trying to get my weight back up. But yeah, that was it. That was training camp a lot of grappling rounds, one hard sparring round, two light sparring rounds, scripture and seeing my kids. That was it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, see, you mentioned something there because I was never a big, you know, and seeing my kids, you know, that's, that was it. Yeah, See, you mentioned something there. Cause I was never a big runner when I was, you know, in sports, you know, and played football, you know it's running all day and but I was also a swimmer too as well. So no running at all there, but our coach in college always would make us go and run laps. It's like this.
Speaker 1:It's not going to build the right cardio that I need to go out there and sprint a 50 or 100 I agree like yeah, you know, let me do these laps in the pool, let me get into swimming shape Because they give us the Christmas break off. So basically all of December in college we had off, but we had to be back January 2nd or 3rd, back on campus and back in the pool and working out. Again. It's the holidays. Nobody was staying in shape. Nobody was going to their local YMCA and swimming over Christmas break or doing any type of workouts over Christmas break.
Speaker 1:I come from a full-blooded Italian family. I did nothing but eat all December and then I had to come back and get it back into swimming shape because it was coming down near the last little sprint to our season and then conference championships. It was because we're going to run why I can see getting into the weight room. I can understand that, but we don't need to run to do this. All this is going to do is put more pressure on our knees and our joints and make those sore. Let us get into the pool, where there's no contact on that, and we'll get back into swimming shape. I fought him all of January. Every time he made us run Every time. So I get it with. You know, get your cardio in doing what you're going to be doing, and I think that that works out a lot better. But yeah, that's, that's just me. But what do I know? I'm still an up-and-coming comedian, so you know you're right, I agree.
Speaker 2:I mean like the best right. I mean I did other things, so swimming actually I used to swim all the time as a cross training. My dad got me into that because it's easier on the joint, but yeah you're still gonna burn the lungs and you use different muscles absolutely, so I was like oh I was lucky enough that.
Speaker 2:So in euclid my dad reached out to the mayor, um and a school board to see if I could get into senior swims in the morning. So I would get up at four in the morning every other day, or in the morning, eat breakfast, be at senior swim excuse me, by 5. I am swimming, do my workout, be done by six, 15. Shower and then go to school. So swimming was a huge part of that. And then obviously I was younger and I would go run six miles, even in the snow. I used to think of, uh, oh my gosh, what is it? I would always think about Rocky.
Speaker 2:Rocky running in the mountain and then, um, there's this. I'm drawing a blank, but there's this old school wrestling movie. Um, man, I can't believe, I can't remember it, but one of the scenes is the guy holding a log on his shoulder and he's just like marching through the snow, or he's like just using it walking out the bleachers.
Speaker 2:So my dad would do silly stuff like that. Cross-country skiing was also a different form of cardio that he put me through. There are people like cross-country skiing. I'm okay. You ever go up the hill just to come down the hill and go for three, four hours at a time, like that's a lot of cardio. But you got swimming. Oh, I got so lucky I was, I got lucky to swim.
Speaker 2:There was this old timer there he was, I think the guy that was the lifeguard said he was like 88 years old, done senior olympics, all that stuff. He was my gauge on how good I was, or my cardio, because when I first got in there, not good at all. I mean, try to sprint for 30 seconds in a pool, right, yeah, just freestyle it all the way down the bank. Yeah, I'm good. Oh, that was 10 seconds. What so? You gotta? You got to. You know. Oh, man, this guy would go nonstop the whole time and I was so appreciative because he blew me out of the water in the beginning and then at the very end, when it came down to crunch time for States or Nationals, I was keeping up with him. He came in the locker and he just shook my hand and smiled and said good job. I kept up with him that day and that's when I knew that I was in great shape. Because this guy was in phenomenal shape. Swimming has a, it's here. It's great for me, yeah.
Speaker 1:I loved it. It wasn't for an unfortunate injury. It it wasn't for an unfortunate injury Back in high school playing football, knowing I had scholarships on the table for swimming. It separated my shoulder Senior year of high school and it still clicks and pops today. But I lost my senior swim season in high school.
Speaker 1:Luckily, bethany College kept their scholarship for me so I could still go and swim after rehab and everything like that and got to swim in college. But I still remember I had a ton of buddies that went there that played football and they would rag on me all the time oh, you're a swimmer, you know your sport's not that tough, blah, blah, blah. And I was like, all right, why don't we get settled in the pool? That, if my sport's not that tough, you're in the middle of your season. Yeah, you should be able to do my workout then, right, right. And we got into the pool and we got through the warm-up portion of it. He was like, oh man, that was intense. I was like like that is to get us ready for what we're about to do. So if you think that's tough, you're in for a treat.
Speaker 2:Um, so yeah, swimming doesn't get the credit that I I think it deserves it doesn't, it's, it's great cross and that actually an injury, got me to swimming. Uh, so I tore I don't even know the muscles in the back, but right there where the shoulder blade and all that was, and you know it just got caught and I I tore part of it so I couldn't wrestle for a little bit. So I was younger, so everything heals faster. So it was about a month but a lot of swimming to rehab it. And all that because I was like, damn well, what do you do for this? Like well, you just rehab it. Like, how do you do that swim? My dad's like, okay, yeah, I like it.
Speaker 1:It just definitely doesn't get the respect that it deserves yeah, for sure, um, but getting getting back on track, you know, you know, besides the mountaineer casino, uh, that you read, have you found any other unique places like that, or was that kind of the most unique venue that you've been at in your fighting career?
Speaker 2:So I have three fights under the Mountaineer and three under Ohio Combat League. They all were actually pretty cool venues. I think the biggest venue and the coolest one was in Columbus for OCO. It was my third fight. We had a lot of technical difficulties so we didn't have a walkout song. You're kind of like trying to play stuff in your head. That venue was really nice. I can't remember exactly where it was, but it's huge, it was nice.
Speaker 2:And then we fought at the Euclid Sports Plant. That was the made men's one. I like that brings back old memories. I used to train up there when I was a kid. Ocl's Newark, ohio, the one that they had there. That's always a nice venue. But oh, I also fought at the Hollywood Casino for ocl. That was my fifth fight. Okay, yeah, yeah, that was for the. That was two weeks, so I have four titles 170 for made men's. And then two weeks later I fought for ocl, got a 185 belt there. And then I fought a year later in October for Made Men's and got their 185 belt. And then I just fought for Made Men's again and got their 205. So they all have very sweet memories to me. But if I want to go, it has to be made Ben's, because I mean I've stayed at the casino there. I played the casino there, the food was great, everything was pretty close and I mean you can't really beat winning a title there, so yeah definitely winning a title there.
Speaker 1:Definitely winning a title would be definitely up there on most special venues that you've fought at here. Tony, we're all running down here near the end of the show here, but I do need to get this segment in For the usual listeners. You'll know what this segment is For the new listeners out there. This is the Fast Fitty Five. Five random questions from the wonderful manager of the podcast, johnny Fitty Falcone, and if anybody knows Fitty, these are the most random questions that you could possibly get. He sent these to me today, though, tony, so I don't get to see these before we, um, we, we air the show and I think it's because he sometimes he tries to make me laugh, but these are kind of rapid fire questions, but you can elaborate if you need to. So if you are ready to tackle them, that's 25, all right. Question number one what is the best color of Skittles to eat? Oh man.
Speaker 2:I like the yellow ones. It's not yellow.
Speaker 1:Not a bad choice. Question number two Sled riding or building a snowman which is a better snow day activity? Sled riding, Sled riding yeah, that was up for you. I think I don't know who saved Snowman with slut rottings on the table. Question number three what is the most overrated fast food restaurant in your opinion?
Speaker 2:Oh my god, what is it? All of them, they all suck. Oh jeez, what is it. Oh my god, what is it? Swanson's, I want to say the only one I've been to has been not great.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah, question number four Better action movie actor Chuck Norris or Steven Seagal?
Speaker 2:Chuck Norris, no one's going to pick Steven Seagal.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't know why yeah.
Speaker 2:All right.
Speaker 1:And last but not least, question number five what does the movie well, no sorry, where does the movie the Titanic rank an all-time best movies ever, in your opinion?
Speaker 2:In my opinion. I mean, it's a classic. I'll say top 10 just because it's a classic. My sister loves it, my mom loves it. You know it's a love story. I guess, I guess, yeah.
Speaker 1:I say it's a tragedy because all the men died. But you know, it's definitely tragedy because all the men died. But you know, yeah, it's, it's definitely a classic, it's definitely up there, for sure. But that was the Fast 85. I feel like he took it easy on you, though, for these questions you can hit me with any more questions you want because he normally has like these most.
Speaker 1:When I say these are random questions, there was one that still sticks out to me. It was alright, you're trapped in a racquetball court and you're in there. It's you, conor McGregor, batman and a black bear who comes out a lot. It's like those types of questions that he comes up with. Batman, yeah, comes out a lot. It's those types of questions that he comes up with. Batman yeah, I think the guest that question was on said Batman as well. So that's definitely yeah, but still, yeah, that's some of the types of questions that he comes up with for this segment. That's just the way Johnny's mind works.
Speaker 1:But, like I said, tony, we're running down near the end of the episode. I give every guest this opportunity at the end of the show. So if there's anything you want to get out there, whether it's for your gym I know you recently just retired from fighting, so no fights coming up If there's anything you want to get out there, or even if it's just a good message, I'm going to give you about a minute, man, and the floor is yours All right, cool Descendants of America.
Speaker 2:Roger Wong just kept me fighting as long as I have. Appreciate it. Evolution, painting and Restoration. Sorry, you can't see that's my buddy's place. He paints. He does a great job. My training partners Chris Alonzo, ronald Anthony, dj you know all you know coming up here to Upgraded Industries and you know you all helped me get to where I am today and I appreciate it. Love you guys. I appreciate you guys having me on here and, in all honesty, without the Lord and all that, none of this is possible. So he gets the most praise of them all. So I appreciate it. Guys, thank you for having me.
Speaker 1:Not a problem at all. Anthony, thank you for coming on, and I love it when guests have a good message at the end of the show. I'm all for helping people promote stuff and what they got going on, but when it's a good message like that at the end, I love them to show. That way. That's definitely a great way to end the show. And that is going to do it for this week's episode of the ride home rants podcast. Again, I want to thank the Latin assassin for joining the show here tonight. It was a lot of fun to get to talk to you, talk about your fighting career and everything like that. For sure, everybody go check out Made man Promotions if you can anywhere. It is a phenomenal fight card Every time I've seen it and a lot of great fighters on there that I think you'll enjoy. But, as always, if you enjoyed the show, be a friend, tell a friend. If you didn't tell them anyways, they might like it just because you didn't. That's going to do it for me and I will see y'all next week.
