Issue 118

August 2014

The former Golden Gloves boxer on making the transition to MMA, why he left Serra-Longo and how his doubters inspire him to win.

You started boxing in 1994 to, basically, learn how to defend yourself. How did you go from being a Golden Gloves fighter to MMA?

“I didn’t even know what MMA was at the time. I came to America as a boxer. I actually had three boxing matches and I was undefeated. But I didn’t get along with my coach at the time and so I decided to pursue MMA. I thought that if nothing else I’d at least learn a new art form and skill set. At that point I’d never wrestled in my life, nor done jiu-jitsu. In fact, I didn’t even know what they were. I’d watched them on TV but I’d never trained a single day in my life. But then I met Ray Longo and four months later I had my first MMA fight.”

You recently left Serra-Longo and are now aligned with Keith Trimble at Bellmore Kickboxing. Why was that?

“There was nothing personal with them (Matt Serra and Ray Longo). There was nothing wrong with the way they were coaching. I just felt like I needed a change. I sat down with them and told them how I felt and they said there were no worries. Even back then I’d spend time going back and forth between the two gyms, so it was easy to make the transition. At the time I was living in Queens and I wanted to move to Long Island. In fact, I switched gyms, changed jobs and moved home; I did a complete 180 in my life. I’m very happy.”

Who is your favorite MMA fighter?

“Cain Velasquez is one of my favorites. He is a smaller heavyweight and continues to prove people wrong and show how great he is. He does it in a great way. The fights with Dos Santos were great. He is non-stop. I don’t know how he does it. He is very impressive. I also like Dan Henderson, José Aldo and Frankie Edgar. I really enjoyed watching Frankie in the BJ Penn fights. I like the underdog stories. Even Chris Weidman against Anderson Silva. He knocked out Anderson and shocked the world. It motivates me, to watch the underdog, because it makes me feel like I can do the same thing. “

You recently became an American citizen after emigrating from Cyprus. So what does life hold for you after MMA?

“Funny you should mention that. When I was in Cyprus I wasn’t the most studious of teenagers. I was always getting into trouble and into fights so I dropped out of school. But now I’ve enrolled in college. When I first came here I applied to be a corrections officer but didn’t get it; now I’m getting the credits I need, so I’m hopeful I’ll be able to apply again within the next year.”

Who or what inspires you to get out of bed every morning to train?

“Everybody that hates me and everybody that wants me to fail. There are plenty of those people out there! I’m sure everybody has haters. For whatever reason, whether it’s because they can’t do it themselves or they just don’t like you. I feel that I have a few of those people. Getting up every morning and training and doing things they aren’t able to do is a great feeling. That’s what motivates me every day. To prove everybody wrong.”