Issue 228

April 2026

Before championship belts were on the line, the world's greatest fighters were locked in their own battles. We delve into the gritty and inspiring MMA origin stories that forged these warriors into the legends they are today.

MIKE PERRY – BUILT FOR SURVIVAL 

Michael Joseph Perry was born on September 15, 1991, in Flint, Michigan, a spot with a storied history of producing hard-nosed fighters like Rashard Evans. Growing up with a brother and two sisters, Perry’s childhood was a nomadic series of relocations between Michigan and Florida. He bounced between more homes than a real estate agent on commission only, which left him always feeling like the new kid. Speaking to UFC.com, Perry recalled that he used to carry that Flint-chip-on-the-shoulder mentality where he had to figure it out fast or get swallowed whole.

“It's kinda funny, but when I was a kid, I used to tell the kids on the school bus in Florida that they wouldn't last up there in Flint. But that was before I went to South Apopka and hung out with my friends from Florida. Both places are very similar. The places are beat up and run down, but the people are thriving and just trying to make it out.”

The instability of moving through different schools led Perry down a volatile path. He started training in boxing at age 11, but outside the gym, he was playing Grand Theft Auto in real life. His teenage years were a blur of drugs, house arrest, and probation violations. By 9th grade, he was already so focused on his future identity that he famously carried MMA gloves in his backpack like he might need them between English and lunch. Speaking to ESPN, Perry reflected on the ignorance of his younger self and how the struggle for survival defined him.

"I felt like, 'I'm stronger, tougher, and badder than everyone else. Why can't I have what I want? I'm tough enough to take it, so I'm gonna go get it. The things I looked up to were drug dealers and thieves, who had what I and my family never had. Nice house. Nice cars. Nice clothes. I said, 'Well, I'm strong. I can go get these things.'"

The street life eventually caught up with him, leading to a stint in jail for burglary. After his release, Perry found a lifeline at a UFC gym in Winter Springs, Florida, where he landed a job as a trainer. It was here that his dream of making it to the UFC finally met with formal structure. He banged through 11 amateur fights before making his professional debut in September 2014. In a whirlwind two-year span, he fought nine times, finishing every single opponent by knockout or TKO before receiving the call to the UFC. Perry proves that the scars of a trainwreck youth can be forged into a career built on sheer, unadulterated toughness.

ARNOLD ALLEN – THE ALMIGHT ORIGIN 

Arnold ‘Almighty’ Allen was born on January 22, 1994, in Felixstowe, a shipping port town in England. Raised in a humble British household, Allen grew up in a house where fighting was a family trade. His father, Pacer Allen, was a pro MMA fighter and a former strongman. His brother followed a similar path into professional strongman competitions. Speaking to MMA Fighting, Allen credits his father as his primary inspiration.

“My dad is my hero... growing up and seeing him fight and compete in strongman, it just made it seem normal. I didn't think about the danger; I just saw my dad doing it and thought, ‘Yeah, that’s what I’m going to do.’ It wasn’t a choice. It was just what we did in our house.”

While other kids dreamed of becoming an astronaut or a footballer, he grew up watching his father throw people around, a formative experience that dispelled his fear of fighting and replaced it with a sense of inevitability. As a lad inspired by cartoons and wrestlers, MMA was the natural next step. Speaking to UFC.com, Allen reflected on his early mindset.

“I always had it in my head I was going to be a martial artist. As a kid, I used to watch cartoons with people flying around, and later grew up watching wrestlers, which I found really fun.”

Allen began his formal training at a young age, often using a self-built strongman gym his family constructed. By the time he was 14, he’d had an amateur fight, and might have been shy but had fully committed himself to the pursuit of MMA, resisting the pressure to take a stable job at the local port. His journey was not without its hardships. As he got closer to his goal, he often led an arduous life, occasionally sleeping rough between training sessions just to stay close to the gym. He made his pro debut in 2012 at just 18 years old, amassing a solid record on the regional circuit before receiving a short-notice call-up to the UFC in 2015. Despite moving to Canada to train at the world-famous Tristar Gym in Canada alongside legends like Georges St-Pierre, Allen has never lost touch with his roots in Felixstowe. He proved that while he was born in a shipping port, he was forged in a strongman gym and destined for the Octagon.

JACK DELLA MADDALENA – PERTH PUGILIST 

Giacomo ‘Jack’ Della Maddalena was born on September 10, 1996, in Perth, Western Australia, into a family of Australian and Italian descent. Growing up in Perth, Jack was a quiet, unassuming kid, but one who had a natural, raw aggression that needed a constructive outlet. Like so many young Australians, that outlet was initially found on the rugby field. Jack started playing rugby at age eight and eventually became a standout talent, starring as a scrum-half for the Aquinas College First XV. However, the white lines of the rugby pitch often struggled to contain his intensity, making him someone the referees were always keeping tabs on. It became a trait he shared with his older brother and teammate, Josh. Speaking to Fox Sports, Josh recalled their shared time in the sin bin.

“Jack, he could really play... [but] like me, he was just too aggressive. If somebody stepped on my foot playing rugby, I'd punch 'em out. And Jack was the same. It's why, eventually, it wasn't uncommon to see both of us there together on the sidelines, side by side in the bin.”

The transition to combat sports began at 14, when Josh introduced Jack to boxing as a way to stay fit during the rugby off-season. While rugby gave that team atmosphere, the individual aspect of fighting called to him more deeply. He soon realized that the very things that were getting him penalized on the field were celebrated by other sports. Reflecting on his shift to martial arts, Jack told Junction Journalism all about his approach. 

“I definitely had some aggression in me. I played rugby and was a pretty aggressive rugby player as well. And so just learning martial arts definitely grounded me. You have to be extremely calm. You have to know when to turn on the aggressiveness and hold it back.”

Despite his Silent Killer persona, Jack’s pro career actually began with back-to-back losses in 2016 when he was just 19. For most, a 0-2 start is a signal to quit. For Jack, it was the spark he needed to create a legendary nine-fight win streak on the regional circuit that eventually earned him a UFC contract. He credits the great Australian secret of growing up tackling people in rugby for his elite wrestling base, famously stating:

“I actually think it's our greatest secret down here. That we grow up tackling people. Defending in footy, it's just like wrestling. Throw in the physicality, and I definitely think you've got a solid base for MMA.”

Now a world-class welterweight champion, Jack has proven that the kid who couldn't stay out of the sin bin is exactly what gets you paid in MMA.