Ex-Southeast wrestler perfect in 9 MMA bouts - Sports ...

BRADENTON ? Raul Amaya used to get in trouble.

Now he has an outlet for that extra energy.

Amaya is a professional fighter in mixed martial arts, popularly known as MMA.

PROVIDED PHOTO Raul Amaya, bottom, performs a suplex on opponent Jesse Lawrence during a recent Art of Fighting welterweight title bout

He has reeled off nine consecutive victories and recently captured Art of Fighting?s welterweight title.

The 5-foot-10 Bradenton native received a foundation in MMA as a wrestler at Southeast High.

?I tell a lot of the younger guys ... if you?re in high school or about to be in high school, make sure you wrestle if you want to do MMA,? Amaya said, ?because it?s definitely the foundation for MMA. It?s the best base you can have, because your Jiu-Jitsu plays off the wrestling.?

Fighters typically carry nicknames into the ring with them, and Amaya used to go by ?Magical? owing to the speed with which he finishes off his opponents. However, about a year ago, he dropped the nickname in favor of something a bit more adult: ?Smash Mode.?

Amaya attributes his success to the training he gets at City Fitness with Ian Harrison and at Champions MMA with Andy Glenn, five-time kickboxing world champion Paul Ellis and sparring partner Gino Tutera. He also credits chiropractor, Dr. Rangel, of Thorassic Park for treating his injuries as another reason why he?s so fresh and ready to go into each fight.

Amaya wouldn?t disclose what he earns from each fight. But his training and scheduled bouts make life as a professional MMA fighter a full-time job.

For instance, a typical day for Amaya while training for an upcoming fight goes like this: He wakes up and eats breakfast around 8:30 a.m. The breakfast is usually a bowl of gruel, like oatmeal, with a couple egg whites and a banana.

From there he heads to City Fitness to train at around 9:30 a.m. Amaya said he performs circuit training.

Then he heads home, showers and grabs some lunch (chicken breast and broccoli) and then a protein shake around 2 or 2:30 p.m. Then he lets his body recharge with a nap from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. When he wakes, he eats another chicken breast before heading to Champions MMA.

At Champions, Amaya teaches the kids class from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and then gets his additional training in from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

But his day isn?t quite over. He has one last meal, usually fish and vegetables. But if he still needs to cut weight, he?ll run before that last meal.

If not, then he?ll turn in for the night and do it all over again the next day. Tutera has known Amaya even before the two started training at Champions, off First street south of Manatee Avenue.

Tutera sports a 4-1 record and has fought as a light heavyweight. The two push each other.

?Raul has been a warrior since Day One that I met him ...? Tutera said. ?Raul?s not great at everything, but he?s good at everything he does. But his pace that he sets and how relentless he is, I haven?t seen it matched by anyone. And that?s why Raul is a force to be reckoned with.?

The way he?s going, a future in UFC seems imminent. But for now, Amaya is focused on the task at hand, training for his next AOF fight in December.

?We?d love to fight on the bigger shows,? Amaya said. ?Once our contract is done with AOF, we?ll be looking other places. But for right now, the next two fights we have with AOF. And we?ll figure it out from there.?

Source: http://www.bradenton.com/2011/09/20/3508145/ex-southeast-wrestler-perfect.html

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