Watery red eyes crack open after the shudder of touchdown wakes Matt Mitrione from his unsatisfying airplane rest. He treks his behemoth body off the plane’s cramped cabin, only to revisit the same airline two weeks after getting in as much training at the Blackzilians as time permits.
After years of traveling around to different training locations, Matt Mitrione has been partially relieved of the stress of traveling.
“It is crucial to be able to have a gym in one spot,” said Mitrione, UFC Heavyweight and Indiana native. “Now I can finally sit down and train in a gym that has mats that I know aren’t going anywhere. It feels good.”
A six time UFC veteran, heavyweight Matt Mitrione struggled to stay put in one training camp for years and was forced to travel around the country to get his work in. Mitrione (5-1) now owns a gym, Integrated Fighting Academy (IFA), and is finally able to train for his fights at home, yet even with the new gym, there are certain trips that take Mitrione away from his home making family time a coveted gem.
Between Boca Raton, Southern California and other spots across the nation, Mitrione was salvaging any and every minute of mat time he could find as his primary training, even when there was no mat at all.
“For a long time we had no place to train, so we would train in Chris Lytle’s firehouse,” he said. “They would pull the ambulance out and we would box on the concrete floor. We would have to make sure that we didn’t step into the drain [while training].”
With the many high profile MMA athletes that Mitrione has met over the years, IFA is able to serve as host to some of the games best. When he does have to go on the road, the Indiana heavyweight still has training options open all over the country.
“I have trained a considerable amount with guys like Tyrone Spong, Alistair Overeem, Jake Shields and Ryan Bader,” he said. “These guys have a similar touring schedule to me, and we have been crossing paths quite a bit. Anytime I’m in their area or they are here, we find time to get on the mat and train.”
IFA is open to the public, and with Mitrione and his supporting cast teaching a number of martial arts classes, the gym sees a lot of action. Mitrione is happy about being able to market his gym with his UFC accolades.
“Sometimes, people come in here because they see me on TV and they want to grapple and box with me, and they just are in her trying to get better,” he said.
On the road, there are many daily variables that a fighter has to deal with. With so many different fighters trying to elevate their game, training at numerous different gyms left nobody to look out for Mitrione but himself.
“People protect me here,” he said. “Nobody is coming in here trying to hurt me or trying to make a name off me and that means a lot.”
For “Meathead”, the hardest part about still having to go on the road is parting from his kids. Being a father has placed a reaching hurdle in Mitrione’s path.
“You have to talk to them on the phone and Skype with them, and seeing them on the computer screen is nothing compared to being able to cuddle with them in the morning,” he said. “It’s rough.”
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