Grindhouse MMA’s Shawn Stefanelli in best shape of his life for pro debut
Interview with Shawn Stefanelli above
Mixed martial arts fighters come from a lot of different backgrounds. Shawn Stefanelli, a Grindhouse MMA prospect, didn’t exactly take the normal route to the cage. He was laying on his couch eating and drinking unhealthy and while watching a UFC event, decided that he was going to get up and go to a gym the next day and become a fighter without any previous combat sports experience. That was three and a half years and eight amateur fights ago, and on March 11th at CFFC 92 he will make the trip to the cage and perform as a professional for the first time. That is quite an accomplishment and shows that he has surrounded himself with people who push him and want him to succeed, but in the end it is a result of putting the extra work in necessary to earn that check.
MyMMANews spoke with Shawn to see how he was feeling about his first pro camp. He tells us…
“I feel great. This was my best camp ever and I didn’t have to deal with any nagging injuries. In the past, I feel like I over-trained and now I’m taking Sundays off to rest my body and recover. I’m training smarter and harder and it’s just a culmination of everything I have learned so far. I’m really excited about this Thursday.”
Shawn has a really strong support system with manager Jerry Bradley and some elite coaches like Matt Netterville, James Booth and UFC standout, Sean Brady. They have guided him and also made sure that he has fun during the grueling process of getting ready to go to battle. Please check out our entire chat on the link above.
You can see Stefanelli’s fight streamed live on UFC Fight Pass this week as he looks for the victory at the 23oo Arena in South Philly. Shawn also had a change of opponent just a few days before his fight as Christian Santos was injured during training. He will now take on Tom Pagliarulo who was 5-1 as an amateur and will also be making his professional debut. MyMMANews will have full results.
