Lenny “the Gorilla” Rufati is a fighter with a plan; finds new home at Roufusport
Lenny Rufati is a promoter’s dream. While looking for the perfect opponent for his 10th amateur fight (7-2), Rufati, who is a U.S. Army veteran, did his homework and challenged 4 or 5 fighters in his weight-class that would present him with another opportunity to gain experience and push him to the limit. I recently spoke to the focused Rufati and he tells me…
“I wanted to remain respectful while calling out some fighters that would help me to get better in the cage. I was very happy when Trent Stump (3-1) accepted my offer. I know Trent’s trainers. Aaron Meisner (Royal Striking) is at the top of his game and Ryan Kim Cafaro, I went to high school with. I had a plan to take 10 amateur fights and then by the end of the year go pro. Trent will be my tenth fight and he is a talented opponent. Mike Bickings, was very happy to oblige and set us up to fight on the CES card in Philly on August 17th.”
The Gorilla tells me that he goes full speed ahead and that’s how he earned his nickname, but has also found out that his grappling is a strength of his game. He started out training at Method MMA in Maryland and spent some time in Philadelphia and Delaware working out with some amazing mixed martial artists.
His team from Method will be working his corner as he returns to the east coast to finish up his amateur status.
Recently, he re-located out to Wisconsin to be near his parents who opened up their own business there. Lenny landed at Roufusport and says he’s in awe at some of the high quality fighters that he trains with daily. Many Bellator and UFC veterans are in there with him refining their game, going through camps to do the same thing he wants to do.
Please listen in below to our entire interview. Rufati will surely be a regular interview in the near future as he continues to grow and try to leave his mark on the sport that we all love.
MyMMANews will be cage-side for live results, photos and a full recap at CES Philly on August 17th, live on AXS TV.
