BombSquad MMA Up & Comer Pat Audinwood is focused on getting to the big show.
(Courtesy of PerformanceMMA.com)
Age: 23
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 155
Fighting out of: Cortland, NY
Nickname: “Awesomely Awesome”
MMA Record: 8-0-1
Team BombSquad, out of Cortland, NY, is well known for producing winners, including top light heavyweight prospect Jon Jones.
In fact, their fighters command an almost 80 percent winning percentage. One fighter keeping that percentage up is unbeaten Pat Audinwood.
Audinwood, like many young fighters, grew up watching the UFC. Sitting next to him during these fights was his cousin, IFL veteran and WEC fighter John Franchi.
“John got me into MMA”, Audinwood said. “He’s my coach, my training partner; he’s been the world to me. He’s really taught me everything I know”.
He’s still relatively new to the MMA scene, but he has progressed quickly thanks in part to his training with fellow young, hungry fighters.
“A lot of our guys are helping each other out,” Audinwood’s trainer Ryan Ciotoli said. “They’re each other’s coaches and they coach everyone around them.”
Audinwood was a wrestler during school in Elmira, NY, but doesn’t consider himself one-dimensional.
“I’ve got a wrestling background, but I’m pretty well-rounded,” Audinwood said.
Audinwood is an exciting striker content to stay on his feet if the fight goes that way.
“He’s got tough personality,” Ciotoli said. “He goes into practice every day and is one of those guys who can take a lot of shots. He has cardio and can push the pace. … He’s got a good overall game, wrestling, submission game. The improvement has been drastic.”
Ciotoli, along with Lenny Sonia, is credited with building Audinwood’s game, along with training partners Kenny Foster and Zach Burhans.
Audinwood is the Battle Cage Xtreme Champion at 155lbs and is willing to step up and fight anyone, anytime.
Many fighters say this, but it’s not always true, but there is proof that he means it.
Recently, he had agreed to take a fight on three-days notice. When asked who he was fighting, he didn’t even know.
While Audinwood is content to put his time in before fighting on MMA’s biggest stage, he almost had the opportunity. A late injury to Dan Lauzon had the UFC scrambling for a replacement.
“I found out the UFC called me to step in and replace Lauzon. I called them back right away, but they signed someone else less than five minutes earlier.”
He narrowly missed that chance, but if Audinwood continues winning, it’s a good bet the UFC will call again.
Ciotoli said Audinwood is getting on the radar for other companies other than the UFC, and that is only a matter of time before he is picked up.
“Pat’s definitely got a star quality about him,” Ciotoli said. “He’s not afraid to give a good interview. He’s entertaining. After his fights, he usually puts on an act.”
For example, recently after a fight, Audinwood did a routine similar to Hulk Hogan during the late 80s and early 90s to celebrate a victory.
It’s part of the Audinwood’s willingness to have fun and train hard while doing it.
“He’s the type of kid who cracks jokes at the gym,” Ciotoli said. “He keeps everyone up beat. He’s one of the team leaders. He does it by keeping things light in the practice room.”
Story by Troy “Red” Barron. Troy is a chiropractor, strength & conditioning specialist, “elderly” amateur MMA fighter and the owner of PerformanceMMA.com.
