Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino isnÕt the only professional athlete who admits heÕs a fan of the UFC, but he is probably the most dedicated.
Victorino watched some of the organizationÕs earliest events in 1993. But his interest went through the roof after his fiancee, Melissa Smith, introduced him to UFC President Dana White and owner Lorenzo Fertitta. Smith was working as FertittaÕs assistant at the time.
Victorino became good friends with the UFC brass. (White even threw his support behind Victorino, encouraging UFC fans to vote for him as he became the final player selected to this yearÕs All-Star Game.)
ÒI see them all the time in Las Vegas,Ó said Victorino, who lives here in the offseason. ÒSometimes I hear people say that theyÕre in it for the money, but I see these guys up at 3 a.m. working out. They have a love for the sport. These guys are already wealthy, they love the sport and want to see it taken to the next level.Ó
Part of taking the sport to the next level is expanding into cities such as Philadelphia. Mixed martial arts was sanctioned by the stateÕs athletic commission in February, and UFC hits town for the first time Saturday.
Victorino has been excited since White and Marc Ratner, the UFCÕs vice president of regulatory affairs, mentioned that UFC 101 would be coming to Philadelphia.
ÒI was like, ÔPlease come. I hope you do it at a time where IÕll be there.Õ I think they looked at my schedule and made it happen while I was playing at home,Ó Victorino said.
He says heÕll rush to the UFC event immediately after playing the Florida Marlins. He might just make it. The baseball game starts at 7 p.m. and UFCÊ101Õs televised events begin at
10Êp.m. The PhilliesÕ home, Citizens Bank Park, is just across the street from the Wachovia Center.
Victorino says he canÕt even guess how many UFC fights heÕs attended, including traveling with White to events outside of Las Vegas.
HeÕs even tried a little bit of Muay Thai training, but Victorino openly admits that a fighterÕs workout quickly wears him out.
ÒAfter watching some of these guys train I got an understanding of how good they are as athletes,Ó he said. ÒTheir footwork and their cardio — I know thereÕs no way that I could do some of the stuff they do. I go in a gym and try to do what they do and I canÕt last and IÕm what you would consider a top-notch athlete.Ó
What he didnÕt admit is that it took him a training session to find that out.
ÒHeÕs so competitive heÕd talk smack like, ÔI could do those workouts easy, no problem,Õ Ó Smith said. ÒThen we went and worked out with a trainer and he had us running stairs and all kinds of stuff, and after that Shane said he found a new respect for their workout.
ÒHe told me, ÔThis workout is not for baseball players.Õ Ó
That should ease the minds of any Phillies fans out there worried their all-star outfielder might suffer an injury from offseason trips to the Octagon.
ÒI do a little but no rolling around for me,Ó he said. ÒI donÕt want to dislocate my arm parts, I need them for baseball.Ó
Brett Okamoto can be reached at 948-7817 or brett.okamoto@lasvegassun.com.
Copyright 2009 Las Vegas Sun
