ATT donates 200k to WWP
Richie Guerriero: “Since the beginning, we’ve always tried to give back to the community, and after the fight was won, we just all decided on where the money would go.”
American Top Team won $200,000 at the The Ultimate Fighter 21: ATT vs. Blackzilians. So they split the money between the teach and the coaches, and each team member spent half the money on Caipirinhas and the fighter groupie, and the rest they wasted.
NO THEY DIDN’T.
Although fighting is extraordinary hard and all things considered pays extraordinarily little, they donated the $200,000 to The Wounded Warrior Project, a nonprofit that helps injured armed forces veterans and service members.
“Since the beginning, we’ve always tried to give back to the community, and after the fight was won, we just all decided on where the money would go,” said Richie Guerriero, general manager at ATT Coconut Creek, to Stacy Case and Alyssa Cutter for the Sun Sentinel. “Fighters [at this level] don’t necessarily look to fight for the money aspect of it; it’s what they love to do. This event showcased our guys’ talents and they just wanted to give the money to a great cause.”
“I have all the respect in the world for [both the Wounded Warrior Project and the UFC fighters]. As soon as we won, all of the coaches and fighters were on board, stepped up and rallied behind the cause. Any time you can give back, it’s very powerful, and I’m just glad that we were in the position to help.”
Paul Loisel, spokesperson for the WWP, was glowing about American Top Team’s donation.
“It is this type of generosity that enables the WWP to offer 20 programs to injured service members, caregivers and their families, and these programs are uniquely structured to engage warriors, nurture their minds and bodies, and encourage their economic empowerment,” said Loisel. “More than 75,000 injured service members are served through WWP programs, which are offered free of charge to all who participate.”
