Camping with the Kids: Inside Phil Baroni’s UFC 106 training camp
Since I penned the “Living with Luke” series, I have waited for the right opportunity for a follow-up. My two…
Since I penned the “Living with Luke” series, I have waited for the right opportunity for a follow-up.
My two weeks with Luke Cummo were life-changing and definitely eye-opening. We ate dirt, wrapped our bodies in caster oil and passed gall pebbles while fight training. I learned one man’s learned approach to health and nutrition, got to interact with one of the sports true characters, and experienced a winter lifestyle on Long Island that was very foreign to my life on the beach in So Cal.
To do the experience justice with a follow-up, I knew I needed to surround myself with unique people and circumstances. Thus was birthed the idea of my new series, which we’ve titled “Camping with the Kids.”
Pre-camp
As the summer winds down and normal people reflect on their family vacations and the start of the school season, I blinked and remembered that I have been so busy managing professional athletes that I forgot to have get married and have kids. Suddenly, feeling a void, I decided to compensate.
Initially, the idea came about when “The New York Bad Ass,” Phil Baroni, called and was upset over his training situation. He is scheduled to fight Amir Sadollah at UFC 106 next month. Unfortunately, Phil and Amir train at the same facility in Las Vegas, Xtreme Couture. Phil asked if I could put a mini-camp together for him near my home in Huntington Beach, Calif.
This would be a long order given my responsibilities to my 50 fighter clients, office team of eight, the love affair with the Blackberry that is glued to my face, and girlfriend who is insanely jealous of my Blackberry. But hell, I thought, why not add total chaos to the mix and have a little fun with it?
The first order of business was to find venues to host his training.