Pat Audinwood: the new breed

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.