"That never crossed my mind. I respect the hell out of the guys who compete in the sport. It takes a tremendous amount of discipline and hard work. There's so many aspects to that game, but for me to want to be an MMA fighter, never a day in mind," stated undefeated WBO jr. welterweight champion Chris Algieri, who explained why he decided to pursue a career in professional boxing, as opposed to mixed martial arts, following a decorated amateur and professional kickboxing career. Despite the fact that mixed martial arts was growing exponentially at the time when Algieri was making his decision to turn pro, the thought of becoming a world champion in an organization like the UFC was never a goal of the Huntington native.
"I didn't grow up watching MMA. There was no UFC when I was a kid and there was no MMA when I was a kid, so for me, I'm living my childhood dream. I get to do what I was watching as a kid and wanted to be like. There wasn't MMA then. I didn't grow up dreaming of being an MMA champion, so for me to pursue that now, I just feel like there would be something missing and I wouldn't be as satisfied as where I am right now," Algieri explained during a recent conversation with FightHype.com. "I was a martial artist first. I played every sport as a kid, but I really didn't find my niche until I was in individual stuff. Like swimming, my first sport, and then martial arts. I started martial arts and I always liked to fight and be physical, so it was a good fit for me. We had kickboxers in my gym, but I always wanted to be a boxer."
Although he has no desire himself to compete in the sport, Algieri does enjoy a good mixed martial arts scrap from time to time. "I do [watch MMA]. I train at an MMA gym in Long Island, Bellmore Kickboxing Academy. We have multiple guys in the UFC training out of our gym under Keith Trimble. I follow most of my friend's fights more than the mainstream stuff, but some of the guys that I train with are pretty mainstream guys," he added. Fortunately for Algieri, he made the right decision in pursuing his boxing dreams. Not only did he achieve his goal of becoming a world champion, but he's also about to collect a check far greater than most mixed martial artists ever see when he steps into the ring to face 8-division world champion Manny Pacquiao on November 22.
BE SURE TO CHECK BACK SOON FOR MUCH MORE FROM UNDEFEATED WBO JR. WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPIN CHRIS ALGIERI
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