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Troy MandalonizWhen and why did you start training for fighting? Growing up in Hawaii, it's kind of a rough place to be brought up. You need to know how to defend yourself. When the UFC was introduced to the world I was fascinated by it. I have been close friends with BJ Penn and his brothers since grade school and the first time I had seen a UFC, it was with them. We used to wrestle around on his front porch all the time until BJ ventured off to Northern California to pursue a career in jiu-jitsu and fighting. Penn's father arranged to have a black belt from Brazil to move to Hilo and open an academy. The trainer was Renato "Charuto" Verrissimo, who is now a UFC veteran. From then on, MMA has been my calling and the rest is history.
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