[
THE SCOOP] lifestyles
The Hardest 15 Minutes
Former Penn State All-American defenseman Dave Daniecki is 4-1 as a professional mixed martial artist
D he has an opportunity to
pack a different kind of punch in a different kind of cage — as a mixed martial arts fighter. A two- time Maryland state champion wrestler in high school, Daniecki turned pro three years ago and owns a 4-1 record.
How’d you get into MMA? I started training seven years ago at Ground Control Gym in Baltimore, where a good friend of mine, Rob Mulqueen, is one of the co-owners. At the beginning, I just wanted to do it for a different type of a workout, like boxing or
After stints in pro lacrosse, the 36-year-old Daniecki has found his niche in a different kind of cage.
22 LACROSSE MAGAZINE May 2012>>
ave “TNT” Daniecki always relished the physical play. A two-time All-
American defenseman at Penn State and professional lacrosse player with the Baltimore Thunder and Baltimore Bayhawks, Daniecki routinely covered the opponent’s top attackman and prevented him from getting to the
cage during his career. Now,
cardiovascular work. But I started liking it a lot, I started doing it more, I started doing well, and it kind of just happened when I stopped playing lacrosse. Being in the atmosphere and environment, it wasn’t so much being talked into it. It was just talking about it and getting interested. Rob would talk about it, and I knew I had to go in and try it. I loved it, and I’ve been doing it ever since. Plus I had wrestled, which is probably the best background to have.
Did you ever earlier envision doing this as a professional?
I remember being in college — that was when the first UFCs were out — and watching it when a bunch of guys got together in one of the dorm rooms and bought it. It was more of a brawl then. There were big guys fighting little guys. There were no real rules. Those guys
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