After landing Jacobe Smith, Nick Piccininni, Geno Morelli and others, Garcia is aware of the difficulty of transitioning from collegiate wrestling to MMA. While they come in with a built-in combat sports base, the most difficult part of that transition is finding fights for the experienced wrestlers. Anthony Cassar waited patiently for almost a year to find a fighter willing enough to enter the cage with the former National champion, but sure enough, Garcia got in the weeds and dug up John Gianatasio.
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“I talked to [Gianatasio] and his management and let them know the type of exposure that he would get,” Garcia explained.
After almost 14 years in the promotion game, Garcia recognizes that it’s going to be hard to compete with Cassar’s wrestling but has seen enough to know that it depends on what the game plan is against Gianatasio.
“If [Cassar] decides to stand up with [Gianatasio], I think that it could be a bit competitive because [Gianatasio] looks like a big, strong guy,” Garcia said. “He is really excited about the opportunity, so he said he’s going to go out there and shock the world and take Cassar out in the first round.”
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Garcia is confident that an established wrestling star like Cassar is the type of fighter that elevates Fury FC’s heavyweight division, while building Cassar’s fanbase in the MMA world.
“Cassar has got some buzz behind him,” Garcia said. “With what we’re doing, and you mix it with the buzz he brings, it’s just going to elevate the both of us.”
Garcia also believes when other wrestlers witness how much spotlight that Fury FC gives Cassar that others will soon follow suit. It’s no secret he has been trying to recruit former collegiate wrestlers with a selling point that’s hard to refuse.
“We signed [Piccininni] and [Smith] and I guaranteed them that I would make those four-fight offers in 12 months or less,” Garcia further explained. “As long as these guys can trust that we’re going to come through on our end they’re going to continue to sign.”
The focus is always on MMA for Garcia, but any wrestler that’s as exciting as Morelli, Piccininni, Cassar and Jacobe, Fury FC will make a play for.
Catch Anthony Cassar’s Fury FC debut against John Gianatasio FOR FREE at Fury Challenger Series 8 on the UFC FIGHT PASS Facebook and YouTube channels!
