My journey began at the age of 15 with boxing, under the guidance of Master Silvio Loi and his son Omar.
I continued training with them until I got a black eye, after which my parents forbade me from pursuing it further.
I then switched to Taekwondo (under M. Paolo Curridori), convincing my parents that this martial art was less violent and didn’t involve real combat. I made a promise to myself that no one would ever strike me again. While it wasn’t entirely possible, I became skilled enough to avoid major injuries during fights and training. Occasionally, I also attended a judo club (under M. Carlo Ecca), mainly interested in learning falling techniques.
At the age of 17, I decided to return to boxing under the expert guidance of Master Silvio Loi and his son Omar. I began competing for them and even won several regional titles in Sardinia.
After two years, I completed my military service and then relocated to Bologna for work reasons.
It was there that I started exploring different combat styles such as Wing Chun, Capoeira, Thai boxing, and even some acrobatic gymnastics.
I began blending all these elements together, creating a unique mix that I called Block Boxing at the time. During those years, I frequented the best boxing, kickboxing, and Thai boxing gyms, searching for sparring partners to challenge and test myself against.
This gave me the opportunity to spar with the strongest local fighters, some of whom were already professionals and national or even world champions. It was an excellent way to experiment with my techniques in real contact with skilled and prepared athletes. Subsequently, I began competing at a professional level, and in 2003, I won the Italian full contact title (Federcombat) with Team Zanotti from the âSempre Avanti Bolognaâ.
At the age of 26, due to an injury to the retina of my left eye, I retired from professional fighting. I decided to change the scenery and move abroad in 2004. Ireland seemed like the right choice, both for personal reasons and work opportunities. Initially, I didn’t speak English, so I had to take up odd jobs to make a living. I started working as a cleaner at the famous Olympia Theatre in Dublin. I remember having to wake up very early and not understanding a word of what they asked me to do. Nonetheless, I managed to get by and eventually found the time and money to enroll in college and obtain qualifications as a personal trainer and fitness instructor. After six months, I began working as an instructor at a gym.
I then decided to join a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu course (under M. Ray Butcher) because it received high praise, and I wanted to improve my ground fighting skills, an area where I had limited knowledge.
I merged my striking background with BJJ, creating my personal style that was more suitable for mixed martial arts (MMA). The transition from a striker to a grappler wasn’t easy, and it took a considerable amount of time to understand how to defend against opponents attempting to take the fight to the ground. I had to make numerous adjustments to both my offensive and defensive techniques.
Later on, I started collaborating with an MMA gym, becoming one of their main coaches at BALANCE IRELAND. In 2017, I obtained my MMA coach license from the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF).
By 2017 as the cost of living skyrocketed in Dublin,I found myself facing a difficult decision. Not only were rents reaching astronomical heights, but there was also a more pressing issue: the lack of insurance coverage for MMA gyms and their students. Faced with these challenges,I made the bold choice to step away from teaching MMA and instead focused on personal defense and physical preparation. This marked the beginning of my groundbreaking experimental project known as ISCUDI.