Dean Perretta Meets 8-Time Great Britain Jiu Jitsu Gold Medalist Daniel Burzotta

Internationally respected eight-time Great Britain Jiu Jitsu Gold Medalist and two-time United Nations Heavyweight Champion, Daniel Burzotta, is a candid straight shooter likewise to an accomplished Mixed Martial Arts shooter when resolutely discussing his richly decorated career with a sense of no regrets and openness. The self-professed ‘Pioneer of Martial Arts in the South East’ strategically created a uniquely empowering platform in the form of the innovative TSG (Team Sure Grip) school in Essex, United Kingdom alongside the successful UWC Mixed Martial Arts promotion which has proven to be a commercially viable and acclaimed hotbed for supremely gifted Martial Artists and rabid combat sports fans who insatiably whet their appetite in viewing undeniable raw British talent and unfiltered sporting action to spearhead the next generation of the nations prodigious sporting talent; TSG – which has naturally skilled students enrollled as young as 10 years of age – specifically caters to clinically skilled classes in Mixed Martial Arts, boxing, kick boxing, Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, kempo, freestyle wrestling and Greco Roman wrestling.

The vastly credible and uber-disciplined Burzotta has attained rich honors in expertly claiming the UKMMAC World MMA Heavyweight Championship, becoming a two-time United Nations Jiu-Jitsu World Champion, whilst further earning the prestigious distinction of capturing both Silver and Bronze European medals when captaining the Great Britain Jiu Jitsu team for eight years consecutively; Burzotta has also competed throughout South America with great results and respective honor from peers worldwide.

The talented 39-year-old Italian-born professional athlete marked his monumentally inspiring return – Burzotta stepped aside to spend more time with family after incessant global travel and competiton – to the octagon after a lengthy sabbatical inside Talk Nightclub on October 25 with a triumphantly punctuating win; Burzotta is the only European-born Mixed Martial Arts professional athlete in history to have remarkably attained the sought after and honorific 2nd degree black belt from legendary UFC Hall of Famer and Brazil national treasure, Royce Gracie, inside the Graycie Gym in Fresno, CA . The proceeds of the AWOL MMA V event were rightfully donated to the non-profit MacMillan Cancer Support organization; Burzotta has competed in Martial Arts professionally since the age of 16.

The ever-honest Burzotta has selflessly nurtured and ushered the successful careers of the physically imposing British-Cypriot, Stav Economou (19-15-4) and ever-devastating BAMMA athlete Walter Gahadza (14-14-0) inside the TSG school; Economou defeated former Pride FC and Strikeforce Colorado-born superstar, Bob Sapp, in Abu Dhabi , United Arab Emirates in 2011.

The well-documented and motivated comeback – on the grounds of Burzotta wanting to compete one final time – to Mixed Martial Arts saw the driven 6’3 205 pound Sicilian intensely train ala Rocky Balboa with hard-nosed sparring partners, whilst persistently running endless miles daily and aggressively sprinting up hardened hills at night consistently in rampant preparational pursuit of AWOL MMA V domination and personal triumph within at nearly 40 years of age. It’s about thorough mental discipline, guided faith and overwhelming respect for oneself in enabling a wildly healthy Mediterranean diet primarily consisting of tortellini, fusilli, olive oil, and focaccia according to the Italian; which in essense equals Burzotta to produce at a supreme capacity that individuals ten years his junior in the sport subliminally envy.

Burzotta explained how he arrived as an immigrant into the United Kingdom aged thirteen with his parents, and had later became enamored with ‘Enter The Dragon’ Hollywood movie icon Bruce Lee and ‘The Expendables 3’ star Jean Claude Van Damme during adolescence which inspired the athlete to initially enter the world of martial arts; Burzotta further touched on how Bruce Lee was the unofficial forefather to MMA, which in turn would see the European occasionally engage in physical confrontations during his seldom turbulent teenage years in borderline living vicariously through the elegantly graceful Lee.

Burzotta’s veneer is one of a mere perfectionist and an optimistic man of tremendous pride without pompous conceit. He is undoubtedly a tough love mentor, a grizzled warrior, a friend, a proud father, and loving husband who endlessly promotes Mixed Martial Arts events both throughout the United Kingdom and internationally to oversee the next generation of British Mixed Martial Arts to rise above to the next plateau; one vastly hungry rising upstart Mixed Martial Arts athlete from Manchester, United Kingdom routinely sleeps inside Burzotta’s toughened TSG gym each night in hopeful vain of one day realizing a dream come to full fruition under the watchful eye and influential guidance of the father-like figure in Burzotta.

The Mazaro Del Vallo-born combatant stated how he gracefully defeated one-time UFC athlete, Francis Carmont (32-22-10) via a guillotine choke in his illustrious career, which was proudly trumpeted by Burzotta with poise and sheer grace as the professional athlete gesticulated animatedly inside our cordial and engaging meeting inside family-owned traditional Italian restuarant Il Pescatore.

The gifted submission specialist and TSG Head Coach exuded and firmly reitertated that he isn’t one to ever remotely rest on his laurels, and firmly added – and evidently appeared – to be in tremendous physical condition prior to his main event showdown at AWOL MMA V that ultimately proved that he is simultaneously the teacher and man in applying a clinically resounding textbook performance without even missing a beat in the ever-evolving world of sport. The great ones seemingly never lose their touch, and Burzotta’s profound impact on the lives – professionally and personally – of those who look up to the British-Italian supercedes the gold, success and glory that Burzotta himself has acquired singularly.

Daniel Burzotta’s brand new purpose and cause in successfully launching promising careers and fulfilling overwhelming dreams is one chapter and watermark in life that will come to define the humble and talented Mixed Martial Artist in being proverbially repaid ten times over when all is said and done.

Daniel Burzotta Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dburzotta
AWOL MMA Official Page: https://www.facebook.com/awolmmauk

SHARE ON FACEBOOK SHARE ON TWITTER