Nick Joramo hitting the pads to prepare for his MMA fight on Feb. 24. Photo by Andrew Benjamin
Saint Michael’s Nick Joramo is a huge MMA fan. As he hits pads with his trainer at Lake Region Fitness Center, he is preparing for his return fight after over two years. Having fought on the amateur regional circuit for over 10 years, he gets to fight in front of his friends and family at Throne MMA on February 24 at the Spirit Lake Casino.
Joramo didn’t follow the traditional pathway to MMA through being a wrestler, boxer, or top jiu-jitsu competitor. The 32-year-old got into MMA while watching knockout artists like Chuck Liddell and Alistair Overeem put down their opponents in ferocious fashion. He started off doing amateur one-night tournaments. When he got the opportunity to fight for one of the biggest regional promotions, King of the Cage, in 2015, he emulated his idol Liddel for the fight. “I even painted my toenails black and got a mohawk,” Joramo said. Liddell would do the same thing for his fights.
He started off training out of the gym at Sioux Manufacturing where he learned kickboxing and wrestling. Now he trains with former fighters at Lake Region Fitness Center. It is not common for fighters to not have a regular team to train with. “It is tough to stay motivated,” Joramo said. “You’ll be in a gym for four hours and feel like you got nothing done. You can’t find sparring or guys to roll with.”
Another disadvantage Joramo has is that he knows nothing of his opponent Cole Brien. “It’s hard to put together a gameplan if you don’t know about him,” Joramo said. “The game plan is to go in there and put my ******* hands on him… You always hope for the knockout.”
Despite the disadvantages he has, he still has passion and energy for fighting. “I’ve done almost every drug known to mankind, but there is no better high than fighting.”
For those who will be attending and will be seeing Joramo fight for the first time, he has only two words. “Expect fireworks.”
