Ernesto Schisano, aka “El Potro”, It is one of the great sensations of mixed martial arts in Spain. To this Neapolitan at heart and Madrilenian by adoption no one gave him anything in life and not even in the octagon. At 31, he has an undefeated record (3-0 and all by knockout in the first round) at WOWfcthe leading mixed martial arts company in Spain, and hopes to one day compete in the UFC. “I always want to be where the best are”he admits.
Talking calmly about life with Schisano is clearly an inspiring exercise. He arrived in Madrid when he was just 18 years old in a car from Naples with a friend with one hand in front and one behind. He started working in an Italian restaurant as a dishwasher and from there he became a pizza master. with a continued ambition to be the best at what he does. “As they say my country, ‘he had neither art, nor bread, nor money, and he knew how to do nothing’, so I came to look for a life in Spain», says ‘El Potro’.
He didn’t approach an octagon until he was 25, starting atypically late in mixed martial arts. His love for fighting was born from watching videos of Mike Tyson and UFC fights. in his bed after exhausting days at the Italian restaurant. “I felt like I had no discipline, because I ate poorly, I came home late after work, my body was rotten.”
Then came what Ernesto Schisano calls “love at first sight” because he first turned to boxing and found himself elsewhere with his inseparable trainer David Balarezo ‘Bala’ as mentor and guru to his current status as an MMA star in Spain as a representative of Kiofu Gym.
Despite what it may seem, Perhaps the hardest thing about MMA is the weight cut fighters go through. before fights, losing 10 kilos of his usual weight before the fight weigh-in and gaining it back hours later. “In these moments, if you are offered the keys to a Ferrari or a bottle of water, I already tell you that if you are intelligent, you take the second option. “It’s one of the hardest things in life,” he explains.
Topuria on the horizon
Our protagonist doesn’t hesitate to talk about it Ilia Topuria, shareholder of WOWfc and pioneer of MMA in Spainabout his upcoming fight against Max Holloway. “Ilia is not a guy who talks, but rather he speaks with facts. He will clearly win his fight because in this sport you must above all have confidence, because there are a lot of people who can be good in the gym, but the key is when you step into the cage,” he adds.
In fact, Ernesto Schisano would not avoid a possible fight with Topuria in the future, since both are undefeated and share weight. “As a good fighter, I would fight with anyone, because I like difficult challenges and above all, I like to grow as a fighter. Easy things don’t make you prosper, but hard things do. Where I went, few people pass,” he emphasizes.
Without fear of anything
Schisano still doesn’t have a scheduled fight on the agenda, but everything indicates that will make its reappearance at WOW17 scheduled for November 30 at Palacio Vistalegre. The Spanish-Italian, after beating the Czech Jan Cvejn, the Italian Daniele Caldarera and the Brazilian Jhonata Vasconcelos, is waiting for a rival for an evening in which he hopes to continue to delight his fans.
“I was hungry, I slept in the street, I experienced everything. Should they boo me in a pavilion or applaud me? It doesn’t affect me. “It doesn’t put any pressure on me after everything I have behind me,” admits “El Potro,” eager to continue proving that he is the best pound-for-pound fighter in Spain today.
