Editor's Note: This article was written and submitted by Andrew Coen.
Gian Villante, a Wantagh native that trains at the Bellmore Kickboxing Academy, will soon be fighting in the top mixed martial arts promotion in the world.
Villante, a former standout wrestler and football player at MacArthur High School in Levittown, has been signed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) after previously competing on Strikeforce, according to a report from mmafighting.com.
Like Bellmore Patch on Facebook by clicking here.
The 2002 Thorpe Award winner as the top football player in Nassau County who went on to have a successful career as a linebacker at Hofstra, is one of 20 Strikeforce fighter headed to UFC. While competing on Strikeforce, Villante went 10-3 in the light heavyweight division of Strikeforce.
The 6-2 205-pound Villante trains at Bellmore Kickboxing Academy under Keith Trimble, a former head coach with the New York Clash in the World Combat League.
MORE SPORTS NEWS
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
