Coming back from a dark past that included a long period in prison, Gianluca Locicero now sees martial arts as a way of getting away from bad company. At 46, the Italian is keen to make up for lost time, and will put on a show in the cage on July 28th against Greg MMA.

Digging into Gianluca Locicero’s biography, the terms “robbery”, “underworld” and “detention” come up several times. A troubled past that the 46-year-old Italian doesn’t attempt to hide when he says, “even though prison was a very difficult ordeal, I came out of it as a better person”.

So, for him, martial arts provides a way now of escaping a harmful environment, and legally expressing his love of physical confrontation.

“I’ve always fought in soccer stadiums to support the team from my hometown, Padova. I was a hooligan for a long time, although I’ve calmed down since then. Gianluca Locicero also puts this taste for “brawling” into practice on the pitches of Florentine calcio, a traditional Italian sport dating back to the 15th century, combining combat and ball games.

“To stop opponents, you can use techniques from boxing, wrestling, rugby, etc. There are no limits.”

“I’m looking forward to settling down in the league”.

In MMA, the framework is certainly stricter, but when Gianluca Locicero steps into the cage, it goes without saying that he always brings the show with him. Despite his Greco-Roman wrestling credentials, the Italian’s striking power and ability to create chaos are what really counts. The result is a perfect 100% first-round finish ratio, which he hopes to maintain at HEXAGONE MMA.
“I’m approaching fifty, and before every fight I always tell myself it’s my last. But as soon as I’m out of it, I want to keep going! So this time, I’m looking forward to settling down in the league and showing what I’m worth.”
It’s also a way for Gianluca Locicero to make up for time lost due to his run-ins with the law.
“I started my professional career at 40. So now it’s MMA, MMA and MMA! I am giving it everything to succeed.”