A former member of the parachute commandos, Frankie Rollandt has put his military experience to the service of martial arts. Fighting is in his DNA, and he intends to prove it, on August 4th at HEXAGONE MMA 8.

In the cage, Frankie Rollandt advances almost without any sense of pressure.This is not surprising for a former military man used to fighting against terrorism on the African continent: “I did 13 years in the Parachute Commandos Group. In terms of risk factor, it’s not bad. Let’s just say that I’ve been close to a correctional sentence more than once. And in terms of stress management, it has helped me a lot when it comes to MMA.”

In fact, it was during an operation in Kosovo in 2007 that Frankie Rollandt discovered mixed martial arts.

“One of my superiors was watching a Pride video, and when I saw it, I thought I’d give it a try. So we started practising together,” recalls the 36-year-old veteran.

Afterwards, and for more than ten years, Frankie Rollandt continued with improvised training sessions often in exotic settings: Mali, Niger, Central Africa… “I always found the time. Even when I went on a mission, I would take two pairs of gloves with me and I would arrange to have someone to train with.

“I will enjoy the few good years that I have left”.

A competitor at heart, the Frenchman did not wait to leave the army to launch his career in the cage, a choice that at times has led to failures. “It’s true that I wasn’t necessarily in the best condition. I would be on the ground two days before my fight, outside asking a colleague to hold my pads!”

But those days are over. Since last summer, Rollandt has put away his uniform and now devotes himself fully to his sport, without the restrictions of his former life. “The years go by, and I felt like doing something else. Even if the commando spirit brought me into MMA, it represented a lot of constraints. Now, I want to give my all to the sport and enjoy the few good years that remain.”