The grandson of famed mobster John Gotti is set to make his professional MMA debut.
John Gotti III will appear on Friday night in his first mixed-martial-arts match against Johnny ‘The Wild Child’ Adams at the 3,500-seat Twin River Casino in Lincoln, Rhode Island.
The 24-year-old will face his opponent on what would have been the 77th birthday of his grandfather, ‘Dapper Don’ John Gotti Sr, who died in prison in June 2002 after being convicted in 1992 on numerous charges including murder, conspiracy to commit murder, racketeering, illegal gambling and tax evasion.
‘I wanted to honor him on that day,’ Gotti III told MMA Junkie.
John Gotti III (left and right), the grandson of famed mobster John Gotti, is set to make his professional MMA debut on Friday night at Twin River Casino in Lincoln, Rhode Island
Gotti III has been training for this moment for three years and accomplishing a 5-1 record in the New York amateur circuit. He grew up bonding over the MMA with his father, John ‘Junior’ Gotti
The 24-year-old will face his opponent on what would have been the 77th birthday of his grandfather, ‘Dapper Don’ John Gotti Sr (left and right, 1968), who died in prison in June 2002. ‘I wanted to honor him on that day,’ Gotti III said
Gotti III has been training for this moment for three years and accomplishing a 5-1 record in the New York amateur circuit.
‘This kid is real. I believe you are looking at something very special here,’ match promoter, Jimmy Burchfield Sr, told The New York Post.
‘He’s built like Superman. You can see the agility and speed that he has. He’s equally talented standing up as on the mat. He’s got a very low-key personality.’
Burchfield Sr added that although the fight could have been promoted more heavily had he used the Gotti name, he said the family ‘wanted no special attention’.
The young fighter’s father, John ‘Junior’ Gotti, told The Post that his son ‘has to stay focused on his training…God willing, things will go well.’
Junior Gotti wanted to make time up to his son after he returned home in 2004 from prison, where he spent six years on racketeering charges. The pair bonded over boxing and MMA – both watching matches at their home in Long Island and Junior taking his son to to tournaments in New Jersey.
Gotti III (left) will be facing an equally inexperienced Johnny ‘The Wild Child’ Adams (right) whose current record is 0-1
Match promoter Jimmy Burchfield Sr added that although the fight could have been promoted more heavily had he used the Gotti name, he said the family ‘wanted no special attention’ (Pictured, Gotti Sr in 1986, left, and Gotti III, right)
Gotti III (right) currently weighs 179 pounds with nine more pounds left to lose. His handlers say he is currently at five percent body fat, eats super clean’, doesn’t drink nor smoke and works out three times a day and five days a week
Gotti III grew up to be 6-feet and 250 pounds, throwing himself into bodybuilding and boxing before he decide to reshape his body to join the MMA.
He currently weighs 179 pounds with nine more pounds left to lose. His handlers say he is currently at five percent body fat, eats super clean’, doesn’t drink nor smoke and works out three times a day and five days a week.
According to his boxing and kickboxing coac,h Derek Panza, Gotti III does wrestling and jiujitsu in the morning, strength and conditioning in the afternoon, and ‘in the evening either a yoga class or extra stretching and recovery workout’.
Young Gotti will be facing an almost equally inexperienced opponent in Johnny Adams whose current record is 0-1.