BLOOD, SWEAT, AND A MEMORABLE NIGHT OUT

Late last week, rookies David Roth and Luke Sassano took in an IFL event at the Izod Center in the Meadowlands. RBR caught up with the two Red Bull newcomers after training today to get a recap of their experiences.

RBR: Have either of you ever been to a mixed martial arts event before?

Roth: No, nothing like that. I had been to a college wrestling match, but nothing like this where guys are getting knocked out and blood is flying out.

RBR: What was the atmosphere like?

Sassano: Pretty much what I expected. It was a rowdy crown that was pretty much looking for blood. It was pretty exciting. You knew a guy could get knocked out at any moment.

RBR: We heard you got seats from someone inside the IFL. Did you guys have good seats?

Roth: Yeah. We sat around 10 rows back.

RBR: Sitting so close, were there any thoughts about possibly getting splattered?

Sassano: We had a little fear of that before we went in, but it wasn’t too bad.

RBR: Any inspiration to change careers?

Roth: 100% no. I was by no means influenced to get in the ring. The thought never crossed my mind.

Sassano: I think I am going to stick with soccer. Soccer is pretty physical, but that is taking it to another level.

RBR: Favorite moment of the event?

Roth: There was one fight where the guy did a flying knee to the face and the other guy was instantly knocked out and his eyes rolled to the back of this head. That was pretty brutal. Also, the crowd would yell things out during the match, like “put him in the arm bar.” I don’t know what that means, but it was pretty funny. And of course the crowd liked the ring girls.

RBR: Did you get any perks?

Sassano: We had backstage passes and got to go into the luxury suite. We also got to meet some of the IFL executives and got t-shirts and hats. We also got to meet some of the fighters. It was a fun experience.

RBR: Would you go again?

Roth: Yeah, for sure. I had a good time.

Sassano: Absolutely.