For June and July, we will be recognizing the winners of this year’s Rookie Rumble VI that took place May 14th. For July, we are shining the spotlight on Mike Guiliani who took the win as the Rookie Rumble VI Paranoia winner.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN TRAINING FOR ARMORED COMBAT?
I had been training for about 6 months prior to Rookie Rumble 6.
DO YOU HAVE ANY BACKGROUND EXPERIENCE IN MARTIAL ARTS OR OTHER SPORTS?
A decent amount, I wrestled all through high school and earlier when I was a kid. After graduating high school I ended up practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai for several years while occasionally fighting in amateur MMA.
HOW DID YOU LEARN ABOUT ARMORED COMBAT AND WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO JOIN?
My favorite movie since I was a kid has always been A Knight’s Tale, which focuses on medieval tournaments, so I’ve alwayshad a fascination with Ren Faires or medieval based festivals. After I found some videos and documentaries on Youtube, I knew I had to reach out the nearest team to me. Makoto from Ordo Draconis put me in contact with Morgan Neyland and the rest of the NYC team, and the rest is history.
DO YOU REMEMBER HOW YOU FELT IN YOUR FIRST FIGHT? CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE EXPERIENCE?
It was a Husaria Cup in November or December of 2021, I had only gotten a hand-me-down kit about 2 weeks prior and was kind of tossed in last minute. It was absolutely exhilarating, theabsolute chaos of it all was nothing like I had ever done before.It was something that I will never forget the feeling of.
WHAT IS YOUR PREFERRED WEAPON? DO YOU HAVE A PARTICULAR FAVORITE?
A two-handed short axe. I’m right-handed, but I swing lefty so it throws people off when they square up against me sometimes. My current favorite is a heavier “Rail Splitter” style axe that I have. Its light enough so I can easily maneuver with it, but heavy enough to deal some pretty decent damage.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY ARE SOME POSITIVE ASPECTS THAT COME FROM THE SPORT?
The comradery for sure. This is such a small sport and everyone is just so friendly with each other. You could be bashing each other’s skulls in while in the list, and drinking and partying with the same people at the bar afterwards. The support that everyone gives each other is just so refreshing and heartwarming compared to the absolute brutality that we show each other in combat.
WHAT IS YOUR FIGHTING STYLE – IF YOU HAVE ONE?
I like to be as agile and mobile as possible. Cross checks, and axe blows to grappled opponents are my specialty. I have some pretty decent takedown defense as well, and pride myself on having a pretty stable base to keep myself in the fight as long as possible.
Pretty much, if you can’t see me, you should be worried.
DO YOU THINK FIGHTING CHANGES WHO YOU ARE AS A PERSON? HOW HAS IT AFFECTED YOU PERSONALLY?
Absolutely! From years of wrestling and martial arts background I would say that fighting definitely humbles you as a person. You come to understand that in all likelihood, you are not the strongest fighter out there, and there is always someone better than you. You understand that you don’t need to prove yourself to people, and your ego ends up leveling off. Both of these things however, pushes you to be an even better fighter than you think you could be. The desire to improve consistently gets instilled in you, and you come to terms with having to grind for your progress.
WHAT WOULD YOUR ADVICE BE FOR NEW PEOPLE INTERESTED IN THE SPORT?
Leave the ego at the door, be prepared to drive long distances to train, and always be prepared to fight. The opportunities are there, you just have to know where to look for them.
WHAT DO YOU LOOK FORWARD TO FOR THE FUTURE OF ARMORED COMBAT SPORTS?
More visited and larger events, as the sport grows in popularity it is only natural that larger crowds will be drawn to it. Larger crowds mean louder cheers, and louder cheers means more mayhem.
ANY FINAL WORDS YOU WANTED TO MENTION?
I am super thankful to have found this sport, and forever grateful to the NYC team for mentoring me through my fledgling stages as a steelfighter. I can only hope to make my team, my mentors, and my friends proud in the future by winning more fights, earning more glory, and crushing more skulls!
