We want to congratulate David Albert, our Fighter of the Month for May!
| NOTABLE WINS: I call myself the best-worst fighter—because I haven’t won a pro fight yet. But I’ve fought some big names, so there’s that… and I haven’t been totally embarrassed yet. Scratch that—Daniel Winter had me stuffed in a corner at 2024 Carnage for nearly a whole round, butt crack out and everything. That losing record is gonna change soon though. I made Team USA for IMCF Spain in 2023 with the SCHMIRE SCHMAKES, thanks to killer mercs from Dominus and solid teammates like Simon, Spencer Waddell, and Chris Simpson. Getting that early exposure to that skill level was huge for me. Thanks, SCHMORY ALEXSMCHMANDER. Recently got the offer to participate in the 30’s for BI Worlds in Hungary. I happily accepted. |
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN TRAINING FOR ARMORED COMBAT?
Since August 2022, I started with the most hated team in Florida/nation.
DO YOU HAVE ANY BACKGROUND EXPERIENCE IN MARTIAL ARTS OR OTHER SPORTS?
Where do I even start…
- Karate as a kid
- Pee Wee & High school football (should’ve been college, but I got into trouble)
- Semi-pro football in 2008
- MMA starting in 2009 (2-1 record, lost my last fight to a cop)
- Took a break, read Game of Thrones, and found HEMA because I wanted to fight like how Mr. Martin made sword fighting sound around 2012
- Then back into MMA, BJJ, Kung Fu San Soo, Russian Systema… I’ve trained a bit of everything taking a little something from each
- Now I’m focused on Muay Thai and boxing with some wrestling mixed in. Currently training at American Top Team Longwood.
HOW DID YOU LEARN ABOUT ARMORED COMBAT AND WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO JOIN?
Went through a divorce in October 2020, and was living in South Florida. Started seeing posts about armored combat in Orlando—probably around 2019–2020 when the Black Knights or whoever were still around. Moved to Orlando in December 2020 to chase it down, but the team had folded. Then… well, you know the rest.
DO YOU REMEMBER HOW YOU FELT IN YOUR FIRST FIGHT? CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE EXPERIENCE?
Yup, demo fight against Dominus. My armor barely fit, I was gappy as hell. Waiting to use a helmet when a guy came out of the lyst mid-round panicking. I “borrowed” his helmet—looked into his eyes and saw the quit.
I went in each round and was the last man standing. We got smoked, but I was hooked. I’m a masochist—if you beat me down, I’ll just get up and ask for more. No ego, just stand the F*ck back up.
WHAT IS YOUR PREFERRED WEAPON? DO YOU HAVE A PARTICULAR FAVORITE?
Falchion and buckler guy—but I can fight with anything. Been training more with a two-handed axe to get better in the grapple. Still figuring out my strategy for the 30’s in July.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY ARE SOME POSITIVE ASPECTS THAT COME FROM THE SPORT?
The community. Damn.
One of my favorite parts is how this community doesn’t hold back from calling people out when needed. There’s comradery, friendships, and straight-up violence… and sometimes sage and breathwork. What else could you want?
WHAT IS YOUR FIGHTING STYLE – IF YOU HAVE ONE?
Kickboxing, mostly. Outside of armor, I’m technical—inside, I bulldoze forward like an idiot. But yeah, my shins like eating calves.
DO YOU THINK FIGHTING CHANGES WHO YOU ARE AS A PERSON? HOW HAS IT AFFECTED YOU PERSONALLY?
Life’s humbled me. I used to be a cocky dumbass, now I’m just a smartass. Fighting keeps me grounded. My job is high-stress, and this is my outlet.
Out in the real world, having that confidence—being able to look someone “scary” in the eye calmly—is powerful. That’s a respect you only get from being both humble and hard.
WHAT WOULD YOUR ADVICE BE FOR NEW PEOPLE INTERESTED IN THE SPORT?
Ask yourself what you want out of it. Since I started, my skill level has skyrocketed.
Do you want to be a fighter, or just have fun casually? There’s room for both—but be honest with yourself.
Find a team. Learn. Squire. Don’t just start buying stuff. Talk to people.
And if you want to be a real fighter—go train. Don’t expect to get good from weekend practices alone.
ANY FINAL WORDS YOU WANTED TO MENTION?
The moment that really hooked me was IMCF Nashville 2023—before fights started, Daniel Krug led breathwork and Dan Hornbuckle did a sage blessing. I looked around and thought, “Holy shit… these are my people. I found them.”
Big thanks to:
- Jay Brooks for the nomination! I met Jay in Spain, but really got to meet him at the KFL expo in Florida where we got to chat, and we clicked. Think we are at about the same level of ADHD LOL
- Daniel Krug, for helping get my head right and always backing me and my team
- Johnny Porter, for always being a great dude and solid corner man—I wish I lived in the PNW to train with him
- The Dominus guys and everyone I’ve merc’d with
- Derrick Flitcroff, for making Florida events happen—he’s the guy keeping us in the fight here in Florida!
To my Brothers—Danny, Nick, Milo—you’ve all leveled up since the old SCHMIRE SCHMAKES days. James Faleris, our social Butterfly, has been a huge asset to the team and is an amazing friend.
To the Rogues—I’ve found brothers and sisters I never expected. I’ve always been a lone wolf, but now I’ve got a family. None of this happens without all of you.
Alright, gotta get back to work—
toooootleeeesssssssssss
IG: @Orlando_Rogue_Knights, @Flarmored, @castle_tournaments
