Wantagh native Gian Villante will soon be fighting in the top mixed martial arts promotion in the world.
Villante, a former standout wrestler and football player at MacArthur High School in Levittown, has been signed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) after previously competing on Strikeforce, according to a report from mmafighting.com. The 2002 Thorpe Award winner as the top football player in Nassau County who went on to have a successful career as a linebacker at Hofstra, is one of 20 Strikeforce fighter headed to UFC. While competing on Strikeforce, Villante went 10-3 in the light heavyweight division of Strikeforce.
The 6-2 205-pound Villante trains at Bellmore Kickboxing Academy under Keith Trimble, a former head coach with the New York Clash in the World Combat League.
