No matter what your profession is, the only way you can get better at your job is by experience and learning from those experiences.
For unbeaten bantamweight Rico DiSciullo (4-0, 1NC), he has learned about training smarter and being a more patient fighter in his fights.
DiSciullo made his professional mixed martial arts debut in 2013 at Bellator 98 and is coming off a decision victory at CES MMA 27 against Mak Kelleher.
Every time DiSciullo steps into the cage, he gets more comfortable and continues to improve his skills.
“I am definitely improving without a doubt,” DiSciullo said on The MMA Report Live. “I am getting stronger, faster, and smarter. That is the big thing, getting smarter. In the gym, you can be phenomenal. There are guys that come into the gym everyday that are really good. I am one of those dudes that put in the work. I work on my jiu-jitsu — I just don’t train when I have an upcoming fight. I am always trying to get better and fighter smarter. Realizing during the fight when to let loose. When to be a little patient and things like that. I feel like that is going to make a difference in me being a better fighter in the long run.
DiSciullo does understand that there are times you have to take chances in the fight when the opportunity presents itself. For DiSciullo, the key to being a smart fighter all starts in the gym.
“I use to just go in and reputation train like today would be a sparring day and I would have jiu-jitsu before or after it,” he said. “Now I am going out there with specific intentions. I am going into this round and I want throw this many punches and make sure I use this and really push my wrestling. Curtain little things that you are doing specifically that you can apply to a fight. Even if it’s just one basic punch. One counter attack that you do that you think in the fight is just going to be a reaction. You can’t think about it because once you do, you are one second behind and the other guy is one up on you.”
Being a smarter fighter and being patient could go hand in hand. DiSciullo realized early in his career that he needed to become a more patient fighter to take the next step in his career.
“I figured if I get in there and I love to fight. I love what I am doing and right off the bat, I am over aggressive. Depending on the style of fighter and I am a huge believer in that styles make fights. You can get away with being a monster right off to bat, catch a guy off guard, and finish it. But if you don’t and you get put into deep water and not finish it, you look like an idiot. Being patient to me — I still try to go for the KO. I still try to get that finish no matter what. Go as hard as I can in those exchanges. Being patient is a little more of a setup. A little fake here. Basic things to just catch the guy off guard before you go in for the big finish.”
DiSciullo wants to put on exciting fights for the fans and his style is to engage and look for a finish. He does not want to get ahead of himself, but he is looking to finish out 2015 with an unbeaten record.