Person of Interest

Hometown: Baltimore. Florida home: Naples. Age: 34. Occupation: professional mixed martial artist and part-owner and chief instructor of Mixed Martial Arts of Naples. Fighting style: Muay Thai, using hands, feet, elbows, knees and shins to strike opponents. Nickname: Blaze. Rising in the ranks: recently signed on with Ultimate Fighting Championship. First UFC match: Three minutes into the first round, he fell to middleweight Martin Kampmann with a rear naked choke. When the gloves are off: "The coolest thing after a fight is when 50 kids come up to you and want your autograph." Kids of his own: single father with full custody of Marcellus, nine, and Malcolm, five. Superstition routine: During the pre-fight weigh-ins, he wears the shorts from his first official fight. Biggest audience: 18,000 people in San Jose, Calif., which set a U.S. attendance record for all martial arts competitions. Outcome: victorious. Overall record: 11-2-1. Career injuries: He’s broken both hands and feet and one shin. Training regimen: running, swimming, weightlifting, biking and plyometrics. On the menu: high protein, but nothing fried. For love of the game: "I don’t care about titles. I would do it for free. I love it."