Gian Villante sat in his hotel room Wednesday and turned on NFL Network. He couldn’t help himself.
Five years ago this weekend was supposed to be the most exciting time of the Long Island native’s life. Villante was a Division I-AA All-American linebacker at Hofstra and after a pro day workout where he ran a 4.59 40-yeard dash, showcased a 34.5-inch vertical leap and benched 225 pounds 30 times, his agent was convinced he would be taken in the first four rounds of in the NFL Draft.
At worst, the 6-foot-2, 258-pounder would go on the second day. But Villante was definitely getting drafted.
And then he wasn’t.
“Everything changed,” Villante said.
After that, the MacArthur HS product from Wantagh had a few workouts with NFL teams, but his heart wasn’t in it. By September, he had turned his attention to MMA and five months later had his first pro fight. On Saturday, Villante makes his UFC debut at light heavyweight against Ovince St. Preux at UFC 159 at Prudential Center in Newark.
“I don’t really know where it went wrong, but that’s why this sport is way cooler than football,” he said. “We get to go prove it in the ring and beat each other up. There’s nobody saying he doesn’t slide his feet well enough in the Cover 2. It’s wins and losses.”
Villante had all the numbers, though. He was recruited out of high school by Penn State and Michigan State, but chose to stay home. In one game at Hofstra, he sacked then-Delaware quarterback Joe Flacco – twice. Flacco is two months removed from leading the Baltimore Ravens to the Super Bowl.
“Villante is one of the toughest guys I’ve been around,” said DeVito, who played at Hofstra rival Maine. “I remember how much guys feared him on the football field at Hofstra. I can’t imagine having to square off and fight him.”
Along with football, Villante also wrestled in high school and college, so the transition to MMA didn’t come out of nowhere. Two years into his pro career, after competing for small New Jersey promotion Ring of Combat, he was signed by Strikeforce, where he went 3-2. Strikeforce has since been bought and absorbed into the UFC.
“Whenever you start this, you don’t do it to have a couple fights in Atlantic City for a small company,” Villante said. “You do it to be the best and the best fighters are in the UFC.”
With his athleticism, size and wrestling ability, Villante, now 27, has the tools to be a force in the UFC. His close friend and sometimes training partner is also Chris Weidman, his former Hofstra teammate and current No. 1 contender at middleweight in the UFC.
But first he has to worry about St. Preux, who has his own football pedigree, competing at Tennessee. Win or lose Saturday, Villante has no regrets.
“It just never worked out with football,” he said. “I believe it all happens for a reason. I found this and I couldn’t be happier.”
Additional reporting by Brian Costello
