Feature news

Fighting with pride

Long Beach MMA fighter Brittany Gianino is determined to reach big stage

Posted

Brittany Gianino entered the cage in her first mixed martial arts fight with a heightened purpose.

When the Long Beach resident fought on June 18 before a packed house at Astoria’s Melrose Ballroom, the Orlando nightclub massacre, which occurred just six days prior, weighed heavily on her mind. Gianino, 25, carried a gay pride flag bearing the words #PrayForOrlando as she was introduced for her amateur MMA debut. It was her way of honoring the 49 Orlando victims and symbolized her support for LGBT rights.

“I never necessarily called myself an activist up until the shooting, but now I’m getting heavily involved,” said Gianino, who recently proposed to her girlfriend of two years.

The couple was in Orlando — around the corner from Pulse — just a week before the mass shooting.

“I'm not just fighting for me,” Gianino said. “I'm fighting for every member of the LGBT-plus community.”

Competing in MMA gives Gianino — nicknamed “Brutality” — an outlet to fight in and out of the ring for causes she is passionate about, such as gay rights and animal and environmental causes. Gianino was drawn to combat sports from constant fights with her two brothers growing up in Farmingdale, she said. She earned a third-degree black belt in the Hawaiian martial art, Kajukenbo, and competed on a national level in karate for 12 years before taking on kickboxing at age 19.

The rules of kickboxing, though, proved too restrictive for Gianino; she decided to pursue her dream of becoming a professional MMA fighter, and she has taken Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu classes at ECF Mixed Martial Arts and Fitness Training Facility in Lynbrook.

“Kickboxing unlocked how competitive I truly am,” said Gianino. “Now MMA has unlocked how badly I want to evolve as a martial artist.”

Gianino dropped her first MMA bout despite a strong start, but isn’t letting the disappointment discourage her from striving for a career in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. An arm injury suffered during the June 18 bout sidelined her for ECF’s next Melrose Ballroom event on July 30, but she expects to re-enter the cage in the fall.

“I'm taking these amateur fights to learn everything about myself,” said Gianino. “When I go pro I'll be a whole different kind of monster.”

Christian Defiris, Gianino’s coach and owner of ECF, called her “a fierce competitor and natural martial artist.” He added that she has “unlimited potential,” with a chance to go far in the sport.

“I look forward to guiding on her journey to greatness,” said Defiris. “She will be a champion.”

Gianino gives high praise to the training and guidance Defiris and the ECF family has given her. She has also received valuable MMA training at ECF from Braulio Cuevas, Joe Perry and Kevin Reed.

“He sees something in me, and brought me into the world of MMA,” said Gianino of Defiris. “I'll thank him every day for taking me down this path.”

Since she moved to Long Beach a year ago, Gianino said that she has fallen “madly in love” with the community and has long-term plans to stay in town as she pushes for MMA stardom. Gianino’s rigorous training includes constant biking all over Long Beach and runs with her husky, Luna. She hopes the determination leads to a big MMA stage and a platform to fight for her beliefs.

“I fight for everything I believe in,” she said. “I'm obsessed with this sport and I know in my soul, this is what I'm meant to do.”