Greensburg got itself a mixed-martial arts champion in January.
Mataeo Garner captured the Ohio Combat League’s light heavyweight championship Jan. 29, fighting in the amateur division at 204 pounds.
The 24-year-old Greensburg resident won a unanimous decision in the third round against Dayton, Ohio, fighter Darryl Booker. At 5-foot-9, Garner was giving up 6 inches to his opponent but said it didn’t bother him.
“I’m used to it by now. Everyone I fight is taller,” said Garner, who fights out of the All-American MMA Academy in Uniontown and also has trained at the Boyce Park Boxing Gym in Monroeville.
“I spar real-life legit boxers who are taller, and the MMA guys don’t have the striking like the guys I go up against every day,” he said.
“I knew Booker had power, three knockouts coming by his hands. I just knew I had to use my athleticism and style on him.”
Garner said a combination of his background in football at Southmoreland and Alabama A&M, wrestling in high school and a little extra-curricular experience has helped him excel to a 4-1 record since starting his MMA training four years ago.
“After football, I needed something else to do,” he said.
“I’ve been in a lot of street fights growing up, and I always won, plus I wrestled, so I gave (MMA) a shot, and now I’m a champion.”
Garner celebrated his win Saturday night with a tweet — perhaps indulging in the cross-state rivalry made famous by the Steelers, Browns and Bengals — announcing: “I just took over Ohio!”
I just took over Ohio! #TopApe pic.twitter.com/bwu2A4FTOH
— Mataeo Garner ???? (@TopApeTaeo) January 30, 2022
He said the most important thing he has learned is that raw skill alone can get a person only so far.
“It takes hard work and dedication,” he said,
“Talent isn’t enough. You have to put the hours in.”
