Apr-9-2008

Rich Clementi- There’s “No Love” Like Clementi Love

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By Rhett Butler

Some among us live in the cross-section of America, where serving your country, multi-tasking for your earnings, and good ole scrapping mix like ham and eggs. Here, the passions of Rich Clementi are defined, and for good reason, as this combination has carried him into success as an athlete and a businessman.

“I’m a guy who has got a lot of passion for friends and anyone around me and strives for excellence. I’m a guy that doesn’t sit on the fences; I’m either one way or another way. If you don’t like it we got an argument ahead of us.”

This truism was proven with the now historic verbal disparagement between Clementi and Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard. It played out for UFC fans between interview quotation brackets and on the Pay-Per-View stage during UFC 79, appropriately titled, Nemesis. The veteran ground guy faced the young knockout artist in a torrent that left Guillard defeated by a rear naked choke topped by a little something extra as Clementi rose above him.

“That was probably one of the highlights of my career. It aggravated me that I was considered an underdog for that fight, at least in my mind. I’m definitely happy about the outcome and his latest win (outside the UFC). I’m happy for Anthony Johnson’s win too; you always want a guy’s stock to go up hill that you beat.”

Born in Edison, New Jersey to a single mother, Rich Clementi moved annually wherever his mother could find work. From Texas to Alabama, his east coast equilibrium constantly adjusted to forced environments and make-the-best of it self-salve. Throughout the upheaval process Clementi began to find solace in wrestling, joining teams at each school he enrolled in, but not long enough to make a name at any. This started his evolution towards professional fighting, as the consistent moving saw different wrestling training, competition and style matchups. However, the now volatile relationship between single mother and son eclipsed a reasonable point and Clementi expelled himself from the home as a self-assured 15 year old. This lasted for a full year until the authorities stepped in to force Clementi to live with adult supervision. His uncle and grandmother filed for legal custody and it was granted.

A few years after high school, Clementi got married and enlisted in the armed services around the same time. The two acts are intrinsically linked and doomed at the same time as the match point for Clementi’s current life.

“I was married a few years out of high school and I got a bad attitude and didn’t want to be married anymore. I spent a few months (on deployment) in Guam then Spain; I got the tattoo on my back in Spain and just told the guy to put No Love. It’s a mean attitude that transferred into the fight world. I was 20 years old when I got married; the military and marriage didn’t go hand in hand.”

Shortly after Spain, Clementi did his first tour in Bosnia and remained in active duty for five years as a Navy Seabee. The Seabees, a construction battalion, taught Clementi various trade skills, specifically heating, plumbing and air conditioning. As a self-professed, “guy who didn’t have much direction outside of sports,” he knew if nothing else worked out he could still fall back on the trade while he worked in the military as a heavy gunner. The first of two Bosnian tours proved difficult; for the first six months he couldn’t call home consistently, doing so only once for one to two minutes. It was also during this time that the other disciplines of his mixed martial arts game were explored via armed forces boxing programs and jiu jitsu programs he joined to fight the boredom. After five years of active duty, Clementi saluted the battle field one last time, exiting active duty for a stint as a cop in the International Guard. This lasted for three years as Clementi pursed technical college and fighting; yet another adjustment to be overcome.

“It was pretty tough; one of the hardest things for active duty guys is to leave the military because you are used to a steady check. But I was at a point as a fighter where I really wanted to pursue a fighting career and some college. After 9/11 I had been reactivated and had to cancel a fight coming up in Japan. That was a dream of mine to do that and after eight years of military service I had the choice to leave and I did it to fight, manage fighters and promote.”

This led to Clementi’s journey to the bayous of Louisiana as he was stationed in mobile battalions where he had to move every six months. Slidell, Louisiana was the main base, and once he began fighting and promoting there he decided to stay and make it his permanent home base.

“I really looked up to Jens Pulver, and Monte Cox was managing me at the time so I could have gone up to Iowa training camps but I had the choice to make a scene down here. I chose that so I could make money off the business and not just fighting.”

“No Love” the moniker became No Love Entertainment and Clementi began promoting professional cage fighting events in Louisiana. As the longest running promotion in the state of Louisiana and Mississippi, Clementi’s passion for work and MMA is now a complete lifestyle. As a fighter on The Ultimate Fighter 4 he even convinced the contestants to name their squad Team No Love, in an effort at clever marketing for his home base.

“I went to a UFC at the Pontchartrain Center during the blackout time when they did it in the south; I’ve seen the fighters purses get bigger and sponsorships too. I love the UFC. I’m a business guy too and people criticize the UFC but I have tons of respect for their business model, and when I stop fighting I’d love to be a part of the UFC.”

On April 19th Clementi will have his hands full with a man who is not only a local standout in Canada but who calls himself, “Hands of Stone” – Sam Stout.

“He is a hell of a fighter with a great reputation but I feel that he is a little smaller than me. I’m stronger, the well-roundedness of myself will come out, I’ve never been knocked out my whole career and I can take this fight anywhere. This is 17 years of groundwork opposed to ‘I’ve been training with someone who can elevate my ground game.’ This sport is about exposing your opponent’s weaknesses and that’s what I look forward to doing.”

Rich Clementi is a man of purpose, and a statement is always made when he sets out to do something. On April 19th lets all hope for that good old American Clementi passion, because as we know now, there is no love like Clementi love.