Feb-17-2009
Mike Ciesnolevicz – The “Permanent Cornerman” gets His Time to Shine
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PRIDE: CRITICAL COUNTDOWN ABSOLUTE DVD
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By Thomas Gerbasi
If this fighting thing doesn’t work out, Mike Ciesnolevicz probably has a career in photography waiting for him. See, the Pennsylvania native was “that” guy, the one working with and cornering some of the biggest names in mixed martial arts over the last few years, so when a fan came up with a request for a picture, guess who got caught holding the camera?
“I was so sick being the guy holding the camera and taking pictures of Tim Sylvia, Robbie Lawler, and Jens (Pulver),” chuckles Ciesnolevicz. “’Can you hold this camera and take this picture?’ I’ve been the permanent cornerman.”
For over five years, the Miletich Fight Team member has been the fighter in the background, the cult hero whose name has been bandied about for years on internet message boards but who has never been seen inside the UFC Octagon. As he talks about it, he admits that “it’s been a big stressor in my life actually.”
And that’s not to say he doesn’t belong in the organization. Winner of 17 out of 21 pro bouts, with one no contest, Ciesnolevicz has certainly paid his dues, both in competition and in the gym. But for one reason or another, he never got the call to the big show. In recent years, his contract with the now-defunct IFL prevented him from taking spots that instead went to college roommate Tim Boetsch and MFS Elite teammate Drew McFedries, but when the IFL went down, “Mike C” put on the full-court press to get his well-deserved shot it the Octagon.
“(Manager) Monte Cox was ready to kill me,” he laughed. “I was literally texting him every day. I even remember being at a UFC after party and saying to (UFC matchmaker) Joe Silva, ‘please man, get me in the UFC.’”
Silva told Ciesnolevicz to keep winning, and the 29-year old kept up his end of the bargain, submitting Andrew Force and Derek Mehman and stopping Matt Andersen, with all of those wins coming in the first round.
“I’ve had three fights since the IFL went under and won all of them and Monte said it was just a matter of time,” he said. “I’ve been keeping up to date with all the fight cards and everything going on at 205.”
Then came the phone call.
“Hey, you want to fight in England?”
Ciesnolevicz ran through the UFC 95 card in his head. “There are no fights at 205 in England,” he thought.
“You want to fight heavyweight?”
He thought about it for about a millisecond before he responded affirmatively to moving up to heavyweight on short notice to replace Justin McCully against Neil Grove, a 280-pounder who cuts down to the heavyweight limit of 265 pounds.
How’s that for a welcome to the UFC?
“I would have fought anybody just to get my foot in the door,” said Ciesnolevicz. “I train with Sylvia, (Ben) Rothwell, (Brad) Imes, and those guys, so it’s not that big a deal because I’m used to the big bodies, and the last four, five years I’ve been training with those monster guys.”
Ever since the age of 15, Ciesnolevicz wanted to learn how to fight, and when given the opportunity by his father to train in Tae Kwon Do or with a Marine who taught people how to “really fight,” the die was cast.
“I love Bloodsport, Lionheart, and Bruce Lee movies and I said ‘man, I’m gonna learn how to fight, what’s around here?’” he recalled. “I grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania, like 40 minutes north of Harrisburg. And my dad was like, well, there’s this guy that teaches Tae Kwon Do and forms, and then there’s this other guy, he’s an ex-Marine and a black belt in karate, but his style is geared towards streetfighting. These guys will show you how to really fight.”
Ciesnolevicz chose the Marine, and there was no turning back for him.
“I was getting my ass kicked and it was like a real fight in every practice,” he said. “I kinda came up the hard way like that.”
That was just the start of it. Ciesnolevicz went off to wrestling powerhouse Lock Haven University to wrestle, box, and pick up a degree in Health and Physical Education. There he met future UFC fighter Boetsch, and once school was over, the two talked about mixed martial arts. Ciesnolevicz was looking to get started immediately, and he hit the internet and martial arts magazines in search of the best camp in the sport. Next stop? Iowa.
“I got beat up really bad by everyone,” he said of his first week with Team Miletich. “I thought I was really tough. I get back and Boetsch says ‘How did you do up there? You kick those guys’ asses?’ No, I got killed.”
It should have been the end of the story right there, but it wasn’t. Ciesnolevicz was moving to Bettendorf. He packed up his car, drove 15 hours, and began his mixed martial arts journey. It wasn’t all roses once he got there though, as he juggled his training with gigs as a substitute school teacher and bouncer. After one particularly bad session in the gym, he confessed to teammate Mike Whitehead that maybe the sport wasn’t for him. Whitehead let Miletich know, and the team guru confronted Ciesnolevicz.
“You’ve got potential,” said Miletich. “If you leave, I’m gonna drive to Pennsylvania and bring you back.”
Years later, Ciesnolevicz is one of the veterans of the gym, and after surviving his trial by fire, he sees what that type of hardcore training gives you in the middle of a tough fight.
“It really gives you the confidence to know hey, I’ve been under fire, I’ve been gassed out, I’ve been in bad spots with huge guys on top of me, and it clears your mind a bit because you’ve been there before,” he said. “You can actually think about what you need to do instead of thinking about how tired you are. You don’t panic as much and make bad decisions. It’s tough love, but when it’s over and you win, you’re like, thanks for putting me through that.”
And being around a host of UFC vets over the years has also eliminated the bane of many Octagon debutants – the first time UFC jitters.
“I walked out for the main event with Tim five times already,” he said. “I walked out with Boetsch, I’ve walked out with Ben at different shows, and I’ve cornered everybody in our gym at big shows. The first time I walked out with Tim, I was like ‘wow, this is crazy, I’m glad it’s not me fighting right now.’ (Laughs) But after a while, I thought it was cool and I kinda like the atmosphere. I don’t think I’m gonna go through that (the jitters).”
He’s also grasping his opportunity in the spotlight and not letting it go for anything. Fighting in the UFC has long been Mike Ciesnolevicz’ dream, and he refuses to wake up from it.
“I just hope people realize that I’m a real world-class fighter and that I have the skills to compete at the highest level,” he said. “I’m that guy who fights anybody at anytime and I’m willing to step up to the plate against anybody. It’s been a long time coming – a lot of injuries, a lot of ups and downs - so coming here is such a burden off my back, and if I stop fighting tomorrow, this would still be the happiest moment of my career so far. Fighting in the UFC, it validates you.”
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