Even in a sport full of unique nicknames, Kevin Nowaczyk’s moniker manages to stand out: “Give Me Your Lunch Money.”
How did Nowaczyk (19-3), who brings a seven-fight winning streak into Saturday’s Victory FC 60 main event with middleweight Andrew Kapel (11-6), get it?
Was he a bully on the school ground? Was he shaking nerds from their ankles to pick up their loot?
“Actually, it was just the opposite,” Nowaczyk told MMAjunkie Radio. “I was bullied in high school and getting my lunch taken. Maybe that’s why I chose it, you know?
“I was trying to get that revenge back.”
On Saturday, he hopes to get his revenge on Kapel, who never actually stole Nowaczyk’s lunch funds but stands across him in a high-profile bout – one where a victory very likely could get him on the UFC’s radar. Victory FC 60, which is a joint venture with fellow Alliance MMA promotion Hoosier Fight Club, takes place at The Venue at Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Ind., near Chicago.
The card streams on UFC Fight Pass, so UFC officials likely will be watching Nowaczyk’s bout, which is a sort of second chance for the fighter; he fell short in an elimination-round bout against Dominic Waters on “The Ultimate Fighter 16” in 2012.
The nickname, of course, is likely to be a bonus when it comes to potential marketing should he get to the UFC. So where did it even come from?
“I’ve actually had that since my first fight – my first amateur fight,” Nowaczyk, now 29, said. ” … I was like 18, and it kind of came out of nowhere when the announcer asked me if I wanted to have a nickname, and I just said, ‘Yeah, ‘Give Me Your Lunch Money,” sort of as a joke.
“But he laughed so hard, I just kind of stuck with it after that fight, and I got so many compliments.”
Check out the full interview, which includes his thoughts on Kapel, above.
And for more on Victory FC 60, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.
MMAjunkie Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia, Brian “Goze” Garcia and Dan Tom. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.
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