Zan Fugitt gave a glimpse on his way to his third District championship of what his long-term future may hold.
In his quarterfinal victory over the weekend, Fugitt was in an experimental mode prior to finishing off his foe with a pin. The Nixa 120-pound junior twice tried to take his opponent down by kicking at his feet.
“I do it in the (practice) room sometimes and usually it doesn’t work,” he said. “But there’s always a slight chance it does work and when it does, it’s pretty cool.”
Fugitt’s fancy for fancy footwork is no doubt a result of his increasing interest in martial arts. Specifically, he trains for jiu jitsu and kickboxing.
“Shout out to Grappling Concepts, that’s the gym I train at,” Fugitt said. “Jacob Ritchie runs it. He’s a big role model in my life and a great coach.”
Fugitt has continued his jiu jitsu and kickboxing training during wrestling season. Two-a-day workouts have become common for him.
“After wrestling practice, I’ll give myself about an hour break,” he said. “I’ll shower and go to the gym for jiu jitsu and kickboxing.”
The double-duty certainly has strengthened Fugitt’s endurance.
“He stays busy,” coach Dustin Martin said. “He’s got a huge gas task and a lot of energy. He’s big into the martial arts. That’s a tough man’s sport with a high pace and a lot of hard work.”
Fugitt, a state champion at 113 pounds last year, has committed to wrestle in college at Oklahoma. After his prep and college careers, he’s looking forward to stepping into a cage for mixed martial arts fighting.
“When I’m done wrestling, I’m going to fight,” Fugitt said.
Fugitt has dived head-first into the world of the UFC, paying close attention to anything he can pick up from fighters the likes of Khamzat Chimaev, Demetrius Johnson, Georges St-Pierre and of course, Khabib Nurmagomedov.
“I watch videos on a lot of those guys,” Fugitt said. “It pushes me to work hard and act the way they do. I’m trying to push myself and get better every day.”
Looking ahead to State, Fugitt anticipates his toughest matchup to come from Seckman freshman Draegen Orine (37-3). In their two matchups this season, Fugitt won by counts of 5-1 and 5-3.
