Born and raised in the small town of Hollidaysburg, PA, Charlie started wrestling when he was eight years old. Wrestling took him all over the country and taught him more about life than he could have ever anticipated. In college, Charlie wrestled Division I at Lock Haven University (PA), where he capped off his career in 2004 with a Top 12 finish at Nationals. He was living what he felt was the “normal life” for about two years and decided it was time to get back into the game. He was teaching Spanish back at his old high school, but felt something was missing. The only natural ability Charlie had was his wrestling, so MMA seemed like the best route to take. In November of 2006, he had his first amateur fight and became hooked. He hasn't looked back since…
Charlie is the product of a great family, to whom he owes all of his successes. They have been with him through the dreams that became reality, but more importantly, the dreams that never came to be. Charlie truly believes adversity is a blessing in disguise; defeat teaches you more than any victory.
Charlie is an idealist. Mixed Martial Arts is a way for him to live the kind of life that he wants to live. His goal is to one day own a gym, which encompasses both wrestling and MMA. In the perfect world, MMA and wrestling will give him the opportunity to affect kids in a positive way and help them reach their maximum potential in life.
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In September of '05, Charlie received a letter in the mail asking him to send in an audition tape for a new series that SpikeTV™ was creating. Figuring there was nothing to lose, Charlie made an audition tape and sent it in in hopes of being chosen as one of the contestants. Before he knew it, Charlie was LA bound to face off against such former professional athletes as Hershel Walker, Kevin Greene, Bill Goldberg, Clyde Drexler, John Rocker, Dominique Wilkins and many others. After winning his first show, he went on to the final episode where he dominated the competition and took home the grand prize along with his older brother, Ben.
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