ROAD FC $1 Million Lightweight Tournament fighter Leo Kuntz.

Leo Kuntz is one of the 16 fighters competing in the opening round of the ROAD FC $1 Million Tournament. In his own words, Leo opens up about his history in martial arts, the motivations in his unique life, and goals for winning the $1 million.

Introduction

My name is Leo Kuntz. I am originally from a small rural community in North Dakota. I am currently living and training out of south Florida. I was introduced to folk style wrestling at a young age and fell in love with the sport. As I got older, I began to transition into MMA.

I have been training with American Top Team out of Coconut Creek for the last 3 years. During the course of my MMA career, I managed to win all of the championships in the North Dakota area. I like to think of myself as a well-rounded fighter. I strive every day to improve my weaknesses and to sharpen the tools I already have. I embrace the idea of cross training and I like to train individual disciplines as well as implementing more traditional MMA training.

My family is very important to me. They have supported me in my MMA career and without them, I would not be able to follow my dreams. I am proud to fight for ROAD FC and I'm also proud of my Korean heritage (my mom is Korean). My Korean fans have been amazing and they are truly supportive! I cant wait to get back to Korea!

Outside of MMA, most of my hobbies involve the outdoors. I love to hike, hunt, fish, backpack, boat, and do just about anything that puts me in touch with nature. I also love music. My strangest hobby is probably playing table top board games. I meet with several different groups and play at least once a week.

On the ROAD FC $1,000,000 Lightweight Tournament

I am so grateful and blessed to have an opportunity to fight in this historic tournament! This is hands down the best opportunity that has arisen in my MMA career. It is unprecedented to offer a $1,000,000 grand prize for a tournament. I feel that the competition is some of the best in the world. ROAD FC did a great job of bringing together the best fighters from all disciplines from all over the world.

I haven't fought any of the tournament competitors before, but I have shared opponents with some of the current competitors. The only fighter that I really really want to fight is Kwon A-Sol. I believe he is a beatable opponent, but there will be lots of blood, sweat, and tears before I have an opportunity to square off with him in the cage. Other than that, I want fight whoever ROAD FC puts in the cage with me.

In a 16 man tournament, that spans the course of a year, its hard to say who is a favorite to win. Injuries, over training, and athlete burnout can change the course of any fight. Needless to say, some luck and good fortune will be needed to win this tournament. With that being said, I feel that the door is open to whoever can manage all of the factors the best. I feel that most of the competition is on level ground.

The International Trials Match

I had a challenging fight for my trails match. I was recovering from injuries and personal losses in my family life. I missed weight by a few ounces, which was very embarrassing. Because of that, I started the fight with a 5 point deficit against a Korean local. I knew that if I wanted to win this fight, I would have to finish him.

The opening round was going well, until he connected with a vicious knee to my face. The fight was nearly stopped due to blood. Luckily, I have been in many situations like that before. I was able to keep my composure and finish him with a rear naked choke in the early minutes of the third round. Things didn't go the way i had planned, but they rarely do in the fight game. However, I was able to get the finish and secure my spot in the tournament.

The Opening Round of the Tournament

Again, I am very grateful to have an opportunity to potentially fight for $1,000,000! My father will be sitting in my corner for this fight. This will be his first time in Korea. I so excited to show him the hospitality of the Korean people and I'm also very very excited for me and him to enjoy the world famous Korean cuisine!!!

My opponent, Shamil Zavurov is a veteran fighter. He has fought lots of competition and is a seasoned combat sport participant. He will not be an easy opponent to defeat. However, like everyone else in this tournament, I believe he is beatable and I'm certain it will be a great fight. He calls himself "The Lion of Dagestan" and I am known also as "The Lion". As in any cat fight, I'm certain the crowd will see blood!

$1,000,000 Prize

I cant stress enough how grateful I am to be part of this historic lightweight tournament. With the prize money, I could be able to follow some of my other dreams. Being a fighter, to me, is about providing a platform for me to pursue other, higher endeavors in life. Ultimately you are your own worst enemy. Through competition, training, and self discipline I am able to move closer and closer to my true self.

ROAD FC has shown me that they are a world class organization that cares about their fighters. They show this not only with words and actions, but also by paying fighters what they are worth. ROAD FC has treated my the best, even better than the UFC!

I don't think I need to say much to Kwon A-Sol. I'm sure he understands the situation well. I believe that I would make a great ROAD FC Champion. I live a holistic life style and truly believe in treating others how I want to be treated. I think I would be a great role model not just for up and coming fighters, but for all people looking to live a better life!

To Shamil, good luck with your training and health leading up to the fight. On July 15, there will be no lies!