By all accounts, the mixed martial arts career of Mark Cherico has come to an end.
And in a fitting bit of poetic justice, his career ended seven years to the day that it started, and it ended with the same submission in the same round.
A former power lifter, “The Pride of Bloomfield” learned about MMA almost by accident, as one of his neighbors was carrying a bag of gear and Cherico asked what it was all for. Not long after that, he made his MMA debut on October 24, 2008 in the small town of Niles, Ohio, submitting Anthony Chick with a rear naked choke in the second round.
The first time I ever heard the name Mark Cherico was in 2011, as he submitted Mark McDonald with a triangle choke at a Rocktagon event in Northeast Ohio. That win moved his amateur career to 6-0, and hearing some of the things he said, he exuded the confidence and business mind of a seasoned pro.
After a contract dispute with Rocktagon, he signed with the powerful NAAFS, and the Pittsburgh kid continued to travel to Northeast Ohio, bringing droves of fans from the Steel City across the border. At that time, it seemed like Pennsylvania fighters were dominating in the NAAFS, with guys like Mike Putnam, Khama Worthy, and others continually making the trip and continually upsetting hometown fighters.
Cherico ended his amateur career at the end of 2011, as he defeated Russ Brletrick for a second time and claimed the NAAFS 2011 Featherweight title. He was 9-0 with nine finishes, including six via his patented rear naked choke.
He made his pro debut in 2012, quickly reeling off three wins in eight months, all via rear naked choke.
He headlined the debut event for the upstart Pinnacle Fighting Championships after a contract falling out with NAAFS, and he went on to become the face of Pittsburgh’s top promotion, main eventing seven of the organization’s first ten events, and finally getting to fight in his hometown for the first time in his career.
A turning point came at Pinnacle FC 3 in June 2013, when Cherico dominated a UFC veteran and well-seasoned fighter in Donny Walker in just his fifth pro fight. From there, whispers about Cherico’s own chances in the UFC began to start, and he became one of the hottest prospects in the sport.
After that, Cherico changed as a fighter by his own admission, needing all three rounds for the first time in his career to dispatch of Brady Hovermale and then Luis Guerra. With the pressure mounting for him to win every time out, he started to fight safe and wasn’t the same aggressive fighter putting his opponents in bad spots and then finishing fights like he was before.
Then came Thanksgiving Eve last year. Brian Kelleher was an unheralded yet tough veteran fighter from New York, and he came in telling people he was going to beat the almighty Cherico in his own backyard. It was mostly brushed off as pre-fight hype, with many feeling that Cherico was a heavy favorite in the fight. A win would have likely put him in the UFC.
But Mark got clipped early in the fight, and Kelleher capitalized, sinking in a guillotine choke and ending Cherico’s 16-fight unbeaten record in just 37 seconds.
Much to his credit, Cherico took the loss in stride, saying that he’d be back better than ever in 2015. He returned to the cage in May, dispatching of unbeaten Darby Halferty and looking like the Mark Cherico of old.
Then injuries started to mount. He had actually pulled out of a scheduled March bout against Nate Landwehr and then had to pull out of another bout in August with a shoulder injury.
“I had a couple injuries this year, and the last one I dislocated my shoulder again, and when that happened, I decided I was done,” Cherico said in an interview before his fight. “It happened on a Friday, and I’m sitting there on Saturday afternoon and I decided this was it, I’m going to walk away.”
“And Sunday morning I remember waking up and my daughter came running over to me and she asked me where she was going for the day because I had been in camp, and usually on Sundays she would go to my mom’s so I could go get my run in or go spar or whatever I was doing that day. And when I told her that I was done and I wasn’t fighting, her little face lit up and she came running to me and gave me a big hug. She was so excited that I wasn’t going out for the day and we could hang out.”
At that point, Cherico says he decided that he was done fighting but that he’d do one last fight and then retire from the sport that gave him a sour taste in his mouth.
On Saturday night, he walked into the cage for the final time, seven years to the day that he stopped Anthony Chick with a rear naked choke in the second round.
It was a different Cherico than we had seen before. One that was more willing to strike and throw caution to the wind against a fighter in Landwehr that will put you to sleep if you’re not on your game. “The Pride” had a pep in his step, as he was landing blows from the beginning of the fight. Then came a big left hook that dropped Landwehr, and Cherico went back to his instincts, sinking in the hooks, using some big shots to open him up, and then getting the forearm under the neck and finishing the “rear naked Cherico.”
If this truly is the end, then Mark has a lot to be proud of in his time in the sport. He helped bring many eyes to the sport in multiple states, and became a fan favorite for his brash but always respectful style.
He’ll now have more time with his daughter and wife and may just go on being a regular guy working a 9-5 job, but Local MMA fans will always remember what he did for the sport.