5 Things To Know About Argentinian MMA Hero Nicolas Vigna
Argentinian veteran Nicolas “El Paisa” Vigna will soon return for his second appearance in ONE Championship with another opportunity to assert himself as an elite talent on the global stage.
On June 6 in U.S. primetime, the battle-hardened South American will square off with undefeated Turkish phenom Dzhabir Dzhabrailov in a lightweight MMA contest at ONE Fight Night 32: Rodrigues vs. Cohen on Prime Video.
Set to go down at Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium, that bout will also be Vigna’s chance to bounce back from a difficult debut loss to submission grappling megastar turned MMA prodigy Kade Ruotolo.
Before he takes to the ring in Thailand, these are five fast facts about the man known as “El Paisa.”
#1 A Farm Boy At Heart
Vigna was born and raised in the foothills of the Andes mountains in the Patagonia region of Argentina.
He enjoyed an idyllic childhood in the countryside with his parents and two siblings, often helping out with daily farm chores like feeding livestock, tending to gardens and crops, butchering animals, hunting, and riding horses.
This rural upbringing instilled in Vigna a sense of discipline and work ethic – and earned him the “El Paisa” nickname, which means “the country.”
#2 Late Start In Martial Arts
Compared to many of his peers in the world’s largest martial arts organization, Vigna started training in combat sports at a relatively late stage.
He was already 17 years old when he began practicing karate, and a year later, he branched out to the grappling art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Before long, Vigna’s natural aptitude for fighting caught the attention of a local MMA coach, who invited him to train in the all-around sport. From there, he was hooked – and soon made it his life’s purpose to reach the highest level of competition.
#3 Undefeated On The Regional Circuit
The Argentinian’s late start in MMA didn’t slow him down one bit.
Prior to arriving at ONE, he amassed an unblemished 7-0 professional record while training under the careful guidance of respected coach Maximiliano “Maximus” Aldao.
That perfect record established Vigna as one of South America’s best MMA talents and captured the attention of ONE’s matchmakers.
#4 A Proven Finisher
“El Paisa’s” impressive professional record only tells one part of the story.
Looking closer, fans will notice that he’s a ruthless finisher, boasting a mixture of knockouts and submission wins to make up his 100 percent finishing rate in victories.
What’s more, all but one of Vigna’s stoppages have come in the first round – a further testament to his elite killer instincts.
#5 An Educated Professional
Vigna’s bomb of a right hand isn’t the only explosive material he’s accustomed to working with.
Outside of fighting, he’s been employed by the National Atomic Energy Commission at the esteemed Bariloche Atomic Center in Argentina.
An electromechanical technician by trade, he’s also studying for a degree in Occupational Health and Safety.
