The Professional Fighters League (PFL) recently announced the 2023 PFL Challenger Series Lightweight competitors and bouts boasting former ONE Championship athlete Antonio Caruso (8-1).
The PFL Challenger Series is an eight-night competition that will stream exclusively on Fubo Sports, the live, free-to-consumer TV network from FuboTV Inc. (NYSE: FUBO), the leading sports-first live TV streaming platform.
The Challenger Series airs live on Friday nights in primetime, beginning January 27 through March 17, and is held on the backlot of Universal Studios Florida in Orlando, Florida, with fighters looking to earn the opportunity to compete for a world championship and $1 million winnerβs purse.
The card will see Australia native ‘The Spartan’ Antonio Caruso, who boasts five wins by finish including one knockout, match up with Anthony Romero, who fights out of Ontario, Canada.
Romero is coming off of an impressive flying knee victory in his last fight in April 2022 and holds a 9-1 record.
Who Is Antonio Caruso?
Born in Adelaide, Australiaβs Antonio Caruso began training in martial arts with boxing, and he soon earned himself the nickname of βThe Spartanβ due to his extreme training regimen.
He was raised by a single father and his grandparents, who instilled in him the virtues of hard work, humility, honor, and respect. Influenced by movies such as βRockyβ and βThe Karate Kidβ, he and his older brothers began training in Shotokan karate with their uncle, with Caruso going on to train and compete in boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and mixed martial arts.
Caruso made his professional mixed martial arts debut in early 2013, encouraged by his BJJ coach and nominated by his brother without his knowledge.
He began his professional career by going a perfect 7-0 with five fast finishes before relocating to Florida to train at Hard Knocks 365, where he trains under the legendary Henri Hooft alongside top-level training partners, including former ONE World Champions Aung La N Sang and Martin Nguyen.
A multiple-time BJJ champion, Caruso is proud of his work ethic and ability to apply pressure, and he believes that most opponents cannot handle his intensity, both standing and on the ground.
Caruso was victorious in his last bout, where he secured a decision victory over fan favorite Eduard Folayang. Surprisingly Caruso left ONE Championship after just two competitive bouts and a promotion record of (1-1).
Will Antonio Caruso be victorious and make a run at the PFL Championship 2023?
Interview with Antonio Caruso
Image Credit Antonio Caruso
