Charlie Brenneman's transformation from teacher to MMA fighter may, initially sound unusual. But to listen to him explain, it was actually kind of natural.  He said, that it all began with wrestling.  He was a wrestler all of his life which eventually led him to a career in teaching and coaching.  At that point, he was where he wanted to be in life.  But after about a year and a half, he began to get restless.  He decided that he wanted to move past teaching.  Though, back then, MMA was not real popular.  It was more underground---A friend of his signed with the UFC and then a light bulb went off and he decided that that was what he was going to pursue.

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Charlie said that the biggest obstacle that he faced was learning how to fight.  He said that, though he knew how to wrestle, he DID NOT know how to fight.  So, to solve this problem, the first thing that he did was to begin looking around for gyms and people who knew something about Mixed Martial Arts. The problem was, there was not a lot of these types of facilities around the Hollidaysburg area.  Eventually, he did find a couple and was able to begin his journey.  However, living in central Pennsylvania, a place where there is virtually no big name gyms, that presented an obstacle to his growth.  So, that is what ultimately led him to move out of the area to New Jersey.....

 

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For the rest of Charlie's interview, check out the upcoming book They Came From Blair County due out by the end of 2020.

 

 

 

**Information for  this article was obtained through a phone interview with Charlie Brenneman

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**Photo Credits**

1. Furman Photography

2. Ashleigh Williamson Photography

3. Ashleigh Williamson Photography