Port Ewen man to fight world champion Brazilians in UFC competition

Berish said he does not have any particular “signature moves.” He favors Darce chokes, which is like a head-and-arm triangle-hold. He and his friends have been watching videos of Drysdale’s fights, scanning for weaknesses. “If I keep it on the feet, I am going to beat him,” said Berish confidently. “If I make him strike with me, that’s where I am going to be more successful. He is not as experienced as he is striking as his jiu-jitsu, same thing with his wrestling. His takedowns are not the best.”

Word on the street

Dutcher said Berish’s fellow gym fighters are pumped for him. Since Berish is a wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor in the gym, Dutcher said a lot of the men look up to him, and that he has a solid reputation as a well-rounded fighter.

J.J. Russo, Black and Blue’s Muy Thai instructor, described Berish’s fighting style as “super-aggressive.”

“[Berish] likes to get in your face,” said Russo. “He is definitely a wrestler. He’s an aggressive-moves person, and moves forward. Kind of like a juggernaut. He doesn’t back up. He will take the guy down, get in a dominant position, get him in a choke, and finish in a ground-and-pound. He normally finishes in the first, he comes out hard and keeps throwing. There’s no break in the action, he keeps pressing the action the whole time.”

Fellow high-school wrestler and MMA fighter Anthony Simmons said he and Berish used to roll around fighting in the back yard, back in the day. “He is very technical, a very hard worker,” said Simmons. “His dedication is what he got. Instead of being a brawler and things like that, he works and learns and trains to get where he is at. He does not show out, he does all the talking with his skills. He is a student and learns his skills. He is not cocky at all — [Berish] is a very humble person, that’s why he deserves it a lot more than a lot of the other guys. And that’s not just ’cuz he’s my friend. I punch him in the face all the time.”

Steve Edwards has been training with Berish for nine years at Black and Blue, and believes Berish will win this one. “[Berish’s style is] controlled chaos. He is brute force.  Very determined, and abrupt in his style. Amazing ground and pound. Overall he is a well-rounded fighter; really, really well-rounded. He stands a big chance of winning, a very big chance.”