“It was right before my fight,” Varricchio said. “I’m just a smiling, happy guy who jokes with everyone, and when I’m fighting, I’m a completely different person. After the fight, my brother gave me that name.
Five knockouts, four of which came in the first round, are more than enough to earn a nickname of this nature. “Ruthless” is not a new nickname in the MMA cage, as UFC legend Robbie Lawler has set the bar high for fighters looking to carry the moniker.
“It’s actually really funny because when I first started fighting, I never really followed the fights,” Varricchio explained. “I didn’t know who Robbie Lawler was until after my first fight, when my brother gave me that nickname. A few weeks later, someone called me Robbie Lawler and I was like, “Who is this guy?” Then I watched his fight against Rory MacDonald and I was like, “Holy shit.” At that point I thought I had some shit to live up to or that I needed to change my name, I decided to live up to it.