LOD Podcast
The Balletto Fighting Legacy with Gary “Tiger” Balletto Sr. & Gary “Batman” Balletto III | Ep. 118
Our Episode 118 guests are a father-and-son duo whose lives have been built around combat sports. Gary “Tiger” Balletto Sr. is a former three-time lightweight champion who compiled a 31-3-2 professional boxing record, including 26 knockouts, and later competed on ESPN’s The Contender. In 2013, Balletto suffered a devastating spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed from the chest down, but his fighting spirit never disappeared. He went on to establish the Gary “Tiger” Balletto Foundation, helping provide resources and adaptive fitness opportunities for people living with paralysis. His legacy in the fight game also lives on through Balletto’s Gym, which he originally founded in Rhode Island in 1995.
His son, Gary “Batman” Balletto III, has carried that fighting tradition into MMA and bare-knuckle competition. Seven of his 11 professional MMA victories have come by submission, and his résumé includes wins over Pat Casey and Daniel Frunza, along with a bout against current UFC fighter Billy Ray Goff. Balletto has also found success in bare-knuckle fighting and has finished each of his last five fights by the second round or earlier. In 2022, he reinvented his father’s gym as the Balletto Advanced Training Center, continuing the family’s combat-sports legacy into another generation. Now, Batman has one of the biggest opportunities of his career ahead of him when he steps into the cage in Las Vegas on August 25 for Dana White’s Contender Series, with an opportunity to move one step closer to the UFC.
Intro: Mark Ediss, aka “The Shark” – PA Announcer/DJ for the Savannah Bananas
Photo: Courtesy of Balletto Family
