Abe Pitrowski: "I want Nate Kittredge"!

The following is an interview with Elite MMA up-and-comer Abe ‘Thumper’ Pitrowski. After making an impressive splash in the New England MMA scene (going 4-0 as a professional and 1-1 as an amateur) Pitrowski is starting to open some eyes. However, Abe will be laid-up for awhile after breaking his leg in a recent car accident. Having met Abe at an I.C.E event this past summer, I can tell you he is quite the “character”. On that night Abe chose to give out his cell phone number (prior to his ring entrance) for the single ladies in the crowd. He then made quick work of opponent Brian Sands, winning the I.C.E light heavyweight title. In his last fight against Team Aggression’s Bob Balaschi, Abe wore an extremely large ‘octopus looking’ mask to the ring and with limited vision had to be guided all the way to the ring. He then shocked those in attendance by submitting a very tough Balaschi in under two minutes. For those of you who have not heard of Abe yet, you will.

I introduce you to Abraham William ‘ Thumper’ Pitrowski.

Fromthegut: How old are you? And when did you start MMA?

Abe Pitrowski: I’m 19, I’ll be 20 in March. I started grappling when I was 16 and got my Blue Belt in BJJ in under a year and my Purple Belt in just over two and a half years. I’m still a Purple Belt because I haven’t done any Gi competitions since I started fighting in MMA.

Fromthegut: When was your first MMA bout? Who was your opponent?

Abe Pitrowski: My first amateur MMA fight was Oct 20th, 2007, at the Burlington Brawl in Burlington, Vt. I fought Chad Beane of the “Green Mountain Boys”, I lost by KO. I came out to touch gloves and the next thing I know I got whacked!! They say I was unconscious but I don’t remember.

Fromthegut: Would you like a rematch with Chad?

Abe Pitrowski: No. He fights at like 165 now and there’s no way I’m getting down to that. I’d have to stop eating ice cream and that’s not gonna happen. I don’t hold that fight against him. I actually like all those (GMB) guy’s.

Fromthegut: So after the fight with Chad you jumped right to Pro is that right?

Abe Pitrowski: Yeah, I fought Todd Solek. I was abandoned by my corner before that fight so the guys from Team Gillett cornered me. I remember thinking when I got in the cage and looked over at Todd “how am I gonna beat this guy” but I dropped him once, then I dropped him again and started to gain confidence. I finished him with a rear-naked-choke.

Fromthegut: Now I see that your next fight was against George Wiggins in an amateur bout. So you went back to amateur?

Abe Pitrowski: It’s pretty weird I know. That was for the National Amateur Fight League. I called the promoter to see if he had anything for me and he said maybe at 185. So I get there and I’m actually 195, so he says he can have me fight a guy at 205 and I took it. Turns out my opponent, George Wiggins, was like 230, but I KO’d him. George hadn’t really been training though, he just wanted to give fighting a try. He’s a good guy.

Fromthegut: I heard you had trouble getting home after that fight. What happened?

Abe Pitrowski: Yeah (laughing), the show was in Springfield, Ma and I had  no ride home after the fight, so one of the guys running the show drove me as far Manchester, NH were my ride was supposed to meet me but he never showed. So I ended up hitchhiking with my backpack and trophy back to my house in Clarmount. (New Hampshire).

Fromthegut: Did you get any rides?

Abe Pitrowski: Yeah, I got three rides (laughing). It was an experience. That’s all this (fighting) is for me, an experience. I’m just going out there and having fun!

Fromthegut: Your 4-0 as a pro and you haven’t seen a 2nd round. You’ve pretty much walked through all your opponents, is there any one out there you’d like to test yourself against?

Abe Pitrowski: I want Nate Kittredge! He’s the best out there. His wrestling is great and he stands and throws bombs. I just want to fight the best and right now it’s him. Unfortunately, I’m going to be out for 6-8 months so it will have to wait.

Fromthegut: Yeah, tell me about your injury?

Abe Pitrowski: I was a passenger in a truck that rolled over a couple times. I broke my Tibia and Fibula. The Doctor says everything is in place so I won’t need surgery. It’s just a matter of letting the bone calcify and then getting back in shape.

Fromthegut: Tell me about your training, how did you get hooked up with Elite MMA?

Abe Pitrowski: I met Manny Neves after my fight with Todd Solek. He brought me down to Pawtucket and he and his uncle Bert have really helped my stand-up. Bert helps with my boxing and Manny with my muay thai. I owe so much to those guys. Manny is more than just a trainer or manager he really looks out for me. I’m actually living with him now, which is really cramping his style (laughing).

Fromthegut: What’s next for you?

Abe Pitrowski: Once my leg heals and I’m back in shape, I’d like to take a fight against a guy who may not be a top-ten guy, just to test the leg. Then I’ll fight whoever.

Fromthegut: Is there anyone you’d like to thank?

Abe Pitrowski: Yeah, I want to thank Manny and Bert Neves and all the guys at Elite MMA. Those guys are the best and have really helped me get to where I am. I also want to thank my sponsor AmericanStandUp, they hooked me up with some great gear and really care about their fighters.

Fromthegut: Abe thanks for taking the time and answering some questions. Good luck with the leg, hopefully we’ll be seeing in the cage soon.

Abe Pitrowski: No problem, Thank you!