Throughout his entire life, Charles Rosa has had to choose between his two loves of hockey and fighting. He finally has an opportunity to do both at BKFC Ice Wars 3.
Rosa, 39, is best known among combat sports fans for his 13-fight career with the UFC. He was released by the promotion following his third consecutive loss in 2022 and has since dominated the New England regional MMA scene.
Rosa's last win came over Peter Barrett at Gamebred Bare-knuckle MMA 8, which introduced him to the world of bare-knuckle fighting. He briefly considered signing with the BKFC, but he could not have been more excited when presented with the opportunity to join the company's newest venture, Ice Wars.
"This is literally what I was born to do," Rosa told KO on SI. "There's three things I love: food, fighting and hockey. Fighting and hockey are my two favorite things; everybody knows that. My favorite part about hockey was always the fighting, and now we're bringing that to the table. This is where I want to be."
🚨 CO-MAIN EVENT 🚨
UFC Veteran Charles Rosa thinks he can step in the ice box with hockey enforcer veteran Reid Krasowski. Who will come out on top… MMA or Hockey?
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Rosa played college hockey at Johnson & Wales University, where he walked on to the team. Rosa's initial goal was to make it to the NHL, but he quickly turned to fighting once that dream died.
Nearly two decades later, Rosa gets to scratch that itch with the opportunity to get paid to step onto the ice. However, 'Boston Strong' jokingly admitted that he has spent the majority of the last 15 years on land and not as much on the ice.
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"I don't think I've laced up the skates, aside from public skating here and there like once a year for the last 15 years," Rosa said. "I have my hockey bag in my garage, just sitting there looking at me every day. But as a professional athlete, I didn't have time to play pickup hockey if I could be in a boxing class, so I set my priorities. Now my priorities come full circle. I get to finally take my equipment off the shelf."
It took some time, but getting back into the groove of skating was like riding a bike for Rosa. With the help of former Boston Bruins veteran Shawn Thornton and NHL skate coach Alex Roth, Rosa developed a schedule to guide him through the unique training for the fight.
Since accepting the fight, Rosa's mornings have consisted of daily training sessions with Roth on the ice, combined with an adequate amount of pad work. Rosa also enlisted the help of Mike Arcamone, who will also compete at BKFC Ice Wars 3, as his primary on-ice sparring partner.
For the first time since his release from the UFC, Rosa believes he has found a long-term career path to explore. Although he eventually sees himself back on the MMA scene, Rosa believes that Ice Wars is a potentially lucrative avenue for him to pursue for years to come.
BKFC Ice Wars not only allows Rosa to tap back into his hockey side, but it also allows him to connect with the late Kimbo Slice, whom he views as a mentor.
"There's nothing more real [than bare-knuckle fighting," Rosa said. "It's the ultimate form of martial arts and the ultimate form of fighting. You don't have any gear or protection. You go in there with your fists, and it's the old Kimbo Slice way. Maybe I can make a cool highlight reel like his."
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Jaren Kawada is a combat sports writer who specializes in betting, with over five years of experience in boxing and MMA. When he is not covering the sport, Kawada is an avid MMA, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and boxing practitioner. Kawada has previous bylines with ClutchPoints, Sportskeeda MMA, BetSided and FanSided MMA. Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, Kawada has a B.A. in Sports Media from Butler University and now resides in Denver, Colorado.
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