John Cholish, the Cornell-educated wrestler whose impressive education had once been financed by the sale of a 1964 Plymouth Fury, settled into a new financial-industry job in New York City about five years ago.
His college wrestling team had often watched UFC events, so he held a simmering interest in mixed martial arts. One of the first days on the job, he went searching for a new gym.
What luck. With a quick Internet look, Cholish found Renzo Gracie’s New York City school, which stood a block away from his new office. After work, the fighter, who makes his Strikeforce debut Saturday, ditched the shirt and tie and started what would become his MMA training.