The impulse that drove “The Ultimate Fighter 12” competitor Sako Chivitchyan to the working world also prompted him to risk everything for a career in MMA.
Chivitchyan, a native Armenian and longtime Los Angeles resident, had trained from age 9 in judo as nephew to famed trainer Gokor Chivichyan and took his first fight at 15 years old at an underground night club in San Pedro, Calif.
He felt fighting was in his blood, but a gunshot wound briefly changed his path in life.