Patriots' Amendola using MMA during offseason

In the NFL, it is always key to stay in the best shape possible. Whether that means working your butt off in the off-season, eating healthy as possible, or in this case, participating in MMA style fighting. That was exactly the case for Danny Amendola, who in the off-season, worked with Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture to stay in shape. According to the Boston Herald:

Amendola admitted he was hesitant at first, but the reassurance that Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture wouldn't turn his face into a plate of spaghetti might have swayed his final opinion.
"I definitely have much respect for that sport because those guys are crazy," Amendola said. "It’s an intense workout.
"I liked it. I’m going to do it for a long time."
Amendola started his day by going through his normal football training routine before heading to the MMA gym, so he believed it would help his cardio. Hard to argue with that, really.
"We didn’t actually punch each other," Amendola said, "but we did drills and grappling and boxing."

This MMA fighting is only a positive for Amendola, who was called to join the Patriots to replace Wes Welker in the offseason. Amendola cites that he did not get into the ring with the UFC legend, but there was that part of him who always wanted to. But either way, the cardio that he has done has really helped him in the long run so far. He is lights out when paired with Brady, and the two have been completing passes like no tomorrow throughout practice.

The biggest factor to come out of the MMA training is his proneness to injury. Amendola has missed 20 games in the past few years due to injury. The Patriots can only hope that this training has done something to strengthen him up, and make it so that he can last more than six games this year.

- Joshua Powers
@jmano33