WHO IS
LAZAR STOJADINOVIC
EARLIER YEARS
Lazar Stojadinovic was born and raised in the Bronx, NY. At the age of 5 he and his brothers took an interest in boxing. Training and sparring at home taught Lazar the importance of self-discipline and motivated him to pursue boxing at PAL (Police Athletic League) on Webster Avenue where he began competing in amateur fights. As the youngest, his working single mother of three did her best to keep him home but with an adventurous older brother and survivor mentality Lazar matured quickly riding the subway and doing anything to help raise money to keep food on the table and a bed to sleep in. Having been homeless he was surrounded by poverty which often lead to unwarranted violence. Every day was an opportunity to showcase his skills, being the smallest made him seem to others like a potential victim to bullying but those soon found out they bit off more than they could chew. After various transfers to different schools in the district and costing his mother numerous jobs the board decided it was in everyone's best interest to place Lazar in an outreach program that provided around the clock supervision. However, policies were completely disregarded where he would find himself in altercations with teachers that would physically discipline students. Every day for years Lazar defended himself until finally graduating.
THE START TO MMA
When he was 15 Lazar moved to Chicago with his brother to help his father open a restaurant. One night while hanging out they were invited to an MMA bout in Illinois. The promoter approached Lazar and his brother in the audience and asked if they'd fill in for two guys that missed weight. Agreeing to the bouts they went down to a local sports store, purchased mouthpieces, shorts and returned to the venue. Lazar's first opponent was 26 and had experience in wrestling. Even though Lazar had no MMA training he managed to walk out with the win by TKO. After that night he decided he didn't want to be involved in a limited sport. Lazar fights in the cage because it's the only place he truly feels free.
