UFC fighter Antonio Trocoli gained huge within the 2025 World Sequence of Poker’s Colossus event earlier this week, incomes $122,330 after a buy-in of simply $500 amongst a subject of 16,300 gamers. Trocoli mentioned “it was a really tough event” that required numerous persistence, however the non-public courses he’s had with former WSOP winners paid off.
“That was the most important hit of my profession,” Trocoli advised MMA Preventing. “I’ve had different prizes earlier than in Brazilian actual, like R$48,000 (approx. $8,600 USD), however not that a lot in {dollars}, proper? Particularly within the Colossus, the most important subject in WSOP. … Who doesn’t wish to flip $500 into $500,000? This event pays loads for the worth [of the buy-in]. I had the dream and made it to the ultimate.. It was unimaginable. There are numerous Brazilians taking part in this for a very long time and by no means made it to the ultimate desk on the Colossus. It’s a historic feat.”
Trocoli’s girlfriend Mackenzie Dern, a top-ranked strawweight within the UFC, was additionally within the event. She began having fun with poker watching Trocoli play on-line, and has had success in superstar tournaments earlier than, however misplaced early this time.
“I’ve to be extra critical, like he does,” Dern advised MMA Preventing. “He’s all targeted in there, listening to his music, glasses. I’m going in there to win, however not that critical. He’s way more critical than I’m.”
“She’s extra unfastened in there,” Trocoli mentioned. “, she’s a high 5 within the UFC, I’m not, so her cash is 10 occasions larger [laughs]. I’m going in there with brief cash so I’ve to carry tight.”
Colossus paid a complete of $542,540 to the winner, Courtenay Williams. Trocoli now focuses on getting into the Millionaire Maker, a WSOP event scheduled for June 18. With a buy-in of $1,500, it pays the winner over $2 million—Trocoli will earn round $600,000 if he additionally finishes sixth in that event, for instance.
Trocoli is getting higher as a poker participant, however that doesn’t imply he’s strolling away from the UFC. The 34-year-old is 0-2 within the promotion with losses to Shara Magomedov—a match he took on lower than per week’s discover—and Tresean Gore, and was pressured out of a middleweight conflict with Mansur Abdul-Malik this previous February as a consequence of a again damage.
He hopes to be again contained in the octagon in August, however sees a future the place he’s a poker participant—and Navy seal—after he’s finished preventing.
“It doesn’t add up. Whenever you evaluate the 2, getting punched within the face or earning money sitting on a chair?” Trocoli mentioned. “I gained’t cease coaching as a result of I really like staying in form, I wish to really feel advantageous, however earning money in a couple of hours, brother, there’s no comparability. We combat as a result of we prefer it. Look, we combat 15 or 16 occasions in Brazil to make R$500, generally not even make something, simply to get to the UFC and begin making one thing. We’re on this sport as a result of we love this shit. We’re loopy, and we do love this.
“MMA is nice, however you must cease your life for 2 months and put together to combat and break your self for one thing that isn’t even that a lot. Whenever you win a bonus, cool, however I don’t know. At present I don’t have that… It’s not as a result of I gained [at WSOP] or as a result of I bought to such a excessive prize, however I used to be already fascinated by this. … I’m not that excited [about MMA] anymore. I had this damage and my again is sort of unhealthy, fragile. I nonetheless wish to achieve success at each [MMA and poker] concurrently. However I even have the will to do solely poker as a result of prefer it or not, I’ve made more cash in poker than preventing. It’s silly if I don’t select to reside off poker after preventing.”
