Vladimir Matyushenko:

Vladi may be a native of Belarus, but he’s living the American dream – self-made style. After breaking away from the Belarus wrestling team while at a dual meet in New York in 1994, he spoke no English and had the clothes on his back and a bus ticket in his pocket. He used that ticket, and some relationships he’d developed in the wrestling world, to make his way to Northern California, where his English – and his wrestling – improved, as he became a Junior College All-American at Lassen College, before moving on to the University of Nevada, where he was two-time national wrestling champion, graduating with a degree in Health Science in 1999.

Matyushenko has gone on to a successful MMA career, winning a heavyweight championship and competing against some of the sport’s top names. From his roots in a small town, Retchisa, in a former Soviet Republic, Matyushenko has used his success in sports to see the world, and sees his own story as emblematic of the kind of role model that athletes should be. Not a bad model to follow.