Meet Steve Orosco of Smash Global in Hollywood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Steve Orosco.

Steve, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’m just a small-town, New England Kid who is driven by my passion. I had dreams of becoming a “Wolf on Wall Street,” which I did, as I majored in Finance from Pace University in NYC and then lived on Wall Street. After being recruited by a small firm in Shelton, CT and working like a slave, I realized money was not enough of a driver to make me happy. What made me happy was going to MMA training after work so, I decided to go back to school where I lied my way into an Executive MBA program at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, CT.

After getting a double masters graduating with a 3.9 GPA, I quit finance and focused solely on becoming a professional MMA Fighter, which again was my passion. I started wrestling at an early age so, I always say the sport of wrestling is what built me and made me the driven, passionate person I am. Not everyone is blessed to find their passions and/or genius abilities which I believe we all have. I trained for about two years, and then just like heading to the mecca of finance (Wall Street), I decided to pack up and head to the mecca of MMA, which at the time was San Diego. I went 8-0 as a pro before suffering my first loss in Melbourne, Aus.

At 32, I realized the chances of me becoming the next UFC Superstar was slim to none so, when I came home I weighed my options on what my next move would be. I asked myself, “what could I do to make my sport better?” The answer… elevate the sport in a way that barred the MMA community, which to me is a very NASCAR crowd. The Tapout t-shirts and Budlight cans flowing, etc. Unlike boxing, which was built on class and sophistication. If you watch major boxing events, you will notice the floor is full of people in suits with their wives in gowns. Take a look at UFC PPV and tell me what you see?

Everyone watches MMA, but unfortunately, MMA hasn’t built a platform for the Formula one crowd to attend… yet! My goal was to create an experience reminiscent of the gladiator days where Kings and Queens watched athletes go head-to-head in combat. It was the first form of entertainment, and will always be the most exhilarating form of entertainment because only a few are willing to get in a cage or ring and fight another human being.

With that said I applied for my promoters license via the California State Athletic Commission just like the UFC had to do. Once I was approved, I hit the road running, and nearly three years later, I have built something no one in entertainment and MMA has built in this short amount of time.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
No business start-up is smooth, and I have basically built this entire business self-funded, with little to no help. The biggest struggle has been ticket/table sales, but that’s because LA, which is arguably the entertainment capital of the world, is surprisingly a very hard place profit from. LA is used as a marketing platform for the rest of the world’s business.

Please tell us about Smash Global.
With SMASH Global, I develop extravagant events to elevate the sport of Pro MMA and celebrate every aspect of combat sports as a whole. It’s no secret that MMA is the fastest growing sport in the world, and my mission is to showcase this exciting, technical and budding sport within a high-class, sophisticated setting. Giving this sport the respect it truly deserves. SMASH Global combines the class and luxury of boxing, the raw excitement of MMA and the elegance of a black-tie gala, into one can’t-miss event.

What has been the proudest moment of your career so far?
I am proud that I have put on eight, unbelievably amazing events, with six of them being in the entertainment capital of the world – LA. The fact I have honored the celebrities I have without appearance fees but participating out of their passion for the sport shows what an incredible platform I have created to celebrate the industry.

As an 80s’ kid, I never would have thought in a million years that I would honor the likes of Mel Gibson, Dolph Lundgren, Lou Ferrigno and more. All of this being done with ZERO event production experience and only living in LA for two years.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.smashglobal.com
• Email: vip@smashglobal.com
• Instagram: @smashglobal
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/smashglobal

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