Former Western Wayne standout Matt Leslie is a budding star in MMA
LAKE ARIEL — Matt Leslie was a typical All-American boy growing up in rural Wayne County.
The son of David and Tara Leslie, Lake Ariel, Matt loved playing youth soccer and baseball with his friends.
However, at the tender age of five, Leslie was introduced to wrestling and Jiu Jitsu … an introduction that provided a tantalizing glimpse of the life path down which he would eventually travel.
“Our gym had a fight team, so I was always around the older fighters and I definitely looked up to them,” Matt said. “Even as a little kid, I knew deep down this was something I definitely wanted to do.”
To the surprise of no one who knew him back then, Leslie's youthful intuition proved to be prophetic. Nearly two decades later, the former high school wrestling standout is now knocking on the door of Mixed Martial Arts stardom.
Matt already has three impressive amateur fights under his belt and is hard at work training for number four … laser-focused on realizing the dream of that precocious five-year-old.
“I really fell in love with the emotional and physical roller-coaster MMA takes you on,” Leslie said. “I just love the whole process of the fight and everything that leads up to it.”
High School Stardom
Leslie enjoyed a stellar varsity wrestling career at Western Wayne.
A four-year starter, Matt anchored a Wildcat team that was a perennial contender for both league and district titles. Along the way, he piled up individual numbers that eventually landed him a spot among the program's all-time greats.
Leslie posted a 24-9 record as a freshman. He closed out his rookie season with a District 2 Class AA championship at 138 and made the first of three appearances at the Northeast Regional Tournament.
As a sophomore, Leslie once again amassed 24 victories. He earned a bronze medal at districts and returned to regionals.
It was during his junior year, though, that Matt established himself as one of the state's truly elite grapplers. He powered his way to an eye-popping 42 wins against just six losses and won a second district title.
This time, Leslie also made a deep run at NE Regionals, placing second at 152 and earning an invitation to the PIAA state tournament.
“Matt is a great young man, a hard worker and always a student of the game,” said former Wildcat Coach Kevin Roginski.
“He's always looking to improve and to learn from his mistakes. Matt is a proven leader who comes from a great family.”
From his own perspective, the highlights of Matt's high school career were winning two district championships and joining the exclusive 100-Win Club. He closed out his varsity tenure with an overall record of 101-28 after posting an 11-3 mark during a pandemic-shortened senior season.
“I enjoyed my years at Western Wayne greatly,” Matt said. “Winning district titles and getting to 100 wins was something I was always shooting for … always looking forward to.”
According to Leslie, two teachers in particular stood out as role models during his high school years: Marty O'Hora and Brian Landry.
Matt crossed paths with O'Hora as a student in Film & Broadcasting, while Landry taught his Construction class.
“Mr. O'Hora and Mr. Landry were always super-supportive and the most caring teachers I ever encountered,” he said. “They definitely connected with their students and went above and beyond for all of us kids. They had a great impact on me.”
O'Hora thoroughly enjoyed having Leslie as a student and is proud of the fine young man he's becoming.
“Matt's a great kid,” Marty said. “He always had a way of articulating himself that furthered our discussions in class and that was refreshing. Matt's clear focus on his athletic goals taught him discipline while also building his character.”
Landry concurs.
“Matt is extremely hard working, thoughtful, dedicated and always willing to give back selflessly,” Brian said.
“He's a great person to have in your corner, a trait I attribute to his family, faith and the people around him. I am fortunate to have had Matt as a student and grateful to call him a friend.”
New Challenges
Leslie graduated from Western Wayne in the Spring of 2021.
His original plan was to attend Lackawanna College and continue wrestling. However, Fate (in the form of the pandemic) intervened, causing Matt to choose an alternate path.
“I was going to wrestle there for two years and train for MMA during the off-season,” he said. “But with all the COVID restrictions I decided a better route for me would be to go right to work and train full time for MMA.”
And so, Matt remained in Lake Ariel and began working as a plumbing apprentice for Apple Maintenance. From that point on, every spare moment away from his job was dedicated to realizing his lifelong dream.
Leslie's training regimen is rigorous to say the least. He travels to Apex Combat Sports in Binghamton four days a week, then spends two days at Gracie NEPA in Olyphant where he's both a student and instructor.
Matt devotes countless hours to the study of Jiu Jitsu, boxing, kick boxing, grappling and wrestling. He rests just once a week, on Sunday … a disciplined schedule that prepared him well for the challenging life he's chosen.
In the Cage
Leslie made his amateur MMA debut last Spring as part of the Art of Combat Sports Championships 16.
That event was held in Binghamton on April 9 at the Visions Veterans Memorial Arena. There, Matt wasted no time in hammering out his very first victory, needing just 1:02 to defeat Matthew Campbell in the bantam weight division.
Five months later, Leslie was back in action for his second bout. This one took place on September 17 versus a more seasoned opponent, 26-year-old Hayden Cypressi.
This fight went the distance, but ended with a heartbreaking loss as all three judges awarded Matt's adversary a razor-thin decision.
Leslie's most recent bout went down on November 19 at Rage in the Cage 20, sponsored by Full Contact Promotions and held at the Main Street Armory in Rochester.
Matt was determined to redeem himself after that first disappointing defeat, so once again he roared out of his corner right at the opening bell.
“There's just something about putting it all on the line mano-a-mano,” he said.
“I love the environment, dealing with the nerves and fears and all the grueling training sessions. It's kind of like having your destiny in your own hands. You just have to go out there and make it happen.”
Which is exactly what Leslie did on that particular night. Matt once again dominated his opponent in the first round, earning a submission over Martin McCooligan in 1:10.
“My biggest strength in the cage is definitely my grappling and my ability to get submissions,” he said. “It's something I've been doing my whole life … something I am constantly training to get better at.”
The victory pushed Leslie's record to 2-1-0 and generates some serious momentum for his next fight.
On the Horizon
If all goes according to plan, Leslie will be back in action just two weeks from now.
On Friday, January 20, Matt will travel to the Rivers Casino in Schenectady. There, he'll fight on the Cage Wars 55 card against Tommy Woodward, once again at bantamweight.
“My expectation is to win either by submission or by knockout,” Leslie said. “I'm always trying to raise the bar for myself.”
And, while Matt doesn't make a habit of looking beyond his current fight, he's undeniably excited about the future.
“I'm setting myself up to turn professional in the next year or two,” he said. “My ultimate goal is fighting for a major organization like the UFC. I'm definitely in it for the long haul.”
This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Matt Leslie Mixed Martial Arts Western Wayne Lake Ariel PA
