A big reason students come to LSU is because of the great football program, so it’s pretty rare for a student to move to Baton Rouge because the city has a good mixed martial arts gym. 
However, that’s one reason why international student George Frangie decided to call himself a Tiger.
Frangie doesn’t drink or smoke. His drug of choice is MMA, a sport he calls a healthy obsession.
“I could do this all day, every day,” Frangie said. “I don’t get bored of it. It’s like an adrenaline rush you can’t get anywhere else.”
Frangie, a self-described adrenaline junkie, was born in Suriname. Suriname is a small country on the northeastern coast of South America. He came to the U.S. when he was 18-years-old to get a good education. He decided to attend LSU because he has family in Louisiana.
“We don’t have many people in the states, so coming close to family was a good choice,” Frangie said. “There’s also a good school here [LSU].”
Frangie started kickboxing when he was 14-years-old initially just to get in good shape.
“I went on a cruise ship one time for vacation and gained like 30 pounds in a week,” Frangie said. “I went from 210 [pounds] to like 240 [pounds]. I was like man…this is enough. The second I got back home I stopped ‘cold turkey’ and started training all day and night. When I wasn’t studying or sleeping, I was training.”
Frangie’s training quickly turned serious, though. He started competing in amateur kickboxing tournaments, and now 10 years later he’s preparing for his second professional MMA bout. 
Frangie said his ultimate goal is to pursue a normal career where he doesn’t have to get punched in the face to make money. But until then, his gloves are staying on. 
“I’ve put a lot of time in to this,” Frangie said. “I would like to see how far I can take this while I’m in my prime and my younger years. After that I’ll resume my construction-architecture career.”
Frangie earned an architecture degree from LSU in the spring of 2016. He’s now pursuing his master’s degree in construction management. 
His training partner Matt Boyd said Frangie’s dedication will lead to big things down the road. 
“He’s a freak,” Boyd said. “He doesn’t take a day off. His days off he’s swimming laps at LSU.”
Boyd used to compete in amateur MMA fights. He’s trained with Frangie since Frangie joined the Baton Rouge affiliate’s UFC Gym in 2011.
Frangie said shortly after joining the gym he sparred with UFC fighter Dustin Poirier. Poirier was training for a fight at the time, and Frangie said he was quite scrappy while they were training.
“I wasn’t just going to let this guy hit me, so we started going toe-to-toe,” Frangie said. “After every round we’d be like ‘no, one more round.'”
Frangie said he earned Poirier’s respect, and they’re close friends to this day. 
Frangie’s next fight is May 13th at the Belle of Baton Rouge Casino.