Put through a boot camp with his fellow actors, like bad-asses Frank Grillo and Jonathan Tucker, Lauria spent his role-prep training with UFC pros. This program involves supersets, which means performing the two exercises back to back with no rest between. Not much at all, but now I’m an obsessed fan. It tells the story of Alvey Kulina (Frank Grillo), a man that owns and runs a mixed martial arts gym called Navy St. Gym in Venice, California, with his girlfriend, Lisa (Kiele Sanchez). I came across this guy Chad Byers who seemed to know what he was doing. Matt Lauria as Ryan Wheeler on 'Kingdom' In Kingdom, Matt Lauria plays the character of an MMA champion-turned-felon named Ryan Wheeler. He is one of the stars on FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS for the past two seasons. There are a lot of grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables. And while no stranger to playing an athlete, having starred on Friday Night Lights, nothing could prepare him for the level of physicality required for the role. Our son is Matt Lauria, actor, director, musician and all around good guy. What’ve you noticed about switching to a vegan diet? She would Biggest Loser me over text, which means she would send the most inspiring texts in the morning, like: “There is only one you.” I mean she was breaking my heart on the regular, so I knew I had to do this with her. I noticed that the big guys in the UFC who came from wrestling backgrounds had huge traps and thick necks. Byron Balasco Interview: 'Kingdom' creator talks about the MMA show's Netflix debut. Now the actors are fighting on a whole other … Matt Lauria previously played the role of an athlete on Friday Nights Lights, but it was nothing compared to the kind of training he had to go through to get into the physique of a former MMA Champion. #kingdom @jonathanmtucker @frankgrillo1 ?❤️, A post shared by jenwiderstrom (@jenwiderstrom) on May 31, 2017 at 12:46pm PDT. Created by Byron Balasco. In fact, he revealed in interviews related to the show that he was not a fan of UFC or MMA in general before he played this character. Kingdom airs Wednesday night on the Audience Network. How much did you know about mixed martial arts before you started the show? He has been married to Michelle Armstrong since August 26, 2006. How did you come to the decision to go vegan? Standing Barbell Shoulder Presses: 15 repsif(typeof __ez_fad_position != 'undefined'){__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-mensjournal_com-incontent_13-0')}; Alternating Hammer Curls: 12 reps (each arm). Struggling to keep his training center afloat, a former MMA legend faces more challenges as he tries to manage a complicated family dynamic. 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Now changed and humbled by his stint in prison, he may be Navy St. MMA’s best hope. That’s half the fun. Matt Lauria was unfamiliar with the world of mixed martial arts before he was cast to portray fighter Ryan Wheeler on the MMA drama Kingdom. So before they started shooting, Tucker and his co-stars (including Nick Jonas and Matt Lauria) underwent a grueling month long training camp at MMA fighter Joe Daddy Stevenson’s gym. I’d never really done squats or deadlifts to this extent before. Each movement got as much of the muscle working as possible, and added to the time under pressure. Kingdom (previously titled Navy St.) is an American drama television series created by Byron Balasco.. My wife was watching a documentary that I don’t think was even about veganism, but it happened to show a pig being slaughtered. Once I was reminded that it wasn’t a food product, but rather a living thing, that was that. He took me on with no payment, just because he wanted to show the world how well a vegan program can work. Training in a garage, just wrestling and grinding it out. On Parenthood, Matt Lauria and Jonathan Tucker at separate times fought for Amber Holt’s heart. It was back in 2013. Lauria said that he based his character on UFC Champion Georges St-Pierre and Rory MacDonald, and that Matt Hughes, Johny Hendricks, and Chad Mendes were the inspiration for his wrestling skills. Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest adventures, workouts, destinations, and more. I wanted to add that thickness, while having this strong core. Lauria trained with Bellator Bantamweight Champion Juan Archuleta for the second season (Via Men's Journal). He gave me a meal plan and a number of workout plans. Starring: Frank Grillo, Kiele Sanchez, Matt Lauria … You’ve got Jonathan Tucker as one of the MMA guys, Matt Lauria, incredible great cast. Related Items Alvey Kulina Byron Balasco Frank Grillo Friday Night Lights Greg Jackson Jay Kulina Joe "Daddy" Stevenson Jonathan Tucker Kingdom KingdomTV Matt Lauria MMA Parenthood Ryan Wheeler ← Previous Story Reverse Order – Nothing To Hide On top of that, less than a year earlier Lauria made the decision to go vegan, which meant throwing away all of his preconceptions about weight gaining. For access to exclusive gear videos, celebrity interviews, and more, subscribe on YouTube! (Handout) Matt Lauria stars as MMA fighter Ryan “The Destroyer” Wheeler … "DAMMMN" . Matt Lauria was unfamiliar with the world of mixed martial arts before he was cast to portray fighter Ryan Wheeler on the MMA drama Kingdom. Paula Newsome, Matt Lauria and Mel Rodriguez are joining the project that could also see original “CSI” stars William Petersen and Jorja Fox return as well. There’s a lot width to them through the torso. They also worked with renowned MMA coach Greg Jackson, trainer of UFC stars Jon Jones and Holly Holm. A retired MMA fighter turned trainer juggles keeping his mixed martial arts … Wheeler is the ex-boyfriend of Kiele Sanchez's character Lisa Prince, who is now with Frank Grillo's Alvey Kulina. Looking back over the run of the show starring Grillo, Jonas, Kiele Sanchez, Matt Lauria and Joanna Going, the duo discussed how and why it ended, being canceled after … (Both Stevenson and Jackson still consult on the show.) MMA-based TV series 'Kingdom' is now on Netflix and fans are wondering if real UFC fighters feature on the show. Wheeler also had a downward facing sword on his back, which was influenced by "an MMA fighter who had a sword on his chest pointing up", per Entertainment. He is married to singer/songwriter Michelle Armstrong of the … Men’s Journal has affiliate partnerships so we may receive compensation for some links to products and services. From playing a psychologically conflicted mixed martial arts fighter on DirecTV’s critically acclaimed “Kingdom” to a football player on NBC’s Emmy Award-winning “Friday Night Lights,” he’s known for his physically and emotionally challenging roles. Lauria's character Ryan Wheeler had quite a few tattoos, including one that said 'Destroyer' across his chest similar to how former UFC two-division Champ Conor McGregor has his last name written across his abs. Nick Jonas, who plays his brother, offers constant support. Matt Lauria was born in 1982 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. Volume on & you can hear our boy @derekhough recognizing the swollness!!! Matt Lauria, Jonathan Tucker from cast of 'Kingdom' discuss their UFC, MMA influences This #vegan trained his a$$ off with me for the FINAL season of #KingdomTV that premieres on @audiencenetwork TONIGHT @8pm!!! How did you find your trainers for the show? But I saw that and I was done. Total breakdown and build up of the muscle bellies at its best!! I asked her for help finding a trainer at the beginning actually, then we just got along so well we decided to do it together. Struggling to keep his training center afloat, a former MMA legend faces more challenges as he tries to manage a complicated family dynamic. ... Matt Lauria, Natalie Martinez, and Joanna Going. Right away she added a lot to my shoulder and back training. The drama stars Frank Grillo, Jonathan Tucker, Matt Lauria, Nick Jonas, Kiele Sanchez, and Joanna Going in a story about a group of MMA fighters in Venice, California. 2007 School of Drama graduate Matt Lauria is known for roles in which he pushes himself to the limit. Lauria’s Chest and Shoulders Program (by Jen Widerstrom). Matt Lauria, who plays another MMA fighter, frequently trains with him. How vegan actor Matt Lauria, the star of Kingdom, a new TV drama set in the vicious world of MMA, beefed up for his role. I’ll be honest, the way I found my trainer for the first season was just by Googling vegan bodybuilders. She’s just an incredible person to be around and work towards something with. MMA-based TV series 'Kingdom' is now on Netflix and fans are wondering if real UFC fighters feature on the show. He plays Luke Cafferty, #44 the star running back for the East Dillion Lions. It is likely that former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar and the sword tattoo on his chest was the inspiration here. Still, cutting weight is tough. He is an actor and writer, known for Kingdom (2014), Friday Night Lights (2006) and Parenthood (2010). Matt Lauria talks KINGDOM, fighting for his role, his character's duality, the show's exhausting physical element, and more. Mingle Media TV and Red Carpet Report host Ashley Harrington were invited to come out to the premiere event for the DIRECTV Original Series “Kingdom” at the iconic Muscle Beach, in Venice California. I was eating a lot of vegan burritos and vegan pizza. He made his television debut on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock in 2007. He Met His Wife at 16. In Kingdom, Matt Lauria plays the character of an MMA champion-turned-felon named Ryan Wheeler. He is best known for his roles as Luke Cafferty on the NBC/DirecTV drama Friday Night Lights, Ryan York on the NBC family drama Parenthood, and starred as Ryan Wheeler on the Audience drama Kingdom. Ryan Wheeler (Matt Lauria) Lauria’s character, Ryan, an ex-MMA champion recently released from prison, had the biggest tattoo reveal in the … "@PortalKingdomBr: #3 First look at ‘Kingdom’ Season 2 Photos! [email protected] ??? 1 of 3 Matt Lauria (left) plays a mixed martial arts fighter and Frank Grillo is an ex-MMA champion who runs a gym in DirecTV’s “Kingdom.” Justin Lubin Show More Show Less 2 of 3 … For the first season, he found Chad Byers, and for the second, Jen Widerstrom. What do you like about her training methods? But he became an "obsessed fan" afterwards. Alternating Front Lateral Raises: 12 reps (each arm).