As UFC career grows, Ryan LaFlare keeps friends close to heart By: Mark La Monica, Newsday
"This time is personal.
"On the field where they played lacrosse together, Ryan LaFlare talks to his friends. To Jimmy. To Dennis. To Joe.
"That field in Lindenhurst is now a cemetery. His friends are gone.
"'It helps me remember my childhood, remember who I am, where I come from, why I am the man I am," LaFlare said. "Those guys I grew up with, those were the guys who were with me before I was fighting, before I was doing anything, so I definitely like to pay them respects.'
"Jimmy Marckesano died several months before LaFlare's professional MMA debut in June 2008. Dennis Forgit died two weeks before that fight. Joseph Pritchard died last year, just before LaFlare's first UFC fight."
