Sports have long served as central point to Tyler Addiego's life. Whether he was attempting to master the martial arts or pulling on the shoulder pads for the Nevada Union High School football team, being active in the sports world has helped pull things into focus.

And now, at the age of 25 and a few years removed from some trouble with the law, Addiego has shown signs of putting his past into the rearview mirror with a return to the competitive sports world and mixed martial arts fighting.

This summer the Grass Valley native captured the heavyweight championship belt in the Ultimate Reno Combat 13 at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino. Addiego (4-0) knocked out Karl Stallop one minute and 16 seconds into the first round with a right hand that sent the former champ to the canvas.

“It was an overhand right,” Addiego said of the knockout punch. “It was part of a combination, between a jab and right cross.

“This was my first full contact fight. I wanted to get out there, try my hardest and just see where I was at (with training). I'd witnessed a couple of these fights and decided to enter.”

Now as the reigning champ, Addiego will once again enter the ring on Aug. 21 in South Lake Tahoe, squaring off with Steve Dickey, who fights out of San Jose under coach Frank Shamrock, a former UFC and Strikeforce champion.

“I try not to get too involved with what (opponents) are going to be about and what they're going to do. I just train to be in better shape and do better than I did the last time. I'm just working to improve my body shots and my ground and stand-up games.”

Standing up, Addiego cuts an imposing figure at 6 feet, 2 inches and 259 pounds. He hopes to cut his weight down to 240 pounds by fight time, and he said he's nearly there — currently at 245 — after weeks of training at Perry's Full Circle on Joerschke Drive in Grass Valley under the guidance of gym owner Jay Perry and boxing coach Lester Arnberg.

Addiego said he's always been athletic, but it's the focus he's now put into the sport that has helped him earn that title belt he'll wear around his waist as he takes to the ring in his next fight.

Perry, who said he has known Addiego since the fighter was 15 years old, acknowledges such focus and dedication weren't always as apparent. In fact, Perry pulled away as his trainer when the young man ran into trouble.

“He's a local boy who I've been trying to get into MMA for a long time,” Perry said. “But as a teenager, he abused the situation and I stopped teaching him. When he first came to me, he didn't have the right attitude.”

Addiego said his playing days as a Nevada Union Miner linebacker helped steer him away from trouble in high school. But just a few years removed from his senior season, according to a story in The Union, he faced charges for battery after being involved in a fight near a downtown restaurant that police officers described as “unprovoked.” Addiego, then 20, said he got involved in the fight when one man was severely beating another. He also said he served six months in jail.

Two years ago, he was back in police custody after leading the California Highway Patrol on a high speed pursuit that also drew a headline in The Union. He was initially charged with felony evading police, reckless driving and driving with a suspended license. The 2008 chase ended when Addiego crashed his motorcycle and suffered a dislocated shoulder and a case of road rash.

“It was very stupid,” Addiego said. “It was a split-second decision. I didn't have the best driving record.”

In fact, he said, he had been charged with driving with a suspended license several times and didn't want to face another fine. But instead of having only another fine levied, he also did more jail time.

“I'm very regretful to this day,” he said. “I regret it, putting everybody at risk.

“I was just very young and didn't have too much direction then. Now I feel like I have a lot more direction and have a lot more going for me. I've gotten older and have gotten smarter and I've made better decisions.”

In recent years, Addiego had worked construction jobs, pumping concrete. But as the economy soured, and construction slowed throughout the community, he couldn't find work. That's when, he said, he started to take MMA fighting more seriously.

“He said he wanted to get his life together,” Perry said. “And I told him I'm not going to help him out if he's getting into trouble. He doesn't do drugs and alcohol. He had a rough life when he started out and we're trying to get his energy directed in a different fashion.”

So far, so good.

Other than a recent seat-belt violation, Addiego said he hasn't had any trouble with law enforcement since he's stepped up his training. And, he added, he doesn't foresee anything of the sort down the road now, as he's too focused on his newly found fighting career to allow any trouble to get in the way.

“Hopefully, I'll be able to go pro here pretty soon,” he said. “Boxing's my strong point. I'm a big guy and I've got a lot of weight to put behind my punches.”

And, as Perry said, Addiego's also got a lot of people behind him in his corner, hoping he's turned the page on his past.

“There were about a hundred people from Grass Valley at his (championship) fight,” Perry said. “There will probably be another hundred there at his next one. All of those people are giving him some positive reinforcement for changing his life.”

Contact Sports Editor Brian Hamilton via e-mail at bhamilton@theunion.com or by phone at 477-4240.