Any child born into a family with siblings will feel some level of competition. Despite the fact they come from the same family, there will be a struggle to appear best in the parents’ eyes. In the case of Team Quest, Vinny Magalhaes did everything he could to impress, but still ended up in second place behind proverbial big brother Krzysztof Soszynski.
Back in September, news broke that Magalhaes was leaving Team Quest. It was reported that the split was caused by Magalhaes choosing to sign with Denaro Sports Marketing. At the time it seemed like a simple business dispute – the type that has become all too common in today’s MMA world.
Fast-forward to now, and the situation appears that it might be a little different. Magalhaes and former teammate Krzysztof Soszynski have both been featured over the last few weeks as competitors on The Ultimate Fighter. Over the course of the season, there seemed to be some tension between the two.
According to Ryan Bader’s blog for MMAJunkie, “they were at each other’s throats on the show. Vinny would complain to me how Eliot and Krzysztof would never practice with him and how they were always talking smack about him behind his back.” Magalhaes was also visibly upset in one episode when Eliot Marshall and Soszynski agreed to meet each other in the finals.
Inevitably, they were matched against each other in the semifinals. Magalhaes was able to withstand early pressure and finish the fight by submission. Despite Soszynski claiming in his blog for Sherdog that, “we went into the fight without any animosity,” Magalhaes returned to his team to find that he was taken off the teaching schedule. According to him, not being able to teach his art was a large part of the move.
While Magalhaes trains at the new PRO-AM training center, Soszynski remains at Team Quest. In addition, his weekly blog is sponsored by both the team and Dan Henderson’s clothing line named Clinch Gear. Perhaps the split was caused by the business side of the sport, but at the same time it appears as if even in defeat Soszynski is the favorite son over at Team Quest.
-Richard Mann