Quinn's World in Combat

In the fast-paced, ever-evolving world of sports media — where thousands of voices compete for fleeting attention — few stand out for their grit, originality, and passion. Charlie Quinn, '16, is one of them.

A Staten Island native with a love for sports that predates his earliest memories, Quinn has grown from a teenager writing about local athletes into a trusted name in MMA content creation, with a loyal audience of tens of thousands and professional fighters seeking him out to manage their brands.

His journey hasn't been easy, as it's been built on the foundation of long nights, constant setbacks, and an unrelenting drive to succeed in an industry that’s equal parts thrilling and unforgiving.

Now, Quinn is turning the page to his next chapter: launching a podcast that will bring his signature storytelling to a new level.

But to understand where he’s going, it's important to understand how far he’s already come — and what he's had to fight through to get there. 

"I've always been kind of a talker," Quinn laughs, remembering his early days at high school. He wasn’t producing viral clips or managing pro fighters back then — he was interviewing men's league athletes which usually consisted of his friends.

"It wasn't anything meaningful by today's standards. But at that age, just getting comfortable talking to athletes was huge. It gave me my first reps."

Unlike most kids who grew up on cartoons, Quinn's childhood diet was filled with SportsCenter, MSG Network, and postgame interviews.

"That's all I really knew," he said. "Sports was my world."

That obsession eventually spilled over into his first wave of content creation. While SI Live and other media outlets had moved on from covering Staten Island athletes who'd left high school, Charlie leaned into the gap — even if not everyone understood what he was doing.

"I started covering my childhood friends — guys playing high-level D-I baseball or football, or even professionally," Quinn said. "I became the number one source for those athletes. If no one else was going to tell their stories, I would.

"People thought I was just hyping up my friends, like I was trying too hard. Some laughed at me, made jokes, but I knew what I was doing. You have to be okay being misunderstood."

As Quinn refined his content and approach, he found a niche -- the wild and gritty world of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).

"I started going viral doing combat sports content," he said. "It wasn't luck — it was consistency, instinct, and being early to trends."

That exposure led to real-world relationships.

"Fighters saw that I was building something," Quinn said. "If I could do it for myself, I could do it for them. I built credibility, and people took notice." 

One of Quinn's biggest breaks came when he connected with Nazim Sadykhov, a former UFC fighter from Brooklyn who was now training in Las Vegas.

"I run his day-to-day content," Quinn explained. "Then other fighters started reaching out. They saw I wasn't just about flashy posts — I was helping athletes build actual brands."

But Quinn is quick to remind people that this wasn't overnight.

"I did so much unpaid work," Quinn said. "I'd show up to gyms, introduce myself, and offer to help. I made fighters look better online than they ever had before. Slowly, people started trusting me."

But for all his momentum, there was one point Quinn hit a major obstacle. He had built an Instagram brand — @CharlieQuinnMMA — that had amassed over 32,000 followers. But due to early copyright issues involving UFC content, the account was flagged and permanently banned. In an instant, all his hard work was gone.

Even worse, some of the athletes he worked with never followed the new account.

"That brand was everything," he said. "The followers, the relationships, the growth. It was gone in one night. I didn't know what to do. Instagram wouldn’t reinstate it. It felt like I lost credibility, like I had to start from zero all over again."

But Charlie didn’t let that be the end. With the help and motivation from the likes of his mentor, Nick Heiler, and Pete Kennedy, '16, Monsignor Farrell's Director of Alumni Relations, Quinn bounced back.

He started over, reposted videos, reconnected with fighters, and now his new account has over 36,000 followers — more than he had before.

"Sometimes I think about where I’d be if I never lost that first account — maybe 70K, 100K. But you can't dwell. It’s just a number," Quinn said.  "As long as you are grinding, everything else falls into place."

Quinn's success boils down to one principle: consistency.

"I have had the same Instagram reminders on my phone for five or six years — 1:00, 4:00, and 7:00. Just little nudges to check in, maybe post something, stay active," he said. 

He credits much of his growth to studying what works online and putting his own personal twist on it. And when it comes to breaking news or viral topics, he emphasizes speed.

"You do not have to steal content. Take an idea, make it better, and make it yours," Quinn said. "If you are not the first one to post, you better be in the first five. Otherwise, the value drops."

Now, Charlie is gearing up for the next stage of his career: launching a podcast that goes beyond highlight reels and headlines. He sees it as a way to elevate the voices of fighters, coaches, and behind-the-scenes figures who rarely get the spotlight.

"I'm super excited," he said. "I have always been comfortable talking — it is where I shine. The podcast is going to bring real conversations, deeper stories, and everything I have learned from the trenches.

"I want to humanize the sport. Show the work behind the walkouts. These fighters are more than knockouts and win-loss records."

What separates Quinn from others is not fancy equipment or social media and editing skills -- it's his mindset. He approaches content like a fighter approaches a bout: with heart, preparation, and resilience. 

"You are going to get criticized. You are going to fail. But you cannot stop," he says. "People laughed when I started. I lost my biggest platform. But I kept going." 

Now, he is thriving — and he is just getting started. For those dreaming of a career in sports media, Quinn keeps it real: be bold — and no matter what — never stop.

"Do not wait until you have a platform to start acting like a professional," Quinn said. "Build one. You do not need fancy gear to start — just start."

Charlie Quinn's rise is a reminder that success in media — just like in combat sports —does not come easy. It is a fight, and it is about showing up when no one is watching, staying focused when things fall apart, and doing the work no one else wants to do. It's about emphasizing the core values of being a Vir Fidelis.

From Staten Island gyms to Las Vegas fight camps, Charlie Quinn is proving that ambition, authenticity, and consistency win out eventually. He is not just another content creator — he is someone going the distance. And with his podcast around the corner and his voice growing louder, one thing is certain:

Charlie Quinn is just getting started.