The biochemistry research that should earn him a PhD by next summer involves categorizing the structure of a nonpathogenic protein from an obscure bacteria that apparently exist at a near-atomic level.

I think thats what its about, anyway. Youd need a couple of masters degrees to do more than simply nod along politely as he talks about bioremediation and terraforming and something called Deinococcus Radiodurans that can apparently recover from extreme damage, which makes it a huge deal for doctors and even NASA, which has taken some into space for study. Or something like that.

Smart? Uh, yeah. Seiji Sugiman-Marangos is off the charts.

Which makes you wonder why a McMaster student with a brain like this will walk into a cage on Friday night and risk it by fighting another man in a mixed martial arts bout. After all, its kind of a given that being kicked and punched and elbowed and kneed in the head isnt ideal for brain cells.

For me, its just about competing, he says.

Make no mistake, the 27-year-old featherweight whose name is pronounced Say-jee Soogie-man Marangoes is acutely aware of the danger. He gets how valuable the cargo inside his skull is for his future. He understands the risks. But he also feels the lure of the game.

Growing up, he says he wasnt good at any sports. But as soon as he tried karate as a teenager, he found his sweet spot. He was good at it right away and loved it. That led to taekwondo and other martial arts before finding his way into a jiu-jitsu gym.

His laughs talking about his first time sparring when a teenage girl and then a very small boy manhandled him. But he worked at and soon became pretty proficient.

Watching a couple of professional fighters work out, he started thinking he should give the game a try for real. Mostly because he says it seemed like a waste of time to spend so much time training for nothing.

But the thought of taking blows to the head is never far away. He can take a punch. He has. Truth is, hes fearless and maybe too tough for his own good.

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McMaster biochemistry student making his mark as an MMA fighter