 At the age of 14 he started training kickboxing at Gym Alkmaar.First as a sparring partner of well-known fighters like Sahin Yakut and Dennis "Rus" Sharoykin.By the age of 20, his name Gagik Haroetjunjan, was replaced by "Gago Drago", when he was fighting his way up in the Dutch and Belgian kickboxing circuit.