NEW YORK — Jaxson Dart isn’t throwing routes in shorts this March. The New York Giants’ second-year quarterback packed his bags for Santo Studio’s, stepping directly onto the mats with UFC Middleweight Champion Khamzat Chimaev. Dart traded standard agility drills for the heaviest combat sports conditioning on the planet.
Most NFL quarterbacks spend the spring polishing their mechanics at private throwing facilities. Dart chose controlled chaos. He joined a terrifying roster of training partners: light heavyweight knockout artist Khalil Rountree Jr., technical lightweight master Arman Tsarukyan, and MMA veteran Luke Jumeau. The air inside Santo Studio’s runs thick with sweat and intensity. You can practically feel the pressure crackle when these fighters hit the heavy bags.
Dart isn’t preparing for a cage fight. He is actively rewiring his brain to process panic. Surviving Chimaev’s legendary wrestling pace requires a different breed of stamina. For a quarterback who absorbed brutal punishment as a rookie in 2025—including a terrifying primetime hit in December that left fans holding their breath—this cross-training builds an impenetrable mental shield. Dart finished his rookie campaign taking heavy hits behind a developing offensive line, and he clearly refuses to let the pocket dictate his heartbeat in 2026.
“He stepped into a room full of wolves. Football is vicious, but on these mats, you learn how to breathe when the air is gone. The kid doesn’t quit.”
— Training Camp Insider, Santo Studio’s
The NFC East forgives no one. Division rivals stack their defensive fronts with 300-pound pass rushers designed to break young quarterbacks. Dart’s extreme offseason regimen signals a massive leap in maturity. He knows the Giants’ 2026 playoff hopes live and die with his composure under fire. If he can maintain a steady heart rate while a UFC champion hunts him for a takedown, staring down a free-rushing linebacker next September will feel like a walk in the park.
