September 29, 2007
Paul La Placa of Berks County BJJ in Sinking Spring defeated Chris Bank of Strike Zone in New London, Connecticut, by armbar in the second round at the Mohegan Sun last weekend.
September 28, 2007
Congratulations to BJJ United for being selected Best of Philly! Because of your votes, BJJ United was named "Best Martial Arts School In Philadelphia" by MyFoxPhilly.com. BJJ United is located at 428 Old York Road in Jenkintown.
September 27, 2007
Grapplers Quest promoter Brian Cimins announced today that the upcoming Grapplers Quest, scheduled for November 10 and 11 at Girard College in Philadelphia, is cancelled. If you pre-registered and would like a refund, OR you can use the credit towards any future Grapplers Quest event of your choice, PLUS get a FREE Grapplers Quest DVD and T-Shirt, please email president@grapplers.com.
September 26, 2007
Episode 2 of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra aired tonight. Following the airing of TUF, Mac Danzig wrote a blog. Here is Week 2.
September 25, 2007
You're invited to a Mixed Martial Arts Open House on Saturday, October 13, from 12:30PM to 2:30PM at Safe Day Studio in Huntington Valley. If you like the UFC and want MMA experience, this is for you. It's hardcore training, including Stand-Up Boxing, Muay Thai, Takedowns, Grappling and Submissions. Gi chokes will be reviewed, so bring a Gi if you have one. The 2-hour session is just $20. per person. Mouthpiece and cup are recommended. Bring 16oz and MMA gloves if you have them. Call Mike at 215.370.1650 to pre-register. Safe Day Studio is located in Body Dynamics Health Club at 1810 County Line Road.
September 24, 2007
Titan Fitness in State College will host a 2-day seminar with the Founder of Combat Submission Wrestling, Erik Paulson, on Saturday, November 10 and Sunday, November 11. Contact Paul Zelinka at 814.235.1015 or download flyer for more information. Titan Fitness is located at 412 West College Avenue.
September 22, 2007
Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and undefeated mixed martial artist Tim Carpenter of Team Balance in Philadelphia is scheduled to make his professional boxing debut on Friday, October 19, at the Wachovia Spectrum on a card that celebrates 40 years of boxing in The City of Brotherly Love. Tickets are on sale now at ComcastTix.com.
September 21, 2007
Mac Danzig did what no other man has be able to do in professional MMA in defeating Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Joe Scarola in the season premiere of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra. He "beat him at his own game," stated former UFC welterweight champion and Season 6 coach, Matt Hughes. Danzig, known for his stand up strength, defeated the first black belt under current UFC welterweight champion and Season 6 coach, Matt Serra by triangle choke seconds before the end of Round 1. Each week following the airing of The Ultimate Fighter, Danzig will write a blog for the OC Register about TUF. Here is Week 1.
September 19, 2007
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Phil Migliarese will be teaching a beginner workshop to all Balance Studios students that are enrolled in the Gracie Basics program on Thursday, September 20, from 7:00PM to 8:00PM. If you are enrolled, just show up and take the course. If you are not enrolled at Balance Studios, and would like to take the class, fill out this form. Balance Studios is located at 109-115 South 24 Street in Philadelphia.
September 18, 2007
The Brazilian American Jiu-Jitsu Institute will host a BJJ Seminar with Romero "Jacare" Cavalcanti, 6th Degree Black Belt under Rolls Gracie, on Saturday, October 6, from 11:00AM to 2:00PM at their Exton academy. The 2-Time World Champion Team Coach was named 2000 Coach of the Year by International Fighting Federation and inducted into the Grappling Hall of Fame in 2005. The 3 hours of training is open to all skill levels. Preregistration is only $65 until October 4; then just $85 at the door. For more information, contact 484.459.2279 or bajji@bajji.com.
September 17, 2007
Congratulations to David Todd and Steve Ernacchio for receiving their blue belts recently at Rosendo Diaz Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Telford. Both Todd and Ernacchio are very experienced martial artists in their own rights, and have now added rank in Jiu-Jitsu to their already impressive resumes.
September 16, 2007
If you missed the live August 2 IFL 2007 SemiFinals at the Continental Airlines Arena, you can catch Tim Boetsch of Sunbury battle Vladimir Matyushenko tonight on Fox SportsNet.
September 15, 2007
The Wachovia Spectrum will celebrate 40 years of sports and boxing on Friday, October 19, when KO Fightz and Power Productions in association with Sports Extreme presents a nine-bout card featuring a Light Heavyweight Championship bout between 23-year-old Charles Cavallo (16-0-0) fighting out of New Jersey and 31-year-old Richard Stewart (13-4-1) fighting out of Delaware. Frank Stallone will help host the event and UFC superstar "Russian Pit Bull" Andrei Arvloski will appear at the event and after party. Tickets go on sale through ComcastTix.com September 20.
September 14, 2007
K-1 Olympia Heroes 2007 Middleweight World Championship Tournament finalist Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro looks for a return to Pennsylvania in early October for a series of seminars. The Abu Dhabi veteran is a Multiple-Time Arnold Classic and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World champion. Currently his MMA record is an impressive 19-1. Shaolin plans to share his experiences and techniques that have gotten him to the level that he is at today with everyone at the seminar. Come out and be prepared to learn techniques that have been proven effective from one of the sports top mixed martial artists. For more information on attending a seminar or hosting Shaolin, contact Joseph Cunliffe.
September 12, 2007
Rosendo Diaz will be at Lancaster Family Martial Arts this Saturday, September 15, from 10:30AM to 12:30PM. This will be a workshop focusing on the GI. For more information, please contact Mike Weisensee.
September 11, 2007
Mercyhurst College will host a Martial Arts Seminar featuring Roy Harris on Saturday, September 22 and Sunday, September 23 in Erie. Participation is on a first come first serve basis until the event is sold out. Private instruction is also available. Mercyhurst College is located at 501 East 38th Street. For more information, contact John J Bruno or check out www.brunosonlinegym.com.
September 10, 2007
Khristian Geraci of FTP Fighting Systems in Pittsburgh will face undefeated Jason Miknuk at IFBL Fight Night 9 this Saturday, September 15, at the Eastwood Expo Center in Niles, Ohio. Contact Geraci at 412.992.0944 for tickets or more information.
September 8, 2007
Ring of Combat XV: Beast of the Northeast tournament kicked off Friday night at the Tropicana Resort & Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, as a near sell-out crowd packed the Showroom @ The Quarter. Enthusiastic fans were not disappointed as the preliminaries provided 14 bouts of power-packed, non-stop action. In lightweight fights, David Sachs of the Pittsburgh Fight Club in Pittsburgh defeated John Beneduce of Team Insight- Serra Jiu Jitsu in Huntington, New York, by Unanimous Decision at the end of an overtime Round 3. Biff Walizer of Team Red Lion in Red Lion was defeated by Eddie Fyvie of Team Renzo Gracie in New York, by KO at 3:44 of Round 1. In a welterweight fight, Charlie Brenneman of Cambria Martial Arts in South Fork and PA Grappling in Altoona defeated Jordan Damon of Team Balance-Tai Kai in Syracuse, New York, by Referee Stoppage due to a gash over his right eye at 2:20 of Round 1. In a middleweight fight, Lance Everson of Team Boneyard in Taunton, Massachusetts, defeated Dan Karnbauer of FTP Fighting Systems in Pittsburgh by Referee Stoppage due to strikes at 2:40 of Round 1. And in a light-heavyweight fight, John Doyle of Team Round One in Emmaus defeated Alexander Lazebnikov of Team PowerHouse Kickboxing in Cambridge, Massachusetts, by Referee Stoppage due to strikes at 3:21 of Round 1. Tyler Minton of FTP Fighting Systems in Pittsburgh was disqualified for not passing medicals for the event and Chris Reedy of Xtreme Fitness Combat Club in St. Clair nursed an injury for a week and was unable to fight. The winners go on to compete at the Beast of the Northeast Semi-Finals on October 26 at the Tropicana. For more information, check out www.ringofcombat.com.
September 6, 2007
Philadelphians prepare for a weekend of exciting grappling sport and competition when Girard College hosts Grapplers Quest on Saturday, November 10 and Sunday, November 11 in the City of Brotherly Love. With $7,000 in prizes for the weekend plus a free seminar each day with Phil Migliarese and the JiuJitsuMatrix.com instructors, competitors and fans alike will experience grappling... Pennsylvania style. The 1st Grapplers Quest Liberty Bell No-Gi Challenge will take place on Saturday, and will include a free No-Gi seminar from JiuJitsuMatrix.com. The 2007 Copa Atlantica Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Championships will take place on SUnday, and will include a free BJJ seminar from JiuJitsuMatrix.com. Girard College is convenienlty located off Route 76, the Schylkill Expressway, at 2101 South College Avenue.
September 5, 2007
Wasting no time and once again putting his undefeated winning streak on the line, "All American" Brian Stann will fight tonight on WEC. Stann will face a savvy veteran in Jeremiah Billington (9-1) who looks to derail Stann's momentum. Stann has been working very hard for this fight and recently trained with Dan Henderson in Temecula, California. Look for another war as Stann continues his march for the title live on the Versus Network.
September 4, 2007
From Philly.com: Last year, televised mixed martial arts (MMA) events made more in pay-per-view revenue than World Wrestling Entertainment or HBO boxing. Once regarded by many as barbaric when it started in the early 1990s, MMA has instituted rules and safeguards that have brought it into the mainstream. Philadelphia Fight Factory, at 2220 East Susquehanna Avenue in Fishtown, is one of the leading MMA gyms in the region. Founded by Stephen Haigh, the gym is home to star MMA fighter Eddie Alvarez, a Kensington native who once held the Mixed Fighting Championship/bodog welterweight crown. Check out the Fight Factory promo video here.
September 3, 2007
Sixteen of the best up-and-coming welterweight mixed martial artists from around the world will live, eat and train together in Las Vegas for six weeks under the tutelage of two UFC veterans for the sixth installment of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Serra vs. Team Hughes. Current UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Serra and former champion Matt Hughes will both coach eight fighters while they prepare for their own bout against each other later this year. At stake for the combatants is a six figure contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
With over twenty professional matches under his belt, 27-year-old Mac Danzig of Pittsburgh is by far the most experienced combatant on The Ultimate Fighter 6. A strict vegetarian and nature lover, Danzig’s first love was skateboarding, and he was a sponsored amateur during his teenage years. In 2000, Danzig traded in his skateboard for the mats of Casey Leonard’s Combative Grappling Systems, learning a great deal about BJJ under his tutelage. A year later, Danzig left the Steel City behind to fight on the amateur circuit in Iowa, where he was the Extreme Challenge Trials 2001 U.S. Lightweight MMA National Champion. He moved to California in 2002, where he trained with R1 fight team (formerly RAW) and had been a student of Iowa wrestling standout Rico Chiapparelli and mixed martial artist Frank Trigg. Since then he has trained boxing extensively at Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, California, under Freddie Roach assistant Justin Fortune.
While Danzig is known as an impressive grappler, having scored 11 of his victories by submission; he has proven himself to be an adept striker, most notably with his TKO (due to strikes) victory over former King of the Cage lightweight champion Takumi Nakayama. After defeating Royce Gracie black belt Buddy Clinton, Danzig increased his winning streak to 12 in a row with a unanimous decision victory over Miletich fighter John Mahlow. His last fight was against Hayato Sakurai at Pride Fighting Championship 33 on February 24, where Danzig lost the fight by TKO (referee stoppage) at the 4:09 mark of Round 2 taking his record to 17-4-1.
The former Gladiator Challenge champion recently joined the Legends Gym in Los Angeles, home to fellow welterweight contender Karo Parisyan, as well as The Ultimate Fighter 5 finalist Manny Gamburyan, and hopes that living and breathing MMA while in the house for six weeks with no distractions will reinvigorate his training ethic and intensity, something that Danzig will admit has been difficult to maintain in recent years. Away from the Octagon, Danzig lives with his girlfriend, Angeline Grace, of four years who is a massage therapist in a chiropractic clinic. He is an avid photographer.
The Ultimate Fighter 6 will premiere on SpikeTV Wednesday, September 19, at 11:00PM (ET). After the premiere, the show will return to the normal time slot of 10:00pm on Wednesday nights.
September 2, 2007
A new semester of Quantum Jujitsu starts this Wednesday, September 5, at 6:30PM in the Intramural Building (IM Building) Wrestling Room at Penn State in State College. Quantum Jujitsu is a study of martial arts and life defense -- a development of all modes of combat such as out-fighting, in-fighting, and ground fighting, which covers kickboxing, boxing, grappling, throwing, takedowns, positioning, and submissions. Additionally, one trains psychological aspects of avoiding unnecessary conflict. Besides regular training, Fall '07 will also offer Quantum Jujitsu Black Belt Test, Intensive martial art seminars, Guest Instructors, Warrior Yoga classes, Open Mat training, Extra-curricular group activities and Competitions. The schedule is Sunday and Wednesday 6:30PM to 8:30PM, and Friday 5:00PM to 7:00PM (106 White Building). Please note the change in training days and time slots compared to previous semesters. All are welcome. No experience required. Wear comfortable clothing to work-out in. Come with an open mind and check your ego at the door. For more information or directions, go to www.clubs.psu.edu/quantumjujitsu.
September 1, 2007
News just in from Revolution Academy of Martial Arts & Fitness in Levittown: Big congratulations goes out to Adam Fisher from our kids program. He took third place in Kids GI 80-89.9 pound Beginner Division and also made his competition debut at NAGA on Saturday, August 4. The very next day, Patrick Warusz itook home third place in the No-Gi Adult Welterweight Beginner Division. Warusz won many matches in his stacked division. There were promotions recently at the Revolution Academy. Mike K was promoted to purple belt and also received his level II instructor’s certificate. Karl and Orlando were promoted to blue belt. There were also many degree's earned too: Shane (2) and Rob (1) on their yellow belts; Big John (1), Anthony D (1), Pat W (3) and Mike L (1) all received degrees on their white belts. Finally, Matt Rizzo (1) and Yohannes (1) on their blue belts. The Revolution Academy took five competitors to the 2007 World Championships, as the Brazilians say "Campeonato Mundial de Jiu-Jitsu" held August 23 to 26 in Long Beach, California. This was the first time the World's were held outside Brazil since their inception in 1996. No doubt this was the biggest Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu event of the year with over 2000 competitors from all corners of the globe, maybe the biggest ever. Brian, Will, AJ and Matt fought in the Novice Tournament on the 23rd. Congratulations to all of them for training hard and showing up to the biggest stage so far. Extra congrats goes out to AJ for winning his 1st match and making his debut at the world championships. For the main tournament, Anthony and "little Tony" Pacenski met up with the rest of the Team headed this year by Rodrigo Medeiros and Toco from Brazil. Anthony fought well in this match losing by Ref's decision with a tie score. This comes after weeks of cutting weight for his division. Pacenski competed on Saturday in the lightweight black belt division. For his first match, Pacenski submitted his opponent by armlock after the 5 minute mark. His next match was against 3 time world champion Celso Venícius from Gracie Barra. Celso caught "little" Tony in a lapel choke from the close side position. Revolution Academy of Martial Arts & Fitness is located at 5909 Emilie Road.
Paul La Placa of Berks County BJJ in Sinking Spring defeated Chris Bank of Strike Zone in New London, Connecticut, by armbar in the second round at the Mohegan Sun last weekend.
September 28, 2007
Congratulations to BJJ United for being selected Best of Philly! Because of your votes, BJJ United was named "Best Martial Arts School In Philadelphia" by MyFoxPhilly.com. BJJ United is located at 428 Old York Road in Jenkintown.
September 27, 2007
Grapplers Quest promoter Brian Cimins announced today that the upcoming Grapplers Quest, scheduled for November 10 and 11 at Girard College in Philadelphia, is cancelled. If you pre-registered and would like a refund, OR you can use the credit towards any future Grapplers Quest event of your choice, PLUS get a FREE Grapplers Quest DVD and T-Shirt, please email president@grapplers.com.
September 26, 2007
Episode 2 of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra aired tonight. Following the airing of TUF, Mac Danzig wrote a blog. Here is Week 2.
September 25, 2007
You're invited to a Mixed Martial Arts Open House on Saturday, October 13, from 12:30PM to 2:30PM at Safe Day Studio in Huntington Valley. If you like the UFC and want MMA experience, this is for you. It's hardcore training, including Stand-Up Boxing, Muay Thai, Takedowns, Grappling and Submissions. Gi chokes will be reviewed, so bring a Gi if you have one. The 2-hour session is just $20. per person. Mouthpiece and cup are recommended. Bring 16oz and MMA gloves if you have them. Call Mike at 215.370.1650 to pre-register. Safe Day Studio is located in Body Dynamics Health Club at 1810 County Line Road.
September 24, 2007
Titan Fitness in State College will host a 2-day seminar with the Founder of Combat Submission Wrestling, Erik Paulson, on Saturday, November 10 and Sunday, November 11. Contact Paul Zelinka at 814.235.1015 or download flyer for more information. Titan Fitness is located at 412 West College Avenue.
September 22, 2007
Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and undefeated mixed martial artist Tim Carpenter of Team Balance in Philadelphia is scheduled to make his professional boxing debut on Friday, October 19, at the Wachovia Spectrum on a card that celebrates 40 years of boxing in The City of Brotherly Love. Tickets are on sale now at ComcastTix.com.
September 21, 2007
Mac Danzig did what no other man has be able to do in professional MMA in defeating Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Joe Scarola in the season premiere of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra. He "beat him at his own game," stated former UFC welterweight champion and Season 6 coach, Matt Hughes. Danzig, known for his stand up strength, defeated the first black belt under current UFC welterweight champion and Season 6 coach, Matt Serra by triangle choke seconds before the end of Round 1. Each week following the airing of The Ultimate Fighter, Danzig will write a blog for the OC Register about TUF. Here is Week 1.
September 19, 2007
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Phil Migliarese will be teaching a beginner workshop to all Balance Studios students that are enrolled in the Gracie Basics program on Thursday, September 20, from 7:00PM to 8:00PM. If you are enrolled, just show up and take the course. If you are not enrolled at Balance Studios, and would like to take the class, fill out this form. Balance Studios is located at 109-115 South 24 Street in Philadelphia.
September 18, 2007
The Brazilian American Jiu-Jitsu Institute will host a BJJ Seminar with Romero "Jacare" Cavalcanti, 6th Degree Black Belt under Rolls Gracie, on Saturday, October 6, from 11:00AM to 2:00PM at their Exton academy. The 2-Time World Champion Team Coach was named 2000 Coach of the Year by International Fighting Federation and inducted into the Grappling Hall of Fame in 2005. The 3 hours of training is open to all skill levels. Preregistration is only $65 until October 4; then just $85 at the door. For more information, contact 484.459.2279 or bajji@bajji.com.
September 17, 2007
Congratulations to David Todd and Steve Ernacchio for receiving their blue belts recently at Rosendo Diaz Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Telford. Both Todd and Ernacchio are very experienced martial artists in their own rights, and have now added rank in Jiu-Jitsu to their already impressive resumes.
September 16, 2007
If you missed the live August 2 IFL 2007 SemiFinals at the Continental Airlines Arena, you can catch Tim Boetsch of Sunbury battle Vladimir Matyushenko tonight on Fox SportsNet.
September 15, 2007
The Wachovia Spectrum will celebrate 40 years of sports and boxing on Friday, October 19, when KO Fightz and Power Productions in association with Sports Extreme presents a nine-bout card featuring a Light Heavyweight Championship bout between 23-year-old Charles Cavallo (16-0-0) fighting out of New Jersey and 31-year-old Richard Stewart (13-4-1) fighting out of Delaware. Frank Stallone will help host the event and UFC superstar "Russian Pit Bull" Andrei Arvloski will appear at the event and after party. Tickets go on sale through ComcastTix.com September 20.
September 14, 2007
K-1 Olympia Heroes 2007 Middleweight World Championship Tournament finalist Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro looks for a return to Pennsylvania in early October for a series of seminars. The Abu Dhabi veteran is a Multiple-Time Arnold Classic and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World champion. Currently his MMA record is an impressive 19-1. Shaolin plans to share his experiences and techniques that have gotten him to the level that he is at today with everyone at the seminar. Come out and be prepared to learn techniques that have been proven effective from one of the sports top mixed martial artists. For more information on attending a seminar or hosting Shaolin, contact Joseph Cunliffe.
September 12, 2007
Rosendo Diaz will be at Lancaster Family Martial Arts this Saturday, September 15, from 10:30AM to 12:30PM. This will be a workshop focusing on the GI. For more information, please contact Mike Weisensee.
September 11, 2007
Mercyhurst College will host a Martial Arts Seminar featuring Roy Harris on Saturday, September 22 and Sunday, September 23 in Erie. Participation is on a first come first serve basis until the event is sold out. Private instruction is also available. Mercyhurst College is located at 501 East 38th Street. For more information, contact John J Bruno or check out www.brunosonlinegym.com.
September 10, 2007
Khristian Geraci of FTP Fighting Systems in Pittsburgh will face undefeated Jason Miknuk at IFBL Fight Night 9 this Saturday, September 15, at the Eastwood Expo Center in Niles, Ohio. Contact Geraci at 412.992.0944 for tickets or more information.
September 8, 2007
Ring of Combat XV: Beast of the Northeast tournament kicked off Friday night at the Tropicana Resort & Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, as a near sell-out crowd packed the Showroom @ The Quarter. Enthusiastic fans were not disappointed as the preliminaries provided 14 bouts of power-packed, non-stop action. In lightweight fights, David Sachs of the Pittsburgh Fight Club in Pittsburgh defeated John Beneduce of Team Insight- Serra Jiu Jitsu in Huntington, New York, by Unanimous Decision at the end of an overtime Round 3. Biff Walizer of Team Red Lion in Red Lion was defeated by Eddie Fyvie of Team Renzo Gracie in New York, by KO at 3:44 of Round 1. In a welterweight fight, Charlie Brenneman of Cambria Martial Arts in South Fork and PA Grappling in Altoona defeated Jordan Damon of Team Balance-Tai Kai in Syracuse, New York, by Referee Stoppage due to a gash over his right eye at 2:20 of Round 1. In a middleweight fight, Lance Everson of Team Boneyard in Taunton, Massachusetts, defeated Dan Karnbauer of FTP Fighting Systems in Pittsburgh by Referee Stoppage due to strikes at 2:40 of Round 1. And in a light-heavyweight fight, John Doyle of Team Round One in Emmaus defeated Alexander Lazebnikov of Team PowerHouse Kickboxing in Cambridge, Massachusetts, by Referee Stoppage due to strikes at 3:21 of Round 1. Tyler Minton of FTP Fighting Systems in Pittsburgh was disqualified for not passing medicals for the event and Chris Reedy of Xtreme Fitness Combat Club in St. Clair nursed an injury for a week and was unable to fight. The winners go on to compete at the Beast of the Northeast Semi-Finals on October 26 at the Tropicana. For more information, check out www.ringofcombat.com.
September 6, 2007
Philadelphians prepare for a weekend of exciting grappling sport and competition when Girard College hosts Grapplers Quest on Saturday, November 10 and Sunday, November 11 in the City of Brotherly Love. With $7,000 in prizes for the weekend plus a free seminar each day with Phil Migliarese and the JiuJitsuMatrix.com instructors, competitors and fans alike will experience grappling... Pennsylvania style. The 1st Grapplers Quest Liberty Bell No-Gi Challenge will take place on Saturday, and will include a free No-Gi seminar from JiuJitsuMatrix.com. The 2007 Copa Atlantica Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Championships will take place on SUnday, and will include a free BJJ seminar from JiuJitsuMatrix.com. Girard College is convenienlty located off Route 76, the Schylkill Expressway, at 2101 South College Avenue.
September 5, 2007
Wasting no time and once again putting his undefeated winning streak on the line, "All American" Brian Stann will fight tonight on WEC. Stann will face a savvy veteran in Jeremiah Billington (9-1) who looks to derail Stann's momentum. Stann has been working very hard for this fight and recently trained with Dan Henderson in Temecula, California. Look for another war as Stann continues his march for the title live on the Versus Network.
September 4, 2007
From Philly.com: Last year, televised mixed martial arts (MMA) events made more in pay-per-view revenue than World Wrestling Entertainment or HBO boxing. Once regarded by many as barbaric when it started in the early 1990s, MMA has instituted rules and safeguards that have brought it into the mainstream. Philadelphia Fight Factory, at 2220 East Susquehanna Avenue in Fishtown, is one of the leading MMA gyms in the region. Founded by Stephen Haigh, the gym is home to star MMA fighter Eddie Alvarez, a Kensington native who once held the Mixed Fighting Championship/bodog welterweight crown. Check out the Fight Factory promo video here.
September 3, 2007
Sixteen of the best up-and-coming welterweight mixed martial artists from around the world will live, eat and train together in Las Vegas for six weeks under the tutelage of two UFC veterans for the sixth installment of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Serra vs. Team Hughes. Current UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Serra and former champion Matt Hughes will both coach eight fighters while they prepare for their own bout against each other later this year. At stake for the combatants is a six figure contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
With over twenty professional matches under his belt, 27-year-old Mac Danzig of Pittsburgh is by far the most experienced combatant on The Ultimate Fighter 6. A strict vegetarian and nature lover, Danzig’s first love was skateboarding, and he was a sponsored amateur during his teenage years. In 2000, Danzig traded in his skateboard for the mats of Casey Leonard’s Combative Grappling Systems, learning a great deal about BJJ under his tutelage. A year later, Danzig left the Steel City behind to fight on the amateur circuit in Iowa, where he was the Extreme Challenge Trials 2001 U.S. Lightweight MMA National Champion. He moved to California in 2002, where he trained with R1 fight team (formerly RAW) and had been a student of Iowa wrestling standout Rico Chiapparelli and mixed martial artist Frank Trigg. Since then he has trained boxing extensively at Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, California, under Freddie Roach assistant Justin Fortune.
While Danzig is known as an impressive grappler, having scored 11 of his victories by submission; he has proven himself to be an adept striker, most notably with his TKO (due to strikes) victory over former King of the Cage lightweight champion Takumi Nakayama. After defeating Royce Gracie black belt Buddy Clinton, Danzig increased his winning streak to 12 in a row with a unanimous decision victory over Miletich fighter John Mahlow. His last fight was against Hayato Sakurai at Pride Fighting Championship 33 on February 24, where Danzig lost the fight by TKO (referee stoppage) at the 4:09 mark of Round 2 taking his record to 17-4-1.
The former Gladiator Challenge champion recently joined the Legends Gym in Los Angeles, home to fellow welterweight contender Karo Parisyan, as well as The Ultimate Fighter 5 finalist Manny Gamburyan, and hopes that living and breathing MMA while in the house for six weeks with no distractions will reinvigorate his training ethic and intensity, something that Danzig will admit has been difficult to maintain in recent years. Away from the Octagon, Danzig lives with his girlfriend, Angeline Grace, of four years who is a massage therapist in a chiropractic clinic. He is an avid photographer.
The Ultimate Fighter 6 will premiere on SpikeTV Wednesday, September 19, at 11:00PM (ET). After the premiere, the show will return to the normal time slot of 10:00pm on Wednesday nights.
September 2, 2007
A new semester of Quantum Jujitsu starts this Wednesday, September 5, at 6:30PM in the Intramural Building (IM Building) Wrestling Room at Penn State in State College. Quantum Jujitsu is a study of martial arts and life defense -- a development of all modes of combat such as out-fighting, in-fighting, and ground fighting, which covers kickboxing, boxing, grappling, throwing, takedowns, positioning, and submissions. Additionally, one trains psychological aspects of avoiding unnecessary conflict. Besides regular training, Fall '07 will also offer Quantum Jujitsu Black Belt Test, Intensive martial art seminars, Guest Instructors, Warrior Yoga classes, Open Mat training, Extra-curricular group activities and Competitions. The schedule is Sunday and Wednesday 6:30PM to 8:30PM, and Friday 5:00PM to 7:00PM (106 White Building). Please note the change in training days and time slots compared to previous semesters. All are welcome. No experience required. Wear comfortable clothing to work-out in. Come with an open mind and check your ego at the door. For more information or directions, go to www.clubs.psu.edu/quantumjujitsu.
September 1, 2007
News just in from Revolution Academy of Martial Arts & Fitness in Levittown: Big congratulations goes out to Adam Fisher from our kids program. He took third place in Kids GI 80-89.9 pound Beginner Division and also made his competition debut at NAGA on Saturday, August 4. The very next day, Patrick Warusz itook home third place in the No-Gi Adult Welterweight Beginner Division. Warusz won many matches in his stacked division. There were promotions recently at the Revolution Academy. Mike K was promoted to purple belt and also received his level II instructor’s certificate. Karl and Orlando were promoted to blue belt. There were also many degree's earned too: Shane (2) and Rob (1) on their yellow belts; Big John (1), Anthony D (1), Pat W (3) and Mike L (1) all received degrees on their white belts. Finally, Matt Rizzo (1) and Yohannes (1) on their blue belts. The Revolution Academy took five competitors to the 2007 World Championships, as the Brazilians say "Campeonato Mundial de Jiu-Jitsu" held August 23 to 26 in Long Beach, California. This was the first time the World's were held outside Brazil since their inception in 1996. No doubt this was the biggest Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu event of the year with over 2000 competitors from all corners of the globe, maybe the biggest ever. Brian, Will, AJ and Matt fought in the Novice Tournament on the 23rd. Congratulations to all of them for training hard and showing up to the biggest stage so far. Extra congrats goes out to AJ for winning his 1st match and making his debut at the world championships. For the main tournament, Anthony and "little Tony" Pacenski met up with the rest of the Team headed this year by Rodrigo Medeiros and Toco from Brazil. Anthony fought well in this match losing by Ref's decision with a tie score. This comes after weeks of cutting weight for his division. Pacenski competed on Saturday in the lightweight black belt division. For his first match, Pacenski submitted his opponent by armlock after the 5 minute mark. His next match was against 3 time world champion Celso Venícius from Gracie Barra. Celso caught "little" Tony in a lapel choke from the close side position. Revolution Academy of Martial Arts & Fitness is located at 5909 Emilie Road.