MMA in PA -- January 2007
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January 31, 2007
There is no vacation from Jiu-Jitsu for the Migliarese Brothers of Balance Studios in
Philadelphia. Phil and Rick are in Aruba this week meeting with a potential Team Balance affiliate academy and looking for a place
to hold fight camps. They are in search of a large facility for a cage, mats and Thai Bags. During a break, the Relson Gracie black
belts stopped at the beach and filmed this clip of a
standing underhook arm lock.
January 29, 2007
Two Philadelphia fighters will head to Costa Rica on February 7 for the filming of bodogFIGHT 3.
Stephen Haigh, founder and lead instructor of
Fight Factory, along with top student
Eddie Alvarez, will participate in the third season of
the internet based reality fight show. Haigh takes his modest 3-2-0 professional MMA record to the South American country to face
Takuya Wada of Japan in a 3-round 165 pound fight. The
SK Absolute fighter has a 13-7-8 professional MMA record. Sporting a 9-0-0 professional MMA record,
MFC welterweight champion Alvarez will face Indiana wrestler
Scott Henze, who has been active on the HOOKnSHOOT circuit
with some 25 recorded fights. Henze has a 17-6-2 professional MMA record.
January 28, 2007
Undefeated Fight Factory stand out and MFC welterweight
champion Eddie Alvarez is expected to make his
Pancrase debut in 2007. The Philadelphia native earned the MFC title by defeating
UFC veteran Derrick Noble
by KO at 1:01 of Round 1 at MFC "USA vs. Russia 3." Alvarez successfully defended his title by defeating
Aaron Riley of famed
American Top Team by KO at 1:05 of Round 1 at
bodogFIGHT "Russia vs. USA."
January 27, 2007
Relson Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Phil Migliarese of
Balance Studios in Philadelphia has convinced student
Ken Primola to share his DVD with everyone on the
JiuJitsu Matrix for half price. Primola is a brown belt under Migliarese and owner of
takedowns101.com, a small grassroots martial arts company bent on promoting the arts in
all formats and positively changing lives. takedowns 101 strives to give free techniques and share all they know. They would like
to eventually sponsor athletes and share their stories in a positive light. They are your company and in order to grow and produce
more educational material they need your involvement and support. There are only 100 copies left in his store. Migliarese says,
"This is a great video. All of my top level competitors use the moves on his DVD and win."
January 23, 2007
DeStolfo’s Premier Martial Arts will host an MMA & Submission Grappling seminar with
UFC veteran and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt
Kurt "Batman" Pellegrino this Sunday, January 28,
from 11:00AM to 2:00PM at their King of Prussia academy. The cost is just $60.00 per person. The seminar will be MMA in nature,
including wrestling, submissions, and stand-up (i.e boxing, kickboxing). Boxing gloves and shin guards are recommended. All are
welcome, but you must register by January 26, by calling 610.834.8533. DeStolfo’s Premier Martial Arts is located inside Gold's
Gym at 431 Valley Forge Road.
January 22, 2007
Children's BJJ classes will begin shortly at Rosendo Diaz Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Telford.
Head Instructor Rosendo Diaz received his BJJ black belt from Royler Gracie in 2003. The
academy is a certified black belt academy affiliated with the Royler Gracie-David Adiv Jiu-Jitsu
Team. Class will meet for 1 hour 2 nights per week. The class will be limited to 12 students ages 8 to 12. Rosendo Diaz
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is located at 270 North 3rd Street. For more information, please contact Diaz at 267.476.1858 or
heelhook21@aol.com
January 18, 2007
Team Balance Pittsburgh is now open to the public. They will be enrolling a limited number
of students for classes beginning January 22. There are only a few spots available, so contact Instructor
Bobbi Palumbi directly at 609.707.8575. The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt will teach while attending law
school. Team Balance Pittsburgh is located in the South Hills Judo Club at 2620
Brownsville Road in Pittsburgh. Their telephone number is 412.882.3600. Current class times are Monday and Wednesday at 8:15PM,
with a weekend class to be added soon. SHJC also offers a top level judo program that has produced Olympic judo players. There is also
a Muay Thai program at the school that produces professional fighters who consistently compete. Team Balance Pittsburgh is offering a
package of training all three (BJJ, Judo, Thai), whose class times do not cross, for a very reasonable price. They are working toward
establishing a Sunday MMA program where all three groups will get together and workout. Call Palumbi or the SHJC for more information.
January 17, 2007
Welcome back to Quantum Jujitsu and
Warrior Yoga at PSU. Spring '07 classes are about to start.
Quantum Jujitsu starts on Monday, January 22, and classes run Monday and Wednesday from 8:30PM to 10:30PM in the IM Building
Wrestling Room. Warrior Yoga starts on Tuesday, January 23, and classes run Tuesday and Thursday from 4:30PM to 6:00PM in the 50/51
White Building. This semester we have at least 3 guest instructors flying in for seminars. Additionally, there will be Restoration
Massage Therapy seminars once per month. Contact Dave Light for more information.
January 15, 2007
Congratulations to Gavin Enck of Team Royler Gracie-David Adiv (RGDA) for earning his brown belt in Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu. The Lebanon Valley College graduate received his belt from RGDA black belt Rosendo Diaz
last weekend during a seminar, "It was a very big surprise and a very humbling one," said the college wrestler.
January 14, 2007
Unbeaten SportFighting Light Heavyweight Champion
Tim Carpenter will be conducting a Mixed Martial Arts
seminar on Saturday, January 27. The two-hour seminar will start at 12:00PM sharp and will cover all things MMA - from Boxing and Muay
Thai to Wrestling and of course Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Carpenter is a BJJ Pan American Champion, a Submission Grappling National
Champion and a Judo National Champion, has trained with UFC veteran
Brandon Vera for his last three UFC fights, and is currently working
with Boxing legend Bernard Hopkins' trainer. The seminar is open to anyone and everyone, from the beginner to the advanced athlete, from
any martial arts school. The cost is just $50. Make sure you sign up as soon as possible as there is limited space! Call 610-348-6295 or
e-mail Brad@ParamountBJJ.com for more info or to sign up.
January 11, 2007
The Thai Boxing Association, headed by
Ajarn Chai Sirisute, is getting ready for the New Year. This is approximately the
30th year for Ajarn Chai on the seminar circuit, so if you haven't caught one yet, here is your chance to plan ahead. On November 10 and
11, Ajarn Chai will be in Philadelphia. For more information, contact Don Garon or
Jeff Jones at 404.452.4527. You may also contact the TBA office at 310.834.2724.
January 10, 2007
Current King of the Cage and Gladiator Challenge
lightweight champion Mac Danzig grew up in the greater
Pittsburgh area before moving to Los Angeles to pursue his MMA career. The 27-year-old is scheduled on the January 19 KOTC card to face
Pride Bushido veteran
Clay French at the
MetroCenter in Rockford, Illinois,
and has offered us an inside look at his life today and fight preparation.
January 9, 2007
On Sunday, January 28, from 9:00AM to 12:00PM, the Lancaster Family Martial Arts Center will be hosting
an adult Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu seminar taught by Brian Johnson from Seattle.
Brian has over 15 years of martial arts experience and currently holds the rank of black belt under
David Meyer and John Will. Brian actively competes in grappling tournaments as well as MMA
competitions. Some of his accomplishments include Gold medals for: 2002 Fireball Challenge, King of NW Rumble in the Ring IV, 2003
Fireball Challenge, 2004 WC Martial Arts Challenge, 2005 Grapplemania and Bronze at Grapple Quest IV. The cost of the 3-hour seminar is
just $60. Brian will also be teaching a children's seminar (1st-6th graders) from 1:30PM to 2:30PM, the cost is only $30. The Lancaster
Family Martial Arts Center is located at 3706 Hempland Road in Mountville. Please visit www.LFMAC.com
for more information, or call 717-898-6120.
January 8, 2007
The International Fight League, the world’s first team-based professional mixed martial arts league,
today announced that many of its world-champion coaches will host free classes at their respective martial arts academies, in support
of the National Self-Defense Institute’s “Self-Defense Awareness Month” in January. The coaches
involved will include world champions Pat Miletich, Renzo Gracie, Maurice Smith, Matt Lindland, Bas Rutten and Frank Shamrock
and their staffs, with events being held from New York City, Long Island and Philadelphia, on the east coast to St. Louis, and Las Vegas
and Seattle, Portland and Los Angeles on the west coast as well others. The classes are open to men and women of all ages and are on a
first come, first serve basis. The Miletich Fighting Systems at
Philadelphia Mixed Martial Arts Academy, will host a class on Saturday, January 20 and Saturday,
January 27 starting at 2:30PM. Call 215.467.1008 for more information. Pat Miletich is not scheduled to teach these classes.
January 6, 2007
From MMAWeekly.com: If the International Fight League had a
Comeback Fighter of the Year award it would probably have to go to Quad Cities Silverbacks’ light-heavyweight
Mike Ciesnolevicz [pronounced Sez-no-lev-ich]. After losing his first two fights for
the promotion, he rebounded in impressive fashion, winning his last two, helping to propel the Silverbacks to a second straight IFL
Team Championship. In his last bout for the IFL in the World Team Championship Finals, “Mike C.” as he’s often referred to, choked
previously undefeated-in-the-IFL standout Aaron Stark of the Portland Wolfpack after three rounds of hard-fought war during the
Silverback’s 4-1 dominating victory.
Read more here.
January 4, 2007
The 2007 International Fight League (IFL) season opens with "Shamrock vs. Shamrock" Team matchups in
Oakland, California, on Friday, January 19, with a featured middleweight superfight between
Jeremy Horn and
Niko Vitale on an 11-fight card at the ORACLE Arena. The
world’s first team-based professional mixed martial arts league announced rosters for its
2007-season-opening event, which includes Team Condor, coached by MMA legend
Marco Ruas welterweight
Adam Lynn of Pittsburgh. Check out
www.IFL.tv for more information.
January 3, 2007
The North American Amateur Fight Series (NAAFS), the nation’s premier amateur MMA organization, had
a very successful debut season in 2006. With ten events under its belt in its inaugural season and participation from fighters across
the country, including Pennsylvania, the NAAFS will be looking to expand in 2007 and sanction as many as fifteen shows in the Midwest
and Virginia. The 2006 NAAFS National Lightweight Champion is
Mike Nesto
(5-2-0) of Shraders MMA in Uniontown. For more information on the
NAAFS.tv, contact Greg Kalikas at 330.324.3034.
January 1, 2007
The Pittsburgh Sports and Fitness Expo returns to the
Pittsburgh Expo Mart in Monroeville on Saturday, May 26 and Sunday, May 27,
featuring the Kumite Classic Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Submission Grappling Championships.
Introduced into the well-respected western Pennsylvania Sport Karate tournament by
Joseph Cunliffe, the Kumite Classic is the largest grappling tournament currently
held in Pennsylvania with academies from across the United States, Brazil, Canada and Mexico represented, and growing each year since
its inception in 2002. The Radisson Monroeville will host competitors at a
discounted rate. Check out www.KumiteClassic.com, call 724.861.5162 or
e-mail Bill Viola for more information.