We had 3 fighters fight Saturday night in Hardrock MMA Shepardsville. The new and improved James "Birdman" Brasfield debuted last night and won in convincing fashion with some tight clinch work and accurate inside striking to secure the TKO win. Paul Tipton squared off with James Douglas of 4Seasons (Lexington). It was great action. Paul landed some head kicks and was winning the striking. When the fight went to the ground it was back and forth. Douglas secured Paul's back late in the 1st round and finished the Mata Leao with 5 seconds left. Great fight and always great to compete with 4Seasons which is the original professionally ran MMA Team in Kentucky and has produced tooooo many champions to even count.

TJ Barber squared off in a rematch with Phil White. The first installment featured good back and forth action with striking, takedowns and groundwork. White managed to snag TJ's arm and forced him to tap. This match-up was much different. We had a specific game plan to stand up and use our superior striking and strength to keep the fight standing and win there. Barber showed great crisp striking and maturity to stick to the game plan. The fight went to all 5 rounds with Barber just a step ahead in the striking. White was unable to get the fight to the ground and burned precious energy with several failed attempts. Nonetheless he moved forward the entire time with Barber using good footwork and landing dozens of leg kicks and hand combinations. Very good fight and very competitive. These two guys showed skill and heart that you don't see in many pro fights. Congrats to both guys.

Our good friend Dustin Ware posted the team results from the last OGC Tri-State BJJ Open. We came in second in the Gi competition and we tied for second with Team Jorge Gurgel in the No Gi Divisions!! Congrats guys. We always finish among elite company!!

It's official. Chad Corvin has signed a contract to fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship! We anticipate that his debut will be sometime in May. He has began conditioning and we will be working hard in preparation for this big event!! We need our big guys on the mat in force. We have the talent within our team to support anyone preparing for any level of competition. Everyone has a part. Let's get him ready to go and start his UFC career with a bang!!

Pro MMA Info
http://prommanow.com/index.php/2010/01/19/breaking-news-exclusive-chad-corvin-signs-contract-with-the-ufc/

The News Enterprise
http://www.thenewsenterprise.com/cgi-bin/c2.cgi?053+article+Sports+2010012102528053053004

Deep Half Guard
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1QafURNIkI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH74V0XxXTI

What a great class in E-town Sunday. In addition to the regular group of assassins and killers, UFC vet Dan Christison came down and brought 5 of his students. Brandon Kessinger, Robin "Funky" Friedley, and Mike Baskis came up from Bowling Green. Joe Baize"ambo" came up from Leg Lock City. The room was banging with nothing but meat eaters. It was Darwinism (Survival of the Fittest) in it's most natural form. What a class!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NwwFEtsWqI

We recently competed in the Tri-State BJJ Open in Union, Kentucky. Dustin Ware puts on a great event and it's always organized and professional. Our Team 1 for the Tri-State BJJ Open was composed of Owensboro, E-town, Bowling Green, Central City, and Hazard Academies combined to send a very impressive 35 competitors!! We took home 20 medals with some great individual performances. The tournament was huge and competition was very stiff. I think we all learned a lot and competition can be important for development. Great job everyone!!

Here is a Youtube highlight of our team competing in the event!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REj6UVQKM80

Here is a highlight of Joe Baize No Gi Invite Tournament Wins!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCRvOWP8OJg

Hazard Martial Arts Club added a new blue belt on Saturday January 3. Sam Hall was promoted by Josh during His quarterly visit to Hazard. Sam has been training and teaching in the club since it's formation and has shown great dedication and improvement!

Thanks guys,
Josh

New Schedules for 2010 is now posted under Class Info. All classes in Elizabethtown now take place in Energy Sports and Fitness.