Dan 'Tanis' Rawlings "Muay Thai Seminar"

Mentor, Ohio

GriffonRawl MMA Academy

On Sunday, May 3, 2009, Dan 'Tanis' Rawlings returned to the academy he started to give a three hour Muay Thai Seminar. About 25-30 men from Team DNA, Team Non-Stop MMA, Evolve MMA, Powerhouse Gym, Jungle Fight Team, and of course, Team GriffonRawl were in attendance.

To try to make an analogy of Dan's movement in the ring is tough. Dan has fought Muay Thai all over the world, most recently as part of Chuck Norris' World Combat League and has his one and only MMA fight (victorious) in Zuffa's World Extreme Cagefighting. As a member of Team DNA said, "It's like watching someone float across the mat."

Dan gave those in attendance an excellent workout as well as lessons in stretching, conditioning, striking, kicking, combinations and strategies just to list a few of the items covered in the seminar. Dan concluded the outstanding seminar with a bow to each attendee, followed by trading a leg kick with each man. I don't think anyone enjoyed that portion of the seminar, even though Dan was trowing about 20% power!

Thanks to all who attended and especially the guest of honor, Dan 'Tanis' Rawlings!

NAAFS "Midwest Combat Challenge 7"

Akron, Ohio

Chapparell’s Center

Team GriffonRawl sent four veterans into MMA action on April 25, 2009 for NAAFS' "Midwest Combat Challenge 7". Reggie Parks, Bryon McCroskey, Ryan Lose, and John Strmac represented the team. What follows is a recap of each fighter's match.

Ryan "Loose Cannon" Lose (155lbs) was facing Kenny "The Black Spartan" Jackson. After an initial feeling out process Kenny landed a big left hook that sent Ryan to the mat. Ryan immediately jumped back up with his hand ready, but the referee called a stop to the contest. Clearly upset, Ryan pleaded with the referee saying he wasn't hurt. A big solid shot was landed by Kenny, to be sure, but most in attendance would agree it was an early stoppage. Ryan took it with a grain of salt, saying he'd never been hit that hard but is anxious to get back and show NAAFS fans the kind of fighter he is.

Reggie Parks (170lbs) was facing the once defeated Chris Melillo. Reggie utilized his wrestling to take Chirs down and started a barrage of wicked body shots in the first round. Reggie would get the better of the standup in each round and when Chris would come in for a big shot, he'd change levels and execute a takedown continuing the ground and pound. Reggie had to fight off a kimura attempt for a portion of round three, but when the dust settled he earned an unanimous decision victory from the judges scorecards. Reggie took time to thank his training partners and coaches in his post fight interview. Reggie improved to an impressive 5-1 record.

Bryon McCroskey (170lbs) took on the game Jeremy “The Worm” Matheny in one of the nights featured bouts. Jeremy was quick and struck hard at the outset. He was able to land a big shot early on in the contest that dropped Bryon to the canvass and the fight looked to be over. But the equally game McCroskey rallied and the fight continued. With action up against the cage, Bryon hit a beautiful double leg takedown/slam and began strking from "knee of belly" position. Jeremy turned his back and Bryon was able to end the contest via tapout from a rear naked choke at 2:18 of Round 1, giving Bryon his fifth win in seven contests.

John Strmac (145lbs) took on Jason Eckles in another featured bout of the night. From the NAAFS website: "Team GriffonRawl’s John Strmac improved to 6-2 with his win over Jason Eckles by Triangle Choke at :39 of the first round. The former state champion wrestler stuck with his strengths, but it was the craftiness of Strmac’s ground game that ultimately won out in the end, giving yet another victory to Team GriffonRawl on the night."

Overall, the team went 3-1 on the night. An impressive mark for any MMA promotion, but considering the NAAFS is the regions premier promotion, it makes it all that more gratifying.

UMMAXX 7 "Out of the Cage"

Akron, Ohio

John S. Knight Center

Donny "Eagle Eye" Walker and Paul "Str8outta" Compton were set for professional featherweight action on Saturday May 2, 2009. Unfortunately Paul's opponent had a family emergency and therefore left Paul without an opponent.

Donny came out strong against Brad Fonck landing a heavy right early in round one. Donny executed perfect takedown defense, reversed positions and started a wicked display of ground and pound. At :32 of the very first round the referee was forced to call a stop to the action giving Donny another professional victory.

For complete results, photos and video visit www.ummaxx.net.

Superior Cage Fighting "Resurrection!"

Elyria, Ohio
Elyria Roll Arena

Five GriffonRawl warriors made their way to Elyria to participate in Superior Cage Fighting's latest promotion. Superior Cage Fighting and GriffonRawl MMA have had a long standing relationship, participating in each of their events. What follows is a recap of each fighter's bout.

Dan Farnworth (0-1, 145lbs), fresh off his eighteenth birthday, pulled double duty as he battled both Kelli Gotardo and a nasty flu virus as well. Dan had a solid triangle and subsequent arm bar in the latter part of round one, but Kelli was able to fight through it as the round ended. Kelli was able to land takedowns in both rounds two and three, remaining on top for most of the rounds, while Dan worked submissions from the guard. The fight ended with a unanimous decision in favor of Kelli.

George Comer (2-0, 155lbs) remained unbeated in MMA competition by scoring a split decision victory over Mike Maderitz. While round one was clearly won by George, Mike showed solid standup and a very active guard from the bottom, including a near arm bar in round three. George's balance, wrestling and effective ground and pound was enough to control the fight, giving him his second victory in as many outings.

Dave Klima (1-0, 170lbs) found out early in round one he was in for a battle, as Deramus Cannon landed a solid right straight that sent the action to the ground. Dave endured a brief ground and pound before he was able to move his hips to the side and began climbing his way to the back of Deramus, where he locked in a rear naked choke in the middle of round one. Deramus had no choice but to tap as the choke was solid and deep, giving Dave his first tast of victory inside the cage.

Dan Jones (5-3, 155lbs) looked to stand and bang early, but Dominic Jones, an accomplished wrestler, was able to keep the fight on the ground, while Dan positioned himself for submissions attempts. In round two, Dan nearly had an arm bar sunk deep, but props to Dominic who was able to fight through the lock. Rounds two and three were much of the same from Dominic, who kept looking for the takedown. The referre repeatedly stood the fighters up in the later rounds, but when the dust settled, Dan was handed a loss in the form of a unanimous decision.

Rounding out GriffonRawl's night was AJ Carl (6-1, 145lbs) who won a majority decision victory over a very tough and well conditioned Jason Schmucker. AJ clearly dominated round one with spectacular takedowns and wicked ground and pound. Rounds two and three found AJ on top most of the time, following multiple takedowns. Jason had a rear naked choke sunk deep late in the contest, but somehow AJ was able to pry Jason's arm away from his throat and reverse positions. AJ earned the Interim Featherweight Championship!

Congratulations to all who competed and thanks to all who drove the distance to Elyria.

More information may be obtained by visiting http://www.superiorcagefighting.com/.

Espn Radio

Every Saturday morning from 1100am-1200pm, WKNR2, AM 1540 is the home to the newest MMA radio show with GriffonRawl's head coach, Jason 'Dynamite' Dent.

From http://www.espncleveland.com/:

GET “INSIDE THE CAGE” EVERY SATURDAY MORNING AT ELEVEN ON CLEVELAND’S AM 1540 KNR2.
JOIN JORDAN SHERWOOD, ANTONIO CASTRO AND STAR OF THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER SEASON NINE JASON DENT AS THEY BRING YOU THE MOST INDEPTH AND INTERACTIVE MMA SHOW IN NORTHEAST OHIO.
THE FIGHT OF THE NIGHT, LIVE INTERVIEWS WITH STARS OF MMA AND FIGHT PICKS, IT’S ALL PART OF “INSIDE THE CAGE” SATURDAY MORNINGS AT ELEVEN ON CLEVELAND’S AM 1540 KNR2.
EMAIL ADDRESS: insidethecage@espncleveland.com
CALL-IN LINE: 1-216-583-9527
TUNE IN TO SEE IF YOU CAN LAND A PRIVATE V.I.P PARTY AT CHRISTIE'S CABARET FOR THE NEXT BIG UFC PAY PER VIEW.

For more information visit: http://www.espncleveland.com/pages/pages.php?page=62

'Ultimate Fighter' makes a 'Dynamite' Dent in town

This is an article taken from The Morning Journal.

LORAIN — On April 10th you could possibly meet the next Ultimate Fighter, Jason "Dynamite" Dent.Dent will be in attendance and will sign autographs at Lorain County's next Mixed Martial Arts "fight night", as Superior Cage Fighting puts on "Battle in the Heartland II" at Elyria Roll Arena.Dent, who has won nearly every major title in Northeast Ohio in his weight class, is one of the contestants on SpikeTV's reality-series 'Ultimate Fighter', which begins tonight at 10 p.m. This season the show pits U.S. fighters against United Kingdom fighters in a competition to be the "next" ultimate fighter. The prize — a six figure contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.It starts off with 32 fighters and only 16 make it to the next level. Will Dent make it? Stay tuned."I'm in my prime," said Dent, who went the distance in UFC 63 against Roger Huerta and UFC 68 against Gleison Tibau, but lost both bouts by scoring decision, 30-27. "I'm 28 years old and I don't know how much longer I'm gonna be fighting. Getting a contract is very important to me. I wanna be recognized as one of the best, and the best fight in the UFC — they got all the best."Dent was intrigued by the reality show that is entering its ninth season."When I went to Chicago there were over 700 people trying out," Dent said. "That intrigued me. I wanna fight the best in the world — and that's in the UFC — that's why I wanna be there. The smartest path was through the Ultimate Fighter."For now, Dent will have to keep his lips sealed about the outcome until after the live season finale on June 20.In the meanwhile, Dent is excited to have Dan Jones, A.J. Carl, George Comer, Dan Farnworth and Dave Klima represent his academy on April 10. His academy, which is based in Mentor, has five professionals, including himself, and over 20 amateurs."In MMA, you can use your feet, you can use your knees, you can use your elbows, you can wrestle a guy — there's so many ways to win and unfortunately so many ways to lose. That's what makes our sport so exciting ... it takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears to be successful."The night will feature four title fights. Amherst's Mike Garcher (2-0) will take on middle weight champion Trey Duplessee (4-0), who is from Elyria, for his title. Elyria's Paul Trotman will square up with Southview's Edison Martinez for the 135 pound title. Dominic Jones (Amherst) will fight for the 155 pound interim title against Jones, from GriffonRawl. In the fourth title bout, GriffonRawl's A.J. Carl will take on Jason Schmucker (Canton).Other locals fighting are Southview's Jose Martinez and Joe Wilson and Lorain's Eric Parks. Amherst has representatives Tony Rottari, Kenny Shinfelt and Mike Maderitz. Elyria also has Marcus Washington. Eric Belottie, who is a LaGrange native that went to St. Ed's, will also be on the card. Midview's Kyle Norton and Clyde's Nathan Schwartz, who wrestled at Cleveland State, fill out the card. Powerhouse Gym, located in Elyria, will have nine fighters represent their gym, joining the likes of other fighters from Indiana and Pennyslvania. In total, there is approximately 20 fights scheduled."Every time I go to Superior Cage Fighting's show, the crowds keep getting bigger and bigger," Dent said. "They keep bringing in better and better fighters. Superior Cage Fighting is putting it together good and they're growing."Dent will be signing autographs at 5 p.m. the day of the show. For tickets or more information, call (440) 309-4459 or go to http://www.superiorcagefighting.com/.

Spike TV Reveals TUF 9 Cast

Las Vegas, Nevada

Taken from http://www.sherdog.com/Monday, March 09, 2009by Brian KnappFighters from opposite sides of the globe will carry the banners of the United States and the United Kingdom on season nine of “The Ultimate Fighter,” the cast for which was released on Monday by Spike TV representatives. UFC superstars Dan Henderson and Michael Bisping will serve as coaches. Henderson, a two-time Olympian, remains the only man to ever hold major titles in two different weight classes simultaneously. The 30-year-old Bisping, the light heavyweight winner on “The Ultimate Fighter 3,” has posted three consecutive wins since he dropped to 185 pounds. The show -- which will feature lightweights and welterweights -- will premiere on Spike TV at 10 p.m. ET/PT on April 1 and will culminate at “The Ultimate Fighter 9” Finale on June 20 at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. World Extreme Cagefighting veteran Kevin Knabjian (10-3-1) and former International Fight League standout Mark Miller (8-5) headline the American cast, along with journeyman Ray Elbe (20-11) and Miletich Fighting Systems products Jason Pierce (6-0) and Kiel Reid (0-1). The 24-year-old Knabjian, a wrestler spawned by the same university, Eastern Illinois, as future UFC hall of famer Matt Hughes, will carry a four-fight winning streak into his appearance on the show. Miller, meanwhile, holds victories against UFC veterans Brad Blackburn and Josh Neer. In fact, he remains the only man to knock out Neer in 33 career bouts. Welterweight prospect Che Mells, who cut his teeth inside the Cage Rage promotion, carries the hopes of the United Kingdom roster, along with Team Rough House product Andre Winner (9-2-1), Jeff Lawson (12-2) and Alex Reid (8-8-1, 1 NC). Though the 33-year-old Reid has lost six fights in a row, he has tested himself against high-caliber competition, including Murilo Rua, Jorge Rivera and one-time UFC middleweight champion Dave Menne. The UK cast also includes Gary Kelly (2-1, 1 NC), the brother of UFC veteran Paul Kelly. “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series has served as a launching pad for some of the sport’s best-known fighters, including reigning UFC light heavyweight king Rashad Evans, former 205-pound titleholder Forrest Griffin and lightweight contenders Diego Sanchez and Kenny Florian. The full cast for “The Ultimate Fighter 9” follows: Team USA cast.United States Welterweights• Ryan Biglar• Ray Elbe• Christian Fulgium• Damarques Johnson• Kevin Knabjian• Mark Miller• Jason Pierce• Kiel Reid United Kingdom Welterweights• Dean Amasinger• James Bateman• David Faulkner• Tommy Maguire• Che Mills• Nicholas Osipczak• Alex Reid• James Wilks United States Lightweights• Paul Bird• Santino Defranco• Jason Dent• Cameron Dollar• Tom Hayden• Waylon Lowe• Josh Souder• Richie Whitson United Kingdom Lightweights• James Bryan• Dan James• Gary Kelly• Jeff Lawson• Ross Pearson• Martin Stapleton• AJ Wenn• Andre Winner

NAAFS "Midwest Combat Challenge 5"

Akron, Ohio
Chapparell's Center

On Saturday night, three GriffonRawl members took to the cage for NAAFS "Midwest Combat Challenge 5". What follows is a recap of John Burbol, Matt Hopkins and Landon Khakdoust.John Burbol (185) was coming off consecutive knockouts as he faced Elijah Garshnick. No doubt his reputation preceeded himself, Elijah took the fight to the ground where John fought well, but was forced to tap out to an arm bar 2/3 of the way through round number one.Matt "Wildman" Hopkins (170) has shown tremendous dedication since joining Team GriffonRawl and is easily one of the hardest working men in the gym. That dedication paid off as he dominated Chris Bradley each and every round. He was able to sink a rear naked choke early into round three. His performance was so impressive fans took to the NAAFS message boards to praise his tenacity and skill, claiming Matt to be the early favorite at welterweight for 2009.Landon Khakdoust (185) found out only days before he'd be taking on NAAFS powerhouse Mickey Hughes. Mickey has an impressive resume of opponents and Landon looked forward to the challenge. Landon fought hard for two rounds against the ultra tough Hughes. Towards the end of round two, Mickey handed a wicked body shot that clearly took its toll. In between rounds, Landon was having trouble breathing and it was clear he sustained one or multiple broken ribs. Unable to answer the bell, Landon was forced to conceed a TKO to Mickey. This will no doubt be a fight that propells Landon to becoming much more accomplished fighter. Written by:John StrmacComplete Results:Cory Jones over Tim Chylik TKO 1 2:49 Matt Kaus over Trevor Traven Guillotine Choke 1 1:31 Jonathan Bobel over Dominick Wholpe Rear Naked Choke 2 1:45 Cody Fouts over Jimmy Duncan Tapout from Strikes 2 1:17 Chris Mellio over Rick Foster Rear Naked Choke 2 1:26 Elijah Garshnick over John Burble Armbar 1 2:07 Justin Head over Bob Schluneker Triangle Choke 1 1:44 Dru Schottenheimer over Sean Barnett TKO 2 2:02 Josh Castro over Abe Peterman Rear Naked Choke 2 1:42 Rashad Pearson over Neil Delos Reyes Kimura 2 1:23 Matt Hopkins over Chris Bradley Rear Naked Choke 3 1:01 Mickey Hughes over Landon Khakdoust TKO 2 3:00 Adam Saal over Mario Micale Armbar 1 1:28 Larry Shuck over Jon Neese Guillotine Choke 1 :45 Aaron Maynard over Russ Halsey Triangle Choke 1 1:28

Supreme Cage Fighting "Caged Combat IV"

Cleveland, Ohio
Gray's Armory

Nate White, in conjuction with Tim Payne Promotions held Caged Combat IV at the historic Gray's Armory on Saturday the 25th of October. From Supreme Cage Fighting's website: Despite several setbacks and lack of responsibility by a few select fighters, Saturday Night was a night of rock-solid, heart pounding action! These fights have reminded the fans once again, why they love MMA. Absolute stunning action, and even better sportsmanship. Thanks to everyone who aided in part of making this event wonderful!Brennan Sanders fought a back and forth battle against Corey Frantz at 145lbs. The action was non-stop and Brennan looked good after a long lay off from the cage. Team Captain, Jason Dent, disagreed with the judges decision but admitted it was a close fight that could have gone either way. When the dust settled, Corey was awarded a split decision from the panel.Miguel Defina wasted little time in defeating Chris Hayes by arm bar in the first round. Miguel's ever improving standup coupled with a fierce ground attack has made him a force at 170lbs. Once the fight hit the ground, Miguel retained top control landing heavy blows until Chris exposed his arm, where Miguel took the opportunity and landed a solid arm lock.Writtten by:John StrmacComplete Results:John Combest, DEFEATED Doug Hodges at 0:33 in the 2nd round at 155lbs.Josh Burke, DEFEATED Joe Norris at 0:41 in the 1st round at 310 lbs.John Goodwin, DEFEATED Andy Hergit at 2:43 in the 1st round at 170lbs.Dave White, DEFEATED Elijah Wallace at 1:29 in the 1st round at 145lbs.Correy Frantz, DEFEATED Brennan Sanders by decision at 145 lbs.Tim Wagner, DEFEATED Josh Varney at 2:30 in the 2nd round at 170 lbs.Miguel Defina, DEFEATED Chris Hayes at 2:09 in the 1st round at 170 lbs

NAAFS "Caged Fury 5"

Cleveland, Ohio
Gray's Armory

The NAAFS held it's fifth installment of "Caged Fury" on Saturday night. Team GriffonRawl sent three men into action in a national "semi-final" with the winners getting an amateur title shot at "Night of Champions." Chuck Schilling (145), Dan Jones (155) and Bryon McCroskey (170) went to war. What follows is a recap of each fight.#2 ranked Chuck Schilling was taking on #4 ranked Lyle Sancouice of Team DNA. Chuck scored a quick takedown to start round one and fought off a deep arm bar and a triangle. Chuck controlled the action from the top, while Lyle was busy from the bottom, showing a very active guard. A difficult round to score. Round two was at first controlled by Lyle, with Chuck reversing positions and ground and pounding his way through most of round two. Lyle also reversed positions landing some solid shots from top position. As round three, began Lyle appeared to be severly hurt, and looked very unbalanced. Chuck shot in scoring a solid takedown, but Lyle dug deep to sink in an armbar from the bottom that was simply too tight to fight. Both of these men showed tremendous class before, during and after the contest and Team GriffonRawl wishes Lyle best of luck as he takes on #1 Ranked Eric Noel in December.#2 ranked Dan Jones was thrown a curve ball earlier in the week as his opponent was changed. Dan had been training for a solid kickboxer, when he received the news the opponent was switched to Josh Johnson, an accomplished wrestler by trade. All three rounds followed the same outline: Dan was able to show dominate striking from the feet, a takedown attempt by Josh, where Dan attempted a guillotine choke. Josh was able to retain top control as Dan attempted to recover guard. Josh was extremely fast and able to move well and keep Dan pinned on his back. The judges saw each round in favor of Josh, giving him a unanimous decision.#3 ranked Bryon McCroskey was pitted against the very well rounded "Thee SPV" Sean-Paul Veilleux in a welterweight showdown. Bryon got the better of rounds one and two showing an excellent clich game as he worked his way through the devestating leg kicks of SPV. Up against the cage, Bryon was able to get the better of the clich, sending the fight to the ground, where Bryon kept a relentless ground and pound going. Knowing he was down two rounds to zero, SPV dug as deep as he could go coming out early throwing solid combinations. Bryon was game utilizing a wicked slip & jab of his own. SPV closed the distance late in the third round, spun to right and landed a solid right that sent Bryon to the canvass where SPV would not allow Bryon to recover. The referee was forced to stop the action late in the third round. Bryon was horribly disappointed but knows this experience can only make him better in the long run.It was a disappointing night for the team, going 0-3 overall but all men fought top notch opponents, fought hard for all three rounds and represented GriffonRawl with class. Personally, I was proud to be wearing the colors even coming up short in all three fights.Written by:John StrmacComplete Results:Bill Elek over Ryan Victory TKO 3 :53 Sean Paul Veilleux over Bryon McKrosky TKO 3 2:20 Dane Bonnigson over Josh Moore Rear Naked Choke 1 2:01 Marc Strickland over Josh Miller Unanimous Decision 3 3:30 Lyle Sancoucie over Chuck Schilling Armbar 3 1:00 Josh Johnson over Dan Jones Unanimous Decision 3 3:00 LA Hampton over Jeremy Joles Unanimous Decision 1 3:00 Adam Farell over Pete Hunter Triangle Choke 1 1:16 John Hawk over Felix Catheline “ Tap Out By Strikes 1 1:34 Mike Williams over Bobby Favors Split Decision 3 3:00 Paul Bradley over Pat Horner Unanimous Decision 3 3:00 Ryan Madigan over Brandon Pierce Triangle Choke 1 3:33