Massive Turnout for GriffonRawl Open Sparring Night

GR was packed, there’s really no other way to say it.  It was beyond standing room, it was stand sideways and suck in your gut full.  The parking lot filled quickly, and cars were lined up on the curb down Pinecone well past the gymnastics school.  As big as the crowd was, it was well behaved and enthusiastic for the efforts of the fighters.

Jason reached out to local gyms, and each responded by sending talented and aggressive competitors.

Thanks to RockHard MMA, the World Kickboxing Academy, Rising Dragon MMA, Evolve MMA, Vanyo Martial Arts, Cal Crowell Fitness, Athletic & MMA Training Center, and the Wrestling Facotry for sending their warriors.  They made the evening possible.

Chins were tested, first time nerves put to rest, and while there were officially no winners in these fights, it’s clear that anyone who stepped up and put themselves on the line in front of peers, friends and family should put a W next to this day in their calendar.

Thanks to everyone who fought, helped out, and watched. In particular to thanks Rob Drago for all the great pictures, Jake Digman for the very professional announcing job, Mark Feaks for the great job refereeing the fights and keeping our fighter safe and New Life Church for providing food and drinks.  We WILL do this again.

For Rob Drago's gallery on the GR Facebook page click HERE

Written by: Bob Donaghy

Tim Stafford Wins at Battle of the Ballroom VII

 Tim Stafford wins again, adding to his collection of first place trophies from the annual ‘Battle in the Ballroom’ event   Tim is one of those daring GR members who regularly ranges outside the comfort of the academy to test himself, and it pays off.

This year he picked up first as a result of a split decision.  He was cornered, again, by GR Assistant Boxing Coach, Ron Connolly.

As one of the more seasoned members of GriffonRawl, Tim knows the importance of regular, consistent, training and makes a point of training not just when he has a competition pending but year round.  He’s a fixture in class, and can always be relied on to support other fighters in their preparations.

Be sure to congratulate Tim on his win next time you see him at GR.

Written by: Bob Donaghy

Thai Boxing Association Level 1 Training Clinic Review

The Thai Boxing Association Level 1 Training Clinic is in the books.  The class was very well attended and enthusiastically reveived by the students.  The two hour clinic, led by Kru Aaron “Juice” Veverka, provided instruction leading to certification as a Level 1 boxer.  Level 1 testing will be scheduled for this summer, and there will be follow up seminars as well.

We want  to have Master Ajarn Chai at GriffonRawl MMA Academy annually to conduct these seminars. Fortunately “Juice” has been working his way up the ranks for years by training, traveling, and studying under Master Chai and through his efforts this can very well become a reality.

Thank you to Kru Aaron “Juice” Veverka for spearheading the effort to create this very exciting new seminar series.

Written by: Bob Donaghy

NAAFS Combat Challenge 27

Combat Challenge 27 was more of a challenge for GR than expected.  Two GR wariors, Josh Belle and Jeff Offak were set to compete for the team.

Josh Belle was to take on an opponent with twice his experience, and he trained hard to prepare.  Frustratingly, his opponent did not show up to weigh in, and the promoter was unable to replace him on short notice.  It made for a short night for everyone.

Jeff Offak was fully prepared for his long delayed MMA debut.  He was supposed to fight at Combat Challenge 25, but his opponent no showed (is there a pattern here?).  Putting that behind him, Jeff spent the rest of 2013 working on his skills, and along the way taking third in the OGC, first in his division at GR’s IGC tournament, a first in gi, and a second in no-gi at the NAGA Pittsburgh and earning his blue belt.

He was very excited to finally compete for NAAFS, the excitement may have been more than he bargained for.  After the fight he said he felt he let his nerves get the better of him.  Jason Dent (who cornered with George Comer) commented that Jeff was second guessing himself from the start; starting moves then abandoning them before they could work.  Jeff struggled through the first round, and in the second got caught in a triangle and was unable to break free.  The good news is first time jitters are just that, and with the support of the GR family Jeff will have many more opportunities to fight.  Experience only makes you stronger.

Many thanks to everyone who went to Akron to support our fighters,

Written by: Bob Donaghy

GR Invades Pittsburgh: NAGA Results and Review

GR NAGA Warriors: Rob Rizer, Cody Lewis, Josh Belle, Craig James Jackson, Scott Jackson, Matt Hopkins, Nikolai Gionti, Jacob Myers Propst, Tony Reel, William Sutton, Andrew Franetic, Michael Frenk and Alex Frenk.  (Picture courtesy of Alex Frenk)

Last weekend a crew set out from GR to the Pittsburgh Indoor Sports Arena for the NAGA Pittsburgh Grappling Championship.  NAGA, (North American Grappling Association) is the largest and most active competitive grappling association in the world.  NAGA grappling tournaments consist of gi and no-gi divisions. No-Gi competitors compete under rules drafted by NAGA. Gi competitors compete under standardized Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu rules.  Competitors are classed by age (Kids, Teens, Adult, Master, Director and Executive), experience and skill level.  The group GR sent ranged from  from Kids to Masters in both Gi and No-Gi.  The team did very well with 8 first place finishes, 4 second, and 4 in third place. 

The trip was inspired by Ahmad Douglas’ recent entry in the Lyndhurst Spring Open.  Suddenly the gym had open competition fever and plans were drafted to make a group outing to the next available event within a day’s driving distance.  NAGA Pittsburgh was it.  Once the date and destination was settled the crew grew quickly and all told 13 members made the trip.

Tony Reel No Gi

It’s great to see this kind of spontaneous travel for the gym, it demonstrates what a family GR has become.  Many thanks to the gym members who provided transportation, cornered the matches and shepherded the youngest members.  There are many more grappling events this Spring/Summer and getting out of the academy to expand your competitive range, testing yourself against new people, can only improve your grappling.

Full event results are HERE

NAGA Home page is HERE

Gi Results

Mens GI White Belt Fly Weight	1st	Nikolai Gionti
Mens GI White Belt Cruiser Weight	3rd	William Sutton
Mens GI Blue Belt Fly Weight	1st	Jeffrey Offak
Mens GI Blue Belt Cruiser Weight	2nd	Jacob Propst
Mens GI Brown / Black Belt Welter Weight	1st	Antonio Reel

No Gi Results

Mens NO-GI Beginner Bantam Weight	1st	Nikolai Gionti
Mens NO-GI Intermediate Bantam Weight	2nd	Jeffrey Offak
Mens NO-GI Beginner Cruiser Weight	1st	William Sutton
Masters NO-GI Intermediate Light Weight	1st	Alex Frenk
Mens NO-GI Expert Middle Weight	2nd	Antonio Reel

Kids & Teens Results

Kids NO-GI Beginner 70 to 79.9 lbs 11 yrs old	1st	Andrew Franekic
Kids NO-GI Intermediate 70 to 79.9 lbs 10 & 11 Year Old	3rd	Andrew Franekic
Teen NO-GI Beginner Cruiser Weight 13 to 15 yrs old	1st	Craig Jackson
Teen NO-GI Beginner Cruiser Weight 15 & 16 yrs old	2nd	Craig Jackson
Teen NO-GI Intermediate Cruiser Weight 16 & 17 Year Old	3rd	Rob Rizer
Teen GI Intermediate Cruiser Weight 16 & 17 yrs old	3rd	Rob Rizer

Written by: Bob Donaghy

Something New for Bad Boys in the Pro Shop

The GR Pro Shop is growing again.  After months of consideration (research and feedback from the academy members), Jason has signed a distributor deal with Badboy.  Starting immediately Badboy shirts, shorts, and fight gear will be displayed along with the other carefully selected brands in the Pro Shop at the front desk

Badboy is a leading sport clothing brand, with a worldwide presence and long history of support for MMA and its athletes.  Bad Boy won Best Technical Clothing Brand in the 2010 and 2011 World MMA Awards, and Best Lifestyle Clothing Brand in 2012.  Bad Boy started in the early 1980s as a local surf and skate brand based in Southern California.

In the mid-90s Bad Boy began working with Rickson Gracie to put on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu seminars which evolved in to a full-fledged Vale Tudo team featuring Wallid Ismail, Renzo Gracie, and Fernando Yamasaki. The team expanded by supporting young fighters in tournaments Like Mark Kerr and Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira before they made it to Pride or the UFC.  Badboy became one of the first official sponsors of the UFC and their support of MMA athletes has continued to this day.

The first shipment arrives this week, and among the first arrivals will be several pair of GnP gloves, a special gift from Jason to the GR Pro Fighters on the Fight Team.

To visit the Badboy site, click HERE          
For Babboy on Facebook, click HERE      

Written by: Bob Donaghy

GR Growth Means Change - Junior MMA Grows Up

Kids (top), Juniors (bottom)

There’s been a change in the Jr. MMA program at GR.  It’s been apparent for a long time that mixing 7 year olds with 15 year olds wasn’t ideal.  The little one tire quickly, and lose focus; wrangling them detracts from teaching, and it is unreasonable to expect them to keep up with the older students.  

The obvious solution is to separate the groups into two classes, and with the growth of the academy that is now practical.

Jason reworked the schedule and added instructors to accommodate the change.  The new schedule separates the younger members into two groups: Kids MMA for age 5 to 9, and Junior MMA for ages 10 to 15.  16 and up still train with the adults.  Both groups get full stand up training, and ground fighting, and occasional sessions on self defense and anti-bullying techniques.

There are three primary instructors and two assistants.  UFC veterans Jason Dent and Donny Walker the leads, GR instructors and Fight Team member Chuck Schilling work with them.  The two assistant instructors, Alex Frenk and Scott Jackson who are both active members and currently train in the adult programs.

The new classes are up and running.  As always member feedback is needed and appreciated.

For more detail look HERE:

Class Schedule

• Jr. MMA (ages 10-15):  Monday, Wednesday at 5:30 to 6:30 pm, Saturday at 11 am to Noon
• Kids MMA (ages 5 to 9): Tuesday, Thursday at 5:30 to 6:15 pm, Saturday at 10 to 10:45 am

Written by: Bob Donaghy

Combat Conditioning Program Starts Strong

The Combat Conditioning program run for GR by Tommy Salvatore has taken off even faster than expected.  Classes are consistently full and the membership is giving rave reviews.

Tommy has a long history with GR having been an academy member for several years, and even fighting on the GR Amateur Fight Team.  Tommy also runs his own conditioning programs at Your Daily Motivation on Tyler Blvd in Mentor.

Combat Conditioning classes are on Tuesday and Thursday at 5:30 pm and Saturday at 10 am.  To get in on this newest addition to GR sign up at the front desk

To go with the new program we've designed custom shirts.  The shirts are in and on sale at the front desk.. We only ordered a limited quantity on the initial batch but we intend to do our best to keep them stocked and permanently for sale in the GR Pro Sales Shop!


Your Daily Motivation (YDM) on FaceBook

Written by: Bob Donaghy

Krav Maga Hits Big at GR

GR packed the main mat on Saturday, April 4th for its first self defense seminar.  Sarah Fox, owner and operator of Fight Fit Krav Maga was the guest instructor.  About 40 members and guests benefited from her years of experience in situational self defense.  The seminar lasted two hours and every participant had the opportunity to work directly with Sarah.  These pictures say it all.

The instruction was so well received, and feedback so positive, Jason and Sarah are already talking about scheduling another seminar.  Jason thinks it could be a quarterly event.  If you attended, and have an opinion, be sure to let him know your thoughts when you see him at the academy.

Fight Fit Krav Maga site is HERE

The seminar was sponsored by Action Automotive.

Pictures courtesy of Mike Wrobel.  Check out his great MMA picture site HERE and his FaceBook page

Written by: Bob Donaghy

GR Muay Thai Instructors Travel for Advanced Training

Click to see full size

Expanding on the GR’s commitment to advance the quality of instruction at the Academy, three of the Muay Thai instructors are traveling to a two day advanced seminar in State College, PA.  Juice Veverka, Russ Herbert and Jason Dent will make the 245 mile trip over the March 29th weekend. Instructors Mark Fredebaugh and Kevin Faraci were invited as well, but their work commitments made it impossible.

Central PA Mixed Martial Arts is is hosting Surachai "Chai" Sirisute for the two day seminar March 29th & 30th in State College, PA! This seminar will be the Thai Boxing installment of CPAMMA's "2014 MMA Seminar Series!"  Ajarn Chai is teaching the seminar.  Ajarn Chai is the President of the Thai Boxing Association of America and is credited with being the person who brought Muay Thai to the United States.

Expenses for this costly training will be covered by long time academy sponsor Reel’s Auto.  If you don’t know, that’s GR’s own Tony Reel.  Be sure to thank Tony for his generous support the next time you see him around the gym.  Also be sure to stop out to Reel’s Auto in Orwell  next time you need a new car.

Reel’s Auto



What: Thai Boxing Seminar
Date: March 29th & 30th (Saturday & Sunday)
Where: Central PA Mixed Martial Arts, 1700 South Atherton St., State College, PA
When:  First Session: 10:30 am to 12:30. Second Session: 1:30 to 4:30
Fee & Registration: See Website

Written by: Bob Donaghy