Josh Bell Makes the GriffonRawl Fight Team

With his win by armbar at the April 27^th NAAFS event Josh picks up his first official GR win and makes the Fight Team.  Josh has been showing up, and putting in extra time in preparation for this fight.  Dedication to training pays off.

Be sure to congratulate Josh on his achievement when you see him at the Academy.

Written by: Bob Donaghy

GR goes 2-1 at NAAFS Caged Combat 24

Three GR warriors made the trip to Akron on April 27th for NAAFS Caged Combat 24.

Congrats to GR Team Fighter Joe Callari on bring in yet another big win with his decision over Jonathan Flores

Also a BIG CONGRATS to Josh Belle on making our OFFICIAL FIGHT TEAM! Josh not only won but got the W in style as he finished his opponent via triangle choke in round 1.

Cody Lewis  may have lost the decision but his is a true warrior and fought from start to finish. Cody almost finished his opponent a half dozen times via armbar. It was a great night of action and learning for our ammy's. Thanks for the support of all those that made it down.

Everyone went in healthy and came out healthy. We picked up two W's as well. Pretty solid night for GR! We have an AWESOME TEAM of fighters, members, trainers, and fans.

Written by: Bob Donaghy

Pros Pick: Jones vs. Sonnen

One of MMA’s top pound-for-pound fighters meets its premier self-promoter, as Jon Jones defends his Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight crown against Chael Sonnen in the UFC 159 main event on Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The two men coached opposite one another on Season 17 of “The Ultimate Fighter.”

Sherdog.com touched base with a number of professional fighters and trainers to gauge their opinions on the UFC 159 headliner

Jason Dent: I’m picking Jones in this one. Jones is too skilled and athletic for Sonnen.

For the rest of the article, click HERE

Edited by: Bob Donaghy

Khalil Khalil Represents GriffonRawl at Vanyo Smoker

GR member Khalil Khalil gloved up and represented the gym well in his Muay Thai smoker debut.

The event was at Vanyo' s Martial Arts (Strongsville).  Khalil's opponent had 15# on him.  The fight went the distance.  He showed heart, conditioning, and skill. Way to go Khalil!

Written by: Bob Donaghy

Ahmad Douglas Knows that Good Decisions Lead to Good Results

Amhad Douglas (tank top) and Ron Conley (far right)

Ahmad Douglas fought this past weekend at the Golden Gloves tournament in Cleveland.  Ahmad is a 17 year old member of GriffonRawl aspiring to membership on the fight team. He does not let his age get in the way of his training, both in and outside the Academy.  Last fall Ahmad made his kickboxing debut and came away with a win.  Saturday was his first try at competitive amateur boxing.  He came away with a narrow decision loss, but that's beside the point.  This early experience puts him ahead of the game.

Ahmad decided, since Ohio restricts MMA to those 18 or older, to spend his time wisely and expand his training horizons.  Ron Conley, who helps out with the GR boxing program under Donny Walker cornered for Ahmad at the Golden Gloves.  While this was not an official GR Fight Team effort, the Academy supports Ahmad's efforts and looks to the day when it can welcome Ahmad officially onto the GriffonRawl Fight Team.

Written by: Bob Donaghy

Brad Bukovics Promoted to Purple Belt

At the start of evening BJJ class on Monday, 4/1/2013, head BJJ Instructor Jeff Starr pulled Brad Bukovics to the front of the class and promoted him to purple belt. 

Purple is the step beyond blue belt, and is the intermediate adult ranking.  Purple belts are qualified to instruct lower ranked students. In other martial arts, students with a similar amount of experience would often be ranked as a black level belt

Be sure to congratulate Brad when you see him at the Academy.

Written by: Bob Donaghy