Team Quest - Training Camp

Portland, Oregon

Jason Dent and Richard Catalano ventured all the way across the country to Portland Oregon where they would get to train at Team Quest for a three day camp. The Team Quest group is made of many great fighters in the MMA game. Randy “The Natural” Couture, Matt “The Law” Lindland and many other top rated fighters make up one of the countries best fight clubs. Couture, Lindland, and Robert Follis gym president instructed the camp. Each instructor presented the material in a prolific and professional manner. The Team Quest facility is under construction and amidst a huge expansion to allow for a kickboxing area, a new locker/shower area, and even more mat space. The former auto showroom is rapidly being transformed into a state of the art MMA training facility. Classes began Friday evening with an introduction, take down ideas, and thoughts on getting up off your back. Being on your back can be a offensive place to be but you can benefit from being able to get back to you feet when you want to. Robert Follis also stressed the importance of muscle memory. Don’t be discouraged if at first you don’t do a move with perfection. The move may be NEW to your body and the brain needs to “teach” the muscles to move and react. This process takes time; be patient with it. The first night of camp was a great introduction and two hours of education from 8-10pm.Saturday morning brought three hours from 9am-12noon educating and training which included one hour with Robert, Matt, and last but not least Randy. During each one of these hours each instructor taught a series moves. The major strength of Team Quest is obviously thier wrestling credentials, now don't get me wrong they have good Jiu-Jitsu, and kickboxing skills too boot. Most all three hours were either takedowns, getting off of your back with out using your guard, and we spent a lot of time discussing about using angles with your clinching and takedowns.After a three hour break Saturday afternoon from 3pm-6pm we were given the opportunity to dawn gloves and work on striking techniques. This included getting off the ropes or fence, and closing the distance to obtain the clinch when being struck at. Saturday evening concluded with some interesting relaxation and positive affirmation techniques Randy learned while training with the US Olympic wrestling team in Colorado Springs. Sunday morning brought us to the last two hours of the weekend; Randy, Matt, and Robert presented a question and answer period, followed by nutrition, and some kicking ideas. Randy stressed blocking the punches and kicks he said that you better have it in your mind that you are going to get hit because if you try to fight without getting hit you will get hit worrying about it to much. Jason had the chance to do some free rolling with a member of the Quest team before it was time to jet back to Cleveland.Every technique over the weekend was followed by a chance to try each move; we also traded partners through out the weekend in order to sharpen our game. Each instructor floated around the room, making suggestions, instructing and participating with the students.Quest camp is held every few months in Portland anyone looking to strengthen their game and train along side UFC vets should check out the camp. Its adventure worth your time and will surely prove invaluable.Written by:Richard Catalano

Walter "Sleeper" Michalowski Muay Thai Seminar

Grove City, Ohio

Ryan Madigan, Jason Dent, and Mike Russo all attended this seminar with Walter. Ryan and Jason participated while Mike took notes. Mike had just competed in the KOTC show on the previous night and needed to rest his bones a little. Walter covered everything from clinch drills, thai pad combinations, and we even got to work on the Wai Kru/Ram Muay rituals. The school that hosted the seminar was the International Martial Arts Academy that is owned and operated by Mike Gross. Everybody at the seminar was very cool.Written by:Jason Dent

King of the Cage 41 "The Octagon is here"

Dayton, Ohio

The Hara arena was the place to be this past weekend as King Of the Cage once again hit the Buckeye state with another high caliber MMA show. Over 3000 fans showed up to cheer on their favorite KOTC fighters and get a glimpse of the sport that is exploding nation wide. Fifteen fights were on the card and capped by the main event of Mike "Boom Boom " Buckovich verse Brandon Quigby. Buckovich KO 'd Quigby to stay unbeaten at 10-0 with all ten wins coming via KO, however Buckovich would not be the only fighter to extend his undefeated winning streak. Cincinnati's Team Jorge Gurgel posted a 5-0 record with its five fighters on the KOTC card (Swift, Souder, Tony, Hazlette, Workman) and showed fans why they are considered one of the top Jujitsu camps in the country. KOTC also announced their plans on a potentially huge show set for Cleveland this coming February, which will be available across North America via Pay Per View.Official Results:Josh Souder over Donny Walker – submission (leg lock) rd 2Dustin Hazlette over Justin Hons – tapout rd 1Dan Swift over Matt Horning – submission (choke) rd 1Jason Gillian over Dwight Decker – TKO rd 1Jamie Tony over Drew Longshore – ref stoppage rd 1Dorian Price over Salazar Sanchez – submission (choke) rd 1Brandon Workman over Dave Stone – submission (choke) rd 1Thomas Jones over Leo Sylvest – TKO rd 1David Hieth over Doug Sour – TKO rd 1Ryan Stout over Mike Russo – ref stoppage rd 1Jay Estrada over Luke Spencer submission (RNC) rd 1Jeff Cox over Jake Short – submission (choke) rd 1Sean Hoffman over Eli Ayers – unan decJohn Dixson over Don Richard – submission (choke) rd 1Mike Buckovich over Brandon Quigby – KO rd 1Results from: http://www.prokarateweekly.com/

XFO gives sellout crowd long night of MMA

Lakemoor, Illinois

Donny Walker wins again & Jason vs. Curran was an all out WAR!It started 20 minutes late, but nobody in the sellout crowd was complaining when the Xtreme Fighting Organization finished its third show more than four hours later. The event featured 16 bouts -- eight of them going more than one round, and five of them going into the third round. 'This was one of those shows where everything came together... the fights we thought were going to be good were great, and the ones we thought were going to be OK were also great,' said Monte Cox, one of the event's promoters. Jeff Curran and Jason Dent put on a 15-minute war that left both fighters bloody and with broken noses. Curran showed solid standup and good ground skills en route to a unanimous decision victory. Dent, making his first fight at 145 (he normally fights at 155), showed he can be a top competitor at the lower division. 'Promoters always hope that the main event lives up to its hype and we certainly got that out of Curran and Dent,' Cox said. 'It was a perfect way to finish a great show.' Cox added that the event was a complete sellout. The next XFO event is expected to be in early December. OFFICIAL RESULTS: - Eric Schafer def. Rich Seldel, 2:29 Rd. 1, rear choke. - Kit Kieu def. Omar Choudhury, 3:00 Rd. 3 (9:00), split decision. - Donny Walker def. Jim Calazante, 1:20 Rd. 2 (4:20), rear choke. - Rory Markham def. James Warfield, 1:12 Rd. 2 (6:12), verbal submission. - Sebastian Helon def. Sal Calazante, 2:51 Rd. 1, triangle choke. - Matt Williams def. Rob Mrotek, 1:51 Rd. 1, knockout. - Mark Miller def. Tavaris Hunter, :19 Rd. 2 (5:19), knockout. - Sean Huffman def. Steve Dau, 5:00 Rd. 3 (15:00), unanimous decision. - Troy Guida def. Leo Sylvest, 2:55 Rd. 1, armbar. - Mike Kelly def. Jon Friedland, 3:00 Rd. 3 (9:00), unanimous decision. - Alisa Cantwell def. Adrienna Jenkins, 1:17 Rd. 1, verbal submission. - Mark Wallen def. Troy King, 1:54 Rd. 1, rear choke. - Henry Matamoros def. Chris Moore, 2:11 Rd. 1, rear choke. - Bart Palaszewski def. Jay Estrada, 4:31 Rd. 1, triangle choke. - Terry Martin def. Bill Hill, :19 Rd. 3 (10:19), knockout. MAIN EVENT: - Jeff Curran def. Jason Dent, 5:00 Rd. 3 (15:00), unanimous decision.

South Leauge Extreme Kickboxing

Atlanta, Georgia

Ryan “The Lion” Madigan makes successful return in AtlantaAfter spending over a year away from the ring, Ryan “The Lion” Madigan once again showed why he is widely considered to be one of the top kick-boxers in the170 lb class. Madigan gained a unanimous decision victory over Jeff Perry (6-3) at Lane Collyer’s Extreme Kickboxing Challenge (USMTA sanctioned) this past weekend in Atlanta, GA. Madigan now 6-1 (3 KO’s) as a pro and the current IKF East Coast Super Middleweight Champion, is scheduled to take on Rasheed Lee on October 23rd for the USKBA Super Middleweight title. After a very accomplished amateur career (18-2), Madigan was slowed by a leg injury which kept him out of action for nearly 18 months but now at one hundred percent Madigan says it’s time to make his run to a world title. Trained by legendary boxing coach Lorenzo Scott and former K-1 star Mark “The Shark” Miller, the 27 year old Madigan has his sights set on a future ISKA title but is taking it one fight at a time in the process. Counting his October title fight in Michigan, Madigan may fight as many as three more times in 2004. Ryan credits his trainers and sponsors (Real Fight Gear, Griffon-Rawl Gym) for a successful run so far, but promises he is far from finished.For tickets or event info on the October 23rd USKBA fight card in Michigan, email info@prokarateweekly.com. Ryan Madigan will be making a LIVE appearance this Wednesday night on PKW to discuss his recent win and upcoming title fight with Rasheed Lee. PRO KARATE WEEKLY (PKW) can be heard live exclusively on http://www.sportstalkcleveland.com/ and/or http://www.prokarateweekly.com/ Wednesday nights from 9 to 10:30 pm EST. All shows are archived so fans can listen to the show if they have missed a live broadcast. Archives, sound bytes, interviews, rumors, and all of the latest martial arts news are available daily by logging onto http://www.prokarateweekly.com/.Fans are encouraged to contribute to the show by calling during live broadcasts to 1-866-371-4STC on our national toll free hotline or email PKW live at Studio@sportstalkcleveland.com. For all other Pro Karate Weekly questions please email info@prokarateweekly.com. Written by:Greg Kalikas - SportsTalkCleveland.com Regional Director Marketing & SalesPro Karate Weekly - Executive Producergkalikas@sportstalkcleveland.com (330) 324-3034

Extreme Fighting Challenge 9

Cleveland, Ohio

Finally a local event (The Scene Pavilion), all of this traveling lately is begining to take its toll. On what started off to look like it would be an easy quick trip quickly became complicated. Less than twenty minutes into our trip the vehicle we took broke down and had us stranded leaving only about an hour to get to the show to fight. Luckily Jason's parents came to the rescue and dropped us off another vehicle big enough to hold the five of us (Jason, Cheyenne, Donny, Breanne, and me). We pushed Cheyenne's car into the nearest parking lot off of the freeway and were on our way again - LOL! EFC 9 turned out to be a very good night for our fighters but a very bad night for the promoter of the show. Plagued with fighter drop outs and a very poor attendance this hsow still had a couple of good fights and the crowed that was there seemed to enjoy itself very much. Our team fighters were not even originally scheduled to compete at this show but due to fighters droping out Jason asked Donny and I to join in and we were ready. Donny had a fight a few days out but I did not even know if I was fighting until like fifteen minutes before my bout. This is a good reason why you should always be in good shape and be ready because the fight buisness is crazy and things come out of nowhere sometimes.GriffonRawl goes Undefeated at EFC IXDonny "Eagle Eye " Walker (Now 3-1) defeated Jason Cable by armbar in Rd. 1Mike " The Bull " Russo (Now 4-4) defeated Lou Rodriguez by armbar in Rd. 1A special thanks to all that attended this show to support our team. I would name everybody but their is too many people that were their from our gym and I don't want to leave anyone out. Written By: Mike Russo

Apex Championship Fighting "Genesis"

Montreal, Quebec

APEX Championship Fighting presented their inaugural MMA event Sunday night at the Centre Pierre Charbonneau in Montreal, Quebec. The quickest fight of the night went to Victory Athletics fighter Brad Blackburn finishing local Steve Legault of Club 454 by TKO at just 0:14 of Round 1. In the main event, local icon Ivan Menjivar of Tristar Gym defeated Ryan Ackerman of Grappling Works by TKO in a fight that showcased his diverse skills. Middleweight -- Marcus Celestin (184.0) of Team Charles Nestor vs. Mandela Kponou (182.4) of Dragon’s Lair -- Kponou by submission at 0:50 of Round 2. Heavyweight -- Mike Rogers (255.0) of Rodrigo Vaghi Jiu-Jitsu vs. Lance Cartwright (237.0) of Munduruca -- Rogers by Unanimous Decision after 2 rounds. Featherweight -- Ulysses Rocha (142.6) of Martial X/BTT vs. Matt Martin (135.4) of Dragon's Lair -- Rocha by submission at 1:06 of Round 1. Welterweight -- Steve Legault (168.0) of Club 454 vs. Brad Blackburn (169.4) of Victory Athletics -- Blackburn by TKO at 0:14 of Round 1. Lightweight -- Ryan Schultz (154.8) of Team Quest vs. Jason Dent (154.0) of Griffonrawl Muay-Thai -- Schultz by TKO at 2:00 of Round 1. Middleweight -- Fritz Paul (183.4) of Team Charles Nestor vs. Steve Berger (183.0) of Rodrigo Vaghi Jiu-Jitsu -- Berger by submission at 4:46 of Round 1. Light Heavyweight -- Antony Rea (203.4) of Team Lebanner vs. Matt Horwich (200.2) of Team Quest -- Horwich by submission at 1:13 of Round 2. Middleweight -- Tony “The Freak” Fryklund (184.4) of Miletich Fighting Systems vs. Chris Myers (180.8) of Team Chaos -- Fryklund by Referee Stoppage at 4:20 of Round 2. Heavyweight -- Wes “The Project” Sims (250.6) of Hammer House vs. Ricardeau Francois (202.4) of Team Charles Nestor -- Francois by TKO at 0:26 of Round 2. Featherweight -- Ivan Menjivar (145.0) of Tristar Gym vs. Ryan Ackerman (143.4) of Grappling Works -- Menjivar by TKO at 2:02 of Round 2. Written by: Joseph Cunliffe

Extreme Combat Challenge "Brawl at the Hall"

Muncie, Indiana

Two of GriffonRawls home grown fighters competed this weekend. Putting it on the line was Mike Russo and our Instructor, Jason Dent. The event took place in the Muncie Bingo Hall, and attracted a pretty decent crowd of local fans.I will also say, Muncie is a pretty rowdy joint. If you came to see exciting fights, crowd upsets, small riots, and people kicked out by law enforcement officers, you came to the right place. About 15 fights took place this evening, including two four-man tournament brackets.Team GriffonRawl results are as follows:Mike Russo vs. Jim CarolRusso’s opponent looked like the hulk, and the hulk came out swinging hard. Russo avoided the onslaught, and went for a double leg takedown. He put his opponent’s back against the cage, and got caught up in a quick guillotine choke, ending the fight early in round 1.Jason Dent vs. Tom KirkDent was set against an experienced opponent, having a good amount of fights under his belt, and also having competed for Shooto in Japan before. Round 1 started off moderately, where Kirk scored a couple takedowns, but Dent managed to keep his cool and escape from the bottom. The fighters engaged in some light clinching and punching.Round 2 stepped it up a bit. Several times Kirk would put Dent against the fence, only to be reversed as the fighters struggled for the takedown. Several heavy clinching contests occurred, as Dent manipulated Kirk and landed a lot of knees. Kirk landed a good blow to the side of Dents head when the clinch broke. Again a couple takedowns from Kirk, Dent escapes, and its back to the clinch, as both fighters threw knees and fought for positioning. Dent was really focused on Kirk’s legs, landing straight knees from the clinch and heel tips from the guard.Kirk manipulated Dent into the corner, and once again Dent reversed it. Dent worked to put his opponent to bed, landing MANY knees to the body, legs, and working some heavy punching combinations. Kirk seemed to be in trouble as the bell split for round two, and Dent was ordered to stop.Round three was the final round. Again the fighters engaged in the clinch. Dent and Kirk took turns wrestling each other in the corner, as Dent once again attacked the legs with round knees to the thigh. Kirk threw knees to the stomach as well. The cage latch gave and the fight paused as the door was re-sealed and chained. Wow, these guys really liked to clinch.Another takedown from Kirk. Kirk was skilled in taking down his oponents having a wrestling background. Both fighters struggled for positioning, as they traveled from the corner of the cage to the center. Dent found himself getting mounted, but immediately used an elbow escape to find his guard. Dent put on the triangle, and took home the win.Special thanks to Jasons Dad, and Dan Krempel for coaching, cornering, and taking pics of the fights this weekend.Written by:Dan Krempel

Northern Kentucky Reality Fighting

Covington, Kentucky

A less than capacity crowd occupied the Holmes High School gymnasium in Covington, Kentucky, on Saturday night. Roughly 200 people were on hand for Northern Kentucky Reality Fighting. After a sloppy first few fights and one intermission, Griffon Rawl’s own Jason Dent took to the ring. Jason however only found out who is opponent was about an hour before the fight. After an initial cancellation two weeks prior to the fight, Jason was scheduled to meet Henry Baird. Baird however had other plans when he was a no-show. D’ Angelo Nichols (Black Dragon Society, Cleveland) stepped up on short notice and offered to fight. Jason, despite giving up more than 20 pounds to Nichols, showed he was a true warrior by accepting the match with the much larger Nichols. The fighters started the match by trading strikes. Nichols was throwing heavy hands that Jason avoided flawlessly as he chopped the legs of Nichols with excellent Thai kicks. Then Jason closed the distance and took down Nichols from a body lock landing in Nichols’ half guard. Jason proceeded to throw excellent body-head combinations and easily passed the half and took the mount. A series of elbows followed, as did a vicious knee Jason dropped to the body of Nichols. Obviously in pain Nichols took a straight down right hand from Jason to the jaw that knocked him out as well as Nichols’ mouthpiece, which almost hit corner man Shannon Nadvornik in the face. Jason was happy to get a victory after his disappointing loss at Superbrawl. Jason upped his record to 10-2 in MMA. The intensity of the crowd seemed to pick up after Jason’s fight and continued too, up to the Main Event. Featured in this fight was the other Griffon Rawl representative Mike Russo and Josh Souder (Ground Zero, Middletown), one of Jorge Gurgel’s top fighters. This fight definitely lived up to the hype. It started with both fighters feeling each other out until Souder shot a double-leg and took Mike down and captured side-mount. Mike however defended brilliantly and rolled Souder landing in Souder’s guard. Mike dominated with striking combinations until Souder caught him with an armbar that forced Mike to tap at 2:38 of the first round. A rematch however maybe in the making and I’m sure we’re all looking forward to seeing Mike avenge his loss. Mike’s record moved to 3-3 in MMA.Written by:Josh BurtonOffical Fight Card Dustin Hazlett vs. Edwin Levine- Hazlett by KO in 1st after incidental stoppageJeremy Linville vs. Adam Rivera- Rivera by Rear Naked Choke in 2ndTom Bacon vs. Mike Johns- Johns by KO in 2ndTierre Hall vs. Mike Wells- Wells by Guillotine in 1stD’ Angelo Nichols vs. Jason Dent- Dent by KO in 1stBill Dexter vs. Tim Norman- Dexter by Armbar in 2ndLance Frimouth vs. Jamie Tony- Tony by Unanimous DecisionJosh Cooper vs. Chris Levine- Cooper by TKO in 1stSteve Neal vs. Chris Wells- Wells by Ref. Stoppage (CUT) in 1stMAIN EVENTMike Russo vs. Josh Souder- Souder by Armbar in 1st

Ajarn Surachai "Chai" Sirisute Muay Thai Seminar

Centerville, Ohio

This Seminar was hosted in a Gym by the name of Jeff Browns Martial Arts Institute. The President and founder of the TBA (Thai Boxing Association) Ajarn "Chai" traveled from Carson California to do this 2 day Seminar here in Ohio. GriffonRawl members Mike Russo and Aaron Veverka spent the weekend at this seminar training, learning, and fine tuning their fighting skills and knowledge. I am sure they have learned some cool new drills to bring back and torture us all with.Traveling to these seminars is defintily a plus for everybody in our gym and the next time a good seminar like this comes around I would like to see more of us attend.Written by:Jason DentThe Thai Boxing Association of the U.S.A. (TBA-USA), the oldest and largest Muay Thai organization in the United States, was founded in 1968 by Ajarn Surachai "Chai" Sirisute. (Ajarn is Thai for head instructor.) Ajarn Chai came to the United States with a vision to spread Muay Thai to throughout the world, and he is the first-ever Thai boxing instructor to teach Americans this art and he has worked tirelessly for more than 30 years to that end. We are indeed grateful to Ajarn Chai for his gift of the knowledge of Muay Thai. The TBA-USA now has representation in almost every state in the USA and has expanded to establish affiliate organizations in more than 15 countries around the world. Ajarn Chai continues to promote Muay Thai through a busy teaching schedule. Visit the official TBA website at www.thaiboxing.com/ for more information about this association and there upcoming events.