Update on Lucas

I'm fully recovered and back into training full-time, full-speed. Monday I trained in boxing with Joe Mallory and then I did Jiu Jitsu with Joel Wyatt. Tuesday I did Jiu Jitsu with Mike J and then Dave's MMA class which involved some light sparring, then finished it up with fighter's cardio. So basically I'm back on track and feeling good for my fight this may 16. I don't drink, smoke, or do anything that jeapordizes my conditioning. I try to train somewhere around 20 hours a week, i don't drink smoke or do anything that ruins cardio. I'm hungry to grow and get better as much as I can in MMA, no matter what the result is May 16 I'm going to continue to devote myself as much as I can to this sport. I'd also like to thank everyone for coming out to Rivals for the UFC PPV, it was a great time and I saw alot of people I don't get to see enough of.
Until next time,
-Lucas

Upcoming Fights

Hey everyone,

Well, UFC 97 has come and gone. A few of us were able to make it out to Rivals here across from the mall in Charlottesville and a great time was had by all. There was plenty of food and drinks to go around and enjoy the fights on the big screen. If you have never been there, Rivals is a small bar and restaurant with a club attached to the back. The club is completely separate from the restaurant part, so the music does not disturb the viewing of the PPV. They have also stuck some pool tables and games in the restaurant.

Personally, I'm pretty sad that Chuck Liddell lost, but everyone will have an opinion. I do know there there is exceptional upcoming talent in the UFC and fighting in general. Whereas older fighters specialized in one martial art (be it BJJ, Judo, Muay Thai, etc), today's fighters are now extensively training in multiple martial arts. This is awesome in itself, and I can't wait to see what the future has in store for the sport. Our own gym boasts immeasurable talent, so I fully expect great things to happen really soon!

Upcoming fights will be posted soon. The fighters will be updating the blog fairly frequently, and pictures will also be uploaded from our boxing conditioning classes! Stay tuned!

Take care,
Kimmy

Jake's Incipient Acquaintance with Blogging

Hello to all who are reading, this is Jake McLean, and amateur fighter representing MMA Institute of Charlottesville, and I hope all will bear with me in my inchoate blog, as I am quite a novice to the concept. I am currently training for my second fight, which will occur on the 16th of May (along with Lucas, the somewhat jovial author of the mildly erratic blog directly beneath my own, also likely aberrant blog) in Fishersville, Virginia, for Brawl in the Cage III. I recently fought at Brawley Fights' last promotion, which was the aptly named (for those who find rudimentary mathematics appealing) Brawl in the Cage II. I am certainly looking forward to my future bouts, this and all others, and I would greatly appreciate any support that you all can muster. We have five fighters on this particular card, which, if I am not inexcusably mistaken, is a record for the MMAI in Charlottesville. It is perhaps the most tactile testament to the recent expansion of the gym, and a corporeal reminder to where we are going, both as individual fighters, and as a gym. I can imagine only more and more coming from this gym, both in the way of volume of fighters and amount of skill, and it is a truly exciting place to be, and an infinitely more exciting thing of which to be a part.

A random blog by Lucas...

I'm contributing to this wonderful blog at suggestion of Kim(holla!) I would like to update everyone about my upcoming fight this may 16 in Harrisonburg. Unfortunately I haven't been able to train this week due to an injury that I'm attempting to make a speedy recovery from. I have been in touch with Dave about this and have not been avoiding him in any, shape, or form; despite the overwhelming temptation to at times. My foot is swollen up fairly bad at the time and I have trouble putting weight on it. Every time I look at my swollen stump of a foot, I feel a sense of regret that im not flinging that foot in some aggressive way at something. Recently, I've attracted the ire of most the people in my personal life due to my dedication to maintaining a work ethic with MMA. Ironically, I'm injured now having to deal with the consequences of said action(s). This does contribute to an urgency to heal up and get back to the gym ASAP. I've already crossed the "Go get a real job" bridge and the "What I need you to do is more important than MMA." hump with everyone who used to like me. The only way to feel good about this is to see it through to the end :D

Yall's Homie,
Lucas

Hey everyone,

This is Kim.  Dave and I decided to mix things up a bit and start adding other people to the blog.  We'll have 10 contributors start to come on there in the next few weeks as we have about 8 fighters with upcoming fights in the next few months.  It's going to be an AWESOME spring for MMA Institute of Charlottesville.  Personally, I can't wait to start covering the training a bit more.

We also have a facebook group, just look for "MMAI-Charlottesville" under groups and we also have a myspace.  Twitter didn't really work out too well, I can't figure it out!  Other than that, we will also be at Rivals Bar on Saturday to watch the UFC 97 fights on the large screens, should be a lot of fun.  

My personal training is going well.  I'm doing two classes each on Monday and Wednesdays and tomorrow I'm going to start running everyday in an effort to lose 15 pounds by the summer.  Nutrition wise, I'm getting back into eating really healthy again, and it's good.

That's about it!  Stay cool and we'll see ya around!

Kimmy

Valhalla 10: Collision

Hey everyone,

So Tammy and Jay Keefer, some good friends of mine from the gym, met up with me and my house on Saturday, March 28 for the trek to Sterling, VA to see the Valhalla 10: Collision fights. We were pretty excited because two of our very own, Mark Ferrington and Adrian Yarboro from our gym, MMA Institute of Charlottesville, were fighting that night. I even brought a notebook to take notes! Tammy and Jay brought their camera equipment and we were all set.

The ride up was pretty fun, we talked about tv, movies, music, got some food and had Led Zeppelin in the background. Once we arrived at the Dulles Sportsplex, we were able to find the line and get our seats easily. Tammy got the hookup and was able to go ringside to take some excellent shots. I sat down near Jay in the general seating and then some gym buds found us. Lucas Wright, Jake McLean, Cedric Gregory, David Morris, Turk, Stephen Govan, Angie Hines, Kelley, Ray Cadell, Matt Yao, Ashley Saunders, and others were in attendence. It was great to have so many of us come up, especially because we are fostering a great group of friendships in and outside of the gym.

MMAI of Virginia had quite a few fights on that night. I'll post the results when I get my hands on that notebook again. Mark's fight was second of the night. He fought Jeff Rembold from PA Grappling in a 265 lb heavyweight bout. He put in some good crosses, jabs and takedowns, but ultimately was defeated by a guilloteine choke. His record goes to 0-1, and I know he's definitely going places. He'll come back stronger and better next time! He was at the gym last night training in BJJ and speed and agility class, so expect to see Mark's name very soon!

The next fight to discuss is Adrian Yarboro's fight against Mack Fitzpatrick of Evolution MMA. This was a 170 lb welterweight bout. After the initial glove touch, Adrian dominated the entire fight. A group of us were able to stand ringside and it was a great time had by all. Adrian was able to get a few take downs, and once he relaxed, he went to down against his opponent with some precisely directed elbows to the face. Adrian defeated Mack at 2:05 into the first round by KO. His MMA record goes to 3-0.

These fights were great. All the fighters showed a measurable amount of respect for one another. There was no drama and everyone was there for some good, clean fights and fun. Fights should not have to be hyped up for dramatic purposes, because that dampens the sport in the long run. If you ever have the opportunity to see some local fights, by all means, take advantage of them. They are usually not as showy as the UFC, WEC, or Strikeforce fights, but they are budget friendly and always a great time, especially if you know or train with people who are fighting. I'm pretty pumped to see what else is stewing at MMA Institute. Should be a great, solid year for our fighters.

Til next time,
Kimmy