Absolute Mixed Martial Arts Muay Thai Fighters To Compete In June Doom

June Doom Muay Thai fights are this Saturday! Come support Dustin Bond, AmberLee Watkins and Feki Pouha as Absolute MMA fighters. All of these fight team members have been working hard to prepare for this event. Fights start at 6:00 pm and tickets are available at the door for $23.00. This event will be held at the Muay Thai Institute, 650 east Wilmington Avenue, Salt Lake City. We want to see ALL the Absolute MMA shirts in the crowd! Come represent!

Student Spotlight at Absolute Mixed Martial Arts

Our student spotlight for the month of May is Elloy Berumen. Elloy has been a member of Absolute MMA for about seven and a half months now. Elloy's main focus for that time was Muay Thai Boxing. Only within the last two weeks has he ventured into the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes. Elloy, like many of our team, has achieved some great success in reaching his goals. In the time he has been with us, he has lost 35 pounds! He is aiming for more but what a great accomplishment! I talked with Elloy for a bit about his experience at Absolute MMA and what he feels has changed for him as a result of training with us. Elloy's first response was that his mindset has changed. When asked what he meant he said, "This place has changed my life." Elloy said his whole outlook has changed. He feels he is a more positive person as well as patient. According to Elloy, he is happier now instead of depressed like he was in the time before he trained. Elloy says he looks forward to coming to the gym, he is motivated to be here. I asked him what it is that motivated him and he said, "I want to be better! I want to improve my skill and my fitness." Elloy also said he thinks twice before he eats something, just so he can do well in class. He has learned that eating better changes his performance for better or worse and tries to do things for positive change. Elloy says he likes the positive environment at Absolute MMA and the fact that all of the students try to help each other get better. Coaches Rob Handley and Pedro Sierra say "Absolute MMA is a positive place for positive change." We are happy to have Elloy with us. He works hard, comes consistently and is always looking to improve.

Hey gang! Steve Sharp is fighting tomorrow night in Showdown Fights Uprising! He will be fighting Derrick Burnsed of Urijah Faber's Team Alpha Male. This should be a great match up with good striking and ground work. This Showdown event will take place at UVU in Orem at 7:00 pm. Tickets can be purchased at Absolute MMA, No Weak Links and Steve "Razor" Sharp. Come support Steve in his next fight! He always puts on a great show!

Mixed Martial Art Gym in Utah Inspires Success in High School Student

Student Spotlight for the month of April is one of our teenage members, Coley Armijo. Coley has been training Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu since September of 2011. Coley has made some significant changes in his life and we would like to share his success with all. We asked Coley to tell us in his own words what his experience was at Absolute MMA. Here is a copy of what he wrote.

"My name is Coley Armijo. I am a member of Team Absolute. Being a member of Team Absolute has inspired me to make goals in and outside of the gym. Some goals I have made this year was to get on the honor roll and graduate high school. I worked real hard in school, doing homework in class, being to class on time and showing up everyday. Doing that got me the award of Student of the Month in September, on the honor roll first and second quarters and I graduated a quarter early. I'm very happy to achieve my goals the way I have. I proved to everyone but more importantly I proved to myself I could do it."

Way to go, Coley! One success Coley didn't talk about, but is just as impressive, is his weight loss. Coley started training at a weight of 188 lbs. and he now weighs 162 lbs.! Coley also plans on competing in his first Jiu Jitsu tournament on April 14th. Coaches Rob Handley and Pedro Sierra are already proud of Coley's achievements and his hard work. His continued positive attitude, hard work and willingness to help others has made him an important part of Team Absolute. Another success story based on consistent, deliberate practice and the decision to make positive changes in life. Great work, Coley! We are proud to call you "teammate."

Total Mayhem Hosts Mixed Martial Arts Fights in Utah

Steve "Razor" Sharp is fighting on April 7th! Steve's opponent will be "Disco" Dave Foley at Total Mayhem's We're Back II. The show will be held at The Gym on 2805 South 2025 West in West Haven, Utah. This will be an all ages event and fights will start at 7 pm.

Both of these Mixed Martial Art fighters have impressive and colorful records. Wrestling, Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Boxing will all be on display in this bout. It should be a great night of fights so come out and support our Absolute MMA team member in his latest match. You know you don't want to miss it!

MMA Fights in Utah Features Absolute Mixed Martial Arts Fighter

Vadim Komarov, Absolute MMA fighter, will be appearing in the Steelfist Fight Night "7", Heavy Hitters. Vadim's opponent for this Mixed Martial Arts bout will be Ryan Wagner, owner a 2-2 record. Vadim has a record of 3-2 and will be looking to add another win to his stats.

Vadim has been training hard and improving all his skill sets. He has very fast hands for his weight of 205 lbs. and has been working consistently to polish his Jiu Jitsu.

The fights will be held at The Complex in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 20th. Doors open at 6 pm and fights start at 7 pm. Come watch our Team Absolute brother bring his game and take home a victory.

Muay Thai in Utah, Two Wins for Absolute MMA Fighters

Absolute MMA does it again! Two fights and two wins in March Mayhem's Muay Thai fights at the Muay Thai Institute.

It was a packed house with lots of anticipation in the air and a whole bunch of Team Absolute supporters in the crowd. Javier Jones was the first of the two fighters to display their skills. He came out the aggressor and took the fight to his more muscled opponent. Javier worked his hands while in close as his opponent tried to keep distance to apply kicks. Javier got swept a few times but was able to land quite a few punches that had his opponent dropping his hands out of exhaustion. Javier kept up the pressure in his first Muay Thai fight, for all three rounds and won a split decision to claim the first win of the night for Absolute MMA. Congratulations, Javier!

Alexis Asher's fight was really fast paced. Alexis came out swinging hard, using her boxing background, and drove her opponent against the rope right off the bell, landing hard shots to the head. Her opponent clinched and was subject to knees to the body and more punches to the head. Alexis' opponent tried to use foot jabs and kicks to stop taking damage but with little success. Alexis continued to land shots to the head with her punches and more knees to the body as the fight continued. Maintaining a hard pace, Alexis wore her opponent down and claimed a unanimous decision for the second win of the night from Team Absolute. Congratulations, Alexis!

Both Javier and Alexis train out of Absolute MMA, one of the best Muay Thai boxing gyms in Utah with Coaches Rob Handley and Pedro Sierra.

Jiu Jitsu in Utah Shines at NAGA tournament

Absolute MMA entered thirteen competitors at the North American Grapplers Association (NAGA) tournament last weekend. We took home 19 medals! Twelve 1st place finishes, four 2nd place finishes and three 3rd place finishes. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is one of the foundations of our program. Under Professor Rob Handley, we learn and demonstrate the quality of his instruction and teaching methods. We are constantly improving our technique and challenging each other to improve our game. This is evidenced in the performance of our team last Saturday. Here are the individual results from the event. Congratulations to all our competitors, win or lose. We are proud of you all.

Mens NO-GI Novice Feather Weight
3rd Place Matt Belchak
Mens GI White Belt Feather Weight
2nd Place Matt Belchak

Mens NO-GI Intermediate Feather Weight
1st Place Denver Merrifield-Nirva
Mens GI Blue Belt Feather Weight
1st Place Denver Merrifield - Nirva

Mens NO-GI Expert Light Weight
1st Place Cameron Dansie
Mens GI Purple Belt Light Weight
1st Place Cameron Dansie

Mens NO-GI Intermediate Super Heavy Weight
2nd Place Ryan Williamson
Mens NO-GI Expert Super Heavy Weight
3rd Place Ryan Williamson

Womens NO-GI Expert
1st Place Rebecca Rodriguez
Womens GI Expert
1st Place Rebecca Rodriguez

Mens GI Blue Belt Light Weight
1st Place Justin Mitterling

Mens GI Blue Belt Cruiser Weight
1st Place William DaBell

Mens GI Blue Belt Super Heavy Weight
3rd Place Jared Fackrell
Mens GI Masters White Belt Super Heavy Weight
1st Place Jared Fackrell

Mens GI Purple Belt Cruiser Weight
1st Place Bentley Garner

Mens GI Masters Blue Belt Light Weight
2nd Place Eric Ciffone

Mens GI Directors Expert
1st Place Pedro Sierra

Kids NO-GI Beginner 49.9 lbs. and Under 7 & 8 year olds
2nd Place Mason Ciffone
Kids GI Beginner 49.9 lbs. & Under 7 & 8 year olds
1st Place Mason Ciffone

Mixed Martial Arts Training Culminates in Showdown Fights: Breakout Show

Showdown Fights: Breakout was a great show this last Saturday. Exciting fights and an electric atmosphere made for a great night.

Steve Sharp, exciting and fierce as always, finished Mario Espinoza in three minutes of the very first round. These boys talked about having a stand up, knockdown, knuckle and skull fight in their pre-fight interviews. They did not disappoint. Both fighters came out swinging with Steve getting the better of every exchange. Steve threw some monster leg kicks which had Mario limping and looking for a takedown as a way out. Not one to miss an opportunity, Steve cinched down a guillotine choke that ended the fight. Steve showed again why he is an exciting fighter out of the Absolute MMA camp with a quick and decisive finish.













Josh Burkman and Koffi Adzitso had a regular barn burner that went all three rounds. Both fighters laded hard punches with Burkman getting the better of the the takedowns. Neither gave an inch and gave everything they had to get the "W". Josh got the unanimous decision but both walked away with respect for each other and adoration from the crowd.

Showdown Fights: Breakout got notice from mmaweekly.com. They posted fight results and a mention of Burkman's win. Great show and great fights. We look forward to more of the same in the future.

High School Wrestler Uses Mixed Martial Arts to Achieve Goals

Many of you know Joel. He has been with us for several months now but took some time off to achieve his goals in wrestling with great results. When Joel was training with us he was a regular. He always worked hard and never put in less than 100% effort, training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai and Mixed Martial Arts. We asked Joel to write about his wrestling experience and here is his response in his own words.

"At the age of 15 I started wrestling at Murray high school. I wasn’t very good, and didn’t know much and had a losing record. Inspired by our team captain Jordan Schroeder who had placed 2nd in state his senior year, he had pushed me to get better for my second year. My junior year I did much better but I ended up in 6th place at region, and did not qualify for the state tournament.

That summer I prepared myself for my senior year. My first step was to enter the doors of Absolute MMA. I trained almost every day throughout the summer, and I learned a lot and felt ready. Every day after preseason practices for my high school team I went straight to the gym to practice more wrestling. My first match of the season I hurt my elbow but came out with the win. The rest of the season I just mobbed through kids. Almost going undefeated at one tournament and placing 2nd in another. After my Christmas break I came back to wrestling and fell into a slump. I was able to pull out of it and get back in my groove. It was senior night at Murray high. I was told it was going to be a tough match to win, and I was looking forward to the challenge. My opponent was Hayden Rentfro from West Lake High. The kid I wrestled beat me 16 to 12. By 4 points, I told myself I would get the job done in the finals at region.

I pushed myself in the wrestling room and pushed myself in the weight room. Regions finally came, we entered West Lake High School and I was ready to wrestle. The first round I had a bye, the second round I pinned my opponent in 50 seconds. Watching the Westlake kid win his matches just got me pumped up and ready to go for my next match. Third round came and I beat my opponent with a major decision 11 to 3. After day 1 ended I was excited for the finals.

Day 2 was a long day, just sitting there and waiting to get on the mat. Throughout the day I warmed up and kept myself ready and focused on what to do. As the lights went dim and the spot light came on I was ready to go. After the 138 pound match was over I checked in at the table and stepped out on the mat. I was ready to wrestle the kid who thought he could beat me once again. I was focused and went 6 full minutes, I defeated him 15 to 9. I am so happy winning my first region championship title in my senior year, and winning the region tournament as a team. My lesson I learned was to believe in myself no matter what, listen and train hard, and when focused anything is possible."

Name: Joel Haro
Weight class: 145
Age:17
Record: 29-11
Memorable matches:
Finals match at Clash of the Titans Tournament-2nd place
Region Finals Match 1st place, 2012

We are very proud of Joel and his accomplishments and his desire to improve. He truly is an Absolute MMA Team Member. Congratulations on the Regional Championship!

Showdown Fights: Breakout! Utah MMA Fighters to Showcase Their Skills

Showdown Fights: Breakout is on February 24! Absolute MMA will have two fighters in this show, Koffi Adzitso and Steve Sharp.

Koffi has been training regularly and is looking good. His punches are blindingly fast and his conditioning is top notch. Koffi always puts on crowd pleasing fights so don't miss your chance to watch and be a part of the excitement. You can get tickets in Koffi's section at Absolute MMA.

Steve is working hard and refining his timing as he had knee surgery not too long ago. He is always a dangerous fighter and brings knockout power to his fights. Another great fighter that knows how to put on a great show. Don't blink when Steve fights because it can be over that quick. Get your tickets and cheer for our team!

Jiu Jitsu Seminar With a Grand Master

Grand Master Flavio Behring will be here in a week! He will be putting on a Jiu Jitsu seminar at Absolute Mixed Martial Arts in West Jordan, UT. The seminar will be on Saturday, January 28, from 10 am until 3 pm.

Grand Master Flavio has a very experienced teaching style. You don't have to have experience to learn some amazing things about Jiu Jitsu and yourself. If you do have experience you will gain the insight of a 64 year practitioner of the art. All levels are welcome. The stories he tells are of the days when Jiu Jitsu was forming and growing in Brazil. You get to speak with a man who was there from the very early days.

Don't miss this opportunity to learn and train with a true master. Contact Absolute MMA at 801.255.1166 for prices and availability.

Schedule Update for Kick Boxing, Muay Thai and Kettlebells.

We have made a few changes to the schedule about a month ago and want to make sure to get the word out again. The classes that have been affected are the Mixed Martial Arts classes on Tuesday and Thursday, Kick Boxing on Wednesday and Kettlebells on Saturday.

The 7:30 pm classes on Tuesday and Thursday have been changed from Mixed Martial Arts classes to Kick Boxing. These classes are usually taught by our Head Coach, Rob Handley. Rob Has studied Kick Boxing or Muay Thai for a very long time. He continues to train with top level Thai trainers like Sakasem, Ganyao Fairtex and Sangtiennoi. He has a wealth of experience and has a unique way of teaching which makes it easy to learn and then implement. All levels of experience are welcome.

Kick Boxing on Wednesday at 6:00 pm has been canceled. We will continue to have Takedown class at 6:00 pm which includes techniques from Judo and Wrestling. This class is also taught by Coach Rob. For those of you who don't know, Rob is the 2003 Bronze medal winner in the National Judo Championships and the Gold medal winner in 2005. Rob's approach to instruction allows the very advanced and the very beginner to grasp the technique easily and be able to use it in practice effectively within a short period of time.

Our Kettlebell class that was at 9:00 am has been moved to 10:00 am. Participation is growing and our students are seeing results from the hard work. This class uses the Sport Kettlebell format to improve overall strength, strength endurance, grip strength, cardiovascular endurance and joint range of motion. The class is technique based rather than strength based. This is a great way to learn a new skill set with resistance training and improve your overall fitness. Rob also teaches this class using the Fedorenko method. Rob is a Sport Coach and Master Fitness Trainer in the American Kettlebell Club organization.

Absolute Mixed Martial Arts; Grillguards Custom Mouthpiece Giveaway.

Absolute Mixed Martial Arts had a giveaway contest in December of last year for a Grillguards Custom Mouthpiece. The student with the most classes attended during the month would be the recipient of one custom mouthpiece valued at $120.00. We had great participation and the competition was fierce. The contest was close for the first two weeks and then one started to pull away from the pack. Rebecca Rodriguez put together a string of days with two and three classes a day. Kick Boxing, Kettlebells and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, sometimes all in one day are what contributed to her winning the prize and finishing with 26 classes for the month. This was a good 10 more classes than the closest runner up. Congratulations, Rebecca!

Grillguards Custom Mouthpieces are used by the majority of our students and 100% of our staff at Absolute MMA. We have found them to be the best quality equipment we can find in mouth protection. The mouthpieces are custom fit so we never have an issue with our protection being loose or not fitting correctly. Of all the people using these mouthguards; amateur and professional fighters, coaches and serious or occasioanal students, we have not had one come to us and say it was faulty or didn't live up to what Grillguards stated. Thanks to Grillguards Custom Mouthpieces for the great product and for supporting Absolute Mixed Martial Arts.

Grand Master Flavio Behring Seminar in January!

Grand Master (GM) Flavio Behring will be holding a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Seminar at Absolute MMA on January 28, 2012. We are looking forward to the return of GM Flavio to our school.

As many of you know, GM Flavio is one of an elite handful of people who hold the rank of red belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ). The International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation requires a minimum of 48 years of study before even being considered for the rank of 9th degree or red belt in BJJ. That's 48 years as a black belt. It takes approximately 10 years to achieve a black belt in most Jiu Jitsu schools. GM Flavio has over 64 years of teaching and training BJJ! That kind of expertise is not often seen in any field of study. We are fortunate to have such an experienced teacher share his knowledge with us.

Learning from a master, literally, is a fantastic experience. Techniques are broken down into digestible components and then chained together to provide a sequence which can be easily remembered. Learning from GM Flavio is fun, challenging and an experience that should be had. We always look forward to being a part of history with this living legend.

Contact Absolute MMA to be included in this event. You can call us at 801.255.1166 or visit our facility at 1338 West 7800 South in West Jordan, Utah. Information about the gym is on our website at absolutemma.com or friend us on Facebook for updates on classes and events.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/ABSOLUTE-MMA/194641106317

Absolute MMA Fighter, Koffi Adzitso, to Tryout for The Ultimate Fighter!

Absolute MMA teammate, Koffi Adztso, is trying out for The Ultimate Fighter show this Sunday! Koffi has been training consistently and intensely for quite some time. It looks like this may be his opportunity to show the world his skills and take his game to the next level. Koffi, nicknamed "The Lion King", has an impressive record of 17-8-0. Koffi is an exciting fighter, well respected for his lightning fast hands and knockout power. Nine of his 17 wins have come by knockout or TKO.

Koffi has been a member of Absolute MMA for a few years now, adding his experience and work ethic to the MMA team training and Jiu Jitsu classes. He always is respectful of his partners and works at a level that both can benefit from. Koffi has one of the best work ethics around. Not one to take days off or relax during training, he always puts forth his best effort and is an excellent example of "work first, talk later."

All of us at Absolute MMA wish Koffi success at The Ultimate Fighter tryouts. We would wish him luck but we know his skill set makes that unnecessary. We look forward to seeing Koffi get his shot at the big show. Knock 'em out, Koffi! Do what you do best.

Absolute MMA Doiminates MMA Fights with Jiu Jitsu!

Absolute MMA victory! Showdown Fights: Evolution proved to be a showcase for Absolute MMA fighters. Two of three fighters came home with a victory and all put on a good show.

William DaBell was the second fight of the evening. This was his debut fight in mixed martial arts. William was a bit nervous in the locker room but warmed up well and had a look of determination in his eye as he walked out to meet his opponent. The fight started out with each fighter looking for openings with jabs and crosses. William's opponent took a shot and got a big double leg takedown but William popped right back to his feet, defended a guillotine choke and the fighters exchanges punches. The two circled a bit with jabs and body blows being exchanged. William was put up against the cage and after some good takedown defense, got lifted and driven to his back. The round ended with William covering against the last 10 seconds of punches form his opponent.

Round two opened with punches, William taking some to the head and a few uppercuts until he clinched and the two ended up on the ground with William in his opponent's guard. William stood to pass the guard and got tripped up as his opponent grabbed both ankles to take him down. The position reversed, William defended punches and then applied Behring Jiu Jitsu self defense to finish the fight! As his opponent drove forward, forearm in his throat, William passed the arm to one side and applied an arm triangle. His opponent, busy defending the choke, could do nothing as William moved his hips out to the side until he had enough leverage to reverse the position and secure his victory in the mount, forcing his opponent to tap. Round two win via arm triangle! Congratulations, William!

Eduardo Rivera was fight number three on this card. Edurado fought a much taller opponent. Eduardo came out swinging and landed some early shots, pushing his opponent up against the cage. The two separated and clashed a few more times, each time Eduardo would land a few head shots. His opponent turned the tide quickly, however. Keeping Eduardo at distance he started to fire off punches which Eduardo was unable to respond to. Adding leg kicks to the barrage seemed to disorient Eduardo and he clinched with a body lock and went to the back to avoid damage. His opponent locked in a Kimura and took Eduardo to the ground. As Eduardo avoided the shoulder lock he fell into a straight arm lock which his opponent finished belly down, preventing Eduardo form anything but a tap to end the fight.

Denver Merrifield-Nirva came into this fight with a 3-1 record. His last fight was a loss and he was looking to get back on the winning side of things. Denver's opponent had a 5-6 record and was looking to do the same. First round the two touched gloves and circled. Denver's opponent threw a few punches with bad intention but didn't land. The two clashed while standing a few times with both landing some hard crosses and hooks. Denver ended up eating a hook which knocked him off balance and forced him to put a hand on the ground to keep his feet. He was rushed but sprawled beautifully and forced the clinch as he put the other fighter into the fence. A few strikes and some knees later, Denver controlled his opponent's legs and took him down, right up against the fence. His opponent scrambles and Denver takes his back, pulling him backwards. There is another scramble and the two get back to their feet, throwing punches as they separate. Denver catches a hard left on his forearm as he blocks and circles away. The next time the two go for punches, Denver drops his level and executes a beautiful double leg takedown. Denver's opponent looks to roll and escape but ends up on knees and elbows eating punches under his arm to the face and to the side of the head. He takes a couple big shots as Denver passes his guard, rolls again and catches Denver in his half guard and eventually full guard. Denver wants none of it and stands up to throw punches with ill intent. Forced to defend against the barrage of strikes, the other fighter rolls again. This time Denver maintains top position as he continues to deliver devastating punches which force more movement from his adversary. Denver flows through side mount, knee on back, knee on stomach, half mount, back and mount again as his opponent desperately tries to get away from the constant hammering of elbow and fists. Denver sticks him in side mount, bouncing elbows off his head and sets up an arm bar. His opponent defends by grabbing two hands together and gets rewarded for his efforts with a crushing hammer fist to the face. Denver places the leg back over his opponents head and finished the arm bar with little trouble to secure a second round victory! Congratulations Denver!

We are proud of all our fighters! Congratulations on a great night!

Jiu Jitsu was the finishing factor in all Team Absolute fights that night but Muay Thai played an important role as did Wrestling.! Come train at Absolute MMA for all your MMA needs.

http://absolutemma.com/

Absolute MMA Fighters Scheduled to Fight on Showdown: Evolution Card

Here are William, Denver and Eduardo on the Showdown Evolution fight card. These boys look good and are still training hard. They just got done with a killer MMA workout at Absolute MMA. We are looking forward to seeing them in action!

absolutemma.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/ABSOLUTE-MMA/194641106317?ref=ts
http://www.showdownfights.com/tag/evolution/

Utah MMA Gym Sparks Weight Loss.

Ruben Cervantes is one of our student successes. Ruben has been a student here since March of 2011. In that time, he has lost 20 pounds and drastically improved his fitness. Ruben came to us with the goal of losing 30 pounds, going from 185 to 155. As you can see he is well on his way. One of our regulars for the morning class, Ruben trains four days a week, both Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He trains hard, pushing himself when his body wants to give up and breaking the physical limits he used to have.

Ruben is one of many stories at Absolute MMA that have achieved their goal of weight loss. There are many more on our team that could tell a similar story. The positive attitude and teamwork that is present every day helps us all to better ourselves and each other.

We are proud of Ruben and all our teammates who have made progress with weight loss and improved fitness. We look forward to sharing more success stories with you. See you on the mat!

Showdown Fights: Evolution to Highlight Absolute MMA Fighters

Showdown Fights: Evolution is coming up on November 18, 2011. Absolute MMA has three team members fighting in this event! Denver Merrifield-Nirva, Eduardo Rivera and William DaBell. Denver and Eduardo will be on the professional card and William will be making his amateur debut. The fights will be held at the UCCU Event Center, located at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. The doors open at 5:30 pm and the first fight is at 7:00pm.

We are all training hard to support our team in this show. Come train and show your support. You can also buy tickets from each of the fighters so get in touch with them to get your seat at a great event!


absolutemma.com
facebook.com/pages/ABSOLUTE-MMA/194641106317
showdownfights.com

Absolute MMA Fighter, Jeff Nielson, wins with dominance.

Friday night was an exciting night for fight fans, especially teammates of Jeff Nielson from Absolute MMA. Jeff has been training regularly and with intensity for this fight and it showed on fight night. Jeff faced an opponent with a similar record and experience in Cy Nelson that night. Both Jeff and Cy made weight, looking to test each other on Friday night.

The fight started out with a few seconds of circling and a jab from both Cy and Jeff. Jeff clinched and pushed Cy against the fence and got the front takedown to mount right away. From there it was a dominant performance by The Absolute MMA fighter. Jeff controlled position, threw strikes and remained calm throughout the struggle. Cy tried to move and escape which only got him more strikes or more controlled for his efforts. Cy did end up bridging hard which gave Jeff back mount to be held until the end of the fight, striking at will and finishing with a rear naked choke in under three minutes of the first round!

Congratulations to Jeff Nielson on his win and on a dominant performance!

www.absolutemma.com
www.facebook.com/pages/ABSOLUTE-MMA/194641106317?ref=ts

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Student Spotlight

Our student spotlight this month is Hassan Campos. Hassan is seventeen and a student at Copper Hills High School. Hassan is quiet, respectful and serious about learning Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, which he has been doing since March of 2011. He comes to class ready to learn and has been doing so quietly and well. The first hurdle any person has to face when learning BJJ is how to survive. Hassan has met this challenge and is starting to overcome it. More and more people are mentioning how difficult it is to submit him and how increasingly difficult it is to maintain control and position on him. Hassan also comes regularly to the take down class on Wednesday evenings at 6:00 pm. There also he has steadily improved both his offense and defense in this very demanding and difficult discipline.

In a time when many try to draw attention by talking loud or often about themselves, Hassan stands out by being quiet, working hard and respectfully seeking out instruction. Hassan asks intelligent questions, puts time and effort into practicing the repetitions that improve his skill and doesn't complain. While this is refreshing in any individual, it is especially so in one his age.

At Absolute MMA, those of us who have more experience share what we have with those who are less experienced. That means helping new people understand movement and techniques, gym etiquette and giving them just the right amount of resistance when working as a non-cooperative partner. Hassan does this well and without ego. He is an excellent example of a martial artS student. We are proud to have Hassan as a part of our Absolute MMA team.

Hassan just competed in his first Jiu Jitsu tournament Saturday,The 2nd Annual Wasatch Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Youth Tournament. He took 2nd place! Congratulations, Hassan! Well done.

New Historic Gardner Trax station allows easy access to Kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts.

Attention all Absolute MMA friends and family in Sandy, West Valley, Downtown Salt Lake and the University Campus. Trax has just opened a new station at Gardner village, just a half block away from our gym! A train will stop every 15 minutes on weekdays and is a five minute walk away from the benefits of training at Absolute. For those of us that want to save money on gas and not get caught in traffic, this is a great option.

Here is the overall Trax and FrontRunner map.

http://www.rideuta.com/content/happenings.aspx

Here is the link for the weekday southbound Redline route.

http://legacy.rideuta.com/ridingUTA/viewSchedule.aspx?abbreviation=703&dir=0&service=4&signup=113&pdaView=False

This is the link for the weekday northbound Redline route.

http://legacy.rideuta.com/ridingUTA/viewSchedule.aspx?abbreviation=703&dir=1&service=4&signup=113&pdaView=False

absolutemma.com

Absolute MMA Teammate Leaves for Middle East.

"See you guys on the flip side."
Ivan didn't say goodbye, he said he'll see us again. As you can see, Ivan is in the military. He stopped by the gym the other morning to let us know he was leaving for the Middle East. He was all smiles and handshakes, cracking jokes and talking about how he will be looking for a place to continue his training wherever he is stationed.

Ivan has been a source of inspiration to more people than he realizes. He doesn't do Facebook or check out videos on Youtube. He is not at all interested in how cool he is or how many videos he can post of himself. And yet I have had many people come to me and say how he has inspired them to work harder and eat better. I have had people come to Absolute MMA and say, "I saw that guy Ivan on Facebook and thought that was really cool. How can I do what he does?" People who are doing mediocre workouts start pushing themselves harder. When I ask them what happened they have said, "I felt guilty after seeing how hard Ivan works."

Whenever Ivan hears that people are inspired by his work, he says, "Positive choices bring positive changes!" He remains modest and maintains everything he is doing can be done by anyone. Anyone willing to make positive changes that is. He doesn't feel sorry himself or where he is in life. He accepts the responsibility for how he got here and for how he's going to get better.

We will look for Ivan's return and all the stories he'll be sure to bring back. I'm sure we'll hear from him while he's over there and we'll pass the word along.

Good luck, Ivan! "See you on the flip side!"

Grand Master Flavio Behring Seminar in August!

Grand Master Flavio Behring is coming to Utah! Absolute MMA will be hosting a seminar by Grand Master (GM) Flavio on August 6th. This will be a gathering of all Flavio Behring Jiu Jitsu schools in the United States bringing students and instructors from Arizona, California, Montana and Utah.

There will, of course, be instruction from GM Flavio, one of the leading experts on the planet in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. GM Flavio always provides details and specifics about all of the techniques he shares as anyone can attest to that has participated in one of his seminars. GM Flavio is an open and giving teacher and will share his wealth of knowledge with a first week beginner the same as he would a twenty year veteran practitioner of the art.

Promotions are always a part of the excitement at GM Flavio's seminars. We all get to share in the pride and accomplishment of our teammates. It's a great feeling to be a part of each other's success, knowing that we all rely on each other to improve. Their improvement is a direct result of working with each and every one of us. It is also prestigious to be promoted by one of the few Red Belt Grand Masters in the world. Bragging rights and authenticity insured.

Absolute MMA invites all who want to gain skill and be a part of a great experience to sign up for this fantastic event. Call (801) 255-1166 for details or stop by the gym at 7800 South 1338 West in West Jordan, Utah. Don't miss meeting and working with a Jiu Jitsu Legend.

Utah MMA, Absolute MMA Fighter Steven Sharp Wins Tournament!

‎Steven Sharp, a mixed martial arts fighter out of Absolute MMA, made the WCFC show an event to remember. Steve took home the belt in spectacular fashion. Out of 16 fighters in this MMA tournament, only he finished every fight, never leaving it to the judges. Steve truly had a stellar performance. So much so that he never even got hit while standing with his opponents. Each round was 5 minutes and Steve fought for a total of less than seven!

The first fight was punctuated by a crushing left hook leaving an opening for Steve to take the back and finish with a rear naked choke. The second fight had some drama as Steve defended a takedown and the fence gave way enough for his foot to pass through the cage and lock the fighter's ankle. The fighters separated and the ring repaired, Steve seemed a man possessed as he controlled his opponent with a Muay Thai clinch and landed a knee to the chest and then one to the chin, dropping the opponent to the floor where he was finished by a huge right to the jaw.

The third fight was one with a lot of intensity against James Birdsley. The two came out with murderous intent, looking to claim not only the belt for the evening but the bragging rights to a much disputed claim about whose skills were superior. Steve crushed Birdsley, landing punches and kicks and defending takedowns. The fight ended by tapout as Steve stood over James landing huge punches to the ribs, shoulders and kidneys. James left holding a separated shoulder and Steve the bragging rights.

The last fight of the evening was greatly anticipated. Lucas Montoya looked great in all his fights, controlling his opponents with good Jiu Jitsu and ground and pound. He was in great shape and looked to have potential to be the champion as he submitted or TKO'd his opponents. Classic grappler versus striker match up. To Lucas' credit, he did manage to get Steve to the ground and land a few strikes early in the round. When the fight was stood up for lack of positional improvement and damage, the tempo changed. Steve landed some hard shots to Lucas via leg kicks and crisp punches. Lucas closed the distance and took Steve down only to fall victim to a guillotine variation from Steve's guard that had Lucas tapping almost as soon as it was on. Steve was victorious and crowned Champion! Congratulations, Absolute MMA and Steven Sharp!

Excellent weight loss at MMA gym in Utah!

Pedro, "Hey Ivan! How are you today?"
Ivan, "I'm doing so damn good it would kill a mortal man!"

Hey gang! Remember Ivan? He was our student spotlight a little while ago. This is an update on his progress. As of June 1, 2011 Ivan has lost 30 pounds in his three months with us! He has also been directed by his physician to cut his high blood pressure medication in HALF! Ivan continues to be positive in every interaction he has with the staff and every other member here. Ivan is famous for his quotes as you can tell from the above statement. What a remarkable story. Ivan is one of many of our students who have been able to achieve and far exceed their goals as a result of their dedication, hard work, consistency and the training they receive at Absolute MMA. We are proud to have Ivan with us as one of many who have used us as a means to make positive change in their life. I know of many more Absolute Team Members who can give similar accounts of their achievements. We are proud of you all.

Many of our children are not as active as we were at their age. Video games, Netflix, iPods seem to be where a good portion of their time is spent. At Absolute MMA, we include vigorous activity as a part of our Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai/kickboxing programs. Anti-bully, verbal conflict resolution, self-defense, self-control and respect are some of the concepts and principles we teach our students. Come try a week of kids classes to see if you want to be a part of our team.

http://www.absolutemma.com

So you think girls can't fight?

Here's Rebecca and Rickey working on their Jiu Jitsu. Absolute MMA teaches Jiu Jitsu to men, women and children. Young and old, no experience needed. You don't have to want to be a fighter to learn everything the fighters do. Statistics show that women and girls who play sports have higher self-esteem, which leads to more confidence, fewer teen pregnancies, and a host of other positive side effects. Choosing Jiu Jitsu as your sport also increases your ability to defend yourself should the need arise. What are you waiting for?

Heel hook to knee bar.

Here's a video of Chris Kennedy applying a pretty slick heel hook to knee bar submission. Nice work, Chris.