Ryan LaFlare Vs Rick Story | A fight for the fans

The world’s highest profile Mixed Martial Arts organization, the UFC, showcases the best fighters from around the world. The organization is full of fighters that have dominated their respected regional level shows and have had the privilege of having all their hard work, dedication and sacrifices validated when invited to compete on the big stage. One of the most talent filled weight divisions is the UFC’s welterweight division, once controlled by George St. Pierre, is the home of some of the best fighters on the planet.

Recently there has been a lot of movement in the official UFC rankings especially in the 170lb class

because of a combination of fighters winning, losing and injuries. One fighter that has ended up in the UFC



top 15 ranking is Rick “The Horror” Story (18-8) of The MMA Lab. Rick jumped to  the 12^th spot after his split decision win over the highly respected Iceland native Gunner Nelson at UFC Fight Night on October 4^th. Story is a tough fight for anyone; he entered the octagon the underdog and escaped with a victory. Story used his wrestling and punches to solidify the win and his spot inside the UFC “Top 15” rankings. Prior to Story and Nelson stepping in the cage, Nelson was scheduled to fight fellow undefeated UFC welterweight Ryan LaFlare. LaFlare for several years prior to the UFC destroyed the northeast in the New Jersey based promotion, Ring of Combat, going 7-0 with all stoppages while capturing and defending the ROC Welterweight title before the call up. Once in the UFC LaFlare racked up 4 unanswered wins in his first year including wins over Court McGee and John Howard. Unfortunately, due to a knee injury LaFlare was sidelined and the battle of the unbeaten welterweights never took place.  

Now with Story coming off his victory and LaFlare appearing to be getting prepared for his return to the cage I believe a match up with these two would make sense for both men.  A win for Story would show he belongs in the top 15 and that the “peaks and valleys” of his career are past him and he has turned a corner in his career. If LaFlare’s hand is raised I believe it means much more. The Long Island MMA fighter, LaFlare, would show the world that this injury is just a bump in the road on his journey to the top. LaFlare was one of the biggest prospects in mma throughout the country even during 2010-2013 time frame when working through injuries and launching one of New York’s best mma gym, Long Island MMA in Farmingdale, New York mixed martial arts insiders still spoke of him in the highest regard.

I believe if the fight takes place, it will be a great fight and a true test for both athletes but ultimately LaFlare’s hand will be raised and he will stay undefeated. In the Nelson Fight a key to Story’s victory was stuffing his takedowns. I do not believe he will be able to stuff LaFlare’s shot and underrated Jiu Jitsu. I believe LaFlare will be able to take down his opponent the same way he has throughout his UFC career thus far. As for the striking department Story can pack a stiff punch but LaFlare is great at avoiding taken damage as well as using his longer frame and extending his reach. This fight will hopefully  happen and I believe  it will be the fight that launches LaFlare into the mainstream!

The Best MMA Gym On Long Island | Long Island MMA | Long Island Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

                Long Island MMA is growing more elite by the day. We have many professional fighters under one roof, and many amateurs that are on the rise towards there professional goals. Some of our elite athletes include UFC fighters Ryan LaFlare, Dennis ‘The menace’ Bermudez, and Chris Wade.

              


             Ryan Laflare competes in the UFC’s Welterweight division and is currently on a 3 fight winning streak (11-0 total). Ryan was the Ring of Combat welterweight champion, a huge promotion here on the east coast, before getting called to the Ultimate Fighting Championships. Ryan is one of the main coaches here at Long Island Mixed Martial Arts, always offering his superior knowledge and years of experience in each class he teaches. LaFlare Co-owns the gym alongside Greg Depasquale who is also a main instructor here at our state of the art facility.

                 
               Greg (also known as coach Depo) is a high level Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and one of the best overall mixed martial arts coach’s around. Long island MMA is widely known for constantly winning at many local and east coast competitions , a high percentage of that is due to coach Depo’s dedication to the gym and hands on training during his classes.

              
                Chris Wade who recently had his UFC debut last month, and finished his opponent in quick and devastating fashion, also is a wrestling and MMA coach here at the Farmingdale facility. Wade has been wrestling all his life and was an All-American. Wade is currently a 8-1 overall mixed martial artist with a bright future. Chris always dispenses his knowledge, showing great techniques in each class taught to his students. Anyone that takes Chris’s classes can tell the love and passion he has for competition and for the sport of Mixed Martial Arts.

        
               Also we have one of our undefeated amateurs and striking stand out Al Jones making his professional debut Oct 11^th in the CFFC promotion located in Pennsylvania. Al is known for his impressive finishes and entertaining fights. Come show your support by buying tickets or staying updated on LiMixedMartialArts.com

                Anyone looking to get into fighting , get in shape, or just want to learn self defense is more than welcome to come down to 590 smith street for a tour of our facility and to have a chance to meet some of our professional athletes. Get a good workout, good sweat, and walk around with confidence! Schedule a FREE introductory lesson today and take the first step to change your life. Call 631-592-8339

Dennis Bermudez would beat Conor McGregor | Long Island MMA

On Saturday, September 27^th The Ultimate Fighting Championship held one if it’s most highly anticipated events in some time, UFC 178, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event was filled with a title fight, the return of Cat Zigano and Dominick Cruz and the UFC debut of Eddie Alvarez. After all these great fights, one of the most talked about moments from UFC 178 is the Irishman Conor McGregor stopping Dustin Poirier in the first round. Before the fight there was a lot of back and forth between the two featherweights via twitter. After 1:46 of the first round and some good punching combinations, Herb Dean had seen enough calling a halt in the action. At the post fight interview UFC president Dana White said” The UFC has never seen anything like this”,” He is bigger than Brock Lesnar and George St. Pierre” when speaking about pay per view buys and ticket sales.   

With a lot of hype and a string of impressive victories over some of the division’s toughest competitors, what’s next for McGregor? I believe a great fight that would really solve the questions regarding the top tier of the UFC featherweight division would be putting him across the cage from fellow fan favorite “The Menace” Dennis Bermudez.  The Long Island MMA fighter Bermudez brings a full arsenal of high level skill whether standing or on the mat he is always a threat.

I believe with Bermudez’s endless gas tank and iron chin he would smother the Dublin native with constant pressure. The Menace’s striking game is always evolving looking crisper and more dangerous every time he steps inside the cage. We all have seen Bermudez in wars and see how he pushes through adversity, how he reacts in the deep end, when other men’s will breaks Dennis is just getting started. The main reason I believe after the fight Bermudez’s hand would be raised is old fashion pure American wrestling. Dennis was ranked 22^nd in the nation at the NCAA division 1 level, he then became a college free-style all- American in Akron, Ohio. Many fans might not be aware of this because most of his fans see him standing in the middle of the cage exchanging leather. There are many high level wrestlers in the division few can mix up their striking and grappling as seamlessly as Bermudez, he masks his takedowns leaving his opponents uncertain if he will be throwing strikes or taking a shot at a takedown. Another reason I believe Bermudez will have the upper hand is training. Dennis resides and trains in Long Island, New York home of some of the best fighters. He coaches and fights out of Long Island MMA in Farmingdale, NY alongside fellow UFC fighters Ryan LaFlare and Chris Wade as well as countless others.      

If this fight takes place after Bermudez is victories over Ricardo Lamas at UFC 180 I believe the winner will receive a title fight against the champion. After beating Lamas, according to UFC current rankings, that should catapult Bermudez into the top 3 of the division. I believe Conor ‘s striking although very effective in his past fights would not be a threat to Bermudez. “The notorious one” McGreggor stands 2 inches taller than Bermudez and his striking stance is a more erected stance, standing more straight up than traditional mma stance he shows his background in Karate.   While exchanging on his feet he also has a very wide stance leaving his lead leg out in front him. This will all play into what I believe is Bermudez’s strengths, with his quick head movement he will be able to get around punches and get in on the inside and right under McGreggor’s chin. In his past fight Bermudez has set up some of his most effective punching with chopping his opponents lead legs with powerful leg kicks. If Bermudez wants to take the fight to the mat, which is where I believe he would win this fight, I believe he will be able to take McGreggor down at will given his superior wrestling pedigree and his opponents stance.