Long Island MMA predictions for UFC FIGHT NIGHT THU. JUL. 7 DOS ANJOS VS. ALVAREZ

     The next major event that the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) will be hosting is set to take place Thursday July 7th; a date which is fast approaching. UFC Fight Night will take place in Las Vegas, Nevada and is littered with several very interesting match ups, some of which us here at Long Island Mixed Martial Arts have already set our picks! The first match up that we have decided on is between John Makdessi and Mehdi Baghdad.

     These two fighters both possess exceptional striking and have the ability to deliver devastating power through their attacks. Makdessi possesses somewhat of a more exotic approach to his striking, incorporating several spinning attacks with both his hands and feet. Such unpredictable attacks make the possibility of catching Baghdad off guard slightly higher. Mehdi, however, is more of a traditional Muay Thai striker and is able to put together precise and disciplined combinations. Thus we may suppose that his striking may be somewhat more consistent than that of Makdessi. Using this reasoning as well as taking into account his significant reach advantage, we believe that Mehdi Baghdad will win this fight.

     The next fight that we have predicted is between Alberto Mina and Mike Pyle. It seems that Mike Pyle possesses significant superiority in both the fields of striking and wrestling. Where it seems that Mina’s striking is readable and inconsistent Pyle is able to put together combinations and create angles of attack. In the wrestling department, the inconsistency of Mina’s wrestling offense displayed against Yoshihiro Akiyama leads us to believe that he will be trapped on the feet with Pyle; a situation that he is ill equipped for. Therefore, we have chosen Mike Pyle to be the winner of this fight.

     Lastly, we have reviewed the match up for the main event which is a title fight in the lightweight division between the champion Rafael Dos Anjos and the challenger Eddie Alvarez! After some deliberation we believe that the champion will retain his title. Although Eddie Alvarez possesses brutal toughness and tenacity that has allowed him to devastate opponents in the past we feel that the composure and precision of Rafael Dos Anjos will carry the day. So there you have it, a few of our picks for the up and coming UFC Fight Night! Do you agree with our choices? If not, sound off in the comments and tell us your reasoning.

UFC Fight Night: T.J. Dillashaw vs Dominick Cruz | Long Island MMA

UFC Fight Night: T.J. Dillashaw vs Dominick Cruz

UFC is heading to Boston, Massachusetts on January 17th 2016 with another exciting Fight Night card, airing exclusively on Fox Sports 1.  The headliner for this one is going to be an exciting battle for the UFC Bantamweight Championship.  T.J. Dillashaw will defend his title against former Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz, who had never actually lost the title in the first place!
Dominick Cruz was stripped of the Bantamweight Championship due to inactivity caused by repeated long-term injuries.  Upon his return, Cruz finished Takeya Mizugaki in an explosive knockout, 1:01 into the 1st round.  Cruz has defeated many great opponents and is actually the last person to defeat the Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson.  Dominick feels he is the rightful Champion of the division until someone can beat him inside the octagon, and Dillashaw believes he’s the man to do it!
T.J. Dillashaw’s most notable feat is when he took the title from the former champion, Renan Barao. Barao was on an undefeated win streak that lasted 9 years, at the time he was at the top of the Pound-for-Pound list.  Barao had the odds to win 20 to 1, but Dillashaw put on such an impressive and dominant performance that finished the former champion halfway through the 5th round.  Barao got his rematch a year later and Dillashaw put on an even better performance, this time finishing Barao in the 4th round.

There are some other matchups that evening that are very promising as well.  Eddie Alvarez vs. Anthony Pettis is bound to be an exciting war.  This is Pettis’s first fight since his loss to Lightweight Champion Rafael Dos Anjos, and Alverez will be riding off of his victory against Gilbert Melendez, both men trying to get there shot at the UFC Lightweight Championship.  Another match to pay attention to is Chris Wade vs. Mairbek Taisumov, both of these men are extremely explosive and have the potential to finish fights.  Chris Wade is a strong up-comer in the division fighting out of Long Island MMA in Farmingdale, New York.

The entire Fight Night Boston card is an exciting one, but make sure you really pay attention to the fights mentioned here, you will not be disappointed!

Congrats to UFC’s New Women’s Bantamweight Champion, Holly Holm! | Long Island MMA

Congrats to UFC’s New Women’s Bantamweight Champion, Holly Holm!

Holly Holm defeated Ronda Rousey at UFC 193, ending Rousey’s reign as the undefeated, undisputed champion of the women’s Bantamweight division.  After dominating Rousey throughout the entire fight, Holm finished her with a devastating head kick 59 seconds into the second round.  Holm executed her game plan perfectly; all the experts said that Holm needed to keep her distance and pick apart Rousey on her feet.  Dennis “The Menace” Bermudez, who fights out of Long Island MMA in Farmingdale NY, had commented that “The game plan that Holly stuck to is the only game plan I thought would ever work.” Rousey is known for being very aggressive, this is the reason she has won her fights in such a dominant and devastating fashion.  This is also a big reason why Holly’s game plan worked so well, Ronda needed to be patient and not let Holm pick her apart on her entries, but the more Holly landed the more frustrated and desperate Rousey seemed to become, ultimately ending in the head kick knockout. Having a new undefeated champion adds a lot of excitement to the Women’s Bantamweight division.We don’t know for sure what’s next for Ronda Rousey or Holly Holm, but we know that Holm’s career just took a big leap, and we could imagine Rousey will be getting a rematch sometime in the near future.

The BEST MMA GYM on Long Island New York | Long Island MMA

     I am sure that most of us have heard the term “McDojo” before. It is a term used to describe a chain or individual martial arts establishment that lacks legitimacy or one could even say is poorly managed. As the sport of Mixed Martial Arts exploded into mainstream entertainment the martial arts world experienced a flood of these so called McDojos attempting to hop on the band wagon of Mixed Martial Arts popularity. To the untrained eye it is hard to tell a legitimate school from a farce, especially when they are toting flashy equipment and a clean facility. But time has shown that simply hopping on the popularity train does not prove enough to maintain a successful gym. Schools were opening under individuals with martial arts experience but no business sense, vice versa.

     When the dust settled from the excitement of the opportunity that MMA presented, schools were failing due to lack of business experience, or lack in legitimate training credentials. Certain gyms were forced to downsize and some even forced to close. But there are always exceptions to the norm. These came in the form of gyms run by professional trainers or fighters themselves; those that had the passion, experience and love of the sport. These gyms excelled where others failed. Long Island Mixed Martial Arts is one of those gyms and is a prime example of the criteria previously stated. They first opened their doors in November of 2011 and have been steam rolling the New York MMA scene ever since. Owned by now current UFC Welterweight Ryan LaFlare and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Blackbelt/ MMA Coach Gregg DePasquale; Long Island MMA was bred of a true love for the sport of Mixed Martial Arts and it truly shows in the way that members experience their training.

      There are other successful gyms in the Long Island area however, a key point that sets Long Island MMA apart is the fact that everyone that comes in to L.I.M.M.A. receives attention and is treated with equal priority. This is likely a big part of why the team of amateur fighters at Long Island MMA is so talent rich. Everyone has potential and the coaches at Long Island MMA make it their mission to bring out the best in all of their students! Aside from the more than qualified coaching staff another key part of running a gym, like any business would be an education in such an area. While Ryan LaFlare is a professional athlete, he also has a college education. Ryan graduated from Farmingdale State College with a business degree; a degree which has helped turn his once small gym from Lindenhurst into a massive 12,000 square foot facility located in Farmingdale NY. It is the business know how of its owners that has kept Long Island MMA constantly growing and improving, rather than downsizing like so many other schools have had to do.  At Long Island MMA classes are constantly being improved; be it adding more of them or simply improving existing ones. Needless to say, with the foundation and care that makes up Long Island MMA the only place that it will be going is forward to even greater things!

What it means to be a champion| A Look at the UFC's Jon "Bones"Jones | Long Island MMA

     What is it exactly that constitutes being a champion? Is it simply having the skills to defeat all of your rivals?

       Some would say that winning alone is enough to have one dubbed a champion. Others however, may disagree and say that with the role of champion one takes on certain unspoken responsibilities. Not only must a champion win, he/she must also be an exceptional human being. Some say a champion must also be kind and respectful, disciplined and honorable, honest and responsible. Essentially one may say that the same qualities that must reside in a champion are alike the ones that must reside in a leader. After all that is what a champion is isn’t it? They are the “leaders” in their respective areas. They have a unique position of power similar to many other types of leaders. With their position they can inspire and motivate people, they can educate and be role models for people; all of which is what would seem to be what we expect of a champion.

     That is not to say that one couldn't do the opposite. A “champion” could be irresponsible, dishonest, unfair and vulgar; while that may not seem to be what we expect of such an individual it is yet a fact that they do carry the title. But after all what are titles? They are artificial constructs of language that guide our perception, but when our understanding of such a thing contradicts its definition (in this instance it would be in regards to a wrong doing champion) that individual simply is not what their title dictates. Perhaps the biggest topic in MMA as of late has been the arrest of the former light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones. While Jones has unquestionably been one of the most dominant fighters in UFC history, he simply has not been able to fill the “unspoken requirements” that we had mentioned earlier. Realistically speaking Jon Jones has displayed quite the opposite of what is expected of a champion.

     He has been caught in the past for taking an illegal narcotic, that drug being cocaine. Taking any sort of narcotic drug in and of itself is uncharacteristic of any professional athlete that is serious about their career and their training. What does it say about Jon Jones when he is titled as the champion, the one who is supposed to be the best and setting a proper example as to why when he has been taking an illegal drug like cocaine? It can certainly not be anything to his credit. Even more recently Jon Jones has been charged with a felony in a hit and run involving himself and a pregnant woman whom was injured in the accident. He fled the scene of an accident in which he harmed another needless to say she was pregnant! If honesty and responsibility are qualities that we believe reside in a champion then obviously Jon Jones can not be a champion.

    That is certainly the way that the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) has seen it. The organization has concluded that Jon “Bones” Jones has been stripped of his title and suspended from competition indefinitely. This is only just, and not to mention the possibly and likely jail time that the former “champion” (if he can be called that) will face for his recklessness. This outcome could have been predicted, given the prior behavior of Jones. He may have been one of the most skilled while in the cage, but outside he was no champion and the record is now set straight. One can only slip up so many times; he was never a champion, just a thug with a title.

One of our coaches Kyle Cerminara said it best on Facebook:

   

Connor McGregor Vs Jose Aldo as told by Long Island MMA

     Throughout the history of the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) there have been quite the number of intense rivalries some of which include legends such as Rashad Evans and Rampage Jackson, Tito Ortiz and Chuck Lidell, and now possibly towering above all is Connor McGregor and Jose Aldo. The UFC has put an incredible amount of effort and time into propagating this intense rivalry with an international media tour which spanned five different nations and eight different cities across the world. It is safe to say that this is one fight that the entire world may stop to watch! The charismatic McGregor has certainly done his part in drawing attention to the event; especially in his home country of Ireland where he snatched up the belt of Jose Aldo from right in front of him, holding it above his head as if already victorious.

     Stylistically this fight should hold up to the hype as well, the brutally violent muay thai machine that is Jose Aldo vs. the sniper accurate technician in Connor McGregor. We have seen such ferocious finishes from the champion by way of twenty punch combinations and flying knees and from the challenger we have seen sniper accurate counter striking and deception through the use of his Irish “Up-Down” boxing; which he has cleverly combined with his exotic Tae-Kwon-Do style kicking. However, one criticism that some have for the challenger Connor McGregor is that they believe he has not yet been truly tested by a high level wrestler whereas Jose Aldo has been several times. Although It may be detrimental to the flashy brutal striking war that all fans are praying for it wouldn’t be too far out of the strategic domain of Aldo to take the fight to the ground and utilize his high level Jiu Jitsu to carry the day. Reports have surfaced that in training with some of Eddie Bravo’s high level competitors McGregor performed superbly, however, as many believe, it must be proven in the octagon.

     The rollercoaster of hype and drama surrounding this bout will come to a hopefully thunderous conclusion on Sat. July 11^th at UFC 189! Besides the obvious, this card is stacked with several very promising fights including the match up of Jeremy “Lil Heathen” Stevens and Long Island MMA’s own Dennis “The Menace” Bermudez! The 11^th of July will without a doubt be a night to remember in the world of mixed martial arts, especially with the looming possibility of the champion Jose Aldo being dethroned. Should this come to pass we may be ushering in the age of the fighting Irishman; The Notorious One, Connor McGregor

Long Island MMA at the NYFE 6 | Long Island MMA

     Long Island MMA has a long history with the NYFE (New York Fight Exchange). Since the very first show the NYFE has had Long Island MMA has been featured on the card. Long Island MMA has had many victories with the promotion including the acquisition of several titles: such as Rob Scotti’s featherweight title, Hugh McKenna’s welterweight title and Eric Ott’s middleweight title.
               
     

 The NYFE will host its 6^th event this Saturday March 28^th! Long Island MMA will once again be sending its warriors to compete. This time around those warriors are Mike “The Caveman” Kuhn, Chrissy “The Doll” Yandolli and Joseph “The Saint” Ninomiya. These three are some of Long Island MMA’s finest amateur fighters. “The Caveman” is the former NYFE bantamweight champion and he is returning to the cage to face Rich Pabon. A tough opponent, however, Mike Kuhn is determined to push his way back into title contention. “The Doll” is an extremely decorated kick boxer and holds several titles to that regard. Now having a go at MMA she is 2-1-0 and set to face Alyssa Franco. We can always expect to see strong striking exchanges whenever The Doll steps into the cage; but don’t be fooled she is very keen to round out her skills and may lock up a submission at any moment! Last but not the least is “The Saint” although he certainly doesn’t seem to be when he steps into the cage. Joseph Ninomiya is coming off an extremely controversial split decision loss and wants nothing more than to make an example of his next opponent to reinstate his presence to all at bantamweight.

     Long Island MMA will rise to the occasion as it always has; each of these warriors will be returning with their shields or on them. After having trained as hard as they have for these past months everyone should expect to see fireworks from each of them when they step out on to the canvas this Saturday night, the 28^th of March. 

Check out Long Island MMA's HL video's: