Nate Diaz gets the golden ticket to fight Conor McGregor at UFC 196
Yesterday news broke that Rafael Dos Anjos was out of the UFC 196 super-fight
with Conor McGregor. There was no shortage of people who lined up to get the
fight with Conor McGregor; amongst the list of the possible contenders was Long
Island MMA’s Chris Wade. Unfortunately Chris Wade was not the winner of the
Conor McGregor fight but instead just as Long Island MMA predicted Nate Diaz
will step in for the injured Dos Anjos and challenge McGregor.
UFC president Dana White revealed late yesterday that Diaz would step in for
RDA. Dana also revealed that not only will Diaz be fighting McGregor but he
will be fighting him at 170lbs instead of 155lbs the weight he was going to
fight RDA at.
According to the UFC’s president the fight was also offered to both former
featherweight champion Jose Aldo and fan favorite Frankie Edgar who both turned
it down.
Although Long Island MMA would prefer to have seen RDA vs McGregor we are
excited to hear the verbal fight before the physical one on March 5th!
With Rafael Dos Anjos out of UFC 196 fight Long Island MMA’s Chris Wade throws his name into the hat to Fight Conor McGregor.
Today it was reported by many news sources that Rafael Dos Anjos is out of the fight with Conor McGregor. RDA suffered a foot injury that will most likely sideline him from the March 5th super fight against fan favorite and UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor.
With only 11 days until UFC 196 the list of prospects to fight Conor are slim, Twitter is clamoring for Donald Cerrone or Nate Diaz to take the fight since both opponents are down for a scrap any time.
Well there might be another man who is more than willing to fight the “Notorious” one, Long Island MMA’s Chris Wade announced today on Twitter that he was more than willing to head down to Las Vegas on March 5th and try to take out the sport’s biggest draw.
Out of all the options available Donald Cerrone, Nate Diaz or Wade, Long Island MMA believes that Chris has the best chance to beat the 145lb champion because of his strong wrestling and grappling ability. We suspect the UFC will pick Diaz because of the trash talking aspect but we can dream can’t we?
On January 17th 2016, the UFC Bantamweight Championship Belt was returned to Dominick Cruz after his split-decision victory over TJ Dillashaw. Cruz dominated with footwork and totally took Dillashaw out of his element, never letting him get comfortable. TJ Dillashaw has been known for having amazing footwork, being very light on his toes. It was quite the opposite this time, in his fight with Cruz he appeared flatfooted and sluggish, not able to land any of his shots. Watching Dillashaw’s fight against Renan Barao, many people have compared Dillashaw’s style to that of
Dominick Cruz. Cruz had a lot to say on that matter before their fight saying “When people make a comparison, they don’t know what they’re comparing.” Cruz believes that he created the style that Dillashaw tries to mimic, so there is no way that Dillashaw would have a chance at beating him. Cruz was also questioned often about his potential “ring-rust” because he has only had one fight in the past 4 years. When questioned after the fight Cruz responded with “There is no such thing as rust. Rust does not exist unless you don’t train hard enough.” This says a lot about the mental strength of the
champion. After being out for so long with so many injuries, Cruz has the perseverance to come back, still be the most agile fighter in MMA, and win the championship belt that he never lost in the first place. Who is next for the Champion? Uriah Faber issued his own challenge to Cruz, but the more exciting match-up would be Uriah Faber vs. TJ Dillashaw. Faber and Dillashaw have some bad blood since Dillashaw left team Alpha Male to train with Duane Ludwig. Thanks to Connor Mcgregor’s antics on The Ultimate Figher, Dillashaw was labeled as a “snake in the grass” and pushed Uriah Faber to fight him. Barao just lost his last two title fights, so the only other potentials are Raphael Assuncao or Aljamain Sterling. Only time will tell who’s next to step up to the plate, the bantamweight division will have to step up their game if they plan to dethrone the current Champion.
UFC 185 is set to take place March, 14 and it is a stacked card! The event is to be headlined by a lightweight title fight between Anthony “Showtime” Pettis and Rafael Dos Anjos. The main card is filled with exciting fights such as Johnny “Big Rig” Hendricks vs. Matt “The Immortal” Brown. This fight promises fireworks! Johnny Hendricks is coming off of two title fights, the most recent of which resulted in the loss of his welterweight title. He will certainly be returning to the octagon with a vengeance. Matt Brown had been riding a three fight win streak until his most recent loss to the current champion Robbie Lawler; a loss which is now shared by both men.
Both of these contenders are extremely vicious in their striking and have the potential to knock each other out. While Johnny Hendricks is predominantly known for his wrestling and extremely strong knock out power The Immortal has a record of serious TKO finishes that are due to his instinctual pursuit of the kill so to speak. When Matt Brown hurts you, he continues to hurt you until you are finished.
Having a bout between fighters possessing such entertaining finishing abilities bodes for a great contest. However, being that Hendricks’s last two fights have been five round wars one may infer that his conditioning and ability to push the pace may overtake Brown if they were to go the distance. Regardless, on March 14 fight fans are certainly in for a treat when Big Rig and The Immortal face off in the octagon!
As the sport of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
has evolved it has developed more and more complex techniques. Most of these
techniques have been designed particularly to win matches in competition. For
example, the berimbolo which is used to take the back and acquire points, the
worm guard, an extremely tight position used to control your opponent. It is
often the complexity of this evolution that leads people to ask the question, “is
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu an effective means of self-defense”?
A video has recently surfaced that may
shed light on the issue. The video consists of two men seen having an
altercation on a basketball court over the game that they have been playing.
The argument continues to escalate until finally one of the men becomes
violent. He throws a punch at the man who happens to be a purple belt in
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and immediately takes action. The video captures him
pulling guard and immediately transitioning to his attackers back, not only
nullifying his ability to strike him but placing himself in a position to stop
the attack. Several attempts by the Jiu Jitsu fighter to submit his opponent
are flaunted by two men who begin to grab and attempt to pull him away but he doesn't give up knowing he will most likely take damage otherwise.
Seeing as they can’t remove him the men
let the altercation continue and after a short scramble both men end up sitting
down in what appears to be 50/50 guard. He has secured a heel hook and warns
his attacker to stop. He says “I will tear your knee…. You’ll never play
basketball again.” His attacker seems to heed his warning as the scrambling
stops and the altercation ends. Regardless of what anyone has to say about the
legitimacy of Jiu Jitsu on the street it is irrefutable that the simple knowledge
of positioning and control is enough to turn the tables on an assailant, as was
displayed by the practitioner in this video.
At UFC 181 pay-per-view on Saturday
night December 6th, former WWE champion "CM Punk" reviled
that he had signed a multiple fight deal with the UFC. CM Punk’s real name is
Phil Brooks and Phil Brooks has zero combat experience outside of his WWE
roots.
CM
Punk can be seen as far back at 2012 training with Rener Gracie in some YouTube
clips. In those clips he is wearing a white belt indicating to us who have
participated and competed in Jiu Jiu that he is a beginner. In 2 years of
training it’s unlikely that his blue belt level of Jiu Jitsu will be enough to
help him win a professional fight in the biggest organization on the planet. Phil
“CM Punk” Brooks is 36 whereas many UFC greats have been competing into their
late 30’s some even 40’s, those men have extensive combat backgrounds that Phil
does not.
At
Long Island MMA we have seen multiple fighters make it to the UFC we have
witnessed fighters like Chris Wade put it all on the line and quit his job to
pursue fighting full time. The signing of CM Punk bothers me because the UFC purposely
didn’t hire fighters who are legitimately the best in the world like Ben Askrin
and chose instead to pick out fighter like Punk who has only the ability to
draw eyes to the UFC. Now I understand the UFC is trying to make up for the
ratings drop off that happened when Brock Lesner left but Brock was a legitimate
combat athlete.
Sorry
Punk but we have no faith in you at Long Island MMA and fully expect this to
blow up in your face.
The team of amateur fighters competing out
of Long Island Mixed Martial Arts is without a doubt a force to be reckoned with;
consisting of fighters such as Mike “The Caveman” Kuhn, “The Saint” Joseph
Ninomiya, and Daren “The Bat” Feliciano. All of these young athletes are talented;
however, one specifically stands out. That fighter is Robert “The Coat Hanger”
Diggle. Robert is an extremely talented grappler and brings quite an unorthodox
method to the cage when he fights. Although Robert is a well-rounded fighter
possessing striking ability as well as a wrestling background, it is his skill
on the ground that makes him truly lethal.
Robert’s main inspiration for his unorthodox
style of fighting comes from Japanese MMA fighter Masakazu Imanari. When he
first saw one of Imanari’s fights he was fascinated by the intricacy and the precision
with which he was able to secure and finish his leg locks. Robert decided that
he too would become skilled in this respect, and he has absolutely done so. As
portrayed by his new highlight video, his leg locks are dangerous and judging
by the looks of pain on the faces of his opponents they seem to agree.
Over the years Robert has secured several first place victories in Jiu Jitsu tournaments, both in the gi and without. He currently competes as a purple belt. In regards to MMA, Robert has fought for the New York Fight Exchange and the MMA Platinum Gloves and holds a record of 2-1-0. The MMA talent being produced in the state of New York is becoming more and more recognized and it is safe to say that one day “The Coat Hanger” will too make himself known to the greater MMA world.
Long Island MMA’s Head coach Gregg DePasquale is well known for being strict when it comes to promotions. So the fact that Billy is Gregg’s first Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black belt says a lot about him. Billy began training at Long Island MMA and immediately started helping out all of our MMA fighters with their Jiu Jitsu.
When I began training with Billy I noticed some of my usual Jiu Jitsu tricks
didn’t work on him. That was because Billy uses tips and tricks similar to the
one he shares with us in this video.
Billy also runs an informative website called Training for MMA fitness. For
more quick tips and tricks from Billy check out http://trainingformmafitness.com/
If any of you have any questions at all please feel free to leave us a comment
or contact us and I will have Billy answer and questions you have asked!
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 11th 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
On Saturday, September 27th 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 22nd 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.
On September 20th in Jamaica, Queens New York Fight
Exchange, New York’s premier mixed martial arts organization, put together
another amazing night of fights in front of a packed house inside The Amazura
Concert Hall. As always the fight card showcased the best amateur fighters from
the tri-state area in the tough matchups. One of the gyms that shined the brightest
was the home of UFC fighters Ryan LaFlare and Dennis Bermudez, Long Island MMA.
First to enter the cage was NYFE newcomer, standout wrestler
Daren Feliciano. After Feliciano’s original opponent pulled off the card he
debut against Andre Small of Extreme Couture. As soon as both men touched
gloves in the center of the cage they began to exchange punches and moving at a
fanatic pace. Feliciano locked in a tight body lock slamming his opponent to
the cage canvas and scrambled into full mount position. As soon as the Long
Island MMA fighter was able to posture up he unloaded a barrage of ground and
pound punches causes the referee to call a halt to the action early in the
first round. In his post fight interview with NYFE commentator Stan “The Man”
Czarneki , Feliciano thanked his team and coaches over at Long Island MMA in Farmingdale,
NY.
Second fight for the best mma gym in Long Island had “The Saint” Joseph Ninomiya square off against Daniel Rodriguez of The Jungle Gym in the Bronx. From start to finish this fight was pure action for the fans and had the NYFE crowed wishing it was a 5 round fight. “The Saint” came out in the first round and pushed the pace with fast and accurate combinations and a big belly to back supplex bringing the fight to the mat where he was able to control his opponent with a tight body triangle while threatening with a choke while landing some short punches. In the second round we saw "The Saint" come out strong with a near submission, Daniel however was able to escape and get on top at the end of the round. The third round was also action packed seeing both fighters exchange in the middle of the cage.
The Judges decided that Daniel Rodriguez won this bout via Split Decision. How ever the fight could have went ether way. This fight would have won fight of the night honors had this been in the UFC.
Rob Scotti won the WKA title in one of the most exciting MMA bouts New York has ever seen.
Check out some of the highlights of the NYFE!
If you wish to train at long Island MMA please contact us as at www.limixedmartialarts.com 631-592-8339 590 Smith St Farmingdale NY 11735
Ron from Long Island MMA tells us about his experience training at Long Island MMA.
Ron from farmingdale tells us his experience at Long Island MMA.
www.limixedmartialarts.com for more information
Training Jiu-Jitsu at Long
Island MMA has changed my life for the better.Jiu-Jitsu was the best thing I ever could have done in my life and
finding the proper facility to train at was a blessing. I have to say I was
nervous to enter a mixed martial arts gym and take on a new journey but as soon
as I scheduled my free introductory lesson, talked to the staff, and met the
coaches who taught at the facility, I knew this was a great environment to
train at. I thought I would feel out of place, not knowing any form of martial
arts and starting from scratch but Long Island MMA welcomed me in with open
arms and made me feel right at home. I am not the quickest of learners or the
most coordinated of all people but the hands on training here by the coaching
staff helped me grasp techniques better
than I thought I would and let me learn at a pace that was suitable for me. I
have made a home for myself here at the gym and met many great friends along
the way. If I can recommend picking up a hobby to anyone it would be Jiu-Jitsu
here at LIMMA. One of the many great things about Jit-Jitsu and this gym is
there is no such thing as an ego on the training mats, all egos are left at the
door when entering the gym. You must be humble and respect all members on the
mats that are trying to better themselves. When training during a class, its
great, everyone feels and is welcome! All people of all ages, different careers,
and ethnicities join together, and are forced to interact, workout, and better
there techniques. We have everyone under one roof from actual UFC fighters (like
Dennis Bermudez and Ryan LaFlare) to doctors, students, union workers, and
ext., its great!
(check out Billy one of the black belts at Long Island MMA show us an advanced pass)
Not only has
this gym helped me create lifelong friends, and teach me how to defend myself but
it has bettered me not only in the gym but in every aspect of my life. I cannot
say I was in the best of shape upon beginning my journey here at LIMMA. I was overweight
and self-conscious. As I began to train I watched the extra pounds I was
holding shed off like crazy. I can now say I am in one of the best shapes of my
life and still going strong! I am not as self conscious anymore, both because I
not only look better now but the classes that I started taking at the facility
forced me to slowly interact with other members and learn how to engage in conversation
more. The most important benefit I have received throughout training Jiu-Jitsu
is it has actually helped me become a better person, I am more humble now. I am
constantly being put in a bad position while training Jiu-Jitsu and it forces
me to either find an answer for the bad position I am put in or tap out, much
like different situations that life gives up. I am able to look at my own
personal problems in my own life now and look at them with a more level headed
perspective than I might have previously done before starting my training. I
also do not get as mad as easily as I might have because I am constantly working
out my stress through training and the gym.
If I can recommend
one thing to any person of any background, or anyone looking to make changes in
their life, it would be to schedule one of the free introductory lessons Long
Island MMA has to offer and see what I am talking about for yourself.
Long Island MMA is located at 590 Smith St Farmingdale NY 11735.
Are you looking for a
safe bet? Long Island MMA fighters have been stacking up wins one after
another, and it doesn't look like they plan on losing momentum any time soon.
Blasting their way
onto the MMA scene since they opened their doors less than three years ago with
fighters such as the UFC's Ryan LaFlare and Dennis Bermudez, Long Island MMA
has amassed an unprecedented 90% winning rate on amateur and professional
Mixed Martial Arts fights. This unbelievable success rate didn't happen
at some third rate event in someones backyard either, the vast majority of the
wins LIMMA earned were at top tier shows including Ring Of Combat, Bellator,
and the UFC.
The secret to their
success? "There is no secret" says Long Island MMA coach Gregg
DePasquale. "Hard work, an open mind to accept evolving technique, and a
never quit attitude that has become synonymous with Long Island MMA
fighters is what gets us on top. MMA insiders know if they are
fighting a Long Island MMA guy it is going to be a long night."
With what one fan
calls "The breakout MMA team of the year" Long Island MMA has found
the recipe for success, and with one of the highest winning percentages in the
MMA world, has proven they can hang with the best
