Long Island MMA returns to the NYFE | Long Island Mixed Martial Arts

     The amateur MMA scene in New York only has bigger and better things coming up in its future and lucky for fans they will not have to wait too long until their next taste of New York MMA. New York Fight Exchange 8 “Unstoppable” will be taking place on the twelfth of September and it will be stacked high with talented athletes from gyms across the state and beyond! This organization is not unfamiliar to having a roster heavy with Long Island Mixed Martial Arts and Fitness Center fighters and this event will once again be heavy with them; with a majority of returning NYFE MMA fighters as well as one long awaited debut fighter. Fighting out of Long Island MMA in Farmingdale New York, Joseph “The Saint” Ninomiya, Daren “The Bat” Feliciano, “Hurricane” Rob Scotti, Chrissy “The Doll” Yandolli and Matt “The Horror” Bilella will be stepping into the cage at Club Amazura to give the fans the show that they should always expect from the Long Island MMA camp. With professional coaches such as Ryan LaFlare and Dennis Bermudez among many others these fighters’ performances are sure to shake up the crowd!

     “The Saint” is coming off of a first round submission victory and is eager to continue showcasing his diversity. “The Bat” will be returning after one if not the most impressive highlight takedown in NYFE history and will be sure to continue showcasing his high level wrestling as well as his ever improving striking game! “The Hurricane”, a nickname truly deserved of Rob Scotti for his fierce striking. Fans can be sure to be wowed by his mixture of technique and aggression as he defends his featherweight title! “The Doll” is predominantly known as an extremely experienced striker, however, her grappling skills have been a main point of focus as she has transitioned into the MMA world and although she is dangerous on the feet, one should be wary of underestimating her skills on the ground. Last but nowhere near the least of Long Island MMA’s athletes is “The Horror” whom will be making his much anticipated MMA debut. He has been waiting years to be able to mix it up in the cage and whoever the man across from him on September 12 turns out to be should be very afraid to have been picked as the first contestant on the Horror Show.

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!

MMA in NY?

Unfortunately for all New York Mixed Martial Artists it is yet another sad day in exile. New York State politicians have once again failed to pass the bill which would legalize the professional practice and regulation of MMA in New York through the State Legislature. All of us here in the state of New York are certainly dumbfounded to hear that this has happened yet again. With excellent athletes and gyms located throughout the state, in the city and out on Long Island it is a shame to see those athletes go another year being banned from fighting in front of their home crowd. UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) Welterweight  and owner of Long Island Mixed Martial Arts and Fitness Center Ryan LaFlare, states that it is one of his dreams to finally be able to fight here at home in front of his fellow New Yorkers. Other professionals training at the Long Island MMA camp in Farmingdale, New York such as UFC featherweight Dennis Bermudez and UFC Lightweight Chris Wade are sure to share his sentiments towards the issue.

     Aside from all of the obvious economic benefits that the legalization of MMA in the state of New York would bring it is the way the ban on the sport ostracizes a massive population of both talented athletes and devout fans from both experiencing and contributing to something that they are very passionate about. Each year has only been getting better and each time we come closer to our goal. One day soon, fighters like Ryan LaFlare will see their dream of fighting here in New York come true. For the sake of the citizens of New York, both fighters and fans alike; we can only hope that 2016 will be the dawn of justice for those of us that have supported and striven to bring the world’s greatest sport home to the Empire State! 

 

MMA HOTBED LONG ISLAND HOUSES UFC CHAMPION!

     Chris “The All American” Weidman is currently the UFC middleweight champion and is the biggest name of Long Island’s MMA fighters. On May twenty third Chris successfully defended his title at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas Nevada against Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort. In the past, regardless of his excellent performances both in acquiring the title and in defending it some believed that Weidman had not yet proved himself as deserving of the middleweight title. It seems now that many of those naysayers are turning the tune of their speech in favor of the champion. With his recent domination of Vitor Belfort it is finally becoming evident that Chris Weidman is the real deal and will likely retain the title for some time! Fighting out of Baldwin, New York, Chris trains with several other active UFC fighters here on Long Island such as Ryan LaFlare who is the owner of Long Island Mixed Martial Arts and Fitness Center located in Farmingdale NY.

     Now the discussion must be had as to whom will be the next best opponent to face Chris in the octagon. Two names particularly stand out and they are Jacare Souza and Luke Rockhold. Both men are coming off of impressive victories and are riding extensive win streaks. Each time a dangerous contender has stood in Weidman’s path there has been talk of adversity and possible failures yet The All American has shown fans each time why he is the one holding the belt, by putting on fast and decisive performances. Long Island must have something in the water to be producing such a number of high level fighters, and no matter the opponent, Chris Weidman is going to show them exactly what Long Island MMA is all about with more quick and decisive finishes!

The Reebok deal...

     It seems as if from the second the UFC/Reebok sponsorship deal was set in motion it was a surrounded by controversy. Everyone had been asking the question as to whether the deal would actually be a legitimate benefit to the fighters as it had been promised. Well, the official pay scale for the deal has been released and many UFC fighters as well as members of the MMA community are not at all impressed or happy with its turn out. Just to shed some light on exactly why this is upsetting everyone so much here is an example of the lowest tier in the pay scale: Fighters that have five or less fights in the UFC will only be being paid $2,500 per fight.

     For professional athletes this number is absolutely absurd! To be paying fighters that little money based on their time in the organization rather than performance or a series of other more logical factors is cruel and unjust. Many that were affected by the release of this information took to social media to express their concern and disapproval of the new pay scale. UFC middleweight Roger Navarez took to twitter in a message that states “Wow 2500$ for my next fight for reebok sponsorship. ....i mad twice that off 1 sponsor my last fight!!!! Sucks!” For a fighter to have made twice that amount from only one of their sponsors and now be dropped down to such a low pay grade is wrong and as Navarez also states, this is going to be extremely hard on a lot of fighters.

     While this deal was undoubtedly designed to innovate and progress the way the
UFC operates it may end up back firing severely. It would not be a surprise to see many UFC fighters leaving the organization in favor of others such as World Series of Fighting or Bellator MMA as we have seen recently when UFC light heavyweight Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis left the UFC in favor of their competitor, Bellator MMA. The UFC must proceed with caution considering their present circumstances; and hopefully there will be more developments in the future that somehow make this situation better for all of the hard working athletes in the UFC that deserve proper compensation for their effort

“The Fight of the Century” | Long Island MMA

     “The Fight of the Century”, or so it was labeled as the combat sports world crept closer and closer to the long awaited bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao. A fight that took an approximate five to seven years to come to fruition; and it did not seem to be quite what most fans were expecting to see. But one must ask, what exactly did fans expect? Did they expect a slug fest, or a story book comeback, perhaps a flash knockout? Realistically the fight went the way that it probably should have gone according to the fighters styles.

     Floyd Mayweather is an expert defensive/counter striker while Manny Pacquiao is an extremely aggressive fighter that throws a massive volume of strikes. When the two were put together, Pacquiao attempted to fight his fight by initiating several exchanges using combinations however most of those exchanges were stifled by a well thought out game plan. If Pacquiao was to initiate the exchange all Floyd had to do was simply maintain his stance and clinch with him stifling his offense. There were certain instances in which Manny was able to unleash large combinations on Mayweather as he had his back to the ropes but they were few and not damaging enough to turn the tide of the battle.

     The fight was a strategic victory for Mayweather by his use of the clinch as well as cutting angles and countering with single accurate strikes on the aggressive Pacquiao. Now there have been certain extenuating circumstances that have surfaced since their fight has taken place involving a shoulder injury that Manny entered the fight with that may be a possible explanation for his lack of volume in his offense. . Due to the length of time it took to make the fight a reality it is possible fans had built up an unrealistic set of expectations for the bout. Had he been healthy the fight may have been different; perhaps he would have been able to maintain significant offensive volume and avoid the clinch but unless we are blessed with a rematch and a healthy Manny Pacquiao the result we received should have come as no surprise. Expert strategy wins fights and Floyd Mayweather seemed to have absolutely implemented an expert strategy.

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: