Ronda Rousey shows her face again! | Long Island MMA

Ronda Rousey shows her face again!

Since Ronda Rousey lost her UFC Woman’s Bantamweight Championship to Holly Holm at UFC 193 this past November it seems she has been in hiding, leaving everyone guessing when and if she will come back and what her next move will be.  It seems she thought it was a good idea to make her first appearance just a few days ago on NBC’s Saturday Night Live, but many fans of Ronda and SNL do not share her enthusiasm over it. First, this was an important show because it was the first time we got to hear from the former champ since her loss to the current champion Holly Holm.  Ronda congratulated Holly Holm on her victory and said it “was a fight Holly deserved to win.”  It did take a few months for Rousey to show Holm the respect she deserves, but it is refreshing to hear that a humbled Ronda Rousey is growing past her loss. Now that she accepts and respects what happened in that fight with Holm she can move forward and potentially work her way back to the top. Not only was Ronda’s appearance on SNL important for her and her fans, but it was important for MMA as a sport because this was the first time an MMA athlete hosted SNL.  It’s great to see that the sport has become more widespread throughout the country and the world, UFC moves the world of MMA forward in a great way.  The only problem was that people were not impressed by the episode at all. Most opinions were very critical of Rousey’s performance; the harshest ones were comparing it to her performance in the Octagon against Holly Holm.  The nicer reviews complemented Ronda on her acting ability, but criticized the SNL writers for not being able to write a good script as of late. Say what you will of Ronda Rousey’s acting abilities, or the SNL writer’s creative abilities, Ronda needed to make a move back into the public’s eye.  Losing a big fight and then disappearing off the face of the earth raises question to a champion’s character, the best thing she can do is show the perseverance to push through and learn from the experience.  A strong character is what separates the good from the great, and solidifies the true champions as legends.

Watch her opening monologue here:
https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/ronda-rousey-monologue/2973576

What’s next for UFC Bantamweight Division??

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.

Sock it to me!

Another Good Deed from the Fighters and Coaches at Long Island MMA!! Long Island MMA of Farmingdale, the premier MMA facility of Long Island NY, closed out 2015 with a very generous Toy Drive to help children who were less fortunate during the holiday season.  The turnout was amazing as they had over 100 gifts for the Toys-for-Tots organization.  Now that the New Year has come, they are moving right along to their next endeavor.  This time around they are collecting brand new socks to donate to the homeless!

Socks are a very important to your overall health, providing the wearer with padding, moisture absorption, and warmth.   Homeless will often be stuck wearing socks that are old and damaged, or will go without socks at all!  This lack of protection can lead to bacterial or fungal infections, blisters, and frostbite.  People are usually most grateful for socks because they are in such high demand and in low supply.  Typically when you think of donations you think of money or food, but there is always so much of that donated and not enough undergarments.  Not only are they not donated enough, but the homeless go through socks faster than you and me because they are getting more use out of them. This sock drive will be very important now that we are getting into the coldest months for New York.  We love that Long Island MMA proves to be more than just a “UFC Gym.”  All the Fighters, members, and coaches are like a family, and when they are not training or teaching, they are trying to inspire others and help make Long Island a better place for everyone!

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!

A Win for Long Island in UFC!

A Win for Long Island in UFC!

This past weekend at UFC 194 we witnessed the upsetting loss of the UFC Middleweight Champion,
Chris Weidman, to the former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion, Luke Rockhold.  Despite Chris’s
efforts to defend his title, Rockhold finished him with a 4th round TKO to become the new UFC Middleweight Champion.  This may have been an upsetting for many of Weidman’s hometown fans
from Long Island, NY, but luckily Chris wasn’t the only Long Island boy fighting this past weekend!
Ryan LaFlare, fighting out of his gym in Farmingdale, NY, took his 12th professional win against Mike Pierce on Friday at The Ultimate Fighter Finale.  LaFlare has won 5 of his 6 UFC fights, and intends on adding more to that list!  This fight against Mike Pierce was really important because LaFlare was coming off his first and only career loss, and he came back better than ever.  Ryan LaFlare dominated Mike Pierce for 3 rounds ending in a unanimous decision.  LaFlare had made some improvements in his striking game and out-struck Pierce with clean counters and devastating body kicks.  Pierce was forced to attempt his takedowns on LaFlare, but all his attempts failed as LaFlare was able to stuff them, create the space he needed, and continue dominating on the feet.  The excitement increased at the end of the 3rd when both fighters bit down on their mouth piece and finished with a barrage of punches until the bell rang.  Sometimes we lose, and sometimes we win.  It’s important to learn from the losses we encounter and

celebrate all the wins along the way!

2 things to avoid when in someone else's guard | Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Long Island MMA Black-belt Billy Hofacker teaches us 2 things to avoid when you are in someone else's guard.

Often times when new students start training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at Long Island MMA we notice students will try some common things that seem like a good idea but might wind up hurting you in the long run.

These are the 2 things we often see at Long Island MMA from brand new Jiu Jitsu practitioners.

1. When new students find themselves inside someone's guard we often see them try to pry open their opponents legs by digging their elbows into the legs of their opponent. This can work against them because it is repetitively easy for the person playing guard to stuff the top persons hand in-between their legs to attack a triangle choke.

Digging your elbows in someones legs is also just plain bad technique. Digging your elbows on the inside of your opponents thighs will never get an experienced player to open their guard you must you a specific guard break to open the guard.

2. Trying to choke someone from inside the guard.

We see this a lot, sometimes not exactly as depicted in the video but sometimes by a forearm across the neck. This is also an easy way for the bottom person to set up a submission but a lot of times we see the bottom person push the top guys arm aside, making it easy for the bottom guy to get the back-take.

These are just somethings we see at long island MMA. Let us know if you guys can think of anything else you shouldn't do inside the guard.

UFC Gym Long Island

The UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) is widely regarded as being the number one organization for Mixed Martial Arts in the entire world. Being that this is the case, it is bouts hosted by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that are most sought after for viewing because of their reputation for being of the highest caliber. Now if the UFC brand name is associated with the highest caliber of Mixed Martial Arts that there is to offer wouldn’t you be excited to hear that you can train at a UFC Gym? Of course your expectation may be that because of their reputation for being the best you will be receiving the absolute best form of Mixed Martial Arts training. Sadly this is just not the case, and new students who believe that they are receiving quality training are caught looking through the shroud of a huge name brand.

     It has been the case on more than one occasion that coaches have been found to have illegitimate credentials and coming from such a trusted name this is simply a disservice to the MMA community as a whole. The spread of Mixed Martial Arts culture should viewed with an utmost sense of seriousness and responsibility, not an effective way to make extra money. Having new students presented with possible misinformation not only has a direct effect on their ability to understand and apply the concepts taught to them, but it also indirectly effects the entire MMA community by allowing the spread of this illegitimacy to the less informed.

     When seeking out a place to begin training in Mixed Martial Arts it is usually best to seek out privately owned gyms. Like any other investment it is important to do your due diligence before investing in a facility however, you will be far better off in finding a true Mixed Martial Arts academy if you seek the best Mixed Martial Arts training rather than settling for a brand name that is nothing more than your average fitness gym masquerading as a loosely qualified MMA school. The best coaches are more often than not found at private academies such as Long Island Mixed Martial Arts and Fitness Center. The coaching staff at this gym consists of the absolutely highest qualified active MMA fighters such as the gym’s owner Ryan LaFlare (UFC Welterweight Contender) as well as Dennis Bermudez (UFC Featherweight Contender), Chris Wade (UFC Lightweight Contender) and Marcos Galvao (Bellator Bantamweight Champion).

     Long Island MMA is one of many qualified private MMA training facilities in the world that are true to what Mixed Martial Arts is and what its culture represents. Therefore in looking for a place to be introduced to MMA, seek out instruction from the real athletes, from the fighters themselves rather than a flashy brand. The UFC can stick to what it does best, hosting fights. But once again, in seeking instruction look to the fighters themselves.