Reaction MMA

At Hardrock 48 on June 23, 2012, the 145 Title was taken by Joe Schiff (4-0) def Chris Dunn (Champion)(10-5) via unanimous decision (Judge 1 49-46, Judge 2 49-46, Judge 3 49-46). Joe has spent most of the summer training at Reaction MMA where he has been a hard-working training partner. As a very tough young man with a strong desire to learn and improve and an admirable work ethic, great things can be expected from this young fighter. Congratulations to Joe!

Some of the Reaction MMA fighters will be competing in Las Vegas, NV on July 6th and 7th at Grappler’s Quest, part of the UFC Fan Expo being held in conjunction with UFC 148. This event is huge from many perspectives. Many of the best amateur grapplers in the world will be competing. Hundreds of sponsors will be part of the Expo and looking for talent to represent their brands. Thousands of fight fans will be on site to witness this event. For many, this will be the largest stage upon which they’ve ever competed. Will you be there? If not, you can watch the action on FUEL TV!

Reaction MMA Team at NAGA Columbus June 16 2012

Some of the team went up on Friday night to make-weight for Saturday’s NAGA event in Columbus. This was the smallest NAGA event we’ve ever seen and you could tell that the NAGA team were disappointed at the turnout. Despite the low turnout, there were some very good competitors there and plenty of good matches took place. Meredith took 4 first places and a 2nd in here very first NAGA event. John finally got some NAGA Gold in both gi and nogi. Wolf and Rocky got belts. Jack attended his first NAGA event and competed in the expert division against brown belts even though he is blue. And Chad competed against a tough and experienced collegiate wrestler.Below are some video highlights from today’s action at NAGA Columbus.

On June 16th, a group of the Reaction MMA grapplers will be in Columbus, OH for the NAGA Columbus grappling tournament. For this event we are especially excited to have Jack Podgorski competing in the blue belt division at <150 lbs. The venue for this event is the Greater Columbus Convention Center – Hall E, so this should be a first-class, roomy and comfortable event for both spectators and competitors. Wolfie will compete in the Expert Teen 14-15 under 109.9 lbs. Rocky in the Expert Kids 12-13 under 89.9 lbs. Also, this will be Meredith’s first big NAGA event and she will be competing in the Beginner Teen 14-15 under 119.9 lbs. There might even be a few more Reaction fighters competing depending on how schedules work out.

UPDATE: More fighters going to Columbus. John Lakes will compete at White Belt 185 lbs. Sirena Madere will be at White Belt 150 lbs, and Chad will be competing at Purple Belt 170 lbs.

Reaction MMA Kids Team at OGC Lexington June 9, 2012

Today, the entire Reaction MMA Kids grappling team and some of the adults had a great time and competed at the OGC (Ohio Grappling Challenge) event in Lexington, KY. The venue was set at Dunbar Highschool in a nicely air-conditioned gym and was the most impressive and comfortable venue we’ve ever had the pleasure to compete in. For the kids, the rules were the typical IBJJF type matches. The adults competed in a “Submission Only” format which ran smoothly. Although there were a few matches that ran for 30 minutes or more until a submission was obtained, most of the matches went surprisingly fast. I suppose when nobody has to worry about points, the fighters can focus only on getting the submission, which was quite refreshing to experience.

At the end of this post are some of the best photographs taken today by the wonderful and talented Mrs. Munson. These photos capture some of the submissions obtained by our fighters and there is one of Trey giving his signature torment to his opponent.

In the VIDEO below are some of the highlights from the Reaction MMA Kids. All of the kids did really well. The standouts from today taking double golds were Meredith who competed against all teen boys and made two of the cry, Wolf, and 6 year-old Trey.

Monday is Deadline to register for OGC LEX Submission Only

The OGC is very excited to bring their unique “Submission Only” format to the heart of the Bluegrass State! BOTH Gi and No Gi.

WHEN: Saturday June 9, 2012 from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM EDT

WHERE: Paul Laurence Dunbar High School – 1600 Man o’ War Boulevard Lexington, KY 40513

PLEASE NOTE…the “Submission Only” divisions are ONLY for Adult Competitors…the youth competitors (under 17 years) will compete under the regular time limits & points. If you are 15 years or older, you may choose to compete in the “Adult divisions”, only with a parents consent.

ALL COMPETITORS MUST REGISTER ONLINE by June 4th…NO EXCEPTIONS! There will be NO REGISTRATION at the door! In order to make this event run as smooth & efficient as possible, all divisions will be bracketed in advanced! Register Here!!!

Besides all the FREE Give-A-Ways from companies such as Shoyoroll, Subculture, & Foundation Fight Company…you will not want to miss the chance to be a part of the ever-growing expansion of the OGC!

For more Information: http://www.ohiograpplingchallenge.com/events.html

The video below will give you a glimpse into the quality kids Jiu-Jitsu instruction that takes place at Reaction MMA in Lexington, KY. If you have some understanding of Jiu-Jitsu or grappling, you should notice right away that these kids are using technique and flowing from through transitions extremely well for their ages. Some of these boys are only 6 years-old. Regardless of your location, give your child a gift, teach them Jiu-Jitsu!

Yesterday, on the hottest day of the year so far, 22 people trained and worked on improving their Kata Gatame or arm triangle choke. After working for 4 hours on the specific details of this technique everyone’s chokes were getting really tight by the end of the seminar. Some of our competitors have been getting this position easily in grappling events but not finishing the choke. Well, those days are probably over and we should see a lot of arm triangle finishes in the next few competitions. Many thanks to Professor Gurgel and his staff, as always, for the enormous amount of energy put into this event and teaching our figthers.

This seminar will be “NOGI” and will focus on grappling for MMA. Professor Jorge Gurgel is a UFC and Strikeforce veteran who puts incredible energy and insight into teaching what he knows so well. The seminar cost is only $50 cash at the door. May 26th, starting promptly at Noon so arrive early to warm up. Come ready to work hard and put as much energy and focus into learning and drilling as Professor Gurgel puts into teaching. Bring NOGI attire, and cup, and optionally MMA gloves. NOTE: The flier says Gi but this is now going to be a NOGI Seminar.

If you were not able to hear Cage Passion Radio live last night as they interviewed Jack Podgorski of Reaction MMA ahead of his AAMMA 26 145 lbs Title fight coming this Saturday, May 26th at Shimmers Ballroom in Covington KY, you can catch a replay of the show at the link below. Jack is stronger, better, and more powerful than he’s ever been and those traits really came through in this interview so you will want to listen for sure. This interview will get you excited about this fight, guaranteed.