Results from first 11 bouts:

Steve Adams (Gold Medal Grappling) def. David Weller (Capital MMA), 2min 59 seconds, 2nd round TKO
Paul Cavanaugh (Southern Maryland BJJ) def. Tyson Kellerman, split decision
Samir Fareed (Gold Medal Grappling) def. Brandon Wheeler (Maguilla/Hagerstown BJJ), unanimous decision
Lashawn Alcocks (Wright’s Carolina Karate) def. Tommy McDonnell (Bowie MMA), 21 seconds, 3rd round, TKO
Reed Miller (Vanguard Gym) def. Cody Carter (MMA Institute), 3:20, 1st round tapout (read naked choke)
Cameron Smith (BETA Academy) def. Alex Coates (Team Infamous), 40 seconds, 1st round, tapout (armbar)
Jordon Needham (Top Notch) def. Jonathan Vinyard (Capital JJ) , 1:14, 2nd round, referee stoppage
Willie Floyd (Gold Medal Grappling) def. Perrin Carter (Coalition MMA), 2:45, 1st round, tapout (guillotine choke)
Mike Pope (Vanguard Gym) def. Spencer Strube (Clinch Academy), unanimous decision
EJ Mecklenburg (BETA Academy) def. Shawn Kama (Team Infamous), 21 seconds, tapout (rear naked choke)
Mike Ledman (Southern Maryland BJJ) def. Duy Le (Vanguard Gym), 3rd round, tapout (rear naked choke)

* Results contributed by C. Moskal

Corporal Kelsey De Santis will attend the Marine Corp Ball with Justin Timberlake in Washington, D.C. In October 2010, De Santis fought a mixed martial arts bout at Operation Octagon in Sterling, Va. Check out De Santis in the camo shorts.

WATCH THE FIGHT

ZACH DAVIS’ “THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER” PARTY – WEDNESDAY

On April 13, Zach Davis of Evolve Academy/Team Lloyd Irvin will host another Ultimate Fighter party at a location to be announced in Montgomery County, Md. The party will start at 7:30 p.m. and will feature free give aways, such as TapOut shirts, to people that come and show their support. Up coming details about the party will be on his site at www.zachdavismma.com.

SHOGUN FIGHTS 4 RETURNS TO BALTIMORE, Md.

Local D.C. metro fighters are scheduled to fight at the largest MMA show in Maryland on April 30, 2011 at 1st Mariner Arena. Current local D.C. area fighters are Dustin Pague (MASE Training/Tony Passos BJJ), Jason Morris (Evolve Academy/Team Lloyd Irvin), Marshall “The Unknown Warrior” Thompson (Evolve Academy & Warrior Gym), Adrian Belcarris, and Dean Lavin (Team Assassin).

Dustin Page made a strong performance in his last appearance at Shogun Fights 3, winning by first round TKO via strikes.

In his last appearance at Shogun Fights, Jason Morris was coaching Zach Davis in his final fight before the Ultimate Fighter. Now, Morris will step in the cage as a fighter and take on Cole Pressley of Clinch Academy.

Marshall Thompson continues his comeback to MMA after battling injuries. The former WKA National MMA champion (2007) will take on Siyam Yousefi in a 135 pound bout.

* Update: Added Adrian Belcarris and Dean Lavin (Team Assassin)

FIGHTING OUT OF TOWN

Week-in and week-out, local fighters go out of town to compete in other fight shows. Please wish these fighters good luck on their road trip endeavors!

MIXED MARTIAL ARTS

April 8 – Atlantic City (New Jersey) – Ring of Combat XXXV – Elijah Harshbarger, Gold Medal Grappling (Team Lloyd Irvin)
Live Stream: View Event
April 9 – Akron (Ohio) – NAAFS – Proving Ground MMA Series 4 – Rosanna Garcia, Evolve Academy (Team Lloyd Irvin)

MUAY THAI

April 12 – Thailand (Patong) – Aaron Jimmerson, Fairfax Jiu-Jitsu
April 17 – Thailand (Kohsamui) – Rene Rodriguez, Fairfax Jiu-Jitsu/Yamasaki-Springfield
April 29 – NYC – WKA Fight Night – Hiro Perera, Fairfax Jiu-Jitsu

ELITE FIGHTING CHALLENGE 8 AFTERMATH

This past weekend, the EFC 8 MMA event was held in Lynchburg, Va. After the fights, I caught up with E.J. Mecklenburg of BETA Academy/Team Lloyd Irvin who won a decisive first round victory over Josh Clark of the Strikers Union Fight Team in North Carolina.  Mecklenburg’s quick take down and ground-and-pound resulted in a broken nose for Clark and a first round submission by way of choke.  After the bout, Clark engaged Mecklenburg in conversation about the fight.  When asked about their brief discussion, this is what Mecklenburg had to say:

“The guy that I fought came up and we were talking. I wasn’t sure exactly what he was trying to do. It was casual at first, then…I don’t know if he was trying save his ego or egg me on…he was trying to put something out there like he wanted to fight again, and he actually said he wanted a rematch and that ‘I would be the guy leaving with the broken nose next time.’ I thought it was kind of childish, kinda silly, especially after it was a pretty decisive win in my mind. I told him that if he wanted it that bad, he could take the four hour trip up to D.C. and we can have one…I don’t know exactly what was going through his mind, but it was really weird. I don’t think it was the most respectful thing to do after getting smashed like that.”

BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU AND SUBMISSION WRESTLING HIGHLIGHTS

Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championships

The Abu Dhabi World Pro Championships will be held during the period of April 8-16 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center in the United Arab Emirates.  Severals competitors from local teams have won pro-trial tournaments to earn sponsored trips to the World Pro Championships.  The tournament is open to all competitors, however, pro-trial winners qualify for sponsored travel and lodging.

Sponsored competitors:

Black Belt, Ryan Hall, Fifty/50 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BRASA Team)
Brown Belt, Jimmy Harbison, Lloyd Irvin Martial Arts Academy
Purple Belt, D.J. Jackson, Lloyd Irvin Martial Arts Academy
Purple Belt, Kenneth Brown, Evolve Academy (Team Lloyd Irvin)
Blue Belt, Pere Briggs, Lloyd Irvin Martial Arts Academy
Blue Belt, Megan Lomonof, Fifty/50 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BRASA Team)

Please send any corrections or additions to MMAinDC.com via the “About” page.

New Yamasaki Academy Location In Woodbridge, Va.

Yamasaki Jiu-Jitsu black belt Joe Cunningham will be the head instructor at the new location. Classes run Monday through Saturday and will include BJJ, no-gi grappling, and mixed martial arts.

Location:
13546 Minnieville Road, Woodbridge, VA 22192
For more information, call: (703) 261-9657

Editor’s Note: Thank you to everyone who contributed information for this article.

The Brazilian consulate in downtown D.C.

Calendar of events in April for the martial arts community in D.C., Va. and Md. Mixed martial arts, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, submission wrestling events!

MIXED MARTIAL ARTS AND GRAPPLING TOURNAMENTS

4/2 Elite Fighting Championship

http://www.efcfights.com/
Description: Mixed martial arts (MMA) fights in Lynchburg, Va.
Lynchburg Armory
Lynchburg, VA

4/16 Barbarian Fight Club

www.barbarianfightclub.com
Description: Mixed martial arts fights!
Doors Open: 6:30 PM
Amelia County Highschool
8500 Otterburn Rd.
Amelia, VA 23002

4/16 The Good Fight: Virginia Open!

www.thegoodfight.tv
Description: Brazilian jiu-jitsu and submission wrestling tournament for kids and adults.
5700 Warhill Trail
Williamsburg, VA 23188

4/23 Warrior Fighting Championship: Rumble In The Cage

www.warriorfc.biz
Description: Mixed martial arts fights!
Daniel Technology Center
18121 Technology Drive
Culpeper, VA 22701

4/30 Shogun Fights 4

www.shogunfights.com
Description: Professional mixed martial arts fights!
Event Start: 7:00 PM
1st Mariner Arena
201 W. Baltimore Street
Baltimore, MD 21201

4/30 BattleFC: MMA Fights

www.battlefc.com
Description: Mixed martial arts fights!
Fredericksburg Armory
1700 Jefferson Davis Highway
Fredericksburg, VA

Mike Pope battles fiercely in the ring, but also expresses friendship after the bout.

STERLING, Va. – Operation Octagon 14 was held at the Dulles Sportsplex facility on March 26, 2011. The event featured amateur mixed martial arts fights in a cage. MMA teams from the mid-atlantic region came to fight for trophies and to gain more experience in the art. At stake for the main event was the Operation Octagon lightweight title, which featured the current champion, Mike Pope of Vanguard Gym, against Jessie Mitchell, Jr. of Royal Martial Arts in Maryland.

In the title bout, Pope took charge of the fight from the start, clinching his opponent, and slamming him on the ground. The rest of the fight featured Pope taking his opponent down, passing or fighting in the guard, and attempting submissions from the mounted position. Mitchell, who shows signs of talent, chose not to fight at certain times, only doing the minimum necessary to avoid submissions on the ground.  Even when being put in bad positions and taking punches to the face, Mitchell, at times, talked to Pope during the match.  After winning the fight, Pope said, “I don’t have to hate him…to knock his block off, and he doesn’t have to hate me.”  He also added,  ”It’s about being a martial artist.  We grow better as people every day.”

Vanguard Gym would go on to dominate the other three matches, where Duy Le, Reed Miller, and Aubrey Hummer each finished their opponents.  Le and Miller finished with triangle chokes in the first round.  Hummer finished his opponent in the second round via strikes from the back mount. The convincing wins put the team at 4-0 on the evening.

Josh Kearney was ahead on the score cards before an illegal kick to the face (soccer kick) ended the bout.

Fairfax Jiu Jitsu fielded two fighters in the event, including Josh Kearney and Greyson Jones, which resulted in a win and loss on the score cards.  Up first, Josh Kearney battled Steven Adams of Gold Medal Grappling for one and a half rounds.   At the start, Kearney came out strong and took his opponent down, achieving the back mount and attempting a rear-naked choke. Adams defended and slipped out of an armbar attempt and ended up in the mounted postion. Kearney went to his back and escaped and the round ended. In round two, the controversy occurred. After a takedown by Kearney, Adams reversed the position and began attacking his opponent from the top position.  Kearney landed some up kicks to his opponent and eventually ended up on his knees.  While searching for the takedown and still on the ground, Kearney was kicked flush in the face by Adams, which halted the bout. Kearney was unable to continue, and the bout went to the score cards.  Based on the action up to the point of the stoppage, Kearney was awarded the win.

Fairfax Jiu Jitsu MMA Coach Bill Easlick commented on the incident:  ”I’m definitely a little disappointed…Looking at the tape now…I just think that the other fighter just made a bad mistake in the heat of the moment. I don’t think it was malicious…He probably should have been disqualified for that.”  Easlick also commented on the outcome of the bout saying, “It happened to turn in favor of Josh…I’m happy he was winning up to that point, but frustrated that the fight ended like that.”

Willie Floyd also competed against Jessie Mitchell at Operation Octagon's Thai Championship Boxing.

For Greyson Jones of Fairfax Jiu Jitsu/Yamasaki, the battle with Gold Medal Grappling’s Willie Floyd did not go as planned.  Floyd, a game fighter who also has muay thai experience, traded blows with Jones in a back and forth first round.  The key moment in the bout occurred in the second round when Floyd caught Jones with a strike that put Jones on the ground in survival mode.  Floyd continued the assault and the match was ended by the referee for the TKO.  Easlick made no excuses and said of his fighter that he got pulled into a brawl, which is not his usual style of fighting.

The results for teams that had two or more fights were as follows:

Team                                    Wins      Losses      Win Percentage
1. Vanguard Gym                     4               0                     100%
2. Fairfax Jiu Jitsu                     1              1                      50%
3. Gold Medal Grappling          1               2                      33%
4. Contact Sports Club             0               2                       0%

Vanguard Gym’s total record in the last three Operation Octagon productions ia 10-2, which includes the MMA bouts in October 2010 and Thai Championship Boxing.

Colton Smith, a pro MMA fighter from Vanguard Gym, discussed his team’s formula for success:  ”We are a complete school…We have a nutritionist come in.  Coach (Doug Esposito) sends some of the guys away for strength and conditioning for CrossFit certification.”  When discussing the strategy of his teammates, Smith said,  ”We have good striking and we don’t use it that often because if you don’t have to why do it.  Take it to the ground and finish it, so that’s kind of our philosophy.”

OTHER OPERATION OCTAGON 14 ARTICLES:
Operation Octagon Quick Results
Operation Octagon Fight Videos
Operation Octagon Fight Photograph

U.S. Grappling Submission Only was held at the Dulles Sportsplex in Sterling, Va.

Team Leo Dalla Wins Adult Team Title at U.S. Grappling

The team results for the tournament that past weekend were posted today on U.S. Grappling’s website. The results are as follows:

Adult Team Points
1st – Leo Dalla
2nd – Fifty/50
3rd – Lloyd Irvin

Adult School Points
1st – Vanguard
2nd – Fifty/50
3rd – BETA Academy

Team Leo Dalla included affiliate academies in Woodbridge, Manassas, Crystal City, and Stafford. The “Big Brothers” team was largely composed of a contingent of competitors from Vanguard Gym. BJJ black belt Doug Esposito, owner of Vanguard Gym said, “…I am very excited and happy to be part of the team that took the lead on both Team and School points! The guys worked very hard training for this event, and they deserve all the credit for getting out there on the mat and finishing their matches!”

As part of his comments about the rankings, Esposito also offered these thoughts: “I also think it is notable that all the other schools and teams in the top three are either directly linked to Dalla, or are second generation influenced by Dalla’s lineage, coaching, and teaching.”

Esposito’s thoughts reflect the history of BJJ in the D.C. metro area, in which Mario Yamasaki and Leo Dalla were the first BJJ black belts to bring Brazilian jiu-jitsu to the area over 15 years ago in Rockville, Md.

Team Assassin Gears Up For M-1 Global Challenge XXIV

Viet Le’s Team Assassin in Alexandria, Va. will send Marcus “Menace” Daniels to make his pro debut at M-1 this Friday on March 25, 2011. Daniels started MMA as a self trained fighter and eventually joined Team Assassin. He completed his amateur career with a 8-4 record and was 2-1 since joining the Luiz Palharez BJJ affiliate. He describes his style as explosive and entertaining. “I surprise myself a lot of times. I don’t really have a game plan when I fight. I just go for it,” he said.

His bout at M-1 will be against MMA Institute’s Bryan Lashomb, whos bout against Yamasaki Academy’s Alejandro Zea at Operation Octagon won him the 135 pound title in 2010. Daniels’ bout with Lashomb will be a rematch in which the “Menace” will look to get his first win against the hometown favorite from Old Dominion University. “His style of fighting was very pressure oriented. It will be another fight that is extremely interesting and definitely not one that is meant to keep anyone bored at any given time,” said Daniels.

Locals Represent at Pan-Am Jiu-Jitsu Championship

Teams from all over the area will send competitors to compete in every belt division in Irvine, Calif. According to the brackets on the IBJJF website, these were the black belts from the D.C. metro area:

Ryan Hall, Adult, Featherweight, BRASA Team
J.T. Torres, Adult, Lightweight, Team Lloyd Irvin
Daniel Ives, Adult, Middleweight, Team Lloyd Irvin
Tony Passos, Masters, Middleweight, De La Riva Jiu Jitsu
Nakapan Phungephorn, Masters, Medium Heavy, Team Lloyd Irvin
Leo Dalla, Senior 1, Big Brothers
Noah Booth, Senior 1, Big Brothers
Noelie Danforth, Senior 1, Takeyoshi Ikehar
David Trader, Senior 2, Dave Trader BJJ
Doug McGiffin, Senior 3, Yamasaki Academy

At U.S. Grappling Submission Only, there are no time limits or points, so competitors cannot win by decision.

STERLING, Va. – The U.S. Grappling Submission Only tournament was held on March 19, 2011 at the Dulles Sportsplex facility. The submission only tournament featured grappling matches that were decided only by submission. Points were not awarded to the participants and there were no time limits.

Andrew Smith, part owner of U.S. Grappling, expressed his thoughts on the tournament format. “In my view, it is the way to go with tournaments. To me it is very exciting,” he said. “I wish we could do every tournament in this format.” Current interest in submission only tournaments is growing, but still behind the traditional point systems used in most major amateur tournaments.

From a competitor standpoint, Smith added, “There is no ‘The referee screwed me over on points.’ Every match has the satisfaction of an ending with a submission.” As a participant in the advanced no-gi division, he won gold in the 175 pound weight class.

U.S. Grappling’s prior submission only tournament in the area was in Winchester (2008). To the competitors this past weekend he said, “Definitely, I’d like to say thank you for coming out and supporting this format.” He hopes to have another submission only tournament in the area at a later date. “We want to work around some of the existing organizations,” he said.

More U.S. Grappling Submission Only Articles:
U.S. Grappling Submission Only Photos: Part 1 (part one).
U.S. Grappling Submission Only Video Highlights

Seph Smith plans to compete as much as possible in 2011. His next tournament will be the Pan-Ams in California.

STERLING, Va. – U.S. Grappling Submission Only made a return to northern Va. this past weekend at the Dulles Sportsplex facility. Brazilian jiu-jitsu and submission wrestling teams from all over the mid-atlantic region came to compete in gi and no-gi divisions for men and women.

Among the standout performers in the men’s division was Seph Smith of Fifty/50 BJJ (BRASA Team) in Arlington, Va. Smith came away with a 4-0 record winning gold in the men’s advanced 162 pound no-gi division and the brown belt division. He used a variety of submissions on the day including a rear-naked choke, a guillotine, a gi choke, and an armbar from an elevator sweep. His toughest match of the day came from Vanguard Gym stalwart Mike Pope, who is the current Operation Octagon 155 pound MMA champion. A hard charging Pope escaped submission after submission attempt by Smith in the finals of the no-gi advanced division. “That match was like 20 minutes long,” said Smith. His opportunity came in transition when he caught Pope with a guillotine choke. Although Smith was never threatened with submissions, Pope was at peak form for his MMA title defense this Saturday at the same venue. “He was tough as s—,” said Smith.

When asked about his current streak at U.S. Grappling, Smith said that he is 16-0 for 2011 at the tournament circuit.

Michelle Welti is a BJJ instructor of women's classes at Rage Fight and Fitness in Manassas, Va.

In the women’s division, a limited amount of competitors gave Michelle Welti of Dave Trader BJJ two matches on the day, in which she came away with wins in the advanced no-gi and blue belt divisions. Like many gi grapplers in the amateur ranks, Welti expressed concern about doing no-gi competition. “I was a little bit nervous…but once I got the match to the ground, I felt pretty comfortable.” She eventually won the no-gi match with a rear naked choke. Welti’s future plans are the compete as much as possible. “In a couple of days I’m going to the Pan-Ams,” she said. She also plans to compete in Grapplers Quest, NY Open, Copa Nova, and the Mundials (World Championships).

Watch the slide show below to learn more about the U.S. Grappling tournament and the competitors.

More U.S. Grappling Submission Only Articles:
U.S. Grappling Photography Part II
U.S. Grappling Submission Only – Video Highlights