Congratulations to Adel Altamimi for earning his Blue Belt! Adel is a member of the Lab Elite, and is an accomplished Kyokushin practitioner. He has been training hard to bring his ground skills up, and has done a great job. Thank you for your effort Adel, and congratulations on your new belt!
Efrain Escudero ran his most recent win streak to three, as he won against a very tough Luis Palomino at the CFA fights in Miami, FL. The fight was a hotly contested one, but Efrain won the unanimous decision and is looking forward to competing again soon.
We are very proud of Effy, and are excited about his next step. Congratulations Efrain, great work!
L to R: John Crouch, Efrain Escudero, Joe Riggs, Yaotzin Meza
This weekend, two of our Lab Elite will go into competition at the most prestigious tournament in the world: The Abud Dhabi World Championships. Benson Henderson and Tanquinho Mendes will travel to Bejing, China to compete with the world’s best grapplers in this ADCC tournament.
We are very proud of both young men, and are excited to for them to get to perform on the world’s biggest grappling stage. Good luck guys, do your thing!
It was a great night tonight at the Lab! Joe Gemma, long time student at the Lab, received his well deserved brown belt. Joe is an avid competitor, competing in virtually every tournament in Arizona over the last 4 years. In addition to local tournaments, Joe has traveled to compete in the Pans and, most recently, the Masters/Seniors World Championships. Joe has won his fair share of medals at purple belt, but he saved his best for last as he went through a tough bracket and came home with the silver medal. We are so lucky to have Joe as a teammate and a friend, and could not be more proud. Way to go Joe, looking forward to the future!
Joe with his new belt
Front Row: ( L to R) Robert Copeland, Jared Doctolero, Ben Henderson, Joe Gemma, John Crouch, Chad Wilson, Chuck Gatti
Back Row: ( L to R) Brian Weinbrandt, Luis Ordonez, Jonathan Hill, Scott Boehler, Tyler Rolland, David Brady, Semir Kasumovic
Jon Tuck has joined the Elite fight team, and has rapidly become an important part of our family there. He is preparing now to fight Norman Parke in the UFC Fight Night in Manchester, England on October 26. JT has a great BJJ background, and here is a great article to learn more about this great competitor. Love Jon Tuck, and we are so excited to go to England!
Click the photo to read article
This weekend, at the Masters/Seniors World Championships, Joe Gemma and Vivian Freitas brought home silver medals! Vivian competed in her first purple belt tournament, fought through some nerves, and performed very well. Joe fought in one of the tournaments biggest brackets and won 4 out of 5 matches to earn his silver. We are very proud of both competitors for their hard work and the example they provide on a day to day basis. Thank you guys, and Congratulations!
Joe on the podium
Vivian on the podium
Scott Holtzman is a rising star in the MMA World, but he is also a serious student of BJJ. Scott shares one of his favorites on how to defend the single leg from the bottom side control. Thanks a lot for the technique Scott!
Chris Zubrycki was one of the first members of the MMA Lab when it was founded seven years ago, and has made himself an indispensable part of the family. He is truly one of a kind, and it was a great honor and pleasure to tie his belt around his waist. Congratulations Chris, well deserved.
Congratulations to John Bender for earning a silver medal in his weight division, and a bronze in the absolute at the International Master and Senior Open in Rio! A great guy and a fierce competitor, we are lucky to have him on our team. Way to go John!
Purple belt was always my favorite belt. People work very hard to get there, and it can be the most difficult to achieve. Congratulations to the students that have earned these purple belts, you should be very proud!
Thomas Reichenberger (pictured with Joe Riggs)
Ryan Burch (with Ben Henderson and John Crouch)
Matt Heistan
Matt Gingras
Semir Kasumovic
John Crouch Jiu-Jitsu 