Griffin Palmer – New Ivey League MMA Blue Belt!

Last night was a big night at Ivey League Mixed Martial Arts. One of our own, CAP Platinum Member Griffin Palmer, was promoted to BJJ blue belt by Master Danny Ives.

Griffin teaches many of the children’s martial arts classes and also some of the nighttime adult MMA classes.

For those who don’t know Griffin let us give you some details.

He lives in and is from Crofton. He’s an accomplished actor and has been in a bunch of movies as well as theater work. He’s also a well known movie stuntman and has done some pretty crazy things for the sake of films (like jumping off a building)!

He started training at Ivey League back in 2009, when we were still at 1st class gymnastics in West Annapolis. At the time his friends Brandon Hendrickson and David Chavies were just starting to take classes and Griffin wanted in.

Griffin had taken Karate lessons and other types of martial arts as a youngster but had never tried MMA. He thought he’d give it a shot…he fell in love with the training. We haven’t been able to get rid of him since, haha.

His main focus has always been MMA and teaching kids but what most people don’t know is that Griffin trains BJJ in the gi quite a bit. I think most of the kids and adults know him for his Muay Thai Kickboxing skill set. He is, however, very good in the gi and has a well rounded BJJ game.

On the ground Griffin prefers choke holds but also has some nasty attacks in the form of arm and leg locks. Take a private lesson from him sometime and he’ll be more then happy to teach you them!

He’s also the guy in Coach Danny Ives’ Brazilian Jiu Jitsu DVD set, “Mastering BJJ”. Griffin is the second most good looking guy on the dvd, LOL.

Everyone is very proud of you Coach Griffin! To earn a belt in BJJ is very difficult indeed. You earned it and we wish you the best in your pursuit of your purple belt…the next step up the ladder!