Ivey League MMA brings back two more MMA wins to Annapolis from the Garden State. The July 18 Smoker Fights in New Jersey were extremely successful for the Ivey League Team as both Eric and Jack won their debut MMA bouts.
Eric started out the day with a matchup against another heavy weight fighter. The fight was fast and to the point. After touching gloves, Eric tested his opponent with a quick jab-cross combination. His opponent ate the punches then shot in for a takedown. Eric spun his opponent into the cage. His opponent readjusted and Eric was able to catch him in a Guillotine and jump to guard as they fell to the mat. His opponent fought the submission with all his might, but Eric had locked on tight and executed the choke perfectly. His opponent tapped, and Eric’s hand was raised in success.
Jack’s fight followed later against a light heavy weight who had a reputation for good ground skills. Round 1 started with a several exchanges of heavy hands until Jack’s opponent went for a takedown. Jack used his good wrestling technique to sprawl and counter. The fighters stood back up and Jack finished out the round pressuring him against the cage with several punch combinations. Round 2 was brutal for Jack’s opponent with Jack landing a near knock out early on. His opponent chose to continue the fight. Sensing that his opponent was in danger, Jack set up a powerful uppercut. He landed the punch square on the chin and the other fighter went down again. The ref gave him an 8-count, then permitted the fight to continue. The round ended with the fighters wrestling to the ground. The final round included all aspects of the game: striking, wrestling, and grappling. At the conclusion, Jack won by unanimous decision (with two near knock outs!).
It was an excellent outing for Ivey League, not only due to the wins, but due to the great team spirit and inspirational moments. Eric and Jack demonstrated the benefit of the team environment in which we train. Eric won with a submission even though he is more of a stand up fighter, while Jack is a wrestler who prefers the ground game but won with near knock outs. This just proves that Ivey League focuses on creating well rounded fighters that can adapt to any situation in the cage!
We would like to thank all of Ivey League for training with Eric and Jack and especially to those who showed up to support them including Andrew, Jayna, Nick W., Rodeo, Big Al, Swat, Joe, Tara, Chris, and Teresa. Last but not least, thanks to the coaching team of Danny, Jason, and Rodeo for helping the guys!
