All posts by Absolute MMA

Last Friday was a big night for the Absolute MMA team, with the highly anticipated Hex Fight Series 19 taking place at Melbourne Pavilion. On the second fight of the undercard was Jack Jenkins, Absolute MMA Thailand sponsored fighter in a match up against Japanese opponent Naoya Uchibayashi. Jack put on a dominant performance,controlling the fight from the first horn until the 3.36 minute mark of the very first round where he caught Uchibayashi with a rear naked choke. Jenkins showed his superior grappling expertise during the contest, controlling his opponent from the back and in the mount before scoring the impressive submission victory.

Closing up the undercard and the night for the team, Coach Sam Hibberd faced off against opponent Jeff Mesa. Having spent the majority of this year training full time at Absolute MMA Thailand, Sam came into the cage with a sharpened skill set, and we were excited to see what new tricks he’d brought back from Phuket! The match started off with Mesa attacking Sam with his gruelling style of grappling against the cage, but Sam held strong and eventually capitalised on an opening, securing an anaconda choke and getting the tap in the second round. Great to have Sam back in Australia after a long stint in Thailand, congratulations on the victory!

Saturday, 7th of September saw Pippa Shaw enter the Eternal MMA octagon against opponent Courtney Martin at the HBF Stadium in Perth, Western Australia. With a stacked card of 15 fights, Eternal MMA 47 also saw visiting fighter John Calderon up against opponent Cody Haddon. While John didn’t get the result he wanted this time around, we’d like to thank him for preparing for this fight with us, our MMA team has benefited greatly from his experience. Pippa Shaw put on an absolute show, demonstrating how strong of a grappler she is and finishing the fight in the third round via RNC. Congratulations to Pippa on her victory!

In South Australia, our Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu team went to work at Grappling Industries Adelaide, with Matthew Weinman taking silver in the white belt Gi (-185lbs), after battling through four matches and winning three! Matthew has been working hard on the mats under Coach Sean Le Gourrierec, and it is great to see his efforts recognised in this achievement. We’d also like to congratulate Blair McGrouther, who backed up a great performance at Grappling Industries Melbourne in Adelaide with a double gold, and double silver! It is amazing to see our members on the podium in South Australia, and we are excited to see how you all have grown from your competitive experience when you return to the mats in Melbourne.

Our grapplers closed up the weekend for the team on Sunday at the ADCC Australian National Titles (2019) in New South Wales. We had two standout performances from the team, with Clay Lyne taking out gold in the 91kg Pro division, battling through three gruelling matches to make it to the top of the podium and rising superstar Kaya Rudolph taking out gold in the Pro division, and bronze in the Absolute, all at the age of 18. A huge achievement for these two competitors, and we could not be prouder of these champions!

Internationally, travelling Coach James Walters tore it up at GrappleFest 6 in Liverpool (Great Britain) in a match against Radek Romanek on the main card. This was over quickly, with James securing the win via a devastating inside heel hook from 50/50, in less than a minute. What a weapon! Well done James, we look forward to seeing where else your travels take you, and the team is cheering you on from Australia!

Photography: W.L Fight Photography, Matthew Weinman, Clay Lyne, Radek Romanek, Eternal MMA.

Another big weekend for Team Absolute with coaches and members competing and reaching milestones all over the world! It’s amazing to see so many people get after it and push their boundaries and we congratulate each and every one of you for putting yourselves out there and pursuing your goals! 

Lachlan Giles visits Absolute MMA Shanghai! 

Head Coach of Absolute MMA St Kilda and world renowned black belt, Lachlan Giles, travelled to Absolute MMA Shanghai over the weekend to run a double seminar and grade some important members of the Absolute Family. Day 1 covered all things gi and the impressive turn out proved just how alive and well the traditional gi jiu jitsu still is. On day 2 Lachlan delved into the subtleties and variations of the no-gi body lock passing. Seminars are a great way to expose yourself to new ideas and cram a lot of technical development in a short amount of time – particularly with a detail orientated instructor such as Lachie systematically breaking up the session to ensure information is understood and absorbed.

During his visit to Thailand Professor Lachlan Giles graded some very well deserving coaches and members of the Absolute Shanghai team. First up was beloved team member, Snoopy, who graded to purple belt. Also grading to purple belt was Head Wrestling Coach Rustam Boboev who has been working diligently on his BJJ of late to compliment his elite wrestling skills. Last but not least, was Coach Kemal who graded to black belt. Kemal has made tremendous strides in his BJJ game with the aid of Lachlan Giles. Kemal is not only a force to be reckoned with on the mats, but is also a talented coach and valued member of the Absolute community.

Congratulations to Kemal, Snoopy and Rustam on their recent promotions!

Phil Engeroff at MX Muay XTreme, Bangkok 01.09.2019

Phil Engeroff of Absolute MMA Thailand fought on the prestigious MX Muay XTreme show in Bangkok, Thailand over the weekend. Phil put on an impressive display of striking prowess and finished his opponent in the first round via TKO stoppage due to leg kicks. Phil has been training hard during his off-season in Canada, and made his bi-yearly pilgrimage back to Absolute MMA Thailand in Phuket,  where he bases himself for fight camps. Phil enjoys the mix of modern and traditional training methodologies on offer and it’s great to see all of the hard and smart training he’s put in over the years pay off! We can’t wait to see what’s next in-store for Phil as he continues to add more skills to his ever-expanding repertoire. Congratulations again on your victory!

Click the link below to watch the whole full fight replay for free! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5fzx_rCLnY&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR1VJ4m27Ws8TOGmzZz12I5Fb-7kbCC7uM9zJ_t2AuFCTgbf_mhcMKOdrxI

GRAPPLING INDUSTRIES, MELBOURNE 01.09.2019

Grappling Industries was held in Melbourne, Australia over the weekend, and as always the Absolute competition team was out in force! It’s always impressive to see so many of our members get out there and give competition a go. Some people love it, some people not so much, but the benefits of testing yourself and your game under the pressures of a competition environment are undeniable. Another great thing about competition is how it brings people together, with coaches, training partners, friends and families all coming together to support those brave enough to step on to the mats and challenge themselves.

The podium was littered with Absolute athletes and a very big congratulations go to all of you! There were simply too many individuals who medaled to mention you all, but you know who you are and a massive congratulations goes out to each and every one of you! Special mentions goes out to Reon Mahima for taking out the Super Absolute No Gi division!
Reon Mahima takes gold in the No Gi Super Absolute!

This week we are excited to run an Ask Me Anything with Coach Joe Boobyer! Each week we will have a new coach take questions from members via our Facebook Members Only group. New to the club? You can join our group here.

Joe is an internationally experienced coach, personal trainer and a professional fighter with a record of 37 wins from 56 fights. He has spent the past 12+ years training in Muay Thai, K-1, Boxing and MMA, with professional experience in all four disciplines. He has won the World Muay Thai Federation Pro Heavyweight World Title, challenged for the World Muay Thai Council Cruiserweight World Title once and World Kickboxing Network International Super heavyweight title twice, and has won two 4 man K-1 middleweight tournaments in China.

He spent over 5 years living in gyms and training throughout Thailand where he won multiple time stadium titles. Has been ranked at 6 worldwide by the World Boxing Council at super-cruiserweight.

Joel Verhey – Hey Joe, what’s the best stretching routine for someone fairly new to Muay Thai when looking to improve hip flexibility and therefore kick height? To further this, do you recommend ballistic stretching? If so, how often?

My stretching routine is similar to this video from Duane Ludwig, with a few changes. I put more emphasis in different areas, but this is a good start. I’ll make a video of mine and get it uploaded soon. I stretch at the start of my workouts after warming up. As for ballistic stretching, I’d recommend talking to a specialist who could educate you on the pros/cons.

Thurman Merman – Have you been able to retain a working with children certificate with that mo?

Since these pictures, the mo has been removed. It was for the greater good.

Jesse David – How do you recommend fighters balance your Muay Thai technical training with Strength and Conditioning?

I believe S+C training should be used as a tool to make you better at your sport, it’s very easy to get caught doing far too much and eventually it taking prevalence over the sport itself. I’m no S+C coach so talk to one of the highly qualified team here to see what you should be doing, just don’t put it ahead of getting better at the techniques themselves.

Amit Narayan – In March of 2018, Mediakix crowned ‘EpicFunnyPage’ the best meme page on Instagram. What are your thoughts on this? Also how do you think Oliver is able to live a normal life, despite his freakishly small hands?

Mediakix don’t know what they’re talking about I’ll say that much. And Oli… poor guy, if he had regular sized hands, he’d be a black belt by now.

Daniella Marie – What’s the heaviest dumbbell you can pick up between your crab toes?

I reckon 10kg.

Jake “The Honey Bear” Heun – What do get up to on your weekends???

Just super relaxing stuff. Balancing rocks at natural hot springs and meditating, that sort of thing.

Mateusz Żemietro – Would you rather fight 100 duck-sized horses or one horse-sized duck? And why?

100 duck sized horses! I got chased by a normal duck once and it had no fear, a horse sized duck is basically a dinosaur.

Oliver Smith – What was your first MMA fight like? And are you tempted to have another MMA fight?

I beat the life out of what I’m pretty sure was a Lithuanian labourer who knew a bit of judo. Threw up a triangle the wrong way round, slung some elbows out, stood up and knocked him out with a 1-2, high kick, knee, face teep, cross hook combo. Probably the most impressive finish I’ve had and it was 40+ fights ago hahaha, 100% wins, 100% KOs. Get me on path to hex.

Jake Savić – Will we see a return of the mo anytime soon?

Every time I shave I leave the mo behind and have a long hard look at myself in the mirror.

Jake “The Honey Bear” Heun – Hey Joe last question, why exactly did you leave Thailand?

I was sick of walking down the street every day and all these women calling me sexy man, handsome man. I’m more than just a piece of meat.

Running over four days from the 21st of August to the 24th, the World Master IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship saw several of our Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competition team, including Coach Thiago Stefanutti head to Las Vegas for the competition. The World Masters is a tough competition, with the most experienced competitors over the age of 30 from all over the world travelling to the Las Vegas Convention Center to throw down on the mats! We would like to congratulate all of our competitors, and all of our fellow Australians who made the journey to compete, irrespective of their result. What a great learning experience for the team being out there and competing with the best in the world! Congratulations in particular to Vince Rogato, who defeated two opponents, losing in the third round. Vince showed excellent maturity in his competition game and was awarded his brown belt by Coach Thiago Stefanutti for his efforts. We look forward to seeing everyone back on the mats, and back home in Australia when they return!

Saturday, 24th of August saw the second Hardcore Promotions event kick off at Ultima Function Centre in Keilor East. Out of the nine fights on the card, we were proud to have three of our female Muay Thai team set to compete, from both our Melbourne CBD and Collingwood locations. First up for the team on the second fight of the night was Georgia Verry (3-1-0), facing off against Selina Sor. NakDeeGao (7-3-0) from Dynamite Muay Thai in a 53.5kg, 3 x 2 minute round bout (FTR). Sustaining a cut on the top of her head in the first round from an elbow, we immediately knew this was going to be a hard fight! Georgia kept her composure, pushed forward and stayed strong throughout a fight that took place almost entirely in the clinch, with Georgia driving in heavy knees and her opponent relentless with elbows in the pocket, and both girls landing good kicks on the outside. After 3 rounds of non stop action the result was left to the judges who ruled in favour of Selina 2 rounds to 1. Nothing but respect to Georgia for taking on an experienced opponent and really making her work for the win, proud to have her as part of the team and excited to see how her game will evolve further from this experience

Second in action for Absolute saw Kate Van Staveren (3-2-0) step in against last minute replacement Hadiqa Abdul (5-2) from Supafight gym in a 3 x 2 minute round bout (FTR). Hadiqa saved the day, accepting the fight just 9 days before the event after her teammate (Kate’s original opponent) sustained an injury. The late opponent change didn’t bother Kate and with a new game plan she came out hard from the opening bell and maintained the pace from then on. Hadiqa was busy throughout the contest, landing heavy low kicks, working well in the clinch and making Kate miss on multiple occasions with the technical style Supafight gym is known for, but our girl was determined and threw with power and accuracy. Ultimately Kate proved too strong, wearing Hadiqa out to finish the fight, ending the last round with a flurry of punches and a high kick attempt to really show she was trying to get the finish even after she heard the 10 second clapper! Great work from Kate getting a unanimous points decision in her first fight for the team!

Finally we had Tamika De Cesare (5-2-2) take on Supafight’s Tiff Lam (8-1-0) over 5 rounds in the co-main event of the evening! Moving up in weight meant Tamika had a slight size disadvantage on the night, but her speed and movement were the tools we were looking to utilise most leading up to the bout. The match up started well, with Tamika catching a kick from Tiff and getting the trip, from then on she stayed busy with fast boxing combinations and some well timed kicks off of counters, frustrating her opponent in the early rounds, things were looking good. Approximately halfway through the contest was the turning point, Tiff got some very smooth sweeps in the clinch and started to find her rhythm, making Tamika miss more often and landing sharper kicks on the outside, racking up points in her favour and managing to nullify the boxing in close with good clinch work. “Tenacious” Tamika lived up to her nickname, constantly pushing forward and looking for the finish all the way until the final bell, but unfortunately the cleaner counter work of her opponent saw the judges rule a points victory to Tiff in an exciting 5 round clash of styles.

The girls of Absolute all come back into the gym with clear things to work on in victory and defeat, as they continue to grow their own game as well as each other’s and the rest of the team! We’re very proud to have them as part of the Absolute MMA family!

Written by Joe Boobyer and Emilie Yap.

Photography: W.L Fight Photography, Thiago Stefanutti. 

What discipline do you train/compete, and what are the details of your next contest?

I train and compete in BJJ, Muay Thai and MMA. I just fought on Eternal MMA 46 and my victory made it into a highlight reel that has gone viral on Facebook, you can check it out here, I’m the second clip: https://www.facebook.com/MMAvids/videos/587291698342145/UzpfSTEwMDAwNTg0MDU2NjA0NjoxMTc2ODc3ODAyNTE2ODk0/?id=100005840566046

How did you get into martial arts?

Was told to keep fit in the off season for soccer, saw a sign for a local MMA gym. The rest is history.

“You two should fight!” If you could take ANY two people from history and have them fight each other, who would it be?

Michael Jackson v Elvis.

What is the first fight you remember watching?

On TV, it was one of Mayweather Jr’s fights, but I can’t remember his opponent.

What fight do you feel has had the biggest impact on you, this can be either a fight you’ve watched or a fight you’ve had, and why?

Maxim Dadashev v Subriel Matias. Maxim died as a result of this fight, and this stuck with me. It made me realise that although we love what we do, this isn’t a game. And if it’s something we commit to we must take it seriously.

It’s common for fighters to be given fight nicknames, have you ever thought of one for yourself that you wish took off but it never did?

I’ve been called daddy. Hasn’t taken off, wish it did.

If you were a video game character (street fighter, mortal kombat, tekken etc), what would your special move be?

I’d be Rock Lee from Naruto and belting people with the drunken fist.

What do you love about training at Absolute MMA?

Top environment, great bunch of people to be around, and the fact that there’s a wealth of fight knowledge always available to you.

What do you think is the best piece of advice you have received throughout your martial arts journey?

To train the physical but to also train the mental.

If you could go back in time to your first martial art class, what would be the advice you give to your past self?

I’d say just keep doing what you’re doing you little g.

Finally, where can we buy tickets to come and support you in your next bout?

Keep posted on instagram @kakembomma and on Facebook via Semakadde Kakembo.

Photography: W.L Fight Photography and Throwdown Photography.

For the Kinektic Grappling tournament, team captain Craig Jones put together an elite group of grapplers to face off against three other teams in a a team of 5 vs team of 5 rule set. The competitor from each team would stay on the mat unless a loss or draw was sustained. Sponsored by BJJ Fanatics, Craig’s team member and Head Coach of Absolute MMA St Kilda Lachlan Giles was first up, and tore through all five members of Chris Lytle’s squad in devastating fashion, with four victories coming via inside heel-hook, and one via armbar. What a weapon! BJJ Fanatics closed out the night with a victory over SUG in the final, having only used three of their athletes. As stated by the Jiu-Jitsu Times, “I just hope Craig Jones brought some books to pass the time.” Congratulations to the BJJ Fanatics!

On the under card of Kasai Pro 6, competitive grappler Izaak Michell faced off against opponent Italo Moura. It was a back and forth match, however Izaak ended up losing 6-2 on points in a match at 155 lbs. Despite the setback, Izaak continues to build a solid profile on the international stage, and we look forward to seeing him in action again soon!

Photography: Kasai, The Jiu-Jitsu Times.