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June 5th, 2004: |
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Team Lloyd Irvin Produces Their Very First Olympian
The
2004 US Olympic Judo Team
For
complete details click here.
Team
Lloyd Irvin ROCKS at the Battle of the Boardwalk and at the USKBA
San Shou Kickboxing Championships
Ryan Hall is unscored upon and submits all opponents!!!!
For
complete details click here.
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Team Lloyd Irvin Wins At The
Ultimate
Fighting
Championships
Again By KNOCK OUT!!!
Well we did it
again! Brandon
“The Truth” Vera making his second UFC debut scores
a first round knock out.
Instead
of doing our normal write up, we’ll just let the
photo’s do the talking.
Team
Lloyd Irvin still continues to prove to the World that we have some of
the best training methods available. We aren’t a
professional fight team, we are a martial arts school that takes
regular people and makes them Champions. We’ve
proved this in Thai Boxing, Sombo, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Mixed
Martial Arts.
If
you’re serious about training at a school that can really
prepare you to become your absolute best, you owe it to yourself to
take advantage of our FREE 30 Trial
.
You
can see detailed information about the events leading up to the big UFC
fight by visiting our BLOG by clicking the link below
Blog
Link.
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Team
Lloyd Irvin at Carlos Machado Winter Wars
Well the boys went on the road again. Phil Weslow, Julius Park,
and Ryan Hall to Dallas and represented Team Lloyd Irvin. Read all
about it by clicking the link below..
For
complete details click here.
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Master
Lloyd Promotes Two More Black Belts
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David Womack finally
receives the well deserved Black Belt
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Master Paul at the
age of 41 works his butt off day in and day out and is rewarded with
the Black Belt.
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Our Blackbelts!!
Missing from photo are Mike Fowler and Nakapan Phungehorn.
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Team
Lloyd Irvin at Budweiser World Cup 2006!!!
For the first tournament of 2006, Team Lloyd Irvin sent Seph Smith,
Phil Weslow, and Ryan Hall down to the Budweiser Jiu-Jitsu World Cup in
Concord, NC. It was a two day event that featured a number of
top
competitors from teams such as Balance, Alliance, Lloyd Irvin, and
Velocity. Day one was the gi competition, and Sunday would
feature the always popular no-gi action,
including four professional
divisions (light, middle, heavy, and women’s)..
For
complete details click here.
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Team
Lloyd Irvin Takes Grapplemania by Storm!!!
Grapplemania 2005 was held on 12/18/05 in Wake Forest, NC, and as one
of the last competitions of the year, it attracted a number of top
competitors from the southeast. It was an action-packed day
of
great matches.
For
complete details click here.
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5th
American International Championships And
Ryan Hall Introduces The West Coast To His Infamous Triangle
This weekend, Team Lloyd Irvin sent Mike Fowler and Ryan Hall to Long
Beach, CA to compete in the 5th American International Championships of
Jiu-Jitsu.
For
complete details click here.
Shidokan USA Championship
Muhsin Corbbrey of Hilton Head, SC defeated Mike Smiley of Pittsburgh,
PA by TKO in round one. Muhsin used sweeping low kick to knock Smiley
off of his feet and finished him with a hard knee to the face at the
end of round one.
In the Lightweight finals, Muhsin Corbbrey and Raphael Assuncao put on
an awesome display of technique and power as the two fought hard from
beginning to end. In round one Corbbrey attacked with hard low kicks
and body punches,
Assuncao answered back with strong kicks and knees and a powerful
takedown. In round two Corbbrey pressed the action more and
showed his impressive boxing style landing hard left hooks and right
hands. In round 3 Assuncao got the takedown after taking some
punishment standing. Corbbrey attacked from the bottom looking for
submissions. Corbbrey's early aggression earned him his first
Team USA Lightweight Championship.
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September
16, 2005: |
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Dave
Kaplan Won His WKA US MMA Title
This weekend Team Lloyd Irvin’s Dave Kaplan crushed his
competition in an MMA match that also had Sean Sherk and Din Thomas
fighting on the same card.
For
complete details click here.
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August
22, 2005: |
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Master
Lloyd Promotes Mike Fowler To The Rank Of BJJ Black Belt
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Master
Lloyd Ties Fowler's
Black Belt
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Team Lloyd Irvin Black
Belts Present The
Newest Addition To The Black Belt Ranks
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August
6, 2005: |
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Team
Lloyd Irvin Represents At The Battle Of The Beach
This weekend Team Lloyd Irvin’s Derek Herrera competed at
NAGA's
Battle at the Beach. On saturday, in the Men's No-Gi Advanced
Cruiserweight Division, he won his first match submitting his opponent
by triangle choke. He then fought Dan Simmler, a tough purple
belt from Matt Serra Jiujitsu, and after battling for 4 minutes Simmler
managed to take Derek's back and finish with a rear naked
choke.
Derek then fought for third and won a quick match again by triangle
choke.
Sunday Derek fought in the Men's Blue Belt cruiserweight division and
submitted all three of his opponents on his way to winning the
division. He won his first match by triangle choke/armbar,
his
second match by baseball choke, and his final match by rear naked
choke.
Amie Turton brings home TWO GOLDS in the Women’s No
Gi
Advance Lightweight and the Women’s Gi Blue Belt and Above
135
divisions only having 1 point scored on her in four matches.
Congratulations to everyone that put on the line win lose or
draw. If your results aren’t posted on the news
site we
never received your information.
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July
31, 2005: |
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Team
Lloyd Irvin Represents At The George Pendergrass Classic
Darren Johnson, one of our competitors, drove down to North
Carolina in order to compete in the George Pendergrass Classic.
He competed in two divisions, winning the Gold in the
Blue
Belt Masters. He beat a Gustavo Machado Blue Belt by
Americana
(paintbrush) in the finals.
Darren trained for this tournament when he wasn't at the
academy.
He rode the bike, did the StairMaster, ran
the
treadmill, and basically took his cardio very seriously.
As
a result he represented in good fashion and brought back the gold.
During the stand up, he won the gripping battle,
and didn't
try anything fancy, he just stuck to his game plan.
He took
him down with a technique that Dave showed him in class just this last
Thursday. He drilled it and drilled it and it worked like a
charm
in the match.
We are all proud of Darren, who now says, " I'm planning to go to
Grapplers Quest in September!!"
Congratulations to everyone that put on the line win lose or
draw. If your results aren’t posted on the news
site we
never received your information.
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July
25, 2005: |
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Mike
Fowler Gets The BRONZE in BRAZIL!!!!!!! Submits Three
Opponents
This past Saturday Mike Fowler did what only three other Team Lloyd
Irvin members have done. He placed in a Major tournament in
Brazil. Fowler has joined the ranks of Lloyd Irvin, Rhadi
Ferguson and Melvin Yates. At the 2005 Brazilian World Cup
Mike
Fowler stood on the Brown Belt Podium as a proud member of an elite
few. Here are the details of the event courtesy of NHBFIGHTS.
For
complete details click here.
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July
16, 2005: |
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Team Lloyd Irvin Rocks
Massachusetts
Team Lloyd Irvin Brought
Back 5 GOLD
MEDALS!!!!!
Making her Team Lloyd Irvin debut Amie Turton had no one show up for
women's advanced lightweight so she bumped up and wrestled women's
advanced heavyweight. She submitted both her opponents there
-
one with her patented arm a triangle from guard. In the gi,
Amie
represented in true Lloyd Irvin form winning her one match by the score
of 12 * 0 Amie ended the match with a choke.
To the surprise of everyone at Team Lloyd Irvin Mike Atkin decided to
compete even though he has an injury to his arm that has kept him off
the mats all week. Mike won the Executive No-gi 4x0, takedown
and
guard pass.
To round things out Julius Park made his long awaited debut back on the
mats. You could tell by the way Julius was going to war with
Mike
Fowler on the mats in last weeks Black Belt Club class that it was time
for Julius to get back on the circuit. Julius won the
advanced
lightweight no-gi by tapping his first opponent with a knee bar from
1/2-guard, tapping his second opponent with a rolling toe-hold from on
top. Julius then decided to enter the Purple Belt LW (under
175),
in the first round he tapped his opponent with an arm bar from mount,
in his second match he faced the very tough Cacau who is one of
Jamelao's students winning 2 * 0 and in the finals Julius tapped Mat
Santos in about 8 seconds with an arm bar.
Way to go Team Lloyd Irvin.
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July
11, 2005: |
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Mike
Easton Wins By TKO!!!
Remains The CSC Lightweight Champion
Mike Easton put on a spectacular show for all of his local hometown
fans this past weekend in Virginia. From the moment
Mike’s
opponent was announced you could tell by the way he walked to the ring
that he was very confident and ready to go to battle.
For
complete details click here.
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July
9, 2005: |
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Team
Lloyd Irvin Captures Their 8th Straight Team Title
Grapplers Quest Southeast and Copa Atlantica Weekend
Team Lloyd Irvin traveled to Virginia not expecting to have enough
competitors to make a run for the team title but boy did the
competitors that came out do a GREAT job.
For
complete details click here.
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July
1, 2005: |
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Ed
Clay’s
Nashville MMA/ Team Lloyd Irvin go 5-0 in Shooto St Louis!!!!!!!!!
In an amazing night of action packed fights Ed Clay’s
Nashville MMA/Team Lloyd Irvin won all five matches in a combined time
5:14 seconds. Shooto comissioner Johny Walls called the teams
performance “Awesome. The fans want to see knock outs and
submissions and Ed’s guys deliver. All of Ed Clay’s
guys were incredibaly well prepared and it showed.
For
complete details click here.
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May
14, 2005: |
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"Team
Lloyd Irvin
Student Mike Fowler "Submits"
Yamasaki Academy Instructor Francisco Neto In
First Round Of Pro Division"
Grappler's
Quest News
The
mats
at Team Lloyd Irvin have been on fire as everyone was preparing for the
upcoming Grapplers Quest event. But Mike Fowler was on a particular
mission after finding out that his first round opponent was going to be
the Head Instructor at The Yamasaki Academy which is a local school in
Maryland. Fowler would be facing Yamasaki instructor and BJJ Black Belt
Francisco Neto. When Fowler was asked why he was so pumped up for this
match he said.
"It's
a long story but in a nutshell. I fought my friend David Jacobs from
the Yamasaki Academy twice, submitting him the first time with a
triangle and the second time in the first round of a tournament he beat
me on points. In our second match after David beat me the entire
Yamasaki team went crazy, I'll never forget looking up seeing how happy
Fernando Yamasaki was jumping up and down. Then when I got to watch the
video of the match to see my mistakes it got worse. Right after the
match during all of the excitement I could see Fernando get on his cell
phone and make a call, I guess to tell someone that David beat me. You
just had to see it to understand what I'm talking about. I didn't like
that feeling and I didn't want it to happen again. Master Lloyd made me
a video tape of the end of the match, how they were celebrating and the
phone call being made. It was real funny but good because he put triple
takes in it, slow motion and added music to make it more dramatic. I
watched this video every day to get me motivated for my daily training.
I wanted to do everything possible to make sure I didn't have to go
through that again. I want to thank everyone at Team Lloyd Irvin for
making the room hot during training and to thank Todd Margolis and
Master Lloyd for being my main training partners in preparation for
this match, it paid off."
Mike
Fowler ( Team Lloyd Irvin) vs. Fransico Neto (Yamasaki)
The
match started off with both guys looking for a takedown. Neto's base
was incredible avoiding everything that Fowler attempted. Fowler then
goes for a move and in a blink of an eye Neto does a lighting fast O
Uchi Gari. During the match Neto counters Fowlers takedown attempt and
scores 2 points with a take down. From this point on Neto shows
excellent posture that he is known for. He stands up in base trying to
open Fowlers guard but Fowlers guard is to tight. Fowler finally opens
his guard, dropping back to his feet. Later in the match Fowler is
instructed to start pushing the pace and not let Neto sit on his 2
point lead. Fowler is working for his triangle but Neto is on to it
standing up each and every time Fowler starts to get close. Then Fowler
crosses over from half guard to start to work underneath for the legs.
Scramble after scramble happens, Neto is countering everything that
Fowler throws at him like an experienced veteran. But then one time
Neto stuffed Fowler leg attempt, Fowler immediately re-rolled catching
Neto off balance, Fowler blocked the stop block and secured the
submission forcing Neto to TAP Fowler to release.
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Fowler
Submitting Neto!!
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Mike
Fowler jumps up to celebrate, runs over to give Master Lloyd a hug
while Neto is still on the ground in disbelief. It was like the look
that Royler Gracie had when Eddie Bravo tapped him. Mike Fowler
wouldn't have to worry about the Yamasaki team celebrating on his
behalf this day.
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Fowler
Victorious!!
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Mike
Fowler (Team Lloyd Irvin) vs. Regis Lebre ( Saulo Riberio)
This
match pitted Mike Fowler against another BJJ Black Belt. This was one
of the most exciting matches of the day. Fowler was going for takedown,
after takedown. At one point Mike took Regis down during a scramble
only getting him an advantage. Fowler was working to pass the guard
with the knee cut across technique. He started to use a new variation
being developed in the academy. Fowler passed multiple times using this
technique but he wasn't able to hold Regis long enough to get awarded
the points. At one point Regis got a takedown during a scramble for the
2 points. Fowler started to work for a half guard sweep and caught
Regis in a knee bar also but he didn't have it tight enough and Regis
escaped. The last 90 seconds of the match saw F owler chasing Regis
trying to get a takedown while Regis just concentrated on not getting
taken down. The time ran out with Regis winning 2 * 0.
After
the event Master Lloyd had this to say.
"Everyone
fought well and gave it their all. That's all that I can ask
for. Mike fought really well and never stopped trying to get Regis
down. I'm really happy for Mike with his win over Neto, he trained hard
for it and I know how much it bothered him last time with what happened
after he lost. Neto is really good and I have nothing but the utmost
respect for him. Besides the Black Belts on our team, Neto is the only
BJJ Black Belt from our area putting it on the line at these types of
events in front of his students. You can't do anything but respect
that. Like I always tell my guys, win , lose or draw, everything is a
learning experience.
Leo
Dalla was the Team Lloyd Irvin representative at the 190 pound
division. In his first round Dalla completely dominated winning by a
HUGE margin of points.
In his
second match he faced the always tough Rick McCauley. The match went
back and forth. Rick had some good leg lock and sweep attempts with
Dalla getting close to some sweeps of his own. At one point Rick went
for a nice sweep that made Dalla use all of his athletic ability by
going into a perfect handstand and walking out of the sweep. With about
40 seconds remaining Dalla slapped on a Oma Plata and then switched to
a toe hold as time ran our. Rick won 3 advantages to 2 advantages.
Jared
Weiner was our Light weight representative. He won his first match by
points. During this match Jared did a very nice back take move where he
jumped onto the back, during this match Jared injured his back/hip
again. Like the warrior he is Jared continued to fight losing his
second round match.
We are
still waiting for more results to come in.
Photo's
to come.
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March
26, 2005: |
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Team
Lloyd Irvin Training Was A Smashing Hit
With 10 BJJ Black Belts on the floor at Lloyd Irvin’s Martial
Arts Team Training, how could it not be the best one yet. Yes you read
that correctly. We had 10 BJJ Black Belts on the floor in our academy
at one time. This moment was priceless as students got to learn from
and training with everyone. If you missed this team training I hope you
had a good reason because this one is going to be hard to beat but for
some reason I think we’ll do it.
|
The
Mat Remained Full
|
You can see Team Lloyd Irvin students practicing what they just learned.
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Master
Lloyd and a Total of 10 BJJ Black Belts
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Master Lloyd addresses the team, talks about our goals for the New
Year, tells everyone what he expects from them and gave everyone a
motivating word. This was followed by every black belt giving their
words of wisdom.
Everyone left pumped up and ready to go train even harder.
Best wishes to all of the Team Lloyd Irvin competitors heading to the
Pan Ams this weekend.
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March
26, 2005: |
| |
Incredible
Amount of Promotions After Successful Team Training
This list was so impressive that I am going to have to separate them by
belt and if you are a part of the team then you know just how hard this
crew worked in order to attain this level. Let's also take this
opportunity to congratulate Brandon Vera on winning not 1 but 2 MMA
fights back to back the same night.
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Brandon
Vera
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Ed
Clay
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Phil
Proctor
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Joshua
Fortiz
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Rustem
Tuganov
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Travis
McIline
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February
18, 2005: |
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"Team
Lloyd Irvin/Nashville MMA wins Beginner, intermediate, white, and
purple belt absolute at the Submission Fighter tournament of
Champions!!!"
On February 19th and 20th 8 of the nine competitors that competed for
team Lloyd Irvin/ Nashville MMA finished in the top three in their
divisions. The only competitor that did not place had to bow out in the
semifinals after 2 wins due to an ankle injury.
|
Shawn
Sprawling Hard
|
The day started out with the purple belt division. Shawn Hammonds won
three matches to win his 187 pound division. In the finals he defeated
his opponent, one of Travis Lutter’s standout purple belts by
a score of 5-0. After winning this division Shawn said “I
used Lloyd Irvin’s three points of pressure to submit that
first opponent. I stayed in side control for a while and the opponent
said he could not take it. He didn’t know what I was
doing!”
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Third
Point Pressure Crushes Opponent
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In the absolute division tournament directors matched the purple and
brown belt competitors together. Shawn Hammonds received a bye to the
semi finals. In the semi finals Shawn had a tough match. Early in the
match the opponent scored a takedown. Shawn quickly got to work
attacking from his guard and scored a sweep. His opponent continued to
attack and Shawn seized a brief mistake and got the guard pass. The
match ended shortly after with Shawn winning 5-2.
In the finals Shawn fought a tough purple belt who the fight before
defeated a tough brown belt. Shawn took his opponent down with a nice
single leg and started to work in his opponents guard. Shawn scored two
guard passes and a knee on belly to win in the finals by impressive
fashion 10-0. After the fight Shawn said “I trained very hard
for this tournament and the competition was very tough. I was
controlling these opponents with the brabo grip that Master Lloyd
showed me. That’s how I got that last knee on belly. This was
great preparation for next weeks Grapplers Quest!”
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Shawn's
Controlling Knee on Belly
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In an amazing feat Lloyd Irvin/Nashville MMA white belt stand out B.J.
Fletcher won 5 divisions and went 14-0 for the weekend. He won the
white belt 205 and absolute and also won the intermediate 205,
intermediate heavy (which he won three matches in) and the intermediate
absolute division. Fletcher was very excited with his victories and
said”Our training was 3x’s as hard as the
competition. It showed. I felt like we knew so much more than the
competition. This gave me the confidents through 14 matches. I know Ed
uses team Lloyd Irvin training methods and it showed why we are a part
of the best team in the country! I love the comraderie with the team.
We have something special going here!”
Mike Hiller made a statement this weekend winning the white belt 187
division taking 2nd in the white belt absolute, winning his beginner
187 pound division and also winning the beginner absolute. Mikes coach
Ed Clay said after his matches “I am very proud of Mike. He
works hard every class and stays very focused. He takes more notes than
anyone in the school. He was undefeated this weekend and bowed out to
his teammate B.J. Fletcher in the finals. He has come a long way and
has improved more that anyone in the school over the last 5
months!”
New Nashville MMA and Gameness Sales and Marketing director Dave Reilly
competed in four divisions going 8-0. Dave dominated all of his matches
including getting 3 submissions and winning two other matches by the 12
point skunk rule. He bowed out to his teammates in 2 finals matches.
Dave said of his experience “It is great to be a part of this
team. We all trained very hard and smart for this and I am very happy
with the out come. Our team did incredible and I’ proud to be
a part of it.”
Thai boxing stand out Mardae Weaver won his beginner division after
only training bjj for six weeks. He then went on to win two matches in
the beginner absolute making it all the way to the finals where he
bowed out to his teammate. Mardae is a great athlete and former college
football stand out. Sticking to his game plan and conditioning was the
key’s he says” I was in great shape going into this
tournament. I knew I didn’t know a lot but Ed gave me a
strategy for my matches and I executed it well. I had to stick to the
game plan perfectly to win and I did. It was a good experience. I need
to compete as much as possible to start preparing for my fight
career.”
Purple belt Ray Casias did very well in his no gi matches on Saturday.
Ray won the advance 205 and advances heavyweight no gi division. Ray
had to shake off a tough day in the Saturday purple belt division to
complete this feat. Ray says “Saturday was a tough day for me
but I had to get over that and get my mind straight on Sunday. I wanted
to come back strong and am happy overall with the experience. I am very
proud of the team”!
|
Some
Medals
|
Other notables were Danial Smith, Chad Washburn and Kent Rollins.
Danial and Chad both fought tough matches and finished 2nd in their
respective divisions and Kent won 2 tough matches but popped his ankle
in his second match and could not compete in the semi finals.
|
Showing
Off the Medals
|
Overall Nashville MMA/Team Lloyd Irvin won 23 medals with nine
competitors. This was a great start to the 2005 tournament circuit!
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January
24, 2005: |
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"Master
Lloyd Promotes Seph To The Well Deserved Purple Belt"
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Congratulations
Seph. What an accomplishment
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|
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January
15, 2005: |
| |
"When
will it STOP!!??
Team Lloyd Irvin Dominates Budweiser Cup!
Fowler Wins Most Technical Competitor Trophy "
With blue belts Team LI in Richmond’s own Seph Smith takes
2nd after three great fights! Also in this division out of
Fredericksburg was Ryan Hall Who lost a tough first match, and also
Mason Welch who won his first, but stepped to the side to let teammate
Seph go on to try and take the division. Great Job guys!
Our very own Darren gave a great performance to secure 2nd place in the
blue belt heavyweight! After submitting his first opponent with his
bread and butter move, a choke from the top, He gave a great judo
demonstration as he sends his opponent soaring to the mat!! The
opponent was also very skilled and was able to secure a choke, Darren
had never seen. Darren was forced to tap, but nothing stops him and he
can’t wait for the next tournament!!!!
Also in blue, a heartbreaking match for Nicole Lichenstein. She fought
an awesome match that was forced into overtime but the other girl was
able to walk away with the win. Way to go Nicole!!
In Purple Belt, Mike Easton defies the pressures of his brand new
purple to win his fight against a tough Yamasaki student, Klint. Mike
Easton was just recently promoted to purple, but you could have never
known he was brand new! Mike Easton’s exciting style once
again drew crowds with onlookers from all across the gym. The match was
back and forth, sweep attempts, guard pass attempts, everything you can
imagine. Late in the match Mike Easton used his phenomenal takedown
skills to secure two pints. The match was still up for grabs as Mike is
almost swept at the buzzer for 6 points!!!! Mike’s face never
changed, he knew he won and defended like he planned it!
|
Mike
Easton Going On To Win His First Purple Belt Competition Agaist The
Always Tough Yamasaki Player Klint
|
Also in purple belt, James Valentine had a great first match that was
close by points, but James pulled the win out like a magician pulling a
rabbit out of a hat. His next fight, James pulled, but the opponent was
well versed in foot locks, and was able to catch James, which is not
easy! Congrats to James!
Last, but not least, Brand new brown belt Mike Fowler not only wins his
division, but also takes home the Most Technical Competitor trophy!!!!
As his first match as a brown belt, Mike was nervous, but he was
confident in the training Master Lloyd had given him. His first match
was off to a rough start, but after securing the guard pass, he went to
the Lloyd Irvin patented Brabo choke. The opponent having no option,
but to tap! His next fight was against a Brazilian from Flavio Behring
in Sao Paulo, Brazil. After spending a few minutes exchanging takedown
attempts, Mike pulls to his infamous half guard. Mike comes back to his
feet and nails a takedown, and then goes right for the pass. The
opponent was extremely tough to tap, with Mike having his arm bent all
around backwards. Baffled, Mike goes to work for chokes, and other
submissions, but time had run out. Mike was the Brown belt Champion!!!!
|
Fowler
On the Attack
|
|
Fowler
Wins His First Match As A Brown Belt
|
Way to go Team Lloyd Irvin!!!!
JUST IN: THE SUNDAY NO GI REPORT FROM LLOYD BALDWIN
On Sunday in the No Gi advanced Seph omoplata swept then heel hooked
brown belt JoJo Guarin in one of the best fights of the day. Lloyd B.
got second in the intermediate lghtwt. div. The tournament didnt have
the biggest turnout but trust me when I say the competition was stiff.
|
Lloyd
Baldwin Triangles an Opponent
|
Ryan Hall submitted his first two no-gi opponent's with his signature
triangle. He had a hard battle in the finals and ended up taking 2nd
place in the Intermediate WelterWeight no-gi division. He also fought
in the Advanced division, but got
heel hooked, by the well known competitor Andrew Smith, about 2 minutes
into the match.
|
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January
13, 2005: |
| |
"Master
Paul Gets The Long Awaited Brown Belt"
|
Master
Paul Promoted to Brown
|
Master Paul has been a part of Team Lloyd Irvin when we were Ultimate
Self Defense Concepts and we competed under the name Soldiers of
Submission. Way to go!
|
|
December
21, 2004: |
| |
"Mike
"The Hulk" Easton Gets The Purple Belt "
|
Mike
Easton Promoted to Purple
|
Just two years into jiu-jitsu Mike Easton moves in the the purple belt
ranks. Most people didn't even know Mike could fight with the gi
because he's been tearing up the NHB scence. Mike wanted to push for
the purple belt so he put the gi back on and started going to
tournaments to show his stuff. Many people have said the Mike reminds
them of Leo Veira when he competes because of his acrobatic style. At
only 145 pounds Mike has won every blue belt competition that he has
entered and at the VA Federation tournament he won his weight class and
the open division beating a 250 pound giant.
Tonight Master Lloyd Promotes Mike Easton to the well deserved Purple
belt.
|
|
December
20, 2004: |
| |
"PURPLE
BELTS AND BROWN BELTS BEWARE! "
"Master
Lloyd Promotes Fowler and Esposito"
|
Doug
Esposito Moves to Purple
|
You may not have heard the name Doug Esposito that much on the
tournament scene in the lately but Doug is our silent assasin. Because
of a heavy work load and other commitments Doug doesn't get to the
tournaments that often. But when he does he always got the GOLD as a
blue belt. he's been kicking but in the Academy for some time now and
tonight Master LLoyd presented Doug with the much deserved Purple Belt.
Master Lloyd had this to say after class. "It's an honor to be able to
promote Doug to the purple belt, he really deserves it. I expect him to
make an immediate impact at the purple belt level."
|
Mike
Fowler Promoted to Brown
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On the other side of the spectrum you have Mike Fowler. Just about at
the three year mark Mike Fowler has made a HUGE name for himself on the
competition scene. Mike has competed against the very best purple belts
in the country and his record speaks for itself. Tonight Mike joined
the ranks not seen by many, Master Lloyd awards Mike Fowler with the
Brown Belt. Master Lloyd had this to say:
"Mike has worked very hard to reach this level, I expect that he must
work just as hard to earn the same respect that he has had as a blue
and purple belt. Nothing changes, you got to get out there and compete,
win, lose or draw, go out there and get your experience."
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December
11, 2004: |
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"MIKE
FOWLER WINS THE PURPLE BELT LIGHT WEIGHT 175 AND UNDER AND THE HEAVY
WEIGHT 175 AND OVER TOURNAMENT IN THE SAME DAY "
What can you say? Mike Fowler has been tearing up the scene as a purple
belt. He’s been flying around the country to compete against
the best purple belts America has to offer. Many of the Purple belts
he’s already submitted have since moved on to the brown belt
ranks. His journey continues. Mike heard the phenom Bill Cooper was
going to be at the Florida Grapplers Quest so as usual he contacted his
sponsors and was on his way.
Mike entered the 175 and under purple belt division and also put his
name into the 175 and over division since it would be following the
lightweight tournament.
As luck would have it Mike would get his wish and face Bill Cooper in
the very first match. This is a match that people all over the Internet
have wanted to see for a long time. Bill “The
Grill” Cooper has been on an unstoppable mission as a purple
belt, taking the silver medal at this years pan ams losing only by an
advantage in the finals and winning basically everything he enters.
Fellow team mate and grappling stud in his own right Jeff Glover had
this to say about his team mate Bill “The Grill”
“ Bill kicks my butt in class every day. “ Anyone
that can kick Jeff Glovers butt everyday is a BAD MAN.
Bill has been beating men left and right for some time now. You may ask
yourself so what. Well it may not seem like allot until you realize
Bill is only 17 years old. Yes, at these same events that he beats men
like they are boys he also competes in the kids teenage divisions also.
But once on the mat with Bill age is only a number.
This was a great match that pitted two well-known guard players, Bill
on one side has what many call an un-passable guard and Fowler is a
terror with the triangle from the guard.
So now to the match.
Mike Fowler vs. Bill “The Grill” Cooper
The match begins with Bill pulling Fowler into his dangerous guard. Now
was the time that Fowler could show the World his “Very
Heavy” top game. Bill was working his magic from bottom that
had Fowler confused until he was able to solve the riddle of
Bill’s guard.
Once Mike unlocked the combination to Bill’s guard he was
able to pass to cross mount.
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Mike
Passing Bill "The Grill's" Guard
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Once in cross mount Mike locks in the kimura
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Mike
Locking Kimura
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Bill is a magician in his own right with an expertise in escapes. Bill
was able to defend everything that Mike threw. He has a remarkable way
to recompose the guard. The match went back and forth with Mike trying
to pass and Bill trying to sweep/submit. Mike was able to pass
Bill’s guard two more times.
During a scramble Mike finally gets to his guard and is looking for his
triangle. Bill knows what’s coming and defends this position
like a seasoned pro. Then out of nowhere Mike hits his new sweep making
the score 11 * 0.
Then Mike was set up for “THE BRABO CHOKE”. Mike
was in position for the kill, he passed the lapel, adjusted his grip,
reached underneath to get the grip, passed his opponents are and
BAM!!!!!!!!!!! A full-blown brabo choke. Is this the way this epic
battle would end? Not if Bill had anything to do with it. Bill fought
his heart out to get our of this death hold but to no avail. Fowler had
it in to deep and was going for the kill, he could smell the tap coming
and then something he never even thought about happened. The time ran
out. Fowler is victorious 11* 0
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Mike
Locking Brabo
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Mike
With Hand Raised in Victory
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Fowler would move on to submit everyone else in the light weight event
and also submit everyone in the heavy weight event, while Bill on the
other side moved on the NO GI division submitting everyone in dominate
fashion.
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Fowler
Victorious Again
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Here are some more pictures of Fowler submitting the big boys.
“Mike going for his Red Hot Butter Knife with the Bread
Cutter Choke”
“Mike finishing off the big guy with the good ole’
Arm Lock”
Mike Victorious
After the competition Mike Fowler had this to say. “
It’s great to be able to fly everywhere to compete against
the best people. Master Lloyd says I need to go find the people that
are the best and compete against them, win, lose or draw, go out there
and get the experience. That’s what I’m trying to
do. Today my game plan was really working well. The Game Plan I
followed today I actually showed in Master Lloyd’s new
product www.thegrapplinggameplan.com it’s been getting good
results. I’m going to sit down with Master Lloyd and see what
I’m going to take out and add.
"I’m really happy with my tournament win today. But to be
able to win two different divisions is a great feeling."
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November
20, 2004: |
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"Darren
Johnson Sweeps His Division Winning GOLD"
Newly promoted blue belt Darren Johnson takes the LONG ROAD trip to
Middletown CT. from Clinton Maryland as the solo representative for
Team Lloyd Irvin, while his other teammates do battle in Georgia.
Darren won all of his matches by submission becoming the
“2004 New England Grappling Champion".
When asked about this competition Darren said. “ This was my
first competition that I’ve won, being able to call myself
the 2004 New England Grappling Champion feels really good.”
Darren Johnson
Brand New 2004 New England Grappling Champion
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November
20, 2004: |
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"TEAM
LLOYD IRVIN SHINES IN GEORGIA"
When it comes to competition Team Lloyd Irvin’s philosophy is
simple. You got to go out there and put it on the line in order to
improve. You must seek out the best competitors and go compete against
them. The end result is that you will win or lose. If you lose, find
out what you did wrong, correct the mistake for next time and if you
win take it in stride because. “Things are never as good as
they seem and things are never as bad as they seem”
"Mike
"The Magician" Fowler Does It Again"
Well Mike’s nickname isn’t “The
Magician” really but after what happened this weekend
that’ll be his temporary nickname.
Mike Fowler has become a dominant force in the purple belt ranks in
America. His spotted hair and his willingness to travel anywhere top
competitors are competiting have allowed him to build quite a name for
himself.
On a weeks notice Master Lloyd told Fowler that 6th Degree Black Belt
Jacare’ was having a tournament in Georgia and that he had a
student who was supposed to be really tuff named Ryan Ellison that was
near his weight. In the Southeast Ryan is a very big name and the
purple belt to beat. Fowler was up to the challenge.
After arriving at the venue we learned that there were only two other
opponents in Mike’s division one of them being Ryan. So it
was on. Mike had traveled specifically to compete against Ryan and his
wish came true in the very first round of the Purple Belt medium.
You could tell it was Ryan’s home crowd because when the
announced Ryan’s name the crowd went wild. When the match
began Fowler pulled guard immediately attacking from his triangle and
brabo choke. Ryan didn’t look phased at all; just listening
to his masterful coach Jacare gives instruction to succefully escape
Fowlers Attacks.
Then in a moments notice Fowler shifted to his new half guard position
that he’s been working on. Ryan was off balance finally,
Fowler now switched to the X-Guard position. Everyone was telling Ryan
“ Remember what Fabio Gurgel showed us from this
position” for those that don’t know Fabio
Gurgel’s student Marcelo Garcia is the master of the X-Guard.
But it wasn’t to be; Fowler was to quick on his transitions
and was able to get the sweep for the two points. The crowd was silent
now. Ryan quickly got back to his feet, Fowler pulled guard again. This
time Ryan got to the ½ guard and was able to open up Fowlers
lapel. We heard that Ryan has crushing top pressure and it showed.
Fowler was stuck with nowhere to go. Finally Fowler was able to escape
but not without Ryan being in a great position to pass, Fowler was
trying his best to defend but Ryan’s pressure was too much
forcing him to turn out to avoid the pass giving up the advantage. Ryan
starts to work to take the back (The crowd is going wild). It was very
intense but we had only seen one person take Fowlers back ever in
competition so we were confident that he would be able to defend
himself in this position. Ryan was pushing the pace, he tried to side
over for the mount then Fowler defended that by pushing the leg over
then the time ran out. WHAT A BARN BURNER!!! Fowler wins by the score
of
2 * 0.
After the match people were saying that if Ryan had 30 more seconds he
would’ve won. We asked Mike what he thought about this and he
said “It’s hard to say, maybe he would’ve
gotten the points or maybe I would’ve continued to stop him
from getting the points and escaped. You never know. As a purple belt
you only have 7 minutes to do whatever you’re going to do.
When the 7 minutes are over you either win or lose. Today I won.
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Mike
Fowler Defeats Ryan!!
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THE
FINALS
In the finals Fowler would face a newly promoted purple belt from Team
Alliance. From the start Mike forced his game on his competitor. The
next thing you know Fowler was switching back and forth from triangle
to arm bar but he just didn’t have enough to finish it as his
opponent did an excellent job defending. Then a sudden whip he force
Fowler to turn out and then what happened had everyone in shock. He had
Mike Fowler in a FULL BLOWN Clock Choke! It was reminiscent of when
Wallid finished Royce Gracie with the Clock. (Everyone in the crowd was
on their feet.) Would the newcomer do the impossible? You could tell
from Fowlers movements that the choke was getting tighter. HE was in
the choke for about 20 seconds now. It didn’t look good at
all. We had faith though as Nakapan and Todd Margolis always catch Mike
in this position so he’s used to escaping from it. But this
looked like it might be the end of the road for Mike. But in a flash,
like a wizard from the Harry Potter movie Mike escaped, face red as an
apple, Mike pulled himself together to begin an attacking onslaught
like non other. Mike started running up the score passing the guard,
mounting and attacking submissions. He had a straight-arm bar, a
paintbrush, triangle, mount triangle but his opponent was a wizard
himself escaping every single hold. Then with about 20 seconds left
Fowler went from mount to arm bar, he straighten the arm out, then his
opponent raised his hand in preparation to tap but decided not to as
time ran out. Mike won by a staggering landslide of points and ended up
winning his division without a single point scored on him.
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Mike
Catches His Opponent in A Vicious Triangle
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Same
Opponent in a Triangle From the Mount
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After being presented with the Gold medal we asked Mike what he thought
about his opponent he met in the finals. “ He was a very
tough guy, when he forced me to turn out he caught me in a choke. I
couldn’t believe it. He beat me to the transition. He was a
great guy and very nice. I enjoyed talking to him after the event. He
has a great attitude. That was a exciting match.”
"Mike
Easton Continues His Winning Streak"
About six months ago Mike Easton started proving that he’s a
force to be reckoned with in the BJJ Blue Belt divisions. Having
concentrated on NHB fighting most people didn’t even know Lil
Mike fought with the gi. The big day came a month ago at Gustavo
Machado’s Virginia BJJ Federation tournament that Mike had a
break out day winning his blue belt division and winning his very first
Blue belt Open Class Championship. Weighing only 145lbs he was able to
defeat opponents that weigh over 100lbs than himself. After learning
that Fowler was going to Georgia to hopefully face Ryan, Easton wanted
in to try his hand against the best the South East had to offer.
Mike Easton came into the event with his hair bleached blonde and
amazed the crowd with his acrobatic style of BJJ. Easton won his first
match in a war where he was always trying to pass the guard, finish
with the brabo but his opponent from Alliance kept putting him back
into the guard. Mike was able to pass a few times to get the victory.
In round two Easton used Master Rhadi’s pull/knee tap to
perfection. Easton has been working this takedown for the last two
weeks and it paid off. From this point on he performed perfect knee cut
across passes, perfect mounting techniques and flawless technique to
get the victory.
In the finals Mike completely dominated his opponent to get the win.
After winning the blue belt tournament Mike had this to
say…” This was my very first time going out of
town to compete in BJJ. I didn’t know what to expect. Boy was
this fun. It was nice meeting some new grapplers.”
MIKE
WINS THE ADVANCE NO GI
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Mike
Sinks in His Guillotine!!
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Mike
Finishes His Opponent With A Brabo Choke
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Mike
Easton Victorious
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Mike didn’t have anyone in the 145-advance division so he was
put into the 170lb division where he drew none other than Ryan Ellison
in the first round. Giving up 25 lbs to Ryan was a challenge in itself.
At the last minute there was an entry at the 145-weight class for Mike
to fight so he went into his normal division. Mike continued to show
his acrobatic style, passing the guard, mounting, knee on belly and
finally finishing with the Brabo choke. After the match this is what
Mike Had to say, ”I wish there were more people to compete
against in my division but my opponent was a great guy. He was very
tough in the match and never gave up. This is only my second time
entering an advance no gi division, the first time I entered the
advance no gi division I lost to David Jacobs, so I’m happy
that I got the victory. I’m looking forward to more losses
for the learning experience though but the victory feels
good.”
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Mike
Easton Wins Gold!!
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Jose
Villarisco Represents In an Impressive Manner!!
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MR.
JOSE GET DOUBLE SILVERS
Mr. Jose also made the trip and ended up winning the Silver medal in
both the gi and no gi. For those that don’t know Mr. Jose
weighs 124 lbs and always has to fight people at a much higher weight
division. We were hoping that there would be other light guys to
compete against but it wasn’t to be. Mr. Jose ended up
competing in the 142lb division. All in all he did a great job bringing
home two medals.
Team Lloyd Irvin would like to thank Jacare for putting on a great
event and for the hospitality.
GREAT
JOB GUYS!!!
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November
13, 2004: |
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"Team
Lloyd Irvin Lead By Buck Grant Cleans
House At The King of The Ring"
It was a clean sweep for Hybrid Academy of Martial Arts. 4 fighters
from HAMA competed in Muay Thai bouts in Virginia Beach's King of the
Ring. 4 fighters left the ring victorious. Among these fighters were
Richard Hernandez (130 lbs), Stacy Galloway (137), Leslie Flack (115),
and Brett Albee (245).
The first three matches were fought against Extreme Muay thai out of
New York. The result was two unanimous decisions for HAMA (Richa and
Leslie) and a TKO (via Stacy Galloway). Brett Albee fought in a bloody
3 round match that went to a split decision in HAMA's favor. After
suffering form a 2 inch cut above his right eye, Brett proceeded to
fight and turn the tide during three rounds of heavy weight Muay Thai
action.
Everyone at Team Lloyd Irvin is Very proud of you guys and ladies. Keep
up the great work.
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October
23, 2004: |
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Mike Fowler Defeats The Giants
Team
Lloyd Irvin’s 160-170lb Fighter Mike Fowler made the
trip to California for the US. Open to battle with the best the West
Coast had to offer and ended having to face some giants.
When Mr. Mike arrived at the arena he soon learned that there was no
one in his weight division for him to fight. Mr. Mike called Master
Lloyd panicking that he wouldn’t be able to compete at all.
He had tried to move up to the next division but he was told that they
couldn’t switch him because the brackets had been set. Master
Lloyd asked to speak to his friend Claudio Franca who was tournament
promoter. After explaining to Claudio that Mr. Mike had traveled all
the way from the East Coast to support his event Claudio promised that
he would do everything in his power to get Mr. Mike into a regular
division.
Well Claudio was a man of his word and put Mr. Mike into a weight class
two divisions above his own. So Mr. Mike would have to fight against
the big boys. Mr. Mike was able to finish his first opponent and win on
points against his next opponent winning the US Open for the second
year in a row.
CONGRATS
MR. MIKE WAY TO GO!
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October
18th, 2004: |
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Master Lloyd Promotes 3 New Blue Belts
The
time has come for 3 new students to take their place amongst Team
Lloyd Irvin's Blue Belt ranks.
After being an extremely dedicated student Brian O' Connor changed belt
colors last night. It was great to see how Brian has improved over the
years.
Brian
THE
TWO YOUNG GUNS
Kurt and Ryan Hall have completely dominated the white belt ranks. Kurt
has won his last 3 tournaments at the white belt ranks in impressive
fashion while Ryan has won approximately his last 16 matches all by
submission. If my memory serves me correctly neither one of these guys
have been training for over a year and don't forget Kurt is only 18
while Ryan is only 19 years old.
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Kurt
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Ryan
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This all took place during Monday nights Black Belt Club Class, there
were 4 Black Belts in class, a bunch of brown and purple belts
including a huge group of white/blue belts. This had to be one of the
biggest test we had in awhile.
In closing I want to say that all three guys took the long walk like
"True Soldiers" it was very impressive. Boy was it a LONG line.
WAY
TO GO GUYS. Welcome to the ranks of the Blue Belts.
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October
17th, 2004: |
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Lloyd Baldwin is #1
Lightweight Intermediate
We just received this email message.
Dear Master Lloyd, I would like to thank all my teammates from every
school. The support that I have received from MOD gym, the lab guys,
Nashville MMA, Lloyd Irvin Camp Springs, and Evolve @ all the tourneys
this year has been incredible. I have just achieved my goal of becoming
the number 1 grappler in the lightweight intermediate division in the
rated system. Competing all the time is tough but when team Lloyd Irvin
has your back and everyone wants to see you succeed its makes things a
whole lot easier. A team effort makes all the difference. Once again
thank you to everyone for your support.
Sincerely,
Lloyd Baldwin MOD
Richmond VA
Mike
Easton and Lloyd Baldwin
CONGRATS
LLOYD for achieving one of your goals.
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October
16th, 2004: |
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Team
Lloyd Irvin's Competition Team had a busy, exciting weekend.
On Saturday October 16, 2004 Team Lloyd Irvin took a small team to
compete in the annual Va. Beach BJJ Tournament.
BROWN
BELT DIVISION
Starting with the Brown Belt division Team Lloyd Irvin’s Brad
Court
Brought home the gold.
His first match was against Yamasaki student Noah Booth, in a very
tough match Brad won by advantages.
In the second match Brad submitted Gustavo Machado student Johnathen
Wertz
And in the FINALS we saw another Team Lloyd Irvin vs. Yamasaki match up
pitting Brad Court vs. the always tough David Jacobs.
This was a very strategical match with Brad finally securing a triangle
choke on David forcing him to tap.
PURPLE
BELT DIVISION
Mike Fowler had two matches. In the first match up he was able to get
the sweep, pass the guard and finish with a perfect clock choke.
In the second match Mike forced his game on his opponent and once again
finished with a clock choke.
BLUE
BELT DIVISION
Mr. Jose had one match and was able to pull off one of our
“SNEAKY SECRET SUBMISSION” The guy didn’t
know what hit him. Way to go Jose!
Mike Easton after concentrating NHB Fighting finally decided to put the
gi back on and see what he had. We’ll it would be very hard
to tell that Mike hasn’t had the gi on in a long time. He was
working his fast paced and very exciting game. Flipping, twisting,
running around in circles, rolling, and of course as always
“SMILING”.
Mike stole the show for Team Lloyd Irvin as he won his weight division
and won his first ever open division.
Charles KIL won the Bronze but was knocked unconscious due to an
unintentional headbutt
Seth Smith took home the bronze medal.
Big Darren who was just promoted to Blue Belt last week go his first
blue belt win in his first match.
WHITE
BELT DIVISION
In this division Ryan Hall dominated the 161lb weight class by
submitting all 4 of his opponents in under 1 minute. Ryan then entered
the absolute division where he submitted his first opponent and lost in
the semifinals to an opponent who weighed 250lbs.
Jay Young took home the Bronze medal. Jay, who has only been training
for 5 weeks, entered his first competition ever. His first match was
one of the most exciting matches of the day. He was down 14 x 6 with
only 1 min left when he secured the Kimura on his more experienced
opponent. Jay went on to win his next match and lost in the semifinals
to another Team Lloyd Irvin fighter.
Way to go everyone, keep up the good work.
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July 19th, 2004:
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Master Donnie FINALLY gets the PURPLE BELT
Master
Donnie has been
working a LONG time to get to where he is in BJJ.
After winning the first ever Va. Beach Jiu-Jitsu Federation tournament
a
few years ago he took a break from BJJ competition. Making his return
to competition Master Donnie won two divisions at this weekends
tournament. And tonight Master Lloyd passed him to the rank of purple
belt in BJJ. Way to go BIG D.
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July 19th, 2004:
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Master Lloyd Promotes Amy Moses to Purple Belt
After
many years of
practice,
dedication and a very impressive first
place victory at the Copa this past weekend Amy Moses finally changes
belt colors. Just look at her ALL SMILES as usual. CONGRATS AMY. A
very well deserved promotion.
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July 12th, 2004:
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Chad Lebrun Gets The BJJ BROWN BELT!!!
On Saturday July 10, 2004 Master Lloyd
and Master Dalla
Promoted Chad Lebrun to the well deserved Brown Belt.
Master
Dalla tying the new brown
belt
Master
Lloyd and Master Dalla
with their newest Brown Belt who's ALL SMILES
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June 19th, 2004:
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NEWS
FLASH "Mike
Fowler is #1 in the World, Regional, and National RATED Points
Standings"
This weekend's results:
"Mike Fowler SUBMITS Everyone At Wake Forrest"
Mike Fowler does it again!!! He has turned up the heat in his quest to
become a BJJ World Champion. Last week in Tennessee and this weekend in
Wake Forest, North Carolina.
Mike found out about a tournament in NC. Friday night, hopped on a plane
Saturday morning to get some more gi matches in to help him get ready
for the World Championships in Brazil next month.
Mike was able to tap every single person in his weight division and the
Absolute weight class.
Click Here to hear what Mike had to say about his victory.
Click
here
to see Mike Fowlers #1 Ranking
WAY TO GO MIKE!!!!!!
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June 12th, 2004:
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Mike
Fowler
Dominates The Nashville Open Purple Belt Division And Wins The Absolute
Division
This weekend Mike Fowler started his
preparation for the
World Championships traveling to Nashville Tennessee to compete in the
Purple Belt Gi division. As you know Fowler has been on a tear the last
12 months competing in no gi events but now is completely focused on
his gi training.
In his first Gi competition since winning the USA vs. Brazil
Championships Mike was able to win both his weight division and the
Open Weight Class at the Nashville Open sponsored by Gameness and
Grappler Gear.
Mike had a total of four fights winning three matches by submission.
WAY TO GO MIKE.
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May 29th, 2004:
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Team Lloyd Irvin Goes Undefeated At The Combat Sports Challenge.
Scoring a HUGE KNOCK OUT!!!
At
the Combat Sports
Challenge Team Lloyd Irvin had two competitors fighting in Muay Thai
matches this weekend.
One of our matches was a WKA Flyweight Muay Thai Title Fight.
Mike Easton was first up. His original opponent came into the weigh ins
ten pounds over weight. He was told that he would have to lose the ten
pounds and after about thirty minute he decided that he
didn’t want to
lose the weight. So mike was left with | |
