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NAAFS "Full Contact Kickboxing 3" April 26, 2008 Euclid, Ohio Euclid Sports Plant While Team GriffonRawl has made a name for itself in the MMA world, Dan Rawling originally started the academy as a Muay Thai studio. On April 26, 2008, four memebers of GriffonRawl showcased the team's roots at the third edition of NAAFS Full Contact Kickboxing. What follows is a recap of GriffonRawl warriors Adam Sadny (170lbs), Aaron Veverka (155lbs), Anton Jackson (265lbs), and Mark Fredebaugh (155lbs). Mark Fredebaugh was first up for the team taking on Eric Rex of Jungle Fight Team. Eric took the action to Mark early and throughout round one, with Mark showing good counter attacks and excellent defenses. Mark weathered the initial storm, closed the distance to clinch... [More]

Wreckroom Fight Series "Mansfield Mayhem 5" March 22, 2008 Mansfield, Ohio Richland County Fairgrounds On March 22, 2008, Wreckroom Athletics held it’s fifth installment of “Mansfield Mayhem” in Mansfield, Ohio. Three GriffonRawl warriors entered the cage this night. For the second fight in a row, Kevin Doyle was unable to compete due to an opponent backing out. Look for Kevin to be in action in the very near future. What follows is a recap of Paul Keeney (135lbs), AJ Carl (155lbs) and Brian McCroskey (170lbs). Paul Keeney had the daunting task of making his MMA debut and being the first fight of the night, taking on Jullian Blanchard at 135lbs. Round one went well for Paul as he and Jullian traded heavy blows for the... [More]

NAAFS "Midwest Combat Challenge 4" March 15, 2008 Akron, Ohio Chapparell's Community Center The NAAFS treated MMA fans to an exciting night of action on Saturday night at the sold out Chapparell's Community Center in Akron, Ohio. Team GriffonRawl sent three veterans into action and what follows is a recap of each team member. Tom Lutz was pitted against Mark Strickland of Kombat MMA at 205lbs for his NAAFS debut. Tom looked excellent on his feet to start the first round, landing two beautiful combinations before Mark shot in for a takedown. Two times, Tom had Mark in a triangle choke but Mark was able to escape and moved to the mount position where he unleashed a wicked ground and pound attack. Tom escaped a... [More]

Tim Payne Promotions "Caged Combat III" February 23, 2008 Highland Heights, Ohio Team Energenics Training Facility Tim Payne held his third promotion of "Caged Combat" on Saturday night with another packed house in attendance. Team GriffonRawl, a go-to camp for Tim, was set to send nine men into action until Kevin Doyle and Reggie Parks' opponents cancelled thier bouts. What follows is a recap of the seven team members who represented Team GriffonRawl. First up was Miguel Defina against an experienced Luke Wilder. Miguel quickly took the fight to the ground where he looked impressive. Miguel moved from side position to full mount and unleashed a few solid strikes before Luke spun to escape. But Miguel was lying in wait and spread out his opponent... [More]

IFBL "Fight Night 11" February 23, 2008 Niles, Ohio 5x5 Training Facility While the team had a large number of fighters in Highland Heights, GriffonRawl was represented by three men at IFBL Fight Night 11. Donny Walker, Brennen Sanders and Dominic McGhee each represented the team. What follows is a recap of the three men who represented Team GriffonRawl. Dominic "The Ironman" McGhee took on Michael Cardona at 155lbs. Dominic looked excellent in all areas and lived up to the name "Ironman" showing fantastic cardio in a fast paced match. The action went back and forth and Dominic appeared confident he'd won the decision after three intense rounds. However, the judges saw differently and scored a unanimous decision in favor of Cardona. Brennen Sanders... [More]

Sonny Marchette Wrestling Seminar February 17, 2008 Mentor, Ohio GriffonRawl MMA Academy On Sunday afternoon, Sonny and John Marchette treated Team GriffonRawl to a three hour wrestling seminar. Sonny is a two-time State and national wrestling champion and spent years at the Olympic Training Facility before coming back home to Ohio where he spent time as a coach and currently competes at the professional level in MMA. The seminar included extensive and detailed instruction on several takedowns to dominate position, positioning on the ground, reversals and takedown defense. The seminar covered the above positions for both pure grappling and full contact MMA and covered work in open areas as well as against the cage wall. All told it was an extensive seminar and everyone learned a great... [More]

Junior Adult Boxing Program starts at GR February 4, 2008 Mentor, Ohio GriffonRawl MMA Academy On Monday, February 4, 2008, GriffonRawl held its first class with the inagural "Junior Adult Boxing" program. Classes are geared towards the younger athlete not quite ready for adult competition. Beginners and those with experience are welcomed to attend. The minimum age to attend is eight years old. This is just another example of the ever expanding GriffonRawl academy. Classes will be held Monday's and Wednesday's from 7:30-8:30pm and Saturday's from 10:00-11:00am. Joe Lapaglia brings a wealth of experience to lead these classes. Having competed in Golden Gloves Boxing and numerous kickboxing tournaments, combined with coaching the Ledgemont Boxing Club and being a high-school teacher, Joe is an ideal instructor for the... [More]

Team Training Day at GR Academy January 27, 2008 Mentor, Ohio GriffonRawl MMA Academy A team challenge? Well, not quite… On Sunday, January 27, 2008 Team Griffon-Rawl hosted an open gym with members of Team DNA, Wreckroom Athletics and Team Playland in attendance. The day started a little awkward with guys stretching and keeping to their roots until a few started rolling. The purpose of the day quickly took hold as fighters from different teams partnered with each other for free rolling and frequently changed partners. Egos were checked at the door and everyone grappled hard but with control. Eventually fighters turned their attention to the boxing ring for Muay Thai sparring rounds and finally to the cage for controlled MMA sparring. It was... [More]

NAAFS "Northcoast Showdown II" January 19, 2008 Euclid, Ohio Euclid Sports Plant On Saturday, January 19, 2008 the NAAFS kicked off its 2008 promotion in Euclid, Ohio at the Euclid Sports Plant. Although the weather outside was snowy and the temperature well below freezing, inside the arena the action was hot and heavy from start to finish. Team Griffon-Rawl sent five veterans into action on Saturday. What follows is a recap of Griffon-Rawl participants. Jim Payne (2-0) led off the Griffon-Rawl charge, taking on a tough and well-rounded Mickey Hughes (2-1) from Team Bloody Buddy. After a brief exchange of hands, the two tied up with each looking for a takedown. Jim went in, but Mickey was able to reverse and land a... [More]

SCF "Playing for Keeps" January 11, 2008 Elyria, Ohio St. John Lutheran Gymnasium On Friday, January 11, 2008 Superior Cage Fighting Promotions invaded Elyria, Ohio. Dave Osborne and Miles King were the two Griffon-Rawl warrior set to represent the team. Dave Osborne brought a heavy heart to the arena, yet was set and ready to go only to find out his opponent pulled a no-show when it came time to answer the bell, giving Dave a "walk through" victory. The Griffon-Rawl family sends their love and sympathy to Dave on the loss of his father. Miles King made his MMA debut at 205lbs taking on a very strong and intimidating Miguel Calderon. When the bell rang, Miles looked like a seasoned veteran stalking his opponent throughout... [More]

IFBL "Fight Nite 10" December 15, 2007 Niles, Ohio Eastwood Expo Center The IFBL held their tenth event on December 15, 2007 in Niles, OH. Team Griffon-Rawl sent amatuer's William Jackson and Dan Polewchak to make their debut's and Nick Killian and Tom Lutz into their second contest. Team owner Jason Dent was pitted against the current IFBL world lightweight champion, Harris Sarmiento. What follows is a recap of Griffon-Rawl participants. Dan Polewchak started the night off with a very hard fought three round fight. Dan looked good in his debut showing nice skills on the ground. The fight went back and forth but when all was said and done, Mike Bothwell received a unanimous decision. William Jackson got his first taste... [More]

NAAFS "Night of Champions" December 1, 2007 Warren, Ohio Packard Music Hall Packard Music Hall in Warren, Ohio was the site of NAAFS action on December 1, 2007. The night was highlighted by six amateur title fights pitting the #1 vs. #2 ranked fighters in all but one weight class. Technically of Team Warfare, Paul “Str8Outta” Compton, supplemented his training at Griffon-Rawl in preparation for the 155lb Lightweight title fight vs. Kevin Rothacker of Strong Style Fight Team. Team captain Jason Dent cornered Paul for this contest. An accomplished wrestler by trade, #1 ranked Compton showed he wanted to keep the fight standing and let his hands fly early and often. Throughout the entire three rounds, Paul prevented #2 ranked Rothacker’s takedown’s with... [More]

Tim Payne Promotions: "Caged Combat II" November 10, 2007 Highland Heights, Ohio Team Energenics Conditioning Center Caged Combat II was held November 10, 2007 at the Team Energenics training facility in Highland Heights, Ohio. Team Griffon-Rawl was well represented, placing fighters in six of the ten match-ups. Jim Payne, Miguel Defina, AJ Carl and John Strmac returned to the cage, while Brian McCrosky and Nick Killian made their debuts. Brian McCrosky made his debut at 170lbs versus Steve Ganzorn. Brian was ready to go, but early in the first round Steve was able to land a hard right to the jaw that sent Brian to the canvass. Although Brian appeared to be gathering himself, the referee immediately jumped in and called a stop to... [More]

NAAFS "Caged Fury 3" November 3, 2007 Cleveland, Ohio Masonic Temple GriffonRawl professionals Jason “Dynamite” Dent and Donny “Eagle Eye” Walker were the two members representing the team at the Masonic Temple on November 3, 2007. Donny came out with creative fan-fare to face the Cleveland wrestling legend Sonny Marchette (Independent) in a Pro Lightweight Contender’s bout. Sonny showed why he’s an Olympic-level wrestler taking Donny down with ease to start the opening five minutes. Sonny was able to keep dominate control, moving to side position and unleashing a wicked ground and pound throughout the first round. Donny’s experience, heart and toughness were evident as he routinely recovered to full guard position, and defended well. But Sonny kept the relentless attack coming, cutting Donny... [More]

Yankee Brawl Boxing & MMA October 26, 2007 Brooksville, Ohio Fresh off Suzi Manning's win earlier in the month, Team Griffon-Rawl's boxing program was again in action on October 26, 2007 in Brooksville, OH. This time it was Annie Dudas making her debut against Monique Mullent (Pound 4 Pound Boxing). Monique was looking for revenge against Team Griffon-Rawl but found the result the same. Annie played a smart game, staying mainly outside to take advantage of her reach. Her technique was crisp and little motion was wasted. The game plan never waivered throughout the three exciting rounds as Annie routinely threw her jab and cross, then quickly circled away from Monique's power hand. "Stick and move" was the theme of the night. ... [More]

West Side Boxing Club "Friday Nite Fights" October 5, 2007 Cleveland, Ohio The boxing program headed by Ken Curtis made it’s debut under the Griffon-Rawl name with Suzi Manning carrying the flag for the team on October 5, 2007. Suzi was not only was making her debut and was the second last fight of the night, but had the added pressure of fighting for the newly created Women’s Middleweight crown vs. Monique Mullent (Pound 4 Pound Boxing). Monique came out strong looking to land heavy shots right off the bat. She pressed forward and appeared ready to go. Suzi’s technique proved impressive. As she slipped, bobbed and weaved, and circled away from Monique's power hand, she landed solid combinations of her own. Suzi showed nice skills in... [More]

Xtreme Combat Cage Fighting "The Revenge" September 29, 2007 Monterrey, Mexico Donny Walker and Jason Dent travelled south of the border on September 29, 2007 to represent Team Griffon-Rawl at Xtreme Combat Cage Fighting in Monterrey, Mexico. Both Jason and Donny both faced Mexican fighters on their home turf. What follows is a brief recap of the matches. Donny Walker fought at 150lbs against Yaotzin Meza and for two rounds it was an all out war with each getting the better of the other and then the tides would turn again. Early in the third round, Donny was in trouble but used his experience to keep calm and defended. In a somewhat controversial decision, the referee called a stop to the contest giving Meza a... [More]

Next Level vs. NAAFS September 15th 2007 Steubenville, Ohio St. John's Arena This trip was a little bit of a haul for us but it would not be GriffonRawl's first time heading down to Steubenville for a Next Level show. The last time we were down here Mike Russo defeated Chase Jolley & Jason Dent brought us home a Championship Belt by defeating Nick Spencer. Also on the card with Mike and Jason was UFC star Brandon Vera. This time around it would be GriffonRawl's own Nick Goldiezen who has been on a roll racking in 4 W's and 0 losses prior to this to give him the oportunity to face number one ranked NAAFS fighter Kellen Hughes. When all was said and done it just... [More]

IFBL "Fight Night 9" September 15th 2007 Niles, Ohio Eastwood Expo Center Back to the IFBL for another night of action we went. There is one thing that would make this trip extremely special. Whats so special you ask well hold on I will tell you. Breanne Vickers of GriffonRawl was set to take part in the IFBL's first ever female MMA match. If that wasn't cool enough she was also GriffonRawl's first ever female MMA fighter to compete as well. Long story short Breanne won here fight but it was not easy as she had to spend three long hard rounds in there en route to a split decision victory. Also on this night three other guys represented GriffonRawl and there names are as follows Tony Wolf,... [More]

Tim Payne's "Criminal Combat 1" August 25th 2007 Highland Heights, Ohio Team Energenics Conditioning Center Nick Goldizen, Miguel Defina, Tom Lutz, Jim Payne and John Strmac represented GriffonRawl at the first promotion of “Criminal Combat”. Held in the field house of Team Energenics, there were a total of eight amateur fights. What follows is a recap of each GriffonRawl fighter. John Strmac led the night off for GriffonRawl versus Rob Newton of Team DNA. John’s standup looked better than previous fights, where he landed a nice front kick and good hand combinations. Much of round one was fought on the ground with John attempting a guillotine and a triangle choke from the bottom as the round expired. Round two went quickly to the ground... [More]