On Febuary 27 2010, Daniel Lara entered his first Martial Arts competetion at the NAGA Nationals grappling competetion. Competetion was fierce in Riverdale, Georgia with more registered participants than in any past year. Daniel pulled out a second place finish within the Novice Feather Weight Division after competing against five solid participants. Congradulation to Daniel and all competetors in attendance. See you in July at Charles Drew High School.
Zackery Donald Banks, 19, of Newnan, died Jan. 11, 2010. He was a member of the senior class of 2010 at Northgate High School where he was very active in the Air Force ROTC program with plans to join the Marines following graduation. He was also an up and coming mixed martial artist with MOAB Fight Concepts in Newnan Georgia. Zack is survived by his father, Jeffery Banks, of Newnan; mother Annetta Banks Cooper and step-father Thomas Cooper of Hampton; sister Chasity Banks of Newnan; grandparents Delores Banks of Newnan and Melvin and Donnetta Salster of Lincoln, Al; aunts and uncles Jack and Kelly Banks of Sharpsburg, Bonnie and Ronnie Hilton of Gainesville, Susan and Paul Farmer of Columbiana, Al, Donna Wilson of Lincoln, Al, and Melba Lindsey of Lincoln, Al; and numerous cousins. Zack with be missed yet never forgotten.
Fighter Tim “MOAB” Stout has opened Moab Fighting Concepts, in Newnan Georgia. MFC is a training facility with over 2200 sq. feet of training space. For more information contact the school by calling: 423-291-9161 or click the links at the top or bottom of this section.
"As stated in Wikipedia, “Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full contact combat sport that allows a wide variety of fighting techniques, from a mixture of martial arts traditions and non-traditions, to be used in competitions. The rules allow the use of striking and grappling techniques, both while standing and on the ground. Such competitions allow martial artists of different backgrounds to compete.The roots of mixed martial arts can be traced back to various mixed style contests that took place throughout Europe, Japan, and the Pacific Rim during the early 1900s. Modern MMA competition emerged in 1993 with the founding of the Ultimate Fighting Championships, although professional MMA events had been held in Japan by Shooto starting back in 1989. Originally organized with the intention of finding the most effective martial arts for real unarmed combat situations, competitors were pitted against one another with minimal rules for safety. Later promoters adopted many additional rules aimed at increasing safety for competitors and to promote mainstream acceptance of the sport. The name mixed martial arts was coined by one of the developers of these rules, Jeff Blatnick, a former Greco-Roman wrestler and Olympic gold medalist. Following these changes, the sport has seen increased popularity with pay per view reach rivaling boxing and professional wrestling.”
“As a result of an increased number of competitors, organized training camps, information sharing, and modern kinesiology, the understanding of the combat-effectiveness of various strategies has been greatly improved. UFC commentator Joe Rogan has claimed that martial arts have evolved more in the ten years following 1993 than in the preceding 700 years. The early years of the sport saw a wide variety of traditional styles - everything from sumo to kickboxing - but the continual evolution of the sport saw many styles prove ineffective, while others proved successful on their own.”
“In the early 1990s, three styles stood out for their effectiveness in competition: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, amateur wrestling and submission wrestling. This may be attributable in part to the grappling emphasis of the aforementioned styles, which were, perhaps due to the scarcity of mixed martial arts competitions prior to the early 90s, unknown to most practitioners of striking-based arts. Fighters who combined amateur wrestling with striking techniques found success in the standing portion of a fight, whilst Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu stylists had a distinct advantage on the ground: those unfamiliar with submission grappling proved to be unprepared to deal with its submission techniques. Shoot wrestling practitioners offered a balance of amateur wrestling ability and catch wrestling-based submissions, resulting in a well-rounded skillset. The shoot wrestlers were especially successful in Japan. As competitions became more and more common, those with a base in striking became more competitive as they acquainted themselves with takedowns and submission holds, leading to notable upsets against the then dominant grapplers. Subsequently, those from the varying grappling styles added striking techniques to their arsenal. This overall development of increased cross training resulted in the fighters becoming increasingly multi-dimensional and well-rounded in their skills.”