I am currently a tiny bit crippled with an elbow that hates me and for the first time in many years I find myself not able to grapple, wrestle, punch or generally be a sparring asset for our fighters. Ive been pretty lucky with injuries and this is the first time anything potentially a bit dodgy has raised its nasty head.

So instead of self harming or closing the gyms fire door on my head I decided to throw myself into coach mode in a much bigger way. This got me thinking about what is an mma coach, what qualifies somebody to become an mma coach,  what makes a good one and what are their responsibilities?

What is a mixed martial arts coach?

For me this guy is the problem solver, organiser, policy setter and motivator of the fight team. Hes the guy that tells everyone whats going too happen on any given day of a camp. He  gets the fighters to the appropriate people and organises the appropriate sessions. Hes the guy that remembers to buy albolene in 100ml tubs because you only have hand luggage on the flight. Everything to do with the fighters and fighting is in some way his responsibility. The growing professionalism in the sport means this requires even more work. You need databases with fighters passport numbers, records and addresses, you need to know somewhere to get bloods done , have access to a sauna 24hrs a day and knowing someone who can hook up an IV will make you a fighters best friend.

So we are looking at someone who has mad project management skills and that’s before we even discuss stuff like technical ability in the various ranges of fighting, strength and conditioning knowledge and game planning ability.

I think the best definition is this: Hes the dude the fighters rely on to ensure that all they have to do is  train ridiculously hard and assault a guy in a cage with very few clothes on. It can be a crap tonne of work and If your managing the same fighters its an even bigger ball-ache.

But when they compete you get to bask in the reflected glory and take a bit of pride in the fact that you did your part in helping an individual experience something that very few people have. Totally worth it.

And with the relisation that anything over 600 words will never be read by anyone ill leave it there. Part two will be on its way tomorrow, What qualifies someone as an MMA coach?

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Fighters Hive gym is a purpose built facility. It offers the following:

• Fully padded flooring and walls
• Octagon cage
• Punch bags, mits and speed balls

Classes

• Muay Thai
• MMA
• Boxing
• Female fitness

Photos

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SFC LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE

BOBBY McVITIE (TEAM VIPER) vs. DANNY GRAY (DNFT)
McVitie has the honour of being the first SFC fighter to defend a title against the dangerous Danny “Boomtime” Gray
RESULT: McVitie wins by submission, Round 1 (Guillotine Choke)

SFC WELTERWEIGHT TITLE

SCOTT WARD (D-UNIT, DNFT) vs. STEVIE RAY (EDGE MMA)
Two of Scotland’s top prospects collide for the vacant welterweight title!
RESULT: Ray wins by TKO, Round 3 (Stoppage due to strikes)

HEAVYWEIGHT, PROFESSIONAL

Andy Hillhouse (Griphouse) vs. Rab “Baloo” Truesdale (Hostile Territory)
RESULT: Truesdale wins by TKO, Round 1 (Stoppage due to strikes)

PROFESSIONAL CATCHWEIGHT BOUT

Graham Armstrong (Mataleon) vs. Sofian Boucherf (France)
RESULT: Armstrong wins by TKO, Round 2 (Stoppage due to strikes)

PROFESSIONAL LIGHTWEIGHT BOUT

Adam “Handsome” Stevenson (Hostile Territory) vs. Houari Boukeroucha (Busido Academy, France)
RESULT: Stevenson wins by TKO, Round 1 (Stoppage due to strikes)

PROFESSIONAL CATCHWEIGHT BOUT

James McAllister (Battlefield MMA) vs. Jamie Nolan (Mataleon)
RESULT: Nolan wins by submission, Round 2 (RNC)

The big news of the night was that despite losing his semi-final bout Nico Musoke won the 4-man tournament to become the On Top welterweight champion.

The card started with a bang as Scotland’s only representative in the tournament Stevie Ray took on Northern Ireland’s Mervyn Mullholland. Ray dominated the fight from the outset, knocking Mullholland to the ground at the beginning of each round and busting him up with effective ground and pound throughout the fight. Ray secured his spot in the final of the tournament as he locked in a tight triangle choke and forced his opponent to the tap late in the second round. Despite being overwhelmed in the bout Mullholland landed several significant strikes and opened a cut on Ray’s on the Scotsman’s cheek.

The second semi-final of the tournament saw Ireland’s Cathal Pendred go up against the Swede Nico Musoke. In contrast to the first bout both men were more cautious in their approach and the fight resembled a tactical game of chess as opposed to the all-out bloody war. Both men showed their abilities on the ground but it was Pendred that secured the most takedowns and top positions and merited the judges’ decision. Despite neither fighter seemingly taking any significant damage the winner Pendred was forced to pull out of the tournament due to a hamstring injury.

Therefore the final of the tournament was to be battled out by Stevie Ray and Nico Musoke. From the outset the Swede pushed the pace and secured takedowns and dominated from the top position. Ray’s face was covered in blood as Nico took advantage of the damage Mullholland started in the first fight. To take the title Nico worked to take Ray’s back and lock in a rear naked choke in the closing seconds of the first round.

Elsewhere in the card former two time Sambo world champion and top ten European featherweight Sergei Grecicho took on BJJ black belt Marcos Nardini. In round one Nardini’s single leg takedown and top control was too much for the Lithuanian. However in the second and third rounds Grecicho continually sprawled on the takedown attempt and made Nardini pay with brutal ground and pound. Nardini’s heart shone through as he refused to give up and managed to survive until the final bell. Grecicho won the judge’s decision however in the eyes of the crowd both men showed emerged as winners.

Graham Armstrong was looking to extend his unbeaten run to 4 when he took on Claes Beverlov in a lightweight bout. Armstrong scored an early takedown as Beverlov looked for a spinning back fist. Composed on the ground the Swede locked in a triangle choke and forced Armstrong to tap at 1:31 of round 1.

In the bantamweight division Welshman Greg Knapp faced Rob McCrum. Coming back from a long layoff due to injury McCrum was fully focused on taking the scalp of his opponent who is ranked within the top 10 bantamweights in Britain. McCrum controlled the first round by pushing Knapp against the cage and scoring takedowns. The second round was equally as scrappy with most of the action taking place in the clinch and some accidental low blows slowed the action down. Knapp attacked with vicious knees to the body from the clinch which dropped McCrum and forced the referee to step in. Knapp won via TKO at 2:29 of round 2.

One of the rising stars in Scottish MMA Sean Wright took on Richard Edwards. Like in all of his fights to date Wright, a former Muay Thai British and international champion dominated the fight on the feet and landed some brutal shots from the clinch. Wright claimed knockout of the night prize as he landed a devastating knee from the clinch with just over 1 minute gone in round 1. Going 3-0 and finishing all of his fights in the first round Sean Wright is quickly climbing the ladder in the lightweight division.

Martin Delaney also went 3-0 as he beat Warren Mitchell half way through round one. Delaney didn’t waste any time as he scored a takedown and attacked with brutal ground and pound to force the referee to step in at 2:36 of round 1. In the flyweight division, the fans favorite Brian Hyslop faced a tough challenge from Barry McGuigan. It was full steam ahead from the outset and Hyslop was pushing the pace, being the quicker man on the feet before scoring a takedown and landing punches and elbows from top position. The second round was much like the first as Hyslop dropped his opponent with a hook before raining down punched from top position. When the opportunity arose Hyslop took his opponents back and finished the fight with a rear naked choke halfway through round 2.

In the only middleweight match up on the card Alan Johnston took on Alex Montagnani. Johnston looked the much more dangerous fighter when standing landing the more significant strikes in particular several strong leg kicks which forced Montagnani to limp back to his corner at the end of the rounds. Despite not landing much from his feet Montagnani showed superior grappling and forced the fight to the cage and to the ground where he controlled the fight for long spells. The judge’s ruled that the fight was a draw, a result that neither fighter seemed happy with.

In the heavyweight division Andy Hillhouse took on John ‘Slugger’ McGurk. Before the fight ‘slugger’ predicted a quick ground and pound finish and he backed up to his word. Scoring a takedown early round Mcgurk landed strikes and worked his way into back mount before the referee had seen enough and called the bout to at 3:26 of the first round.

At a catchweight of 74kgs season 13 of the Ultimate Fighter participant Michael Bowman took on a powerful wrestler in Keiran Malone. Bowman looked strong using his sprawl and brawl style to stuff Malone’s takedowns and hurt him with strikes. Nearing the end of round 1 Malone did get the fight to the ground where he landed some strikes and finished in top position at the end of round one. The second round looked similar to the first and Bowman managed to lock in a guillotine choke with just less than one minute gone in round 2.

Darren Gray put on a great performance against Ryan Quinn in the bantamweight division. It was a high energy exciting fight but Gray came out on top. By securing several takedowns and landing strikes from top position. Gray won the fight via unanimous decision.

Mark Platts vs. Darren Gilchrist unfortunately ended in a controversial manner. Platts quickly took the fight to the ground and started to land some heavy ground and pound. Although Gilchrist was protecting his face the referee stepped in to stop the fight at 1:02 of round 1.

On Top 2 bonuses

Fight of the night: Ray v Mulholland

Knockout of the night: Sean Wright (Knee)

Submission of the night: Claes Beverlov triangle choke

Entrance of the night: Brian Hyslop

Volcano MMA gym is a purpose built facility. It offers the following:

• Fully matted floor
• Punchbags
• Professional ring timer

Classes

Owner and head instructor Amro Boray runs classes for:

• MMA
• Brazillian Jiu Jitsu
• Wrestling
• Judo

The Griphouse MMA Gym in Glasgow offers varied training facilities and sports with no joining fee on a pay-as-you go basis. For regular attendees, there are discounted monthly or annual schemes available – just ask!

Founded towards the end of 2005, the Griphouse offers a training venue for all; especially martial artists and combat sports enthusiasts. Any groups looking for training space should contact Griphouse staff to discuss schedule.

Why Train With Us?

We’re home to Scotland’s 2 premier fight teams – the Dinky Ninja Fight Team and Caledonian Muay Thai
Our instructors all have a grounding in the competitive side of their sports allied to their commitment to sports science development
Training at the Griphouse means you’ll be learning alongside Scottish, European and World Champions.

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