Fight Clubs Flourishing

Fight clubs flourishing:
Teenagers engaging in mixed martial arts

By ALEJANDRA MOLINA AND VALERIA GODINES
The Orange County Register

The two teen boys step into the cage in the Mission Viejo backyard. Dozens of others, waiting their turn to fight, cheer them on. They kick each other, get each other in chokeholds and finally the boy pinned to the ground taps the map to concede defeat.

They're practicing mixed martial arts, a sport that once was underground but has now become mainstream with reality television shows and high-priced fights in California and Las Vegas.

But teenagers are taking the sport back underground by fighting in their backyards, garages and parks at midnight, say law enforcement authorities who work with the youngsters. And they're getting injured. Last year, according to one Orange County Sheriff's deputy, a boy was taken to the hospital with a head injury.

Mixed martial arts blends striking, kicking, punching, Jiu-Jitsu and other forms of martial arts. The fighting is often done in a cage. Its defenders say it is a serious, disciplined sport that should be done under proper supervision.

"We don't try to hurt each other… it's nothing too serious," says Mike Diaz, a Tesoro High School graduate who practices on Friday nights.

Mike's father, Wayne Diaz, is aware of the intense backyard brawls but says his son and his friends practice mixed martial arts in his backyard without hurting each other.

"They're just goofing around… I don't think they're that serious. They don't do full on beating each other up or set up fights," Wayne said.

Seventeen-year-old Myles Rowe does his fighting in a cage in the backyard of his friend's house in Mission Viejo.

"We do it just to be messing around," Rowe, a Silverado High School student, said.
"It's like a test to see what you have. It's about pride. We're all friends, so we keep it under control."


But some law enforcement authorities are worried it's getting out of hand.


"It's a growing trend," said Orange County Sheriff's Deputy Lance Christensen, a school resource officer for unincorporated south Orange County areas. "It's become mainstream in the last year and the kids have just embraced it. It's one of the newest trends that's taken off."

Fight clubs aren't only a problem in Orange County. A search in MySpace will lead you to fight club groups all over the United States where MMA enthusiasts can talk about the sport and arrange local fight club gatherings. You Tube, a popular free video sharing website, features various clips of underground brawls.

A teen at risk forum is in the works for Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel and Aliso Viejo. Christensen plans to go to educate parents about the dangers of the fighting. A date hasn't been set. Parents are usually shocked when they hear about the trend.

The California State Athletic Commission, which oversees professional boxing and martial arts, approved mixed martial arts in December 2005. The sport has become popular through The Ultimate Fighter, a reality television show.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship, the most popular MMA organization in North America, held its first event in California last year in Anaheim.
Students are drawn to the sport.

"They look up to these guys," said Christensen, who educates several students a week about the potential dangers of the sport.

Within the last year, he came across one fight involving 100 spectators at an area park.
World Extreme Cagefighting lightweight champion "Razor" Rob McCullough of Huntington Beach, a former homeless youth who said he found his salvation in mixed martial arts, said he had not heard of the trend of kids fighting in backyards but said it could be dangerous without supervision and training.

"I definitely would not approve of that," he said. "Besides being illegal, it is very unsafe. I come from a disciplined type of art."

His HB Ultimate Training Center, which offers MMA classes, has been around seven years. He says that the trend of mixed martial arts has taken off.

"It's like a little kindling and somebody has dumped a ton of gasoline on it," he said.
He estimates that five years ago there were four MMA gyms in Orange County. Now there are around 15. At No Limits Mixed Martial Arts and Fitness gym in Irvine, membership has jumped from 300 last year to 900 this year.

Nineteen-year-old Jeff Shulze from Rancho Santa Margarita said that he and his friends do it for discipline and to learn how to handle their body better, but does acknowledge the trend of fight clubs.

"Fight clubs are a big thing for kids that are in high school… boys are either out drinking or fighting."

LeAna Bui, a Tesoro High School PTA member has a 17-year-old daughter who attends Tesoro and says she has heard of midnight gatherings at parks related to fight clubs.

"If my child was involved, I'd be concerned," Bui said.

Jan Carroll, assistant principal at Mission Viejo High School, said in December she was surprised when she saw a video of kids fighting in a Mission Viejo backyard. There were about 25 kids in the video.

"I was surprised to see the group of students because it's not the kids you'd think ... it was kids with high IQs and high GPAs and honors kids are doing this, and it's not just one venue of students," said Carroll, who added that fights have never happened on campus.

Jim Miyashiro with Santa Ana Unified School District said ultimate fighting didn't appear to be a problem in his school district. He speculates that the sport, which is expensive with ringside seats costing $1,000, are out of reach for many of the poorer students in his district. Boxing is the fighting sport of choice for his school district, he said.

Trained athletes who offer classes in mixed martial arts defend the sport and say it is a healthy outlet for teenagers and a way for them to learn to defend themselves.

"This is the new x-game of this generation and it's a lot safer than people think," said Bryon Schnell, 34, owner and operator of No Limits Mixed Martial Arts and Fitness in San Clemente.
"MMA is a good outlet for kids ... under the proper supervision. You have kids who have learned how to defend themselves in a very positive environment."

Twelve-year-old Skyler Bennis trains at No Limits Gym in San Clemente and says it is a good outlet for her.

"I got into it because I was looking for a way to be competitive and to maintain myself. This place is really good to help people stop fights in the streets."
For James Licavoli, a San Clemente High senior, kickboxing training at No Limits has helped him stay out of trouble.

This is self defense," Licavoli said. "I compete in a ring, not in some fight club on the street."