Tag: boxing

Hey guys, big news! We’re going to have a seminar with a UFC fighter! Junior Assuncao (10-4) will be coming into town next week, and he will be doing some teaching.

Junior is from Northeastern Brazil originally, but now lives in the Atlanta area. He is a patriotic fighter: he has black belts in Jiu Jitsu AND capoeira, both native Brazilian martial arts. Unlike most MMA fighters who use May Thai or kickboxing as the base for their fighting style, Junior’s style is based in Capoeira. Capoeira requires a lot of agility, and looks like it would be more appropriate in a dance club than the fighting ring.

Seeing Capoeira in action is reason enough to come down for this seminar. Trust me.

He’s been coaching most of the past decade, so teaching a seminar for us is old hat. Plus, he’s the head instructor for Ascension MMA.

Aside from his mastery of BJJ and capoeira, Junior is skilled in boxing, judo, Muay Thai and wrestling. He definitely took the “mixed” part of mixed martial arts to heart. He’s trained in the world renown Black House in Brazil with the likes of Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida.

The seminar will be Thursday, September 23 at 6 PM. Registration is $20, ALL of which will be donated to the PUMP for PINK 10k being hosted by everyone's favorite fitness gym on the Outer Banks, KnuckleUp. Which, I might add,  Junior will also be competing in. Call or stop by to register. Space is limited, so don’t wait too long!

And make sure you sign up. Remember the last seminar at KnuckleUp and how awesome it was?

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Tags: bjj, boxing, brazilian jiu jitsu, capoeira, Jiu Jitsu, Junior Assuncao, Kickboxing, KnuckleUp, knuckleup fitness, knuckleup obx, outer banks, outer banks fitness

Check out this kid! This is Chance Church, a 9 year-old boxing natural. He fights out of Staunton, VA and was training at the best gym on the Outer Banks this past week!

Almost looks like Matt's about to take one on the chin!

Everyone's favorite kickboxing instructor, Matt Costa, spent some time in the ring with him and says that Church is really talented. When Matt was wearing the pads, Chance knew where to hit without it being called. Matt moved the pad, and Chance hit it.  He also says to stay away from his left. As you can see in the video, Chance is pretty fast!

In 2009, Chance won the East Coast 60 lb. tournament. He also won the VA State 65lb. Silver Gloves Championship the same year. This year, he has already won the State 65 lb. Junior Olympic Championship. At this point he has had 8 fights in four different states. And Chance only turned 9 years old in May! He’s been boxing since he was six!

Hands up, chin down! Nice form!

Chance liked to watch boxing and UFC on TV, and surprised his father, Ronnie, by asking for boxing gloves on his sixth birthday. Ronnie got in touch with the Staunton Boxing Club, and Coach Bruce Frank saw potential in Chance and let him train there. Chance works out four times a week, two hours each time.  He is the youngest at the gym, and has to spar with the older kids and some of the older competitive boxers in the gym.

Chance does all his fighting in the ring, and doesn’t even talk about boxing at school. He gets along with all his classmates and teachers, and is a straight “A” student.

Chance also plays football and basketball, and now after working out at KnuckleUp, is looking to get into Kickboxing and BJJ as well. Good luck finding time for all that!

Chance has an amazing talent and a lot of potential. His dad’s really proud of him, and it’s easy to see why. If Chance keeps this up, there is no doubt you’ll be watching ESPN someday and hear the name Chance Church again!

How many 9 year-olds have six-pack abs?

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Tags: bjj, boxing, brazilian jiu jitsu, Chance Church, Jiu Jitsu, Kickboxing, knuckleup fitness, matt costa, outer banks, outer banks fitness, young boxer

Chef Wes Stepp, KnuckleUp's official Caterer

Chef Wes started out at KnuckleUp as one of Matt Costa's first fitness bootcamp participants - he finished those tough 5 weeks over 25 LBS lighter, and has been coming to classes consistently ever since.

Wes Stepp is the owner of the popular Red Sky Cafe restaurant in Duck, NC. He's been a chef in the Outer Banks for over 25 years, and his cuisine reflects the best of what the beach offers: fresh, succulent, mouth-watering dishes that have become an OBX attraction by itself.

But what most people dont know is that despite running one of the most successful Outer Banks Catering services, Wes always finds time to keep himself in shape - and we're not talking about hours on the treadmill.

Far from it, actually:

wes stepp brazilian jiu jitsu armbar

Chef Wes has been taking almost daily Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes, and according to Leo Saraceni, his sparring partner:

Wes is really tough on the mat - he moves way too quick for such a strong guy, and keep in mind he had no previous grappling experience whatsoever!

When he's not on the mat, Wes is on the ring - his boxing skills have greatly improved under the supervision of Matt Costa. Morrison Butler, KnuckleUp's General Manager, sees a potentially dangerous MMA fighter in Wes.

He's got the strength, the speed, and the intelligence to put everything together in a devastating way.

For now, Wes hasnt shown any competition desires, but we'll see.

One thing is certain, however - Wes' healthy habits reflect on his food, as you can see on this video where he uses fresh Outer Banks seafood to make the most delicious rockfish:

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Tags: bjj, boxing, brazilian jiu jitsu, outer banks, outer banks catering, seafood, wes stepp

Check out this 2 minute video to see how our head instructor Morrison Butler leads the kickboxing session with Stephanie:

This kickboxing session is part of a 1-hour workout that also includes extensive cardio training, muscle-toning and localized exercises.

Overall, it's the most complete fitness training in the Outer Banks, exercising every muscle group in the body, burning a ton of calories, and stimulating the mind with creative punch-kick combinations.

Sign up on the form to the right to get a free week pass, and come experience it for yourself.

You won't go back to a treadmill anytime soon..

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Tags: boxing, burn calories, fitness training, Kickboxing, outer banks, personal training, workout