Tag: fight to the finish

Gina Elko, halfway through heavy training, still smiling. What an athlete!

The relationship between KnuckleUp Fitness and AFL MMA (Amateur Fight League) has created a new MMA talent: Gina Elko.

At age 43, Gina is the Captain of the Nags Head Fire Department, and she runs a successful landscaping company in the outer banks. At first, her decision to jump on the ring may come as a surprise to most people, but Gina's always been an aggressive athlete, no matter the sport.

She is a national competitor at the Firefighter Games, which by itself requires amazing conditioning, but Gina has taken it even further ever since she joined our Kitty Hawk Gym:

She currently holds a 1-0 record from a Tough Man competition, and had her first amateur boxing match last year, against fellow firefighter Donna Black. She won, by the way.

But her very first MMA fight is coming up Sept 26th, and Gina's highly committed to her training. She's been taking jiu jitsu lessons for the first time ever - and man, is she a natural! Her mma training includes being tackled by our instructor Sal Rullan (190lbs) while fighting to keep him on her guard. It also includes pounding head instructor Morrison Butler from inside his guard while maintaining posture - a tough challenge against a pro fighter.

Check out a highlight video of her training yesterday, Tuesday:

Here are some details for Fight To The Finish VII:

• When: Sept 26th
• Where: Elizabeth City National Guard center
• What Time: 6pm
• Tickets available at the Fitness Warehouse locations in Chesapeake or Suffolk

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Tags: elizabeth city, fight to the finish, gina elko, knuckleup mma, mma training program, mma training videos

KnuckleUp was the main sponsor for Fight To The Finish VI

At 6:30pm, there were 100+ people in line trying to get in; the entire east section of the Outer Banks Mall parking lot was taken, forcing people to use the Outer Banks Hospital's parking lot; 5 police cars and 1 ambulance completed the highly unusual scenario.

If it seems like I'm describing Michael Jackson's funeral is because like me, you've never seem anything of such proportions in the Outer Banks. The AFL MMA Fight To The Finish VI was off to a great start.

The conservative 500 people limit imposed by the Nags Head Fire Marshal was reached 20 minutes after the doors were open, sending well over 150 people away, and it made a lot of people regret not buying a ticket earlier.

Inside, it was clear that the AFL had a really rough spot to work with: SeaMark left the building completely stripped, and there wouldnt be any sign of Air Conditioning. On the bright side, absolutely no smoking was allowed, the music was rocking right from the start, and the entire fight structure resembled nothing amateur-like.

The UFC-style cage (the octagon ring) left no doubt in regards to the seriousness of the event. Set right in the center of the building, with VIP tables circling it, the stage was set for a kick-arse fight night.

KnuckleUp and Genesis Tattoo were installed right past the entrance, and the Hooters girls were hard at work to keep everybody's thirst quenched.

Soon after 7pm, not late at all for fight event standards, the ringmaster called the first fighters; with 500 people to please (many MMA-virgins), the pressure was on AFL's fight card to deliver on all the hype it had created. (Actually, all the hype that KNUCKLEUP created... )

And they sure did. Props to Donnie Markham, owner of AFL MMA and The Fitness Warehouse gyms, and Donnie Tinsley, who matched the fighters. There was only one No-Show (Billy Frezza's opponent), and almost all of the fights were well-leveled.

Bottomline is, the night was a MAJOR hit - It is without a small shadow of doubt that I say everybody was blown away by the professional set up, excellent infra-structure (with the A/C exception), and awesome fight SPECTACLE.

Now, for the fights... Here are some:

It's so much to talk about that we're going to save it for another post!

For now, you can watch more video on our YouTube Channel:

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Tags: afl mma, cage fight, fight night, fight to the finish, MMA, outer banks, submission

Billy Frezza Will Be Debuting In The First MMA Cage Fight In The Outer Banks

KnuckleUp's own Billy Frezza will make his debut during the first ever MMA Cage Fights in the Outer Banks, to take place July 18th, at the old SeaMark Store in Nags Head.

The Outer Banks club is proud to support Billy and he's been receiving a well-rounded training, worth of a large amateur show.

Billy has been training with all of our highly-qualified instructors, each teaching him their specific areas of expertise, ranging from cardio training to jiu jitsu submissions.

I had the honor to help him with his submission training, and I was flabbergasted by his agility, speed, and technique. Given the approximate 70lbs difference between us, Billy's ground game is effective and sharp.

A very dedicated fighter, he's commited to the training, respects his intructors, and spends an unsurmountable amount of time at the gym. If Morrison had not told me this was his first fight, I'd have taken him for a skilled veteran.

During his debut in the Fight To The Finish VI bouts, Billy plans for a stand-up fight, and according to Morrison, "He's a heck of a puncher".  Over the past month, Billy has improved every aspect of his game, and all of his instructors are impressed with how much he's been able to master in such short notice.

KnuckleUp Wants You There!

KnuckleUp is the main sponsor for the event, and we're counting on you to make Billy's fight, and the entire event, a MAJOR success.  Be sure to schedule your nights off!

The fights start at 7:00pm on Saturday, July 18th.  Tickets are on sale online at www.aflmma.com, but you can get TWO FREE TICKETS when you sign up here

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Tags: billy frezza, cage fight, fight night, fight to the finish, knuckleup obx, mma outer banks