Asylum Fight League (AFL), the premier amateur MMA promotion on the East Coast, is quickly gaining fans and a growing reputation in the MMA world with each event. The promotion’s success is largely credited to martial arts school owner turned promoter Carl Mascarenhas.

AFL Fight Action

Following New Jersey’s decision to sanction MMA competition, Mascarenhas opened his first promotional company named New Breed Fighters. In 2008, Mascarenhas had a falling out with his business partner in New Breed and decided to go in a new direction with his promotional efforts, thus spawning Asylum Fight League.

Asylum Fight League was established as a promotion “created by fighters, for fighters.” Mascarenhas is the president and promoter of AFL, as well as a retired MMA fighter and former World Champion Kickboxer. He participated in three World Cups with the U.S. World Association of Kickboxing Organizations (WAKO) team, winning gold in 1995.

Mascarenhas created AFL as a training ground for amateur fighters of the Northeast region to build their records and gain recognition as potential professional-level athletes while getting the respect and understanding of businessmen who have been in their shoes.

AFL has promoted events since April of 2008 and has gained considerable popularity, routinely drawing sell-out crowds in major venues, such as the Trump Marina Casino. AFL promotes events in the New Jersey and Philadelphia areas. Of the promotion’s last six fights, three were held in Atlantic City along with the last event, which took place at the Trump Mariana on Feb. 27.

Carl Mascarenhas

The legalization of MMA competition in Pennsylvania, which took effect on Feb. 27, 2009, proved extremely favorable for AFL in exposure, recruitment of fighters, buildup of fan base, and expansion of venues and sponsorship. AFL held its first event in Pa. on Oct. 17, 2009 at The Arena in Philadelphia. Its next event, Asylum Fight League XXVII, will take place at The Legendary Blue Horizon in Philadelphia on Sat, Mar. 13 at 7 p.m.

In addition to putting on displays of MMA competition to an audience at venues, the AFL also provides a live online stream of its events at www.asylumfightleague.com or gofightlive.tv.

AFL has been very effective in marketing itself to sponsors and advertisers. The promotion has a detailed sponsorship plan, which has attracted numerous sponsors, including Everlast, The National Guard, Sirius Satellite Radio, Ring of Combat, Knockout Athletics and others.

The league promotes events featuring a variety of different weight classes (13) ranging from super featherweight (126-129.9 pounds) to absolute (250 pounds and above). Of the 13 weight classes, there are six titleholders. The other weight classes currently have vacant titles.

The success and gained notoriety of the league have had effects on its talent and led to changes in the promotion. Due to the number of its fighters turning professional, AFL has recently decided to promote cards featuring both amateur and professional bouts. At AFL XXI, the promotion’s debut in Philadelphia, the card featured four amateur fights and four professional fights.

Asylum Fight League Promo Videos

AFL’s next events are scheduled for Mar. 13 in Philadelphia and Mar. 20 at Club Abyss in Amboy, N.J.

Central Pennsylvania Warrior Challenge will host its next amateur MMA event on June 26, 2009 at the Inn at Pocono Manor.   The 18-fight event will begin at 7 PM.  General admission tickets are priced at $35 while VIP tickets are set at $55.  For more information, check out the competition’s website or contact the promoter, Mark Jovich, at 717-250-8841 or jovichm@msn.com.

Summer is always a good time to get out of your air-conditioned house and try something new and different from your usual workout routine.  For many, summer also gives more freedom in a relaxed atmosphere and time to step out of comfort zones; power-walking and tennis at the country club get old after awhile.  If you’re really feeling adventurous, try one of the fast-growing popular new sports in America, Mixed Martial Arts.

With the many various forms of MMA fighting, one may get overwhelmed with deciding which route to try out.  (And, if you’re in the middle of nowhere in Central Pennsylvania, believe that you have no shot of finding classes near you.)

No-Gi Grappling:  Unless you’re familiar with the MMA world, you may have never heard of this type of submission technique.  However, it is quickly becoming popular and is used frequently in MMA fights- there are even nutritional supplements intended for performing No-Gi Grappling.  With odd-sounding names of techniques from Rear Naked Arm Crush to Japanese Necktie, one is sure to find a technique that is best for their style of fighting.

According to No-Gi-Grappling.com, fighters have described the Japanese Necktie as “the quickest tap I ever got.”  What makes this technique so hard to get out of are several things.  It’s an extremely tight hold, made by trapping the leg of the opponent and then pushing his chest on the back of the opponent’s neck and squeezing, leaving fighters no other choice but to “tap out.” 

No-Gi Grappling is a program based off of Combat Submission Wrestling, which was founded by Erik Paulson.  Back in the 1990s, the Gracie family was the first to show the effectiveness of grappling in UFC events and it evolved from there.

No-Gi Grappling is similar to grappling, which involves controlling and handling an opponent through various types of holds, instead of striking.  It includes choke holds and ground fighting, as well as standing.  These holds involve throwing, locking and pinning one’s opponent.  In ground fighting, escapes are also used.  Grappling sports include jiu-jitsu, judo, mixed martial arts and wrestling.

Both types focus on taking down the opponent, but the ways they aim to accomplish this are different.  To learn more about these differences, click here.

If you’re located in Central Pennsylvania, Titan Fitness in downtown State College offers classes teaching No-Gi Grappling.  Click HERE for more information.

According to their website at titanfitness.com, No-Gi Grappling classes generally teach an athlete “to compete in submission grappling tournaments. It also has a strong influence on the importance of striking on the ground for both self-defense purposes and MMA competitive fighting.”

Even if you’re not training seven days a week to win an MMA Championship, practicing No-Gi Grappling, or any type of MMA training for that matter, is good both for fitness and self-defense purposes.  Don’t worry, those sore muscles are to be expected!

Thanks to No-Gi-Grappling.com