MMA fighting comes to KP

Instructors are professionally skilled in various martial arts

Marques Hunter

of the Gateway

The newest sport has reached the remote areas of the Key Peninsula.

Brothers Allen and Austin Wheat — two Peninsula High School students — started off by pausing their DVR and applying certain moves to each other during Ultimate Fighting Championship matches on TV.

Like millions of others, they have developed an interest in mixed martial arts cage fighting, which incorporates styles such as Jiu-Jitsu, wrestling, Muay Thai and others.

The sport, while criticized by some as being barbaric, is garnering attention because of its extreme level of fighting. It features cringing knockouts and lethal submissions.

UFC heavyweight Kimbo Slice gained popularity through YouTube videos with his raw street-fighting ability. And just last month, at the age 47, former NFL running back Herschel Walker competed in a match during Strikeforce: Miami.

The MMA club based on the Key Peninsula is nowhere close to what people see on TV. But it provides an opportunity for people to learn the fundamentals of MMA and get into serious physical condition.

The KP MMA classes focus on the core fundamentals of MMA training. They include instruction in submission grappling, kickboxing, boxing and wrestling.

Located in Vaughn at the KP Civic Center’s Veterans for War Room, the classes are an extension of the Tacoma-based club called Evolution Martial Arts, the biggest MMA club in Tacoma.

Twelve participants, including three women, were inside the VFW room last week. Most of the trainees were younger than 18 and had little or no experience in MMA training.

John Dawson, a professional wrestler, has a 2-2 MMA record and said there previously hadn’t been any local clubs that focused on mixed martial arts.

“There is a lot of potential out here,” Dawson said. “People can expect good training. They can expect to get in shape and learn some stuff.”

During the two-hour session last Thursday, men were paired up according to their weight, and they practiced submission holds and counters. Women sweated out countless kicks and punches while an instructor held a padded glove.

Toward the end of the session, the Wheats sparred with a pair of heavy-set boxing gloves and a mouthpiece.

“It’s the greatest thing I’ve ever done,” said Allen, a Peninsula senior.

After a timed three-minute sparring round, Allen took a few licks but managed to get in a few, as well.

“I’m planning on staying with it for a while,” he said.

Kurt Fichtner, KP MMA instructor, has a third-degree black belt in American Freestyle Karate and Taekwondo. He also has six years of experience in Jiu-Jitsu and one year of experience in wrestling. He holds a 5-3 kickboxing record and is 0-1 as a professional MMA fighter.

Fichtner believes the sport has an opportunity to grow locally.

“It has in Tacoma, and I’m hoping it will here,” he said.

The club’s resources are thin at the KP Civic Center. There is limited space to train, and the gear is even more limited. Despite a lack of funding, the participants seemed to enjoy their experience.

Mariah Kelly, a student at Olympic Community College, and her mother, Shannon, trained for the second time at the club last week.

Shannon said Mariah dragged her to the first session, and she became interested and returned.

“I went home thinking it was pretty cool,” Shannon said.

Mariah believes the training will help her become a police officer after she graduates from the cadet program.

Port Orchard Discovery Alternative student Jordan Brookbank said she liked the exercise and the idea of learning how to defend her, if necessary.

Dawson said the club, which has been open for about two months, is looking for different kinds of people to attend. If numbers grow, instructors said they have a plan to relocate to accommodate a bigger group.