THE HAWK FLIES HIGH IN THE ELECTRIC CITY!

Brian Hawk took Scranton, PA by storm on Friday November 27th by choking out a very heavyhanded Guy Salano in the third round at "Cage Fight 2". This was one hell of a fight with back and forth action including an amazing lateral drop take down by Hawk as well as a second round armbar at the bell which had the crowd on its feet. The improvement in Brian's game between his mma debut in July and now is absolutely amazing and goes to show that hard work and dedication does pay off.
 
We at RPFS are extremely proud of Brian and he is a welcome addition to the Simrell MMA fight team.
 
Also on the card was Kevin Myirski who lost a three round decision to a game fighter from Gracie NEPA who took full advantage of the amateur rules by playing the takedown and hold game to the hilt. Kevins striking is excellent and his grappling prowess is beyond question, so once we fill in the gaps with some take down defense, he will be a force to be reckoned with.
 
Also making his mma debut was RPFS bad boy Andy Biel who, though succumbing to a rear naked choke late in round one, showed great promise. Bottom line with Andy, as he well knows, is that he did not execute his game plan and first time jitters kept him from showing his opponent the ferocity with which we have all become accustomed. Being the warrior he is, Andy was back in the gym the next morning and has vowed to drop to 170 and set things straight after the first of the year. I for one can't wait for that!

VERSUK & BREINER TAKE WORLD CAGE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSIPS BY STORM!

A HUGE RPFS congrats to "Adorable" David Versuk and "Big Red" Matt Breiner for their flawless victories at the World Cage Fighting Championships on Saturday November 21 in Greensburg, PA.
 
After a close first round which saw Dave get the early take down and then control his opponent from the top while avoiding several decent submission attempts, Dave came out in the second round with a "Fedor-esque" right cross which dropped his opponent and set up a tapout at 32 seconds of round two via arm triangle.
 
Not to be outdone by his teammate, Big Red took utilized his height advantage to keep his heavier opponent at arms length with a relentless barrage of devastating head strikes forcing the ref to mercifully stop the bout at only 21 seconds of the first round.
 
While the crowd was none too happy with the RPFS gang  as both fights involved local favorites (and I was so quiet, polite and unassuming as always) and while I suspect that we are no longer welcome at the Marriot Courtyard (not my fault as I was up in the room watching UFC w/ D-Boy), I can assure you that Greensburg won't soon forget us!
 
Thanks to everyone who made the long trip especially Joel Roberts who did another great job in the corner and D-Boy who helped out backstage with both fighters. We at RPFS take particular pride in these two victories as not only do we have a great personal affection for both of these guys but as both have been training with us for a relatively short period of time, they are a great testament to the quality of training currently avail bile at RPFS.

THE "DEVIL DOG'S" GRAPPLING TRIFECTA

 Rat Pack's fastest rising star is marine corp vetran Kevin Myirski. Though relatively new to the mma game, Myirski has set the world on fire in 2009 winning his amateur Muay Thai debut in March before winning three straight grappling titles including the Greater Pocono Classic, NAGA's Battle @ the Beach and the ADCC Tournament. A protege of RPFS top gun Joel Roberts the "Devil Dog" was awarded his blue belt in BJJ on September 13 by James Simrell and Brian Miller and is scheduled to make his mma debut on October 3rd in Reading, PA. You can expect big things from this kid in the future and we at Rat Pack and the Simrell MMA Association are honored to have an individual of this athletic and personal calibur as part of our family and team.

2009 NAGA Battle at the Beach

Feeling a bit nostalgic today as I write to report on the events of the weekend down @ NAGA's Battle at the Beach.
 
As a few of you veterans know, it was 4 years ago that Rat Pack first made its way to this event. We had opened our doors only a short time earlier, were still a small, unproven school and were about to become "infamous" world wide thanks to the Robson scandal! On that occasion, we pinned our hopes for the event and the school's future primarily on 2 people. Joel Roberts and D-Boy.
 
Flash forward four years, one UFC Contract, one MMA title and countless NAGA Medals later, once again, Rat Pack looked to these two competitors to help keep us on the map as a power house on the east coast mma scene. The only major difference, other than age and skill level, was that this time they were accompanied by a team of adult, teen and children's competitors who would leave no doubt that the Rat Pack/Simrell/Reality MMA team is top dog in these here parts!
 
While I'm still waiting for James Simrell to report in with his teams medal total, I'm happy to report that Reality Martial Arts picked up three Silvers on Saturday with their charge being led by RMA owner, Chuck Glass who, despite being WELL over 40, tested his metal in the over 30 expert division where he placed 2nd. Great job guys, hope to see more of you Reality guys at the next one.
 
On the Rat Pack side, our adult team, though smaller than most years, was as accurate as a laser with Kevin Myerski, hot off his win @ the Inkosi Tournament, besting 5 competitors in a field of approx. 30 to nab the Men's Novice 160-170 title. Congrats pal and also congrats to Mike Miata who, after only 8 weeks of training, showed great promise in this tough weight class.
 
What can I say about Brent Yoder. I guess just that in his past 4 tournaments he is now 20-0 with 19 subs, four of which he got this weekend on his way to taking the 140-150 Men's intermediate title against a field of competitors all of whom "out ranked" him. His rein of terror on his division left 2 competitors seeking medical treatment for what we suspect were torn acl's and convinced everyone in attendance that this kid's potential is limitless. We are honored to have him as part of the team and are pleased to announce that he will now be a full fledged RPFS instructor!
 
Last on the adult end, but certainly not least, I am happy to report that Joel Roberts, on the fourth anniversary of his first and last NAGA appearance, captured the Men's 140-150 Expert title with three wins which included an upside down, headstand, reverse triangle submission and a lateral drop from hell with 2 seconds on the clock to capture the final match. Like it or not Joel, after that performance you will forever be "WRESTLING" JOEL ROBERTS! Congrats old friend, your deserve it!
 
On to the Kids!
 
Shannon started the day by taking third in the Intermediate Division where she competed with girls two years her senior including last years intermediate champion. She looked great and has vowed to train more seriously (with the boys if necessary) and to get her revenge, and her Gold, next year.
 
Dallas Miata, moving up to the teen division for the first time, tore through his 115-130 weight class capturing Intermediate Gold while newcomer, Ryan Saylor was so impressive in taking Gold in the 14 yr old Beginner Heavyweight Class that the promoters asked him to compete in the Intermediate Division as well where he picked up a silver medal.
 
Luke Christman, youngest brother of Jake, made a guest appearance for the team picking up a Silver in the kids beginner division and, not to be out done by his little bro, Jake went 2-1 to take Silver in the Expert 115-130 14yr old division! Pretty impressive for his first time in the top tier.
 
In the 14 yr old 115lbs expert division, traditionally one of the toughest of the weekend, Joey Bubble, hot off his win @ NAGA Worlds, drew the 2x World Champion in his first match and, to the crowds shock and my delight, took the champ the distance and nearly tapped him with a triangle @ the end of the match. In that same division, D-Boy bested a 3x Grapplers Quest Champ and bloodied and tapped a 2x NAGA Expert Champ before dropping his final match to the defending champion earning him the Silver medal.
 
Over all, a great weekend and I could not be more happy and proud of all of you. Thanks to the Miatas, the Bubbles, the Christman, the Yoders, the Saylors and everyone who made the trip to support our competitors and for those of you who missed it, please try and join us next year as it really is a great weekend. 

THE TOP 10 MOMENTS IN RAT PACK HISTORY
 
10. January 15, 1995: The doors open for the very first time and the "Rat Pack Jiu Jitsu Club at Nenow's Dynasty" which consisted of me, Sandi, Ron, Kerry and Big John, formally becomes "Rat Pack Fighting System".
 
9. Ed Arner's Wedding: Squeaking in under the wire is the wedding of Jen Brown and Kickboxing Ed Arner which took place this past August. Although the Rat Pack/MMA Nation crew was limited in numbers, those of us who were lucky enough to be there had enough fun for 100 people. When I end up drinking w/ Robson Pereira until 3 a.m., you know it has to be a wild time!
 
8. Camping Trip 2007: For those who were there, no explanation is needed. For those who were not, none would be sufficient. Wild times which we should renew next summer! Of course we will need to find a new location as we are no longer welcome at the old spot!
 
7. Battle @ The Beach 2006: Right in the midst of the Robson debacle, while the Rat Pack name was taking a beating on nearly every mma forum in the country, a team including the Ringler twins, yours truly, D-Boy, Joey Bubble, Dallas Miata and others took the grappling world by storm and put Rat Pack on the map by placing in the top 6 out of nearly 200 teams at a major tournament.
 
6. Combat in the Cage: On the heals of Wrestling Joel's King of the Cage victory, the Simrell MMA Association needed to prove that we were not a one trick pony which we did in fine fashion winning 4 out of 5 mma fights at Combat in the Cage in Newark, DE. Will anyone who was there ever forget the sound of the Zimmerman body punches which ended his match or his exit from the ring to Wagner's "Flight of the Valkries"?
 
5.  Wrestling Joel Wins the New Breed Title: While, unfortunately, short notice and other commitments kept the majority of us from witnessing this event, no list of accolades would be complete without including Rat Pack's first MMA title which was captured by Joel in August 2008. 
 
4.  Brian Miller & Eric Utsch Join the Team: There is a great story where Paul McCartney advised Michael Jackson that, if he wanted to make real money, he should go into music publishing. What did Jackson do? He went out and bought the entire Beatles catalogue from under McCartney's nose. Similarly, when I trained at Hatfield Martial Arts, and throughout the infancy of Rat Pack, I was reminded constantly that our facility would always be second rate until we secured a legit bjj black belt such as Brian Miller and a "name" Muay Thai guy such as Eric Utsch. Thanks for the advise guys...the rest, as they say, is history!
 
3. The James Simrell MMA Association: Within one week of Robson's long overdue departure from Rat Pack and two hours of my rather heated conversation with our prior "affiliate" Marcos Santos, I starting putting together the plans for a Northeast PA MMA Association headed by my dear friend and martial artist extraordinaire James Simrell. With the addition of Reality Martial Arts and MMA Nation over the past year, the Association has now grown into a 4 school powerhouse of MMA not only in PA but on the entire Eastern Seaboard. The future is very bright my friends!
 
2. Riddle on Ultimate Fighter Season 7, Epsiode 2: Any and all controversy regarding Riddle's tenure at Rat Pack aside, the words "I train at a small gym in Palmerton called the Rat Pack" are now forever a part of UFC history and that, my friends, no one can ever take from us!

1. Wrestling Joel Wins in King of the Cage: If there is a no brainer here, this is it. Still in the midst of the Robson controversy and the internet/media storm that followed, we needed something "BIG" to legitimize the Rat Pack name and prove to the world that we were a force to reckon with. Well, for the 16 of us who made the trip to Michigan it was a moment and a night none of us will ever forget as 42 seconds following the opening bell, Joel was a star, Rat Pack was as legit as they come and, at least for one night, we were all Kings.
 
Hope you enjoyed it. Let me hear your thoughts!
 
Nick

JOEL ROBERTS GIVES
RAT PACK/SIMRELL MMA
THEIR FIRST MMA TITLE!

It was a year ago June when Joel Roberts signed to fight a then 11-8 Scott Bickerstaff in his mma debut on the King of the Cage Explosion card. Leading up to the event, Joel, Ed Arner and I spoke openly about how he was being set up to pad Bickerstaff's record as he was a KOK favorite and, let's face it, who the hell were we?? Of course, as only we at Rat Pack/Simrell MMA expected, Joel upset the promoters plans in 47 seconds in a moment which will always be special to everyone of us who were there. He, and we, had arrived in no uncertain terms and served notice to the mma community that there was a new kid in town who was not going to be anyone's stepping stone!!!
 
Flash forward to August 9, 2008, Joel, now 3-1, was repeatedly told that his quest for a title shot would have to wait until the promoter of New Breed Fighters had a better chance to see what he could do in the cage. As fate would have it however, a last minute fighter cancellation presented Joel with his title shot on only two weeks notice.

Again, he went into this fight knowing full well that the only reason he was there was to fill the slot and allow Jeff Lentz of Rhino fight team, then undefeated in 6 fights, win the title. Once again, however, Joel, this time with Ed Arner and Chuck Glass by his side, had different plans and it it my pleasure to announce that Joel Roberts is the NEW N.B.F. SUPER WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION!!!!
 
With a third round tap out victory (via rear naked choke) Joel has once again shown the world what we at Rat Pack have always known, that he is a national caliber fighter who one day has the ability to be a world champion!
 
I can not say enough how proud I am of Joel and how much I thank him for taking Rat Pack and the entire Simrell MMA Association to the next level with his outstanding victory.

 
We all love you dude and thank you for your valiant efforts.

"The Most Devastating Knockout in Ultimate Fighter History"

…now belongs to Rat Pack's Matthew "Don't call me the Answer" Riddle!!!

On April 9, over 200 of the Rat Pack faithful jammed the Palmerton Hotel to celebrate the premier party of Episode 2 of the Spike TV reality series The Ultimate Fighter, Season 7 with cast member and fellow Rat  Packer Matthew Riddle.

In addition to the Rat Pack family, there were several news paper and television reporters on hand to watch as Matthew earned his way into the Ultimate Fighter house with a second round KO of Matt Serra brown  belt Dan Simmler which was promptly dubbed "the knockout of the century" by none other than UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.

To say we are proud of Matthew for his great accomplishment would be, to quote Rampage "the understatement of the century" and we are all looking forward to watching the events in the house as the unfold in the coming  weeks.

Having viewed the previews for the rest of the season and having spoken with the producers of the series from both Spike TV and the UFC, I can tell you that Matthew made quite an impact on the house and that, love him  or hate him, no one who watches the series will ever forget him!

We thank Matt for allowing us to share in his dream and wish him all the best in his very bright future!

We also thank the Christman family, owners of the Palmerton Inn, (the home away from home for most of the Rat Pack gang) for hosting one of the best parties in the town's history!