The Combat Club's Stars to Participate in a Study that Compares How Rice and Whey Protein can help Build and Maintain Muscle

MARINA DEL REY, Calif., March 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Professional athletes from many sports are competing while on a plant-protein based diet, and recent studies have shown that rice protein equals animal-based whey protein. This month, MMA fighters from Florida's Combat Club gym, including the UFC's Michael Johnson and Rashad Evans, will be participating in a new double-blind research study testing the performance of pro-athletes on rice protein versus the traditional golden standard of fitness, animal-derived whey protein. The 6-week study will be executed by sports nutrition PhD's, Dr. Douglas Kalman and Dr. Corey Peacock, researchers who have worked with Olympic athletes and teams, professional sporting teams and collegiate teams.

The new research project includes ten of the Combat Club's star fighters, some of whom are omnivores and others vegan, vegetarians or transitioning to a vegetarian diet. Below is the list of participating fighters:

Drs. Kalman and Peacock, both respected sports nutrition and exercise physiology researchers, are associated with The International Society of Sports Nutrition (www.theissn.org), while also being academically affiliated with Florida International University and Nova Southeastern University, respectively. Drs. Kalman and Peacock have published research examining the role protein plays in an athlete's diet, health and well-being, while also examining the safety of increased protein intake.

During the project, the researchers will look to determine how plant-based protein compares to animal-based whey protein to build and maintain muscle and for any immune supportive effects for athletes who train up to three times a day. "We studied this protein in 2013 and the results showed for the first time that it equals animal-based whey protein in building and maintaining muscle," said Dr Douglas Kalman. "Another study published in 2014 found that Oryzatein^® rice protein supplies the muscle building amino acid leucine to a similar degree and speed as the popular 'fast' protein whey. These studies both demonstrated the completeness of the brown rice protein isolate. Now, we hope to learn and demonstrate that this protein, as compared to whey can support the high level elite athlete that trains at a greater intensity and stress level than the typical gym goer," he continued. "As the research on brown rice protein isolate, namely Oryzatein^® grows, the data supports use for the professional athlete noting that in the study, there are fighters who are already vegetarians, vegans and the others are meat eaters."

Maker of Oryzatein^®, David Janow, President of Axiom Foods and Growing Naturals added: "Axiom Foods' brown rice protein ingredient is in thousands of food products with plant proteins today. Our sister company, Growing Naturals the only 90% isolate Oryzatein® rice protein supplier to pro-athletes and weekend warriors, millennials and baby boomers alike as part of its pure, non-blended rice and pea proteins and since it was used in Dr. Kalman's first study, it will be used again."

The study will be documented in a series of webisodes which follows the natural contentiousness that exists between the team's plant- and meat-eaters. The series of webisodes will air during Plant Protein Month in April 2017. Results of the study will be submitted by Drs. Kalman and Peacock along with their respective graduate students for publishing in the top sports nutrition journals. 

About: Combat Club is a mixed martial arts training facility in Lantana, FL, led by head coaches: Henri Hooft (Dutch Kickboxing), Gilbert Burns (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu), and Greg Jones (Wrestling).  Combat Club caters to people of all levels, from beginner to pro.

About: Growing Naturals, LLC is the maker of both allergen-friendly single-source Pure Plant Protein Powders from organic brown rice and pea, plus Benefit Blends powered by Growing Naturals, featuring "one and done" formulas that provide effective solutions that simplify our daily rituals. All Growing Naturals plant proteins are FDA GRAS approved as food and the rice protein products feature Oryzatein® inside, which was clinically shown to be the first plant protein to equal animal-based whey protein in building and maintaining muscle. Oryzatein® was also shown to absorb Leucine, the key muscle building amino acid, faster than in whey, which is believed to help rice protein still act like a complete protein. 

Press Contacts:
Combat Club:
Danny Valentine, 
786.280.8431, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Axiom Foods / Growing Naturals:
Alyson Dutch, Brown + Dutch PR, Inc.
310.456.7151, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

SOURCE Growing Naturals

Today in the Rickson Interview: We talk to Rickson about Ronda Rousey's comment that she thinks she could beat any BJJ woman under any set of rules. Rickson - "So I hope she has a great, brilliant future."

On the GreatMMADebate June 23 2014 Ronda Rousey stated:

"One thing I couldn’t stand when I was only watching MMA coming from Judo, is all these people saying that that all of these Jiu-Jitsu people would beat any judo fighter on the ground. It was such a stereotype. I still think that I can beat any BJJ girl in the world, any weight division, gi or no gi, black belt all the way, in any rule set that they want.

To be able to pull off being someone in Judo that can submit on the ground, it takes so much more skill because we have so little time to do it. Like Flavio Canto, Olympic bronze medalist from Brazil, who was known to have one of the best ground fighters in Judo... He could definitely win a world championship in Jiu-Jitsu. I really feel that the Judoka who excel with their ground work, have never really gotten enough respect.

This fight against Alexis, who is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, the kind of person that should be the type to tap me on the ground with no problems, it would be nice to prove a point."

BJJ Legends: Recently Ronda Rousey was noted for saying that she could beat anybody, any female Jiu-Jitsu athlete in a Jiu-Jitsu competition. I have two questions. One is: What are your thoughts on that? Do you think it's true of not?

Rickson Gracie:  In Jiu-Jitsu competition?

BJJ Legends: Yeah. And two, either way, whether you think it's true or not, do you think it says something about what the perception is of Jiu-Jitsu, outside of our community?

Rickson Gracie:  No. First, she's saying something based on her momentum. She may talking... Because she never competed in a Jiu-Jitsu tournament. If she competes in one and win easily, I will maybe respect what she's saying, believing what she's saying, but she never proved.

She's been demonstrating a lot of good positive elements on the cage. I don't know if those opponents are weaker. I don't know if she's really super.

BJJ Legends: Well, she has that medal in the Olympics as well.

Rickson Gracie:  Yeah.

BJJ Legends: Do you feel that plays a role at all?

BJJ Legends: So as in judo... Judo is a very tough sport. In order for you to become an Olympian, you have to really commit and be exceptional. In order for any Jiu-Jitsu competitor to be facing, it has to be a world champion. It has to be somebody in that level.

Even though I cannot confirm if she can really win or lose, I think she should be more focused on what she's doing right now, which is a great job in the MMA, and leave Jiu-Jitsu aside. I know she's been training some Jiu-Jitsu with my cousins and stuff. So I hope she has a great, brilliant future.

For fans of the Magazine we did a quick YouTube search and found these two old videos of Ronda competing in what looks like a BJJ no-gi tournament. In one she indeed kills it and the second she has to work a little harder. Neither opponents appear to be black belts or world champions.

Valentine's Massacre (no-gi) - Ronda Rousey http://youtu.be/IjoMMpWUWKA uploaded by CrystalBJudo
RONDA ROUSEY GRAPPLINGX 2 - http://youtu.be/lmzEWYfXUGM uploaded by CrystalBJudo

Tomorrow: We ask Rickson's how his thoughts have evolved over his many years practicing Jiu-Jitsu.

Today in the Rickson Interview: Rickson on women in MMA, "Maybe one out of 100 [women] that makes a very special desire to confront, to go, and feels like, 'Okay. I'm born to do this.' I have to respect that."

BJJ Legends: How about Kyra? When she was on her path towards MMA... It's been temporarily set off for even better reasons now. Bless you and your family for that. What are your thoughts on her competing or women competing at large? I know I've heard you talk about Ronda a little bit. You seem very enthusiastic and encouraging about her, but there's some questions.

Dana White, himself, said you'd never see women in the UFC, which essentially meant you hardly ever see them in MMA. He changed his mind. Ronda Rousey made him change his mind. I've seen Kyra compete a number of times in Jiu-Jitsu competition. Lovely girl. I had the opportunity of interviewing her as well.

What are your thoughts on a member of your own family, who's a female, competing in MMA, as capable as she is? And how does that apply to other women as well, to the sport?

Rickson Gracie: If you pick generally 100 women, at the most, 10 will like to compete in something like that. I don't believe, based on my experience, women have this appealing desire to compete in such a violent and aggressive element.

Normally they don't belong to that kind of competitiveness. It's not common. It's not for everyone. Even for men, it's a kind of little fraction there who doesn't fit. Imagine for women, but that is maybe one out of 100 that makes a very special desire to confront, to go, and feels like, "Okay. I'm born to do this." I have to respect that.

For those very small percentage, Jiu-Jitsu competition, Vale Tudo or MMA will fit. But for the 99% who doesn't kind of have the appealing for that, they'll still be very motivated to learn self-defense, to learn how they can be able to deflect some aggressor, how to stand up from a guy who's trying to keep her and force her or something.

So the idea of deflection, the idea of empowerment, the idea of defense is appealing for any women or any children. The aggressiveness, the competitiveness, the toughness, and the willing to sacrifice every day and get punched, that's not appealing for every woman.

For these few who like it, I encourage and be positive about it, but that's not exactly... I don't believe every woman has to compete or even to have the pleasure to see a fight. Some don't even like it. They see the fight. They turn it off.

They put on something. So I'm favored to help those too. I think Jiu-Jitsu has a place to favor those general women, like soft art. That's why Jiu-Jitsu is also called soft art.

Tomorrow: We get Rickson's thoughts about Ronda Rousey stating she could beat any BJJ female in a BJJ competition.

In the storied career of the iconic Royce Gracie, there have been many memorable moments and fights that have defined his career.  Be it the Gracie Challenges that began the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu rise, his UFC 1 match against Ken Shamrock, or maybe his phenomenal litmus test against Sakuraba that lasted roughly 90 minutes, Royce has provided some fantastic moments for the fans of Mixed Martial Arts.

However, one moment that seems to go unnoticed was his fight against Bobby Ologun.

What made this fight so unique was Ologun himself.  Born in Nigeria, Ologun was on a Japanese gameshow, and through his charismatic antics, became a big star in Japan!  He had his own show, where he would try out new activities and sports.

He would eventually give Judo a shot, and the running joke was that he’d be ready to fight in an actual MMA fight by year’s end.  Ologun continued to train, and 8 months after he began his experiement, he was slated to fight against the pioneer himself, Royce Gracie!

The dynamic was fantastic: the icon vs. the TV star!  Seeing the fight was held in Japan, Ologun had a strong fan base in attendance.  Despite the vast experience gap, the fight didn’t play out as you would assume.

Dealing With The Element Of Surprise In Stride

Be it by luck or by skill, Ologun was actually able to control the pace of the match early on the first round.  Was Royce taking him lightly?  Was he toying with him?  Whatever the case may be, Ologun had the dominant position on one of the most notorious men in Mixed Martial Arts history!

With the fans on their feet in shock, Royce showed the signs of a true veteran by not overacting.  The much more athletic Ologun clearly had a more impressive frame that could probably pack a nice punch, but Royce wasn’t about to find out.

Keeping his wits about him, Royce did the smart thing and kept the arms—at least one most of the time—pinned to his own chest.  By establishing a high closed guard, Gracie was preventing Ologun from posturing and reigning down shots.  By eliminating the hands or his opponent, Royce not only saved himself from unwanted damage, but also limited the ground game of Ologun.

However, Ologun continued to dictate the match and where it went.  Maintaining top position, Bobby had the legend in the corner, and was ready to unload.  Again, being the crafty vet, Royce was aware enough to angle off to the side, while maintaining a grip on the arm of Ologun.  This bought him time to fend off any serious strikes, and allowed him to get his right hand on the calf of Ologun.

From here, Royce was able to adjust Ologun’s footing, bringing him back to the mat.  This eliminated the posturing advantage Ologun had, and brought the fight back to where Royce was most comfortable.

Trusting In The Foundational Skills of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

The bell would eventually ring without any major damage being done, but clearly something special was happening, and it’s hard to argue that Ologun didn’t win the first round.

At the start of the second, Ologun was able to stuff a takedown and even plow Royce over, regaining dominant top position.  This would not last long, as Gracie was soon able to hit a series of sweeps, bringing him back on top in full mount position.

Aware of the power and athletic ability that Ologun brought to the table, Gracie was smart and was quick to get high up on Bobby when he mounted him.  By establishing the mount closer to Ologun’s chest, Gracie didn’t have to worry about Ologun getting his hips under him and exploding and bucking him off.

The full mount is known in the MMA world as the most dominant position, one that would bring some vicious punches and elbows to the poor soul trapped underneath.  However, it was clear that Royce had an agenda, as he didn’t throw a single punch from this position.

Rather, he methodically worked his way towards the armbar.  Once he had it applied, his top leg had slipped off Ologun, and was on the mat for the most part.  Even with a little kink in the process, Royce was able to work around the technical flaw and earned himself the submission victory in round two.

Royce has proven to be very influenctial on the BJJ scene. For more thouhts on HOW important Royce really has been check out this article!

Dan Faggella

Follow a man’s unlikely story of how he came from a small Nebraskan town of 200 people to becoming a cornerman in the most distinguished Mixed Martial Arts promotion in the world.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jerome Gage
Fight Log Media
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

A Lesser Told Story of Mixed Martial Arts
In the Blue Corner: by Jerome Gage

Tucson, AZ-­‐2014 – Mixed Martials Arts (MMA) is emerging into a mainstream sport. As it grows more recognizable so do many of the stars. There are copious amounts of television shows,  books, magazines, and radio shows highlighting the biggest players in the game. They constantly showcase the lifestyle and training of these fighters, who receive large sponsorships, fight out of renowned gyms, and make the big time money. However, for every one fighter, trainer, or promoter in the limelight there are thousands in the sport who do it solely for the love. Some of these people are promoters, fighters’ wives, gym owners, teammates, and trainers, all of which have their own story of their roles in the sport.

In the Blue Corner is a unique glimpse into one of the lesser told stories behind MMA and  the fight  lifestyle. It’s a narrative of how a hobbiest in the sport found himself cornering his friend in MMA. This book recounts the story of the cornerman while discussing training camps, scouting opponents, dealing with loss, overcoming injuries, the importance of good teammates, and the attitude behind the winning mindset.

About the Author: Jerome Gage is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Brown Belt, a grappling instructor at Boxing Inc. East in Tucson, Arizona, and the owner of an internet company called Fight Log Media,  www.fightlogs.com. For more information contact Jerome at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. In the Blue Corner is available on Amazon in paperback and ebook.

Muscular power, just the sound of those two words together makes me think of muscle bound men deadlifting and bench pressing weight more than twice my weight! That doesn’t have to be the case, you can have great muscular power even if you are in the rooster division! Many of us little guys don’t hit the gym hard every day so we’re unsure of how strong we truly are. To get a good starting point we you should test yourself out!

READ MORE!!!

I’m sure that we’ve all been in the same situation before where we learn a new technique and something isn’t clicking, no matter how hard we try to focus on the details we often overlook.  With tons of mat time and research, there is still something that isn’t making sense.  At a stand-still, you’re ready to pass up on learning that technique and move forward.

However, times are changing thanks to the iGrapple Mobile app.

Recently released, the iGrapple is a fantastic tool that every single one of us Brazilian Jiu Jitsu players can use in order to take the next step forward in our skill development.

If you go back to the first paragraph and think to yourself, “Hey, that’s me!” when it comes to learning new techniques, then you’re in luck because the iGrapple is here to eliminate any issue that you may face in learning.

With a very classroom-like approach to grappling, the app does a fantastic job of breaking everything down so that even the most basic white belts out there can soak up the moves and implement them in a heartbeat!

READ MORE!

Dan Faggella is a BJJ Academy Owner, No Gi Pan Am Champion at 130 pounds, and recognized expert in the area of light weight Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Dan writes or Jiu Jitsu Magazine, Jiu Jitsu Style, MMA Sports Mag, and more - find more of his techniques by checking out his academy Black Diamond MMA.

Fighting Off Of Your Back In A Self Defense Scenario

Dan Faggella is a BJJ Academy Owner, No Gi Pan Am Champion at 130 pounds, and recognized expert in the area of light weight Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Dan writes or Jiu Jitsu Magazine, Jiu Jitsu Style, MMA Sports Mag, and more - find more of his techniques by checking out his academy Black Diamond MMA.

Let’s be honest, in a situation where someone is attacking you either in the streets or a social setting, chances are extremely high that you’ll end up going to the ground at some point.  There’s a chance your attack blind sides you, tackles you, trips you, etc., and now you’re stuck on your back.

As they jump into mount and begin to do their best schoolyard bully impersonation, it’s vital to know how you get out of this.

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Grappling 101: Escaping Mount

I recall my early days of Jiu Jitsu; learning to escape bottom mount was one of the first techniques ever taught to me by my Brazilian Jiu Jitsu RI instructor. This is exactly what I’ll be touching upon, but we aren’t just trying to get out of from under our opponent on a mat in a sanctioned event; this could be a life or death situation.

Knowing that they can cause some serious damage, the urgency to execute this move properly shoulder be a maximum level.

• Our opponent has taken us to the ground and is looking to pound away.
• The first thing we want to do is bring our knees up into their butt.
• As they go to strike us, try and control the wrist.  This will stifle any potential attack they can offer.
• You want him to place a hand on the ground; taking your knees, buck them over your head.  This will cause him to post on the ground.
• As you return your hips to the ground, isolate one of his arms.
• Lace your foot over the top of his, ending out the outside of his ankle.
• Bridge once more, this time roll over your shoulder.  The momentum will carry them with you, and you will end up in their closed guard.

Don’t Fight Fire With Fire

In this case, it’s best to stick to your grappling instincts!  The reason being, if you’re in bottom mount, you do NOT want to try and go punch-for-punch with your attacker.  It is not the same as the back mount, because gravity is NOT on your side. Simply because you have nowhere to go, if he hits you, the only way you absorb the impact is if your head snap backs onto the concrete. To learn more about escaping the back mount, check out an article that I just sent to my Rhode Island MMA students.

Seeing that he is also in your mount, they can posture up and really add extra force to their punches with a downward motion.  So not only can they land power shots, they can land more shots in general than you can.  Don’t try to be a hero, just do what you have to do in order to stay safe!

Again, this is a basic technique you learn early on in grappling.  However, when you frame it in a situation such as self defense, it becomes fare more than basic; it could become the most important technique you’ve ever learned.

-Dan Faggella

Ben Askren is a 2x NCAA champion and current Bellator fighting champion (undefeated in 10+ MMA bouts). I appreciate the interview with Ben, who is now for the first time offering a DVD course on Wrestling and Control for combat sports called "The Manhandling Manifesto," which is available only for a limited time. Check it out here, and thanks again to Ben!

- - -

In every sport, there is always a sect of fans that will nitpick until they can’t see straight.  For these fans, nothing is ever good enough and the glass is always half empty.  For these version of MMA fans, if you aren’t going out knocking people out left-and-right, then you have no business being inside the cage.

One fighter that feels the wrath of many MMA pundits is Ben Askren.  An elite wrestler who can exert dominant top control, Askren has been on the opposite end of MMA fans distain for some time.

Fans are quick to dub Askren as “boring” or “dull” due to his style of fighting.  Willing to take you to the ground and make your life miserable, Ben Askren has perfected the polarizing style of “lay and pray,” a style that relies heavily on top control and ground strikes.

Despite all of this, these people will neglect to tell you that Askren is 11-0 in his MMA career, a world champion, and a truly elite fighter.

READ MORE...

UPDATE: Watch Cruickshank TONIGHT on UFC on FOX 8 Live from Seattle Yves Edwards vs Daron Cruickshank

Daron Cruickshank is a UFC fighter. He was a fighter on Bully Beatdown, and he was on the TV reality show The Ultimate Fighter. Daron was born and raised in Michigan. BJJ Legends contributor Sharon Schleif caught up with him at their BJJ academy July 9th, 2013. They talk about the TV shows, preparing for UFC and Daron's heavy involvement in the martial arts.

BJJ: I know you grew up in martial arts; can you give us a little bit of your family history?

Daron Cruickshank: Yes, both my parents were fourth degree black belts in Tae Kwon Do. They both had their own schools. My mom fought professionally, kickboxing and boxing. My dad cross trained in different martial arts, dabbled in savate and the JKD system. Then they popped me out. I'm like a hybrid.

BJJ: What we want to know now is how old you were when you first started competition? Also, when you first started martial arts. Were you raised on the mat?

Daron: Yes, I never really, I don't remember when I started. I just always did it. I was always on the mat with my parents and doing their classes and things like that. I started, I would say, my athletic career in middle school when I stared wrestling.

I started wrestling in eighth grade, and I also picked up swimming. That's where I really got serious with competition. I fell in love with wrestling. I did it all through high school, all through college, and then during the summers and things like that I would train with my dad when my mom was training.

BJJ: You were on The Ultimate Fighter this last year. Can you tell us a little bit about your experience on The Ultimate Fighter?

Daron: The Ultimate Fighter was awesome. I enjoyed every bit of it. It was 13 weeks, my season. Most seasons are six weeks. I did over twice as long as most groups. The biggest thing that was hard is there's no contact with the outside world.

A lot of guys have families, they have kids and things like that. They're constantly wondering what's going on, where I felt, I really didn't think about that stuff. As far as girlfriends, drama, and stuff like that, that was probably the hardest part for most of the people on the show with me.

My biggest problem was there was no music. There's no music whatsoever. No radio, no TV. Have you ever worked out without music? It's hard. Try running on a treadmill.

It's like, you get to the gym, you're starting to warm up, and every time you come in to the gym, you're jogging and you're like "Oh, when's the radio going to turn on? When's the techno coming out?" That was the hardest part for me.

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