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2009 News Archive

Kru Mark has been nominated to be 2009 MMA Coach of the Year
The 2009 World Mixed Martial Arts Awards are sponsored by Fighters Only Magazine. Kru Mark was one of the five coaches nominated by MMA fans from around the world. The award will be given out on December 30 in Las Vegas and stream live on Versus.com. In announcing Kru Mark’s nomination, Fighters Only Magazine said: “Instrumental in sharpening the skills of fighters such as Kenny Florian and Marcus Davis, East Coast based Dellagrotte has built a reputation as one of the ‘go to’ coaches to take your game to the next level.”

July 20, 2009

The 2nd Annual Kru Eric’s Fight for Thailand
It was Eric’s dream to be able to give back to the people who gave to him. Join on us August 2nd for an amazing night of Muay Thai kickboxing to honor the life of Eric at the Magno Tree Fitness Center in Watertown, CT, Proceeds of ticket sales will go to the Kru Eric Armington scholarship fund. download event flyer

New Limited Edition Team Sityodtong Dragon T-shirt As such, 10% of all purchases of this limited edition shirt will be donated to Soldier’s Angels to support our returning troops. Awesome design. Awesome trainer. Awesome cause. more info/purchase shirt

New Classes Added to Sityodtong Schedule – Sityodtong continues to grow and be responsive to member requests. A new class schedule will be effective the week of April 1st. Highlights include:(New) Muay Thai classes on Monday and Wednesday at 7amKids classes are now running on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday: Tuesday – Kids Muay Thai Wednesday – Kids Judo (New) Thursday – Kids Muay ThaiOpen Gym: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday(New) Womens Muay Thai class on Saturday at 10am(New) Gi BJJ class Saturdays at 11am review class schedule

Jorge Rivera Fighting Through Tragedy (Boston Herald) Jorge Rivera felt like shutting down.When his oldest child, 17-year-old Janessa Marie, died unexpectedly last August from a medication reaction, Rivera was sapped of his will to train, to fight and even to care about much of anything. read article

Sityodtong Fighters Victorious at WCF (Sherdog.com) Greg Rebello took a riotous unanimous decision from Shawn DePaul. The fight featured several eventful trades, with Rebello (6-1) landing hard kicks toward the end. DePaul (0-2) proved game, controlling the early portion of the bout, but he ended up being penalized a point for grabbing the ropes to prevent being taken down.WCF 6 attendees also got a glimpse of an MMA newcomer with big upside, as Rick Hawn — who competed in judo at the 2004 Athens Olympics — won his second pro fight with a sudden right hand that brought down Billy Flynn 72 seconds into the first round. Hawn (2-0), who trains striking with the esteemed Mark DellaGrotte at Sityodtong, did not get a chance to use any of his judo against Flynn (0-1). “I’ve been working on my hands,” Hawn said. “It’s still new to me, this whole MMA thing.”

Throwing the monkey wrench: A look at the MMA code Fans close to the cage at UFC 93 in Dublin might have wondered why coach Mark DellaGrotte was yelling “monkey wrench” and “torque wrench” at Marcus (The Irish Hand Grenade) Davis as the welterweight fought Chris (Lights Out) Lytle. For those in the know in the Davis camp, the answer was simple. “If he yelled out torque wrench, I was to throw the flying knee,” Davis explained. “If he yelled out monkey wrench, it was the body kick.”

A Nightmare Start to an Awesome Journey Monday evening I headed over to Mark DellaGrotte’s place at Sityodtong and was having a great training session – mostly doing Muay Thai. The next thing I know, I give him a leg kick and bust my toes. read more

The Amazing Voyage of Alex Karalexis (WEC.com) Karalexis has weathered storms that would have broken lesser fighters. And at 31, he feels like he’s finally starting to hit his stride heading into Sunday’s WEC bout with Greg McIntyre. Add in the tutelage of renowned trainer Mark DellaGrotte, and Karalexis expects to be at his best in Texas this weekend. read article

January 17, 2009

Marcus Davis Victorious at UFC 93 (ESPN.com)
With a singing Irish audience as background music, Lytle, 34, of Indianapolis, landed a right hand that staggered Davis in the opening 30 seconds. After recovering, however, Davis, 35, began following a strategy devised no doubt in conjunction with world-class trainer Mark DellaGrotte. The Irish Hand Grenade did not stand toe-to-toe with the hard-punching Lytle. Instead, minutes into the fight, it was clear that he would use his superior footwork, counterpunching and kicks. The judges were split on the entertaining fight, scoring it 29-28 twice for Davis and once for Lytle.

Train with Kru Mark at Paradise Warrior Retreat Center On March 13 – 15 you can train in a serene and safe environment with the coaches of Legendary fighters and champions in Dana Point, California. more information

2008 News Archive

Mark DellaGrotte talks muay thai, MMA, and Sityodtong with Joanne of MMA Girls Watch Video

Yahoo Sports Rolling with the Flo “The thing I like about Kenny is that he knows the way of the samurai,” DellaGrotte said. “When the samurai fights, he’s not emotional. It’s an emotionless thing. He doesn’t use things someone else did to motivate him. He’s calm and cool and collected when he fights.” read article

Sherdog.com DellaGrotte: Florian Could Run Over Huerta You may have spotted Mark DellaGrotte as the bespectacled guy in a flat cap shouting instructions in a thick Boston accent as the cornerman for many notable fighters, from Patrick Cote to Marcus Davis to Kenny Florian. read article

The Boston Globe – Martial law is a way of life for him
His trainer, Mark DellaGrotte, whose Sityodtong Muay Thai Academy in Somerville is regarded as one of the top MMA gyms in the country, is respectful of Campbell’s abilities but unimpressed by his record. read article

Sityodtong Fighter Patrick Cote to Fight for Title Anderson “The Spider” Silva, the a middleweight title holder, will fight against his number one contender, Patrick “The Predator” Cote. at UFC 90: SILVA vs. COTE live from Allstate Arena in Chicago on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2008.

July 20, 2008

Sityodtong Fighters in Local Action Sityodtong fighters Tateki Matsuda, Greg Rebello, Mike Gresh and Mike Campbell were all victorious with 1st round stoppages at Reality Fighting “Collision” on 7/19/08 at Plymouth Hall.

Sityodtong Featured in New Book Sityodtong was recently featured in Kelly Crigger’s book “Title Shot: Into the Shark Tank of Mixed Martial Arts.” Crigger lived in the gym for 10 days last summer and delved into the lives of Mark DellaGrotte, Kenny Florian, Marcus Davis, Tateki Matsuda, and even Johnny McDonough. He captured what it’s like to train like an MMA fighter and wrote an entertaining profile of the characters we have here. Kelly has been a friend to Sityodtong and has written three magazine articles about the gym. Check out his book here: http://www.intothesharktank.com/

InsideFighting.com Tough Love: Coach Mark DellaGrotte pursues perfection for his fighters Because of the success of well known students like Kenny Florian and more, Mark Dellagrotte is one of the most sought after Muay Thai and MMA coaches in the world. But he’s just as devoted to, and demanding of, his up and coming fighters according to Jeremy Singer. read article

Real Fighter (Issue 17) Boston Thai Party Who turned the basement into a fight gym?” is the first question that occurs to visitors when descending the stairs from Cutter Street into Sityodtong Muay Thai Academy just outside Boston. read article

Fighters Only (June 2008) Mark DellaGrotte One of the greatest minds in all of mixed marital arts, trainer and Muay Thai champion Mark DellaGrotte is know and respected worldwide for his uncanny ability to break opponents down.

Men’s Fitness (June 2008) Kru Mark coauthors Article in the June Issue of Men’s Fitness Magazine Build ultimate fighting muscle, definition, and mental toughness in just four weeks. read article

NBCSports.com MMA Fight Weekly: Hottest trainer in MMA Profile of Kru Mark Watch Video

Discovery Channel New Discovery Channel Program to Feature Mark DellaGrotte and Kenny Florian Kenny Florian and Muay Thai/MMA trainer Mark DellaGrotte will be featured on Time Warp, a Discovery Channel program that reveals the unseen in super slow-motion. Time Warp will premiere on March 18th at 10pm and re-air on March 20th at 8:30pm on the Discovery Channel. Preview Clip

MMA Weekly Camp Report: Team Sityodtong Over the past few years, Mark DellaGrotte has transformed his camp into one of the premier training facilities in all of mixed martial arts. From Kenny Florian to Patrick Cote, the list goes on and on of fighters that work with Team Sitydotong in Massachusetts as they continue to build a tradition of winning. read article

WCVB ABC / TheBostonChannel.com Mixed Martial Arts A Knockout In New England In a very short time, mixed martial arts has become one of the fastest growing sports – not only on television, but in gyms around the world. read story and view slide show

Sherdog.com What’s Tickling Mark DellaGrotte’s Toes That first night, as Mark DellaGrotte lay in the floor on a rice mat, trying to sleep and wondering what he was doing on the other side of the planet, he realized that the creatures brushing by his feet were rats. read article

Men’s Fitness Clash of the Fittest Mark is quoted throughout article that reviews MMA training. read article

Sherdog.com DellaGrotte Talks Team Sityodtong USA Sherdog.com’s Greg Savage caught up with Mark DellaGrotte to discuss his Sityodtong USA team, which is called home by fighters such as Kenny Florian Stephan Bonnar, Marcus Davis and Drew Fickett. watch video

2007 News Archive

Florian Takes Ultimate Fight Night 11 In the main event of Ultimate Fight Night 11 Florian had a first round submission win in the Octagon over Din Thomas at 4:31.Receiving early scoring with high kicks, Florian stayed low and then hid the midsection of Thomas stopping the fight. Resuming his Muay Thai, Florian kept kicking. Thomas had a quick takedown to the mat, but Florian used his razor sharp elbows from the bottom and Thomas was forced to go back to his feet.Florian continued his pressure. Thomas tried a punch and missed allowing the fighter from New England to pound fiercely with his right hand repeatedly. Thomas took a beating in the Octagon and Florian finalized the punishment with a rear naked choke.

Marcus Davis Victorious Sityodtong fighter Marcus “the Irish Hand Grenade” Davis beat Paul Taylor in dramatic fashion at UFC 75 by tap out submission from an arm bar (from his own guard) in the first round. Taylor had dropped Davis with two body kicks and a brutal right head kick, but Davis recovered and mounted Taylor and then pounded away.

Seminar Raises Money for Kru Toy Visit Sityodtong hosted a Muay Thai / MMA workshop with Kru Mark, Kenny “KenFlo” Florian and strength and conditioning expert, Kevin Kearns, on Saturday, September 1st.All proceeds will go toward funding the airline tickets for Kru Toy (photo, right), who be visiting the Boston Branch of Sityodtong from September 12th through October 1st. Kru Toy is the manager of the Pattaya branch of Sityodtong and son of Master Kru Yodtong.Thanks to all that attended.

Cote Wins! Sityodtong Fighter Patrick “The Predator” Cote defeated Kendall Grove at UFC 74 in round 1 by TKO. Cote is on a 3 fight win streak.

Gabriel Gonzaga Trains at Sityodtong – Boston Herald Ultimate Fighting Champion heavyweight Gabriel Gonzaga worked out at the Sityodtong as part of a media tour promoting his August 25th fight against Randy Couture. Later in the day, he flew to New York for a Sports Illustrated interview. read article

Jorge Rivera Visiting Troops in Afghanistan – Boston Herald Ultimate fighting, a ratings champion here in the States, is packing up some of the sport’s star punchers and heading to Afghanistan to boost troop morale. Milford native Jorge Rivera, 35, is joining the two-week exhibition set to depart Sunday. “You don’t have to be an extremely gifted athlete,” Rivera said of mixed martial arts. “It’s just knowing and understanding the movement of the human body and leverage.” read article

The Ultimate Experience – Milford Daily News UFC fighters Kenny Florian and Jorge Rivera, who both train at Sityodtong, will embark on a tour to visit the troops overseas. read article

Bonnar and Florian Victorious at UFC 73 Kenny Florian looked sharp once again at 155 pounds, taking apart Robinson with several unanswered shots in the first round. The fight was halted at 4:30 with the Florian TKO victory.Stephan Bonnar got Mike Nickels down and worked for an armlock behind Nickels’ back, then transitioned to a rear-naked choke that forced the Denver-based fighter to tap. Stephan Bonnar won by submission at 2:14 of the round.

Mark DellaGrotte on Coaching Kenny Florian – Yahoo Sports Article “The thermometer read 96 degrees. The late-afternoon humidity was oppressive. In other words, it was time for Kenny Florian to pull on a warm-up jacket and go out for a run. “You do what you gotta do,” said the man known as KenFlo, as he laced up his track shoes in the basement housing trainer Mark DellaGrotte’s Sityodtong USA gym.” read article

Cote Victorious at TKO 29: REPERCUSSION Patrick Cote became the new TKO Middleweight Champion with a first round submission win over Jason Day. Cote was able to take Day down and then unleashed some ground and pound until Day had enough and tapped out to end the fight. Cote spent several weeks training at Sityodtong before the fight and Mark DellaGrotte was in his corner. The fight was held in front of 10,000 fans at Montreal’s Bell Centre.

Real Fighter Magazine Profiles Mark DellaGrotte read article

Keller @ Large: Why Is Ultimate Fighting So Huge? In his Somerville gym Wednesday night, trainer Mark Dellagrotte worked out Pete Spratt, a top ultimate fighter on the televised pro circuit that has packed the house with a diverse array of customers hoping to master this melting pot of a sport. “It’s almost like the American way of life,” Dellagrotte said. watch video

Karalexis Promotes the WEC at Sityodtong Alex Karalexis underwent a thorough workout yesterday at the Sityodtong martial arts studio in Somerville, part of a nine-city training tour promoting his June 3 lightweight match against Josh Smith at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The fight, televised on Versus, will be the first WEC bout broadcast live nationally. Link to Boston Herald article

Boston Magazine Features Sityodtong In their May issue, a writer from Boston Magazine did a workout with UFC fighter Kenny Florian, which took place at Sityodtong. Several pictures accompany the story. read Boston Magazine story

Kru Mark and Sityodtong Staff Present at the MMA Summit Kru Mark DellaGrotte led a session at the MMA Summit, which was held at USMMA in Bellingham, MA on Saturday, April 28th. Kru Mark was assisted by Mike Cassesso, Peter Pinto and Stephen Whittier. The MMA Summit was presented by Team Kenny Florian.

Florian Dominates Dokonjonosuke Mishima Showing off his Sityodtong Muay Thai, Kenny Florian dominated Mishima at Ultimate Fight Night 9, which was broadcast live by Spike TV. In Round 3, Florian almost got fatally caught in a kneebar and seemingly was on the verge of tapping out, but he somehow escaped and landed a series of punches to Mishima. Then he got Mishima on his back and flattened him out. Florian quickly concludes the fight with a rear naked choke. Florian’s fight was awarded “fight of the night” honors.

Greg Rebello Victorious Sityodtong MMA fighter Greg Rebello recently defeated tough MSA opponent Shawn DePaul at Untamed X in Plymouth Mass.on March 10th. Greg was on his way to a decision win, but was driven by Sityodtong’s new creed “Don’t leave it to the judges” and K.O’d Shawn with a flurry of punches in Round 2.

Enhancements to Facility Sityodtong is proud to announce that we have recently added a caged MMA training area as well as expanded mat space. The cage is ideal for situational training. Our academy also has a ring. In addition, we now have an exercise room, which offers a wide variety of fitness equipment.

2006 News Archive

11/12/2006
Team Sityodtong goes 3 for 3 at the Ultimate fighter 4 Finale
Team Sityodtong fighters Pete Spratt, Jorge Rivera and Travis Lutter were all victorious in there bouts at the Hard Rock Resort and Casino in LV. Nov 11th. The stage was set for a great night of action beginning with Pete Spratt’s submission victory in round 2 over Jeremy Jackson. Pete displayed the new Pete Spratt combining his extensive Muay Thai background with a new understanding of the MMA game. Next was Jorge Rivera’s impressive win over a very experienced Edwin Dewies. Jorge showed some of his finest Muay Thai skills and stopped Edwin in the first round. The night was topped off with Travis Lutter beating Patrick Cote via submission in round 1, crowning him “The Ultimate Fighter” . Much respect to all the fighters that night!

10/15/2006
Kenny “Kenflo” Florian Fights for the UFC lightweight Championship
On October 14th at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Kenny “Kenflo” Florian took on Sean The “Muscle Shark” Sherk in a 5 round battle of major proportions beginning with an epic entrance. Kenny’s Samurai theme was perfect in representing his performance. The fight was a true testament of Kenflo’s warrior spirit. Kenny has proven to the world his ability to compete with the worlds best at 155lbs.Kenny displayed his Muay Thai skills by completely dominating the stand up with repeated kicks to the body and head. Sherk suffered a deep cut early in the fight almost earning a doctor stoppage. The cut was not in a critical spot and ironically worked against Florian by effecting his grip to finish.

Kenny’s unfortunate decision loss for the UFC lightweight Title has caused Kenny to become more hungry and his quest for the Title. Sherk. We congratulate Sean and believe he will be a great Champion. In the meantime, Kenny continues to grow as a fighter and has solidified his position in the lightweight rankings. Look for KenFlo to return to the UFC in February.

9/30/2006
Tateki Matsuda victorious in NYC
Team Sityodtong Muay Thai fighter Tateki Matsuda was sucessfull in securing a unanimas decision win over Weapons 9 fighter Chris Tran Performing a low kick seminar at The Capitale in NYC on Sept 29th. Team Sityodtong houses a number of Amateur and Professional Muay Thai fighters looking to make their MMA debut in 2007. Some of wich include: Andres Jeudi, Sean Matthews and Tateki Matsuda.

8/18/2006
Mark DellaGrotte to be a coach on TUF 4
Mark DellaGrotte will join Randy Couture and Georges St. Pierre as coaches for the fourth season of The Ultimate Fighter. The season premiere wiill be on Thursday, August 17 on Spike TV.

The fourth season of The Ultimate Fighter will premiere Thursday, August 17 on Spike TV. Season 4 will follow 8 middleweight and 8 welterweight UFC veterans as they battle for a six-figure contract and a title shot.

2005 News Archive

7/2005
UFC Fighters Training at Sityodtong
UFC Veterans Kenny Florian and Stephan Bonnar are now perparing for their next UFC appearance on Spike TV August 6th. Kenny will be facing Alex Karalexis. Stephan will be facing Sam Hogar.

Peter Welch Seminar
Peter Welch, the boxing coach from the TV show “The Ultimate Fighter” on Spike TV, doncuts a boxing workshop at Sityodtong.

Jorge Rivera’s Next Fight
fights Anderson Silva in London for the Cage Rage World Title.

Sityodtong Seminar
World champion and Muay Thai legend “Coban” conducts a seminar at Sityodtong.

Victory for Yodmark
Yodmark scores a 3rd Round K.O. by neck kick against “Pilot Noi” in Rayong Thailand.

Kenny Florian’s UFC Fight
Kenny Florian, who trains at Sityodtong, competes against Diego Sanchez in the Finals of the UFC TV Show The Ultimate Fighter” on Spike TV.

Jorge Rivera Wins
He defeats Alex Reid in London at Cage Rage 10 by K.O. in 42 seconds of the 1st Round.

2004 News Archive

Congratulations Neil!
Neil Sityodtong LeGallo defeats BMT fighter for the USKBA professional middleweight Muay Thai title.

Now Training at Sityodtong
Mike Varner / Bobby Diaz / Jorge Rivera / Mike Litlefield / Kenny Florian

Now Open, Sityodtong L.A.
Muay Thai great Walter Michalowski recently given permission by Kru Yodtong to open Sityodtong L.A. Congratulations Walter and welcome aboard.

7/24/2004
Congratulations Andres
Andres Sityodtong Jeudi wins his Muay Thai debut in NYC.

7/10/2004
Victory for Jorge Riveria
Jorge Rivera defeats UFC veteran and one of the UK’s best “Mark Weir” by referee stoppage after the first round, at Cage Rage in London, England

Kru Yodmark Wins
Yodmark wins at Rachadamnern Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand! TKO win by low kick in Round 2 against local thai fighter “Tarzan.

Fighters Training
Now training at the Sityodtong USA Branch, UFC veterans Jorge Rivera and Keith Rockel.

Sityodong Figher Updates
Saibua Sityodtong USA comes home from six months and 3 wins in Thailand. Sityodtong USA Fighter Heather Thomas wins local Muay Thai title! Congratulations Heather!