It all started with an idea. I needed to get Sam Adams Light into Cowboys Country Night Club for my job at Empire Distributors. How do I get Craft Beer into a country bar? How about I call in a favor from my old Kickboxing Gym, LA Boxing, and see if I can advertise on the ring cards for an upcoming MMA fight at Cowboys? No one in Georgia had used MMA ring cards for advertising yet and I was bounced around to a few different folks before sitting with an old friend and training partner Chris Stolzman. Chris and I talked about the ring cards for a while and then he asked me about what I was up to since I left LA boxing/ Velocity Kickboxing. I mentioned that I was teaching Filipino Stick Fighting and he went blank. “What the hell is stick fighting?” I happened to have a camera with a few videos on it, so after watching them Chris said, “Man why don’t you come teach for us?”
I was a bit unhappy with my current gym and Chris mentioned that they were moving their gym to a new location. That new gym happened to be the former Goldberg’s/OBAKE Fightschool where I had first learned Filipino Martial Arts (FMA). Having the chance to return to my roots as a martial artist and also to teach for the biggest most badass fight gym in the city was too good to be true. The next day I quit teaching at my gym and on December 15, 2005, I started my time at what would soon be KnuckleUp.
What do you do?
As a student of several martial arts, I found myself in a unique position at Knuckle Up. I was soon designated as the resident “Martial Arts Nerd.” I looked goofy and wore glasses, even when boxing, and talked about things like Penjak Silat and French Savate. It didn’t take too long for my skill set to be noticed by the instructors and fighters as I spent every day I could in my new home. Despite having ZERO cardio, I could play BJJ or Thai with the guys and I soon felt like part of an awesome team. Here I was shoulder to shoulder with guys like Diego Saraiva, Khungpon, Steve Headden, Mark Selby, Junior Assuncao and many other past and current rock star fighters. It was like appearing in a comic book: hair gel, tattoos, tans, and muscles all of which I am lacking, but I was there. They only thing I had to do next was build a student base so I could get paid.
The students and clients of KnuckleUp had never seen anything like what I was teaching and most of my early classes were an hour and a half of me hitting a Thai bag with a stick. On occasion I would stand in the lobby and smile at everyone that walked in, and if they looked like a game fighter I would ask what their discipline was. Depending on the answer I would reply with, “Want to see a great counter to a Thai round kick?” or “Ever seen the arm lock series from Japanese Shoot Fighting?” Most would just keep walking, but those that took me up on my invitation to join me on the mat got to see some esoteric solutions to some very common problems in sport fighting. After a few months, I had built a class of over 15 students and the club has not looked back since.
Who do you train with?
Once word got out that the Kali guy could bang and was a slippery Jiu-Jiu guy, I started receiving more interest in my program. I would spar with young MMA guys in all sorts of scenarios, like Bandanna vs. boxing or my Sarong vs. grappling. That, in addition to the coaches/ fighter training sessions, meant I got plenty of ring time. Our students competed in the World Stick Fighting Championships in 2006 and in 2008 I started bringing in Guro Victor Gendrano Jr. of the world famous Inosanto Academy for seminars. Over the years we have hosted seminars with Tuhon (think Master) Ray Dionaldo, Guro (think Professor) Marrese Crump, Guro Ernie Lake, and my original FMA teacher Guro Benjamin Salas. This depth of influences has only served to make the FMA program at KnuckleUp second to none in the South. We are the only group that has Open Sparring days where FMA students from any school can come and cross sticks in a friendly environment. We also host the Christmas Sparring day called Krampus where last year 27 fighters came to KnuckleUp and fought for over two hours. My sponsors donated more than $900 worth of raffle prizes such as custom knives, sticks, and clothing. This year, our 10th anniversary, will see the largest Krampus ever as I intend to invite groups of weapon fighters from HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts) and LARP (Live Action Role Play) to join us and demonstrate their styles of fighting.
These Last 10 years at KnuckleUp have been very instrumental, not only for training but in my life. My wife trained in Muay Thai and our baby will be a part of the KnuckleUp family for years to come. I cannot express my gratitude to the owners and managers I have worked with over the years. I have learned many lessons on and off the mat with my KnuckleUp family and still to this day cheer for my past and present training buddies that are active fighters in the ring and cage. For a nerdy looking country boy with a weird martial art, I feel that KnuckleUp has been more than a home to me. It has allowed me to explore and express my martial abilities in the greatest Sport Fighting gym in the Southeast, if not the entire country.
1…2…3… KNUCKLE UP!!!!!
Salamat Po
Lakan Guro Chris Caban
Atlanta Kali Group
