Coaches Ryan Raleigh and Eric Philips with Maryia Arlova after winning the NFC Muay Thai Fly Weight belt.

Ryan is a life long devotee of the martial arts. He first learned  to box at the age of five and then moved to TaeKwonDo and Karate. He joined KnuckleUp as a member in 2006 in the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu program then boxing and Muay Thai. He started teaching and coaching fighters at KnuckleUp in 2011 and has coached many of our students to world titles including KnuckleUp standout competitor Maryia Arlova when she became a world champion in kickboxing.

I train my fighters to the point where they won’t see anything in the fight that they haven’t seen in the gym 100 times. I don’t want my students to do things just because I say so. I teach people why they are doing what they are doing.  I focus on defense.  Anyone can hit someone. I train my fighters so that anytime an opponent gets near them,  they make them pay. There is no right and wrong in martial arts.  If it works for you, then do it.