FitX sport and fitness expo to be held in Melbourne March 8, 9 and 10 is going to have something special this year. The AFC is going to not only be in attendance but will be setting up the MMA Arena for the public. We will he holding special exhibitions all throughout the weekend including BJJ, Muay Thai and MMA.

Manning the AFC area will be the one and only UFC ring girl Arianny Celeste. Arianny will be signing magazines and her latest calendars for fans as well as giving the lucky attendee s the opportunity to get a photo.

If you are in Melbourne, make sure you drop in to the Melbourne exhibition building for Australia’s top sports and fitness expo. Come meet the team, get a photo with Arianny and even pick up some AFC merchandise. Tickets for AFC5 will also be on sale, so come be the first to secure your seat to the hottest ticket in town.

A big shout out to Allstar MMA tours for helping to secure Arianny and the team at Dominance gym in Richmond for supplying the fighter over the weekend

For the past few years an organisation which runs events 100% about the competitors and the Jiu Jitsu community as a whole has been held.

The idea was very simple. All the money made is given back. The stand out competitors are sent to LA for a training camp and to compete in the World Championships. More competitors means more money which means more athletes going overseas. And most importantly, to do all of this in an inclusive and positive way.

The events have grown rapidly from the first one which was run a few years ago which had 150 competitors. The next grew to 200 and the last event in 2012 had 230.

The No Gi Aussie Championships decided to eliminate the kids divisions, despite having 30 awesome kids at the previous event. The organisers wanted to ensure an environment that kids get the focus they deserve and have an amazing experience. The venue and focus of the GTA events, we realised, is not best for this. It has been resolved that by creating an event on the MG calendar just for kids – the Mini MG slated for May 2013 is the best idea.

The goal was to send one of each male white, blue, purple and brown belts overseas and one of each white and coloured belt females. In order to do this the competition had to reach 300 entries. Minutes before entries closed midnight on Thursday hit 304 entries were received. This means the competition grew 50% since the last event in the number of adults competing AND organisers could afford to sponsor all six athletes!

The week before the event is always immensely stressful, especially the Friday. Timelines are tight and there are always little issues that need to be sorted with brackets, venue and set up. This year was no different. But through some early mornings and late nights and a tonne of time put in from some amazing people everything came together.

The event itself was amazing. Of course it is not without room for improvement. Every event that is run, something new is learnt and further ways to make the experience better for everyone involved. Regardless, the event just hummed with a great vibe and energy all day. It was supported by just about every school and affiliation in Victoria and many from interstate. Great to see so many top level guys and girls on the mat. The brown belts were out in force and the black belt super fight was amazing and great to watch. Lachie “Lachness Monster” Giles and Yuri Simoes put on a great fight.

A big driving force for many competing is the trips on offer to the Worlds. The idea of sending athletes to the World Champs is fantastic. It is an experience that can not be forgotten. It is inspiring for the individual and for those who train with them.

The trips went to the winners of all open divisions.

Male White Belt – Maka Tanginoa
Male Blue Belt – Mitch O’Dowd
Male Purple Belt – Daniel Kelly
Male Brown Belt – Kit Date

Female White Belt – Shantelle Thompson
Female Coloured Belt – Maryanne Mullahy

Although there is only one winner of each open division there are always a number of others who impress to the point where the organisers and head refs feel they should be noted. After some discussion it was decided two of these people deserved to be going overseas as well and there needed to find a way to get them there. Essentially a “wild card”. was created.

The first was Callan Potter. Epic fights all day. Subbed every opponent in his weight class and open until he ran into Ezra Trotter (previous open weight & prize winner) in the later rounds of the open, losing a super close fight by only an advantage (the only “score” in the entire fight). Callan was at the venue at 8am and was literally helping out reffing, scoring, setting up, etc every minute he was not on the mat fighting. His fights were excellent. Going after subs and rolling with a fearlessness and profound sense of sportsmanship.

The second was Anna “Hobbit” Hyvarinen. She won all of her fights without a point scored on her in both her weight and the open, submitting many in the process, and reaching the final of the female white belt open in which she was one of the smallest fighters. In the final she landed awkwardly in the process of finishing a takedown on her bigger opponent and was unable to continue due to injury. She was tenacious, technical and smiling all day.

Both of these fighters embody the martial arts spirit and showcase exactly the culture of GTA events. Passion, positivity, and community.

The event was fortunate to have the support of three amazing financial sponsors – ourselves (AFC), FFA PaySmart, and Powerhouse Security Services. Each giving $1,000 to the event for funding trips. With this and a few other wins on the financial side of the event will go a good way to covering the wild card trips for these athletes. The rest will be raised with the help of the amazing community we are part of.

What a sensational team going to the No Gi Worlds in LA!

Despite a couple of hiccups the day was filled with positivity, amazing sportsmanship, epic jiu jitsu, selfless hard work by all volunteers (who go all but unmentioned), fantastic support from the crowd, and great appreciation by all involved of the goal of the event.

In true GTA spirit a couple of competitors who’s own business’s supported the event by sponsoring product. Lee Ting owns GNC at QV. He generously supplied a some awesome product for standout athletes as well as vouchers for medal winners. Daniel “Jungle Fish” Jungfliesch is the owner of Combat Seven. Combat Seven make fully custom rashies. They are a fantastic product. He gave vouchers to stand out fighters on each of the four mats. These fighters scored the sweet rashies were:

Nicole Nolan
Manu Sheldon
Jess Smith
Emanuele Zanette
Florence Liang

You can check out all our sponsors via the GTA website as well as the links below. Support the business’s who support our sport and competitors!

Before closing, there was one other amazing and touching moment that simply must be noted. The open white belt division final was fought by two team mates and true gentlemen – Maka Tanginoa and George Tuuholoaki. Both Maromba students from Mildura. Their fight was awesome and went to time with Maka winning on points. In what was one of the most amazing displays of respect and selflessness, when Maka was awarded his well deserved trip he immediately asked if he could give the trip to his team mate George.
Not only is the act in itself stunning, but the ease with which this came to Maka is beautiful.

This act of generosity and kinship from Maka at the GTA No Gi Aussie Champs made the day special, made quite a few people cry, and truly captured the sense of community we have in Jiu Jitsu in Victoria and Australia and that we are trying to promote through this event.

Sincere thanks goes out to all the volunteers, all sponsors, all competitors and all those in the Jiu Jitsu community who share the love and passion for our beautiful art.

See you on the mat,

“little” Dave Hart

Supported by the following awesome sponsors!

AFC – www.afcmma.com.au
FFA PaySmart – www.ffapaysmart.com.au
ColourTech – www.colourtechnet.com
GNC – www.gnclivewell.com.au
Combat Seven – www.combatseven.com.au
Zebra Mats – www.zebramats.com.au
Grapplng Store – www.grapplingstore.com.au

I’m honored to be one of the AFC’s inaugural Ring Girls and whilst I hadn’t much exposure to MMA before, I’m picking it up quick!” she enthuses. “The excitement, the atmosphere, it’s awesome! Watching guys like Richie Whitson up close is a real experience.

“A trained dancer, Skye now concentrates on Pilates (and playing with her 6 month old puppy) to stay in shape. If she’s not updating her Facebook profile, she’s probably shopping, and weaknesses? “Chocolate, and lots of it! Or maybe a vodka lime and soda, some girlfriends, and a dancefloor to conquer! Then again, a quiet night at home playing poker is always fun.”

It’s probably because Kirsty Lee has maintained such an active lifestyle that she is now in awe of the fitness of our MMA athletes. “To have the strength, not just physically but mentally, to maintain concentration for every second over a full 3 rounds is just amazing. These guys work hard!”

Jenny was recruited into the modelling industry 10 years ago and has been fortunate enough to have enjoyed overseas contracts, concentrating on fashion, with appearances in Harpers Bazaar. A little on the alternative side, this vegetarian is currently studying massage and is looking forward to a course in yoga next year. “Fitness, health and healing all really interest me, it seems the more I learn, the more I want to find out. The body, and how it all works, it’s fascinating. But it’s not all hippy” she laughs, “I still love “Southpark!”.

Obviously stoked to have landed a gig within a sport she follows so enthusiastically.

Jenny can’t wait for AFC2. “Bring it on!