Issue 044
December 2008
Watching The Ultimate Fighter you might get the impression most MMA gyms are large, state-of-the-art facilities, but the reality is that most gyms are built wherever there is affordable space. One such gym is the famous Sityodtong in Boston, where Kru Mark Dellagrotte teaches.
Inside Sityodtong
Mark just returned from UFC 89 in London and now has two days before leaving for Chicago to corner Patrick Cote in UFC 90. Three weeks after that he corners Kenny Florian in UFC 91.
During this time Mark helps Kenny train and says of the fight: “I knew it was going to happen, that it was a matter of time. It makes perfect sense with both being at the top of the food chain. Kenny could perhaps fight BJ, and Joe Stevenson just came off a fight against BJ, so I see why Joe Silva put it together. We know Joe [Stevenson] has his ‘go-to’ moves. He has his guillotine and ankle lock, and he gets in and out of everything a certain way. What will be important that night will be who can execute their power moves first.”
To give an idea of the popularity of Sityodtong one could run through the list of recent visitors to the gym, fighters such as Nate Quarry, Din Thomas, or Pete Spratt. A good example of how in demand Marc is as a trainer would be the upcoming fight between Jorge Gurgel and Aaron Riley: Aaron has trained at Sityodtong before, but not this time.
“Aaron is part of the family and he knows that. Marcus Davis and Jorge are best friends, so before I know it the phone rang and it was Jorge before Aaron. When Joe Silva wants a fight, Joe Silva gets a fight – Pete Spratt fought Marcus Davis and they are both my guys. I bowed out of that fight, but now when I bow out of a fight I lose my percentage and my family can’t eat. Joe Silva doesn’t agree with that because he wants me to be part of making that fight. What it is coming down to is who has been there the longest or who gets to me first. It is not just a sport but the entertainment business, and we need to do our jobs.” Ironically, Riley is instead training with Joe Stevenson, Florian’s opponent.
Ken-Flo
It is not just Sityodtong that is growing, but the Boston scene as a whole. Kenny started at Boston Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and trains boxing at Peter Welch’s gym, but Kenny and his brother Keith opened their own school in September. “It has always been a dream of mine and what my calling was – back in the day I had no intention of being a fighter.”
Florian Martial Arts Centre is currently just BJJ but have plans to expand. Kenny is also known for helping out at Sityodtong, but more indirectly.
Kenny explains, “Mark and I have a teacher / student relationship. He learns from me Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and I learn from him Muay Thai. We have been at the forefront from day one, putting it together and making it work – both of us have really open minds. It has been trial and error but I think we have a unique perspective and we are not following what other people are doing. We are leading the charge in what people are doing in the Octagon and MMA. At Sityodtong I try to help out when guys ask my opinion on things or ask me questions, but my training always takes precedence over anything else.”
Boston, baby!
Even though EliteXC recently shut down, their 140lb champion, Wilson Reis, is taking advantage of the downtime to venture to both Kenny’s and Mark’s gyms from his home seven hours away in Philadelphia. “I’m taking a break for striking training,” says Reis. “I won the title three weeks ago, but now they are done and my manager is working on getting me shows.”
It isn’t just fighters; trainers as well are venturing to Kenny and Mark’s gyms. Muzaffar “Moose” Abdurakhmanov is an assistant wrestling coach at Harvard University. Moose won three national titles and was second in the Junior Worlds for his native country Uzbekistan, and he still competes.
Kenny notes Moose’s effect on his own game, saying, “He trains harder than many professional fighters out there. One thing I really want to improve in my game is my wrestling, and Moose had some MMA experience. On the first day he taught me some unbelievable techniques. Afterwards we did some straight wrestling and I felt like I was on ice skates. Not only did I feel I needed to work on my wrestling, he made me feel like I knew no wrestling.”
In his heavy accent Moose adds, “They are one of the best. I learn stand-up and show them wrestling stuff. They have good wrestling, I am just adding more to what they already have.” Moose himself has a fight in September in regional show World Championship Fighting (WCF), his first time representing Sityodtong.
There are many aspects to Dellagrotte’s training, some that fighters particularly appreciate. UFC vet and TUF season 4 competitor, Pete Spratt, came up from Texas and explains, “He ‘gets’ every aspect in every range of the game, and at the same time he gets in there and shows you specifically how he wants it done. On top of that he comes up with a great game plan for each individual fighter.
“He finds out who you are fighting and then he himself will go get film, evaluate it, and based on what your strengths and weaknesses are he will implement a game plan for each specific fighter. He has done that with me, with Marcus, Kenny, Cote – he is very good at breaking down film of an opponent, sticking with a game plan, and making it work.”
