Recently in Bob Bitner Category

Just talked with Jerod Phillips of mma fightwear company Tap or Sleep. He was at PA Fighting Championship last night in Harrisburg and passed along a few of the results:

Jay Haas of Hanover Academy of Mixed Martial Arts (and his own school in Lewisberry) got a TKO win against Michael Bunyamanhop. Jay had Bunyamanhop mounted and was raining down punches, Jerod said.

Another Hanover fighter, Kevin Flinchbaugh, also scored a first-round TKO, this one on the feet, at about :38, against Joshua Geiringer.

Hanover's third fighter, Brad Herrick, lost by KO to Justin Lucas.

Jeff Smith, who used to train at Hanover, but now calls Blackman MMA home, won by guillotine against Ric Humphries in the first round.

And in the main event, Dustin Pague of Blackman MMA lost to Anthony Leone by a north-south choke in the second round.

Jerod said the place, the Zembo Temple, was packed, sold out and there was not a bad seat in the house. "It was a pretty well run thing," he said of promoter Steve Blackman and his crew. "It was a decent night of fights."

Many thanks to Jerod for these results. Complete results should be ready by early next week.

Here's a message Bob, who runs Hanover Academy of Mixed Martial Arts, sent me today:
I'm down to two fighting on Saturday at Gladiator, Ryan Harder injured his neck and had to pull out of the event. Nate Kinard and Mike Fallia both at 155 will be fighting for us. After that I have Jay Haas fighting at the Warrior Challenge on the 23rd. The Grappling Challenge on the 24th, I'm not sure how many from Hanover will be competing but there's bound to be some black t-shirts there representing.

After that it looks like Nov 6 at Steve Blackman's event in Harrisburg. Matt Loban at 205, Brad Herrick at 170 and Kevin Flinchbaugh at 145 should represent us well at that event. Also in the works is Nov 27, Pa.Cage Fight 2 in Scranton, should be Jay Haas at that one if all goes well. I'll keep you posted as more develops, we are always fighting somewhere. If we not fighting that gives the dust time to settle in here, and I hate dust.

Jerod Phillips of Tap or Sleep, a Hanover-based MMA clothing company, said he'll be at today's Central Pennsylvania Warrior Challenge, to support another of his fighters, Jay Haas.

Although Jay lost his pro debut at the first CPWC by kneebar, he won against Doug Sonier at WKU Warrior Challenge last month by armbar. From all accounts, he's been training like mad, and is one of two pro fights on today's card. Good luck Jay, from all of us at MMA Explosion.

Jay Haas, a Hanover Academy of MMA fighter, won the featherweight title at Operation Octagon this past weekend.

Jay, who is sponsored by York-based MMA clothing company, Tap or Sleep fightwear, won the 3-round battle by split decision, 2-1.

Here's some photos sent to me by Bob Bitner, head trainer at Hanover Academy of MMA:

Jerod Phillips, Bob Bitner, Jay Haas, and Zach Bitner.

Jay with the new gold.

And some from Jerod Phillips, owner of Tap or Sleep:

Jay pre-fight psych-up.

Bob Bitner, Jay and Zach Bitner after the fight.

Time to relax and drink it in.

Here's an email I received from Bob Bitner of Hanover Academy of MMA:

Jay Haas now holds the featherweight title at Operation Octagon. The first round was very action-packed, constantly flipping back and forth, with Jay coming out on top. The second round was just as intense, with Jay pulling it out with a few leg kicks and some elbows from the mount. The third round went right to the mat, and Justin gained control with the side mount, clearly winning that round. After three grueling five-minute rounds, where each fighter gave it their all, the fight ended in a very tight split decision. This resulted in Jay's fourth win and earned him the honor of holding the belt for the featherweight division.

This is now the fifth title for Hanover Academy of MMA. We are very proud of our accomplishments this far, and look forward to what the future brings.

The next event scheduled for Hanover MMA is April 11,2009 - Onslaught Fights in Winchester, Va. at the Winchester Sportsplex.

Nate Vantassel - 170lbs.

Steve Kauffman-185lbs.

We are also looking into the possibility of making the card for the April 19,2009 show in York, Pa.

Congrats to Jay the Champ and to the whole crew at Hanover. Time to get a bigger trophy case at the academy! And let's not forget Jay's sponsor,Tap or Sleep fightwear, straight out of York by way of Mr. Jerod Phillips. I'll have photos up in a day or so.

Jay Haas, one of the top fighters out of Hanover Academy of Mixed Martial Arts, won his fight this weekend, according to Jay's sponsor, Jerod Phillips, who runs local MMA clothing company Tap or Sleep fightwear.

Here's what Jerod wrote in an email:
"Jay won in 1:53 seconds of round one. Jay took his guy down and mounted and opened up a can of ground and pound. He used real nice heavy hips to stay in mount and finished the fight with well placed fists."
Bob Bitner (Hanover's head trainer) is seen wrapping Jay's hands:

I was over at Hooters of York for UFC 93 and talked with a few of the guys from Hanover Academy of Mixed Martial Arts -- Ryan, Jay, Nate and George. They are a great group of guys who have achieved a great deal of success in a short amount of time in Hanover.

If you've read this blog before, you'd know the Hanover team regularly goes down to Virginia to fight. All the guys fight amateur, but the fights in Virginia use UFC-type rules - not Genesis rules. That means no headgear, kick pads and big, soft gloves. That means strikes, including elbows, on the ground, kicks to the head, knees to the head, are all allowed.

At least two of the guys plan to turn pro later this year, while another two, I think, are on the card as amateurs that will take place in York once the rules and regs. go through. Rest assured, MMA Explosion will be following these guys in the months to come.

Bob Bitner, head trainer at Hanover Academy of Mixed Martial Arts told me about some upcoming fights for his guys.

On December 6, 135-pound fighter Jay Haas, and 170-pound fighter Brad Herrick will fight at Operation Octagon in Manassas, Va.

The next week, Hanover's super-heavyweight, Chrissy Adler, will fight at the Barbarian Fight Club in Louisa, Va.

Good luck guys, bring back some wins to York County!

Binky Jones, Jerod Phillips and Biff Walizer

My MMA story - titled "Living and Fighting - That Competitive Edge" will be out this Sunday, Nov. 9, in The York Daily Record/Sunday News and online. The main story is about local fighter Biff Walizer, his battle with a gambling addiction and his quest to gain redemption. There's also a sidebar on Jerod Phillips, owner of Tap or Sleep fightwear. Other York MMA luminaries, like Mark Jovich, Bob Bitner and George McGinnis will be in one of the stories online. There will also be a video of Biff and Jerod. Click here on Sunday to log on to the Web site.

In this photo from the GFC - Warriors Collide event in September, Jay Haas (in black shorts) stands with his medal for winning that night. Hanover's Ryan Harder is to the left.Thanks to Jerod Phillips of Tap or Sleep for the photo.

Bob Bitner, head instructor at Hanover Academy of Mixed Martial Arts, brought two of his fighters to Total Cage Combat in Richmond, Va. on Saturday.

Jay Haas engaged in a ground battle with his opponent, in what Bitner called "back and forth, a very close fight."

In the third round, Haas tapped out to a rear-naked choke, Bitner said.

Ryan Harder added another title to his trophy case, taking home the TCC featherweight championship, Bitner said. The fight was over quick - one punch from Harder knocked his opponent out at the :17 mark.

"I'm happy and I'm sad," Bitner said of his team's performance. Congrats to both Haas and harder for giving it their all in their fights.

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Back with a vengeance, Tom and I had a special guest this week, George McGinnis, owner and trainer at York Mixed Martial Arts Academy. The three of us break down the Kimbo fight and subsequent fall-out, as well as how York fighters did at Gladiator Fight Club. George added some great (and much-needed) insight into the fight game, rather than just a couple schmoes like Tom and me talking.

Haas (in black shorts) with his medal after winning at GFC - Warriors Collide. Hanover's Ryan Harder is to the left.Thanks to Jerod Phillips of Tap or Sleep for the photo.

Here's some information based on a voice mail I received from Bob Bitner on Haas' win at Gladiator Fighter Challenge this past weekend:

Bob started off by saying that two of his fighters, Ryan Harder and Chrissy Adler, did not fight because their opponents backed out. Not cool. This seems to be a big problem in the amateur circuit, and one that should be addressed.

In Haas' fight, he went up against Bao Khong, a tae kwon do instructor for Mario Yamasaki's martial arts academy.

"Bascially, that first round, it was a very technical stand-up round ... I do believe we lost that first round on kicks ... He (Khong) did a pretty good number on Jay's thigh. We seemed to have problems getting out of that range."

"In the second round, we regrouped, gave him some pointers on how to counter those kicks. True to form, Jay being easy to coach like he is, he stepped inside, shut the kicks down, and counter-punched."

Jay Haas for the win, with a second-round TKO.

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This week, Tom Joyce and I talk about Affliction partnering with EliteXC, Cro Cop's groin shot woes, St-Pierre's thoughts on Patrick Cote's chances against Anderson Silva, and an MMA card in Va. this weekend that is stacked with local talent.

Bob Bitner

In a short amount of time, Bob Bitner and his fight team from Hanover Academy of Mixed Martial Arts have made quite an impact on the MMA scene in Virginia.

Right now he has five active fighters who compete in four different organizations. Two of his fighters, Ryan Harder and Jeff Smith, have held titles in Operation Octagon. Harder was bantamweight champ and Smith was featherweight champ, he said.

Bitner said his fighters chose organizatiosn in Virginia that had rule systems similar to the pro ranks. That means even though it is an amateur fight, there are no kick pads, headgear, or over-sized gloves, and knees and elbows are allowed, he said.

Harder, Smith and Chrissy Adler have plans to turn pro at some point, Bitner said.

Rounding out Bitner's team are Jay Haaf and Brad Herrick.

Bitner and his fight team.

Training - striking and grappling - at Bitner's academy is done four days a week, while weight and cardio training is left up to the fighters to take care of.

Bitner, who has fought in muay Thai matches across the United States and has trained fighters for Steve Blackman in Harrisburg, said he's in the fight game for the fighters.

"I really, really do enjoy being with the fighters and watching them progress," he said.

Bitner said he doesn;t know what the future holds, as far as expanding his academy, which shares space with another martial arts school in Hanover. One thing's for sure - he'll keep his little school open and keep training.

"Everytime we go to Virginia, we surprise them," he said. "They can outspend me, but they can't out-fight me."

Training in Hanover.