Recently in Hanover 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.

Grapplers Quest-9/26/09 Hanover Academy of MMA's Bob Bitner took second in masters advanced losing by one point.

Brad Herrick takes first, Mens Executive at Warrior Challenge Grappling tournament Oct 24 in Lancaster Pa.

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.

Bob Bitner from Hanover Academy of MMA told me last week that three of his fighters will be on the Oct. 17 Gladiator Fight Club VI - Ultimate Victory, to be held at the SportsPlex in Winchester, Va.

The three fighters are: Ryan Harder, MIke Fallia and Nate Kinard

On Oct 23, at the Central Pennsylvania Warrior Challenge, in Lancaster, Jay Haas will fight pro at 145.

The next day, on Oct 24, at the Central Pennsylvania Submission Grappling Championships, in Lancaster Pa., Hanover will be well represented.

And on Nov 6, at the Zembo Temple, Blackman MMA will be sponsoring an event in Harrisburg Pa., featuring Hanover fighters Kevin Flinchbaugh, at 145; Brad Herrick, at 170; and Matt Loban, at 205.

Got a voicemail from Bob Bitner, head trainer at Hanover Academy of MMA. He gave me the run-down on how his team did at the recent Grapplers Quest in Lancaster.

"All in all, I'm very,very, very pleased with our performance. The guys did great," he said. "For us, not being a full-time Jiu-Jitsu school, I couldn't have asked for a better performance than what the guys did."

- Jay Haas won 1st in the men's intermediate division.

- Bo Christie won 1st in the men's executive heavyweight division.

- Alex Giron, won 3rd in the teen novice division.

- Andy Smith won 4th in the men's novice division.

- And the man himself, Bob Bitner, won 2nd in the masters advanced division. It was actually Bob and Joe Martini from Philadelphia's Rocco MMA who were battling it out for first and second, Bob said. Bob called Joe "a very very strong man. He made me work. ... We went the distance, all five rounds," and in the last 20 seconds or so, Joe scored a point on Bob, making it 1-0. "I'm definitely looking forward to getting to that rematch," Bob said.

Casey Bush - whose video is featured to the right in the video player---> won his amateur debut at Barbarian Fight Club - Dire Conflict over the weekend in Virginia. Bush's coach at Hanover Academy of MMA, Bob Bitner, had this to say about the victory:

"He went in for the take-down, his first take-down, he ended up getting popped. But he re-grouped and scored a take-down on his second attempt."

On the ground, Bush tried a few submissions, but his opponent, Joey Elmore, fought them off, Bitner said.

"In the long run, Casey just proved to be a little too strong," Bitner said. "He ended up getting the mount and after that, it was just ground-n-pound, ref stoppage, TKO. For his first fight, he did real good. He learned a good lesson here on that first shot. He went in there with a little bit of that wrestler mindset and kind of got reminded real quick they're throwing punches here."

"Overall, I was pleased with the performance. He was thorough with what he did, he was careful woth what he did, once he re-grouped and got that second shot in."

Fight for your mind from tap or sleep on Vimeo.

This past weekend, Eric Moore, of Hanover Academy of MMA, entered the cage at Legend Cage Fighting in Manassas, Va. for his debut fight. He ended up in the main event, with fight of the night honors, and a title. How'd it happen?

According to Bob Bitner, Hanover's coach, "Believe me, it shocked us just as much as anybody." Prior to the fight, they went through two opponents - the second pulling out at weigh-ins. Legend's 155-pound champion, Jason Valle, also had an opponent pull out.

Despite Moore's inexperience - and based on Hanover's reputation of producing top-notch fighters - the promoter asked Bitner if Moore wanted the title fight.

"After probably five seconds of thinking about it," Moore and Bitner "jumped at the chance," Bitner said.

After three five-minute rounds, Moore was declared the winner by unanimous decision. "He laid it to this kid," Bitner said. "It was 100 percent Eric, all three rounds. We were very, very proud of him."

Not one to sit back on any laurels, Bitner said now it's time to live up to the title. No doubt Moore will do just that.

This Saturday, Damon's in Hanover will be showing UFC 103 (Rich Franklin vs. Vitor Belfort and Mirko Cro Cop vs. Junior Dos Santos) and will feature appearances from Hanover-based MMA clothing company Tap or Sleep and members of Hanover Academy of MMA.

So stop by, order up some wings and beer, ogle the waitresses (you know you do) and stop by Jerod Phillips's TOS table and see what he's got, not to mention the raffles he'll be doing throughout the night. Oh, and yeah, there's fights on the tube, too. And, like I said, the boys from Hanover Academy should be there as well.

Here's the address:
375 Eisenhower Dr., Hanover, Pa. 717-632-5600.

Casey Bush

Joey "The Kid" Elmore

On Saturday, Sept. 19, local fighter Casey Bush will make his amateur debut - at 145 pounds - at Barbarian Fight Club's Dire Conflict event, to be held at the Virginia Sports Complex in Ruther Glen.

Casey's got a great amateur wrestling background, and has been training at Hanover Academy of MMA, where is part of the team, but also has trained at George McGinnis' York Academy of Mixed Martial Arts in Red Lion in the past.

Casey is 27, stands 5'7" and Casey's opponent, Joey "The Kid" Elmore, is 25, stands at six feet, lists boxing, grappling and submission as his styles and has a 1-2 record. He is from Great Mills, Md., and says he is an independent fighter, i.e., no school/team affiliation.

Stay tuned here to find out how Casey did.

Just wanted to let everybody know that Jay Haas, a pro fighter with Hanover Academy of MMA, has opened an affilated academy in Lewisberry Pa. at 689 Yorktowne Rd. Jay has fought twice in the Central Pennsylvania Warrior Challenge, and numerous times in Virginia. He went 4-1 as an amateur, and is now 1-2 as a pro with one no-contest. He is trhe reigning Operation Octagon 145-pound champion. jay is sponsored by Hanover-based mma clothing company Tap or Sleep.

Here are some things about the academy to keep in mind: All non-members pay a 10.00 mat fee before being allowed to participate. Private lessons are available at both locations, (Lewisberry or Hanover at 398 York St. (suite 9), )please contact one of the numbers below for more detailed information. If interested, please feel free to contact: Bob Bitner 717-528-4038, 717-253-5540 or bitnerbob1@embarqmail.com or Jay Haas at 717-315-4276

Here's the schedule for the Lewisberry academy:
Monday - mma 6-8pm

Tuesday - Kickboxing (ladies only) 5-6 pm; mma 6-8 pm, Wrestling 8-9 pm

Wednesday - mma 6-8 pm

Thrusday - Kickboxing (ladies only) 5-6 pm; mma 6-8 pm, wrestling 8-9 pm

Friday - mma 6-8 pm

Saturday Closed

Sunday - wrestling 5-6 pm

Damon's Grill Hanover
375 Eisenhower Dr.
Hanover, PENNSYLVANIA 17331
Phone: 717-632-5600

Jerod Phillips, owner of Hanover-based MMA fightwear company, Tap or Sleep, annoucned today that TOS, along with Bob Bitner's Hanover Academy of MMA will be sponsoring the first-ever UFC PPV at Damon's in Hanover. In this case, it's tomorrow night's UFC 102 - Couture vs. Nogueira.

Tap or Sleep, the first mma clothing company to come out of York County, offers clothing for the fan and the fighter - both men and women. Phillips sponsors tremendous competitors like Biff Walizer, Charlie "The Spaniard" Brenneman, Jimmy Hettes and Duane Bastress.

Hanover Academy of MMA made an impact on the MMA scene in Virginia long before Pennsylvania legalized the sport, producing several amateur champions. Bitner, who comes from an extensive striking background, recently partnered with BJJ purple belt George McGinnis of York Mixed Martial Arts Academy to give his fighters a more well-rounded game.

The fights start at 10 p.m., but if I were you, I'd get there early to get a good seat. Jerod said he'll have a table there, selling TOS merch and doing free giveaways. Local fighters will be on hand as well, so get out there and support the sport!

Tomorrow night - Friday - Philly plays host once again to MMA, this time at The Arena. There's a lot of local fighters on the card, including Jay Haas, who trains at Hanover Academy of MMA, and who fought on the first two Warrior Challenge events.

Click here to buy tickets.

Pro fights:
Dustin Pague (Hulstine Athletics)vs. Jeff Lentz (Rhino MMA)

Jay Haas (Hanover MMA) vs. Doug Anderson (Rhino MMA)

Jeff Smith (Blackman MMA) vs.Andy Main (AMA Fight Club)

Continuing Bob Bitner's entry on facebook: Then Jay Haas fights in Philadelphia, Aug 21 at Arena Assault:

Forgot to mention that Hanover's Chrissy Adler is also fighting for the interim heavyweight title at Operation Octagon on 8/15:

Got a voice mail from Bob Bitner, head trainer at Hanover Academy of MMA, who said his fighters went 2-0 this past weekend at Barbarian Fight Club in Virginia, and took home a title too.

Making his MMA debut at 155 pounds, Mike Falia and his opponent, Nathan Buckley, had a first round with a lot of movement, but Falia's nerves may have gotten the best of him, Bitner said. By the second round, Falia had clamed down and when Buckley shot in, Falia stuffed it and got his underhooks and picked Buckley up, taking him to the cage. Keeping the fight standing, Falia was able to get a clinch and knocked Buckley out with a knee, Bitner said. "He was pretty jacked up about that," Bitner said of Falia's reaction to winning.

In the co-main event, Hanover's Chrissy Adler took on Chris "The Black Demon" Lyles for the BFC superheavyweight title. Of Lyles, Bitner said, "He came at Chrissy and was willing to throw - he's the first one to ever do that." Unfortunately, it didn't work out well for Lyles. When he dropped his left hand, Adler fired a straight right, "and it was lights out," Bitner said. The KO occurred just over a minute in the first round.

"It was a solid performance by both guys," Bitner said. With the addition of Adler's championship, Hanover now has six in its trophy case. "The pressure to live up to these titles is getting harder and harder and harder, but we look forward to the challenge."

Just spoke with Mark Jovich, promoter of the Central Pennsylvania Warrior Challenge. With the event less than two weeks away, the card's pretty such solidified and all the fighters are ready to go, he said.

Mark talked about a few of the fights. In a fight that was supposed to happen last year, York County's Biff Walizer takes on Rob "Rhino" Guriano.

Biff fights out of LionHeart Fighters in State College and is sponsored by Tap or Sleep Fightwear.

The second pro fight on the card - and with both fighters making their pro debuts - are Hanover Aacdemy of Mixed Martial Arts' Jay Haas taking on William Childs.

Haas has had great success fighting in Virginia on its amateur circuit, winning a belt recently at Operation Octagon. Jovich said Childs is Georgia's all-time winningest high school wrestler.

"That's gonna be a good one," Jovich said of the Haas-Childs fight. "The kid (Childs) just fought Friday night," and lost by split decision.

Then there's York County's Mike Oberdick versus Williamsport's Louis "The Beast" Rumsey.

"Oberdick's a beast too," Jovich said.

Two more fights Jovich was excited about were Central Pennsylvania Martial Arts Academy's Justin Scott fighting Bret Evans and Hanover MMA's Ryan Heflin vs. Ray Eltringham.

Jovich said there are still a few tickets left at the Warrior Challenge's Web site.

The event takes place at Wisehaven Banquet Hall. Weigh-ins start at 10 a.m. and the fights begin at 2 p.m.

Jay walking to the cage at Operation Octagon on the way to winning the fetaherwieght title.

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.

I spoke to Greg Sirb, executive director of the Pa. state athletic commission on Friday. He said the commission's meeting, where they will vote on legalizing MMA, is still on for tomorrow (Monday) morning. I hope to have a correspondent there, so as soon as it happens, I'll let you guys know.

Here's my original post from Jan. 14:
Just got off the phone with Greg Sirb, executive director of the Pa. State Athletic Commission. He said last week the Attorney General's office signed off on the rules and regulations to legalize mixed martial arts in the state.

Next and last step: A commission meeting at 11 a.m., room 302 of the "north office building," which Sirb says is directly behind the capital.

"All we have to do is meet," Sirb said. "I don't think there will be any speed bumps."

For prospective promoters, you should get in touch with Greg, either by phone at 717-787-5720, or by email. He'll put your name on a list, and after the Feb. 23 meeting, packets will be sent out.

Before a promoter can hold an event, the packets need to be completed, which include a police background check and a $15,000 bond, among other things, he said.

Sirb said about 35-40 promoters had already contacted him. He added that once the events get going, either he or one of his representatives will be at every event, making sure things run according to the rules and regs.

"We're going to watch them like a hawk ... just like we do with boxing," he said.

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!

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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.

Last week, I told you Jerod Phillips of Tap or Sleep fightwear went over to Baltimore Street Tattoo to get "Tap or Sleep" outlined in red on his forearm. Here it is:

On Thursday, a photographer from the Daily Record and I went over to Baltimore Street Tattoo in Hanover to see Jerod Phillips of Tap or Sleep fightwear get his latest tat. The assignment was for a story that will run in the paper and online in the future, but I thought I might talk about it for a minute or two.

Jerod already has "Tap or Sleep" in black on the inside of his upper right arm. On Thursday, he got it outlined in red on his outer left forearm. Hopefully, I'll be able to get a photo up here soon to show you how it came out.

Talk about commitment to your product - you're willing to get marked for life - selling the product should be a cake-walk.

Everything was cool, except something bizarre happened across the street. Apparently a deer ran full-bore into some poor schmuck's garage door, then took off like it never happened. I saw the guy get home and although I couldn't hear what he said, I'm sure he was pissed. But, he eventually just grabbed a rubber mallet and pounded out the dents. I figured the deer got spooked from the rain storm that had been coming down just before that - maybe it nearly got hit by lightning.

Maybe that'll be my first tattoo: Ok, I want a deer - with a nice rack - running into a garage door. Betcha nobody else'll have that.

And just a plug for Baltimore Street Tattoo: classy, but down-to-earth shop with friendly people working there. Trey, who owns the place and did Jerod's tat, was very accomodating. I wouldn't be surprised to see his place become a player in the MMA scene when it's legalized in the state, given how many fighters get tatted up.