Jamir Anderson came out victorious with a split-decision win in his Muay Thai bout. He chose power over volume and showed incredible patience and composure throughout the fight. His opponent entered confident in his low kick game, but left the cage carrying his own leg damage. Their back-and-forth battle earned Fight of the Night! A true testament to Jamir’s skills; the work speaks for itself.

Starlon Pruitt made his MMA debut, stepping into one of the toughest competitions known to man. He suffered a first-round TKO in what we felt was an early stoppage. But ultimately, it was the right call. This sport is unforgiving, especially in those small gloves. We know what we need to work on, and Starlon will be back sharper and stronger. Every fighter remembers their first — what matters most is how you grow from it.

Hannah Johnson wasted no time in her MMA fight, earning a first-round submission victory. She set the trap with a tight triangle before transitioning beautifully to an armbar for the finish. Composed, technical, and dangerous from start to finish!

We are truly fortunate and honored to have such a strong and supportive team. Although only one individual steps into the ring or cage, we are never alone at The Cellar Gym!

In his first fight of the weekend, Javier showed skill, composure, and grit against a slick opponent from Mexico and came away with the unanimous decision to advance to the finals. Javi showed great understanding of the scoring system along with vicious low kicks and range awareness. In an unfortunate situation on finals day, Javier won by way of disqualification, becoming the new North American Champion. However, this doesn’t take away from his performance in the semifinals’ Javier earned this belt with the way he fought, regardless of how the tournament ended. On to Abu Dhabi in November! We’re proud of you, Javier. Congratulations, champ–on to Abu Dhabi in November!

At this tournament, Ava Kehrer stepped onto the international stage for the very first time. She faced an aggressive opponent from Turkey and ultimately lost by TKO in the first round due to the three 8-count rule. We felt the first count came a little early, and from there it was tough for Ava to fully regain her composure. Ava handled herself like a professional, gained valuable experience, and now has her sights set on Pan Ams in December. This was just the beginning. We’re proud of the way she represented her team and herself.

Congratulations to our fighters!

• Our Monday, Wednesday, and Friday classes at 5:30 PM will become Intermediate level classes. These classes are open to 2-stripe white belts and above.
• Our Tuesday and Thursday No-Gi classes at 6:30 PM will become Fundamentals level classes. Students of all levels are still welcome and encouraged to attend!
• Our Tuesday and Thursday Gi classes at 7:30 PM will become Open Mat hours. Any attire is permitted, and we hope these training times will offer opportunities for students of all levels to work on skills at their own pace. *These Open Mats are open to Cellar members only.

The format of each class (Gi or No-Gi) will remain the same as our current schedule. Please refer to the new schedule linked here if you want to double check the required experience level for a particular class.

** In addition, our Advanced Muay Thai classes at 4:30 PM on Mondays and Wednesdays will become a varying Hybrid format (pads, drills, clinch, bag work, etc.) that will focus on higher-level fight concepts. Advanced students are advised to come prepared with all of their sparring gear and pads.

If you have any questions regarding the new schedule, please send us an email at info@thecellargym.com, or speak with a coach or staff member.

Yekuno Yilma stepped into the ring for his first Muay Thai fight and showed incredible composure and skill. His footwork, head movement, and feints looked like those of a seasoned fighter. He controlled range well and demonstrated sharp timing throughout the fight. Despite a strong performance, Yekuno was caught in the second round and suffered a technical knockout. The fight game is unforgiving—no matter how prepared or technical you are, moments like this can happen. We are proud of Yekuno for the way he represented himself and our team. This is just the beginning of his journey, and we can’t wait to see him grow from this experience.

Michael Franz made his return to the ring and walked away with a unanimous decision victory. It’s been a few years since his last fight, but you would never know it from the way he performed. He showed composure, patience, and technical skill throughout the fight. After being knocked down in the first round, Michael came back stronger in the second—scoring a knockdown of his own and taking control of the pace. His discipline and fight IQ carried him through the third, securing a well-earned win. He also earned Muay Thai fighter of the night!

Cody Johnson returned to the ring after two years away and put on a Muay Thai performance we are proud of. He faced a very skilled opponent and came up a little short. Cody showed power especially in the third round when he pushed the pace and left it all out there. This is only the beginning of his return! We’re proud to have Cody representing our team and can’t wait to see what’s next for him.

Chinemerem Eze-Sika made his MMA debut and showed a lot to be proud of. He had strong exchanges on the feet and displayed impressive submission defense and composure when put into tough positions. The result didn’t go his way this time, but it was a great debut and a valuable first step in his journey. We’re excited to see him build on this experience and come back even stronger. On to the next one.

Sam Bailey won via TKO in the 3rd round of his MMA fight. His opponent was technical and made it a strong back-and-forth battle, but Sam stayed composed and in control. He showed patience and balance throughout the fight, managing the action both on the feet and on the ground. In the third round, Sam turned up the pace—landing a clean punch that opened the door for a finishing flurry, forcing the referee to step in. Way to go Sam!

Hykeem Green came up short in his title defense, losing in the second round by guillotine. It was an off night in the cage, and sometimes that’s just how the fight game goes. Just like in training, there are good days and tough days, and competition is no different. He’ll take the lessons from this experience, make the adjustments, and move forward.

Fighters step into the cage alone, but they never walk in there by themselves. Every sparring round, every pad session, every word of encouragement, and every ticket bought adds up to moments like these.

This weekend showed once again how strong our Cellar family is. To everyone who trained with our fighters, came out to support in person, commented online, or simply cheered from home…you are part of this journey.

Thank you for being in our corner. These fights belong to all of us.

We were also honored to celebrate Professor Kenn Glenn, who has been a true leader on our mats for many years. Outside of the Cellar, Kenn serves as a firefighter and Captain for the Minneapolis Fire Department in addition to being a full-time father and husband. Kenn recently passed his test to become a Fire Chief and expects to move into this role within the next couple months.

Alongside these future responsibilities, Kenn is also looking forward to finding more opportunities to spend time with his wonderful family. With such a full plate, Kenn will be transitioning out of his permanent coaching role at the Cellar by the end of this month. However, Kenn will always remain a part of our team – we’ll still be seeing him around the gym as a substitute coach, leading seminars, and even training alongside our BJJ students!

We are so grateful to Professor Kenn for all of his wisdom, expertise, and contributions to our team. He will continue teaching his youth and adult BJJ classes through the end of August; please be sure to congratulate him and wish him well!

Medal Count:
5 Gold
2 Silver
1 Bronze

Every match showed grit, composure, and technique. We are so proud of everyone who stepped on the mats. Big thanks to our teammates, coaches, and supporters who make this possible—this win belongs to the whole Cellar family!

Tim Leung earned silver in his division and bronze in absolute. He picked up three wins, made it to the finals in his weight class, and battled through the absolute consolation bracket to earn a spot on the podium.

Lowell Wolfe took silver in his division with two solid wins before falling in the finals.

Solomon Lankow secured silver in both his division and the absolute. He racked up four wins total and fought hard in both finals.

Kaci Kopf brought home silver in her division, winning her first match and advancing to the finals.

Thank you Coach Pam Sorenson for leading this team! Great work everyone!