Eh Kuh Htoo had two beautiful fights to win Gold in his division. He put on a fantastic performance all weekend! He showed great range, strong low kicks, and stayed disciplined to the game plan. A dominant showing to earn gold! With the win, he secures his spot on Team USA for the Pan American Championships in Chile. This was the best we’ve ever seen Eh Kuh. Way to go!

Travis Engstrom competed in two Tatami divisions as a senior participant. In his Light Contact division, Travis knocked out his opponent with a controlled and well-timed shot. He then fought in Kick Light against a very slick and game opponent, Chris Walker. Travis stayed with the low kicks to secure his second win, achieving Gold in both divisions! Congratulations, Travis!

Steven McCormick won in the finals by unanimous decision to secure the championship! Both opponents had strong boxing exchanges throughout, but Steven mixed in enough strong low kicks to bring home the win. Congratulations!

Ethan Marshall lost a very close split decision in his first fight of the tournament. He had strong first two rounds, landing hard kicks and knees, and was up on points going into the third. His opponent came out aggressive in the third and was able to flip the score in the last minute of the fight. Good fight Ethan!

Liam Whitney lost a close split decision, with his opponent having a bit more volume against Liam’s more calculated shots. But he had a great a fight and we are very proud!

Eliot Woods dropped a close one, losing by 2 points to a tough, experienced opponent. He came out a little slow to start, but he found his rhythm as the fight went on, picking up the pace and landing clean combinations. The scores fell just short, but Eliot had a strong performance and a lot to build on!

Anteze Howard had some solid exchanges and landed a clean right hand early. His opponent came back with a perfectly timed knee to the body, resulting in a first round TKO. Anteze looked confident and composed going in and there’s a lot to take from this one. That’s the fight game!

Luna dealt with a rollercoaster of a fight week with sickness, schedule changes, bout switch ups, and technical issues. She came out strong and had a great first round, sticking to the game plan the entire fight! She ended up getting outscored in the end, but a very solid performance. The future is bright for Luna and she handled the adversity like a pro.

Dru Greene lost via ref stoppage in the 3rd round. He started strong and was ahead early, but his opponent found his boxing range and built pressure that began to shift the momentum. This was a tough but valuable experience! Only up from here!

Ava Kehrer lost a close decision against a tough opponent. She had a strong first round, landing some awesome face teeps and keeping the pressure on throughout the fight which forced her opponent to stay on the back foot. In the end, her opponent was able to edge her out on the scorecards. Tough one, but a great heart!

It was a tough weekend for our team, but a great one. Everyone fought hard and carried themselves with a level of maturity and composure all weekend. We knew coming in this was going to be a challenging tournament, and every year the level of competition continues to rise. It forces us to evolve and elevate with the sport. A lot of our fighters stepped into the advanced division with only a handful of fights, choosing to test themselves against opponents with sometimes triple the experience, all for a shot at the national team. We are coming home with 4x gold medals!

Proud of the way the team showed up and represented The Cellar Gym. Thank you to the parents, coaches, and support systems that made this weekend possible!

Tim Leung went 1-1, both by points, against tough opponents and was right in the mix with strong scrambles throughout. Pamela Boveda-Aguirre secured two wins, both by submission. Emmett Sutliff went 3-2 on the day. He opened with an ankle lock finish, dropped a close one in overtime by guillotine, bounced back with a rear naked choke in overtime, and secured bronze with a north-south choke in under a minute.

Solid work all around. Proud of the team!

Johnny Lee made his adult debut, rematching against a former opponent. These two fighters had faced each other twice already as teens, and the excitement to be fighting their first adult matchup was tangible in the room! Johnny had a fun fight full of smiles and action. Both young men put the pressure on, with his opponent taking a slight edge for the unanimous decision. Johnny never quit and never stopped smiling, and we’re proud of him!

Katie Locken had a solid showing full of excellent technique. She broke her foot early in the second round and continued fighting hard scoring multiple low kicks, showing great ring control and setting the pace in the clinch. Unfortunately, she lost a decision; the old saying “never leave it in the hands of the judges” couldn’t have been more true. Katie is an inspiration and role model in the gym, for moms and all female fighters!

Grady Pesch fought with good range awareness and vision, but unfortunately ended up a bit short and lost a decision. You’re either learning lessons or winning. We will learn and move to the next one and get better. Great job Grady!

Marty Voves fought an incredible 5 rounds for the Ignite 170lb title! Marty came out fast with a statement of power and ring ownership. He locked in and showed great control in the clinch and the kickboxing exchanges, landing devastating low kicks and nasty knees in the clinch. Marty dropped his opponent an incredible 6 times before securing the victory with a late 5th round TKO finish. In addition to the title, Marty also won Fight of the Night AND Fighter of the Night! Hats off to his opponent for gutting through so many 8-counts. One of the most impressive performances we’ve seen in awhile.

Lucy Berman made her MMA debut showed great takedowns and ground control. She had relentless pressure and position on the ground to secure a split decision victory! Great work Lucy!

There’s nothing like The Cellar community. Although you may step into the cage alone, you’re never really alone. Every round you carry your team with you–the ones who believe in you, no matter what.

This is what makes us different. This is what makes us strong.

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.