By Lauren Saslow
Martial arts have been a part of nearly every ancient society as a form of warfare training, including the Japanese, Greeks and Egyptians, and the sport has continued to evolve over time in many cultures around the globe. In recent years, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), which combines many of the world’s martial arts forms, has received significant media exposure, making it one of the fastest-growing sports in the U.S., sparking a rise in gyms that help teach this unique form of self-defense and combat.
Since last March, American Olympic League (AOL) Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), located about one mile east of Saddlebrook on S.R. 54 in Wesley Chapel), has been offering training for judo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ), wrestling, weightlifting, traditional boxing and MMA to men, women and children of all ability levels. The gym is a member of USA Boxing, USA Judo, the International Judo Federation, USA Wrestling and the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation.
The programs available at the gym allow participants to focus on either fitness or intense combat training, whether you’re a beginner, intermediate or advanced student. As owner and general manager Carlos Valles explains, many current students at the gym train somewhere else initially, but they choose AOL MMA because, “We focus on individual needs. Not everyone wants to fight. Some simply want to get into better shape.”
For example, the hybrid MMA MatFit class includes a mixture of CrossFit exercise and MMA moves, without the sparring. Weightlifting classes teach individuals how to compete in a strength sport with the use of squats, bench presses and deadlifts.
The ancient Japanese martial art of judo, the “parent” art of Jiu-Jitsu, focuses on physical training similar to wrestling using the principles of balance and leverage. BJJ uses grappling and ground fighting, along with joint locks and choke holds, to force opponents into submission, promoting the principle that a smaller, weaker person can use leverage to successfully defend themselves against larger, stronger opponents.
Meanwhile, MMA is a full-contact sport that allows striking and grappling techniques while standing or while on the ground, and mixes the skills used in boxing, BJJ and wrestling. The sport of MMA has experienced increased popularity in the U.S. since the epic Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) rematch in 2006 between light-heavyweights Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz.
AOL MMA boasts 5,000 sq. ft. of space, including 2,000 sq. ft. of open mats. The other 3,000 sq. ft. houses a professional boxing ring and a competition MMA cage. The delivery and assembly of the cage — from Monster Cages in Kentucky — was even featured on the A&E cable television show, “Shipping Wars” (Season 5, Episode 2, which originally aired on Dec. 3, 2013). There are additional buildings on the property for the weight room and before- and after-school programs for kids ages 6 and up.
MMA student Juan Rivera, of Zephyrhills, has been training at AOL MMA for six months. He started training in the martial arts 20 years ago, starting with Kempo Karate, and later studying kickboxing and MMA.
“I like the openness of the gym at AOL MMA, and that it has a boxing ring and cage,” Rivera explains.
An All-Star Staff Of Trainers
The husband-and-wife team of trainers at AOL MMA, Íngrid Medrano-Cuéllar and Franklin Cisneros, both earned spots on the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics team representing their native country, El Salvador. Sensei Cisneros holds a Black Belt 4th Dan (a ranking system in martial arts) in judo and a Black Belt in BJJ. Cisneros has lived, trained and competed in numerous countries around the world in the half-middleweight (160-178 pounds, a weight class found in Judo) category and also is an experienced MMA fighter.
Medrano-Cuellar, a mere five feet tall, is an elite level freestyle wrestler who has competed in the 48 kg (or under 105.5 pounds) category worldwide. Her training, skill and strength are so advanced that she is capable of taking down male competitors on the mat who are as tall and strong as her husband — who stands 5’8” and weighs in at 190 pounds!
Medrano-Cuellar currently is training one of AOL MMA’s most promising students, Caitlyn Doers, 16, who already has won championships at the 2013 North American Grappling Association (NAGA) Pan American Grappling Championship in Lakeland, FL, in the Female Teen Division — including first place in the 130 lb. (welter weight) class and a second place in the Absolute Championship (which has no weight restriction) class.
Professional boxer, referee and coach, Jerry M. Reyes — who trained the late six-time world champion boxer, Hector “Macho” Camacho a.k.a. “Macho Man” — is a Licensed Trainer (through the Florida Dept. of Business & Professional Regulation) at the gym. The Puerto Rican-born Carlos “El Indio” Quintana, a former welterweight world champion in the World Boxing Organization (WBO), retired a little more than a year ago and now teaches boxing classes to young children and adults.
Even Valles has benefited from the BJJ training with AOL MMA instructors, and says that he has lost more than 50 lbs. — 30 of which were lost from training alone, while the other 25 he says he lost using a combination of diet and exercise. He also says that he has lost at least 10 percent of his body fat, as well as gained muscle mass.
“I have definition in my arms and calves, too,” Valles expresses proudly. “I’m still losing weight.” Valles even utilizes a calorie counter that shows that he burns up to 1,100 calories per hour during his training!
From Humble Beginnings
For Valles, the civil war in El Salvador (spanning from 1979-92) was a daily reality, with the military fighting the leftist party, known as the Farabundo Mari National Liberation Front (Frente Farabundo Marti de Liberacion or FMLN). Valles (now 32) says that he grew up in the capital city of San Salvador in the throes of political turmoil. Despite his efforts to become a doctor, first studying electrical engineering (1999-2001) at Universidad Evangelica in San Salvador and later shifting to the university’s medical school (2001-02), the realization that as a doctor in his native land he would only earn about $300 per month after eight years of college was discouraging. Valles says that he emigrated to the U.S. in 2003 with only a backpack, and the jeans and shirt he was wearing, settling in the basement of his relatives’ home in Alexandria, VA.
“The toughest part was the transition from medical school to my first jobs as a dishwasher in a Mexican restaurant and as a self-taught technician for a construction company,” Valles explains. “I worked my way up and then decided I didn’t want to work for anyone else.”
He adds that he never has returned to his native country. “I remember the end,” he recalls of the Salvadorian peace accords in January 1992. “Everyone thought there would be peace in El Salvador, but we were wrong. It’s scary there. We take security for granted in (the U.S.).”
Valles moved to Florida six years ago, and now is the owner and general manager of not only AOL MMA, but also of Valles Auto Auction and the non-profit organization, Sports League of Wesley Chapel (SLWC), all of which are located on the same property. SLWC was created in January of this year to allow underprivileged children to train on full scholarships at AOL MMA and take advantage of the before- and after-school program.
Aiseen Reyes, a Wesley Chapel resident, has two young (ages 8 and 9) boys in the before- and after-school program, in addition to the kids’ athletic classes. Her children were the first to join the AOL MMA program. She says she likes that the children get assistance with homework from a retired teacher and receive martial arts training, all for an affordable price.
“It keeps them active,” Reyes says. “They learn self-defense and discipline. I like that.”
She has witnessed first-hand the rapid growth that AOL MMA has experienced since last summer.
“Seven months ago, there were only four children in the kids’ classes,” she notes. “Now, there are more than ten boys and girls who attend regularly. It inspires me that as they grow and mature with the program, they can learn leadership skills, too.”
Reyes adds that the AOL MMA instructors vary the exercises so much that it demands extreme focus from the young athletes. “I haven’t seen anything repeated, so the kids have to pay attention,” she says.
Valles also organizes “Fight Night” every month at the Freedom High gymnasium in Tampa Palms, which features at least ten fights. He adds that the March 22 Fight Night will feature USA Boxing. The general public can purchase tickets for these events for $15 at Valles Auto Auction or at WingHouse of Wesley Chapel (5510 Post Oak Blvd.).
AOL MMA is located at 30115 S.R. 54 in Wesley Chapel. For more information, call 526-3594 or visit AOLMMA.com.
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