Team Curran Logo - photo by Brent Todd

Team Curran Martial Arts just moved into a new location and now are offering the chance for both new and current Team Curran members to sign up at an amazingly low price. For a limited time, pay just $999 and you will get 18 months of training in any of the martial arts classes. That breaks down to just $55.50 per month.

Team Curran Gym - photo by Brent Todd

Team Curran Martial Arts offers both gi and no-gi jiu jitsu classes as well as Muay Thai classes for all levels from beginners to advance. Classes are held both during the day and also in the evening to accommodate everyone’s schedule.

Additionally, Team Curran Martial Arts has a fully stocked weight room for all of your strength and conditioning needs.

Private sessions in boxing, Muay Thai, and jiu jitsu are available at an extra cost. The new gym is located at 110 W. Woodstock Street, Crystal Lake, Illinois. It is less than half a mile away from the Crystal Lake train station making it easily accessible to all.

Team Curran Cage Mat - photo by Brent Todd

Team Curran Weight Room - photo by Brent Todd

Team Curran Open Mat - photo by Brent Todd

Jose Aldo - drawn by Justin McAllister

Art By JMC has decided that with the economy hurting the way it is, why should you have to pay more for fantastic artwork? Instead of costing $25 per print before, prices are now just $10 each.

But that’s not all. If you want to purchase the entire set of current UFC champions including Junior Dos Santos, Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, Georges St. Pierre, Frankie Edgar, Jose Aldo, and Dominick Cruz, you can but the entire set for just $50!

And if you want to purchase the entire set of prints, consisting of all seven UFC champions as well as Chuck Liddell, Cain Velasquez, Brock Lesnar, and Nick Diaz, you can for the low price of $77. That’s a savings of $33 for the entire set.

Head on over to www.artbyjmc.com now to take advantage of the prices!

Longtime friend of MMA Recap, Justin McAllister, is a very accomplished artist. He combines his talent for drawing with his passion for mixed martial arts. His artwork has been featured all over including TapouT magazine, t-shirts for fighters and more.

Now he is bringing his amazing skills to the fans at home. Art By JMC (www.artbyjmc.com) has officially launched providing fans of the sport to own a collectable piece of artwork.

The primary focus is on the current seven champions. Whenever a new champion is crowned, a new piece of artwork will be commissioned and become available to keep your set of champions always current.

In addition to the championship series, a limited run of Hall of Fame editions will be released through out the year. The first fighter to be included in the Hall of Fame edition is Chuck Liddell.

Finally, based on fan responses, other fighters will be included for purchase on a very limited run.

All prints are available for $25 and are printed on high quality poster paper. The original artwork was done in 100% sharpie marker.

Anyone wanting to purchase a full set of the champions can get a massive discount through the end of September. Simply add all seven champions to your shopping cart and add the Hall of Fame Chuck Liddell. When you are ready to check out, enter in the coupon code of fullset125 and your price will be $125 including shipping and tax. That’s a savings of over 37%.

Check out his site today! http://www.artbyjmc.com/

There’s very little equipment a fighter needs to have when he enters the cage.  There’s the gloves, a cup, shorts and the mouth guard.  While many fighters will debate which shorts are better for their style, one thing that many fighters will agree upon is there is a huge variance in mouth guards and that the difference can mean getting knocked out or being able shrug off a punch.

JIG-JAW is the latest brand of mouth guards to hit the market.  The innovated method for creating the JIG-JAW makes it easier for a fighter to breathe, while still giving optimum protection.  MMA Recap is proud to announce them as a sponsor, and this is the first in several articles about not only JIG-JAW, but the importance of mouth guards and the safety they provide.  MMA Recap’s Brent Todd sat down with Coach Jig, one of the founders of the brand to discuss the non-science side of the fantastic product.

In simple terms, what is JIG-JAW?

It is the finest performance mouthwear in the world.  Unlike a typical mouth guard, whether custom fitted or boil n bite, a JIG-JAW will go beyond offering unparalleled level of safety and protection. It will also improve overall performance, including breathing, balance, power, stamina, and flexibility.  But we really believe that JIG-JAW™ is more than all that.  The JIG-JAW™ brand is an experience.  It’s a relationship that begins with the first handshake with one of our staff or us and lasts forever.  When our clients wear a JIG-JAW™ we really do take it personally.  That’s why you will see one or both of the company founders at many events.  We want to be there to support our people and let them know that we care and that they are a part of the family.  We don’t have a single client that doesn’t have my personal cell number, and that we don’t talk to on a somewhat regular basis.  That type of relationship is hard to come by nowadays, and we take great pride in the fact that we invest ourselves in every single one of our clients.

And who makes up the team at JIG-JAW?

Co – Founders, Dr. Jig – the brains behind the technology, Coach Jig – marketing and business development. Executive Assistant, Veronica (the glue that holds our world together) – She is the primary point of contact for our clients.  Along with a friendly staff of assistants at our headquarters in Schaumburg, IL.  We are also currently interviewing sales professionals to help grow our business within high school, collegiate, and community sports organizations.

Why’d you decide to get into mma as more than just a fan of the sport? 

We were watching a UFC event, and I made a comment about how these guys get their heads smashed in and the conversation turned into a discussion about concussion risks.  That’s when Dr. Jig unleashed his knowledge, half of which went over my head, about mouth guards and how important they are to help fighters.  He said there’s a pretty good chance that most of these fighters have no idea what type of risk they put themselves under when they get in the cage without the right equipment in their mouth. The next day, I started digging and came to learn that he was 100% right.  I came back to him with what I had found, we had a 3 hour meeting at B-Dubs, and BAM.  JIG-JAW was born.

Obviously the JIG-JAW is applicable to all athletes who should be wearing a mouth guard, why did you decide to focus on the mixed martial arts aspect first?

One thing that really drew us to this industry as a starting point for the JIG-JAW brand is that while it is the fastest growing sport in the world, it is still near its infancy, and is still going through some huge evolution.  What that means to us is that we can have a huge and everlasting positive influence on this industry and all the people who are a part of it.  We go to so many events and meet so many people, and there’s nothing more refreshing than seeing the fighters and the fans supporting one another, hanging out together, and having a true respect for one another.  It’s sort of like a “We’re in this together” attitude where everybody understands that we all need each other to help this industry grow in a positive direction.  Compare it to some of our major established sports like baseball, football and basketball…where fans and players are detached from one another.  In this sport we are actually happy for a fighter who wins, even if we were cheering for his opponent…because he probably needed the win as much as the next guy, to pay for a school loan or to feed his kids.  It’s almost like if you are a part of this industry…as a fighter, a fan, a clothing line, any vendor or supplier…whatever…it’s like we are all cut from the same cloth.  I’ve walked into a party in Vegas, or a fight in Florida, and people are so welcoming and act like they’re seeing an old friend (“Hey you’re the JIG-JAW guy!”).  It’s a really awesome feeling. There are very few that I’ve seen in this industry who come from a position of selfishness or greed.  Of course we can’t forget how important our piece is for anybody fighting MMA.  We know that we are helping fighters improve their chances of success, and drastically reducing their risk of head or dental trauma compared to anything else out there.  And that’s pretty damn important.

Without getting into the science of it, what separates a JIG-JAW from the competition? 

A JIG-JAW in and of itself is an amazing piece of mouthwear, and Doc will give you further details about it.  Less than 3% of the dentists in the United States have the equipment and qualifications to do what we do. But more importantly it’s more the “WHO” than the “WHAT” – Our clients have access to free personal development coaching, exposure to a network of professionals that can help them land fights, and much more.  There is over 20 years of combined research, study, and experience packaged into an awesome relationship. Our clients get an entire service, not just a mouth guard.

Who all has a JIG-JAW?

Former WEC Champion and Bellator fighter, Chase Beebe and Matt “Sunshine” Fiordirosa are a couple notables.  Due to the nature of our product we have a bunch of pro fighters from out of state that are trying to coordinate schedules to get in our office.  But more importantly, we have bunch of not-so-famous fighters and athletes ranging from 1-0 amateurs, and even “weekend warriors” who hit the gym when they can.  We’re really excited about some new stuff coming up with high schools, colleges, and community sports.

What products do you offer?

JIG-JAW comes in 3 levels of customization.  Dr. Jig will talk more about that.  But we also have an offer that we are really excited about called “JIG-JAW Junior Membership Club” – This is a very affordable program for young athletes to be protected against dental damage and concussions without breaking the family bank.  The average sports related dental injury costs over $1500.00.  The club has a small start fee, and then for $29/month we provide unlimited replacements as the kid’s mouth grows and changes or as they chew up their piece, until age 18 or High School graduation.  Parents love knowing that they can keep their kid out of the hospital for less than half the price of their cable bill.

What events does JIG-JAW play a part in?

While we’ve had a big focus on MMA events, we are actually now working in some other industries.  We’ve partnered with professional moto-x rider Jason Rowe, and his store, “Street Swagg” and are going to be providing mouthwear for their motocross team. We are also working with gyms all over Chicago land to carry our apparel as well as the upcoming “do it yourself” mouthwear to be sold retail.

Where can people find out more information about JIG-JAW?

Fans can visit facebook.com/mouthwear or JIG-JAW.com  We also welcome anybody to visit our dental studio in Schaumburg, IL

What if a gym wants more information? Do you do onsite consultations?

We are more than willing to go to the gym and talk about our product with members of the gym.  It’s one way to develop the personal relationship between a fighter and JIG-JAW.  In addition, I’ve personally done hundreds of seminars across the USA and Canada and have spoken with over 10,000 people.  There are a lot of topics that we can cover and we customize presentations.  Once a part of the family, there’s a lot of resources that we can also provide our clients with including personal development and education.

Now through the end of May, Team Curran is offering students a 46% savings off of tuition.  New students can sign up for just $95 a month for the first three months for a pro membership.

A pro membership entitles a student to unlimited access of the facilities including all Muay Thai classes, all Jiu Jitsu classes, all gym equipments and more.

In order to receive the discount you will need to contact Eric Hartwig at the front desk of the school or by calling 815.356.0454. Make sure to mention MMA Recap in order to be given the discount.

LVRG may be new to the mixed martial arts apparel business, but they are in it for the long haul.  Unlike many apparel companies who seem to be a fly by night by putting up some skulls and crosses on a t-shirt, LVRG went the smarter route and built a team of fighters that they sponsor.  Knowing that the only way to build their brand of clothing was to help build fighters, LVRG looks to be in it for the long haul.  MMA Recap's Brent Todd sat down with German Reyes who is one of the owners of LVRG to find out a bit more about this company.

So what made you decide to get into the apparel business?
I've been involved in this sport for over 15 years now, as a fan, student, and fighter. The idea to form this company came to me while deployed to Iraq. It really came to life through the desire to give something back to the sport that has given so much to me. At the beginning, my partner and I sought out to find athletes that embodied the will and drive, the determination and hunger, to excel in this sport and leverage themselves to the top. We started at the grassroots and began building a team to sponsor that embodied all of what we expect this brand to represent. We are proud of what we have created in such a short time and look forward to a long and bright future in this sport.

What's the significance of the name LVRG?
The name LVRG (Leverage) in itself says it all. LVRG is about finding that strategic advantage and using it to your benefit. Whatever drives you to achieve and excel,  whatever pushes you forward and keeps pushing you forward, whether that be in the cage or in life, that's LVRG.

What's the story behind "Legacy Starts with Leverage"?
Fighters that get involved in this sport do so with the dream to eventually get to the pinnacle of it. They train day in and day out moving through the ranks leaving impressions of who they are each time they step in the cage. That impression, that mark, follows you through both your fighting career and life, and it's how you decide to leave that legacy that determines how you will be remembered. That legacy has to start somewhere, and it begins with leverage.

Which fighters are you sponsoring now?
Currently LVRG sponsored fighters include; Dennis Dombrow, Ryan Williams, Will Brooks, Damien Norris, Mike Pitz, Johnny Odisho, Gilbert Shamoun, and female grappler Jiyoon Chung. Dennis Dombrow just had a fight at Strikeforce Challengers 14 in Austin, Texas. Will Brooks and Mike Pitz are coming off of very impressive wins at the recent Chicago Cagefighting Championship 3 event. I'm also talking with a few other local standout fighters whose names I won't mention just yet.

What do you look for in a fighter when you consider sponsorship?
You have to be dedicated to this sport first and foremost. We're not looking for any part-time fighters. What I am looking for are fighters who are hungry and try to soak up as much knowledge as they can in the gym day in and day out. Fighters who push themselves not only in the gym but through social media, gaining fans for both themselves and the sport. Look at Will Brooks for instance, this kid has dedicated his life to become a top-level fighter and in my opinion it is just a matter of time before he really gets noticed. He just had an incredible fight against Guillermo Serment in which he completely dominated the fight. He gets better and better each time he steps into the cage, and what makes him so successful is his drive and passion. He's determined to make it to the upper echelon of the game and those are the type of fighters we want to represent and to have represent LVRG

What products do you offer?
We are still in the branding stage of the game, so for now we offer t-shirts, and hoodies. But look out for an extended line, to include fight shorts, in the coming months.

What separates you from other local apparel companies?
First off, we aren't the traditional MMA brand in terms of style and aesthetics. LVRG is a brand dedicated to the fighters we sponsor. We try to distinguish ourselves through them and through our designs. We also pride ourselves in being a Chicago brand, even representing it in a few of our designs. I don't consider this just another t-shirt brand, there is a lot of passion and dedication that goes into what we do and who we are.

Where can people find your products?
People can score gear at the LVRG website, www.lvrglife.com. And as a matter of fact, if you enter MMArecap in the PROMOCODE box at checkout, you'll receive 20% off of your first order. This offer will be good through the end of March, so be sure to take advantage of it!!