RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. — Two local martial arts studios from Rancho Cordova and Orangevale have come together for cross-training towards a common goal of developing world-class MMA athletes. Through a collaborative effort, Ohana Mixed Martial Arts and House of Moons owners Coach Kwan Jon Calizar and Coach Anthony Bivins have trained all students in both gyms to prepare them for success in competitions. This blend of schools has proven successful in their first grappling competition together this past October in Reno, Nevada.

What is grappling, you ask? A mix of trapping an opponent either from a standing or ground position, ultimately using arms and legs in a series of transitions to create a dominant position. Among many, there are techniques such as clinching, takedowns, throws, sprawling, and submission holds. What may look like wrestling to the average spectator is actually a combination of Judo, Wrestling, and Jiu-Jitsu, all common martial arts used in grappling. In all of these styles, there are specific ways to win. However, the two main ways are by points or submission.

While House of Moons already has many experiences competing in tournaments (and has already produced National and World champions), this was Ohana’s first competition since starting their fight team this past summer. Both House of Moons and Ohana MMA combined placed third place overall amongst 60 other competing gyms.

Of the eight Ohana fighters, five medaled: one Gold (Jordan DeLeon), two Silver (Noah Tedlos & Tatem Roberts), and 2 Bronze (Jason Enero & Ryan Tan). While they didn’t obtain medals, Chris Sevilla, Mason Swift, and Isaac Cruz showed fierce adversity and toughness towards seasoned
competitors. Finally, to end the day, the team took home a bronze medal for their overall win. The students were excited to partner up and look forward to more training and competitions together.

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