News & Events

LINXX Students Compete in National Tournaments
June 12, 2010

LINXX Academy students recently competed in nationally recognized tournaments. Hampton’s Boo Williams Sportsplex was the site of two action-packed weekends as the North American Grappling Association’s (NAGA) nationally RANKED Virginia Beach Grappling Championship rolled into Virginia Beach and the World Kickboxing Association (WKA) USA hosted the North American Combat Sports Championship in Hampton, Virginia. LINXX’s competition proudly graced the rosters alongside other well-known academies in the area.

On June 12, 2010, NAGA held its annual Virginia Beach Grappling Championship. 600 competitors from around the state gathered to rank and roll with some of the area’s best grapplers. Eleven Junior LINXXers registered for the tournament and amassed 22 placements. This achievement placed the young LINXX Jiu Jitsu team first in their division. The adults also performed strongly, taking 3rd in the no-Gi division and 5th in Gi. Patrick Trinidad, 2nd-year student at LINXX Academy, placed first in intermediate no-Gi and blue belt Gi at 139.9 and below. Trinidad is finishing up high school at Bayside in Virginia Beach and plans to “kick it up in training” in Jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai.

“These results are all pretty respectable considering the number of schools entered in the competition,” exclaimed Coach James Gamble. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu instructor Nestor Bayot of Linxx Academy was just as proud as any other coach there.

“The guys fought hard, they did awesome,” said Nestor. “There’s always some tough losses, but there’s a lot of great competitors. Win or lose, I’m very happy with the way they fought,” he added.

“The guys fought hard, they did awesome,” said Nestor. “There’s always some tough losses, but there’s a lot of great competitors. Win or lose, I’m very happy with the way they fought,” he added. On June 18, 2010, WKA returned to Hampton to host the North America Combat Sports Championship. Coaches Mackens Semerzier (current WEC competitor) and Ian Alexander (WKA National Champion) led a group of four upcoming fighters into the Boo Williams Sportsplex. Fighters Corey Anderson, Abdallah Daher, and Radek Pilar showcased their training in the ring for the first time, while another accomplished competitor continued to valiantly brush off some ring rust.

Kristopher Gonzalez presently holds a 6-0 Amateur MMA record and was a solid competitor at both tournaments. Apart from his military obligations, Gonzalez simultaneously has held the World Kickboxing Association’s Amateur MMA Lightweight title, the Global Combat Alliance Amateur Lightweight title, and the Total Cage Combat Lightweight title. He won first place for Advanced no-Gi at 150 to 159.9 lbs at the NAGA tournament and won his first bout at the WKA competition. Despite a pre-existing injury sustained while training, Gonzalez managed to tough it out through the day before humbly bowing out of his last match.

When asked what pushed him to get involved in two consecutive tournaments with an injury, Krystopher said, “I want to be a versatile guy. I’m taking it slow, but staying strong. That’s why I single everything out.”

According to Bayot, “Training in both styles is a given. You have to do both. If you want to do MMA, then you have to train in Jiu-Jitsu as well as Thai boxing. There is no separating one or the other.” LINXX competition has repeatedly been recognized by the intrepid contenders as a direct result of the Academy’s resilient programs. Over the last six weeks, Team LINXX has won a number of honorable victories and bouts. Coaches, staff, and students are all looking forward to a bright season. It’s only just begun!