SARATOGA SPRINGS — Among the 11 scheduled bouts for the 18th Kaged Kombat Championships at the Saratoga Springs City Center are three local fighters from Spa City Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
While the hype of mixed martial arts often focuses on two individuals going at it in the cage, Spa City BJJ professor Eddie Fyvie said he looks more forward to the growth of the individual.
“I look forward to watching the development as human beings, not really as much so as fighters,” said Fyvie, who has practiced Jiu-Jitsu for the last 16 years. “Every time they jump in there and compete they have a chance to learn a lot about themselves mentally, physically and spiritually.”
And that’s no different with his students, such as 29-year-old Nate Trough.
“Nasty” Nate is scheduled to go up against Zen Quest Martial Arts’ Neil Van Flatern in a Catchweight match. Trough won his first and only fight in the cage last July 13, after ousting Noah White into submission in the first round.
“I imagine [Van Flatern] wants to take me down because he’s a Jiu-Jitsu fighter,” Trough said. “I’m prepared if he wants to do that. I have no problem stopping his takedown and standing him up or even going to the ground and taking him down, cementing him and choking him out. I have no problem with that either. Really I just have to focus on him showing up because I’m going to be there and I feel fine, so we’ll see where he’s at.”
The Pennsylvania native is in a place he couldn’t have imagined about two years ago when he decided his New Year’s resolution would be to quit smoking cigarettes and give Spa City BJJ a shot.
Back then, with no fighting or wrestling background, he weighed in at 265 pounds.
“Jiu-Jitsu is great because a lot of people don’t necessarily have a passion in life,” said Fyvie.” It’s a very life-enhancing, stimulating activity that really develops that passion side of somebody and gets them inspired to do something great. I don’t really push the sport of mixed marital arts on people. That’s something our guys do extra on top of everything else that we try to develop here—life skills, self-defense, health, wellness and fitness. We really try to help them develop that passion and a healthy lifestyle. From there, everything just falls into place. You take some people who were maybe going on the wrong path or didn’t have a path and you give them something to aspire to.”
Now, Trough’s bout against Van Flatern is in the 170-pound weight class.
“I just fell in love with Jiu-Jitsu,” Trough said. “It made me feel invincible and it taught me discipline, self-defense and it just kind of blossomed from there—started doing some grappling tournaments. It’s a fun sport to test myself and see where my skills are at. I always had an idea that maybe I wanted to fight in the cage and then I just put it all together, got an opponent and did well. Since being in there I just want to go back . it feels good and it felt good to win. I just want to represent Spa City.”
Along with Fyvie being a major influence on him, Trough garners inspiration from his wife, Sara Trough, and their soon-to-be daughter, Sophia Mary Trough, who is expected to be born March 20. He is dedicating Saturday’s fight to both of them.
“It’s definitely a huge honor and inspiration,” Trough said of his daughter. “It’s like my life is just beginning. I’d like to get her into Jiu-Jitsu and have my own little student, pupil.”
Adam “Boom” Mimms will also be entering the ring for the second time. Going up against independent fighter Robbie Warner, the Cambridge native aims to push his career record to 2-0 in the 135-pound Catchweight fight.
Mimms’ first fight (Kaged Kombat FC 17) ended with a TKO victory over Korey Kennedy (0-2) in the first round.
Wanting to get into mixed martial arts since high school, Mimms has built off his wrestling career with mixed martial arts at Spa City BJJ while attending college at SUNY Adirondack.
“I can relate to the mental mindset in the cage because of wrestling helping me so much,” Mimms said. “Every wrestling match I looked at in high school, I just got pumped up and psyched to give it my all, so every fight I do is pretty much the same way. Dan Gable, the wrestler, he influenced me a lot with the mindset t and way to go into a fight.”
With his strength being his ground game, Mimms plans on taking down Warner, although he said his stand-up ability has improved thanks to taking boxing classes with Saratoga Boxing Club’s Tyrone Jackson.
“I’d just like to give most of my credit to Spa City because the change is unbelievable,” said Mimms, who has been affiliated with Spa City BJJ for the last two years. “It’s really lifted off into another level and it’s pretty amazing.”
Another Spa City BJJ member, Chuck Havens, will be looking to move his record to 3-0, as he enters the cage with Tigon MMA’s Patrick LaFortune (2-0) in a 135-pound Bantamweight bout.
“[Chuck] had a wrestling background and came to us much like most of our other students, like Nate and Adam, really without the intention to be a mixed martial arts fighter,” Fyvie said. “But throughout the course of developing, training and learning the technique and the skills and being inspired by some of the people around here who compete at a high level, he decided to try his hand at it and he’s been very successful so far with two really quick victories.”
From Hudson Falls, Havens won his most recent fight at Kaged Kombat FC 17 against Jacob Montalvo, forcing him into an arm bar and submission in the first round, November 23. His other win, which was also finished by the first round when Havens ended it with a chokehold, came the previous November against Josh Salak.
Kaged Kombat 18 fights are set to begin at 7 p.m. with the doors opening at 6 p.m. Tickets are still available for purchase at the door.
