On August 28, 2008, two former Wantagh High School grapplers stepped into the ring for Fight Club 1. Al Iaquinta (pictured) came in with an amateur MMA record of 15-0 and fought for the U.S.K.B.A. super middle weight belt in San Da.

Kevin Jansen, with no MMA or striking experience beyond the two months he trained with Al, put on one of the best shows of the night.

Wantagh's Kevin Jansen takes down Baldwin grappler Ivan Gomez:

San Da is basically a mixture of Muay Thai Kickboxing, Greco-Roman Wrestling and Judo. Points are awarded for throws, take downs and sweeps, as well as various striking techniques.

New York Fight Club is looking for more athletes like these! It's not just sign up and brawl. You need to train hard and learn some striking skills. Fight Club 2 is October 25th. Fight Club 3 is November 29th. Click the "Apply to Fight" tab on the home page. We'll set you up with the right trainer. Don't forget to join our e-mail list!

The New York Fight Club was created to facilitate the growth of amateur mixed martial arts and kick boxing in New York state.We seek to acomplish this by acting as liaison between prospective fighters and appropriate training facilities, and organizing the events for the fighters to compete in.

How it works: Prospective fighters fill out our online questionnaire.Based on the information provided, we will recommend to you a list of affiliated gyms and dojos. As a member you agree to train diligently and regularly at your chosen school. During the course of your training, our match makers will check in on your progress to ensure that all fights are matched as evenly as possible.

At present MMA is not sanctioned in N.Y., so for now fights will be San Da, Muay Thai and Kick Boxing.

We never charge fees to either the fighters or schools.Our revenues are generated at the actual events through ticket sales and sponsorships.