Sarah Sobanski
Ringside Management was the first to bring amateur Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) rings to the Kawarthas.
Krystal and Brad DaSilva caught the fighting-fever and teamed up with local MMA gyms like Brendan Kalijundic’s Kalsamrit and Joe Elliot’s Big Country to get local kids ring time after traveling with and supporting professional fighter Kalijundic through his cross-border fights in 2011.
“Not everyone is going to go pro,” says Krystal who now trains with Kalijundic and coaches MMA style fitness classes. “We host when our fighters need the experience to go pro, when the gyms in our Rebel Alliance say they have fighters who are ready.”
While some fighters clam-up and find they are more suited for the gym than the pressure of the ring, others like Ringside Management’s pro fighter Lindsay Garbatt end up duking it out in Tokyo – and it starts with one opportunity found in local gyms who do so much more than train.
“The beauty about MMA is the discipline, it teaches kids to just respect and control almost every aspect of their lives,” says Krystal, who remembers a time when she was hot-headed but found control through fight training. As a mom, she is passionate about the after-school and anti-bullying programs her allied gyms provide to keep kids on track and out of trouble. She describes the fighting community as a big family that looks out for each other, noting Joe Elliot doesn’t have kids of his own, but at the same time has fifty, counting all his gym members.
“You’re wiping their sweat, cringing when they get hit; everyone in the red corner is local,” says Krystal, trying to explain the bonds formed in the fighting community. They have each other’s backs, always looking out for each other’s trainers and fighters, and making sure to give back by using local sponsors and local venues. All proceeds from their amateur fights also go back into their next hosted fight, paying for set-up, sanctioning, judges, and doctors – because safety is the most important thing for Ringside Management.
Brad DaSilva with Ringside Management ring-girls and championship belt. Photo: Supplied.
Safety and good-natured fun is what it’s all about, according to Krystal, who notes her ring girls always ‘keep it classy’ wearing what they would wear if they were to go to the gym to work out – shorts and other sports gear. They also make sure to serve beer without the option of hard liquor, which can make people rambunctious in this highly intense setting like ring-fighting.
You can catch Brad DaSilva announcing and local MMA amateur fighter James Clarke duking it out November 7 at Mayhem MMA Championship in Lindsay at the Victoria Park Armories.
