East West Karate brings in big-name fighters to help locals punch up skills
Mar. 24—Bas Rutten. Gokor Chivichyan. Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson.
Names those into mixed martial arts (MMA) will likely know well. And all are coming to Somerset this weekend.
For the fourth year, East West Karate of Somerset-London is holding a "Warrior Retreat"
"The reason (we do these events is), a lot of our kids don't have the opportunity to travel and meet these people and train with them," said Jeff Turner, owner of East West Karate. "So what I do is, I try to bring the stars here, to where they have that exposure ... to great training."
The "Legends Weekend 2023" event will be held today, Saturday, at The Center for Rural Development, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
"We rotate between instructors," said Turner. "We're going to run one-hour sessions. ...Kids will have their sessions going on at the same time the adults are going."
Skills that will be taught include martial arts practices like jiu-jitsu and Thai boxing. Self-defense will also be a subject in which people can gain instruction.
Things got underway Friday, with private lessons — "They're very one-on-one," said Turner — and a "meet and greet" dinner with the stars.
Chivichyan is back for his second straight year, and it's no surprise — Turner says he himself has trained with the fighter for many years. The Armenian Chivichyan trains fighters at the Hayastan MMA Academy in North Hollywood, Calif., and specializes in mixed martial arts, submission grappling, freestyle wrestling, and more.
"He's probably one of the best jiu-jitsu guys out there," said Turner.
Rutten is UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) and three-time King of Pancrase champ, referring to the Japanese brand of mixed martial arts.
"He can grapple, but he's an excellent striker," said Turner of the Dutch-American fighter.
Thompson is a full-contact kickboxer and welterweight UFC fighter, with a number of black belts in different martial arts.
"I think he's rated (something like) no. 4 in his division in the world," said Turner. "He's a karate person that has converted to MMA."
In addition to those above, Turner said that Chivichyan has brought in a student, Fedya Chobanyan, who is looking to fight in UFC soon, noted Turner. Also, Roberta "Crusher" Paim, who was here last year and is a Bellator MMA fighter, will be on hand to teach younger students.
Even on short notice, people can still register and attend at the site the day of the event. Registration is $100, for both kids and adults, from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m., "and they get all the stars," said Turner.
Sponsors include Alton Blakley, Don Franklin Somerset Family of Dealerships, and B&C Distributor, among others. Accommodations are by Courtyard by Marriott in Somerset.
It's becoming a tradition for Turner and East West Karate to bring big names in the fighting world to Somerset to train local students, but it's actually quite simple, noted Turner — appropriately enough, he just reaches out and hits them up.
"I literally just reach out to them and see who's available," said Turner.
