Kipp Kollar and NAGA demonstrated the true meaning of mixed martial arts as they once again combined grappling and cagefighting into a memorable weekend!

WILDWOOD, NJ - Over one thousand grapplers made the trek to compete in one of America’s largest annual grappling events: the North American Grappling Association's (NAGA) Battle at the Beach. This was NAGA's 7th year at New Jersey's Wildwood Convention Center, a 7,000-seat venue right on the beach, and every year the goal of the 1,000-plus competitors is the same: to be named the Battle at the Beach submission champion!

But it isn't an easy task. It's one thing being the guy everyone wants to beat at your local academy - but when literally 50 competitors with skills ranging from college wrestling to advanced jiu-jitsu gather for a single division it's a true test of any fighter's abilities.

One of the great things about the Battle at the Beach event was the fact that NAGA combined a grappling tournament during the day with a Reality Fighting mixed martial arts event that same night. After a full day of grappling competition, competitors and spectators alike could relax and watch friends and family bang it out in the Reality Fighting ring.

"Running a grappling tournament during the day and an MMA event at night is something NAGA plans on doing throughout the country in 2007," said NAGA president Kipp Kollar. "Georgia will be the next combination show on June 9 then we'll move onto Illinois, Ohio and several other locations."

Standout Fighters
One of the fighters that capitalized on NAGA doing both shows in one location is Greg Soto from Jersey Shore BJJ. He's a perfect example of the polished talent that has come out of NAGA. Soto took home first place in the No-Gi Middleweight Advanced division and started devastating opponents with his fierce ground-and-pound skills on the New Jersey MMA circuit ever since. But before Soto was taking down fighters in a ring he was running over them in NAGA.

Rich Ashkar (PKA) placed second in the same division, losing to Soto, but has also moved on to the world of MMA where he's affectionately known as "Ass-Car" by his traveling fan club. With friends like that...

Josh Dulmer (Team Russell), who won the No-Gi Heavyweight Beginner crown, has since turned to boxing to sharpen his striking skills for a future MMA career and recently won the Northeast Regional Qualifier for the New York State Golden Gloves competition. "I felt pretty confident when I came back from Battle at the Beach," said Dulmer. "It definitely gave me more confidence and the experience of going all-out against a focused opponent instead of just rolling with a friend from your own class. Competing in NAGA lets you know if all your training is paying off. It lets you know what your true skill level is."

Absolute Division
One of the most interesting matches of the day was the No-Gi Absolute division championship match, where weight differences were completely ignored. Ryan Hall of Lloyd Irvin pulled off a huge upset over Charlie Bishop of NESF, who looked to outweigh him by a good 100 pounds! Hall was no match for his opponent's strength, but what he lacked in size he made up for with brilliant jiu-jitsu. Despite being manhandled for the first half of the contest, Hall was able to slide a triangle choke around Bishop's sizable neck and take top Absolute honors as a lightweight!

Double Threats
Nolan Dutcher (Lion Kill) and Tinh Tupy (Jersey Shore BJJ) were just as dangerous with or without a gi as Dutcher proved by taking first-place honors in both classes. Dutcher headed up the competition in the Gi Purple Belt Heavyweight division as well as the No-Gi Cruiserweight Advanced division. Tupy was equally impressive as he took first in the Gi Blue Belt Flyweight division as well as second in the No-Gi Flyweight Intermediate division. Rich Ashkar was another competitor to compete in both classes, taking second in the Gi Purple Belt Middleweight division.

Team Standings
From a team standpoint, Renzo Gracie and Llyod Irvin were the class of the field. Renzo's grapplers won the No-Gi Team title, the Gi Team championship, and finished third in the Children and Teen Team standings. Team Lloyd Irvin finished third in the No-Gi Team standings and second in the Gi Team championships.

NAGA Las Vegas
NAGA recently broke new ground by hosting its first tournament in Las Vegas. Over 500 competitors came out for the inaugural event and proved there's some great competition in the West as well as the East. Tyson Johnson's Universal Grappling Academy comprised of Carlos Ruffo, Niko Combado, John Brosowski, Javier Maya Jr., Javier Maya Sr., Nate Vargas, Heath Kuhlmann, and Aaron Morland did a great job with 8 of 11 competitors taking top awards in their divisions including some winning multiple titles.

“My academy was very excited to see NAGA come to Las Vegas," said Johnson afterwards. "It's a great event with a great tradition and we're happy to have done so well. We plan on coming back next year and hope all the other great grappling teams from California, Arizona, and Nevada will join us."

Conclusion
NAGA has many more grappling events scheduled throughout 2007 and is booking new venues all the time. Battle at the Beach 8 is scheduled for August 4-5 at the Wildwood Convention Center. Whether you want to grapple or compete in MMA this will be an exciting weekend for fight fans and competitors alike!