The Blackzilians was a professional team of fighters in mixed martial arts, boxing, kickboxing, amateur wrestling and catch wrestling located in South Florida. The team had included former UFC champions Rashad Evans, Vitor Belfort, Eddie Alvarez and Kamaru Usman.
 | |
| Est. | 2011 (start) 2017 (defunct) |
|---|---|
| Primary trainers | |
| Past titleholders | |
| Training facilities | Boca Raton, Florida |
History
editOwned by Glenn Robinson, Blackzilians, started when MMA fighters Jorge Santiago, Danillo Villefort, Yuri Villefort, and Gesias Cavalcante left American Top Team.[1] The name 'Blackzilians' was coined when Strikeforce Middleweight Danillo Villefort was looking through their management's website and pointed out to Robinson that every fighter (at the time) was Black or Brazilian.[2]
It was reported on September 20, 2018, that Glenn Robinson, Blackzilians founder, had died of a suspected heart attack.[3]
As of 2017, the Blackzilians as a gym is considered defunct.[4][5] Many of its members have left to join Sanford MMA, now Kill Cliff Fight Club (founded by Blackzilians trainers Henry Hooft and Greg Jones) which is considered a successor to the Blackzilians.[5]
Instructors
edit- Henri Hooft, head and striking coach
- Greg Jones, Wrestling coach
- Neil Melanson, head grappling coach. His style is heavily influenced by the Hayastan school which mixes Catch as catch can wrestling with Judo and Sambo.
- Jorge Santiago, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu coach
Notable fighters
editSee also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f g "Glenn Robinson: The Man Behind The Blackzilians". Bloody Elbow. 3 September 2012. Retrieved 2014-01-14.
- ^ a b "Video: How the Blackzilians Got Its Name". Sherdog.com. 2012-08-18. Retrieved 2014-01-14.
- ^ "Blackzilians founder Glenn Robinson dead". MMAjunkie. 2018-09-20. Retrieved 2018-09-21.
- ^ Mindenhall, Chuck (2017-01-16). "Rashad Evans cites 'drama' for reason 'there really is no Blackzilians' anymore". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
- ^ a b Bissell, Tim (2017-01-17). "Source: Rumble, Struve, Chandler, and more all leaving Blackzilians". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
- ^ Time Till Next Fight (2013-04-03). "Two-Time Olympic Gold Medalist And Champion Guillermo Rigondeaux Joins The Blackzilians, Becomes The Team'S First Pro Boxer". BlackZilians. Retrieved 2014-01-14.
- ^ Idel Torriente's profile blackzilians.com
- ^ GLORY 15: Randy 'Boom Boom' Blake talks Jean-Claude Van Damme, Chuck Norris, training with Tyrone Spong, and more!
- ^ Daniel Ghita moving to Florida to train with Overeem and "Blackzilian" team by Dave Walsh (liverkick.com) 24 February 2012
- ^ a b c d "K-1 Champ Murthel Groenhart is Training with Alistair Overeem at Blackzillians". Archived from the original on 2013-08-01. Retrieved 2013-07-30.
- ^ Paul Slowinski to debut in MMA September 21 on MMA Downunder 4
- ^ Andrei Stoica training at The Blackzilians
- ^ "Tyrone Spong Returns to His Roots, Faces Melvin Manhoef This Weekend". MMAWeekly.com. 2012-01-27. Retrieved 2014-01-14.
- ^ ""Suga" Rashad Evans - Official UFC® Fighter Profile". Ufc.com. 2013-11-17. Retrieved 2014-01-14.
- ^ "Vitor Belfort Joins Blackzilians; Rashad Evans to Serve as Head Coach for UFC 152 Training Camp". MMA Fighting. 25 August 2012. Retrieved 2014-01-14.
- ^ "Shogun and Dida split, Mutante joins Blackzilians". 23 April 2013. Retrieved June 13, 2013.[dead link]
- ^ "Belfort and the shelf life of a 'Phenom' - MMA Blog - ESPN". ESPN. 19 September 2012. Retrieved 2014-01-14.
- ^ a b c d e Meet the Blackzilians: A Family of World Class Coaches and Fighters By Joshua Carey (bleacherreport.com) on December 23, 2011
- ^ Imperial Martial Arts and Fitness Center (2013-11-17). "Fabio Mello | Imperial Martial Arts and Fitness Center". Imperialathletics.com. Archived from the original on 2014-01-16. Retrieved 2014-01-14.
- ^ Imperial Martial Arts and Fitness Center (2013-11-17). "Marcus Aurelio | Imperial Martial Arts and Fitness Center". Imperialathletics.com. Retrieved 2014-01-14.
- ^ "Siyar Bahadurzada Joins Blackzilians". 5thRound.com. 2012-06-28. Archived from the original on 2013-12-24. Retrieved 2014-01-14.
- ^ "Antes de voltar ao Strikeforce, Guto analisa duelo Belfort x Jones". TATAME. Archived from the original on 2014-01-16. Retrieved 2014-01-14.
- ^ Luiz Firmino's profile blackzilians.com
- ^ Claude Patrick's profile blackzilians.com
- ^ Ryan LaFlare's profile blackzilians.com
- ^ Tom Niinimäki's profile blackzilians.com
- ^ Volkan Oezdemir's profile blackzilians.com
- ^ Beslan Isaev's profile blackzilians.com
- ^ Musa Khamanaev's profile blackzilians.com
External links
edit- "Home of the Blackzilians | BlackZilians". blackzilians.com. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
- "twitter.com/blackzilians". twitter.com. Retrieved 18 January 2014.