The MMA club is welcome for all
September 27, 2022
The Mixed Martial Arts Club at California Lutheran University is for those seeking to learn self-defense skills to prepare them for unwanted situations. Liban Yakob, club president and senior at Cal Lutheran, wants students to know the club is a safe space and that no one has to do anything they are not comfortable with.
โWe are here to learn self-defense. We are not here to harm anyone. We are here to learn what to do in case we are ever in a situation that we donโt want to be in, and, unfortunately, that happens to people every day,โ Yakob said.ย
The MMA Club is still relatively new, with about 10 to 15 active members who meet every Wednesday from 7:30-8:30 p.m.ย
Mary Lanzner, a first-year student, said the importance of being part of the club and how she uses it to release stress during the hectic weeks of the semester.
โI am really happy that I am in the club because I get to learn how to defend myself, especially as a female, so itโs just really good for me to learnโฆespecially out in the world,โ Lanzner said.
Yakob emphasized the value of possessing self-defense skills, particularly as a female.ย
โAfter two years of being in this club, I can pretty much handle myselfโฆI’m not really scared to be alone, especially at night,โ Yakob said.ย
Behind these skills is Coach Chris Ramos, who currently runs the MMA club meetings and gives advice to newcomers who may feel intimidated or hesitant to join.ย
โThis club is perfect and is pretty much catered for beginners. I think 95% of the class is all beginners, so we go through a lot of the basics. It is really welcoming and pretty simplified,โ Ramos said.
Earl Burns-Lopez, a senior at Cal Lutheran who decided to join the MMA club during his junior year, reiterates the welcoming nature of the club.ย
โWe always encourage everybody to come, even if they donโt know or donโt have any experienceโฆitโs good for both ways; if you donโt have experience, thatโs goodโฆyou do have experience, thatโs good too,โ Lopez said.
Coach Ramos, who typically splits meetings between striking and grappling, describes his experience being a coach and how gratifying it is seeing all kinds of members, past and present.ย ย
โIt’s been awesome, I love seeing people come in and take a passion and interest in it. I see some of the alumni return as often as they can, they canโt get enough of it. I love seeing beginners come in and once they start getting the hang of the techniques, how happy and proud they become. It is pretty rewarding to see that,โ Ramos said.ย
Lanzner said the club provides a good workout when there is little time to go to the gym and Lopez added thatย the club is also an occasion to get to know other people.ย ย
โObviously you get a good decent workout, you can sweat, you actually meet some good peopleโฆThe coach, Chris, is a great guy, everyone likes talking to him. Everyone just actually starts to get to know each other, and you actually get to make some new friendsโฆitโs always good to have self-defense in your arsenal,โ Lopez said.
Coach Ramos said the sport has been growing in popularity and has helped break stereotypes regarding the sport.
โIt is becoming more mainstreamโฆ just maybe four or five years ago the UFC, the main professional MMA league, was probably maybe about as popular as soccer in the U.S.โฆand again, people realize itโs not just a gritty sport,โ Ramos said.
The key takeaway from the MMA club, according to Yakob, is preparation.ย
โThis is to give us power and to make sure that weโre prepared for anything. It is better to be prepared in life than not be prepared,โ Yakob said.