Head Coach of Elevation Fight Team Retiring After UFC 207

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeStR_RZFWI

Elevation Fight Team head coach Leister Bowling will be making his exit from mixed martial arts (MMA) coaching at the conclusion of UFC 207 tomorrow night (Dec. 30). He broke the news to MMAFighting.com. B…

tj-dillashaw-in-denver

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeStR_RZFWI

Elevation Fight Team head coach Leister Bowling will be making his exit from mixed martial arts (MMA) coaching at the conclusion of UFC 207 tomorrow night (Dec. 30). He broke the news to MMAFighting.com. Bowling helped start Elevation Fight Team in 2013, but had been coaching for a decade.

Members of Elevation Fight Team T.J. Dillashaw, Neil Magny, and Brandon Thatch will be competing on the final card of the year. Bowling will corner all of them.

Here is part of his statement:

“I am not one to ever leave anything unfinished, which makes this very hard for me because I feel like Elevation Fight Team still has so much to accomplish. That being said, it is time for me to take some time away from the sport I have grown to love so much. I have five-year-old and 10-year-old sons and a wife at home that I feel need me around more. I know our team is in good hands with the amazing coaching staff we have amassed. I will continue to help coach and be involved in MMA in one way or another for the rest of my life, but for the immediate time being, I am taking a step back from coaching/running the team, traveling and cornering fighters. I need my kids to know that coaching them and being at home with my family more is more important than coaching anyone else.”

The vision of Elevation Fight Team is clear. The camp prides itself on having a top notch private facility in Colorado to enable their fighters to perform at their highest level. A partnership with MusclePharm allows the fighters access to supplements, a theater room to study opponents, and a recovery room.

While Bowling may have left the team with “unfinished” business, he can rest easy knowing that the facility is in good hands.

Benavidez Leaves Team Alpha Male, Joining Dillashaw At Elevation Fight Team?

For Team Alpha Male — another one bites the dust.

After losing former UFC Bantamweight Champion T.J. Dillashaw recently, Team Alpha Male lost another one of its’ most established top fighters, as former UFC Flyweight title contender Joseph Benavide…

joseph-benavidez

For Team Alpha Male — another one bites the dust.

After losing former UFC Bantamweight Champion T.J. Dillashaw recently, Team Alpha Male lost another one of its’ most established top fighters, as former UFC Flyweight title contender Joseph Benavidez has apparently parted ways with the California-based MMA team.

Much like Dillashaw, Benavidez is expected to end up representing the Elevation Fight Team, that is, according to Team Alpha Male coach Justin Buchholz.

Buchholz told the folks at Stud Radio the following about Joseph Benavidez parting ways with Team Alpha Male:

“He did leave the team. I mean, you train here in Sacramento, you’re part of Team Alpha Male, or you don’t live here. He hasn’t trained at all since I took over as head coach. I thought Joe would at least give a chance of me, and Danny, and Holdsworth running this new program along with Master Thong and Joey. But he never did. He came in town for one week, he moved his house, did, like, one boxing class. I’m not upset at him for leaving because he didn’t leave under me as head coach. He left when the team was hurting — we didn’t have a coach, we didn’t have much direction. So it is what it was.”