By Mike Pettinella
For Video News Service
Successful first responders are willing to help, are committed to people’s health, are eager to learn, exhibit sound judgment and put others above themselves.
When Batavian Peter Flanagan, a former City of Batavia police officer and current City of Batavia firefighter, talks about his latest venture – First Response MMA – and his entrance into the professional kickboxing circuit, all of these qualities come to light.
Flanagan has been operating the mixed martial arts, jiu-jitsu and kickboxing business for about a year. It is located on the second floor of Borrell’s Gym at 232 Ellicott St.
The 36-year-old Clarkson native said he was smitten with MMA during his high school days at Brockport High.
“MMA was just starting to get big when I was in high school. It was something that I saw and I fell in love with it immediately,” he said. “Once I graduated high school and went out on my own, I joined the military and had the means and opportunity to start training.”
He said he began training in 2009 with a team out of Buffalo. He took a few breaks since then – one for deployment to Afghanistan in 2010-2011 and others for enrollment in the police academy and fire academy.
“Other than that, it has been pretty much nonstop,” he noted.
While he wrestled and played football – “a little bit of both,” he said – Flanagan said he didn’t excel in anything until discovering mixed martial arts.
“I found a passion for it and it has been able to hold my attention. There’s always something new to learn,” he said.
Flanagan said he draws inspiration from Grand Master Flavio Behring, whose 9th-degree red belt is the highest rank achievable to any living practitioner of Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
The First Response MMA program is jiu-jitsu combined with Muay Thai – a kickboxing discipline from Thailand.
“Muay Thai is sometimes referred to the art of eight limbs because you use punches and kicks but also use elbows and knees,” Flanagan said. “Grand Master Behring just celebrated his 70th year of training in jiu-jitsu and he conveys that there’s always something to learn.”
Flanagan, who said he has participated in seminars with Behring, has achieved the rank of purple belt. He said he embraces the opportunity to learn as much as he can and is eager to help others – from teenagers to senior citizens – progress in the sport.
He said his jiu-jitsu program contains a “huge self-defense curriculum.”
“We have people who compete in just jiu-jitsu or just Muay Thai kickboxing. And we have people competing in MMA, which is a lot of the stuff who see on TV.”
Flanagan said he’s trying to build a solid competition team, including those who aspire to fight professionally.
“Our program is good for your mind, body and soul,” he said. “I was in the military, the police department and now the fire department, so I’ve seen a lot of not great things. This is an excellent opportunity to come in and get rid of all your stress. It’s very therapeutic.”
Photo by Barbie Starowicz
For Flanagan, his proficiency has resulted in a professional victory earlier this month in an event in Buffalo.
He said he made his pro debut at Castricone’s Colosseum Combat at the Forbes Theater, where he placed first in his weight class, defeating Alex Carroll of Buffalo by TKO in 2 minutes and 16 seconds
With about 50 family and friends in the audience, Flanagan prevailed, employing some quick thinking to defeat his opponent.
“I had this whole game plan for him and had studied tape,” he offered. “But the problem was that neither of us had fought in quite a while, so the tape was old. He came out much more aggressive than I was anticipating so I had to think on the fly and come up with a new game plan.”
Flanagan said the bout was a Muay Thai fight; not mixed martial arts.
“I had to go by the Muay Thai rules that state that if you get knocked down three times in a round, the fight is over,” he said. “He (Carroll) came out swinging for the fences and I had to think quick. We got in close, doing some dirty boxing, but the first time he fell over, I knew that this is my fight.”
Photo by Barbie Starowicz
Carroll went down five times in the round, but the referee ruled one was from a push and the other was when he slipped. Still, Flanagan was dominant and was able to raise his arms in triumph.
He said that he would compete again if offered another match.
“We’ll see. I’m not a spring chicken anymore in this sport,” he quipped.
As far as First Response MMA is concerned, Flanagan offers four courses:
— Full unlimited MMA membership, $100 per month.
— Jiu-jitsu, $70 per month.
— Striking, $60 per month.
— Fight-fit boot camp, non-contact, Saturday mornings, $40 per month.
A 25 percent discount is available to veterans, first responders, healthcare workers and school employees. For more information, go to his Facebook page (20+) Facebook or send an email to firstresponsemma@gmail.com.