Fighters Alley - Instructors

INSTRUCTORS

  • Cesar Baraza

    • Cesar Barraza aka “Coach”, grew up in south florida, where he gravitated to combat sports.  While training for many years under kickboxing legend Harold “Nature Boy” Roth, he enjoyed success as a member of the competitive fight team.  As combat sports evolved, so did Cesar.  He would eventually hook up with MFS top dog, and UFC legend, Pat Militech.  Cesar would go up and train regularly in Iowa, and then bring that effective system to his students in Florida.

    As the head man for Militech in the south east, Cesar and his students enjoyed great success in competition.  Down the road it became time to move on.  It is at this time that Fighters Alley was born.  Cesar would eventually meet Dennis Davidson, and the rest is history.

    • 27 wins to only 5 losses in 2009 against top ranked fight teams (ATT, Gracie Barra, Gracie Tampa, etc)
  • Dennis Davidson

    A long time student and practitioner of martial arts, Dennis started studying Matsubayashi Shorin Ryu at age 13, and obtained a black belt in 1989.  Along the way to his black belt, he enjoyed great success on the contact karate tournament circuit.  While in college, he began to study a variety of styles, including American Kempo, Shotokan, and Thai boxing.

    During the late 1990's Dennis discovered mixed martial arts, and immediately fell in love with the concept.  In 1997 he took his first MMA fight on the west coast, finishing his opponent with a brutal knock out.

    It was not until 2002 that he decided to move to New York to study Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.  It was at this time that Dennis realized what an effective, and essential component of MMA that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was.

    While training in NY, Dennis had great success on the submission grappling circuit, with medal finishes in both N.A.G.A. and Grapplers quest competitions.

    In 2006, an injury sustained during a tournament required knee reconstruction, which ended his career.

    Dennis was promoted to Brown Belt by Daniel and Diego Moraes this year with help from his friend Rhadi Ferguson.
  • Matt McCook

    • Matt McCook’s path to martial arts instructor has been an interesting one.  There are plenty of people who sit in front of a television screen watching MMA, and say “I can do that”.  Matt McCook was one of those guys.  Unlike many though, he acted on this thought, and decided to go to a school and see for himself.  When Matt came to Fighters Alley, he was an athletic guy with a big heart, and a limited skill set.  He dove right in and embraced the FAF philosophy of hard work, effective striking, and smart Jiu-Jitsu.  It was not too long after training with FAF that McCook had his first fight.  He hasn’t looked back since.

    After several years of hard work, he has become of the regions rising MMA stars, and the Atlas Fighting Championships Featherweight Champion.  He successfully defended his title recently, and is in the hunt for bigger and better things.  Matt teaches the Women’s MMA Fitness, as well as striking.  It is not uncommon to see Matt training right along side of regular students in our classes, or working with FAF up and comers to develop the skills necessary to make it in this demanding sport.
  • James Sams

    James was introduced to martial arts at the age of 8 and like all kids, other aspects of life took over.  He started to take martial arts serious when he joined the military and was introduced to Sansei Dutch Farinas (Shotokan) in 2004 while stationed in Germany, he was two belts away from his black belt.  In the process of learning Shotokan he noticed some other karatekas doing Jui Jitsu in the dojo and joined them and began to learn the ground game of MMA.

    His military job took him from Germany to North Dakota, when he arrived he looked around and realized there where no Shotokan instructor in the area so he decided to learn Taekwondo from the American Taekwondo Association.  He was awarded his brown belt in Taekwondo, achieved first place in forms and second in sparring (losing to a black belt) during an in school competition.

    While doing Taekwondo, he afforded himself the opportunity to go out and learn Hapkido and Tai Chi, additionally he kept up his MMA training informally with some other military members from the base.  He left North Dakota before attaining any higher belt in the other systems.

    Once back in Florida in '06, James started doing Capoeira and in the process found the Miletich Fighting Systems with Cesar Baraza.  Continued to train in Capoeira for about a year and then decided to devote 100% of his time training in MMA.

    Currently James is serving his country overseas and everyone here at Fighter's Alley is looking forward to his return
  • Rhadi Ferguson

    • Rhadi Bullard Ferguson is an internationally renowned Strength & Conditioning Coach and Consultant and a former member of the 2004 US Judo Olympic Team.  Rhadi has always excelled academically and athletically and has added to his Olympian Credential that of the earning of his Masters Degree and Doctorate Degree in the field of Education.  Rhadi is a BJJ black belt under American Top Team’s Ricardo Liborio.

    As the owner of Ferguson Marketing Systems in Boca Raton, FL, Rhadi provides clients and subscribers with his leading, state-of-the-art expertise as a Master Marketer, Strength & Conditioning Coach, Trainer, Consultant and Motivational Speaker. Moreover, he’s highly dedicated to the goal of sharing his knowledge with the world as a Master Instructor.  Rhadi Ferguson is now one of the most sought after Fitness Experts in the world.  He often does Strength and Conditioning Consults for top notch athletes, professional and collegiate teams and individuals seeking to get in great shape.

    Coach Ferguson is also a Master Instructor, in that he not only teaches but coaches individuals to high levels of success in various areas of interest.  Under the umbrella of Ferguson Marketing Systems, he has created DVDs, Books and products.  Also a motivational speaker, Coach Ferguson through his energetic coaching style has a knack of getting the most out of any athlete, audience or business.

    Rhadi’s list of professional responsibilities is extensive, and he is an active member and contributor to a host of professional organizations and publications.