LionHeart Management and Promotions

• CHANGING THE WAY FIGHTERS ARE DEVELOPED, MANAGED and PROMOTED
• Professional Training, Professional Management, Professional Fundraising- ALL UNDER ONE ROOF
• A Destination for Professional Mixed Martial Arts Management and Promotion
• 19,000 square foot MMA training facility
• Full-time MMA coaching staff
• Professional career management
• Grass Roots Fundraising for the up and coming fighters
• To inquire about sponsorship opportunities contact us today
• To inquire how we can help fast track your fighting career contact us today

Management Services

• Guaranteed Financial Support to ALL athletes
• Professional 19,000 square foot MMA training center
• Grass Roots Fundraising for the up and coming fighters
• Full staff of trainers and instructors
  • Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
  • Striking
  • Muay Thai
  • Wrestling
  • Strength and Conditioning
• Health, Vision and Dental Insurance
• Endorsement, Sponsorship and Appearance Support
• Legal Support
• Financial Planning Support
• Income tax preparation

Legal Services

Lionheart Management has contracted with one of the best law firms in the country to protect our athletes.

Pepper Hamilton LLP is a multi-practice law firm with more than 500 lawyers in seven states and the District of Columbia. The firm has grown from a two-person law office formed in 1890 in Philadelphia to a sophisticated, large law firm with a national and international practice.

Please click the link below to find out more information about our corporate counsel:

http://www.pepperlaw.com/pepper/lawyer.cfm?rid=46.0

The LionHeart Difference.

FAST TRACK YOUR DEVELOPMENT AS A FIGHTER

PROFESSIONAL TRAINING, PROFESSIONAL FUNDRAISING, PROFESSIONAL MANAGEMENT- All under one roof!!

Through dedicated fundraising, grassroots fan base development, and expert instruction, LionHeart Management fast-tracks fighters to professional career success. We take an active role in creating an ideal environment for our athletes by maximizing training time and aggressively pursuing quality competitive opportunities. Our unique dedication to fighter development is changing the industry and our personal commitment to your success is The LionHeart Difference.

How can we get you out of the office and into the gym? Contact us today to find out.

Professional MMA Training Center

Located in the HEART of the most competitive Wrestling areas in the Country, and also the home of Penn State University and one of the best NCAA Division I wrestling programs in the country, LionHeart has developed one of the best MMA Training Centers East of the Mississippi.

19,000 square foot Lionheart MMA Training Center includes:

• 22' Boxing Ring
• 22' Octagon
• 5,000 square feet of Mat Space for BJJ and Grappling
• 7,000 square feet of Free Weights, Hammer Strength and Dumbbells
• 2,000 square feet of Cardio Machines
• LionHeart Professional Fighter Locker Room With Personalized Lockers
• LionHeart Professional Fighter Lounge
• Wireless Internet
• 500 square foot Pro Shop

One of the nicest MMA Training Centers in the NORTHEAST!!!

Our Fighters

	Phil Davis
	Paul Bradley
	Lou Armezzani

Phil Davis

Davis went 26-1 and ends his career with a 116-20 career record, ninth all-time at Penn State; he won the 2008 NCAA National Championship at 197 pounds, becoming PSU's 21st NCAA champ and the 18th individual to win a crown; he became only the fourth four-time All-American in Penn State's 100 years of wrestling; his 58 dual meet wins is fourth all-time; his 30 points is sixth all-time; and his 136 career matches is 20th all-time. Davis also won the Charles M. Speidel Award, given to the senior with the most career dual meet wins (58).

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Paul Bradley

Paul Bradley brings an impressive 6-0 professional record to LionHeart. An Iowa State High School Wrestling Champion and two time All-American at The University of Iowa, Paul began his professional MMA fighting career in 2006 with Damage Incorporated in Indianapolis. In the fall of 2007 he was selected to be on Spike TV's The Ultimate Fighter and after his departure from the show was offered a 3 fight contract with Elite XC. Paul brings a wealth of experience to Team LionHeart and has already stepped forward as a leader both in and out of the gym. His goals are to continue improving in all aspects of the fight game and to win the Elite XC Middleweight Belt.

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Lou Armezzani

Lou Armezzani joins LionHeart with a 2-0 record as an amateur and plans to transition into the professional ranks within the year. Born in Scranton, Pa, Lou is a graduate of Valley View High School and spent the past year training under Jeff Reese in the Royce Gracie Ju-Jitsu Network. After strong showings at the NAGA, Grapplers Quest, and Pennsylvania State Brazilian Ju-Jitsu Tournaments, Lou began making regular trips to the LionHeart training complex and shortly thereafter was offered a spot on the team. His dedication to training, tireless work ethinc, and fighting spirit, are a valuable addition to LionHeart and we're looking forward to great things from him in the future.

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Staff/Coaches

Chad Dubin - Founder

Jeff Dernlan - Athlete Marketing and Promotions

Matt Kocher - Strength Conditioning Coach/ Administrative Assistant

Jeff Rockwell - Head Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Coach

Ryan Gruhn - Head Muay Thai Coach

TJ Turner - Boxing Coach

Chad Dubin

Founder

Chad Dubin was born in Philadelphia, PA in 1968 and after his family moved to Florida, grew up in Orlando , FL. Chad started wrestling in 9th grade at Lyman HS in Longwood, FL and had moderate success. In 1986, after getting into Penn State University on his own, and knowing very little about wrestling, he decided to walk onto one of the toughest Division I wrestling programs in the country. After years of hard work, Chad earned a spot on Penn State's starting lineup at 134 lbs. During two years of competition, Chad was a 2X NCAA qualifier placing in the top 12 in the country both years. He was also a member of the 1991 NCAA Dual Meet Championship Team and a 1990 and 1991 Academic All American. Chad graduated from Penn State in 1991 with a degree in Business Logistics.

Upon graduation Chad entered the financial capital of the world and gained employment in New York City on Wall Street as a stockbroker. After a year of being a stockbroker, Chad moved into the world of venture capital and began working as an investment banker for Spencer Trask Securities in NYC. In 1993 after 2 years on Wall Street, Chad and 3 other partners started their own investment banking firm, Trautman Kramer Securities. During 6 years on Wall Street, Chad managed over $200 Million for over 250 high net worth individuals and helped structure and raise over $30 Million in venture capital financing for 15 different start up companies.

In 1999 after moving back to State College, PA, Chad changed careers and moved into the world of mortgages. For 4 years Chad helped grow a local mortgage company with 2 offices into one of the largest mortgage companies in Pennsylvania with 7 offices in PA and MD and over 95 employees.

In 2003 Chad co-founded Title Partners Plus, LLC and in 4 years, grew the company to over 35 employees and 2 offices. Chad sold the company in August of 2007.

With his 20 years of wrestling experience as a competitor and a coach, and with his vast business experience Chad feels well positioned to create something completely unique and unparalleled in the world of Mixed Martial Arts.

Jeff Dernlan

Athlete Marketing and Promotions

With a background in both entertainment and athletics, Jeff brings a unique and valuable combination of skills to Team LionHeart. Growing up in one of Ohio's most successful wrestling families, Jeff won State and National Championships in High School before going on to become a Team Captain at Penn State University. As a music industry professional, Jeff created his own independent record label for which he secured worldwide distribution through Hepcat Records. Working closely with broadcast, print, and news media, he released several critically acclaimed CDs which received radio airplay throughout the US, Europe, and Australia.

Matt Kocher

Strength Conditioning Coach/ Administrative Assistant

Matt Kocher was born in State College, PA in 1985 and started wrestling at the young age of six. After competing in baseball, football and wrestling for many years Matt decided to dedicate himself to wrestling full time. During Matt's career at State College Area High School, in central PA, he was a 3 time PIAA State Place winner and in 2003 was a PIAA STATE CHAMPION.

Matt continued his wrestling career at the University of Pittsburgh where he qualified for the NCAA Championships four times and was an All-American placing fifth in 2007. He graduated from Pittsburgh in 2008 with degrees in History and Communication.

During his 15 years as a competitive wrestler, and specifically during his career as an All American wrestler at Pitt, Matt was known nationally for his superb conditioning and intensive training style.

Matt is now working full time as the Strength and Conditioning Coach and Administrative Assistant at LionHeart Professional Management and Promotions. In addition to his duties in the office for LionHeart, Matt is responsible for organizing all of the strength and conditioning workouts for all the LionHeart Athletes.

Matt is excited to help create some of the most well conditioned athletes in the world of MMA.

Jeff Rockwell

Head Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Coach

Jeff Rockwell is a veteran fighter, competitor, trainer, and coach, with over 13 years of experience in the martial arts. He has trained under such legends as Ricardo De La Riva, Erik Paulson, Marcelo Garcia, Pedro Sauer, and Burton Richardson, as well as with countless other BJJ blackbelts, NCAA wrestlers, and MMA fighters. Prior to joining LionHeart MMA, Jeff founded Raptor Brazilian Jiu-jitsu in State College, the only affiliate school in Pennsylvania under jiu-jitsu legend Professor Ricardo De La Riva. He also served as the head Brazilian Jiu-jitsu instructor at the Oregon Pound Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Academy in Corvallis, Oregon, and taught both BJJ and MMA at One Spirit Martial Arts in Herndon, Virginia. Jeff has been very successful in both amateur and professional grappling competitions on the East and West Coasts of the US; he has also fought in full contact kickboxing and Mixed Martial Arts events.

Jeff has earned the rank of brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, and continues to seek out high level fighters and grapplers to increase his knowledge and abilities. Jeff believes in leading from the front, and when he is not in the corner of his fighters and students, he is still actively competing in BJJ and grappling competitions to test his technique under fire and continuously improve.

Ryan Gruhn - Instructor

Head Muay Thai Coach

Ryan Gruhn has been studying the combat arts for over a decade. In this time he has achieved instructor status in five different martial arts, namely Muay Thai, Filipino Martial Arts, and Boxing. He is the head striking coach for Lion Heart Fitness & MMA and teaches the Muay Thai, Boxing, Striking portion of the MMA program, Women's Kickboxing, Filipino Martial Arts, and Youth Martial Arts classes. He is the Central PA representative for the Thai Boxing Association and is the only certified Muay Thai instructor in the area. Competitively Ryan has been fighting for the past four years and has ended a number of fights by submission, KO and TKO. Ryan mainly fights in the Dog Brothers - "Gathering of the Pack" on a bi-annual basis in Los Angeles, California. He has achieved the highest level of Instructorship in Dog Brothers Martial Arts and is one of the only full instructors under Marc "Crafty Dog" Denny east of the Mississippi. He is currently a blue belt under Jeff Rockwell / De La Riva in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and has competed in numerous Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournaments. Ryan corners fighters in Boxing, Muay Thai, Jiu-Jitsu, Real Contact Stick Fighting and Mixed Martial Arts on a regular basis. He has led a number of fighters to successful competitive carriers in their respective style.

TJ Turner

Boxing Coach

TJ Turner is a Certified Personal Trainer with 14 years of experience in martial arts, boxing and kickboxing. He got his start in martial arts training and teaching under 18 time grand champion and seventh degree black belt, Master John Bussard. He made his transition to boxing in 1996, training under Olympic Silver Medalist, Charles Mooney at the Charles Mooney Academy of Boxing. In 2001, while working as a martial arts and kickboxing instructor, TJ taught and trained with forth degree black belt, Chris Bort, and hall of fame inductee and seven-time kickboxing world champion, Marco Sies. Currently, TJ trains Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Jeff Rockwell / De La Riva.

With his experience gained from training with world class boxers, kickboxers and martial artists, TJ brings to Lionheart a passionate focus on teaching and training fighters to integrate the movement, footwork and techniques of boxing into their MMA styles.

A Maryland native, TJ relocated to State College, PA in 2007.

Press Releases

July 21, 2008

• LionHeart Fighters go 3-1; Paul Bradley wins Destiny Fight Championships

June 26, 2008

• Elite XC fighter Paul Bradley signs with Lionheart Management

June 17, 2008

• 4X All-American, NCAA Champion Phil Davis signs with LionHeart Management

June 10, 2008

• Lionheart Establishes 19,000 square foot MMA Training Center

Contact Information

LionHeart Professional Management & Promotion, Inc.

LionHeart Fitness & Mixed Martial Arts, LLC

127 Sowers Street

State College, PA 16801

(814) 280-1982 cell

chad@lionheartfighters.com

Phil Davis

Career Stats:

Davis went 26-1 and ends his career with a 116-20 career record, ninth all-time at Penn State; he won the 2008 NCAA National Championship at 197 pounds, becoming PSU's 21st NCAA champ and the 18th individual to win a crown; he became only the fourth four-time All-American in Penn State's 100 years of wrestling; his 58 dual meet wins is fourth all-time; his 30 points is sixth all-time; and his 136 career matches is 20th all-time. Davis also won the Charles M. Speidel Award, given to the senior with the most career dual meet wins (58).

ESPN Debut

Unusual recruit challenging for national championship By Andy Hamilton Special to ESPN.com

It was the unlikeliest place to stumble upon the next big star for Penn State wrestling. Little did Troy Sunderland know seven years ago when he entered the restroom at an Applebee's in Hershey, Pa., that he'd find a future prized recruit while he stood at the urinal.

Hanging on the wall in front of the Penn State coach was a sports page featuring a local high school sophomore getting ready to compete at the state wrestling tournament. Sunderland stood there, reading every word about how the kid once boarded a bus to travel a couple hours on his own to and from an offseason tournament. "That kind of sparked my interest that the kid was a go-getter and somebody we should take a look at," Sunderland said. This is how the Nittany Lions discovered Phil Davis, whose clandestine entrance to college without a state championship is now a footnote to his history-making career. The senior could become the fourth wrestler in Penn State history to achieve All-America status four times, but his primary mission is to become the school's first NCAA champion since 2000.

"I wasn't able to win a state title, but looking back now, that's small potatoes," said Davis, who placed fourth at the Pennsylvania state tournament as a sophomore and junior and fifth as a senior for Harrisburg High School. "It's a trivial thing to be a state champ once you're in a college room. Now it's all about winning a Division I national title. That's what I want to do. There are a lot of guys who win state titles who can't win national titles. It would define my career as a folkstyle wrestler."

Davis is 11-0 at 197 pounds this season and ranked second to defending NCAA champion Josh Glenn of American. But perhaps no upper-weight in the country ranks higher than Davis in terms of dominance this season. His 11 victories have come in the form of five pins, two technical falls, three major decisions and one regular decision. Not bad for a guy who nearly quit wrestling after his first day in the sport.

"I have a very dogmatic personality," said Davis, who also ran on the cross country team and was the No. 1 player on his tennis squad in high school. "If I think something is too daunting of a task or undoable, it's easier for me to not try than to do it and fail. That's the way I felt about wrestling." Davis took up the sport in seventh grade as a favor to a friend who wanted accompaniment on the first day of junior high practice.

"I hated it," Davis said. "I came home the first day, wanted to quit and my mom told me to stick with it for a week. That was not what I wanted to hear. I ended up going back, still didn't like it and meant to quit. I honestly forgot to quit." The team camaraderie pulled Davis closer to wrestling. He developed a new group of friends. He started gaining an appreciation for the sport and realized he had some skills, too. He compiled a 16-1 record in eighth grade and caught the attention of college coaches -- Sunderland included -- when he nearly knocked off Penn State recruit Joel Edwards in the state semifinals as a sophomore.

"He really wasn't that polished on his feet, but on the mat you could definitely tell he knew what he was doing and had the skills to be a great mat wrestler," Sunderland said. "We felt if he had a good work ethic that the sky could be the limit for him."

So did a few other schools. Though Davis wasn't a nationally-targeted recruit, Penn State offered a 50 percent scholarship. Davis said Pittsburgh doubled that. "There's only 9.9 scholarships [per team] in wrestling, and if somebody's willing to give me a full, they really want to build a team around me," Davis said. "But coming from Harrisburg -- not traditionally a force in high school wrestling -- I didn't want to go to a school where I'd feel like a big fish in a small pond again. I wanted to go somewhere that I wouldn't be able to start [immediately] and I'd have to fight just to gain status on the team. … I wanted to go somewhere I'd have competition and be the small fish in a big pond."

Davis redshirted during his first year at Penn State. He won 16 of 19 matches in open competition that winter and impressed Sunderland with the dedication his coach once read about on the restroom wall.

"He was always doing the extra things after a practice was over -- rope climbs, chin-ups, extra crawls," Sunderland said. "He had the attitude of getting better and learning. It was a long process getting him better on his feet. He worked a lot of hours, but he has that leverage, reach and length and he can really frustrate and tire out his opponents."

Davis placed seventh at the NCAA meet as a freshman, lost in the national finals as a sophomore and finished fifth last season. He employs a style enhanced by unorthodox techniques that aren't taught at youth clinics, locking up some opponents by baiting them into positions where they normally feel secure. Davis thinks his skills could transition well to a possible career in mixed martial arts after college.

"We're still trying to figure out whether he's a great athlete that does a lot of unique things or whether he's not a great athlete and has his own things he does well," Sunderland said.

Either way, Davis has developed into the big fish in a big pond. Andy Hamilton covers wrestling for the Iowa City Press-Citizen.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=3208415

PWN

If you're an athlete, you know the dream. It comes and goes while your sleeping or when your focus strays from the boring classroom lecture or from the computer screen at work.

You dream of performing better than what you've done or what you're capable of doing.

Penn State's Phil Davis has had that dream many times, especially since he finished second at 197 in the NCAA Championships last season. He dreams of what it would be like to win a national title.

"I'm a dreamer," Davis said. "I always feel like everything's within my reach."

Not many people who knew Davis when he was younger would have dreamed that he would finish second at NCAAs and is the top-ranked 197-pounder entering the 2006-2007 season.

Davis, a Harrisburg High School graduate, didn't even start wrestling until he and a buddy went to a practice after school when he was in the seventh grade. He didn't that year, but he did the next and was better at it than the year before.

"When I first got into it, I didn't want my parents (Arbie and Joe) to go to the matches. I didn't take it seriously," Davis said. "After eighth grade, I was pretty good, and they were in love with it."

His family, including his two older brothers, Jeffrey and John, were all into tennis. Phil lettered in tennis and cross country in high school.

He was named the captain of the wrestling team all four years at Harrisburg and qualified for the PIAA Championships as a sophomore 189-pounder by placing third at the Southcentral Regional Tournament.

It was in Hershey where Penn State coach Troy Sunderland first learned of Davis, reading a Harrisburg Patriot-News story that told of how the future All-American would take a bus to Penn State to work out and wrestle.

"I watched him and he had pretty good abilities," Sunderland said. "We talked to him. We really liked his mom, and it was a good fit."

Davis lost to Upper Darby's eventual champion, Joel Edwards, 6-4, in the semifinals, but he bounced back to take fourth. As a junior in 2002, he finished second at the Southcentral Tournament, reached the PIAA semifinals and lost in overtime, 7-5, to Northampton sophomore Jon Oplinger, who finished second that year and went on to win two state titles.

His senior year, Davis took second at the regional tournament to Warwick's eventual state runner-up Kyle Narkiewicz. He reached the state semis again, where he dropped another OT decision, 9-7, to Northampton's eventual two-time state champ Josh Haines. This time, Davis took fifth.

"I could have finished higher than fifth," Davis said, "but I sort of lost my focus."

While he went 112-17 in his high school career, Davis didn't really become serious about the sport until he got to Penn State. He was redshirted his freshman year, but he went 16-3 in open tournaments and impressed his coach.

"He did work very hard his freshman season," Sunderland said. "He had that eagerness to learn. He's improved a lot on his feet and he knows exactly what he wants to do on the mat. He has a lot of heart."

He continued showing his improvement by beating out Edwards for the 197-pound spot in 2004-05. Fans got to Davis' unorthodox, high-risk style of wrestling.

"He puts himself in some situations where you say 'OK, how's he going to come out of this?' " Sunderland said. "Then he comes out on top and you say 'Yeah, I knew that would happen.' "

In his first year as a starter, Davis went 37-10, tying Jim Martin's school record for wins by a freshman and finished fourth at the Big Ten Championships. He beat three higher seeded wrestlers at the NCAAs to take seventh.

Last year, he posted a 25-4 record and won a Big Ten title to qualify for the NCAAs, where he opened with an 11-0 win over Drexel's Oplinger. But his run to the finals was ended there by Oklahoma State's Jake Rosholt, 10-3, when Davis gave up an early five-point move. "It was pretty disappointing," Davis said. "It's very devastating," Sunderland said. "He gave up a five-point move right off the bat. The match would have been a lot different if he had not been in a hole. A lot of times he comes out on top of those."

Over the summer, he was on a Big Ten All-Star team that competed in the Ukraine, where he saw different styles and strong competition. When he came back, he started on making the Nittany Lions better. The NCAA loss not only spurred him on to get better personally, but to also become a team leader.

"I'm spending a lot more time with my younger teammates to build up the team," he said. "Before, I was a leader by example. Now, I think I've earned the respect of everybody on the team."

"He did some things behind the scenes," Sunderland said. "He brought the freshmen in and did some things on his own. I think he's bought into the program. He gets instant respect from those who don't know him. You appreciate what he's gone through. He likes to make it fun. But deep down he wants to win."

That's exactly what Sunderland expects Davis to do a lot this season.

"We expect him to become a national champion," Sunderland said. "He's got some great competition at his weight, and some other guys are moving up from 184. He's got a lot of work to do."

"I definitely expect the team to do a lot better this year," Davis said. "Personally, I want to pick it up a notch. I want to finish first this year."

The above profile was printed in the November 2006 issue of PWN.