THE RED CORNER
NEWS AND UPDATES FROM THE NORTH STAR ACADEMY OF MIXED MARTIAL ARTS
WEEK OF DECEMBER 8th, 2025
Monday Mindset, Junior Samurai Stripe Challenge, Membership Updates, and Facility FAQ Links all available at the bottom!
Happy Monday Team!
Although this newsletter goes out Monday mornings, I often write everything over the weekend (sometimes as early as Thursday, if I’m being productive!). I am currently IN BED writing this on a Sunday morning after a whirlwind of a weekend in Queens, NYC for the Freedom Fighting Championship Muay Thai event. I may not leave the bed for the rest of the day 😉
First off, congrats to Gianna Vadino for another stellar performance. This was a tough fight for her — we often think of effective weapons as causing physical damage, but her opponent did an amazing job using her clinch weapons to cause emotional damage in the fight. She was frustrating and smothering Gianna and taking her off her game and cornering her into a reactive cycle. However, Gianna was able to flip the script midway through the fight, and went on to pull over an incredible highlight reel KO to earn the Freedom Fighting Championships Lightweight title.
In all, a great outcome and a great performance, although not without its challenges! Of course what great performances can truly be achieved without challenges in the first place though, right?
Big thank you to Isis Toledo, Matt Geiger, and Coltrane Jamison for putting together a last-minute watch party at the gym as well. It looked like an amazing turnout and it was pretty overwhelming to see the team together in support. Thank you everyone!
Looking forward to December, we have a few events coming up that you’ll want to keep marked on your calendars.
First, join us on Sunday, 12/14 at the Southampton Spa for SPA DAY! Southampton Spa is a Russian/Turkish bath house with a range of recovery and relaxation options. We’ll plan to arrive around 10am and stay as long as we like. It is encouraged to bring a a large water bottle! Admission is $65 for the day and additional services, and food, are extra, although not required.
For more information on the spa, head to their website here: Southampton Spa
Next, we’ll have our end of the year Jiu Jitsu team day on Tuesday, December 16th, in place of our regular BJJ class at 7:30pm. We have some belts to award, miles of tape to stripe up, and a BJJ open mat to follow. All are welcome — wear a gi!
Beyond that, we’ll have some adjustments to our class schedule in the period from Xmas Eve to New Year’s Day as well, but until then it’s smooth sailing.
See you on the mats!
–Coach Jackson
You can find this week’s Monday Mindset HERE
You can find this week’s Junior Samurai Stripe Challenge HERE