THE RED CORNER
NEWS AND UPDATES FROM THE NORTH STAR ACADEMY OF MIXED MARTIAL ARTS
WEEK OF JUNE 22nd, 2026
Monday Mindset, Membership Updates, and Facility FAQ Links all available at the bottom!
Happy Monday team!
Last week was intense!
Congratulations to all the students who advanced to the next stage of their Jiu Jitsu journey. The room is getting a lot more colorful and a lot more dangerous. Despite the more visible work I’ve been doing lately on the competitive striking scene, my personal relationship with martial arts is more focused on BJJ. In fact, of all my accomplishments in MMA, kickboxing, Muay Thai, and Jiu Jitsu, earning (and tending to) my black belt in BJJ is the one I personally hold in the highest regard.
And with nearly ten people promoted to purple belt and above last week, I hope to share that experience with a number of people in the near years to come! As a coach we don’t really give belts as much as we pass them on.. the students do the work, and the students answer to a higher authority than the coaches. In Jiu Jitsu, we answer to the community, to our peers, and to the ever increasing standards. Again, congrats!
Last week also saw a successful night in combat sports as well, with the team going 2-0 at Gut Check Championships in Delaware on Saturday.
Xavier Taylor applied a mature mix of strong pressure and effective evasiveness to damage and outmaneuver a tough KO artist over three rounds for a decisive win. We took the fight against the 3-1 fighter when X was still a 0-0 debut athlete, by the way — but X now advances to 4-1 in his young career, stacking the win on top of a strong performance at the ISKA tournament last month.
Makhi Anthony retains his perfect record with a three round dominant performance against another tough opponent. Makhi took the opportunity to showcase his full toolkit of skills, landing his shots at will and making the fight look more like a demonstration than an actual contest. Makhi improves to 6-0 and we hope to get him a bigger opportunity soon.
It’s been a successful stretch for the striking team lately. Combat Sports are crazy — fortunes can turn in an instant, and outcomes are never guaranteed. But when we train hard and prepare accordingly, we position ourselves for success. This is, ultimately, a team effort, and I genuinely believe that everyone gets a championship ring. Without a strong support network, without a high standard of effort and ethic, and without the constant positivity and reinforcement that only a healthy community can provide, none of this is possible. Nice work everyone!
See you on the mats!
–Coach Jackson
You can find this week’s Monday Mindset HERE