The Cellar Gym

This year, The Cellar Gym brought 13 Muay Thai fighters to Des Moines, IA for the TBA Classic World Muay Thai Expo! In total, our team went 12-9 on the weekend and celebrated three 2022 TBA champions: Sam Bailey, Jess Prewett, and Johnny Lee. #MuayThaiDoneRight @TBASanctioning

Solid round’s tonight @thecellargym . Thank you @_paimon__ for putting on a great class🙏🏿 🥷🏾 #bjj #mma #fightlife #kickboxing #boxing #fitlife instagram.com/p/Cf-k5JHjW3C/…

We are honored to have the 🇮🇱 Israeli National Kickboxing Team training with us and acclimating to the time zone as they make their final preparations for the World Games in Birmingham, Alabama! If you see them around the gym, please give a warm welcome to our new friends!

All four of these students have put in countless hours of time on the mats as white belts, in addition to representing our BJJ team at many tournaments. This promotion is well-deserved; congratulations to you all!! 🤙

We’re proud to announce The Cellar Gym’s newest BJJ blue belts: Kenzie Swartz, Alex McKinnell, Montana Davis, and Mike Barreto! #BJJ #thecellargym @CheckmatBJJ

The level of competition at TBA this year was intense, with impressive fighters of all experience levels. We are incredibly proud of all our fighters this year for their commitment to training and to supporting each other. Great job, everyone!! @TBASanctioning #MuayThaiDoneRight

Unfortunately, no other fighters registered in Linda’s division & she was not able to fight this weekend. However, she was a constant pillar of support for all of our fighters through a long and grueling tournament, & we are so grateful for Linda’s determination and positivity!

Linda Gosslin is an inspiration to all of us on the team! Linda is one of just a few fighters who registered in the Senior+ division (55+) and put in countless hours of daily training, running, strength & conditioning, and much more.

Matt Wilkins made his Muay Thai debut this weekend. He came out strong in the first round, but got caught with a great punch by his opponent that changed his game plan, and he lost by TKO. This was Matt’s first fight camp; we will continue to improve and get him back in action!

Javier Huerta had a tough loss on Thursday, in the 2nd round by KO. He was landing great strikes through the fight, but it wasn’t enough to control distance against a talented and larger fighter. We'll make some adjustments & Javier will be back next year to win this tournament!

Xavier Rosenbloom made his Muay Thai debut this weekend & lost by decision. Because of his boxing experience, Xavier fought in the B class division. Although he will leave this event with lots of lessons, he also had some excellent exchanges against a skilled opponent. Nice work!

Although we feel that the call was slightly too early, we understand and respect the ref’s decision to prioritize fighter safety. C.J. showed great growth and improvements during this camp, and we look forward to seeing him back in action soon.

Early in the 2nd round, C.J. got dropped by a solid punch to the chin. While taking the 8-count, he didn’t follow the referee’s instructions and the fight was stopped.

C.J. Hays came out strong in the first round against a highly skilled and experienced opponent. Although C.J. landed many devastating punches and showed good ring control, he took a damaging knee to the liver that changed the momentum of the fight.

Star Pruitt fought a great fight in the Friday quarterfinals. It was a battle with both fighters emptying their gas tanks; unfortunately, Star came up short on the scorecards. Star put in a lot of work during this camp, and we look forward to seeing him fight again soon!

In the quarterfinals, Grady Pesch fought an awesome fight against a tough opponent with a giant-like frame. It was a back-and-forth battle with both fighters having great moments. Unfortunately Grady came up a bit short on the scorecards, but it was still a fight to be proud of!

In the semifinals, Matt and his opponent left nothing in their tanks after a 3-round battle of high kicks, spinning elbows, and strong punches. It was close, close, close and amazing to watch! But the decision didn’t go our way. Incredible job Matt; we’re so proud of you!

Matt Cunningham showed an impressive technical display of skill in his quarterfinal bout on Friday, securing a win by 2nd round TKO via knee strikes! #MuayThaiDoneRight

Brian Le had a hard-fought battle of interesting styles in the Saturday semifinals and made good improvements to win the judges’ decision. He fought like a warrior in the finals, but lost via TKO. Brian has come so far since last year’s tournament. We’re proud of you Brian!

Kailey Everett won in the semifinals with great forward pressure and brutal low kicks. In the finals, she faced an aggressive opponent but battled back through adversity to win the final round. Although she lost by decision, she showed so much heart & is an inspiration to us all!

The TBA tournament is emotionally draining… to amplify that, this was Johnny’s first-ever fight, he had to wait all week for his turn, and we made him eat food non-stop because he was below his weight class! He went out there on a mission and got the job done! #MuayThaiDoneRight

Junior fighter Johnny Lee made his Muay Thai debut in the Sunday finals and won by 1st round TKO via 3x knockdown rule! He landed great punches, strong kicks, and scary elbows to secure the Junior Boys C Class Light Heavyweight title! Congratulations Johnny! #MuayThaiDoneRight