The inspiration for current Strikeforce welterweight Jason High to start his own gym with fellow fighter L.C. Davis is simple: his area was lacking such a facility.
“There’s not really anything around Kansas City like that,” he said. “I thought that one day I’d be back here to start something like that. It’s nice to start something with L.C., that way it’s easier for both of us to train. It seems to be working out pretty well.”
As High points out, it’s been a goal of his, but not one he had initially planned on undertaking so soon.
“The timing was right now,” he said. “I ideally would have liked to have done it later, towards the end of my career. I think we’ll be able to do all right with it, both of us running the place.”
High told MMAWeekly.com that choosing Davis to be his partner in this endeavor was only natural.
“I’ve known him for a long time,” said High. “He’s from Kansas City and had the same idea I did about coming back and starting a gym. I figure it would be easier to do it together than compete with one another.”
And thus HD Mixed Martial Arts and HD Wrestling Club came into being, with their Grand Opening scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 29, in Laewood, Kan.
According to High, what will make their gym unique is the fact that both he and Davis are so well established in the MMA world.
“I was actually going through the posters of the shows L.C. and I have been on around the gym, and there’s nobody that’s going to have the fighting credentials that we have,” said High. “I think that’s what will stand out initially to people, and then once they get in here, they’ll like the classes we offer and all of that.”
While the gym is open to all levels of people, from beginners to pros, with classes ranging from MMA to kids jiu-jitsu and wrestling to circuit training, High feels the experience he and his partner have in fighting against and training with some of the top athletes around the world will truly benefit anyone looking to take their game to the next level.
“I think that kind of experience is invaluable when you’re just getting into the game,” he said. “You can start training like a world class guy, and not worry whether you’re getting the right training or working with guys who you’re not sure if they know what they’re doing.
“Since both of us are still fighting, we’re still going to be training hard and those guys can see what it’s like and if they really want to fight. I think that will actually be a really good thing for younger guys.”
Turning to his fight career, High is currently riding a six-fight winning streak, which he hopes to continue to add to early next year.
“I’m looking to probably fight again in January,” he said. “Hopefully we can get something scheduled soon and get my schedule (worked out) for the gym, and then I’ll be going for it again.”
For information on HD MMA and Wrestling Club, visit their website at
