Black Diamond MMA Academy To Hold Open House Saturday

This Saturday, August 13 from 1 to 5 p.m., Black Diamond Mixed Martial Arts Academy will be hosting a huge kick-off event to welcome community members, and UFC fighter Joe Lauzon will be there to make sure you get there on time.

Owner and head instructor Daniel Faggella  opened the gym on July 1, moving up from his more humble houses in downtown Wakefield and Charlestown and transforming his "Omoplata" Brazilian Jiu Jitsu academy into something greater.  In addition to offering MMA training, Black Diamond offers Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai Kickboxing, and women’s and kid’s programs. They offer classes for all different levels of skill; even if you have never done any kind of martial arts, they have very basic classes to learn the fundamentals.

Faggella started Brazilian Jiu Jitsu when he was 17 and says he fell in love with the “chess-like” nature of grappling.

“Jiu Jitsu, to me, is really a conduit directly developing ourselves; it’s an avenue to focus on building our own capacities and expanding them, and in a sense it can have the same effect on all areas of life,” Faggella said. “I built the school and would like mixed martial arts to be a lens through which we view our own growth, learn about ourselves, and be inspired.”

In addition to offering MMA and Brazilan Jiu Jitsu seminars for newbies, Ultimate Fighting Championships athlete Joe Lauzon will be teaching a seminar about MMA techniques, which will be $50 a person. There will also be opportunities to get pictures with Lauzon as well.

The academy is located in the Peace Dale Mill Building at 1425 Kingstown Road. For more information on the academy or the kick-off party, call 401-218-0203 or visit www.blackdiamondmma.com.