The Brojo MMA fight team poses for a photo at their local gym in Homer, NY. Members of the team, including owner and professional kickboxer Zach Burhans and Norwich’s own Brennan Slater, will be competing in Gladius Fights 47 at the Canasawacta Country Club on Saturday, June 21. (Submitted photo)

NORWICH – The Canasawacta Country Club in Norwich is proud to welcome Gladius Fights, a MMA and kickboxing sports league, to its pavilion on Saturday, June 21st with a stacking fight card, including local wrestlers from Chenango County. This will be the first time that the Norwich community will get to witness the growing MMA and kickboxing sport.

“We are super excited to be hosting this event,” Owner and General Manager of the Canasawacta Country Club, Tim Carson said. “There is been a lot of positive buzz about it here in Norwich and we’re happy to be bringing it here.”

Carson added that the clubhouse food and beverage staff will primarily serve the event, so the clubhouse will be closed, but golf operations will go on as normal.

The doors open at 11 a.m. with youth fights beginning at noon before the live kickboxing and MMA championships begin. There will be a total of 10 cards/fights. The event will also conclude with two professional kickboxing matches for local professionals to the area Zach Burhans of Homer, NY and Matt Almy from Norwich, NY.

Tickets for the event can be purchased at the door starting at $40 but can be purchased ahead of time at www.gladiusfights.com. Be sure to include the fighter’s name that you are supporting because they do get a percentage of ticket sales.

Burhans has been active in the fighting scene for 16 years, where he is now in pro status. He runs his own team called Brojo, which is also the name of the gym he owns and operates in Homer, NY.

“The community response of the sport has been positive,” Burhans said. “I have had people come up to me and ask me to coach their kids and it’s important for youth to learn any aspect of combat.”

Burhans is competing in one of the final events of the night, which is the 150 pound pro kickboxing event against an opponent that he does not know. Burhans said that every match was made by Gladius based on weight.

Ava Cioci will be in the first official fight of the night in the 138 pound amateur kickboxing event. She recently was in a tournament in Thailand, where she came a world champion on May 21. She loved the experience and is excited to get back into the ring. She prepares for matches with cardio before praying the rosary prior to matches as it helps calms her down.

Aside from Ava, but not on the local card at this time is Gabbie. Gabbie fought recently at an event in Watertown in late May in just her second fight overall. She will be at the event supporting her team all the way.

“I love that the sport is fun and keeps me in shape and I’ve met a lot of cool people in the sport,” Gabbie said.

Brennan Slater and Kordell Huntley are local to the Chenango County area and are ready to make their hometown proud.

“Coach’s [Burhans] words are my gospel,” Slater said. “We remind ourselves that “this is what we do”.

Slater, a Norwich High School 2018 alum, wrestled in high school and joined the Marines out of high school, where he was in Japan and saw jitsu and fell in love.

“When I got home, I looked for a gym to continue jitsu,” Slater said. “I had to travel to places like Binghamton but then I found Zach’s gym in Homer. It’s not just a gym. It’s a family atmosphere.”

Slater will be competing for the Heavyweight Amateur MMA title.

Huntley, an Oxford graduate, is making his first ever appearance independently but hopes to join the Brojo team. He will be competing in the super heavy weight Amateur Kickboxing event. He brings a range of experience from his wrestling days for Oxford-Greene.

While the Canasawacta Country Club pavilion anticipates a jam packed crowd, Slater wants to remind the fans that at the end of the day, the fighters are just ordinary people, who work hard to train for a sport they love.

“The fights will be nine minutes long, but we train for hours a day,” Slater said. “It’s not just a sport, it’s a lifestyle that we fell in love with. We put ourselves all out there in the ring, but at the end of the fight, win or lose, we’re normal people who respect one another and want the best for everyone.”

Slater also encourages outreach of the youth to watch and be a part of the sport, even after the event.

“Don’t hesitate to bring the youth and get them involved ,” Slater added. “It’s very much a family sport.”