Congratulations to our very own Coach Kurt Pellegrino for being inducted into the New Jersey Martial Arts Hall of Fame! Coach Kurt is being honored with the ‘Outstanding Achievment in MMA’ award for the 1st annual Hall of Fame award ceremony. The awards dinner is being held in December. If you would like to attend, please read the press release below that includes the prestigious list of winners! Congratulations to Coach Kurt and to all the other honorees on this great honor!
The New Jersey Martial Arts Hall of Fame is extremely proud to announce the inaugural class of inductees to the New Jersey Martial Arts Hall of Fame.This class will be honored at the Induction dinner gala to be held at the beautiful Crowne Plaza Meadowlands on December 7, 2012. Tickets to the awards dinner can be purchased by calling 201-538-4843 or online at njmmaawards.com.
New Jersey has always been on the forefront of combat sports, and some of the biggest bouts in MMA, kickboxing and muay Thai history have taken place at various venues around the state.
We are very proud to announce the formation of the New Jersey State Martial Arts Hall of Fame. New Jersey has had a boxing hall of fame since the 1960′s and, in a similar sense, we hope to recognize and honor those involved in combat martial arts such as MMA and Muay Thai. New Jersey is building a rich tradition in non-boxing martial arts and our goal is to recognize these individuals and entities.
Our goal is to honor those involved with New Jersey martial arts and to celebrate with them, at an evening with family and friends. Our focus is on those directly involved in New Jersey martial arts.
This truly is a historical moment in our State’s combat sports history as our intent is to have the New Jersey State Martial Arts Hall of Fame continue for many years and serve as a record for those outstanding individuals involved in martial arts in our State.
We hope you will join us on December 7, 2012. Mark your calendars now and purchase your tickets early so you can be sure to be a part of New Jersey martial arts history. Call 201-538-4843 or visit www.njmmaawards.com and get your ticket and join us in a historic night for New Jersey and for martial arts.
It is certain to be a terrific night with friends, fun, and music.
2012 Inaugural Class Inductee Awards
Legend Award- Renzo Gracie
Lifetime Achievement Award- Louis Neglia
Outstanding Achievement in MMA- Kurt Pellegrino
MMA Fighter of the Year- Frankie Edgar
MMA Female Fighter of the Year- Munah Holland
Muay Thai Fighter of the Year- Ognjen Topic
Muay Thai female fighter of the Year- Prairie Rugilo
MMA Trainer of the Year-Mike Constantino
Muay Thai Trainer of the Year- Ray Cruz
MMA Promoter of the Year- Rob Haydak
MMA Matchmaker of the Year-Sam Caplan
Muay Thai Matchmaker of the Year- Chris Tran
Muay Thai Referee of the Year- Coban
MMA Referee of the Year- Dan Miragliotta
MMA Judge of the Year- Ricardo Almeida
Muay Thai Judge of the Year- Vladimir Borodine
Ringside Physician of the Year- Dr. Sherry Wulkan
Announcer of the Year- Kevin Garvey
Media Personality of the Year-Jim Genia
Pioneer MMA Fighter Award- Dave Tirelli