WCL TALK

Valiss · Joined: 05 Jan 2007 Posts: 260 Location: Earth

An article I found this week that talks about Dan Rawlings. It says he fought for the Phil Fire last season and is on the LA team now. Anyone know of him?

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<b>Martial artist strikes a balance in life</b>

The story tip says only that a Brooksville resident is competing in one of those suddenly trendy mixed martial arts fighting leagues. Immediately, the images percolate.

Going nose-to-notebook with a leathery face outlined in scars and scowls. Tattoos, elaborate ones, perhaps covering an entire limb. Guiltily, you also wonder if responses to your questions will emanate from a cerebrum so damaged by kicks and counter-punches, they arrive as grunts.

Then you enter the dojo in the upscale strip mall, and Danny Rawlings greets you with a smile, a faint northern Ohio accent and a boy-band face bereft of even a shaving nick.

"I'm one of the rare, un-inked ones," he says of his tattoo-free, 5-foot-7 frame.

Suddenly, you realize this 34-year-old fighter has just landed his most profound blow, one you never saw coming.

A vicious roundhouse to all those preconceived images.

"He's a really nice guy," said Alexey Petrov, owner of Westchase Impact Martial Arts in northwest Tampa, to where Rawlings makes thrice-weekly commutes from his Brooksville home to teach something called Muay Thai, or Thai boxing.

"Usually guys who are that good, they do not fit the stereotype," Petrov said.

Nearly as unblemished as he is unassuming, Rawlings has been a martial arts student more than half his life. He's 1-0-1 as a light welterweight professional boxer, is internationally certified in Muay Thai (a brutal, versatile martial arts style) and competes for the Los Angeles Stars in the 3-year-old World Combat League.

"They've always said (the WCL) is like a three-round or five-round fight condensed into one," said Rawlings, who is single.

Rawlings, who might weigh 148 pounds after a second helping of his beloved Thai food, should know. He has fought in cages and kickboxing events, on Army bases and in foreign countries, on his feet and on the mat.

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Full Article:
http://www.tampabay.com/SearchForwardServlet.do?articleId=435441
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-Valiss

ranyhyn88 · Joined: 24 Feb 2008 Posts: 7

If you go to www.griffinrawl.com or
http://www.griffonrawl-ohio.com/#instructors

you can find ome info on him.

jmm1 · Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 9:32 am Post subject: Rawlings - spoiler warning

Here is a recent article about Dan Rawlings where he talks about his fight with Longacre - http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/article491785.ece

griffonrawl · Joined: 13 May 2008 Posts: 1

That's funny because it was about a minute into the fight and a right hook that dropped me. Of course, I needed to see it on film to know that! I hope to redeem myself with Mr. Longacre ( THUNDERPUNCH ) in the future. Great scrap though, it just ended way to early for me.
I am just glad that the rest of my team could pull us out of the hole I dug for them. They stayed focused and did exactly what they needed to do to get the win. I am still dissapointed with my fight and performance but having the Stars in the finals was the night's mission. Winning the finals is the teams goal. GO STARS!