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Rod Ricciardi CEO
Rod brings over 30 years of entrepreneurial and marketing /sales and most of all people skills to Thunder promotions. He has been the automotive industry for over 30 years and has achieved many top honors including top vehicle volume in the United States and 3 times the most profitable dealerships in the United States. His passion has always been in the promoting fighting/mma he has produced and promoted the “invincible martial arts” training video featuring the Grand master Ernesto Presas and John Bruce Daniels which has sold over a million copies. They have been featured “Inside KungFu” and “Black Belt” with James Caan. His personal involvement in martial arts he has achieved full instructor status in single and double baton and free style {escrima}, mano y mano and kung fu. He also holds a 3rd degree black belt in balisong, single and double baton he has trained worldwide. He has trained law enforcement agencies in stick and knife defense including agencies such as the FBI, CIA, etc. He has also donated his time to working with children and many youth groups . He now resides in Birmingham, Alabama where he plans to put mma/boxing on the map. Our other venues will be Mississippi, Florida, New Jersey, Georgia and Tennessee as well as international venues
Felix Martinez V.P. of Operations
Felix Martinez was born and raised in Vineland NJ and is a graduate of Vineland High School. He was a captain for the Vineland High School wrestling team and won the districts as a senior. After graduating, he became a police officer for the Vineland Police Department. During his time with the police force he worked as a detective for the juvenile unit and worked high profile narcotic investigations with the FBI. Felix assisted with running the PAL (Police Athletic League) program and also taught the D.A.R.E. (Drug Awareness Resistant Education) program. He then became a detective with the Cumberland County Prosecutors Office and participated as a wrestler in the World Policemen and Firemen Games in Sweden and Indianapolis. He was an assistant wrestling coach for Vineland High School, a pioneer in starting the wrestling program at Sacred Heart High School, and was a baseball manager for the Vineland Little League. Felix was the Vice President of the H.A.N.D. Foundation, committee chairman for the Annual Vineland Veterans Dinner, committee chairman for the annual Vineland Police Department football game to benefit the American Cancer Society and the committee chairman for the Annual Softball blast to benefit the PBA. Felix left police work and pursued his dream of becoming a promoter and started Cage Fury Fighting Championships (CFFC). As President and owner he was responsible for securing two pay per view events and making CFFC the top Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event on the East Coast. Felix increased CFFC attendance by 359% from 2,100 fans to 7,500 fans in one year. CFFC was the first MMA organization to utilize instant replay for review by the NJ State Athletic Control Board. Felix was awarded the MMA Promoter of the year by the Atlantic City Press.
Ed Berinobis Matchmaker
Thunder & Cage Thug Matchmaker Ed Berinobis, hales from Waterloo, Iowa where he spends his time working with trainers in East Side MMA, the original club he started with a community driven mission of getting kids off the street while introducing a positive structure in their lives. Berinobis and his teams across the state of Iowa train KEKOA MARTIAL ARTS which was passed on from his father, Cliff Bernobis. KEKOA, which means “BRAVE ONE” in Hawaiian, was chosen to value ‘one who is brave and can back it up.’
The elder Berinobis came to Iowa in the mid 1950’s from Hawaii where he studied Okinawan Karate and the ancient arts. Continuing his father’s legacy from when he was a child, Ed looked to pass on KEKOA MARTIAL ARTS, a custom art which is comprised of a multi-angle approach. This approach was created by blending Okinawan Karate, American Boxing, Taekwondo, Roman Greco Wrestling, Jujitsu, Judo, Muay Tai, & Poisoned Hand (1156 AD) Acupuncture Martial Arts. This custom style is being passed on to these kids that are less fortunate and gives them the 360 degree training needed to compete in the Cage fighting environment.
In 2009, Bernobis launched this initiative with several trusted friends that he studied with for years. They wanted to start a local club to get kids off the street and help them learn KEKOA. He made it real simple; it was to be FREE TRAINING. “Most of these kids cannot afford any training and they end up in the back of the school yard doing things wrong, which can be dangerous. They are there because it costs money to do it right and they don’t have any money so there in lies the problem, until now.”
East Side MMA was the first club to start in Waterloo, IA and has grown from 5 starting members to over 140 now in 8 months. Some fighters are consistent, some are not. “Commitment to consistency is all that is asked. “They see their friends in here all the time and they start to show up more consistently.” Bernobis drives a 100 miles a day, 5 days a week to come help guide these kids. The kids have something to believe in and a place to test their skills as they learn and they find out how much they don’t know.
At the same time Cage Thug was started, a brand and outlet for amateur events that were beginning to take place to showcase the skills they have learned. It also allowed Berinobis to blend his rhythmic talents into producing a entertaining mix of music and sports that people desired to watch. Cage Thug has now become a strong identity for the fighters and the fans that follow them. Growth in popularity has spread like wildfire. Much like the growth in the internet with OPEN SOURCE sharing and development, KEKOA MARTIAL ARTS is shared with other clubs as well, helping them improve in areas they may be lacking specific skills. As such, many clubs have popped up and joined the vision. Now Cage Thug has 5 clubs that reach into 4 states and has an estimated roster of almost 600 fighters. Although these other clubs are free to charge a fee for training, the fighters still learn KEKOA for FREE at East Side MMA where they use donated equipment from the local community neighbors.
When asked why have these fighters had such great success in such short time, Berinobis said, “Where do the toughest fighters come from??? They come from streets… no one ever gave them a chance and believed in them, until now.”When asked about Cage Thug name… “Cage Thug was created to get the THUG off the street and put them in the Cage where it is more positive.”
David Lemak Athletic Director/Surgeon
Dr. David G. Lemak is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon who offers his extensive training, research, and experiences to the practice of orthopedic sports medicine. He is fellowship trained in the prevention and surgical management of sports related injuries. His practice focuses on arthroscopic reconstruction of the shoulder, elbow, hip, knee and ankle as well as joint replacement. Dr Lemak has dediicated his services to Thunder Promotions as our fight doctor and athletic director, he has been a fight doctor for Sylvia vs Mercer, Jeremy Horn, Rich Celemente Joe Jordan,. He has offered his services to champions Bobby Ccyz, Tracy Patterson, Virgil Hill, Renzel Gracie, Daniel Gracie, Frank Shamrock just to name a few
Dr. Lemak’s expertise has been recognized through his invited lectures, clinical research, and professional mentoring of orthopedic surgeons from across the United States and around the globe. His role as physician and medical advisory has been an invaluable resource for athletes of all types of sports at every level of play. As a sideline physician he has cared for local high school and collegiate teams. He has provided medical coverage at major sporting events throughout the country and supplied medical consultation for professional athletes and international sports organizations such as NFL-Europe.
Dr. Lemak is a member of the American Sports Medicine Fellowship Society, the Medical Association of the State of Alabama, the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine, and the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. He is the co-director of the Sports Medicine Fellowship program of the American Sports Medicine Institute at Lemak Sports Medicine. As a mentor he has trained residents and fellows on surgical techniques and led sports medicine fellows through complex orthopedic procedures. His knowledge is shared among the orthopedic community through numerous publications and professional lectures.
Dr. Lemak graduated form Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida in 1994. He earned his medical degree from the University of Alabama School Of Medicine in Birmingham in 1999. He completed an orthopedic surgery residency at the University of South Alabama Medical Center in Mobile, Alabama in 2004. Dr. Lemak completed his training in Orthopedic Sports Medicine as a fellow at the American Sports Medicine Institute and Alabama Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center.
As part of his commitment to global health care Dr. Lemak leads a training program for medical doctors from Venezuela and lectures yearly at the Venezuela Arthroscopy Society Meeting. He is called upon to comment on major joint injuries as well as athlete conditioning and post-operative care. Dr. Lemak continues his focus on stellar medical treatment through the Lemak Sports Medicine clinic at Brookwood Medical Center.
Dr. Lemak and his wife, Tracy, have two children: David, Jr. and Sarah. Among Dr. Lemak's hobbies are wakeboarding, racquetball, deep-sea fishing and spending time with his family.
Rod brings over 30 years of entrepreneurial and marketing /sales and most of all people skills to Thunder promotions. He has been the automotive industry for over 30 years and has achieved many top honors including top vehicle volume in the United States and 3 times the most profitable dealerships in the United States. His passion has always been in the promoting fighting/mma he has produced and promoted the “invincible martial arts” training video featuring the Grand master Ernesto Presas and John Bruce Daniels which has sold over a million copies. They have been featured “Inside KungFu” and “Black Belt” with James Caan. His personal involvement in martial arts he has achieved full instructor status in single and double baton and free style {escrima}, mano y mano and kung fu. He also holds a 3rd degree black belt in balisong, single and double baton he has trained worldwide. He has trained law enforcement agencies in stick and knife defense including agencies such as the FBI, CIA, etc. He has also donated his time to working with children and many youth groups . He now resides in Birmingham, Alabama where he plans to put mma/boxing on the map. Our other venues will be Mississippi, Florida, New Jersey, Georgia and Tennessee as well as international venues
Felix Martinez V.P. of Operations
Felix Martinez was born and raised in Vineland NJ and is a graduate of Vineland High School. He was a captain for the Vineland High School wrestling team and won the districts as a senior. After graduating, he became a police officer for the Vineland Police Department. During his time with the police force he worked as a detective for the juvenile unit and worked high profile narcotic investigations with the FBI. Felix assisted with running the PAL (Police Athletic League) program and also taught the D.A.R.E. (Drug Awareness Resistant Education) program. He then became a detective with the Cumberland County Prosecutors Office and participated as a wrestler in the World Policemen and Firemen Games in Sweden and Indianapolis. He was an assistant wrestling coach for Vineland High School, a pioneer in starting the wrestling program at Sacred Heart High School, and was a baseball manager for the Vineland Little League. Felix was the Vice President of the H.A.N.D. Foundation, committee chairman for the Annual Vineland Veterans Dinner, committee chairman for the annual Vineland Police Department football game to benefit the American Cancer Society and the committee chairman for the Annual Softball blast to benefit the PBA. Felix left police work and pursued his dream of becoming a promoter and started Cage Fury Fighting Championships (CFFC). As President and owner he was responsible for securing two pay per view events and making CFFC the top Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event on the East Coast. Felix increased CFFC attendance by 359% from 2,100 fans to 7,500 fans in one year. CFFC was the first MMA organization to utilize instant replay for review by the NJ State Athletic Control Board. Felix was awarded the MMA Promoter of the year by the Atlantic City Press.
Ed Berinobis Matchmaker
Thunder & Cage Thug Matchmaker Ed Berinobis, hales from Waterloo, Iowa where he spends his time working with trainers in East Side MMA, the original club he started with a community driven mission of getting kids off the street while introducing a positive structure in their lives. Berinobis and his teams across the state of Iowa train KEKOA MARTIAL ARTS which was passed on from his father, Cliff Bernobis. KEKOA, which means “BRAVE ONE” in Hawaiian, was chosen to value ‘one who is brave and can back it up.’
The elder Berinobis came to Iowa in the mid 1950’s from Hawaii where he studied Okinawan Karate and the ancient arts. Continuing his father’s legacy from when he was a child, Ed looked to pass on KEKOA MARTIAL ARTS, a custom art which is comprised of a multi-angle approach. This approach was created by blending Okinawan Karate, American Boxing, Taekwondo, Roman Greco Wrestling, Jujitsu, Judo, Muay Tai, & Poisoned Hand (1156 AD) Acupuncture Martial Arts. This custom style is being passed on to these kids that are less fortunate and gives them the 360 degree training needed to compete in the Cage fighting environment.
In 2009, Bernobis launched this initiative with several trusted friends that he studied with for years. They wanted to start a local club to get kids off the street and help them learn KEKOA. He made it real simple; it was to be FREE TRAINING. “Most of these kids cannot afford any training and they end up in the back of the school yard doing things wrong, which can be dangerous. They are there because it costs money to do it right and they don’t have any money so there in lies the problem, until now.”
East Side MMA was the first club to start in Waterloo, IA and has grown from 5 starting members to over 140 now in 8 months. Some fighters are consistent, some are not. “Commitment to consistency is all that is asked. “They see their friends in here all the time and they start to show up more consistently.” Bernobis drives a 100 miles a day, 5 days a week to come help guide these kids. The kids have something to believe in and a place to test their skills as they learn and they find out how much they don’t know.
At the same time Cage Thug was started, a brand and outlet for amateur events that were beginning to take place to showcase the skills they have learned. It also allowed Berinobis to blend his rhythmic talents into producing a entertaining mix of music and sports that people desired to watch. Cage Thug has now become a strong identity for the fighters and the fans that follow them. Growth in popularity has spread like wildfire. Much like the growth in the internet with OPEN SOURCE sharing and development, KEKOA MARTIAL ARTS is shared with other clubs as well, helping them improve in areas they may be lacking specific skills. As such, many clubs have popped up and joined the vision. Now Cage Thug has 5 clubs that reach into 4 states and has an estimated roster of almost 600 fighters. Although these other clubs are free to charge a fee for training, the fighters still learn KEKOA for FREE at East Side MMA where they use donated equipment from the local community neighbors.
When asked why have these fighters had such great success in such short time, Berinobis said, “Where do the toughest fighters come from??? They come from streets… no one ever gave them a chance and believed in them, until now.”When asked about Cage Thug name… “Cage Thug was created to get the THUG off the street and put them in the Cage where it is more positive.”
David Lemak Athletic Director/Surgeon
Dr. David G. Lemak is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon who offers his extensive training, research, and experiences to the practice of orthopedic sports medicine. He is fellowship trained in the prevention and surgical management of sports related injuries. His practice focuses on arthroscopic reconstruction of the shoulder, elbow, hip, knee and ankle as well as joint replacement. Dr Lemak has dediicated his services to Thunder Promotions as our fight doctor and athletic director, he has been a fight doctor for Sylvia vs Mercer, Jeremy Horn, Rich Celemente Joe Jordan,. He has offered his services to champions Bobby Ccyz, Tracy Patterson, Virgil Hill, Renzel Gracie, Daniel Gracie, Frank Shamrock just to name a few
Dr. Lemak’s expertise has been recognized through his invited lectures, clinical research, and professional mentoring of orthopedic surgeons from across the United States and around the globe. His role as physician and medical advisory has been an invaluable resource for athletes of all types of sports at every level of play. As a sideline physician he has cared for local high school and collegiate teams. He has provided medical coverage at major sporting events throughout the country and supplied medical consultation for professional athletes and international sports organizations such as NFL-Europe.
Dr. Lemak is a member of the American Sports Medicine Fellowship Society, the Medical Association of the State of Alabama, the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine, and the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. He is the co-director of the Sports Medicine Fellowship program of the American Sports Medicine Institute at Lemak Sports Medicine. As a mentor he has trained residents and fellows on surgical techniques and led sports medicine fellows through complex orthopedic procedures. His knowledge is shared among the orthopedic community through numerous publications and professional lectures.
Dr. Lemak graduated form Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida in 1994. He earned his medical degree from the University of Alabama School Of Medicine in Birmingham in 1999. He completed an orthopedic surgery residency at the University of South Alabama Medical Center in Mobile, Alabama in 2004. Dr. Lemak completed his training in Orthopedic Sports Medicine as a fellow at the American Sports Medicine Institute and Alabama Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center.
As part of his commitment to global health care Dr. Lemak leads a training program for medical doctors from Venezuela and lectures yearly at the Venezuela Arthroscopy Society Meeting. He is called upon to comment on major joint injuries as well as athlete conditioning and post-operative care. Dr. Lemak continues his focus on stellar medical treatment through the Lemak Sports Medicine clinic at Brookwood Medical Center.
Dr. Lemak and his wife, Tracy, have two children: David, Jr. and Sarah. Among Dr. Lemak's hobbies are wakeboarding, racquetball, deep-sea fishing and spending time with his family.
James Neely vs Travis Fulton
The Battle for Alabama
Friday Feb 5th –6PM
Pelham, AL (south of Birmingham)
Friday Feb 5th –6PM
Pelham, AL (south of Birmingham)
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