A Tigerheart In Hollywood
A look at True Warrior Fitness in Hollywood, California
Located blocks away from the glitz and glamour of Hollywood there is an MMA gym that is as unique as its owner and operator. True Warrior fitness, located at the corner of La Brea and Melrose is a reflection of the man who runs the show. His name is Toby Grear, but he has earned the name “Tigerheart” from his many professional MMA and boxing bouts. The name fits his ferocious style in the ring and his commitment to improve the skills of his many students. In one of his Muay Thai striking lessons you will see him encourage relative MMA novices while simultaneously getting his professional students ready for their upcoming bouts. In one moment Tigerheart gives encouragement to a young woman who has never thrown a punch, the next he is yelling full blast at Sean “Sinister” Harmon to keep the elbows and knees sharp. His passion is contagious and his students push themselves to match his intensity.
The one time collegiate water-polo player for the University of Dayton preaches cross-training as a way to become the ultimate MMA athlete. Grear told me “For the young athlete it is important to play a new sport each season to recruit and train new muscles”. Among his success stories is the up and coming professional fighter Cooper “2Cool” Gibson. Right now Gibson is 1-1 professionally and has shown an amazing will to finish fights as he ended his last bout with a first round TKO due to strikes. Tigerheart takes great pride in the
fact the Gibson came to him as a troubled youth with no MMA experience and has now used the discipline instilled in him to focus his life and career. Gibson recently starred in a commercial for the company Everlast where he portrays a boxer who must work as a Janitor to support his wife and child.
It is not uncommon to enter True Warrior Fitness and see NFL players such as Ryan Grant or Bryan Cushing working the bags or hitting focus pads with Tigerheart. They are part of a growing number of professional athletes who are turning to MMA training to gain the ultimate competitive edge. The NFL’s connection to True Warrior Fitness is because of Jay Glazer, the famous NFL insider. His passion for MMA has launched MMA athletics which has been contracted by NFL franchises like the Atlanta Falcons and St. Louis Rams to train their athletes.
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After taking a few months of rest to recover from hand injuries Tigerheart is now in talks to find his next fight. He has also filmed a T.V. reality-pilot for a “True Warrior Fitness” television program that focuses on the lives of his students and the challenges of running the gym. If you live in the Hollywood area and want to find an encouraging environment in which to train and learn MMA than True Warrior fitness should definitely be on your list of places to check out.
By Adam Gordon
ProFighting-fans.com MMA Staff Writer