Valor Elite In The News

Men and Women of Valor Elite

Medford Mail Tribune
October 18, 2009 5:00 AM

I loved the story about Zheng Hongfeng, the former head instructor and bodyguard to the abbot at
China's Shaolin Temple. I would really like to find out more about his teaching but cannot find any
information about Medford's Valor Fighting Studio online or in the phone book. Could you give me
some contact information?
— Michael C.

Joey Trujillo, the owner of what now is called Valor Elite Training Center, didn't plan on opening a
martial arts studio as a business when he moved all his equipment nearly two years ago to Medford
from Los Angeles, where he previously had a studio for several years.
But demand for training in martial arts and fighting instruction has been high enough that he now has
seven instructors and 50 students working out of a 10,000-square-foot studio on property between
Medford and Jacksonville. Kung fu master Hongfeng teaches at both Valor and Medford's St. Mary's
School.

Instructors teach kung fu, tai chi, yoga, boxing, weight training and jujitsu at the studio, as well as a
women's self-defense class. The studio's phone number is 541-890-0347.
Send questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501;
by fax to 541-776-4376; or by e-mail to youasked@mailtribune.com. We're sorry, but the volume of
questions received prevents us from answering all of them.

MIXED MARTIAL ARTS

Combat in the Cage

Local fighters will be part of card that features hand-to-hand battle

By Tim Trower
Medford Mail Tribune
January 15, 2010 5:00 AM

Nate Miller's relentless fighting style has helped him develop a following in local mixed martial arts
circles. He'll have a chance to build that fan base when Rogue W arrior Cage Fights holds its first event in the
area Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Medford Armory.

Rogue Warriors is promoted by Mike Brown of Ashland, and this will be his third show. There will be
10 fights on a card that will have four title bouts, one women's fight and five other contests featuring
amateurs both local and from up and down the West Coast.

All of the fighters are on teams, says Brown, and have gone through requisite training to ensure they're
ready to get into the cage.

The host team is Valor Elite of Medford, which trains at a Medford gym by the same name. It's owned
and operated by Joey Trujillo, an anesthesiologist by trade who has long been immersed in MMA, first
as a fighter, then as a trainer and promoter.

Saturday's event will be a considerable step up, he says, from tough-guy-like events where fighters
haven't been closely screened.

Trujillo will have three fighters, including Miller, from his training center on the card.
Trujillo and associates work regularly with "15 or 20" fighters, he says, but not all of them are ready to
take "The Octagon," as the cage is called.

"We're working on getting them to the point where they're good enough," says Trujillo. "It's a little
different lasting three-minute rounds as opposed to throwing a few punches. We have some really
well-trained guys. These guys aren't just kids who decided they want to show how tough they are,
which is what some shows have done around here. They've trained for quite a while, fought a lot and
have shown some skill."

The sport is sanctioned by the Oregon Athletic Commission, which is overseen by the Oregon State
Police and will select the referees and judges.

Fighters wear MMA gloves, which are 4 ounces and leave their fingers exposed for grabbing.
But that's all the protection they get in what is a violent, bloody endeavor.
MMA is a combat sport in which fighters use whatever technique they're versed in or whatever works
— within the rules — to subdue an opponent. It could be boxing, kick-boxing, wrestling, karate, jujitsu
or any of the like.

Among the rules: no elbows, no eye gouging, no shots to the throat or groin, no hair pulling. But choke
holds are legal and joints will be taken to the brink of being broken. Or past it.
"Our training is ground and pound," says Trujillo. "You use techniques to hurt 'em and get 'em to the
ground, then you pound 'em. It's pretty tactical. Different people have different skills, but you never
know in these fights. A guy could get in a lucky punch or you could give him an arm and he gets you to
submit, then it's over. It's not always the guy who's dominating the fight who wins."

Olin Anderson, who was undefeated in five fights early in his career and who has been training others
for 16 years, says combatants aren't out to damage their foes beyond reason. The intent is to get them
to submit, or tap out, he says, or to punch or kick them to the point they aren't "intelligently defending
themselves," he says.

Anderson, one of Valor Elite's trainers, has been in choke holds several times, he says, and briefly lost
consciousness.
"It looks pretty hideous at the time," he says, "but there's really no damage being done to the person."

"For the most part, we don't want to injure each other," says Anderson. "We bring each other to the
knife's edge and apply the pressure under control so the person has the opportunity to give up. It's a
dangerous sport and sometimes things do happen. But that's not the intention of the sport, to maim or
damage somebody."

Valor Elite fighters on the card are 185-pounder Miller, who has a 4-2 record and has designs on
turning pro within the next couple months; David Kohart, who is 1-0 and competes at 185; and Peter
Wolf, who makes his fighting debut at 155 pounds.

Another popular fighter on the team, Daniel Bowling, injured an ankle this week in training and had to
withdraw.

Miller, a 33-year-old who grew up in Klamath Falls and attended Henley High, has lived in Medford
for a dozen years. He's been out of work since April, a victim of the subprime mortgage lending crisis,
and is focused on MMA.

He'll fight Eli Peterson (6-2) of the Portland area for the 185-pound title under the Rogue Warrior
promotion.

Miller already is the 205-pound champion. He dropped weight for this fight, will have another a couple
weeks later, and eventually intends to go pro, where he'll drop to 170.

"He's really carrying our banner for us," says Anderson. "He's got a lot of fans."

Many are his friends, says Miller, but he's heard from others that they like his style.

"I guess I'm somewhat of an exciting fighter," he says. "That's what people have said. I like to get on
people and usually like to finish fights. I don't like them to go the distance. I'm looking to do that this
week."

Miller wrestled for one year in high school but was raw coming into MMA. He fine-tuned his boxing
skills, then learned jujitsu.

"In mixed martial arts, you have to be well-versed in every aspect of the sport," he says. "I pride
myself in knowing all parts of it."

Peterson has a wrestling background, but Miller — whose coaches say tirelessly stalks foes and throws
powerful punches — knows little else about him.

"I'm looking to have a formidable opponent," says Miller. "I don't want to walk through this guy. I
want to see if he can take a punch."

Other Rogue Valley men fighters on the card are James Bennett (1-1, 205 pounds), Jeremy Johnson
(1-1, 155); Jess Sumner (4-1, 155) and John Wilson (2-0, 155). Sumner, of Ashland, and Wilson, of
Medford, will fight each other.

In the women's fight, Medford's Tia Spulock (1-0, 128) takes on Liz Kelly (0-1, 120).
Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 541-776-4479, or e-mail ttrower@mailtribune.com