In June of 2009, Columbus MMA’s Kali Team hosted the first Ohio Full-Contact Weapon Scrimmage Invitational with the purpose of uniting Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) enthusiasts/practitioners as well as bringing awareness and sparking interest in FMA in the Central Ohio region and beyond.  The team reached out to other FMA schools in the Ohio area to join them in a fun-filled day of sparring -- No points… no medals… no trophies… just a day dedicated to celebrating their camaraderie and a martial art that they all share a passion for.

On Saturday, January 29^th 2011, Guro Tony Jayme and the CMMA Kali Teamhosted the 5^th installment of the event at Columbus MMA with a more important cause in mind – The fight against ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.  A total of 30 fighters from Dayton, Reynoldsburg, Cincinnati and Morgantown, WV participated in Saturday’s event.

Shawn Schulte, one of the fighters, briefly educated the audience about ALS and spoke about how the disease had directly impacted his life with the loss of his mother from the disease a few years ago. The event continued with various forms demonstrations and right into the high-energy, full-contact stickfighting matches which continued all throughout the rest of the afternoon.

About 70+ spectators were in attendance. The event raised $650 towards the fight against ALS.  Columbus MMA is donating ALL proceeds to the ALS Association. Thanks to everyone that came out to support a good cause. Special thanks go to Mike G, Sami, Shawn Schulte, Mark Woodford, Nick Warner and TJ Reed for helping to make this event a success.