8-L-22-RZ Melissa (37924), August 8, 2022 at 1:27 PM
I am a recent widow with 3 children. KMAA has been instrumental in our grieving process and has supported my family in each step to move forward. We had to move a bit further away because of our circumstances but that has not affected our participation and support of KMAA. It would be a detriment for us personally and for the community to prevent the rezoning.
8-L-22-RZ Ovince (37924), August 9, 2022 at 10:22 AM
My name is Ovince Saint Preux and I've been a student at KMAA since 2005. In the 17 years that I have been training at KMAA I have been able to compete all over the world, in the biggest MMA organization on the planet, the Ultimate Fighting Challenge (UFC). In that time, I have fought 25 times for the UFC, fought for a world title against MMA legend Jon Jones, and been able to travel the world, from Copenhagen to Madison Square Garden, to Toyko, to Singapore and everywhere in between. Large, more established gyms have tried to recruit me during that entire time but the only reason I stayed in Knoxville was because of Coach Turner and KMAA. We have always struggled to have a world-class facility to match our world-class training and that's because Coach always gives back to the community instead of just trying to improve his life or the facility we work out of. I've been able to see first hand how many people live happier, healthier lives because of Coach and I think that the city should reconsider their denial of the rezone so Coach can finally have a facility that matches how elite the training inside is. Whether you're a fighter or just a person looking for a healthier place, KMAA is for you.
