New dojo for mixed martial arts

Kevin Moore, owner and founder of the Ultimate Submission Academy (USA), is closing his dojo.

Moore, 52, opened his martial arts studio in downtown Kalispell in 2001. It has had three locations over the years, the most recent in Creston.

Replacing USA will be Straight Blast Gym (SBG). It was be located at 419 1st Ave. East in Kalispell, the first location of USA.

Travis Davison, who helped train martial arts students with Moore at USA, will manage SBG.

"This was a good opportunity to turn it over to somebody who is qualified, which he is," Moore said.

"I still have a club in Bozeman and Great Falls."

Moore hopes the 40 members from his local club will move over to SBG.

Moore will continue to do martial arts seminars, promote and manage fighters, and compete in both national and international competitions in the masters division.

He has held Fight Force events all over Montana, including Kalispell. Moore says he would like to do an outdoor show in the Flathead Valley this summer.

Moore is Montana's state director for the Universal Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the hall in 2004.

He also has a new company called Animmal Fight Gear.

Davison, 34, has trained and instructed at USA for the past 12 months. Prior to that, he was an instructor in Portland, Ore.

He has been involved with martial arts for 10 years and has competed in world championships. He earned two bronze medals at Grapplers Quest in Las Vegas last year.

He currently holds a brown belt in Jiu-Jitsu.

He will instruct Jiu-Jitsu and mixed martial arts.

SBG is an international organization. It will be the first one in Montana.

Davison is a regional director for SBG.

For more information, check out the Web site www.straightblastgym.com

"Pretty much everyone who was training with me out there is training with me at the new location," he said. "Something different from Creston, I offer two different ages for kids classes (5-11 and 11-16). I had a lot of requests for that."

The kids classes are held after school (4-5 p.m.) and are already under way.

Adults classes will run from 5:30-9 p.m. daily.

Davison's wife, Kisa, will offer yogo classes in the morning and evening in the back room at SBG.

"The main difference is the yogo and kids classes," Travis Davison said.

"And the expanded schedule.

"Out at Kevin's place, it was one class, one day a week. We're open seven days a week, two classes a day. We've more than doubled our class options. We've really expanded the hours."