-- Recorded October 3rd, 2020 --
When the viewer clicks play, they are cold-opened to a shot of the TundraMMA main training facility. Standing in a large flying-V formation are the ten fighters that make up TundraMMA. The three founding members stand tall at the front of the line.
Beginning with the one in the middle each takes their turn introducing themselves. Everyone wears a protective facemask, as they are standing beside one another at close distance. Each has their arms at their sides, as if they are answering a roll call at boot camp.
ROSS: Ross Hanson here.
BARANOV: I am Aleksandr Baranov. GAIA: Gaia Galanos. STEVENS: Hello I'm Tyler. [heh heh]
KYLIE: Kylie Moore. AALIYAH: Aaliyah Alimonte.
JACOB: Jacob Klein.
DANNY: Danny Cross. FELDER: Ken Felder, bitch! I’m ba-ack!
ARIEL: And I'm Ariel Shadows, together, we are TundraMMA. We are a family. And our family is growing.
BARANOV: Originally, TundraMMA was founded with the idea that the fighters would come to Vladivostok to train for their fights. During these early months of our gym’s life, it was much easier to travel between countries. Now travel between countries is not so easy. That is why we have made the decision to open a new facility for TundraMMA. ARIEL: I am from Anchorage, Alaska. I am geographically closer to Vladivostok, yet right now due to the current world situation it’s easier for me to get back into the mainland United States through Canada then it is to just stow away on a damn cargo ship to Russia. ROSS: Also, we’ve had an influx of new fighters from the Midwest and East Coast. I’m from Columbus, Ohio. This city is known for being a Mecca of wrestling, and hosts the annual Arnold Classic tournament. It has prestige in this sport, and no shortage of fighters looking to train with the best the sport has to offer.
ARIEL: We have four ranked fighters, two of which are number one contenders in their division. And of course, we have the highest-ranked fighter in GCC history as well. Wonder who helped to train her back in the day. BARANOV: We have several fighters who are sure to dominate in their respective divisions in months to come. We are represent in four of the five divisions of competition in GCC, as well as Global Ultimate Fighter. We will be represent in all divisions before too long.
Tyler leans over and whispers to Ross, prompting both of them to grin. ARIEL: We are dedicated to being a team, a family if you will. We all look out for one other. We all help to make each other better fighters and better people. In order to be the most efficient at this, we decided it was time to expand. ROSS: Last week, we officially opened our second training facility in Columbus, Ohio. It’s right in the middle of town, smack dab in the middle of the streets I grew up in. We will have facilities built for wrestlers, fighters, martial artists, and even law enforcement to get the training they want and need, at any level of experience.
GAIA: We’ve expanded our roster of trainers and staff, including several personnel from Dayton Wrestling Academy who have also fought in the octagon or other combat practices. FELDER: I can personally vouch for the DWA staff. These people wouldn’t be getting brought into Tundra’s crew if they didn’t offer anything less than top-tier. If you want to know what they’re about, go watch my last fight. KYLIE: As owner of Revolution1 Wrestling, I have also made arrangements for cross-training to be made available to anyone on our roster. Since I know my roster has some time off in the next few weeks, I expect to see some of them take advantage of this offer. ROSS: I have also taken it upon myself to be more hands-on with our GUF fighters, and let them know that regardless of what happens in the tournament they will always have a spot here with Tundra. Whether they want to be weekend warriors, or they want to be the next champion, we will work with them and support them every step of the way. BARANOV: Tundra is about the climb. It is about how high you can get.
Tyler Stephens lets out a loud chuckle at this. Ross Hanson does his best to control himself, but succumbs to semi silent laughter.
Danny Cross lets out an audible laugh while Jacob Klein covers his mouth. Ariel looks back at everyone with a glare, prompting everyone to stand back up straight.
BARANOV: Eh..?
Baranov turns to look at the youths standing just behind him. His face displays puzzlement as he watches Ariel chide the four Tundra fighters.
Ariel encourages Aleksandr to continue on, but he seems finished as he motions to Aliyah Almonte who steps forward.
ALMONTE: Being from NOLA, we are born to fight. We’ve survived anything that comes to us and we fought anyone that wanted to challenge us. You want to step up to Tundra? Then give us EVERYTHING you got! ARIEL: If you think that we’ve already come a long way, you haven't seen anything yet. We’ve just gotten started. Now we’re an international fight gym, with international fighters from all walks of life and all skill levels. We are more than just a team looking for a bunch of wins. We’re a family, and a way of life.
ROSS: We’re not into any of that cult shit though. You don’t have to bow to your trainers here, or carry their bags. Paying your dues isn’t about money to us, it’s about coming in and putting in work to be the person you want to be, whether that’s a World Champion or just a better human being.
BARANOV: Better prepared for the future, ready to defend yourself or those you care for.
GAIA: Building confidence in yourself to achieve what you thought was impossible such as becoming a World Champion.
ROSS: We’ve made mistakes. We fucked up. And that’s going to make us better. When you make a mistake, you’ve learned a free lesson on what needs to be worked on. That’s why from this point forward, Ariel, Aleksandr and myself will be personally interviewing all future applicants to TundraMMA. Anyone who wishes to join our family will need to contact us directly.
FELDER: And since most of us live on our phones, I’m sure you know what our @’s are.
ARIEL: If you’re ready to elevate your game, apply today.
Fade to black.