If the word “Reliable” was ever to manifest itself in the form of a person, it would be Moses “MoShow” Bentley, commonly known to Melbourne CBD gym-goers as Mo. With over 15 years experience in competitive sport, Mo has helped many of our members to reach their goals as well as our competitors to peak for contests. A generous man who’s rarely without a smile, Mo also knows how to make incredible chocolate chip protein pancakes, which are “guilt-free” in our books because they are protein pancakes (shhh).Now you know that fun fact, I’m sure you want more…read on for more about Mo!

Favourite workout/walkout song?

“2Pac – Ambitionz Az A Ridah”

Mantra/Quote to live by?

“If you don’t find the time, if you don’t do the work, you don’t get the results”

What is your favourite travel destination? Why?

“Hawaii, for the culture, beaches and surf.”

Have you done other sports besides martial art and which teams/athletes are your favourite?

I have done rugby, rugby league and tennis. My favourite team is the All Blacks, athlete wise it would be Rafael Nadal. Teams and athletes that do or die, and fight and play to the end are what I consider good sports.”

“Mo has great patience and will work with anyone at any level to make them feel comfortable and confident in the gym. People trust him with their kids training. What more do you need?” – Paul Bai 

“The best way to explain mo is probably by quoting one of my clients.. “mo is nicer than you”. And I’m a pretty nice bloke, so there you have it. He is a good coach, knows his shit and will always put in the extra time with his clients.” – Daniel Howard

“I’ve known Mo since before he was at Absolute. We actually started MMA together with Leigh Allwood as coach many moons ago. Mo not only has the arguably best training playlists, but is also one of the most genuine guys in the gym.” – David Lescai

Amazing effort from the Absolute MMA Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu team this weekend at the 2017 IBJJF Pan Pacific Championship! The team took away the championship in No Gi BJJ and came second in Gi BJJ. Great to see an increase in our team numbers and points in both Gi and No Gi this year.

Congratulations to the team on a great result, you all have shown extreme dedication and we know how many hours of tireless training has been put into preparing for this competition!

In the beginning, when Simon Carson created Absolute Mixed Martial Arts, he laid yellow mats as the foundations of the gym. A foundation upon which lifelong friendships and bonds were formed. Some say if you catch the light in CBD when the sunlight first hits the doors in the morning, the mats appear yellow. An established OG of the yellow mats, David “The Nice Guy” Lescai remains with Absolute MMA to this day (although the mats, thankfully, have since been changed)!

A professional MMA fighter (2-2), Dave keeps Absolute MMA Collingwood running smoothly while ensuring ROGUE (Absolute MMA’s Amateur MMA events series) runs safely and efficiently. When he’s not encouraging the team and making sure everyone is on track, Dave brews his own cold brew, is a part time hip hop yogi and also a polished man, fundraising for YGAP’s Polished Man campaign, which aims to end violence against children (Donate to Dave at https://polishedman.com/davidlescai). Read on to find out more!

Mantra/Quote to live by?

“Live every week of your life like it’s shark week.”

Nicknames & Fight Names?

“The Nice Guy”, Super Dave, Davy-Boy, Davie-Baby, “Handsome sweet gentle playboy”, The Captain, Sweet-cheeks and Stud muffin.

Have you done other sports besides martial art and which teams/athletes are your favourite? Any funny stories?

“I used to play Aussie rules in the Eastern Football League. In three seasons I managed to injure both shoulders, and knees. I moved to full time fight training, citing the AFL was too dangerous – I stand by that decision.”

What is your favourite travel destination? Why?

“New York City. I love the buzz – it has a great energy. I’d like to live in the lower west side, or lower east side, maybe even Brooklyn.”

What movie have you seen over 5 times?

“Clueless. An undeniable masterpiece. Also: Limitless, Fired Up, Pulp Fiction, and Good Will Hunting.”

“I’m proud to be the 2nd best looking guy at Absolute MMA next to Dave.” – Jeremy Wharerau

“Dave is a very handsome gentleman. I suggest spending as much time around him as possible. Pro tip – ask him about his kombucha.” – Richard Lattemagi 

“David “the nice guy” Lescai was one of the first members to grace the mats at Absolute MMA. He has competed in MMA at a novice, amateur and professional level as well as cornering the fight team and assisting with their weight-cuts. Beyond his knowledge and passion, Dave is just a bloody good bloke who is always up for a bit of banter.” – Darren Gn 

Photo Credit: William Luu

The first coach to be hired as part of the Absolute Mixed Martial Arts family, Thiago is an integral part of the team and the head Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu coach of AMMA, holding a third degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt. His students have won multiple World Championship titles and under his tutelage, our team is the only Australian team to ever win a IBJJF World Championships team trophy, the most prestigious Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competition in the world. What lies beyond the mastery? Read on to find out a little bit more about our in-house comedian coach!

Can you tell us about where you’re from and any interesting stories growing up? If you’re not originally from Melbourne, how’d you end up living in Melbourne, Australia?

“I’m from São Paulo-Brasil and I grew up there, the interesting thing about my childhood growing up is that I came from a not very safe city and martial arts was a natural way to learn how to defend myself. I ended up in Melbourne because of Gustavo Falciroli, he recommended me to Extreme MMA and then they brought me to this city. It was at this gym I met Simon Carson, and then AMMA became my new gym.”

Mantra/Quote to live by?

“Never come to Absolute Mixed Martial Arts drinking coffee, without bringing one for me.”

If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?

“Rice and beans.”

If you were going to be an animal, what would you be and why?

“A monkey, because I could annoy everyone in the jungle.”

What were some funny/interesting/weird hobbies you had when you were a teenager?

“I used to love old V8 cars and I bought my first Dodge Dart when I was 17. I spent all my money investing on improving that car.”

During a Absolute MMA staff retreat a zombie apocalypse breaks out. You get separated with 3 AMMA team members. Who would be part your dream team and why?

“Tao because he has an elevated soul, Simon because he is so annoying also the zombies couldn’t deal with that and Dan Howard because if the zombies attacked me I could put him in front of me and if he dies nobody will miss him anyway 😜”

“Thiago has the largest passion for jiu-jitsu I have seen in Australia. Not only has he helped build one of the best teams in Australia, he puts in crazy hours teaching and providing for his students. When others fill in for his schedule everyone remarks how crazy it is that he has continued to do the amount of scheduled classes and privates he does do and stilll not be a crazy person. Not only has he helped me personally on and off the mats he does his absolute best to help all his students. It is a priviledge to be his student.” – Julian Gonzalez

“Thiago has a huge head.” – Daniel Herbertson, friend and co-worker of Thiago since 2012. 

Photo credit: Jesse Olsen 

We have many amazing people with interesting stories that walk into all our gyms! The member spotlight turns to Peter Florenini, one of our students at Absolute MMA St Kilda.

Name: Peter Florenini

Occupation: Architect and Ski Instructor

Sports: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo

How did you get into the sport? Walked into the Absolute MMA South Yarra location at Commercial Road, just loved it from the first moment and never looked back.

What are your immediate training goals? To improve my technique a tiny bit every day I train.

What are your goals for the next five years?
PLAN A – Retain most of my physical and mental capacity. Retire from work and all other activities so I can roll all day every day.
PLAN B (If I find that I am loosing my marbles rapidly) – Look for a retirement home with a full MMA programme.

Why do you love training at Absolute MMA? Great coaches. Great people to roll with. Great venues in which to roll.

What is your favourite move? Osoto Gari (Outher reaping throw), Kesa Gatame (Scarf hold) and straight arm bar. This has only happened once in the period between 2016-2017. But watch out next year. NO MORE MR NICE GUY.

“Peter is by far my favourite training partner at the club. He makes the training fun and competitive, and always has time for a laugh. Even though he has a softer side, during a roll Peter is tougher than an old leather boot and his knowledge and experience as a Judo black belt and KGB is always on display. A great thing about him is his willingness to share his wisdom with other younger members particular relating to the multitude of take downs he has in his arsenal. Naturally, one may have concerns due to the excessive grunting noise emitted during one of his rolls, but rest assured that is how he informs people close by that he is winning. All round, Peter is a great bloke and a pleasure to train with any day of the week, we are all richer to have him on the team.”
– Adrian Mannix

“Pete is my hero. I hope I am half as badass as him when I turn 75. Everyday I watch him tap people less than half his age. It’s hard to make excuses not to train when this 75 year old is in there rolling everyday!” – Craig Jones

#iamabsolutemma