Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com May 9, 2016 • Hartford Business Journal 9 elbowing and the kicking, so that it becomes something everyone can do," said Jenness, who has refereed NAGA matches involving children as young as 4 and adults as old as 70. Foot in the door Kollar got his start in the business teach- ing taekwondo on the side in the early 1990s, while also working a white-collar job in insur- ance — initially, teaching insurance execu- tives at his company's health facility. He was eager to learn about Brazilian jiujitsu after taking a seminar from Rick- son Gracie, the brother of Royce Gracie, of the Brazilian Gracie family famous for their martial-arts prowess. (Royce is in the UFC hall of fame and won the fight- ing league's inaugural 1993 championship, among other tournaments.) Kollar recalls the seminar in which Rick- son Gracie offered $100,000 to anyone who could beat him. "The first four [opponents] … he just destroyed them with the grappling techniques, which I had never seen before," Kollar said. After that, Kollar bought videos and attended future seminars. "That's where it all started for me," said Kollar, who grew up in Trumbull and earned a business management degree with a focus on computer science from Bryant University in Rhode Island. He added Brazilian jiujitsu grappling tech- niques to the kicks and punches he was already teaching in taekwondo. He said his side gig started making so much money, he quit his insurance career. He added grappling divisions to his kara- te tournaments and fighter interest began to blossom. "The number of competitors doubled every time we did a tournament; it was catching on," he said. "Ten, 20 years ago, nobody knew what grappling was, nobody knew what mixed mar- tial arts was." He eventually quit teaching taekwondo and focused instead on teaching MMA and grap- pling, moving his school to Wesleyan University and getting more serious about the fighting. Early success In the beginning, Kollar started organiz- ing some early MMA bouts in boxing rings before the octagon arena became the stan- dard fighting venue, but as MMA exploded, he focused more on grappling. He fought a few MMA fights himself and, at a fit 50 years old, still teaches MMA in his home gym, working out religiously but no longer competing. He teaches grappling there, too, since it's part of MMA and competes in grappling events. Kollar was scheduled to compete in NAGA's expert division in Rhode Island May 7. Through NAGA, he still organizes MMA events at Mohegan Sun Arena, under the name Reality Fighting, but grappling is the largest piece of his business. "The grappling is really where we make our money because we're not paying fighters to fight, they're paying us — it's an amateur sport," he said of entry fees that run about $100. Winners get medals, belts or samurai swords. NAGA offers divisions for all ages and skill levels. Tournaments can attract more than 1,000 competitors. NAGA also makes money at the door from family and friends and other spectators, and from merchandise sales like T-shirts. The organization has an 18-wheel- er and two smaller box trucks that travel the country hauling mats, merchandise and other equipment for the tournaments. One of the smaller trucks is dedicated to Reality Fighting equipment. Robbie Brown, who owns Robbie B's bar- bershop in Colchester, has grappled in one NAGA event and fought in three of its Reality Fighting MMA events. "They run a very good show, I mean people love Kipp, people love the organization, the referees are all good, good people," Brown said of NAGA. Brown said NAGA tournaments are the best grappling competitions around, allow- ing athletes to test their skills by competing in a live match. Global expansion NAGA has a staff of two in addition to Kol- lar, but contracts with several hundred referees, medics and others on event days. Its referees all meet certain professional requirements, includ- ing being purple belts or higher in jiujitsu. "We were like the first grappling tournament to become professionalized, meaning everybody was trained, people did it on a regular basis, they didn't just do it once a year and that really kind of set us apart from our competition," Kollar said. Kollar or one of his staff is at every event. He had just returned from a Honolulu tour- nament one recent April weekend and was preparing to leave the following Thursday for an event in Orlando, Fla. Kollar wants to grow NAGA, which started as the New England Grappling Association before incorporating as the North Ameri- can Grappling Association in 2000, when he expanded to other parts of the U.S. and Cana- da. While he's gone overseas, the NAGA name has stuck and is known internationally, he said. There's more room for growth in Europe — NAGA plans an event in Ireland in Septem- ber — and also in Brazil, where NAGA's held one event and plans another later this year. NAGA plans to expand to other South Ameri- can countries and also to Asia, Kollar said. "The whole world basically grapples, now it's just figuring out the logistics of running shows in those countries," he said. n DON'T MISS THE MOST INSPIRATIONAL NETWORKING EVENT OF THE YEAR 13 th Annual Partners in Achievement Breakfast FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2016 7:15 – 8:00 a.m. Networking/Breakfast | 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. Program Hartford Marriott Downtown | 200 Columbus Boulevard Hartford, CT Partners in Achievement Breakfast JA's 13 th annual Partners in Achievement breakfast in Hartford is a celebration. During the breakfast program, which begins at 8:00 a.m., you will hear firsthand from children, educators and volunteers from local schools who have all experienced JA programs in the Hartford region. We promise you will be inspired! This event is considered one of Hartford's best opportunities to network with the region's top business leaders. From 7:15–8:00 a.m., while you network with old and new friends, you will also have a chance to mingle with JA students. During this time, you will be treated to a sumptuous full breakfast. Don't miss this incredible opportunity to network and support the more than 37,000 young people JA will serve this school year. Please be aware that this is a fundraising event and guests will be asked to make a contribution during the program. Please reserve your spot at JA's 13 th annual Partners in Achievement breakfast by contacting Jeremy Race at 860-525-4510 ext. 225 or jrace@jaconn.org. P H O T O | C O N T R I B U T E D North American Grappling Association 2015 gross revenue: $3.8 million Year founded: 1995 Countries where 2016 events are being held: U.S., Ireland, Brazil, England and Germany. NAGA events attract thousands of spectators.

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