Our Facilities
From serious training spaces to comfortable areas for athletes, families, and spectators, GriffonRawl is built to support the entire training experience.
GR Academy – Main Training Floor
The heart of GriffonRawl, our main training floor provides a spacious, professional environment for MMA, boxing, BJJ, and other combat sports training. With ample room to move, drill, and develop your skills, it’s where athletes put in the work and build their game.
Competition-Size MMA Cage
Train where the action happens. Our competition-size MMA cage provides an authentic environment for live drills, sparring, fight preparation, and competition-style training.
Competition-Size Boxing Ring
Step into our competition-size boxing ring for focused boxing training, sparring, technical work, and fight preparation. Built for serious athletes, it gives you the space to sharpen your skills in a true ring environment.
Expanded Strength & Conditioning Center
Take your training beyond technique. Our expanded strength and conditioning center gives athletes a dedicated space to build strength, power, endurance, mobility, and overall athletic performance.
Strikers Haven – Heavy Bags & Striking Area
Built for those who love to strike. Strikers Haven is a dedicated area featuring heavy bags and space to work on punches, kicks, combinations, footwork, conditioning, and striking technique.
Grapplers Haven – Dedicated BJJ & Grappling Area
More room to grapple, drill, and dominate. Grapplers Haven provides a dedicated BJJ and grappling area designed for technical drilling, rolling, positional work, and live training. The space also includes extra grappling space, ground-and-pound dummies, and bags to help athletes develop their skills from every position.
Use It. Respect It. Leave It Better.
Leave It Better Than You Found It
Our space is here for you to use, whether you need a little extra training time, additional pads or mats, or anything else available to help with your session. We simply ask that you treat the space and equipment with respect.
Use what you need, then put everything back where you found it. Keep the area clean, organized, and ready for the next person.
Use it. Respect it. Put it back. Leave it better than you found it.
Cardio Cinema – Coming Soon
Train your conditioning while staying entertained. Cardio Cinema is our upcoming dedicated cardio space, designed to make endurance training more engaging and enjoyable.
Pro Shop / Team Shop
We boast a full line of products here at GriffonRawl Combat Sports & Fitness for any style of training you choose! Board shorts, hand wraps, MMA gloves, team apparel, Gi's, boxing gloves, shin pads, magazines, and rash guards are just a few of the many items available.
Spectator & Bleacher Seating
Friends and family can stay close to the action with our spectator and bleacher seating options. Additional floating seating areas provide flexibility for events, tournaments, showcases, and everyday viewing.
Kids & Adult Lounge Areas
A Place to Relax, Recharge & Stay Connected
GriffonRawl is designed with families in mind. Our kids and adult lounge areas provide comfortable spaces to relax between sessions, catch a family-friendly movie, play video games or arcade games, connect to free Wi-Fi, or simply take a break.
With futon seating and separate lounge areas for kids and adults, families have the flexibility they need. Adults can even use the space to work or catch up on emails while their kids enjoy their own dedicated area—making GriffonRawl a place where the whole family can feel comfortable.
Jason “Dynamite” Dent
Owner / Operator / Head Coach
Fighter. Trainer. Owner. A Lifetime Built Through Combat Sports.
Owner-Operator Overview
Jason “Dynamite” Dent is the Owner, Operator, and Head Coach of GriffonRawl Combat Sports & Fitness. His journey with GriffonRawl began in 1997, when founder Dan “Tanis” Rawlings cornered Jason for his first amateur Muay Thai fight. In 2002, Jason took over ownership and operations of the academy.
What began as a place to train and compete became his life’s work. For more than two decades, Jason has continued building GriffonRawl around the lessons combat sports taught him firsthand: discipline, humility, perseverance, accountability, confidence, and the willingness to keep moving forward through adversity.
Today, his mission is not simply to produce fighters. It is to provide a place where beginners, families, recreational students, competitors, and professional athletes can all become stronger versions of themselves.
From Professional Fighter to Dedicated Coach & Gym Owner
Professional Fighting Career & Accomplishments
Jason built his coaching knowledge through years of actually competing under pressure.
A UFC veteran and cast member of The Ultimate Fighter 9: United States vs. United Kingdom, Jason competed seven times inside the UFC. His UFC career included Fight of the Night honors at UFC 63 and Submission of the Night honors at The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale.
Over the course of his professional MMA career, Jason became a five-time professional MMA champion, recorded 19 professional submission victories, and was never knocked out.
His martial arts education extends far beyond MMA competition. Jason is also a 3rd Degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt and Karate Black Belt, with decades of experience in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, boxing, wrestling, submission grappling, and mixed martial arts.
But his greatest accomplishment isn’t simply what he personally achieved in competition. It is what he has been able to pass on to the generations of students and fighters who came after him.
Building GriffonRawl & a Coaching Legacy
Jason took ownership of GriffonRawl in 2002 and has spent more than two decades reinvesting in the academy, its coaches, its equipment, and—most importantly—its people.
Heading into GriffonRawl’s 30th year in 2027, the academy has grown into an approximately 11,000-square-foot Combat Sports & Fitness facility offering Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, Boxing, MMA, Junior MMA, strength and conditioning, fitness programs, and open-gym training.
Jason has helped develop and corner athletes from their earliest days of training through amateur and professional competition, while never losing sight of the beginner who simply wants to get in shape, gain confidence, or learn how to protect themselves.
His coaching philosophy centers around maintaining a “white belt mentality” regardless of experience: stay humble, stay hungry, remain coachable, and never stop learning. At GriffonRawl, there is always another level to reach.
Current Focus: Developing People, Not Just Fighters
Today, Jason’s greatest focus is the continued growth of GriffonRawl and the people who call it home.
Not everyone who walks through the doors wants to become a fighter—and they don’t have to.
Some come to compete. Some want realistic self-defense. Some want to lose weight and become healthier. Parents bring their children looking for confidence, discipline, and structure. Others simply want a challenging environment surrounded by people who encourage them to improve.
Jason believes combat sports can provide all of those things.
GriffonRawl is built around what Jason calls the Five Fs: Fighting, Fitness, Family, Faith & Fun. High-level training and high expectations are important, but so are humility, respect, community, and enjoying the journey.
Whether someone dreams of stepping into a cage or is nervous about stepping onto a mat for the very first time, Jason wants them to understand one thing: You don’t have to be a fighter to start training. You just have to be willing to start.
Sweat More, Bleed Less. • No Sacrifice – No Glory. • Together in Victory – Together in Defeat. • Check Your Ego at the Door.
Step Into the Journey With Our Coaches
Have questions about gear requirements, schedule availability, or starting your journey? Contact us today.