This is the first of a 3-part series looking at the growth of MMA in the Coachella Valley…
By Julie Buehler
Every now and then you come across a story that gets better with each overturned rock, every source and phone call. Sometimes, a story captures the essence of everything we love about sports in one person’s simple expression of diligence. This is that story.
Sergeant Major Mark Geletko spent 27 years in active duty for the US Marine Corp. He served 3 tours in Iraq as part of the infantry. When you hear the term “grunts,” that’s Geletko and his fellow infantrymen, “running and gunning all day long.”
After graduating from high school in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania he, “like most kids do,” went to work in the steel mills and, missing the camaraderie he saw in high school as a 3-sport athlete, Geletko found the local boxing gym. As the last three letters in his name would suggest, he instantly took to the sport.
While Geletko’s career serving our nation advanced, so did his knowledge and appreciation for boxing, and after serving in the Far East, was introduced to Muay Thai kickboxing.
Muay Thai is known as “the art of eight limbs” because it teaches a fighter to use more than the 2 points of contact (the fists), as in boxing , and efficiently employs 8 points of contact through the hands, feet, knees and elbows in combat. Many martial art experts consider it the most physically demanding and grueling of any combat sport.
After Geletko settled in 29 Palms at the USMC base instructing Marines in MCMAP, or the Marine Corp Martial Arts Program. He decided to open his own gym called “Fight Club 29” to form competition teams. Training was going well, the gym that started with “5-7 guys” was creating a buzz. But as is the case with his fighters, Geletko’s duty called.
Or as he said it, “Of course, I had to deploy to Iraq 2 more times.”
But thankfully, two more times he came back.
In 2010, Sgt. Maj. Geletko retired from the Marine Corp but stayed in 29 Palms to build his gym, coach his competition team and forge a sport in the high desert that was the perfect fit for a community teeming with service men and women needing an outlet for their “extreme Alpha personalities” according to Geletko and a life of selflessness.
Geletko’s team just competed on the Up N Comers fight card on July 20th at The Show at Aqua Caliente. But as is typical in the life of any Marine, he’s never sure what he’s going to be taking into any fight, Geletko said, “My roster is always changing with Marines always deploying.”
His fighter on July 20th, also his grappling and wrestling coach, Tom Eaton, won his match, but 4 of Geletko’s fighters are currently deployed in Afghanistan, including Kyle Stewart, who has a title fight waiting for him at the 185-pound weight class. “He’s a Spartan,” Geletko said of Stewart. “His dad was a Vietnam vet, his brother is a Marine. We’re just hoping to get them all back in October.”
With venues like The Show and promotions that “rival Vegas,” Geletko is confident the fastest growing sport in America will expand even faster in the Coachella Valley.
Now Fight Club 29 is one of many MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) training facilities throughout the Coachella Valley and high desert that boast traveling competition teams and serve as a testimony to the rapid growth of the sport.
Julie Buehler hosts the Coachella Valley’s most popular sports talk radio show, “Buehler’s Day Off” every day from 1-4 on 1010 KXPS, the valley’s all sports station. She’s an avid gym rat, slightly sarcastic and more likely to recite Steve Young’s career passing stats than American Idol winners. Tune in M-F 1-4 pst at www.team1010.com or watch the show on Ustream.
