Darren Crisp’s professional mixed martial arts career lasted around nine years. The Visalia fighter made a name for himself in the Central Valley as one of the area’s most dangerous strikers, recording five knockouts in 11 wins.
Crisp fought 21 times in his career, posting an 11-10 record. He made his debut on May 15, 2015 and last fought on June 20, 2014.
And now, almost 10 years after his last professional fight, Crisp, 43, seeks to pass on the knowledge and wisdom he has gained over the years as a trainer to a new generation of fighters.
Crisp Kickboxing Muay Thai MMA celebrated its grand opening Saturday at 3640 S. Mooney Boulevard in Visalia.
“That’s the big goal – May 18,” Crisp said. “I want to make sure it’s a good opening. I just want some guys here doing some light training and maybe get a DJ. My mom wants to cut the ribbon, but I don’t know all that. Maybe when I get a bigger gym.”
Crisp’s gym has been five years in the making. He said it was in March 2019 when he lost his job and his wife told him to go back to work as a coach. She encouraged him to buy some mats, put them in the garage and start training some wrestlers.
“It was a transition,” Crisp said. “Going from 10 years of struggling and having a few jobs here and there to working full time was different. Then I lost my job and my wife told me to go get some rugs. She told me, ‘I’m tired of going to places where people want you to coach them. We need to open our own gym.’”
So for the past five years, Crisp has spent his time preparing to open his own gym, far from the comfort of his garage. He started with three fighters. He now has between 10 and 14 competitors training with him and over 30 clients/students in total.
“I welcome anyone and everyone,” Crisp said of who his gym is for. “I’m going to take soccer moms, soccer dads, kids who want to learn self-defense. I want everyone. I hope I can eventually go into schools and help troubled teens, because I was a troubled teen myself.”
Crisp is a black belt Muay Thai fighter trained under the tutelage of Doug Marshall and Rafael Cordeiro of Kings MMA in Huntington Beach. He has had the privilege of training with the likes of Marshall, Cordeiro, former UFC champion Fabricio Werdum and MMA legend Wanderlei Silva.
“I don’t want to brag, but the proof is in the pudding of the guys I trained with,” Crisp said.
There’s no time to brag about Crisp and his group of fighters. With the opening of a new gym and some mixed martial arts shows coming to Visalia, Crisp is a busy man.
On May 24, 559 Fights returns to the Visalia Convention Center for an amateur mixed martial arts show. It’s the first night of a two-night event at the convention center with Urijah Faber’s A1 Combat taking over on May 25th with a night of pro fights. UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber is scheduled to compete in the main event in a jiu-jitsu match.
Crisp has four fighters scheduled to compete on the May 24 559 Fights card – Tyler Saelee (3-1-1), Matt Martinez (2-3), Chris Gregg (1-0) and Quentin Armstrong (1-2). He also has two fighters scheduled to compete on the May 25 A1 Combat card – Bryce Gonzales (0-0) and Shane Christie (2-0).
One person excited about Crisp opening a new gym is 559 Fights owner Jeremy Luchau, who has been involved in mixed martial arts for nearly 20 years as a writer, fighter, businessman and promoter.
“When I heard that Darren was training and sharing knowledge with younger generations, I was extremely excited,” Luchau said. “Darren has always been a great athlete to work with during my time managing his career and he brings a great style to these athletes.”
It’s not lost on Luchau that the upcoming 559 Fights and A1 Combat shows could be a big moment for Crisp, his gym and his fighters.
“This could be a great show for Darren and his team,” said Luchau. “I look forward to being part of its continued success.”
It’s definitely an exciting time for Crisp, who is a pioneer of mixed martial arts in the Central Valley. But with all the ups and downs Crisp has had in the cage, he says the nervousness of seeing his fighters step into the cage is like nothing he’s ever faced.
“It’s a lot more stressful as a coach,” he said. “I get a lot more nervous about them than I do before a fight. They train hard to get to a fight and you want them to go out there, perform and put it all together. What I mean is, win, lose or draw, you need to go out there and have a good experience.”
This article originally appeared in the Visalia Times-Delta: Darren Crisp hopes to start a new phase in his MMA career as a gym owner
