Meet Iron Mike, Head Coach and Founder of Furst Place MMA
Iron Mike is a Marine Corps combat infantry veteran who built Furst Place MMA in Hendersonville, TN, on the standards he learned in the field and the cage. As head coach and founder, he runs the room himself, holding beginners and fighters to the same line.
About Iron Mike
Iron Mike came up the hard way. He served in the Marine Corps as combat infantry, competed as a college athlete, and started boxing 20 years ago under Joey Hadley while he was still in the Corps. The discipline he learned in the military and on the mat is the same discipline he coaches from today.
Off the mat, Mike earned an undergraduate degree in finance and a master's MBA in marketing, and he brings that same study-the-details mindset to coaching. He trained Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Bryan Tidwell at Matrix Jiu Jitsu, and he has never stopped learning, traveling the country to train at high-level gyms and bring what works back to his fighters.
Over six years of coaching, Mike has cornered many fighters in the cage and built a room where the work is honest and the standard does not move. He founded Furst Place MMA to give Hendersonville a real fight gym, one where a first-timer and a competitor get the same straight coaching.
Coaching philosophy
Mike coaches the way he was trained. Show up, do the work, and earn it. No shortcuts, no ego, no wasted rounds.
Discipline and fundamentals come first. Mike drills the details until they hold up under pressure, because clean technique and conditioning are what carry a fighter when things get hard. Skill is built rep by rep, not talked into existence.
Accountability runs both ways. Mike gives honest feedback every session and expects you to answer for the work, and he holds himself to the same standard he sets for the room. You get out what you put in, and he makes sure the path is clear.
Building fighters
Furst Place is a real fight gym with a team that competes, and Mike runs fighter development himself, building camps around real competition and honest coaching.
Mike builds Mixed Martial Arts fighters from the ground up, sharpening striking, Wrestling, and No-Gi Jiu Jitsu into one game, then putting it under pressure in hard, intentional rounds. Camps are structured around your next bout with a plan, sparring, and the conditioning to back it up.
Having cornered many fighters in the cage, Mike knows what the work looks like and what it takes to be ready when the door closes. He holds every athlete on the team accountable, tracks progress, and prepares each fighter for who is standing across from them.
Background and credentials
- Marine Corps Veteran Served as combat infantry in the United States Marine Corps.
- College Athlete Competed at the collegiate level before turning to coaching.
- Finance Degree Undergraduate degree in finance.
- MBA in Marketing Master's MBA with a focus in marketing.
- 20 Years Boxing Started boxing 20 years ago under Joey Hadley in the Marine Corps.
- 6 Years Coaching Six years building fighters and running the room.
- Cornered Many Fighters Has coached and cornered many fighters in the cage.
Train with Iron Mike.
Your first class is free, with no card and no contract. Come meet the coach and put in a round.