David Avellan

David Avellan
Medal record
Representing United States
Grappling
ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship

David Avellan
David Avellan
Born	Miami, Florida, United States
Nationality	American
Height	5 ft 9.5 in (1.77 m)
Weight	185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st)
Division	Light heavyweight
Reach	72 in (180 cm)
Fighting out of	Miami, Florida
Team	Freestyle Fighting Academy
Rank	black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Years active	1997-2011
Mixed martial arts record
Total	3
Wins	2
By knockout	1
By submission	1
Losses	1
By knockout	1
Other information
University	Florida International University
	Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

David Avellan is an American grappler and professional mixed martial artist who has fought for World Extreme Cagefighting and bodogFight promotions. David recently competed in the 2009 ADCC World Championship Barcelona, later winning a Bronze Medal. Avellan has fought the likes of top French journeyman Antony Rea and UFC contender Aaron Simpson.

Childhood

As a child, David was diagnosed as autistic and his parents were told that he would not make it past a 3rd grade education. His parents did not accept that and took it upon themselves to educate him. Eventually they got through to him and was able to integrate with society and go to school.

Asthma was another problem for David as a child that he was able to overcome, but he struggled with obesity all the way into high school. He was shy, introverted, and socially awkward child who was addicted to video games.

In his sophomore year of high school, he followed my brother into wrestling at Killian High School. His coach, Tirso Valls, was a ruthless man that had no time for weakness. He owes him greatly for transforming him into the competitor he has become.

Becoming a Mixed Martial Artist

After a successful wrestling career in high school, David got into NHB (No Holds Barred) after his brother. He trained with Master R.I. for about two years before beginning our own grappling club out of a Tae Kwon Do school, Avellan Grappling. It was a small group of 10 students that were hardcore – not afraid to take a beating. It was more of a fight club that a school.

In 2001, Marcos And David Avellan opened the Freestyle Fighting Academy (FFA). David was 19 and Marcos was 20 years old at the time. They had no money, no capital, no business plan, and no master. They just had a dream – to be the best martial artists they can be. The beginning years were very rough, and they struggled through many hardships before they saw any return on our investments. There were many times that they thought about closing shop and quitting, but their will to succeed was too great.

Marcos had the great fortune of meeting Master Lloyd Irvin, who become a mentor to him. He imparted invaluable information on how to properly run a martial arts academy and almost overnight the FFA become a sensation. From 60 students to 100′s, the FFA grew to become the largest academy in South Florida. The Miami headquarters has over 10,000 square feet of space and is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

David has had the great honor of competing all over the world and have battled the greatest champions in grappling. He holds victories over Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belts Rafael Lovato Jr., Tarsis Humphries, Amaury Bitteti, Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu, Rener Gracie, and Alexandre “Xande” Ribeiro. He has been featured in Grappling Magazine multiple times and has been featured in the local news as well.

He is currently looking forward to continuing his competition career and achieving one of his dreams – to become the ADCC Submission World Champion and Absolute Champion. He has recently developed a website dedicated to MMA, http://DavidAvellan.com, which he has been dedicated to providing free videos and techniques on Mixed Martial Arts, Grappling, Teaching, Food & Diet, Philosophy, Success, Happiness and more.

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
3 matches	2 wins	1 loss
By knockout	1	1
By submission	1	0
By decision	0	0
Draws	0
No contests	0


Res.	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location
Loss	2-1	SimpsonAaron Simpson	KO (punch)	WEC 36	November 5, 2008	1	0:18	Hollywood, Florida, United States
Win	2-0	BalaAntony Rea	TKO (punches)	BodogFight - Costa Rica Combat	February 17, 2007	2	4:15	Pococí Canton, Costa Rica
Win	1-0	DanielsAndre Daniels	Submission (rear naked choke)	Absolute Fighting Championships 19	October 21, 2006	1	2:30	Boca Raton, Florida, United States