National Cage Grappling Association Ready For Big Year

Written by Paul Fladten

Tuesday, 26 January 2010 14:33

bacon On Friday night, the National Cage Grappling Association will return for its fourth installment with a dual meet between Waukesha MMA and Neutral Ground; NCGA creator Justin “Bacon” Hutter sat down with WCS to explain the organization, his future goals, and why you should check out the show.

The NCGA is an organization devoted to bringing team based grappling events to the Wisconsin public. The events consist of two teams facing off head to head in a dual meet format.

Like jiu-jitsu tournaments, points are accumulated during matches for specified moves. Winners of each matchup are accredited point totals depending on how the match ends. Submission victories earn six points, technical stoppages earn five points, and four and three points can be earned for matches that last the entire duration. The team with the most total points at the end determines the overall winner.

Below is the entire interview with Justin “Bacon” Hutter.

WCS: Alright, for anyone unaware, give us a brief rundown of what the National Grappling Association actually is.

Bacon: Okay, what I’m trying to do is build a governing body, similar to the NCAA, but for cage and submission grappling. I want to transform this sport into shows, and instead of just having wrestling mats in a circle I figured the cage is the next best thing. In my opinion the cage itself is safer than being on a mat. I remember in high school being thrown off the mat onto the tile floors. The cage, besides getting your fingers stuck in the fence is pretty safe to compete in.

WCS: For any readers unfamiliar with grappling only events, who may only be aware of MMA, explain the rules of the NCGA.

Bacon: I set the rules to be as violent as they can be with still only grappling. All submissions are legal, slamming your opponent is legal, and all of that gets you points as well. The only real difference between my organization and a fight is that there is no punching or kicking, which will be really good when the state becomes sanctioned.

WCS: How long have you been trying to get this idea off the ground?

Bacon: I’ve been doing grappling a long time, I wrestled in high school and I’ve been doing jiu-jitsu for nine years. Me, Red (Eric Schafer), and Kaz (Jason Kazmierczak) have had discussions about setting up a team-based event like this for years and years. Matt Morin, who started and ran the Midwest Triple Crown, really got the whole idea started. Unfortunately that whole thing fell through, but I kind of took over the whole thing over after that. I really enjoyed the Midwest Triple Crown and the team aspect of it, especially because my team won, but other than that I want to see that type of dual meet format continue. And what better way than to let guys compete for free.

WCS: How would you like the schedule of the NCGA to be formatted?

Bacon: By the end of this year, I want to have eight teams set up so I can start seeding for next year. I have ran into some guys complaining that “we can’t commit to a full season schedule”, so my answer to that problem is to have eight teams in the league, and each team only has to compete four times during the season. The season would run from January until about October. I don’t think that having four team matchups in that amount of time would be that difficult.

WCS: Would there be a post-season type of tournament?

Bacon: Yep. I would take the four best teams and put them into a playoff. We will seed them according to rank and then have the playoff, which will result in a championship. Also, something that I’m really excited about is that I would like to have a Pro-Bowl type of event at the conclusion of the season. I would choose two team captains that could assemble their teams from anyone they want in the entire world, if they can get Royce Gracie on their team that’s awesome. Also, everything from the Pro-Bowl event would go to charity. Each team captain would pick a charity and the winning team’s charity will get the money.

WCS: So, you’re fourth event is right around the corner with Waukesha MMA taking on Neutral Ground, correct?

Bacon: Yeah. This will be the fourth overall show for us. Our first event was our school (Waukesha MMA) against Choice Martial Arts who we have recently purchased. Then we faced Neutral Ground, and then Roufusport. This upcoming event will be the first one of the new year. And what I’m hoping to do is get a couple of the other gym owners down there to really see what it is we’re doing. I think if anyone comes in and sees what we’re doing, I don’t see why they wouldn’t want to be a part of it.

WCS: Who will be in charge of refereeing the matches?

Bacon: Scott Huston will be the ref for this event. Me and Jon Friedland agreed that Scott would be the perfect unbiased official, and that’s what I’m going for. For future shows, I plan on having a stable of three, four, or five different refs who will work a show depending on the schools involved. Both teams competing need to agree upon the assigned official. Obviously I could just have one of my guys do it, but that wouldn’t be fair to Neutral Ground.

WCS: It looks as though these events will be very family friendly, how will you do that and why?

Bacon: For Friday’s event, I will have a big purple monkey named Monkey Joe in attendance. Also, everyone 12 and under will receive a free raffle ticket, and the monkey will give away a free party package. And everyone 12 and under will get a half-priced ticket. I really am trying to market to that crowd. Obviously I’m not going to have any ring girls, and if I have raffle girls, I’m not going to let them walk around in tiny shorts and low cut shorts. Sorry guys, but that is not the market I’m going for. I want you to bring your kids and see what’s going on. In the future, I might try to get some JV matches with kids before the whole thing starts.

WCS: After Friday, what else do you have planned for NCGA?

Bacon: I have a couple of dates in mind, but I am currently working on setting up a date for a meet between Duke Roufus’ gym and Neutral Ground. I’m going to try and set that up at Luke Summerfield’s school in Grafton. I measured it out and I can get the cage in there. It’s going to be a tight fit, but I think I can make it work.

WCS: What are your goals for the organization?

Bacon: In one year I want my eight-team conference set up, meaning I need to have eight different teams committed. I also want do my Pro-Bowl type of matchup for charity, and overall I want my eight-team conference to run smoothly. If I can that going smoothly, everything else will just fall into place.

WCS: Finally, why should fans of all types of combat sports check out your show this Friday?

Bacon: People should come out to see something they don’t usually see around here. This isn’t only an individual showdown. You can watch combat sports with a team atmosphere. Also, for the Roufus guys, they can now come out and scout their competition for their upcoming meet. Finally, I want all of the competitor’s friends and family to come out and watch them compete. If you have a little one, we are a family friendly type of place so you can bring anyone of any age. I’m a father myself, and honestly I wouldn’t bring my daughters to an MMA show. I’ve been to tons of them and competed in lots of them, but they are more of an adult show. This show will be a blast, and it will cater to all ages.

The National Cage Grappling Association’s dual meet between Neutral Ground and Waukesha MMA will take place at the Waukesha MMA gym in Waukesha. Tickets to the event are $10, and only $5 for anyone 12 and under. The event is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., and doors will open at 5:30 p.m.

For anyone interested in entering a team in the National Cage Grappling Association, talk to Justin “Bacon” Hutter at Friday’s evenr. Or, you can reach him by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or by phone at 262-424-9636.

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