Sityodtong Martial Arts Academy is providing world-class martial arts training in Somerville.

By Jacob Aguiar

Mark DellaGrotte became engrossed in martial arts at a young age, and has been training fighters in Somerville out of the same building that his father and uncle had practiced law in since 1996.

He has coached UFC greats like Kenny Florian, Frank Mir and Stephan Bonnar and works for the UFC as a fight analyst. His school attracts fighters of all skill levels from all over the world. DellaGrotte is particularly proud of Rob Font, who won his debut fight in the UFC on July 5.

“What is great about Font is that he is 100 percent home grown from me and my camp,” said DellaGrotte.

A Somerville native, DellaGrotte owns and operates Sityodtong Martial Arts Academy located on 100 Broadway in Somerville. He appreciated the discipline and culture associated with classic martial arts like Karate, Taekwondo, Kalie, Pencak, Silat, Jeet Kune Do and Savate and was encouraged by his uncle Dr. Joseph DellaGrotte. He studied under some of the most knowlegable instructors in the world including former student of Bruce Lee, Dan Inosanto but competition in those arts lacked the intensity of actual combat.

“I could not find a tournament that would allow me to actually punch a guy in the face, take him down and choke him out. It seemed like we were only playing with half the rules and so I started exploring more battle tested arts like kickboxing and submission wrestling,” said DellaGrotte.

It was during this period of exploration that a new student arrived at what was then Cultural Martial Arts Academy. “I asked him what his background was and he said he had been to Thailand to fight twice and was going back again, so I asked if I could come with him, he laughed because this was the first time we met but the next thing you know I was on a plane to Thailand,” said DellaGrotte.

Once there, DellaGrotte immersed himself in Thai fighting culture and built a strong relationship with his trainers at the Sityodtong facility in Thailand, which became a second home to DellaGrotte.

It was important to DellaGrotte to have actual fight experience to legitimize himself as an instructor. “If I was going to be taken seriously and train fighters I knew I should have experience myself as a fighter. My team knew my goal was not to become a world champion. My goal was to learn how to fight in order to develop myself and my teaching,” said DellaGrotte.

Sityodtong Martial Arts Academy at 100 Broadway in Somerville. — Photos by By Jacob Aguiar.

When DellaGrotte returned from Thailand the reputation he built there followed him home. The UFC was growing in popularity and trained fighters began looking to DellaGrotte for help improving their striking game. “It was great to teach them and watch them grow and they trusted me in their corner,” said DellaGrotte.

DellaGrotte’s years of work with semi-established and professional fighters improved his reputation as a coach, trainer and cornerman. Those efforts have paid off in new fighters eager to learn from one of the world’s best. Font’s UFC victory is the first win for a strictly Sityodtong fighter at that level of competition.

“Font represents a new generation. He started with me from scratch, couldn’t throw a punch and had no ground game whatsoever, so it was truly rewarding to see how he did in his UFC debut. He listened to every word I said and trusted me to lead him to victory, and it takes two to do that,” DellaGrotte said.

One of the things that separate DellaGrotte’s instruction from other trainers is the inclusion of elements from classic martial arts. “I call it alternative arts for MMA. A lot of trainers to this day do not incorporate the Phillipino and Indonesian martial arts when training MMA fighters. I incorporate these arts for the hand trapping techniques, which are overlooked and can be very effective in close quarter combat,” said DellaGrotte.

Sityodtong welcomes students of all skill levels. Many of the Krus (Thai for teachers) are professional fighters. From watching a beginners class, it is evident that they focus on the fine details that make Muay Thai such an effective fighting style. Thai music plays behind the Kru’s instructions and the sound of shins slamming into kickpads. Every available square inch is utilized for combat training.

“The most rewarding thing is seeing students become passionate and fall in love with the art,” said DellaGrotte. “I never set out to be a UFC world champ. My goal was to honor and respect and teach the martial arts. I get the same pleasure out of training soccer moms, watching them get in shape and become empowered, as I do when an UFC fighter I train does well.”

Despite his extensive travel, his love for Thailand and the opportunities afforded to him through his work with the UFC, DellaGrotte has chosen to keep his gym in Somerville because, “Home is where the heart is and my heart is in Boston. My family grew up here, my parents met each other across the street and my wife has a big family here. It is home,” said DellaGrotte.