Gregg DePasquale
Gregg DePasquale founded Long Island MMA in 2009 with a clear goal: create the kind of serious, complete martial arts academy that was difficult to find on Long Island at the time. A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt with a wrestling background, Gregg has spent his career developing students, coaches, and competitive athletes from the beginner level through the highest levels of combat sports.
Building the Kind of Gym He Wanted to Train In
Gregg's martial arts background began in wrestling. When his wrestling career ended, he wanted to keep competing and moved into grappling, eventually earning his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt at a time when black belts were far less common than they are today.
What drew him deeper into martial arts was the fact that the learning never really ends. No matter how experienced someone becomes, there is always another detail to understand, another problem to solve, and another way to improve. Gregg naturally gravitated toward the coaching side of that process.
In 2009, he opened Long Island MMA because he believed Long Island needed a legitimate place where people could receive high-level training across multiple disciplines under one roof. The goal was ambitious from the beginning: build a welcoming school for everyday students that was also capable of developing athletes for the highest levels of competition.
No matter how good you become, martial arts gives you another opportunity to learn, develop, and grow.
Technique First. Application Immediately After.
Gregg's approach combines traditional technical instruction with constraints-led training. Students learn the mechanics and structure of a technique and then work through realistic, controlled situations that require them to actually use what they have learned against resistance.
Understand the Technique
Traditional instruction provides students with clear mechanics, positioning, safety considerations, and the underlying concepts behind a movement.
Learn to Solve the Problem
Structured live scenarios force students to make decisions, adjust to resistance, and understand why a technique succeeds or fails in a realistic situation.
Develop for the Long Term
The objective is not simply to memorize moves. It is to develop technically sound, adaptable martial artists who can continue learning as their experience increases.
A Foundation in Grappling. A Complete MMA Perspective.
Gregg's background in wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu helped establish the grappling foundation of Long Island MMA while his work developing the academy has always centered on creating complete martial artists.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Develop positional control, escapes, submissions, transitions, timing, and the problem-solving ability needed to apply Jiu-Jitsu effectively during live training.
Explore Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu →No-Gi Grappling
Combine wrestling, positional control, submissions, movement, and live decision-making in a faster grappling environment without relying on the gi.
Explore Grappling Classes →Mixed Martial Arts
LIMMA's MMA system brings striking, wrestling, grappling, conditioning, and live application together through a structured progression that can take an athlete from fundamentals to competition.
Explore the MMA Program →From First Class to the Highest Levels of Competition
Gregg built Long Island MMA to serve both sides of martial arts: people who want to train, learn, and improve without ever competing, and serious athletes capable of progressing into amateur and professional competition.
Beginners
New students can begin with structured fundamentals and lower-pressure training before progressing into more demanding drilling, live grappling, or sparring when they are ready.
Recreational Athletes
Competition is never required. Students can train seriously, improve their skills, challenge themselves, and remain recreational martial artists for as long as they choose.
Competitive Fighters
Athletes who want to compete progress through a selective development process based on skill, consistency, attitude, durability, control, and readiness—not simply the desire to fight.
From 2,000 Square Feet to a Proven Fight Team
LIMMA began in a small 2,000-square-foot facility on a tight budget. Gregg's goal was to create something that could succeed both as a serious martial arts school and as a home for athletes capable of competing at the sport's highest levels.
Founded Long Island MMA in 2009
Gregg created LIMMA to fill what he saw as a gap for legitimate, high-level MMA training on Long Island.
Built From a 2,000-Square-Foot Gym
Long Island MMA began in a small, low-budget facility before expanding into the much larger organization and training environment it is today.
A Team Proven at the Highest Levels
Athletes developed through the Long Island MMA environment have competed in organizations including the UFC, Bellator, PFL, Invicta FC, and Dana White's Contender Series.
World-Championship-Level Results
LIMMA's competitive history includes Bellator World Champion Marcos Galvão and Invicta FC World Champion Jillian DeCoursey, along with numerous athletes who reached major professional organizations.
Experience the System Gregg Helped Build
You don't need to be a fighter to train at Long Island MMA. Whether you're walking into a martial arts gym for the first time or looking for a serious environment to take your training further, you'll have a structured path forward.