Scranton, Lakhwana County (WBRE/WYOU) — A mixed martial arts gym in Electric City held a tournament on Saturday afternoon to raise funds for its own.
A fight for the family.
Scranton Mixed Martial Arts Gym held a jiu-jitsu tournament on Saturday to raise funds for Michael Pasanity, who has been hospitalized since December and is fighting a serious case of COVID-19.
His father Dominic has been an instructor in the gym since the beginning.
One of the owners told me they set up a fundraiser to help out in any way they can.
“He had a lot of medical bills, he’s been in Danville since Christmas, he just moved to another locator, so it’s real hard, real hard for him and his family,” said Tom McGuire, co-owner Said, Scranton MMA.
More than 90 competitors paid to fight in the jiu-jitsu event, including Victoria Brouseu.
Bruseau is new to the sport and is third in the competition.
She says the fundraiser is a big reason for her gym family to raise awareness of more competitive sports.
“Especially for women, it’s really a great way to learn basic self-defense at any level that you start with. I’d say it’s a lot more than just learning how to move your body in different ways.” It also helps build confidence, it’s a lot of fun,” said Victoria Bruseau, jiu-jitsu competitor.
Several MMA schools in New York and Philadelphia came to the tournament for a reason.
“It’s an amazing turnout. We have a lot of people here and it’s a great time and it’s good for everyone,” said Anthony Antonello, mixed martial artist, Scranton MMA.
All proceeds from the fundraiser will go directly to Michael Pasanity and his family. If you would like to donate to the family, you can visit the GoFundMe page.
