Who Am I? I was born in Toronto, Canada, and lived there until I was 5. My parents then moved the family back to their homeland, Chile, where we spent 3 years living in the coastal city of Viña Del Mar. At the age of 8, my parents divorced and I moved to the United States with my dad where we lived in Queens, NY, for 6 years before finally winding up in Seattle in 1985. Since the age of 13, I have studied and trained in various combat arts including karate, wrestling, jiu-jitsu and kickboxing. I'm now in my 30s living in Seattle fighting and training as my fulltime profession. My family was expanded last summer when my wife had our amazing son, “Little Ivan” and then in October, my long time dream of owning my own gym was realized. Ivan Salaverry MMA has become the premier Mixed Martial Arts facility in the Seattle area, being recognized as one of “The Top Five Workouts” by Seattle Business Magazine and having been featured in Seattle Magazine, Northwest Fight Scene Magazine and Real Fighter Magazines. Ivan Salaverry Philosophy I believe that everyone has the fighting spirit in them. It's innate. It's genetic. It's hard-wired into each and every one of us. Through years of training and exercise, I have tapped into and refined this inner spirit, elevating my skills to a higher ground along the way. The sport of Pankration (no-holds barred, free fight, vale tudo, or whatever it may be named across the world) has enabled the fight game to have multiple dimensions. We are no longer limited by one style of pugilism (such as boxing, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, or kickboxing), or held back by senseless holistics or mysticism. Liberated by rules and regulations of a new sport, we have evolved to a new species of fighter incorporating elements from martial arts, wrestling and various other combative sports. With great passion I seize the opportunity to educate and enrich my colleagues in the fighting community and the general public as a whole in the science and art of hand-to-hand combat. Respect and devotion will be able to see me through my journey.

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