NORTH TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WKBW) — Grappling for a good cause was the goal at the 2nd annual On the Mat for Matt Urban Roll-a-Thon, on Friday. The three-hour Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) charity event took place at Integrity Martial Arts, in North Tonawanda, hosted by Matt Urban Human Services.
The event brings together local martial artists, families and supporters for a morning of action on the mat. It is all to raise critical funds for Matt Urban’s housing, outreach and supportive services for Buffalo’s most vulnerable residents, according to the agency.
"We're a human services agency on the east side of Buffalo. Most of our work is on the east side, housing and case management for people from all kinds of backgrounds, folks who are just low income folks who are chronically homeless, coming from being victims of domestic violence, seniors, all kinds of different populations that we serve through case management and housing," Matt Urban Human Services Executive Director Ryan Undercoffer said.
Undercoffer grappled for the full three hours with 30 different opponents as a show of commitment to the cause.
"Basically three hours where anybody who does Jiu-Jitsu wrestling, any kind of grappling martial art can come in and spar with new people. The kind of challenge today is that I'm going to spar the whole time, so that's 30 rounds of sparring three full hours, all to raise awareness of the Matt Urban Center and of the work that we do and to raise a little money for us," Undercoffer added.
Jeff Denz, owner of Integrity Martial Arts and veteran of the local mixed martial arts community said, "Integrity is proud to offer Matt Urban Human Services the mat space and support. We believe in helping the community in whatever way we can."
The 3-hour open mat rolling session featured local martial artists with a chance to submit the Executive Director and win BJJ gear or cash prizes and raffles with prizes donated by martial arts brands including gift cards and gis.
National sponsors Venum, Defense Soap, Fuji Sports, Hayabusa and War Tribe were supporters of this year's event.
All proceeds benefit Matt Urban Human Services programs that support individuals and families experiencing homelessness, food insecurity, mental illness and poverty across Buffalo's East Side.
