Take a drive 60 miles up the Taconic north of New York City, hang a left on I84 and you will hit the town of of Fishkill, NY population 20,000. Never is Fishkill mentioned in the same sentence as Las Vegas, NV, Bettendorf, IA or Tampa, FL as a breeding ground for big time Mixed Martial Arts talent. Que Lee Corso … “not so fast my friend.” One 23 year-old Tri-State area fighter might just change all that for this town five miles east of the Hudson River.

Brian McLaughlin, winner of the 155lb Ring Of Combat tournament last fall in Atlantic City, is determined to make his full-time training base in his hometown of Fishkill. In 2007, he opened Hudson Valley Jiu Jitsu as his official base and knows the challenge ahead to reach the highest levels of MMA will hinge on his ability to attract top Muay Thai and Boxing coaches to sharpen his overall fighting tool-kit.

“What I am constantly trying to do is bring in people rather than me go out somewhere. I want to bring in people. We brought in Brendan Weafer. He is in Thailand right now. He is a pro MMA fighter and brought him in to work on our Thai skills. I don’t want to have to move.”

Currently 5-0, McLaughlin has landed on the radar of larger organizations such as Elite XC as an emerging fighter seeking the big call.

“I am on a lot of promoters lists of people to call if somebody gets injured. I am always fielding offers. Right now I have a verbal agreement for the next Ring Of Combat on the 27th of June.”

It would mark his return to the organization that put his name on the MMA map. McLaughlin steamrolled three opponents in the fall of 2007 to launch his career.

“The Ring Of Combat victory was great because I got paid a lot of money. I got 13k which was nice. But I went into that fight and knew I would win. I looked at Dave Sachs who was tougher than the other guys I fought… but I said I know I was going to beat him. He relies on being on the ground and I knew I was better on the ground than him.”

Known to MMA insiders as a talented ground specialist yet still not a “big name” in the game, McLaughlin is suspicious of several previously scheduled opponents that never made it to the opening bell.

“For every fight I have had, I had three fights where people pulled out for no apparent reason.”

McLaughlin knows his further growth hinges on the expansion of his skills beyond his Jiu Jitsu. For the past six months he has been decidedly focused on his boxing.

“Jiu Jitsu – you could come behind me and I will just act, where boxing it still plays a little bit in my head. I am only going to use my boxing if I have to. If someone wants to see my boxing they first have to show me they can stop my takedown and that they can avoid my guard.

McLaughlin has trained with UFC veterans Din Thomas and Matt Arroyo in Tampa and such sparring has prevented this young fighter from thinking too far ahead. The Ring Of Combat win did raise his profile and press clippings adorn the walls of Hudson Valley Jiu Jitsu - but don’t be fooled, McLaughlin is the first to admit he has long way to go.

“I’ve had a lot of success so far. I have finished guys in the first round. What I don’t want to do is believe my own hype. Even when it goes well I want to assume I lost… saying how can I get better. I still don’t think I am anything special.”

And to critics who argue young MMA talent needs to migrate to larger training facilities such as American Top Team in Florida or Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, this Hudson Valley native is adamant about paving his own path to success in Fishkill.

“All “big name” gyms started with regular guys who trained hard. Right now I can make a comfortable living as an instructor and am slowly but surely building a team of top competitors. If I can’t bring in top sparring partners then I will build them myself. HVJJ will be a major force in MMA in the coming years. We have many up and comers who have the right combination of dedication and talent to make big waves, they just need to put in the time. I’m not looking to attract people who are already fighters, I want to take hardworking average everyday people and turn them into fighters.”