UFC, WEC and Sengoku veteran Logan "The Pink Pounder" Clark writes a blog for Minnesota MMA News. Here is his 15th entry (Jan. 21):

After running my own gym since March of 2007, I decided that it would be nice to have someone else do the bill collecting and paying, so my group, Rochester MMA, has collected our gear and joined forces with another group in Rochester.

We are now a part of Compound MMA and the 4th Street Boxing Gym. The team is run by Aaron Vold, who has been training at 4th Street since long before I learned an armbar. Aaron and I started competing in MMA at around the same time, so we have had plenty of contact over the years, and I have gotten plenty of entertainment from watching him fight in the past.

Though he hasn't fought since 2008, we'll see if he can be coaxed into competing again sometime soon.

This move allows me to set a more regular schedule, since the space is available when we need it rather than when it isn't being used by anyone else. The additional space, equipment and training partners are certainly a benefit as well. With Aaron, I have someone else to organize my workouts, so I am not trying to design my conditioning routines at the same time as completing them.

This venture also allows me to step away from hard training when injuries come along, whereas I would often train while injured when I was the person in charge and fighters were depending on me. Keeping me healthy is good for the long-term health of the gym.

Working with Aaron is easy to do because we are both experienced enough in the sport to have an understanding of our strengths and weaknesses as both trainers and fighters. Combining our gyms allows

us to emphasize our strengths while improving our weaknesses for the benefit of our fighters.

We run classes from 5-8 p.m. on Monday through Friday. We are working with the active fighters at the gym to establish a schedule that allows them to train all aspects of the sport, but we are also offering single aspect classes for those who don't intend to compete in MMA or want to ease their way into the sport.

We provide conditioning classes for both fighters and non-competitive students. One of the fighters who moved with me to the new location is Jared Chaney. He is instructing a submission grappling class on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7 p.m. The rest of the classes are instructed by Aaron or me or the two of us together. I encourage anyone in the area to stop by for a free trial or just to check out the place.

We will be working together as cornermen for the first time at a Brutaal Genesis show at the National Guard armory in Rochester on Jan. 29. Ben Hoffman will be looking to add another win to his 2-1 record. Heath Rud will be facing Andrew Conway in his first fight since he won the Gladiators amateur middleweight title in October.

A win on the 29th should earn Rud a shot at the Brutaal Genesis welterweight title. He needs to win another title because the promoters for Gladiators still haven't given Heath his belt yet, and we could use a few more decorations for the gym walls.

Also approaching quickly is Raphael Butler's second MMA bout. He will be competing for Brutaal against Jeremy Beck on Feb. 12 at the Treasure Island Casino events center.

I am really excited to be a part of Raphael's transition to MMA. If he continues to develop his wrestling and is well managed, he will move up quickly in this sport. His hands are dangerous enough to stop any heavyweight, and he is humble enough to put in the work at his weaknesses, so I see no reason for success to elude him.

You can expect to hear more about Compound MMA as the year goes on and not just in my posts here.

— Logan Clark