Mixed Martial Arts Trainer Sentenced To Probation, Community Service
Mahwah man admitted to forging medical documents so his fighters could participate in MMA fights, Attorney General said
A mixed martial arts trainer who pleaded guilty to forging medical and other documents for his fighters was sentenced to probation, community service and fines, Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa announced Friday.
Bergen County Superior Court Judge James J. Guida sentenced Philip Dunlap, 49, of Mahwah, to two years probation. Dunlap, who owns Advanced Fighting Systems on Franklin Turnpike, was also ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and complete 100 hours of community service.
In September, Dunlap admitted to falsifying and forging medical and “consent to fight” forms to the State Athletic Control Board for some of the fighters he trained from 2007 through 2011, the release said. The medical forms certified that a doctor had examined the fighters and cleared them to participate in mixed martial arts contests.
An investigation by the SACB and the Division of Criminal Justice revealed the documents were fraudulent, the release said. Dunlap has no prior record, and thus did not receive jail time for his third-degree crime, the release said.
SACB Commissioner Aaron Davis said in the release that the health and safety of MMA fighters, and the integrity of the full-contact grappling sport, are the board’s main concerns.
“We are committed to working jointly with the Division of Criminal Justice in stopping the fraudulent submission of medical forms to the State of New Jersey,” he said in the release. “Every trainer investigated and arrested for this type of crime enables us to further uphold the integrity of the sport.”
Advanced Fighting Systems trains fighters and enters them into competitions. According to its website, the company has trained at least four professional and a few dozen amateur fighters.
Deputy Attorney General Nick Lembo said in September that about 15 amateur fighters who were students of Dunlap have been suspended for 365 days from combat sports, and banned from amateur combat sports in New Jersey.
Dunlap’s licenses with the SACB “are all expired,” Lembo said. In order to be relicensed, Dunlap would need to reapply.
Mixed martial arts was popularized in the mid-to-late-90s with the meteoric rise of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, which was founded in 1993.
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