The Coaching Staff

Buckeye Mixed Martial Arts relies on the knowledge and experience of its coaches, over 40 years between them,  to sharpen our fighters' skills.

Josh Williams

Head Coach

Josh began training in wrestling and jiu-jitsu in 1995 as a highschool student. His training continued when he attended The Ohio State University as a student 2 years later.  He honed his grappling in numerous jiu-jitsu events and eventually joined the Ohio State Judo team in 1998. For several years he competed as a judoka while cross training and integrating elements of Sambo, Thai Boxing, and Catch Wrestling into his game.  Josh fought his first MMA fight in 2001 and won by kneebar in less than a minute.  He put together an undefeated record between 2001 and 2004 when his son was born.  Between a laundry list of injuries and the demands of raising a family, Josh rededicated himself as a coach rather than as a fighter.  In early 2005 he formed BuckeyeMMA along with coaches Roc Castricone and Fred Parrish.

Fred Parrish

Submission Wrestling

 Fred Parrish is a life-long wrestler and holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu awarded to him by Diego Saraiva.  He competed as a Div I wrestler while attending Ohio State and later traveled to Europe where he faced international talent in submission grappling. Parrish began training other columbus fighters in 2002 and quickly gained respect throughout the Buckeye state for his skill as a ground coach. Fred had his first pro MMA fight for King of The Cage in 2004.  There, against another well trained grappler, he choked his oppenent completely unconscious in the first round.  Fred still competes in submission grappling, recently winning the advanced division at the Ohio Grappling Challenge, and has plans for an eventual return to MMA competition.  

Roc Castricone

Stand-up Striking

Roc Castricone spent his highschool years primarily as a baseball player although he'd already wrestled for several years.  While going to college at Ohio State - Newark branch, he began to pick up jiu-jitsu under Ben Bisso.  After a transfer to Columbus for school, he met eventual BuckeyeMMA co-founder Josh Williams and quickly developed a strong friendship as teammates on the OSU Judo Team. Begining his own MMA career as a training partner for Williams, Castricone rapidly improved and took his first fight  in 2004.  With the aide of Williams and Parrish, Roc amassed an impressive 9-2 MMA record from 2004-2008.  Despite having won the majority of his fights by submission, Castricone is well known for his rock solid MMA striking skills. Like his mentors, Roc Castricone still competes (he recently placed in the top 3 at NAGA's advanced division) and anticipates a return to MMA action soon.