Community Mourns Death Of MMA Fighter And Beloved Fitness Coach
By Alexandra Semenova
Brighton resident Michael Lvovsky — beloved fitness coach and seasoned Mixed Martial Arts fighter who won his first professional Muay Thai fight with an exciting knockout at a competition in Thailand — died on February 17. He was 26.
Lvovsky died in his sleep at a friend’s home in Florida from a cardiac arrest related to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a common cause of cardiac deaths among young athletes, according to his close friend Anastasia Demidova.
Lvovsky, called “Beatmode” by some fighters, was remembered as fierce competitor and known for his work in UFC Gym, a fitness center located at 16 Brighton 11th Street. Lvovsky used his fighting expertise to train adults and children in both MMA and general wellness. However, his contribution to the community extended far beyond his coaching.
His funeral was held in Staten Island on Sunday, where friends remembered him as a motivator who was always willing to help others achieve their goals.
Whitney Jean-Francois, a friend and teammate, said Lvovsky helped him land a job at a gym when he was expecting his first child.
“Because of him, I am able to support my family,” Jean-Francois said.
Other friends shared the view that Lvovsky would always go out of his way to lend a hand.
“Michael was a golden heart,” said his friend Demidova.
Michael Lvovsky was born January 31, 1990 in Brooklyn, New York to Irina Kravis and Vitaliy Lvovsky. He was raised by his mother, his stepfather – who passed away – and his grandparents.
Lvovsky went to Abraham Lincoln High School before going on to attend Carson Long Military Institute, where he took an interest in lifting weights, running track, and playing varsity football.
He played running back and linebacker on the football team, according to his former coach, Peter Lasavage, who said Lvovsky loved the sport and was a very motivated and hardworking competitor.
“Mike had an edge about him – the kind of edge that makes someone a better athlete, leader and for sure, a football player,” Lasavage said. “He was a pleasure to coach.”
“We just spoke about 10 days ago, and he said how much he missed football,” Lasavage added.
Lvovsky showed great leadership at Cason Long, where he was a Platoon Sergeant, a squad leader, and a rifle marksmanship at the school.
Lvovsky had a remarkable bond with his mother, according to his friends, who said he always spoke of her adoringly and turned to her for help. He described her in an earlier Facebook post as “the most amazing, wonderful, and beautiful mother in the world.”
“I love you so much,” he wrote. “You always held me and my dreams down.”
“When I told you, ‘Mom I wanna be like [Jean-Claude] Van Damme, not a lawyer,’ you just let me be me and always loved me for who I am,” Lvovsky wrote.
Lvovsky trained at BKMMA, a Brooklyn-based mixed martial arts academy, where one of his teammates, Brandon Urquijo, said he “stood out from the very beginning.”
He came to gym with some experience in MMA — having already competed in several grappling tournaments at another gym called OMG MMA. Lvovsky’s talent and dedication to the sport was immediately recognized by his coaches and teammates, and he “quickly ascended through BKMMA’s ‘hierarchy,’” according to Urquijo.
Lvovsky and Urquijo were fighting partners. Urquijo said he’s proud to wear a scar on his lip created by Lvovsky during a sparring session. Lvovsky rushed his bleeding friend to the hospital, apologizing the whole time while speeding down the street, and waited all night for his friend to get stitched up.
He described Lvovsky as “one of the most genuine people who just wore his heart on his sleeve.”
Lvovsky was scheduled to fight several times throughout his training but had to postpone his plans due to recurring injuries. His dreams of stepping into the professional ring finally came in 2013, when he left to train at Tiger Muay Thai & MMA Training Camp in Thailand.
His consistent and vigorous training lead to a professional debut in southern Thailand’s most notable boxing ring. Lvovsky won by knockout in the first round. He competed two more times but came short of victory. However, Lvovsky never lost his unrelenting enthusiasm and began training again at BKMMA when he returned from Thailand.
Lvovsky recently had to step away from another fight after he injured his wrist. After recovering, Lvovsky took a different course of action and went to Deerfield Beach to stay with friends.
“He went out to Florida for training,” Urquijo said, “but I feel, more so, for soul searching.”
Aside from fighting, Lvovsky loved to travel. “Thailand was like a second home to him,” said Demidova. He added that Lvovsky hoped to one day open his own fighting gym .
Lvovsky’s friends, family, and all those who knew him remember him as ‘The Beast’ – a label he used so frequently that it caught on as a nickname and is now his most precious legacy.