About

Roy Englebrecht

CEO

Prior to the formation of Fight Club OC in 2011 Roy promoted the highly successful Battle in the Ballroom professional boxing shows at the Irvine Marriott Hotel for 25 straight years. This bi-monthly professional boxing show was the longest running club pro boxing show in the country. 36 current or former world champions have fought at the Marriott, including Shane Mosley and Johnny Tapia. In 2007 he became one of the first boxing promoters to introduce Mixed Martial Arts shows to his Battle in the Ballroom concept.

Drew Englebrecht

President/Boxing Matchmaker

Drew Englebrecht graduated from Vanguard University with a B.A. in Sociology in 2003. Drew grew up in the Action Sports Industry designing clothes and selling sunglasses for Oakley before joining his father in the fight promotions business in 2008. With Drew's creative direction and branding help Roy Englebrecht Promotions became SOCA FIGHTS which is now under the Combat Sports Entertainment banner that promotes Fight Club OC Boxing and MMA shows in Costa Mesa, CA along with Fight Club LA Muay Thai Amateur shows at The Gardens Casino.

Mike Hart

Official Ring Announcer for Fight Club OC

Mike Hart has been stirring up fight fans as the “Voice” of the Battle In The Ballroom for seven years. A sportscaster turned news anchor, Mike has been a mainstay at ABC23 in Bakersfield, California since 1991. He started out working club shows in 1994, when he joined forces with Roy Englebrecht Promotions in December of 1999. He took over for legendary ring announcer Danny Valdivia at the Irvine Marriott in January of 2002. Mike has worked for numerous promoters throughout the years including Golden Boy and Goossen Tutor, with appearances on ESPN, FOX Sports and Showtime.

Jessica Penne

MMA Matchmaker

Jessica Penne is a trailblazer in women’s MMA with over 17 years of experience as a professional fighter. A former Invicta FC Atomweight Champion and UFC strawweight contender, she made history in the first-ever women’s bout in Bellator and was a standout on The Ultimate Fighter 20, the UFC’s first all-female season and the launch of the 115-lb division. Known for her technical expertise and deep fight IQ, Jessica now brings her experience to matchmaking—dedicated to building exciting, competitive cards and helping develop the next generation of talent.

Diana Aguirre

Medical Coordinator

Diana Aguirre is a Doctor in Educational Psychology and is currently pursuing a certification in Sports Psychology at the California State University of Dominguez Hills. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology of Social Behavior from the University of California Irvine and her Master’s in School Psychology from the University of LaVerne in May 2018. Diana has been an avid fan of the sport of boxing majority of her life. She became more involved in the world of action sports after she began training/boxing alongside her 13-year-old son in July 2021. Her career in boxing started in January 2023 at Fight Club OC as a medical coordinator for fighters.

Damian James

Official Photographer of Fight Club OC

Damian James is an Orange County based freelance photojournalist and event photographer. With over 14 years of experience documenting people and events around the world in 5 different continents, he is back in his home state of California currently focusing his work in the Boxing/MMA arena. A dedicated fan of all types of combat sport, Damian has followed boxing his entire life and has been a fan of Mixed Martial Arts since it’s debut back in 1993. He draws inspiration from the competitive nature of hand to hand combat and the fighting spirit of its participants, and hopes to inspire future generations of fighters and fans through his photographic contributions to the sport.

Evan Jacobs

Social Media Manager

Evan Jacobs received his B.A. from California State University, Long Beach in Film Studies. With a number of low budget films to his credit (in which Jacobs wrote, produced, directed and edited those projects) he first came to the attention of Roy Englebrecht Promotions with his film SCHUSTERMAN LEVINE: A BOXING FABLE. Fast forward a decade later and Jacobs and Englebrecht teamed up to make a reality TV pilot titled, THE PROMOTER. Showing the ins and outs of the fight promotions world over a 4 days period, Jacobs chronicled what Englebrecht and his staff encounter in putting on their legendary Battle In the Ballroom shows. As a freelance videographer/editor, Jacobs has been working with REP ever since creating promotional DVDs, viral spots and television commercials. “I have been a boxing fan since I was 14,” Jacobs states. “To merge the world I come from with the world I have admired for so long is really the best of both worlds for me.”

The Fight Club OC Production Crew

(names listed from left to right)

Steve Slade, Michelle Bakker, Eric Lowy, Christine Vu, David Junker, Rayka Zehtabchi

Ralph Gonzalez

Venue Setup Manager