When Tige McAfoos noticed he had some old rusty metal lying around, he could've just thrown it away.

Instead, he turned it into an opportunity for local fighters who are interested in mixed martial arts. That growing combat sport pits two competitors against each other while allowing them to use various fighting styles.

This past winter, McAfoos used the metal to construct a six-sided wall surrounding an area where fighters could spar at his training center for mixed martial arts, appropriately named The Rusty Cage. The cage is the name given to the fenced-in area in which Mixed Martial Arts fights take place.

McAfoos' newly constructed cage is the centerpiece in a total transformation for the fight club at the end of South Spring Street in Burrell Township, just across the Blairsville Borough line.

At one time a social club and bowling alley, the venue's previous incarnations also included the Lion-Do Fight Club and the Titan Fitness gym. It officially became The Rusty Cage on Dec. 1 when McAfoos broke ties with his previous business partner and took over the club himself with Marcus Corson as the manager.

Initially, club members had mostly been confined to one small mat room, and McAfoos was using kerosene heaters to keep the building warm.

"It was bare bones," Corson said.

The rear part of the building had mostly been used for storage for McAfoos' construction company. Then he cleared out that area, started constructing the cage and added other amenities to the building.

A second, larger mat room was constructed, and the club replaced its punching bags with longer Muay Thai bags that allow fighters to practice leg kicks as well as punches.

McAfoos also purchased some weight equipment and cardio machines, and the walls were insulated to help with heating. In the span of a few months, the club increased from a single mat room to 6,500 square feet of space for fighters to train.

"It took a lot of time and a lot of heart," Corson said. "It's something we love and something we want to keep going."

McAfoos, 39, a native of Black Lick, purchased the building more than five years ago to house Titan Fitness, but the gym folded. He then invited a friend to use the facility to train people in boxing, kickboxing and MMA -- interests McAfoos had developed while he served in the Navy and while he lived in Seattle for some time.

"I was just trying to make something happen in the (area) I grew up in," said McAfoos, who moved back to the Blairsville area 11 years ago. "Being out in Seattle and around the world in the Navy, I've seen different things and experienced different stuff, and I just wanted to bring a little bit of that back with me."

A few fighters stayed with the club when McAfoos parted ways with his former business partner late last year. Since then, The Rusty Cage has increased its membership to more than 50 people.

"It's a great place to be," said Justin Head, 24, of Greensburg. "It's more of like a family here. We get the right equipment, and we get the cage, which helps."

The cage itself is a big draw because most fighters don't have an opportunity to enter a cage until their first competition, putting them at a disadvantage against someone with more experience. Corson and McAfoos said it was a rarity for MMA training clubs in the area to have a cage.

"It's definitely a wonderful aspect because, when you are ready to go into the cage and fight, your first fight isn't going to be the first time stepping in a cage," said Mark MacDonald, 26, of Clarksburg. "You're already going to know how to be inside a cage and work off the cages."

Corson recalled that his first official fight was the first time he had been in a cage, and it was a completely different experience than fighting in the open.

"There's no way out," he noted.

"There's so many different aspects that you have to look at whenever you're in there," McAfoos said of fighting in a cage.

"When you're rolling around on the mats and stuff, it's not the same as being confined in a certain area," McAfoos explained. "Even if you're in a boxing ring, it's still not the same. You can still fall out of the ropes or hop over the ropes."

In addition to the cage, the club offers three MMA classes per week for fighters with McAfoos and Bob Shannon as instructors. The fighters are trained in wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (submission wrestling), boxing, kickboxing and Muay Thai (a specialized kickboxing).

"Once you start learning a little bit of everything, you can put it all together," McAfoos said. "Some guys are more comfortable on the ground doing the wrestling, some guys would rather stand up and (fight). Our goal is to get the guys as well-rounded and familiar with every aspect of what can happen."

MMA fighting has enjoyed a higher profile in recent years with the television exposure given to Ultimate Fighting Championship events. McAfoos and Corson are hoping the sport's increased popularity will attract more people to their club from the surrounding area, including students at the WyoTech automotive school in Burrell Township.

"With the school up there, there are tons of kids, and we try to give them something to do when they're around town," McAfoos said.

Not only does the sport give young people something to do, it also teaches them about sportsmanship, Corson said.

"MMA is about respect," he said. "You shake hands before the fight, and blood or no blood, you're shaking hands after the fight."

Fitness benefits also can be realized, said MacDonald, who lost nearly 20 pounds after training at the club for a few months.

"It's one way to really get healthy," said MacDonald, who currently is fighting at 145 pounds. "It teaches you to eat right. Marcus is a nutrition specialist. He taught me a lot about eating correctly, so I can definitely lose the weight and get in shape."

The fighters at The Rusty Cage are doing far more than just passing the time and getting into shape -- they're looking to make some moves in the area MMA scene.

MacDonald and McAfoos are among fighters expected to compete in the Kumite Classic Cage Fight, an amateur/pro event set for May 30 at the Monroeville Convention Center. The event will mark the first step for several fighters in an effort to turn professional.

McAfoos explained most fighters need to have a winning record after about three or four amateur fights in order to turn pro, allowing them to collect prize earnings for their wins. When the Blairsville club was still known as Lion-Do, several fighters there turned professional, but none have made the move yet since it became The Rusty Cage.

McAfoos said he would like to see some of the club's fighters turn pro. "They can start making a decent living, so they can start training full-time and maybe even work up the ranks and get on some of the shows on Showtime or the UFC," he said.

Head has a 5-2 record so far in his amateur career and is one fighter at the club who is close to making the move to the professional ranks. He is expected to have three amateur title shots throughout the summer, beginning with the Valley Fight League 170-pound championship match July 31 in Altoona.

"I'm only looking for big title fights now, and then I'm looking to go pro," Head said.

"If you have a title, you're probably one of the better amateurs," McAfoos noted. "You're going to feel more confident going into the pro division."

Head got a taste of the MMA big leagues recently when he traveled to Las Vegas, Nev., to test his mettle at Xtreme Couture, an MMA training facility led by Randy Couture -- a former UFC champion, Olympic Greco-Roman wrestler and budding actor in action films. Head said he would move back to Las Vegas if he turned professional.

McAfoos, who tips the scale at 205 pounds, also is looking to start a professional career. Because of his age, he is trying to find a way to bypass the normal amateur path.

"I have the skills to work out and hopefully beat up on most of the guys that are already doing it all, so we're going to try to line something up where I might be able to turn pro right away without going through the amateurs," McAfoos said.

That could happen if he has a good showing at Monroeville. But he acknowledged the decision is up to officials of the Pennsylvania Athletic Commission who govern the event.

McAfoos also is looking at ways to try to improve The Rusty Cage. He said he would like to purchase better treadmills and bikes for the gym. He's also interested in offering additional programs, such as special opportunities for disabled veterans and amateur boxing competitions for kids.

Anyone who is interested in more information about The Rusty Cage can log on to www.therustycagefightclub.com call Corson at 412-952-9417 or visit the club at 618 S. Spring St.

The full club membership fee includes three classes per week. Free trials of a single class also are offered.

McAfoos said the classes require much hard work and may not be for everyone, but the people who keep coming back are the ones that exemplify the "Fighters Wanted" motto on the sleeve of the club's official T-shirt.

"You get into situations where you think 'I can't get out of this' or 'this is too hard.' But you work through it, and you're a better person when you come out of it," McAfoos said. "We look for guys with good character. My shirt says 'Fighters Wanted' -- not just in the cage, not just for fighting, but people who want to do something for themselves, build themselves up."

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