Meet our Team!
Below is a little bit about our key staff. Feel free to check out our Bios page for more in-depth information.
Contact
Dr. Christopher Chittum
co-founder of Fight Doctors
Date of Birth
Not telling.
Weight Class
185 lbs
Current Profession
Neurosurgeon / Gym Owner / Entrepreneur
Best All-Time Quote
????
About
Favorite All-Time Combat Athlete: Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone
Favorite Film: Dune
Preferred Combat Sport: Jiu-Jitsu
Reason Why You Became Part of the Fight Doctors Team: I created this company with Dr. Kramer in 2013 when we realized what a large deficit of information existed in the MMA community about health, nutrition, weight cutting, and rehydration. We were genuinely concerned about the dangers to the athletes who were not correctly educated on this.
Who Inspired You to Become What You Are Today and How: My parents always encouraged me to take on challenges.
Dr. Chittum received his medical degree from the Medical College of Ohio at Toledo. He completed his internship at the Medical University of South Carolina in General Surgery, followed by a Medical University of South Carolina residency in Neurosurgery. He is board-certified in Neurological Surgery.
Dr. Chittum was the first surgeon to use robotic guidance for lumbar and thoracic spinal fusion in North and South Carolina.. He treats traumatic fractures, acute and degenerative disk problems and incorporates all non-surgical therapies to treat these conditions. In addition, he is trained in the use of artificial disk replacement for the cervical spine when indicated. He removes brain tumors, places shunts and decompresses the brain in times of trauma.
He operates at Spartanburg Regional Hospital, Mary Black Memorial, and holds privileges at Pelham Hospital.
Dr. Chittum is board certified in Neurosurgery and received his medical degree from Medical College of Ohio at Toledo. He completed his internship at Medical University of South Carolina in General Surgery, followed by a Medical University of South Carolina residency in Neurosurgery. His neurosurgery training included seven full years of inclusive spinal treatments, unlike “fellowship” trained spine surgeons who often only get one year of spine training.
Dr. Chittum is the current President of Carolina Orthopaedic and Neurosurgical Associates, Chairman of the Division of Neurosurgery at Spartanburg Regional Hospital. He operates at Spartanburg Regional Hospital, Mary Black Memorial, and holds privileges at Pelham Hospital.
Dr. Ari Kramer
co-founder of Fight Doctors
Date of Birth
September 26, 1970
Weight Class
175 lbs
Current Profession
Surgeon
Best All-Time Quote
“Don’t be the best. Be the only.”
– Unknown.
About
Favorite All-Time Combat Athlete: Roy Jones Jr.
Favorite Film: The Godfather Part 2
Preferred Combat Sport: Mixed Martial Arts
Reason Why You Became Part of the Fight Doctors Team: In our journeys with high-level professional athletes, it became readily apparent that there was a paucity of approachable medical resources for the majority of competitors. It was an obvious gap that needed to be filled.
TheFightDoctors.com was launched with my partners to create a multi-specialty medical company to educate and maintain athlete safety. Our goal is to support professional weight-based combat athletes and give the public access to the same professional medical support. We do this by being a readily available resource to cutting-edge training, recovery, and injury prevention paradigms founded in the latest performance-based science.
Who Inspired You to Become What You Are Today and How: Dr. Brett Osborn, a practicing neurosurgeon and rabid proponent of optimizing robust health and living, whose passion for achieving maximum gains in all of life became my own working mantra.
Ari Kramer, MD, earned his postgraduate medical degree from Ross University School of Medicine and subsequently completed his General Surgical training at Spartanburg Medical Center. He currently maintains the American College of Surgeons Board Certification and is a general surgery specialist in Spartanburg, SC. Since getting his license to practice in South Carolina, Dr. Kramer has been practicing for over 24 years and currently practices at Medical Group of the Carolinas – Vascular Access Services and is affiliated with Spartanburg Medical Center.
Dr. Kramer is the co-founder of thefightdoctors.com, a combat-based medical company whose principles were founded on providing combat athletes personalized access to medical strategies for optimizing performance and preventing injury. He continues to serve as a medical advisor to professional teams and individuals seeking experience in coordinating subspecialty medical services while also serving as the primary educator to athletes and teams on high-risk weight-cutting practices. He has a broad knowledge of mixed martial arts and related traumatic injury, maintains an active interest in primary prevention and post-combat recovery, and serves local, regional, and professional athletes at every level in MMA.
Dr. Bobby Pereyo
Date of Birth
March 4, 1971
Weight Class
Middleweight
Current Profession
Physician of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mechanical Engineer
Best All-Time Quote
“I can accept failure. Everybody fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.”
– Michael Jordan.
“If you are not first, then you are last.”
– Ricky Bobby.
About
Favorite All-Time Combat Athlete: Chuck Liddell
Favorite Film: Hoosiers
Preferred Combat Sport: UFC
Reason Why You Became Part of the Fight Doctors Team: To help athletes get to their top physical condition while training and before fights. Along the way, we realized that we could assist professional athletes and the weekend warriors, gym rats, and people who love to exercise and stay fit — because that’s most of us.
Who Inspired You to Become What You Are Today and How: My father. He always worked hard, strived for the best, and treated everyone with respect – no matter what. He taught me that whatever you do, do it to the best of your ability, and good things will follow.
Dr. Pereyo received his medical degree from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC. He also completed his internship and residency at MUSC. Dr. Pereyo has special interests in robotic surgery, high-risk obstetrics as well as vaginal and laparoscopic surgeries. He is board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology.
Chris Romansky
Date of Birth
January 16, 1978
Weight Class
Middleweight
(I’m a golfer, not a fighter)
Current Profession
Product Portfolio Manager North America, Compliance Officer for TheFightDoctors.Com
Best All-Time Quote
“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”
“Whether you think you can or you think you can’t – you’re right.”
About
Favorite All-Time Combat Athlete: Mike Tyson
Favorite Film: Bourne Series
Preferred Combat Sport: UFC
Reason Why You Became Part of the Fight Doctors Team: To bring high-level products and services to the people who want and need them.
Who Inspired You to Become What You Are Today and How: My grandmother. She encouraged me in anything and everything I always wanted to do, even when others doubted it.
Tanner Saraceno
Date of Birth
January 3, 1991
Weight Class
170 lbs
Current Profession
Professional Mixed Martial Artist and tree service owner/operator.
Best All-Time Quote
“Send it.”
About
Favorite All-Time Combat Athlete: Bas Rutten
Favorite Film: The Princess Bride
Preferred Combat Sport: Mixed Martial Arts
Reason Why You Became Part of the Fight Doctors Team: To help grow the business and help people learn the best way possible to compete and live.
Who Inspired You to Become What You Are Today and How: My father and mother inspired me through their work ethic, providing for our family while growing up.
Tanner is currently making a name for himself in the regional MMA scene and hopes to make it into the UFC one day. Known as “The Hammer,” Tanner once appeared in the WWE reality show, Tough Enough. That experience brought him a fan base and experience that he is now utilizing in the MMA ring.
Dr. Mark Kaitner
co-founder of Fight Doctors
Date of Birth
July 7, 1975
Weight Class
180lbs
Current Profession
Anesthesiologist
Medical Business Owner
Entrepreneur
Best All-Time Quote
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”
– Mahatma Gandhi.
About
Favorite All-Time Combat Athlete: Khabib Nurmagomedov
Favorite Film: The Shawshank Redemption
Preferred Combat Sport: MMA
Reason Why You Became Part of the Fight Doctors Team: I attended my first live UFC fight in 2016 with Dr. Kramer and Dr. Chittum of the Fight Doctors. I was instantly hooked as I sat backstage and chatted with these professional fighters. They shared many of the same qualities I used to succeed in my profession: mental toughness, intelligence, discipline, hard work, and drive. The one thing I felt many of them lacked, though, was a basic understanding of the science behind proper nutrition, weight cuts, hydration, refueling, and supplementation. The thought of using my background in medicine to help these professionals become the best athletes they can be was instantaneous and is why I became part of the Fight Doctors team.
Who Inspired You to Become What You Are Today and How: My children have inspired me to be the person I am today. They taught me to love unconditionally and strive to be the best in everything I do. I am honest, kind, unselfish, and giving…the best version of myself because of them.
Mark A. Kaitner, M.D. attended Texas A&M University and earned his medical degree at Ross University School of medicine in 2002, where he graduated with honors. He completed his anesthesiology residency at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, where he met his wife, Becky. Dr. Mark Kaitner is a board-certified anesthesiologist in San Antonio, Texas, and is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area, including South Texas Spine and Surgical Hospital and the Methodist Healthcare System. His professional interests center around regional anesthesia for orthopedic surgery. In his spare time, Dr. Kaitner enjoys golfing, fishing, and traveling with friends.
