LaFlare’s tea bar likely opening in time for Great South Bay Music Festival

Ryan LaFlare is trading in punching bags for tea bags, and armbars for a tea bar.

The 35-year-old UFC veteran, who retired last year from professional MMA, will be opening a kava tea bar later this month on Long Island. In an exclusive with ThatMMAShow.com, LaFlare revealed that he expects to have his shop up-and-running in time for the Great South Bay Music Festival, which runs July 18-21 in Patchogue, N.Y.

The fest could mean big business for the former standout welterweight, as the tea bar will open at the former home of SubZero creamery — a 1,200-sqaure-foot space at 73 North Ocean Ave.

LaFlare went 7-3 inside the UFC’s world-famous Octagon, and 14-3 overall. But after such a stellar fighting career, he’s content to try a new venture in his hometown of Long Island.

LaFlare’s tea bar — Long Island’s first ever facility dedicated to kava tea –will be a healthy alternative to Patchogue’s bustling bar scene. When exactly will the shop be open? “I’m hoping for early to mid-July,” LaFlare tweeted to That MMA Show reporter Eric Holden.

If he’s able to get the bar going by mid-July, it’ll be just in time for Great South Bay, an annual music festival that attracts thousands to Patchogue’s waterfront.

This year, Great South Bay Music Festival features the likes of Taking Back Sunday, Glassjaw and Sublime with Rome.

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