Archive for January, 2009
Thursday, January 22nd, 2009
7 of the 8 Pro Tournament Contestants with the New 115lb. Championship Belt
Tools of the Trade
Jackson Seminar
Tuesday, January 20th, 2009Coach Greg Jackson told the women that they were each a piece of “living history.” Dozens of female athletes, including Julie Kedzie, Kim Couture, Shayna Bazler, and Tara LaRosa, were participating in the groundbreaking 2009 GFight (HOOK n SHOOT) Women’s Mixed Martial Arts Summit in Evansville, Indiana. Jackson conducted a three-hour seminar covering all aspects of MMA, and, before dismissing everyone, he spoke from his heart. “Someday, people will look back at the people in this room as the ‘Royce Gracies’ of women’s MMA.” He challenged them to stay united and ignore whatever personal squabbles that may arise in order to serve the greater good of all female fighters—present and future.
The weeklong convention culminated with amateur and professional MMA tournaments on January 16th and 17th respectively. The UK’s Lisa Higo captured the first ever GFight Women’s Championionship (115 pounds) and will grace the cover of a new women’s mixed martial arts magazine to be launched soon.
2009 Gfight Summit – Women’s MMA
Friday, January 16th, 2009
Julie Kedzie, Coach Greg Jackson, and Kim Couture in Evansville, IN
It’s Not Too Late for a New New Year’s Resolution
Monday, January 12th, 2009
Fujii
Still wondering what New Year’s Resolution to make? How about this one? “I will become a fan of women’s MMA.” You may have excuses all lined up from previous resolutions come and failed. “I’ve tried that before and it didn’t work.” “I did it for awhile, but I lost interest.” “I’ll wait till next year.” The time to change is now! Here’s why.
Top 5 Reasons to Start Watching Women’s MMA:
5. They still have tournaments. A true test of wills, tournaments require the competitor to have multiple fights in a single evening—adding to the drama and storyline of the event.
4. Parity. Although many believe that the UFC has locked up most of the top talent available, you can find marquee guys in other organizations. However, because women’s MMA is still in its infancy, the top females have to fight each other. There just isn’t many superstar women mixed martial artists out there—yet.
3. The intensity. With few exceptions, the girls get after it! Less lay-and-pray; fewer split decisions; constant action and torrid pace.
2. Mythological Creatures. Okay, there aren’t any Minotaurs (or Minotauros, either) competing in women’s MMA, but they do have Megumi Fujii. “Mega Megu” might as well be Fedor—as close to supernatural as anyone. Although she fights in a smaller weight class, she is the biggest talent. Recognized as one of the best female grapplers in the world, her fights most often (13 of 16) end in slick submission.
1. They are keeping the “A” alive. Tired of the cloned male fighter: tattoos, skull shirt, and painted toes—acting like an ass? The Art is being put back into MMA: technique, attitude, and honor. It is women who are more consistently representing the true Warrior Spirit.
Make this New Year’s Resolution: I will watch and support female fighters. It is the same sport; it’s time to give equal credit to whom it’s due. Pick someone to follow: Tara LaRosa, Kelly Kobold, Cyborg Santos, Shayna Baszler, Lisa Ward, Angela Magana, Rosi Sexton, or Cat Albert. Who knows? By January 2010, you may have forgotten all about the men.
Kings of Karate
Wednesday, January 7th, 2009
Netflix may be the anti-Christ. I have had a subscription to this DVDs-in-the-mail service for a few years now, but the addition of an online “Watch Instantly” option has nearly taken over my life. Netflix’s library is extensive to put it mildly, and having that many films, TV show seasons, and documentaries at my fingertips has severed most of my ties to the outside world. Fortunately, though, I can convert my wasted time into a wealth of second hand, mixed martial arts movie knowledge for you.
Perhaps the granddaddy of MMA flicks, Rickson Gracie’s Choke (1999) uses the backdrop of the 1995 Vale Tudo World Fighting Championship in Tokyo to provide an intriguing glimpse into the psychological and physical toughness of Rickson himself—his mindset, outlook, and sometimes-bizarre training methods. In 2008, Rickson’s cousin Renzo was featured in the documentary Legacy. Unlike Choke, the film refrains from canonizing Renzo, but instead, illuminates the fighter in all his foibles—exemplifying both losses and triumphs. Noble or stubborn? Arrogant or certain? Legacy’s realism allows the viewer to draw her own conclusions about Renzo’s philosophy of “die trying” illustrated perhaps most poignantly by his refusal to submit to Kazushi Sakuraba, the famed “Gracie Hunter,” who eventually broke Renzo’s arm via Kimura at PRIDE 10 in 2000.
But here’s a hidden gem you may have missed. Two decades before Choke, Fighting Black Kings [also known as The Strongest Karate] (1976) introduces Kyokushin Karate—a full-contact martial art allowing everything but fists to the head. The film uses the first World Open Karate Tournament held in Tokyo as a backdrop to showcase the flashy style of African-Americans Charles Martin, William Oliver, and Willie Williams. They are a glaring contrast to the stoic traditionalism of the Japanese champion Katsuaki Satō. Fighting Black Kings travelogues the participants’ brutal training across several continents interspersed with the fights from The Open’s grueling tournament format (something the Gracies would popularize with the original UFC) which forced participants to fight multiple times in a single day—with no weight classes, gloves, or other protection.
Fighting Black Kings is the Shaft of MMA documentaries: hard, gritty, and super fly. Check out the original trailer at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7Vm5wYP-AQ
If you miss the old UFC, kung fu Saturday mornings, or lost your copy of Enter The Dragon—watch Fighting Black Kings. Ya dig?