FightNerd Interviews David Ross of NY Sanda

The Fight Nerd makes original videos covering mostly MMA and kickboxing gyms. Good stuff! Take a look at his Youtube page.

"The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung

I haven't heard of this guy, but I'm not much of an MMA junkie, so that's not surprising. He looks good! Nice soundtrack too.

Thanks to @crazyfistsblog and pancrase.org (caution: annoying audio ads on this link).

The 52 Blocks

Lyte Burly demonstrating the skull and crossbones block

Interesting video article today on NYTimes.com about "the 52 blocks". They profile Lyte Burly of the East Village (see his youtube videos here) and Daniel Marks. Marks' website has this to say about the history of the 52:

52 Blocks, the only existing martial arts form originating from the United States, originates from Caribbean and Southern US (Gullah island) warrior traditions. Similar to its Brazilian counterpart, Capoeira, the fighting style was initially suppressed during slavery because white slaveowners feared potential rebellions of disenfranchised African-Americans. After Reconstruction, the art form followed the African-American migration Northeast and into the margins of large urban centers. Urban prisons, because of their ethnic breakdown as well as their social code, actually provided a more fertile ground for the art to expand, especially in allowing novices to dedicate themselves to ongoing training intensively. It was within the prison system that 52 evolved, fusing with urban dance and boxing tactics.

Apparently Rashad Evans is familiar with the 52 as well! Here's a video clip of Rashad talking about his fighting influences.

 

Quote of the Day: Lyoto Machida

"If you have a dream for your life, you can achieve it. It's a possible!"

Pure inspiration. Traditional karateka everywhere rejoice.

New York Fighting Championship

The New York Fighting Championship is a new organization putting together... you guessed it, a fighting championship. Not exactly sure what rules they'll be using - clicking on the link for "Rules" give you a list of links to other organization's rules. Take a look.

Frank Shamrock vs. Nate Diaz April 11th

It's on Showtime. I don't have Showtime. Anybody have Showtime?

This is a Strikeforce production. I'm not sure what the rules are.

It's in San Jose, which we all know as Cung Le's backyard... Man I am behind the times. I just read Cung Le's bio and apparently he beat Frank Shamrock in an MMA match? Who knew? And it says that he was an All-American wrestler in high school and JC California state champion from West Valley Junior College. I wrestled in high school growing up in California, and for those that don't know, California has some of the toughest high school and JC wrestling in the nation. To be a JC state champion in California, you actually have to be pretty tough mofo (as well as highly skilled and little bit crazy).

MMA Fighter Luke Cummo Drinks His Own Pee

This may be old news to some of you, but New Hyde Park native Luke Cummo (from the TV show Ultimate Fighter, second season) has an unorthodox diet regime which includes drinking his own urine.

Luke is not only a vegetarian (no meat) and vegan (no animal products such as milk, honey, cheese), but also does not eat anything that is not a "life food". That means no rice, grains or beans. Whaaat?

Yes, that's right, no rice. Take a look at this video, which appears on Luke's website. He interviews his food guru, David Jubb, who says:

Rice is one of the most favorite foods, isn't it, like, of the earth, you know, where people are, it's unbelievable, but it is a drug, it's like shootin' heroin, it really is, it's got those strange undigestible proteins, gliadins, glutenins, glutinin, and these are strange undigestible proteins that can't be broken down even if you put that into tamari or you ferment it, uh, for four or five years in an open barrel, it won't break those proteins down.

I gotta say, that's my favorite way to have gliadins: I just cover them in tamari and let them sit for about five years. (If you look at minute 3:07 of the video, you'll see his eyes bug out as he talks about how awful rice is.)

I grew up in Berkeley, California, so I'm familiar with all these far-out hippie ideas. One of my best friends who lived down the block when I was a kid, his mom used to drink her pee. I never saw her do it, but that was the rumor. I was like, Naawwwww, come on. I mean, sure she's got old newspapers and National Geographics stacked to the ceiling, and the house is always filthy, but that doesn't mean she drinks her own pee... does it?

Later on I found that urine-drinking does have some followers - it's not just something a crazy person does.

It takes a lot of cojones to live your life so far from the mainstream. Luke Cummo is out there doing his thing, and I say good for him. As a reminder, Luke is no joke in the ring.

Hilarious MMA Video

I don't want to give it away - just watch. Only 36 seconds.

NY Times Article on MMA

MMA is still banned in New York State. Here's an article from the NY Times on the current state of affairs.

Those hoping to legalize the sport face a difficult challenge. Legislation to legalize mixed martial arts died last June in the Assembly’s Committee on Tourism, Arts and Sports Development. Assemblyman Bob Reilly, a Democrat from the Albany area, took the floor to excoriate what he called a “disgusting” spectacle.

Mixed Martial Arts Club in High School

The New York Times has a story about an MMA club at Winchester High School in Massachusetts.

At a class last month, Kwak arranged for a guest instructor, Marcelo Siqueira, someone who planned to make regular appearances. Siqueira runs a martial arts center in nearby Somerville and was a national karate champion in Brazil. He has a black belt in Brazilian jujitsu and studied at the famous Chute Boxe mixed martial arts academy in Curitiba, Brazil.

Siqueira was here to help Kwak, one of his students, and also to scout for potential talent. Siqueira manages a few professional fighters. He understands all too well the sport’s violent reputation, having fought in Brazil’s Vale Tudo arenas, the home of the no-holds-barred, bare-knuckle matches that gave birth to mixed martial arts.

“A lot of people think it’s too aggressive or violent,” Siqueira said of the sport of mixed martial arts. “But after a while, they see a different perspective.”

He added that the club offered an opportunity to pour out aggression in a safe environment designed for it. He spoke passionately about the self-discipline required to be a fighter.

Read the whole article here.

NAAFS Night of Champions

CLEVELAND, OH: The North American Allied Fight Series returns to Gray's Armory on Saturday December 6th for one of the showcase Pro/Am events of the year: Night of Champions 2008. This year's event will be highlighted by seven National Amateur Title fights, plus the return of "Smokin" Joe Heiland to NAAFS competition as he takes on UFC reality TV star, "The War Machine" Jon Koppenhaver.

After nearly 10 months away from the cage, Heiland will look for his 11th straight win as he takes the toughest test of his young career in the War Machine. Koppenhaver, a cast member of Spike TV's hit reality show, "The Ultimate Fighter" and UFC veteran, will make his NAAFS debut on December 6th when he invades Cleveland for this highly anticipated lightweight bout. Both fighters make the cut to 155 lbs for the first time.

Click here for more...

Did you see it?

I didn't buy the pay-per-view, and good thing, too! Knocked out in the first round. Wow. I'm not a huge UFC fan, but I did see a lot of the publicity leading up to the fight, and I thought it would be Jackson all the way. Of course that's coming from someone who hasn't seen any of Liddell's fights except on youtube.

Here's the extremely brief official play-by-play from sherdog:

Round 1
Jackson cuts off the cage as Liddell circles. Rampage opens up with a one-two. Liddell calmly steps away. Quinton Jackson knocks out Chuck Liddell with a hard right hand and some pound for good measure. Liddell complains but he was clearly out. The official time is 1:53 of the first.

Limited Spots Left for Combat Sports Training Camp

2007 Combat Sports Training Camp
12 Hours of Mixed Martial Arts Instruction!
New York City , March 9, 10 and 11, 2007
David A Ross, San Da Kickboxing
Carmine Zocchi, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Tim O’Connor, Strength and Conditioning
Ian Morgan, San Da Kickboxing

"I wanted to say what an awesome time we had. Both Instructors showed immense skill and knowledge and were willing to share it all. I can't wait until next year!"
- Chris Herzog, Empire Judo and Boxing club

Who is the camp for?
This camp is for anyone that is looking to challenge themselves. You don’t have to be a fighter to benefit from this camp. Men and women, from any style or system, even those with NO TRAINING, are welcome to attend.

"In the 3 hours I spent at NY San Da, I have to make a confessiont. I learned more about fighting than I learned in the 3 years I spent at my first martial arts school."
- Jason Weiss, Huntington LI

Where is the camp located?
The camp is held at New York San Da at 313 W 37th Street.

What do I need to bring?
Please bring your normal work-out-gear (shorts, shirt, etc) and basic protective equipment including boxing gloves, shin guards, a groin cup and a mouth piece.

Camp Schedule:
Friday, March 9th; Session 1. 7PM-10PM
David A Ross: "Intermediate clinch, knees, elbows, shoulders, takedowns"

Saturday, March 10th; Session 2. 9AM - NOON
Ian Morgan: "Strategy and Set ups"
Tim O'Connor: "Strength and conditioning for combat sports"

Saturday, March 10th; Session 3. 2PM-5PM
Carmine Zocchi: "Side ride and the back, BJJ for MMA"

Sunday, March 11th; Session 4. 10AM-1PM
Cost: $120 for entire weekend (discounts if you attended past camps)

To register
Visit www.SanDa-MMA.com where you can download a registration form and/or pay on line with "PAY PAL". Or call (212) 239-8619 with your credit card.