Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Dramatis Personae: Blacky Chan

Stephen Plummer, a.k.a. "Blacky Chan". As the name might imply, he's a Chinese martial art exponent, but he's been calling the world of MMA his home for some time now, climbing into the ring and throwing down with whoever is willing.

Though a regular at the UCL these days, the first time I ever saw Blackie Chan compete was at another underground show, some half-baked attempt called Martial Arts Madness at a gym out in Brooklyn. There, the competitors had to wear pads - including headgear - and the competitors skewed towards the traditonal martial artists out to give "this whole MMA" thing a try. Which was fine, as there was action. Ill-prepared dudes got knocked out by dudes who were very much prepared, sharks got to eat guppies, and scrappy individuals got to mix it up with equally scrappy individuals. Black Chan was one such scrappy individual, and though he fell prey to a straight right that put his dazed on his butt, he threw down like he was meant to be in there.

Which, ultimately, is a good trait to have when you're a fighter, and it's a trait he carries with him to this day. At the last UCL, the tall, lanky and amiable Blackie Chan took on Peter Storm. And sure, he eventually succumbed to a kimura - coming from a kung fu background, Blackie Chan freely acknowledges that he's still got some learning to do on the ground. But the man can scrap. Sometimes, that's all that matters.