Monday, January 12, 2015

A Shakeup at the New York State Athletic Commission and What it Means for the Sport

NEW YORK


Longtime New York State Athletic Commission Chairperson Melvina Lathan was ousted today, and named as her replacement was Thomas Hoover, whose resume includes a stint running the boxing program for the Oneida Indian Nation in Upstate New York. It's unclear at this point where Commissioner Hoover stands on MMA, but the sport is certainly losing an ally with Commissioner Lathan's departure.

Watch a Kung Fu Master Get Smoked in Chinatown

NEW YORK


You know what probably sucks? Touting yourself as a master of kung fu, throwing down in a very public challenge match, getting creamed, and having the video disseminated across YouTube like the secret recipe to Kentucky Fried Chicken. Such was the case with Sifu Sharif Bey, who is based out of Syracuse and is a proponent of a particular style of kung fu called Hung Gar. Last month, Sifu Bey found himself taking on some guy wearing MMA gloves at the pavilion in Chinatown's Columbus Park - a spot where kung fu practitioners often meet to train and test themselves - and, well, let's just say that Sifu Bey got the worst of it.

Here's the video: