Monday, March 5, 2012
NY MMA Rally Tomorrow - Guess Who's Getting the Mic?
There's a rally in Midtown Manhattan tomorrow supporting the sanctioning of MMA in New York State, and guess who's getting the mic? If you guessed "Jim Genia", you are correct. Myself, plus former State Assemblyman Michael Benjamin - who supported the MMA bills in years past - will be guest speakers at the event. The rally starts at 11:30am and is being held at 633 Third Avenue (which is Governor Cuomo's office). Pitchforks and flaming torches are encouraged, and yes, I will be practicing my beatboxing.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
MUSU Postscript
It ain't the UCL, but Manup Standup continues to do its own thang and entertain. Today's MUSU installment featured a hodgepodge tournament of "novices" whacking each other while wearing headgear (which I don't find that enthralling), but the two bouts that had more advanced fighters going at it with no head protection... yeah, that's the stuff. DJ from Syracuse managed to fend off some kid from Utah's best in what was, on paper, supposed to be Wing Chun versus Wing Chun, but in reality played out like a UFC 1 bout. And the main event, which had MUSU champ Will Cavali throwing down against UCL veteran (and Garcia Gung Fu stylist) Chris Lorenzo, was a fun showcase of skill and ability. Lorenzo's got heart and a fair share of technique, but a precision kick to the body did him in, with Cavali once more proving he's the man when it comes to kung fu.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Weekend Schedule
Yeah, yeah, there's a UFC tonight on FX and a Strikeforce tomorrow night on Showtime. But what's got me excited is the lecture and discussion on Pankration in Astoria on Saturday night (info here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/events/119074774878817/), and the Manup Standup event on Sunday afternoon in Jamaica, Queens.
The Pankration thingy will supposedly have some notable speakers of the MMA variety, and hey, I loves me some Greek food, so expect tweets on that.
The MUSU event should be it's usual "Big Trouble in Little China" goodness, and to make things even more interesting, MUSU champ Will Cavali is defending his championship belt against UCL fighter Chris Lorenzo. You may recall that Cavali fought at a UCL event about month ago in a kickboxing bout and lost to the veteran Alejandro Richardson. Well, the cross pollination of underground shows continues, and now Cavali - who's actually a pretty badass fighter - gets to face down a UCLer on his home turf. You know you can be expecting some tweets on that while it's going down!
The Pankration thingy will supposedly have some notable speakers of the MMA variety, and hey, I loves me some Greek food, so expect tweets on that.
The MUSU event should be it's usual "Big Trouble in Little China" goodness, and to make things even more interesting, MUSU champ Will Cavali is defending his championship belt against UCL fighter Chris Lorenzo. You may recall that Cavali fought at a UCL event about month ago in a kickboxing bout and lost to the veteran Alejandro Richardson. Well, the cross pollination of underground shows continues, and now Cavali - who's actually a pretty badass fighter - gets to face down a UCLer on his home turf. You know you can be expecting some tweets on that while it's going down!
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Life-Long Dream Realized
When I was a kid growing up in the favelas of East Hampton, I used to read Black Belt Magazine and dream of one day being featured in the publication. Well, that dream has been realized. Check out this month's issue for a profile on yours truly.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Take-On to Crack the Madison Square Garden Nut
While us New York MMA fans have been languishing in a world without sanctioned fighting, Take-On has been cranking out Muay Thai events - at a neat little venue out in Flushing, at the Beacon Theater in Manhattan, and even at Bally's Casino in Atlantic City. And now the standup fighting organization will be cracking the Madison Square Garden nut before anyone else. Friday, March 16, is the date, and Take-On will be bringing something like seventeen bouts to the WAMU Theater (which is inside MSG - it's where Cirque du Soleil usually performs), including a fight between Philly trainer Rigel Balsamico and UFC vet Ryan Madigan. Hooray for Muay Thai! Also, color me jealous. I want my MMA at MSG. Damn you, New York State.
Monday, February 13, 2012
And Now the Circle is Complete
Gawker gave Sunday night's UCL the long-form treatment, and there's a pretty sweet shoutout to RAW COMBAT in there, too. Link here: http://gawker.com/5884594/semi+legal-pastimes-a-night-at-the-underground-combat-league.
So now my question is, what's left in terms of media outlets mentioning my book? It's been in the New York Times, the Observer, Metro New York, ESPN.com, MMAJunkie.com, the Tapout blog, Gawker, and quite a few others, and there should be impending mentions in upcoming issues of Men's Journal and Black Belt Magazine. I know there's television media out there, and radio shows, but, sheesh, I feel like most of the bases have been hit.
So now my question is, what's left in terms of media outlets mentioning my book? It's been in the New York Times, the Observer, Metro New York, ESPN.com, MMAJunkie.com, the Tapout blog, Gawker, and quite a few others, and there should be impending mentions in upcoming issues of Men's Journal and Black Belt Magazine. I know there's television media out there, and radio shows, but, sheesh, I feel like most of the bases have been hit.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
UCL Postscript
It started off like just any other edition of the Underground Combat League, but then things unexpectedly took a turn for the "yikes". Today's UCL featured four MMA bouts and one grappling match, and in attendance was Ottavia Bourdain, pro fighter Villi Bello, a writer from Gawker.com, and producer John Moody - and in the second bout, they, and everyone else present, witnessed a fighter getting his leg broken.
It was a freak accident. One guy (Marwin) took another guy's back (Adriano) while they were standing, and Adriano planted his foot wrong and everything gave away. His femur was visibly bent in a way the bone isn't supposed to bend. There was no screaming, no wails or cries of pain. The fallen fighter just grimaced and gritted his teeth.
Peter Storm and Rage Rivas wasted no time rolling Adriano onto a folding table, and he was carted off to the back. EMS was called, and they showed up with about a dozen cops (who didn't care one bit about the show going on and promptly left). Eventually, EMS did their thing, and Adriano was rolled away on a gurney and taken to an ambulance outside (and he was applauded by the crowd as he left).
It wasn't the first time an ambulance has had to come to a UCL. Years ago, New Jersey pro fighter Glenn Ortiz had his arm popped and suffered a concussion at the hands of badass jiu-jitsu ace Rene Driefuss, and Glenn needed to take a trip to the hospital afterwards. But this, this was... yeesh.
There's been about 40 UCLs at this point, and until now no one has ever been injured so badly that they couldn't step out of the ring on their own two feet. Not even when Frankie Edgar went to war with Eric Uresk, or when the 200-pound Kaream Ellington fought the 300-pound Bryan Vetell, or when however many countless fighters got choked unconscious or put to sleep by a punch. I guess what I'm getting at is this was a freak thing, a thing that could've happened at any sanctioned show anywhere else. And Storm and Rivas did their thing without hesitation, taking care that Adriano was moved carefully and that professional medical help was on its way.
One day, when MMA is sanctioned here in New York, there are going to be a few promoters who know what they're doing (because they've done MMA shows elsewhere), and there's going to be a bunch of yahoos who are going to mess things the fuck up. The UCL team, who are working with nothing in a state that doesn't want them around, played the shitty hand they were dealt and didn't fuck things up. When MMA is sanctioned here, the UCL team is going to be among the former.
Anyway, a shoutout to the fighters who shined in the ring, and who hailed from such schools as Team Renzo, Radical Jiu-Jitsu, Asylum Fight Team and Twin Towers Wrestling. You don't get paid to fight in the UCL, you do it to test yourself and for the love of the sport. Win or lose, each and every one of them deserves respect.
It was a freak accident. One guy (Marwin) took another guy's back (Adriano) while they were standing, and Adriano planted his foot wrong and everything gave away. His femur was visibly bent in a way the bone isn't supposed to bend. There was no screaming, no wails or cries of pain. The fallen fighter just grimaced and gritted his teeth.
Peter Storm and Rage Rivas wasted no time rolling Adriano onto a folding table, and he was carted off to the back. EMS was called, and they showed up with about a dozen cops (who didn't care one bit about the show going on and promptly left). Eventually, EMS did their thing, and Adriano was rolled away on a gurney and taken to an ambulance outside (and he was applauded by the crowd as he left).
It wasn't the first time an ambulance has had to come to a UCL. Years ago, New Jersey pro fighter Glenn Ortiz had his arm popped and suffered a concussion at the hands of badass jiu-jitsu ace Rene Driefuss, and Glenn needed to take a trip to the hospital afterwards. But this, this was... yeesh.
There's been about 40 UCLs at this point, and until now no one has ever been injured so badly that they couldn't step out of the ring on their own two feet. Not even when Frankie Edgar went to war with Eric Uresk, or when the 200-pound Kaream Ellington fought the 300-pound Bryan Vetell, or when however many countless fighters got choked unconscious or put to sleep by a punch. I guess what I'm getting at is this was a freak thing, a thing that could've happened at any sanctioned show anywhere else. And Storm and Rivas did their thing without hesitation, taking care that Adriano was moved carefully and that professional medical help was on its way.
One day, when MMA is sanctioned here in New York, there are going to be a few promoters who know what they're doing (because they've done MMA shows elsewhere), and there's going to be a bunch of yahoos who are going to mess things the fuck up. The UCL team, who are working with nothing in a state that doesn't want them around, played the shitty hand they were dealt and didn't fuck things up. When MMA is sanctioned here, the UCL team is going to be among the former.
Anyway, a shoutout to the fighters who shined in the ring, and who hailed from such schools as Team Renzo, Radical Jiu-Jitsu, Asylum Fight Team and Twin Towers Wrestling. You don't get paid to fight in the UCL, you do it to test yourself and for the love of the sport. Win or lose, each and every one of them deserves respect.
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