Thursday, February 20, 2014
Obligatory UFC 170 Post
UFC
Because it's hard to ignore these big UFCs when they roll around, no matter how preoccupied with New York I get.
Because it's hard to ignore these big UFCs when they roll around, no matter how preoccupied with New York I get.
7 Days in NYC: Wednesday - 2.19.14
NEW YORK
If you say the words "jiu-jitsu" and "New York City" together, usually the first thing that comes to the average fight fan's mind are the big name instructors - like Renzo Gracie, John Danaher and Marcelo Garcia. But in a city with almost 8.5 million residents, there's bound to be more than the big names teaching that beautiful-yet-badass Brazilian art.
Carmine Zocchi is one of those unsung instructors. And his story harkens back to the days when the UFC was small, and the outlets in the Big Apple where one could learn how to fight like they did in the cage were scant. Back in the mid- to late '90s, you could train at Renzo's growing academy, maybe Fabio Clemente's tiny operation set up in the yoga room of a health club, and that was it in terms of destination schools. But if for some reason or another those places weren't for you, you needed a bit of luck - which is what Carmine had when he found a purple belt to teach him what it meant to effectively execute the chokes and armbars and escapes that form the backbone of the style. (Yeah, you could say we take for granted today what was a scarce commodity back then.)
Eventually, Carmine hooked up with UFC 20 veteran Marcelo Mello, an old school jiu-jitsu black belt fresh off the boat from Brazil, and with Mello teaching out of the basement of a health club in Astoria, Carmine earned a purple belt himself. Eventually, Mello would award him a black belt of his own.
It's Wednesday, Day Two of this whole "7 Days in NYC" thing, so I'm driving out to Carmine's school in a distant part of Queens (Maspeth to be exact, which is hella far from any subway station). For insight on what it was like to train and fight outside of Renzo's circle back in the day, Carmine's perspective is both unique and invaluable.
I first met Carmine in 2001, when I strolled into a budding MMA school called Combined Martial Arts, which at the time was on the second floor of a building in Jackson Heights. Outside the window, maybe only 20 feet away, the 7 train was a constant distraction as it rumbled either towards Flushing or Manhattan, but the school was a gem, complete with a ring, mats, and plenty of space to create fighters. One such fighter was Kaream Ellington, and there was Carmine, putting him through his paces on the ground. It was someone else's academy back then, Carmine was just on staff as an instructor.
Oh how times have changed...
If you say the words "jiu-jitsu" and "New York City" together, usually the first thing that comes to the average fight fan's mind are the big name instructors - like Renzo Gracie, John Danaher and Marcelo Garcia. But in a city with almost 8.5 million residents, there's bound to be more than the big names teaching that beautiful-yet-badass Brazilian art.
Carmine Zocchi is one of those unsung instructors. And his story harkens back to the days when the UFC was small, and the outlets in the Big Apple where one could learn how to fight like they did in the cage were scant. Back in the mid- to late '90s, you could train at Renzo's growing academy, maybe Fabio Clemente's tiny operation set up in the yoga room of a health club, and that was it in terms of destination schools. But if for some reason or another those places weren't for you, you needed a bit of luck - which is what Carmine had when he found a purple belt to teach him what it meant to effectively execute the chokes and armbars and escapes that form the backbone of the style. (Yeah, you could say we take for granted today what was a scarce commodity back then.)
Eventually, Carmine hooked up with UFC 20 veteran Marcelo Mello, an old school jiu-jitsu black belt fresh off the boat from Brazil, and with Mello teaching out of the basement of a health club in Astoria, Carmine earned a purple belt himself. Eventually, Mello would award him a black belt of his own.
It's Wednesday, Day Two of this whole "7 Days in NYC" thing, so I'm driving out to Carmine's school in a distant part of Queens (Maspeth to be exact, which is hella far from any subway station). For insight on what it was like to train and fight outside of Renzo's circle back in the day, Carmine's perspective is both unique and invaluable.
I first met Carmine in 2001, when I strolled into a budding MMA school called Combined Martial Arts, which at the time was on the second floor of a building in Jackson Heights. Outside the window, maybe only 20 feet away, the 7 train was a constant distraction as it rumbled either towards Flushing or Manhattan, but the school was a gem, complete with a ring, mats, and plenty of space to create fighters. One such fighter was Kaream Ellington, and there was Carmine, putting him through his paces on the ground. It was someone else's academy back then, Carmine was just on staff as an instructor.
Oh how times have changed...
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
7 Days in NYC: Tuesday - 2.18.14
NEW YORK
There are coaches who make jiu-jitsu competitors and coaches who make MMA fighters. Justin Garcia - whose school, the Jungle Gym, is nestled under the elevated tracks of the 6 train in the Bronx - makes warriors. I know this because I've seen his "tribe" go to war, at Ring of Combat in Atlantic City, N.J., and at nearby amateur MMA shows. The chants, the cheers, the ferocity, the unity - it's not hard to imagine that in another time and another place, the walls of the Jungle Gym would be adorned with the ears and scalps of foes long since vanquished.
Of course, I don't actually expect to see dangling ears or scalps today. Such savagery has no place in the modern world (the gym's Bronx location notwithstanding), and Justin's more about the whole "pressure to power" philosophy than crushing enemies and hearing the lamentations of their women. No, on the short drive across the RFK Bridge and up the Bruckner, I'm anticipating a friendly vibe and a chat with one of the best instructors in the Five Boroughs.
I first met Justin (a.k.a. "Master Chim") in 2005, at a Sportfighting event in Hoboken. Sportfighting was the short-lived MMA venture of Brian Cimins, the man behind Grapplers Quest, and just prior to Justin's dramatic and intense entrance, some kid named Frankie Edgar had choked out a local fan-favorite named Jay Isip. But all that came before on that night and all that came after paled in comparison to the fire Justin brought into the ring with him, and the audience packed into the gymnasium at the Stevens Institute of Technology responded in kind. And if, by some strange miracle, a reporter from the New York Times or ESPN had wandered into the venue and sat through the whole show on that chilly December evening (and it was fucking cold outside, believe me), the sum of the resulting article would've been about the god of war from the Bronx and the devastation he had wrought.
But it's 2014 now, and as I enter the gym and am directed into Justin's office, I'm greeted by the natural evolution of jiu-jitsu black belt and fighting badass-turned wise instructor. Sure, his walls are adorned with weapons - a Spartan spear, a katana, a pair of rapiers, an axe, and even a Klingon bat'leth - but his shelves are thick with books on a wide range of subjects, and the framed picture on his desk of his wife and three young sons in jiu-jitsu gis speaks volumes of just how that erupting volcano of a temperament was cooled.
There are coaches who make jiu-jitsu competitors and coaches who make MMA fighters. Justin Garcia - whose school, the Jungle Gym, is nestled under the elevated tracks of the 6 train in the Bronx - makes warriors. I know this because I've seen his "tribe" go to war, at Ring of Combat in Atlantic City, N.J., and at nearby amateur MMA shows. The chants, the cheers, the ferocity, the unity - it's not hard to imagine that in another time and another place, the walls of the Jungle Gym would be adorned with the ears and scalps of foes long since vanquished.
Of course, I don't actually expect to see dangling ears or scalps today. Such savagery has no place in the modern world (the gym's Bronx location notwithstanding), and Justin's more about the whole "pressure to power" philosophy than crushing enemies and hearing the lamentations of their women. No, on the short drive across the RFK Bridge and up the Bruckner, I'm anticipating a friendly vibe and a chat with one of the best instructors in the Five Boroughs.
I first met Justin (a.k.a. "Master Chim") in 2005, at a Sportfighting event in Hoboken. Sportfighting was the short-lived MMA venture of Brian Cimins, the man behind Grapplers Quest, and just prior to Justin's dramatic and intense entrance, some kid named Frankie Edgar had choked out a local fan-favorite named Jay Isip. But all that came before on that night and all that came after paled in comparison to the fire Justin brought into the ring with him, and the audience packed into the gymnasium at the Stevens Institute of Technology responded in kind. And if, by some strange miracle, a reporter from the New York Times or ESPN had wandered into the venue and sat through the whole show on that chilly December evening (and it was fucking cold outside, believe me), the sum of the resulting article would've been about the god of war from the Bronx and the devastation he had wrought.
But it's 2014 now, and as I enter the gym and am directed into Justin's office, I'm greeted by the natural evolution of jiu-jitsu black belt and fighting badass-turned wise instructor. Sure, his walls are adorned with weapons - a Spartan spear, a katana, a pair of rapiers, an axe, and even a Klingon bat'leth - but his shelves are thick with books on a wide range of subjects, and the framed picture on his desk of his wife and three young sons in jiu-jitsu gis speaks volumes of just how that erupting volcano of a temperament was cooled.
Welcome to "7 Days in NYC"
NEW YORK
It may be the last state to resist sanctioning the sport, but as it is, New York already has a ton of MMA and MMA-related stuff going on within its borders. So much so in fact that stuff can be written about it daily - which is why, for the next seven days, I'm going to be going out and gathering news pertaining to MMA in the Big Apple and posting it here on MMA Journalist. Expect a bunch of interviews, event coverage (there are two MMA shows in New York City this weekend), videos... the works.
Welcome to "7 Days in NYC" (#7DaysInNYC on Twitter).
It may be the last state to resist sanctioning the sport, but as it is, New York already has a ton of MMA and MMA-related stuff going on within its borders. So much so in fact that stuff can be written about it daily - which is why, for the next seven days, I'm going to be going out and gathering news pertaining to MMA in the Big Apple and posting it here on MMA Journalist. Expect a bunch of interviews, event coverage (there are two MMA shows in New York City this weekend), videos... the works.
Welcome to "7 Days in NYC" (#7DaysInNYC on Twitter).
Go Behind the Scenes at CFFC 25
PENNSYLVANIA
Last June the Cage Fury Fighting Championship went to Pennsylvania (as they are known to sometimes do) for their 25th show. Since Pennsylvania is a bit far for my driving tastes, I did not go, but thankfully, CFFC did this behind the scenes video. Enjoy!
Monday, February 17, 2014
Dana White's Vlog for UFC 170 - Now with More Fighters Crying
UFC
The best thing about Dana White's vlogs are the behind-the-scenes stuff we're made privy to. For instance, did you know that it's totally cool to cry after you lose in the Octagon?
The best thing about Dana White's vlogs are the behind-the-scenes stuff we're made privy to. For instance, did you know that it's totally cool to cry after you lose in the Octagon?
Jon Jones Stumps for MMA in New York
NEW YORK
UFC light-heavyweight champ Jon Jones did some stumping for the MMA in New York movement over the weekend, sending a letter to a Black and Puerto Rican legislative caucus that implored them to help push the MMA bill forward. The caucus was meeting in Albany to... do whatever it is they do up there - go to strip clubs? Eat steaks? Shiver in the cold? I've been to Albany a few times now and I'm still not entirely sure what it is they do.
Anyway, good on Jones for sending the letter. You can read it below.
UFC light-heavyweight champ Jon Jones did some stumping for the MMA in New York movement over the weekend, sending a letter to a Black and Puerto Rican legislative caucus that implored them to help push the MMA bill forward. The caucus was meeting in Albany to... do whatever it is they do up there - go to strip clubs? Eat steaks? Shiver in the cold? I've been to Albany a few times now and I'm still not entirely sure what it is they do.
Anyway, good on Jones for sending the letter. You can read it below.
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Some UFC Fight Night 36 Vids
UFC
Here are some vids from last night's UFC, which had so many decisions that Baby Jesus wept.
Here are some vids from last night's UFC, which had so many decisions that Baby Jesus wept.
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Mike Constantino One Step Closer to Becoming Dana White
NEW JERSEY
New Jersey-based coach, manager and all-around nice guy Mike Constantino is what you'd call a Rennaissance Man. When it comes to MMA, he literally almost does it all. Well, you can add "president of a top regional MMA promotion" the list, as Constantino is now the president of the Cage Fury Fighter Championships. Hooray, congrats, blah, blah, blah and all that. What's most notable about this news is how much like Dana White our pal Mike is getting to be. Let's lay out the facts for comparison, shall we?
Obviously, they're aren't alike in every way yet, but there are some traits they share. Are the similarities freaking you out like they freak me out?
New Jersey-based coach, manager and all-around nice guy Mike Constantino is what you'd call a Rennaissance Man. When it comes to MMA, he literally almost does it all. Well, you can add "president of a top regional MMA promotion" the list, as Constantino is now the president of the Cage Fury Fighter Championships. Hooray, congrats, blah, blah, blah and all that. What's most notable about this news is how much like Dana White our pal Mike is getting to be. Let's lay out the facts for comparison, shall we?
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Mike Constantino
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Dana White
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president of CFFC
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president of UFC
|
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trained the likes of Jim and Dan Miller, and tons of other
fighters
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former boxercise trainer
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former fighter
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fought on the hard streets of Boston
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owns AMA Fight Club gym
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probably has some sort of stake in the UFC Gym franchise
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has a full head of well-maintained hair
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bald as an eagle
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lives in New Jersey, where it has snowed a lot
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brought tons of artificial snow to his yard in Las Vegas so his
kids could make snowmen or something
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Friday, February 14, 2014
UFC Fight Night 36's Northeast MMA Connection
UFC
Not that you would need any convincing, but there's a very good reason to tune in to UFC Fight Night 36 tomorrow night on FOX Sports 1. Sure, Lyoto Machida and Gegard Mousasi are going to throw down, and presumably dance for five rounds or fuck each other up (I'm hoping for the latter). But tucked away earlier in the card, as one half of the first bout on the FOX Sports 1 broadcast, is Charles Oliveira. Yup, the same Charles Oliveira who beat Dom Stanco at ROC 24 to win the lightweight belt.
Small world, huh?
Anyway, here's a video of the UFC Fight Night 36 weigh-ins.
Not that you would need any convincing, but there's a very good reason to tune in to UFC Fight Night 36 tomorrow night on FOX Sports 1. Sure, Lyoto Machida and Gegard Mousasi are going to throw down, and presumably dance for five rounds or fuck each other up (I'm hoping for the latter). But tucked away earlier in the card, as one half of the first bout on the FOX Sports 1 broadcast, is Charles Oliveira. Yup, the same Charles Oliveira who beat Dom Stanco at ROC 24 to win the lightweight belt.
Small world, huh?
Anyway, here's a video of the UFC Fight Night 36 weigh-ins.
For Your Viewing Pleasure, A New York Fight Exchange 1 Highlight Video
NEW YORK
Some organizations get off to a rocky start, some make all the right moves coming out of the gate. New York Fight Exchange, which held their debut event at a nightclub in Jamaica, Queens, in October, did everything right. From solid production value to strong matchmaking to a thrilling main event, the NYFE had it all - which they'll hope to replicate when they return to the Amazura Concert Hall on March 15.
Here's a highlight vid from their last show.
Some organizations get off to a rocky start, some make all the right moves coming out of the gate. New York Fight Exchange, which held their debut event at a nightclub in Jamaica, Queens, in October, did everything right. From solid production value to strong matchmaking to a thrilling main event, the NYFE had it all - which they'll hope to replicate when they return to the Amazura Concert Hall on March 15.
Here's a highlight vid from their last show.
Flashback: Eddie Fyvie vs. Jay Haas at CFFC 24
NEW JERSEY
Everyone gets old, even the 20-something lightweights who show all the promise in the world.
A few years ago, Upstate New York native Eddie Fyvie was a well-rounded, technical fighter who could submit guys just as easily as knock them out, and he was poised to do great things in the Northeast circuit. But injuries and such slowed him down, and adding Father Time to the equation - which makes even the best lose half a step - made chasing that elusive win that much harder.
Anyway, here's his CFFC 24 bout against Jay Haas, which took place on May 11, 2013. Believe me when I say the Fyvie of 2008 would've made for a very different outcome.
Everyone gets old, even the 20-something lightweights who show all the promise in the world.
A few years ago, Upstate New York native Eddie Fyvie was a well-rounded, technical fighter who could submit guys just as easily as knock them out, and he was poised to do great things in the Northeast circuit. But injuries and such slowed him down, and adding Father Time to the equation - which makes even the best lose half a step - made chasing that elusive win that much harder.
Anyway, here's his CFFC 24 bout against Jay Haas, which took place on May 11, 2013. Believe me when I say the Fyvie of 2008 would've made for a very different outcome.
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Ring of Combat: Crunching the Numbers
NEW JERSEY
Lou Neglia's Ring of Combat is one of the longest-running regional promotions in the industry, and the longevity of the New Jersey-based organization can be attributed to a number of factors, not the least of which is its consistency in putting on competitive fights. How competitive are these fights? So much so that winning a ROC championship belt often bodes extremely well for the future of any fighter.
Like any good nerd, I've compiled some hard data on this subject, but before that, here are some facts for you:
Lou Neglia's Ring of Combat is one of the longest-running regional promotions in the industry, and the longevity of the New Jersey-based organization can be attributed to a number of factors, not the least of which is its consistency in putting on competitive fights. How competitive are these fights? So much so that winning a ROC championship belt often bodes extremely well for the future of any fighter.
Like any good nerd, I've compiled some hard data on this subject, but before that, here are some facts for you:
- The first ROC was on October 12, 2002, and took place at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut.
- All subsequent ROCs have been held at various locations in New Jersey, and in Atlantic City exclusively since ROC 10 on April 14, 2006.
- There have been 66 ROC champs since the promotion's inception.
- Of those 66, 23 have gone on to fight in the UFC, 14 have gone on to become TUF competitors, and 21 have made appearances in the Bellator cage.
Below is a breakdown of all of ROC's champs. Listed are the specific ROC event where they won their belt, the date of that event, and if that champ went on to the UFC, TUF or Bellator.
Watch Eddie Alvarez and Michael Chandler Kill Themselves
BELLATOR
The weather outside is frightful today, so here's a video of two men taking about 15 years off their lives.
The weather outside is frightful today, so here's a video of two men taking about 15 years off their lives.
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
This is What Happens When Snow Tiger Kung Fu Fights San Bao
NEW YORK
From the last Manup Standup - 1.26.14 in Jamaica, Queens.
From the last Manup Standup - 1.26.14 in Jamaica, Queens.
A George Sullivan Video Tribute, Courtesy of CFFC
NEW JERSEY
What do you get when you're a Cage Fury Fighting Championship champ and the UFC gives you a call? If you're George Sullivan, you get this nice video tribute, which was aired during a break at last Saturday's CFFC in Atlantic City, N.J.
Sullivan has had some ups and downs lately - this profile in the Newark Star-Ledger didn't do him any favors, but he scored a win in his UFC debut - so some recognition by the local org he's called him for the last few years is pretty nice. And George deserves it, as he's a pretty nice guy himself.
What do you get when you're a Cage Fury Fighting Championship champ and the UFC gives you a call? If you're George Sullivan, you get this nice video tribute, which was aired during a break at last Saturday's CFFC in Atlantic City, N.J.
Sullivan has had some ups and downs lately - this profile in the Newark Star-Ledger didn't do him any favors, but he scored a win in his UFC debut - so some recognition by the local org he's called him for the last few years is pretty nice. And George deserves it, as he's a pretty nice guy himself.
VCS Champ Ashley Greenway Signs with Invicta FC
INVICTA FC
Victory Combat Sports 115-pound female champ Ashley Greenway has graduated to the big leagues, signing with top-flight all-women's organization Invicta FC. The North Carolina native will be competing in Invicta's 115-pound weight class, which was recently pillaged by the UFC for TUF 20.
When last we saw the amiable Greenway, she was armbarring Ashley Miller at a September VCS show at the Armory in Manhattan. Actually, scratch that. When we last saw Greenway, she was celebrating her win by getting another tattoo.
As you can tell by her collection of ink, Greenway wins a lot.
Victory Combat Sports 115-pound female champ Ashley Greenway has graduated to the big leagues, signing with top-flight all-women's organization Invicta FC. The North Carolina native will be competing in Invicta's 115-pound weight class, which was recently pillaged by the UFC for TUF 20.
When last we saw the amiable Greenway, she was armbarring Ashley Miller at a September VCS show at the Armory in Manhattan. Actually, scratch that. When we last saw Greenway, she was celebrating her win by getting another tattoo.
As you can tell by her collection of ink, Greenway wins a lot.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
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