The Struggle is Real: Kid Muay Thai Edition

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The struggle is real for fighters, who day in and day out must battle the demons within that drive them to seek sustenance in conflict, and who must battle the demons without who want to kick their asses. This is true of UFC athletes, of local part-time competitors, and - in Thailand - it's true of the kids.

The poor kids. The poor, poor kids.

MFC 40 Primer: Tom Gallicchio - The Man, the Myth, the Legend, Part 2

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Tom Gallicchio is fighting for a lightweight belt at MFC 40 on Friday. Since his MMA debut eight years ago, Tom has won 18 out of 26 fights, and of those 18 wins, 11 were via rear naked choke. In January he was awarded his black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Can you say, "About freakin' time"?

UFC Fight Night 40 Primer: Rafael Natal in Action

UFC

When last we saw Rafael "Sapo" Natal, he was on the losing end of a fistfight against Tim Kennedy at UFC: Fight for the Troops 3 in November. But he's back in the cage this Saturday for UFC Fight Night 40, and the former Ring of Combat champ with the jiu-jitsu black belt and heavy hands headlines the prelim portion of the card opposite Ed Herman.

In honor of Sapo's stature as an accomplished Northeast badass, here's some examples of his early work. Enjoy.

Witness the Future of MMA

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In the future, martial styles once labeled as esoteric will reemerge in the crucible of MMA combat anew. They will be an art transformed, adapted to the science of fighting in the cage as we know it, and its proponents - like the man in the following video - will seamlessly mesh traditions like kung fu and jiu-jitsu to reach new levels of effectiveness.

Also, the theme from the "Terminator" will constantly be playing in the background.

MFC 40 Primer: Tom Gallicchio - The Man, the Myth, the Legend, Part 1

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Tom Gallicchio - a New Jersey-bred fighter who turned West Coaster to join Team Quest - will step into the cage on Friday at Maximum Fighting Championship 40 for a rematch with Kurt Southern, and it's likely Gallicchio isn't going to be taken lightly this time around. You see, when "Da Tank" and Southern first clashed back in January, many assumed that the lightweight belt that was at stake was going to go home with the Canadian fighter. But then Gallicchio choked Southern the fuck out, and, well, you know how that goes.

Battle Rock 1: Top Notch Muay Thai in a Rock-Solid Part of the City

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Much has been said about the resilience of the Rockaways and Chris Romulo's Muay Thai gym, both of which took a serious lickin' from Hurricane Sandy and - like a battered and bruised kickboxer answering the bell for another round - have bounced back to scrap and scrap hard. But nothing beats seeing things with your own eyes, so on Friday I trekked out to that part of New York City that Mother Nature just couldn't beat, and within the confines of a packed gymnasium at Beach Channel High School, I witnessed firsthand what it means to truly endure and fight on.

UFC Fight Night 40 Primer: Erick Silva Killing a Dude

UFC 

When he's not get clobbered himself, Erick Silva is a pretty dangerous individual. Which is probably why he's headlining UFC Fight Night 40 on May 10 opposite Matt Brown, and definitely why the UFC made this video of one of his older fights available.

Watch if you enjoy reveling in sudden violence and the pain of others.

Watch Joel De Jesus Kick Ass at Battle Rock

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I'm still working on the write-up for last night's Battle Rock Muay Thai show in Rockaway Beach, but to tide you over (yes, oceanic pun intended), here's Chok Sabai rep Joel De Jesus making Ashenefre Edmund regret his choice to ever step into the ring.

Other than two inadvertent knees to the junk, De Jesus looked pretty smooth and technical. Edmund looked... battered.

Battle Rock Muay Thai: Results

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Battle Rock Muay Thai: Dorna Naseri vs. Giulia D'Ambrosio

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Battle Rock Muay Thai: Rules Meeting

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Observations From My Couch: Bellator 118

BELLATOR

• It's amazing that this far into his career Kevin Roddy has finally figured out how to mesh endless striking with endless cardio and rely very little on his jiu-jitsu. 
• Lester Caslow and Darrion Caldwell both looked fantastic and deadly with their subs. Who do we have to talk to about getting them to fight each other?
• I remember when Ryan Contaldi was a considered a tough up-and-comer in the Northeast like it was yesterday. But it wasn't yesterday, it was 2010.

NYFE Champ Jerome Mickle to Face Hugh McKenna in June

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Bellator 118 Primer: Former Teen Sensation Lester Caslow

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There was a time when Lester Caslow would step into the cage and teenage girls would swoon. But time has passed and we're all older now, and I'm pretty sure the swooning is done by full-grown adult females. Anyway, like his pal Kevin Roddy, Caslow has been in the game for years - seven to be exact - and he's long been a staple of the Northeast circuit.

At tonight's Bellator 118, Caslow gets to bang it out with Jay Haas in a rematch (Caslow submitted him in their first clash), so here's some insight into what you can expect.

BattleRock Muay Thai Show Poster

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Bellator 118 Primer: The Great Kevin Roddy

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Bellator 118 is tonight at the Revel Casino in Atlantic City, N.J., and though I won't be going to the event, I certainly will be watching it. After all, the card is jam-packed with a ton of local fighters - not the least of which is Kevin Roddy.

"K-Rod" has a career that spans 30 fights over the course of the last nine years, and aside from the UFC, he's pretty much fought in every organization that's come to the Northeast, including Strikeforce and M-1 Global. He's also the coolest, nicest dude you could ever meet, and in terms of skills... well, watch the following videos.

Throwback Thursday: Shelby Walker's Five-Second KO of Angela Wilson

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Above is the only pic I managed to take of Shelby Walker's fight against Angela Wilson at Ring of Fury 3 (back on May 3, 2003). Why is that the only pic? Because "Shelbygirl" knocked Wilson out in five seconds, and there was literally no time to do anything other than say "Holy crap!"

Throwback Thursday: Denis Kang vs. Keith Rockel at Ring of Fury 3

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In 2003, the options for taking in some live MMA were pretty thin compared to how they are now - so thin, in fact, that I would often drive up to Massachusetts just to have a show to cover. Thankfully, Massachusetts had a quality organization called Ring of Fury churning out good fights, and though ROF only managed a few installments, some of those bouts were pretty memorable.

Here's the headlining bout of their third show, which featured local favorite Keith Rockel taking on young Canadian up-and-comer Denis Kang. And yes, the venue was a nightclub, which was a pretty new and edgy concept for a fight venue at the time.

Yesterday's Press Conference in Albany Generates Some Media Attention

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Things may be moving a bit slow for MMA in the legislative process, but yesterday's press conference in Albany was at least successful in generating some much needed media attention. Instead of focusing on economic benefits, organizers went the "MMA is empowering for females" route by having young ladies talk about what training in the sport has done for them. In turn, the speakers did their part in extolling the sport's virtues.

From the Capitol Confidential blog:

There's an MMA Show on Long Island This Weekend

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