Sunday, June 8, 2014

Guest Post: Mark Jacobs' Review of Last Night's AKBF Fight League Show

NEW YORK


Saturday night the Mid-Hudson Civic Center played host to another AKBF mixed card of MMA and sundry other combat sports with the main event consisting of local MMA standout Gregy Styles taking on Diogo Machado for the inaugural AKBF 185 lb. title belt.

The Bull Dethroned at NYFE's Best Show Yet

NEW YORK


Saturday's New York Fight Exchange installment was a momentous one. The fight team fielded by Long Island MMA was almost unstoppable, with five out of six of their fighters coming away with wins; champs at bantamweight, middleweight and welterweight were crowned; and, Hugh McKenna - a dark horse who eschewed all media requests leading up to the event - handed the seemingly invincible Jerome "The Bull" Mickle his first loss ever. It was a thrilling night of fights, and an event that proved to be NYFE's best one yet.

NYFE 3: Hugh McKenna vs. Jerome Mickle



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NYFE 3: Mike Kuhn vs. Elijah Punzone



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Friday, June 6, 2014

NYFE 3 Primer: A Bunch of Videos From the Last Show

NEW YORK


Tomorrow night will see the third installment of the New York Fight Exchange turn a nightclub in Jamaica, Queens into a charnel house where centuries from now archaeologists will be recovering an endless supply of bones. In short, it will both violent and fun.

To get you motivated for the event, here are a bunch of videos from the last NYFE in March.

Gladius Fights Poster

NEW YORK


A Trip Down Memory Lane with Royce Gracie and Kimo

AWESOME


UFC 3 was on September 9, 1994, and Royce Gracie - a scrawny Brazilian utilizing a "new" kind of martial art to destroy everyone - was pretty much a lock to breeze through the eight-main tournament he'd dominated twice before. The only thing standing in his way was a purported Tae Kwon Do stylist who for some reason lugged a big wooden cross to the cage. No problem, right?

Heh. Turns out that Tae Kwon Do dude was Kimo, who somehow knew a thing or two about grappling, and gave ol' Royce the fight of his life.

Training Jeet Kune Do in a Basement in Harlem

NEW YORK


It seriously could be the premise of a movie. Dawadah King David is a Harlem-based instructor of Jeet Kune Do - Bruce Lee's martial art - who teaches in the basement of the projects. He also fights in the Underground Combat League. If you wanted to add drama to this flick, throw in a storyline involving either revenge or redemption (or both) and viola! You've got something for Starz or Netflix.

Anyway, here's a video of Dawadah doing his thing.

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Listen to Me Rap About New York MMA on the WRHU 88.7 Morning Show

NEW YORK


Yesterday the good folks at WRHU 88.7 FM had me on as a guest on their morning radio show. What did I talk about? Mixed martial arts in New York, of course.What else would I talk about?

The 21-minute clip is posted after the jump - give it listen.

Throwback Thursday: Aggressive Shootfighting Championship - 10.30.05

NEW YORK


Jerry Mendez may be a respectable referee holding sway over what transpires in the Aggressive Combat Championship cage nowadays, but back in 2005 he was the promoter of an unsanctioned shootfighting event at a gym in Astoria. And the event was... pretty damn fun.

NYFE 3 Primer: Bantamweight Contender Elijah Punzone

NEW YORK


Elijah Punzone battled hard with a tough Eric D'Arce at the last NYFE event to earn his shot at bantamweight glory, and at Saturday's NYFE 3, he gets to scrap with fellow top contender Mike Kuhn to determine once and for all the who the organization's best is at 135 pounds.

The MMA Journalist reached out to Punzone for a quick interview, so for some insight into the 21-year-old Lake Ronkonkoma resident, read on.

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Check out the Latest Episode of the East Coast MMA Show

NEW YORK


Check out the latest episode of Tom Kilkenny's East Coast MMA Show, which was recorded last night and features Tom's Aggressive Combat Championship co-promoter Eugene Perez and fighter Tevin Dyce. They're still pretty peeved at me over that Deadspin article, but that doesn't mean it isn't a good listen.

NYFE 3 Primer: Submission Machine Ozzie Perez

NEW YORK


Oswald Perez is really, really good at tapping people out. Don't believe me? Then consider this: every time he steps into the cage, he emerges with the "W" by way of armlock. That's a pretty impressive feat, and you can credit the 21-year-old Jungle Gym instructor's success on a number of things - his top-notch training background, his work ethic, his talent. But regardless of the how and why, the fact of the matter is he's getting it done, and on Saturday, at New York Fight Exchange 3, Perez will have another opportunity to get it done.

The MMA Journalist caught up with the Bronx native for a quick interview. Read on for a little insight on the submission machine.