Flashback: Golden MMA Championships - 6.15.13

NEW YORK

This coming Saturday will see another installment of the Golden MMA Championships at the Elmcor Center in Corona, Queens - a venue so close to my house it takes me no more than five minutes to drive there AND  find parking. But besides convenience, GMMA has a lot to offer in terms of quality fighters in quality fights. Here's a look back at their first show, which took place back in June of 2013.

Here's the Fourth Clip From the Gerald Javier Documentary

NEW YORK

The documentary by 750 Sq. Feet on Aggressive Combat Championship title holder Gerald Javier rolls on with this, the fourth clip in the series. Watch and enjoy.

Haters Gonna Hate: Amateur MMA Edition

NEW YORK

That Deadspin article I wrote that took to task the holes in New York's amateur MMA scene is the gift that keeps on giving. The following is a comment that was posted by someone supposedly "in the know".

Observations From My Couch: UFC 174

UFC 

• Jason Saggo, Kajan Johnson, Josh Shockley... who the hell are these people? I remember watching UFCs where I recognized all the competitors.
• I hate to say it, but Mike Easton has gotten old. If he fought Yves Jabouin five years ago, he would've killed him.

MMA Bill Dead For Sure According to Assemblyman Joe Morrelle

NEW YORK

Time Warner Cable News' Buffalo affiliate did a piece on MMA in New York yesterday, and the while it touched on all the usual issues - the sport's revenue potential, the fact that amateur is legal while pro is not, etc. - there was one big takeaway nestled at the bottom of the piece. It's pretty much a lock that the Assembly's version of the MMA bill will once again die without ever reaching the floor for a vote this year.

Golden MMA Championship Poster

NEW YORK

Listen to Phoenix Carnevale Rant About Yesterday's MMA in New York Rally

NEW YORK

MMA media personality Phoenix Carnevale went to the "MMA in New York" rally in Manhattan yesterday, and like me, she was a bit unhappy with what she saw. Listen to her rant here.

Read Sambo Steve's Rant on MMA4NY

NEW YORK

Yesterday's attempt at an "MMA in New York" rally left a bad taste in the mouths of a few people - not the least of whom was "Sambo" Steve Koepfer. Sambo Steve, you see, organized those rallies a couple years back, and while at the end of the day the NYPD didn't get to cart anyone away for civil disobedience charges, there was something of a turnout for those well-planned events.

Thus was born a pretty decent-sized rant on his Coalition to Legalize Mixed Martial Arts in New York blog.

2014 Legalize Pro MMA Movement Goes Out With a Whimper

NEW YORK

There are four days left in the 2014 legislative session, no signs whatsoever that the Assembly will even consider the MMA bill this year, and this morning in lower Manhattan - on the patch of sidewalk in front of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver's office - there was a "rally" comprised of three interns that drew only slightly more attention to themselves than the man wearing a "Cash4Gold" placard two blocks north. But only slightly.

It's safe to say that as the annual battle for sanctioned MMA in New York goes, 2014 is going out not with a bang but with a whimper.

MMA in New York Rally in Manhattan

via IFTTT

UFC 174 Primer: A Bunch of Vids to Get You Excited

UFC

UFC 174 is on Saturday night, and the event will be headlined by the little guys, i.e., champ Demetrious Johnson and challenger Ali Bagautinov. Now, maybe you didn't see how "Mighty Mouse" defended his belt the last time around, or maybe it's just that the flyweights don't thrill you, but I bet there's probably some reluctance to shell out the dough for this pay-pay-view. Well, here are some videos to convince you that it will be worthwhile.

Ah What the Heck, Here Are Some More NYFE 3 Fights

NEW YORK

Last Saturday's NYFE 3 show had a ton of good fights, so why not check out some more of them? First up is LIMMA stud Eric Ott, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, and earning himself a championship belt in the process.

UFC to Sponsor New York Amateur MMA Event

UFC

It isn't exactly the idea that I had suggested, but the UFC is sponsoring an amateur MMA event. The Liberty Games - which is a sort of New York Olympics, but with more interesting events than the regular Olympics - will be hosting an amateur MMA event on July 19 in Upstate New York, and the good people at the UFC are one of the sponsors.

Throwback Thursday: New Jersey's First Amateur MMA Event

NEW JERSEY

Sometimes history is made where you least expect it. Battle at the Boardwalk was a pretty big, pretty forgetful martial arts expo that took place at the Atlantic City Convention Center, on a chilly weekend in February back in 2006. There were demos, seminars and competitions of all sorts, including a grappling tournament, stickfighting, boardbreaking, and some sort of contest where overweight "masters" beat on each other with foam replicas of weapons from feudal Japan. But tucked away amidst all the martial arts nerd-dom was a new thing the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board (working closely with the United State Kickboxing Association) was going to try, and that thing was amateur mixed martial arts.

In Case You Missed Saturday's Kayo Kickboxing Show...

NEW YORK

While NYFE was rocking out in Jamaica, Queens on Saturday night, Kayo Promotion's Muay Thai show was going down on Long Island. Sadly, with cloning technology where it is, I was unable to cover the event, but the good folks at StandUp Sprawl have got our backs with this video montage.

Check it out.

Adios, Chael Sonnen

UFC

After 17 years of kicking ass, getting his ass kicked, talking trash, selling pay-per-views and failing drug tests, UFC star Chael Sonnen has retired.

Here's Sonnen making the announcement on UFC Tonight last night:

MMA in New York Rally on Friday - You Going?

NEW YORK

More Great Fights From NYFE 3

NEW YORK

In terms of action, Saturday's NYFE 3 show delivered in a big way. Without even counting the thrilling championship bouts, there were some hard-fought battles and brutal beatdowns peppering the card that had the crowd going wild.

Here are a few examples.

From the UG: A Debate Over Who is to Blame Over the Failed MMA Bill

NEW YORK

Yeah, so it looks like the MMA bill isn't getting done by the State Assembly this year, and discussion about who is culpable for that sad - yet by now pretty routine - turn of events erupted over at the MixedMartialArts.com Underground forum. Some blame Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver for the annual impasse. I added my two cents, and I figured it was worth re-posting here.

Check Out the Latest Episode of the East Coast MMA Show

NEW YORK

On this week's episode, Grapplers Quest gets a good bit of love, while the seething anger at me seems to be decreasing. Check it out.