The MMA Journalist

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Pics from Golden MMA Championships - 6.15.13

Pics from Victory Combat Sports - 5.18.13

Monday, May 20, 2013

The Mystery of New York Amateur MMA

Thanks to a Zuffa lawsuit and a State Attorney General caught in the headlights of progress, 2013 has seen an amateur MMA scene flourish in New York City where very little had grown before. Since February, there have been two Aggressive Combat Championships in the Bronx, and installments of Kings of New York and Victory Combat Sports in Manhattan. But while the ACC events have heavily featured fighters from local gyms (literally, gyms that are just a few minutes away), the Kings of New York and VCS events have seen nearly half of its competitors come from out of state - like way out of state, i.e., South Carolina, Illinois and Canada. Why? Why would amateur events - which traditionally live and die by the number of local fighters on the card selling tickets to their family and friends - have so many slots filled up by those with no local ties? Even more curious is the fact that for the most part, these events have lacked the participation of some of New York's biggest MMA camps, like Tiger Schulmann's, Serra/Longo and Bellmore Kickboxing. Why is that? Why have these established gyms, who've been funneling competitors into New Jersey and Pennsylvania for years, eschewed fighting on these New York City cards?

These are all damn good questions. And I have some theories.

The Rules: When an aspiring fighter sets foot in the cage in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, there are a uniform set of rules in place, both in terms of what is allowed once the cage door shuts (i.e., no kicks to the head, no ground and pound to the head, etc.) and what is required before and after the fight (bloodwork, cageside physicians, etc.). And thanks to the efforts of the athletic commissions in those states, this has been the case for years. In New York, however, where amateur regulation depends on whichever alphabet organization a promoter subscribes to, rules and standards vary. Greatly. Want to fight in a promotion that most closely follows the amateur rules laid out by New Jersey? Show up at the next ACC event in the gymnasium of St. Raymond's School for Boys. Want to fight in an amateur bout that has pretty much the same rules as a pro bout? KONY and VCS are where it's at. Want an EMT to look you over after your bout? Or do you want a doctor to do it? You can pick and choose in New York, but your mileage may vary.

The History of the Promotion: Another theory as to why the more-established MMA gyms have yet to really take part in these new New York promotions is history - namely, none of the newcomers have been around as long as those run by Lou Neglia, Carl Mascarenhas and Frank Perez, and a well-established track record goes a long way toward easing the troubled minds of fighters and coaches alike. Will the newly-minted New York City-based organizations be around in a year? Two years? Sure, probably. But when it comes to putting together full-fledged amateur MMA affairs, they have a lot of catching up to do to come close to the longevity of the Ring of Combats, Asylum Fight Leagues and Dead Serious', and people tend to go with what they know.

The New York Stigma: The last theory I have as to why so few major camps have taken part in New York's amateur MMA "gold rush" is that there's some pretty major stigma attached to those who compete in New York - a stigma ascribed to the individual fighters by none other than the athletic commissions in neighboring states. Because of the insanely varying range of sanctioning standards at New York events, and the possibility that someone with a "pre-existing condition" gained from competing in the Empire State can waltz right into other jurisdictions and muck with those jurisdictions' liability, states such as New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Ohio have put some hurdles in place. In New Jersey, someone with amateur fights in New York looking to step into the cage must get the full spectrum of professional MMA meds done - which is costly, and more stringent than what a regular aspiring amateur fighter would need. In Pennsylvania, a fight in New York garners an automatic three-month suspension. Meanwhile, in Ohio, those with fights in New York are banned from competing as an amateur altogether. Yeah, that sucks for Jiu-Jitsu Joe from Long Island, who made his debut in the cage at the Hammerstein Ballroom in Midtown, but it's a fact of life. To compete in New York means your journey automatically gets harder if you want to do the same thing out of state.

These are just theories, of course. But they're theories born from the notion that major New York fight teams are avoiding competing in these New York City shows. After all, this past weekend's VCS event in Hell's Kitchen was all kinds of awesome, but of the 16 fighters on the card, only five were New Yorkers, and none came from any local MMA powerhouses. What's up that? I really don't know.

Friday, May 17, 2013

Video from Last Weekend's Aggressive Combat Championship

The title says it all.

Friday, May 3, 2013

Pics from the Last Aggressive Combat Championships

Pics from Kings of New York

Pics from the Last Elite Cage Challenge

Pics from the Last UCL

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Fundraiser for Kid with Cancer

Judo for Jake

By Kristen Brown

Mark “Stan” Staniszewski’s passion for martial arts began over 3 decades ago as a young boy growing up on Long Island, NY. Years later, Stan discovered Judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Stan excelled in both, and has dedicated his life to studying, competing, and teaching the two disciplines.

Stan has medaled in multiple state, national and world competitions and is the first dual black belt on Long Island in both Judo and BJJ. He was deservedly inducted into the Martial Arts Hall of Fame in 2010. Stan’s accolades in Judo and BJJ seem endless; however, his greatest accomplishments are his two sons, Luke and Jake.

A month ago, Stan’s youngest son, Jake, was diagnosed with a rare form of pediatric cancer. Jake was diagnosed with advanced stage 4 Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma at only 15 months old. Rhabdomyosarcoma is a type of cancer that develops in the connective tissue, skeletal muscle or bone. The news shocked and devastated the Staniszewski family, but Jake is a fighter, just like his father. Members of the family quickly set up a donation page to help defray the steep costs of Jake’s treatment. In addition, Stan’s extended family, those in the Judo and BJJ community, set into action to support their friend in his time of need.

Upon hearing the news about Jake, Michael Hall, friend and colleague of Stan’s as well as president of the American Competitive Judo Association (Americomp Judo), reached out to his friends for help. Nick Kossor, an international Judo competitor and US National Champion offered to donate his own money to the cause. However, Hall believes that the martial arts community could do more. Hall organized Judo for Jake, a benefit seminar with all proceeds going directly to the Staniszewski family.

The Saturday April 6th event will be open to both children and adults and will be held at Stan’s martial arts academy, Team Combat Judo and BJJ in Massapequa, NY. Participants will have the unique opportunity to learn from some the nation’s top ranked Judo players. The seminar will be taught by 2016 Olympic hopefuls Tony Sangimino, Hannah Martin, Nick Kossor, and Brad Bolen. All skill levels are encouraged to come.

These four Judokas have been training with Jason Morris at the Jason Morris Judo Center in Glenville, NY for nearly a decade. Morris, the four time Olympian, is considered to be one of the top Judo coaches in the country. “With Morris Judo goes beyond training. It is a culture and way of life.” stated Hall. The four athletes have one goal in sight, to bring home medals in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. To accomplish that, the next 3 ½ years will consist of travelling around the world competing in world cups, grand slams, and world championships. Unlike other countries this travel is all self- funded.

Despite this pressure of raising money, traveling every few weeks, training twice a day, and often working other jobs, the future Olympians still find time to give back to their community by teaching clinics and seminars. Martin, who is ranked #1 in the US at 63 kilograms, and #20 in the world in her weight class, explains, “Judo is very family oriented. Your Judo people become your family and friends. Everyone supports each other.” Martin has never met Mark Staniszewski or his son Jake. In fact none of these top instructors who will be teaching the seminar have met Stan. They are coming together to help one of their own because as Hall explains, “Without this support there is no community.”

By attending the Judo for Jake seminar or by making a donation, members of the martial arts community have the opportunity to give back to a man who has given so much to the world of Judo and BJJ. More importantly, with this support, Jake Staniszewski becomes one step closer towards winning his fight against this awful disease.

To make a donation to Jake Staniszewski please go to: http://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/7v22/jakestaniszewski?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=Isupport

For information about Judo for Jake please contact:

Mike Arcuri at Team Combat Judo and BJJ (516) 586-8844 @TeamCombatBJJ

For information from the American Competitive Judo Association

National Office: 516 670-JUDO (5836)

http://www.americompjudo.com

Follow their journey to the 2016 Olympic Games

Tony Sangimino- USA Current #3 at 81 kg @Sangi81

Hannah Martin- USA Current #1 at 63 kg @JUDOHaNnAh

Nick Kossor- USA Current #1 at 60 kg @NKossor

Brad Bolen- USA Current #1 at 66 kg @BradBolenJudo

For information on future BJJ seminars for Jake please email: