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:

Kristen- Krs10KO@hotmail.com  @Krs10KO

For more information on Rhabdomyosarcoma go to:

http://www.sarcomahelp.org/rhabdomyosarcoma.html

Special thanks to the Jason Morris Judo Center and Michael Hall, President of the American Competitive Judo Association

The Things You Find with Google...

On the last UCL event.

Rooftop MUSU Fight

Amateur MMA in New York City!

Jim Genia's Twitter Feed

Tweets by @jim_genia

Giddyup

January 26.

Howdy Friends

Jeez, what a ghost town around here.  Where the hell have I been?

Scenes from Grapple at the Garden

Fightland

In case you're wondering, I've been doing some writing for VICE.  Here's their new MMA-dedicated site, and here are some of the pieces I've contributed.  What's VICE?  Essentially, a place where I can curse.  Heh.

Crappy HOF Dinner Pics

New Jersey Martial Arts Hall of Fame Dinner Postscript

Last night was the inaugural New Jersey Martial Arts Hall of Fame dinner, and as yours truly was being inducted as "Media Personality of the Year", I was there.

It was, of course, a great honor to be recognized for the work I've done in this field that I love.  Before calling me up to the stage and handing me my award, presenter (and New Jersey commission guru) Nick Lembo talked about the years I wrote for FCF and my book - both of which gave the New Jersey and New York scene coverage like no else had.  That kind of acknowledgment is priceless.  But what was of an even greater honor was to be counted among the ranks of the other inductees, which included the legendary Renzo Gracie, top referee Dan Miragliotta, pioneering fighter Dave Tirelli, promoter Lou Neglia.  Sure, there was food and drinking and laughing and hanging out with friends, but what made it all amazingly special was that I got to stand on a stage with Renzo and Big Dan and the rest.  (Also, the fact that Renzo gave ME a shout out in his acceptance speech... wow.)

Anyway, it was a great time.  Congrats to all the HOF inductees, and thanks to the Perez family, who orchestrated the whole affair.

I could not be more proud.

Is the UFC Already Planning an Event in New York?

According to a letter written by the attorneys representing Zuffa in their lawsuit against the State of New York, the UFC is already planning an event in the Empire State.  The letter, which was sent to Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (the defendant in Zuffa's suit) on October 26, addresses the State's recent suggestion that Zuffa could circumnavigate the longstanding ban on professional MMA by utilizing one of the statutorily-approved sanctioning bodies to get a UFC event into the state.  The relevant section of the letter reads:

Based at least in part on positions taken by your Office in this case, MMA and other combative sport events are proliferating in New York.  Thus, the UFC is beginning the process of planning a professional MMA event to be held in New York, under the auspices of one of the exempt organizations listed in the Combative Sport Ban and pursuant to the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts.

Now, this could either be a legitimate statement or just a form of legal gamesmanship, but if what is being said is true... yikes!  A UFC in New York before the ban is actually lifted!

Two things to note:

• The sanctioning bodies that the law enumerates as all good in the 'hood are the US Judo Association, US Judo Inc., the US Judo Federation, the US Tae Kwon Do Union, the North American Sport Karate Association, the USA Karate Foundation, US Karate Inc., the World Karate Association, the Professional Karate Association, Karate International, the International Kenpo Association, and the World Wide Kenpo Association.  Most of those organizations are long dead, although the World Karate Association is now the World Kickboxing Association, and they've been allowed to sanction pro kickboxing events in New York for years. Currently, the New York State Athletic Commission is allowing the USMTA's Muay Boran league to sanction amateur MMA.
• The Office of the Attorney General responded to the aforementioned letter, and their answer was the legal equivalent of "Uh, derp."  In other words, it was no answer at all.

TV Alert

Yeah, so, I was on a segment on Inside MMA that explored the underground fight scene in New York a bit, and though I don't have AXS TV (formerly HDNet Fights), I've been told I looked good getting interviewed.  Anyhoo, Monday night was part one, and part two - which will feature footage from the last (horrifying and bloody) UCL event - airs next Monday.  Check it out.  And if you do watch it, please, tell me how I looked.

Crappy UCL Pics

UCL Postscript - "Night of a Thousand Headbutts"

HDNet's Inside MMA came out to yesterday's installment of the Underground Combat League, and if they were hoping to capture some of the grittiest, nastiest, gnarliest fighting ever, they had to have been happy.  There were TKOs and submissions, trash talk and bad blood, and in the main event - which took place under vale tudo rules (i.e., almost anything goes) - there were enough concussive headbutts to make former Senator John McCain's "human cockfighting" derogatory phrase seem like the understatement of the millennium.  Highlights of the event included:

• The blazing battle between UCL vet Jerome Mickle and newcomer Jarro Israel.  Though they seemed evenly matched at first, Mickle's fists began poking holes through Israel's defenses, until finally he dropped the rookie with a right and TKO'd him on the ground with another right.
• The no-nonsense Daniel Ramos, who handled his business with Jeet Kune Do stylist Justin Smith with a slam and choke at 21 seconds.
• The technical war between Nico Augusto and Matt Ward.  Displaying a shitload of ability and heart, Ward escaped some seriously inescapable finishing holds.  Eventually, though, Augusto caught him, with the end coming via rear naked choke in the second round.
• Donning his traditional gi and black belt for the marquee bout, promoter Peter Storm stepped into the ring to face veteran fighter Jonathan Rodriguez in a match-up that was colored with a ton of bad blood.  Things got ugly and they got ugly quick, and they got even uglier when Storm started headbutting - a turn of events that prompted both men to exchange the taboo technique like Wall Street brokers trading stocks on the New York Stock Exchange floor.  At the end of the first round Storm almost caught Rodriguez with a heelhook, but Round 2 saw things come to a violent conclusion, with Rodriguez stunning him with a headbutt and pounding him out for the TKO on the ground. Ten years of covering the UCL, and this one was clearly the nastiest bout of all time (accidental leg breaks aside).

Crappy Elite Cage Challenge Pics

Elite Cage Challenge Postscript

While y'all were taking in UFC 154 and the return of some bald Canuck named Georges St. Pierre, I was a dutiful soldier en route to an event called Elite Cage Challenge in Yonkers (Yonkers is 'hood just north of New York City limits).  My expectations: amateur MMA, which in New Jersey means fighting with gloves and shinpads, and prohibitions against kicks to the head and ground and pound.  Well, imagine my (pleasant) surprise when - within a cage set up in the middle of a gymnasium in a YMCA - fighters fought like pros.  The lone discernible nod to their amateur status was the three-minute time limit on the rounds.  Other than that, THEY WERE BANGING, BRO.  Yeah, the inaugural Elite Cage Challenge rocked.  And although the next one should be taking place under soon-to-be adopted New Jersey-esque amateur rules, hey, Elite Cage Challenge, at least we had last night.  Highlights of the event included:

• Greg Styles of Westchester Martial Arts, who stole the show with a dominant 46-second TKO over Josh Santiago with three soul-crushing suplexes, one right after the other.  It was simply amazing, and Styles' post-fight victory celebration included shouting "Who's the baddest?" and his corner responding with "Sho' nuff!"  That right there redefines the phrase "full of win".
• The gutsy performance by MAK Fitness femme Carolina Lopez.  Lopez got put on her butt in the opening exchange with Jess O'Brien, but she rallied back to whither O'Brien with punches at 2:40 of the first round.
• The human steamroller known as Dioego Machado of Jiu-Jitsu Concepts.  It took a mere 33 seconds for him to get opponent Melton Savory down and put him away with punches from the mount.  Good stuff.  Very good stuff.
• The war between Dungeon Fight Club rep Cody Hogan and Juliano Zanetti of MAK Fitness.  They battled into the third round, and after landing everything from knees to punches to a spinning backfist, Hogan was able to TKO Zanetti on the ground at 2:00 of Round 3.

Crappy Muay Thai at the Mecca II Pics