Sunday, September 14, 2014

Don't Mess With This Vegan From NYC

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New York City-based fighter Omowale Adewale is an ardent vegan who eschews meat and eats things like tofurkey pizza and pumpkin seed stirfry. He also kicks ass in the cage, as evidenced by his recent trip up to Albany to fight for the Cage Wars promotion. Watch the video below to see him in action.

Friday, September 12, 2014

Listen to Me on the Badlands Combat Sport Radio Show

AWESOME


Yours truly appeared on the Badlands Combat Sports Radio Show this week to talk about all things mixed martial arts. Give it a listen below.

Thursday, September 11, 2014

More on That MMA Show at MSG

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From VictoryCombatSports' Facebook:
Details are finally confirmed so we can announce this: Victorycombatsports and the WKA will be making history once again and throwing the first ever MMA event at Madison Square Garden on Friday, Nov 21! Will be a mixed MMA and Muay Thai card, with all matches held in a ring (similar to the old-school Pride days). Sorry for the long break (waiting for this was the reason why)- we promise we'll make it worth the wait!

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Rumor: There Will Be MMA at Madison Square Garden in November

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This is just a rumor at this stage, but the talk around the office water cooler is that there will be amateur MMA at Madison Square Garden on November 21. It will be a mixed card with Muay Thai bouts featured as well, but heck, MMA at the Garden? That's all kinds of awesome.

More to come as this story develops.

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Monday, September 8, 2014

A Champ Was Crowned at MMA Platinum Gloves This Weekend

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No, I did not venture out to Long Island for this, but one noted New York City fighter named Rich Pabon did. As usual, Pabon put forth an exciting battle. Ultimately, though, the victory - and the promotion's bantamweight belt - went to opponent Danny Ochart.

Watch the video of the fight and be entertained.

Yet Another Video From the Last Manup Standup

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The apparent theme of the August 30 Manup Standup installment - which played out at a kung fu school in Queens - was karate vs. kung fu. And you know what? Tae Kwon Do is pretty much Korean karate, so the following video adheres to that theme.

In terms of background, the competitor known as "DJ" is the organization's former champ, and in his last outing he got KO'd via spinning backfist. This fight is his comeback.

Why Zack Lynch Is One of the Best Photographers Around

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I have had the privilege of working alongside Zack Lynch for years, so I've known for a long time how awesome he is with a camera. But in case you don't know, just check out of the above photo and see for yourself. He's lives in Upstate New York, and travels around the Northeast snapping pics. Check out his site here.

Friday, September 5, 2014

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Another MUSU Fight From the Weekend

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You know the kung fu is strong when the fighters wear those uniforms and incorporate poses into their fights like they're essential ingredients to success. Anyway, here's another fight from the latest installment of Manup Standup from Saturday. Giddyup.

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

AKBF With a Blast From the Past

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Yeah, that poster says 1996. Back then, MMA was still legal in New York, and the UFC was planning to hold their second show in the state.

There Was An Underground Fight Show in New York City on Saturday

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From the Department of Keeping the Underground Scene in NYC Alive: Manup Standup, which went down at a tiny kung fu school in Jamaica, Queens on Saturday and featured competitors from as close as Brooklyn and as far away as the Netherlands. Yes, people actually traveled across an ocean to compete at MUSU - crazy, huh?

Monday, September 1, 2014

Happy Labor Day! Here's a Video of Aikido in Action!

AWESOME

Happy Labor Day! To celebrate, here's a video of what happens when an Aikido black belt takes on a submission grappler. Enjoy!

Sunday, August 31, 2014

Saturday, August 30, 2014

Friday, August 29, 2014

Thursday, August 28, 2014

The View From Upstate, Part 1 - An Interview With Cory Schafer of the ISKA

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New York is a big state. So big, actually, that to drive from Montauk – the state’s eastern-most point – to Buffalo would require about nine hours and a ton of coffee. The state’s great size is why, when talking to a native New Yorker, the geographical parlance of the conversation will include references to “the city” (i.e., New York City), “out on the island” (i.e., Long Island), and “upstate” – a catchall for anything north of the Big Apple. And a glance at the map will tell you that the area encompassed by the word “upstate” is huge.

In 2012, when the Zuffa vs. New York State lawsuit forced the Attorney General to admit that amateur MMA was legal, that huge area was suddenly awash with aspiring promoters and hastily-erected cages. But who would regulate them? Who would oversee the goings-on in and around the cage, making sure events were staffed by trained officials and guided by codified rules? Not the New York State Athletic Commission – the law banning pro MMA also prevents the Commission from playing a role in amateur versions of the sport. No, for the folks upstate, the void created by the influx of fight shows was filled by a third-party sanctioning organization. Overseeing amateur MMA was, for the most part, handled by Cory Schafer’s International Sport Karate Association (ISKA).

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

More Tidbits From Zuffa vs. New York Lawsuit

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We're definitely at a cool juncture in the Zuffa vs. New York State lawsuit. All the evidence needed to make the respective parties' arguments has been gathered, and for the sake of bolstering each side's motions for summary judgment and rebuttals, a multitude of facts are being revealed. Here's some of the pretty interesting stuff gleaned from the most recent round of filings:

Check Out This Interview With CFFC Honcho Rob Haydak

NEW JERSEY


You know what's awesome? Years ago, before the advent of social media and the need for promotions to maintain an online presence, I had to do all the legwork and rustle up these kinds of interviews. Now they get done for me! Anyway, here's Cage Fury Fighting Championship grand poobah Rob Haydak, talking shop. Watch and gain some insight on one of the Northeast circuit's top organizations.