FokaiJapan:YamatoDamashiiAndTheKamikaze

As young as16years old, These young Japanese men were drafted without choice from their homes and wrote goodbye letters to their mothers. Going in flight with the full understanding that they were on a suicide mission. This video of good Japanes Music is served with respect in their honor.

War can be crazy.RestInPeace.

ONRA:March25th,2010

Hafa adai.
Congratulations to the new 155-pound Desert Rage champion Herman Torrado, and to Frank Camacho, who won four matches on the way to a gold medal in the 183-189 pound division of last weekend’s Grapplers Quest.
Also of note, the Guam Amateur Boxing Federation will hold an amateur boxing competition at 6 p.m. March 27 at Rudy Raval’s gym in Harmon. It is part of a series of qualifying tournaments for the Pacific Games in New Caledonia.
Trench Tech will be holding its second MMA Clinic in Tinian this weekend, while the Marianas Open BJJ and NoGi Championships is on the schedule for May 8 on Guam. Trench Tech has set the date for the Art Of War Grappling tournament for June 18 in Saipan.
While Saipan has set the date for Trench Warz 12 for May 21, Guam fight fans and competitors cross their fingers as Premiere Xtreme Combat is on standby for the questionable Guam Unarmed Combat Commission to give the go-ahead for another professional event.
With the stoppage of the recent Preba Hao, the GUCC exercised its power to regulate professional and amateur combatives. It seems that the public hearing with the commission on March 16 has only left promoters and athletes even more frustrated as the newly formed and industry-inexperienced commission has shamelessly stepped in to include all amateur combatives under its supervision. Peculiar.
Now, considering the dynamics of a collection of combat sports that has earned Guam competitors an impressive and fruitful legacy, and bearing in mind the understanding of the positive by-products that have risen from its ventures COMPLETELY unassisted by the past or current commission, here’s some thoughts to ponder for the guys coming in to take the driver’s seat.
In effort an to gain a better understanding, I got some words from major players in some of Guam’s combat sports milestones.

•Steven Shimizu, of the Marianas Open: “Make yourselves more accessible to promoters and try to learn the game and industry before seeking to regulate it.”

•Tony Bashaw, of the Marianas Open: “Show the people some credibility.”

•Cuki Alvarez, promoter of Trench Warz Saipan: “Try to transition slowly into an established venture in Guam combat sports. Don’t try to stop it. You’re supposed to work with the sport, not against it.”

•Eli Monge, promoter of PXC and PrebaHao: “Put people in charge who have been in the game, or at least even know it.”

•Steven Roberto, head coach Purebred Jiujitsu Guam: “Why get involved now? Your ignorance in our sport is displaying for Guam an ignorance in sport as a whole.”

What exactly are you bringing to this table? And what do you hope to accomplish with this commission?
Are you gathering notes from things you find in the Internet and cutting and pasting bits and pieces because you think it empowers the GUCC and makes you look structured and official? Or, are you cutting and pasting because you offer a well-calculated masterpiece in materializing your version of a Guam combat sports bigger picture?
Without any industry credibility of its own — it is very difficult to see any value that the commission will offer for an entity that has, in its hard work, been established across the globe. No disrespect intended here, but the sanctioning and approval that this inexperienced and questionable commission offers will not in any way make Guam more attractive in competitive martial arts or the competitive martial arts industry.
If protecting the fighters from flagrant promoters is your goal, how will the island see or feel the benefits of the commission stepping in to regulate or oversee jiujitsu tournaments and other amateur competitive martial arts when it hardly even know what jiujitsu is, when you don’t know where it has been and Let’s face it– when you don’t even know where it’s going.
From an educated fan’s perspective, we understand that it can’t be easy to piece together a commission intended to regulate a venture so wide, large and deep. But how can this commission help our sport to better establish itself when the commission itself is not sure-footed?
There is definitely room in the vehicle for Guam combat sports competition to have a commission, but my suggestion would be to get out of the driver’s seat and jump into the back of the truck, because not only does the wind feel good on your face but you can see a lot more.
and most importantly–so your hands will be free so you can take notes!
Power to the People.

Thanks for dropping by.

ONRA:InTheWordsOfFrankCamacho

Hafa Adai,

It is very unfortunate that Kelvin and Maitai were arrested last week. I know Kelvin and Maitai personally and they are very cool dudes. They love the sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and most importantly they represent themselves, their family, and the Marianas EVERYTIME they step in the cage/octagon in domestic & internationally competitions and they do so well in the sport. Because of the bad decision they made, they must accept full responsibility for their actions, especially being house hold names in the Marianas Mixed Martial Arts scene. I’m saddened to see island headline fighters choose this road. Mixed Martial Arts is not and should not be held responsible for the decisions they made, if anything MMA kept them off the streets and in the gym.

Toby Maguire said it best in Spiderman the movie, “With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility.” As a professional MMA Fighter you are already branded as a “violent trouble maker.” That is not the case at all! My first perception of MMA was two tough steroidal men viciously beating each other till someone gave up.  I’ve grown and come to realize that Mixed Martial Arts would be a way to find peace of mind. I was astonished as to how much discipline, respect, honor, and camaraderie flowed through the Mixed Martial Arts gym. It amazed me how I could learn discipline, respect, honor, camaraderie, humility, self defense, martial arts techniques, and live a healthy lifestyle all at the same time. It was then, that I got hooked!

Mixed Martial Arts has not just been something great that has happened to me. I do believe that it is a blessing not only for me, but for the CNMI as well.  I have learned many of the fundamental values of MMA like discipline and respect. This helped me change my lifestyle for the betterment of my self-being. Through MMA I’m a 100%, Go Hard, goal oriented person. Set your goals high, and don’t let anyone or anything stop you or slow you down from reaching your goal. Becoming in shape and knowing that I could defend myself was definitely a self-esteem and confidence boost. MMA has kept me off the streets and in the gym. Looking back at it now, I have NO IDEA what I would have been doing if I wasn’t at the gym training. Driving around with friends? Going into abandoned buildings and hanging out for the fun of it? Go and get some beers? Party? Thank goodness I found the Trench Tech gym for me use up all my teenage energy! It definitely kept me occupied and out of trouble, that’s for sure!

Mixed Martial Arts has also helped me help others. It has given me the opportunity to be a role model for our youth and tell them that it is ok to dream big, it’s ok to set goals higher than your standards, in that they can accomplish anything they put their minds, hearts, and souls into. MMA has given me the opportunity to show the entire world where I’ve come from, who Chamorros are, and where this little island is located on the globe. An ideal example of what a combat sport can do for people is Manny Pacquiao. The province he is from is benefiting so much from him. The man is a Hero! Manny Pacquiao is a blessing to the PI. He stands as a role model not only in the home front, but on a global scale.

Hear me out fellow MMA fighters and combat competitors! Here is my take on street fighting… Well, I really don’t have a say in street fighting because I’ve never been in one. I think the number one cause of street fights is EGO! Yup, EGO is something you got to watch out for if you are a mixed martial artist/combat athlete. Ego will sneak up on you (trust me… It has on me), and you will make bad decisions based on EGO. In my personal experiences you can’t have EGO training full time at a gym. If you do have a big ego and do train, you won’t last in the sport. TRUST ME! You will always get beat, and there is always someone better than you. In that being said… Be the bigger person and walk away from a fight. Will you feel like a champ punching someone in the face at the bar? Will you feel better about yourself beating the mess out of someone? Will you feel better about yourself picking on the smaller kid at school because he won’t let you copy his homework? If you do feel better after that, then you have issues that need attention. You won’t be a better fighter fighting in the street. You will be a better fighter by surrounding yourself around better fighters and training in a controlled, safe environment with professionals. Remove your EGO and walk away. (Self Defense is a totally different situation)

A Big Thank you Trench Tech for giving me the opportunity to showcase my skills and gain the experience I need that has helped me in my MMA career. It’s a journey for me as a martial artist and as an individual to pursue happiness. I’m truly blessed to be given the opportunity to live MY LIFE to its fullest. One day I wish return to Saipan and give back to the island what the island has given me through Mixed Martial Arts.

MMA is a beautiful sport/art which has done great things for me as a martial artist and as a person. It would be selfish not to give our future the same opportunity I was given.

“It starts off as a DREAM! Turn it into a GOAL! Don’t let anyone or anything stop you or slow you down from reaching YOUR GOAL! “
“The sky is NOT the Limit… Because there are no Limits! Go get it!”

-Frank “The Crank” Camacho
Keep it Rockin…

Patriot:ToddVance

Dear John’ inspired by Mesa College student

Danielle Briggs

Media Credit: Daniel Dreifuss Todd Vance: student at Mesa College and Army veteran whose love story inspired the movie Dear John. [Click to enlarge]

The recently released Hollywood film, Dear John, is inspired by the life of a current Mesa student and his story of finding romance during a leave from the army.

Todd Vance, 28, is Nicholas Sparks’ cousin, the author of Dear John. Vance said Sparks based the novel-turned-film on his life while serving in the United States Army.

“There a few things he [Sparks] changed to make the story more interesting, but it is a pretty accurate depiction of what really happened,” said Vance.

The film is set in South Carolina where John is on leave from the army, meets a girl, and falls in love. The two are inseparable and continue dating and writing letters to each other, though he deploys back to Germany and she goes back to school.

“I came home on leave for two weeks and met a girl on the beach,” said Vance. “We spent every minute together and wrote to each other after I left.”

Vance, a San Diego native, enlisted with the Army in 1999, where he served as a Squad Leader in the Army Infantry as well as the 3rd Striker Brigade. Prior to Sept. 11, he had four months left on his contract, but re-enlisted and served in the war that ensued.

“We flew to Kuwait, and then the striker unit drove to northern Iraq,” said Vance.

While the romance follows Vance’s life more closely, the combat scenes are portrayed quite differently.

“In the movie John is in the Special Forces, which I was not,” Vance said. “He is also shot twice in the back. I was never shot, but pieces of metal flew into my back after a grenade explosion.”

In the film, while he is in combat, John learns that his dad is dying, and is sent back home to be with him, which is similar to the happenings in Vance’s life.

“My step-dad had a cyst behind his pancreas and had surgery to have it removed,” he said. “He passed from complications with the surgery.”

While this happens when John is in combat, Vance says it actually happened when he was on his two-week leave in San Diego, when he initially met his girlfriend.

The movie also shows John being broken up with in a final letter his girlfriend sends him telling him she’s engaged to someone else.

“My girlfriend never cheated on me, we stayed together the whole time,” said Vance.

Vance was let out of the Army in 2005, and came back home to San Diego, where he returned to his girlfriend, though they broke up after his homecoming.

“Being away from each other was really tough, and it created a lot of tension,” he said. “I also had a lot to deal with and it didn’t make the relationship work.”

In the end of the movie, John and his ex-girlfriend reunite after he comes back home, but similar to real life, the couple did not stay together in the movie.

“After the movie came out, we started talking again, but we’re just friends,” concluded Vance.

ONRA:TheFlyingCockoroachSpeaketh

ustis F. “Cuki” Alvarez
PRESIDENT/PROMOTER

FokaiSaipan:TrenchTechAndThFightForPeace

— On Wed, 3/3/10, trenchwarriorsaipan@yahoo.com <trenchwarriorsaipan@yahoo.com> wrote:

From: trenchwarriorsaipan@yahoo.com <trenchwarriorsaipan@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: Fwd: School Violence and KSPN’s Responsibility To Stop It!
To: “Bob Coldeen” <coldeen@gmail.com>
Date: Wednesday, March 3, 2010, 6:49 PM

Hi Bob,

Thanks for the mail. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I’ve learned to respect everyone’s opinion. At the same time, I’ve also learned that there will always be a group of people that fully oppose certain activities- in our case, MMA.

I could easily have a number of teachers and members of our community write up testimonials on how MMA has in fact deterred many from doing what this lady is saying. All it will lead to is a game of tug of war between 2 groups who believe in what they believe.

We’ve been through this many times. I truly feel that they (non supporters) are simply uneducated in the whole MMA scene. They call it barbaric when in fact statistically speaking, it is much safer than many other sports; boxing, and football as far as injuries are concerned.

In the past few years that we have been doing MMA in the CNMI, fighting in schools and in the streets have decreased significantly. Trench Tech has been to many elementary and Jr High schools and conducting anti bullying and educational speeches on this ever growing sport. It all comes down to how it is being conducted and handled and who conducts and handles it.

We (TT) have conducted 11 professional events- Trench Warz. And 12 amateur events- ROP and Art of War. Of these 23 events, how many serious injuries were reported? Absolutely NONE!

I will send you a poem after this for your reference. I had the privilege to reside this poem at KHS for their yearly Poetry Jam last week and received a standing ovation.

I say let the people talk and say all they want. This (MMA) will be scrutinized forever. Let it be known that we are not a bunch of barbaric, uneducated hooligans looking to cause destruction of lives and livelihood. We are a professional business entity that promotes MMA events ina a safe, controlled, and well conducted arena that 99.9% of the island enjoy. We truly create friendship through fighting and absolutely not the opposite.

Thanks Bob and I hope we do not put a stop to Sports Wrappers. EVER!

Did the lady who wrote this letter know that a bobsleder died in the winter Olympics?…

All the BEST! LONG LIVE THE ISLAND WARRIORS! LONG LIVE MMA!!!!!

Cuki

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Maria <mariamatson@rocketmail.com>
Date: Thu, Mar 4, 2010 at 11:35 AM
Subject: School Violence and KSPN’s Responsibility To Stop It!
To: coldeen@gmail.com

GoverenmentOfGuamsignsMMAIntoLaw

Gov. Felix Camacho sanctioned Mixed Martial Arts by signing the sport’s rules and regulations into law this week.

The signing comes on the heels of the 30th Guam Legislature’s passage of Public Law 30-25 in July 2009, which acknowledged the sport on Guam and set forth the foundation for the rules and regulations.

“We’ve been working on legislation for more than two years now and we’re happy to see it come into fruition,” Guam Unarmed Combat Commission chairman Patrick Lujan said.

“Now the commission will begin the process of licensing the athletes and officials.”

The rules and regulations provide all the safety mechanisms for carrying out unarmed combat sports such as MMA and boxing. These safety measures will assure that the athletes are physically cleared to participate as well as place professional officials such as judges, referees and physicians in critical roles.

Here are some of the highlights of the licensing process:

ONRA:February28th,2010

Hafa adai.

Congrats to Team Countershot’s Joshua “The Hedgehog” Alvarez for a victory in Hawaiian mixed martial arts competition in 808 Battlegrounds this past Friday.

The Korean Top Team is running a weeklong MMA training camp at Trench Tech Purebred Saipan; Mariana Islands MMA pioneer Tetsuji Kato is relocating from Saipan to San Diego; Rollapalooza 5 is inviting Guam BJJ athletes to compete in the Philippines on March 13. But on the same day, Guam wrestling will be holding its qualifiers for the Micronesian Games in the freestyle, Greco-Roman and women’s divisions; Jesse Taitano is preparing for his return to professional shooto on March 22. All the while, Guam combat sports continue to make headlines in local media.

In yesterday’s paper, we were toured though some of the lows and highs of the realities that, in part, define our island’s mixed martial arts environment. On one hand you have a familiar fighter-athlete who has been going through sincere struggles to advance forward thousands of miles away toward one of the world’s most prestigious and difficult venues of competition. And on the other side of the paper, an MMA representative unfortunately makes headlines by wreaking multiple cases of havoc unsparingly on our island soil.

These articles adequately support statements that exist on both sides of the fence of MMA’s position and role in Guam’s community.

Mixed martial arts definitely didn’t invent violence and it definitely didn’t invent overseas competition; however, our island’s long embrace of such an interesting conversational topic, has placed our figures onto the podiums of public thought and opinion.

Regardless of our extended efforts, it is difficult to thoroughly label MMA as viable sport when such incidents of extreme and unwarranted violence take place by any of our island’s MMA industry celebrities. It makes a viewer question how people might be selected to be at the front door of such opportunity as an athlete when they might fall so short on their duties as citizens.

With all the authority the Guam Unarmed Combat Commission is seeking to gain over a fruitful sport and hard-pursued venture it had little part in building, part of the spotlight for now can be shared with it on how it might offer its resources to help the industry to deal with this type of situation or any other situations of fighter-athlete misconduct on one hand and of assisting local fighters in overseas ventures on the other.

Even if our fighters were the very best at this sport, what service do we provide with positive campaigning, with professional athlete or venture sponsorship solicitation, when the end product we bring to the table serves as a detriment to the bigger picture?

Guam has proven to love mixed martial arts competition. In our small and fast-ricochet community, if we want it to be around for a while and serve the island positively, then we have to make very conscious efforts to be strategic and conscious of how we go about doing it.

Technique knows no prejudice. The skills offered in training can be really dangerous, you know, in the hands of some. You could really instill terror, but we should also remember that these same skills can not only defend against this terror, but the wisdom offered in proper guidance could all-around better prevent it from even starting.

As advocates of MMA, for longevity purposes, we should do our best to convince and not deceive the island of the legitimacy of mixed martial arts development here in the Marianas. At a time where our athletes are more formidable than ever, at a time when the MMA world is calling our name, and at a time when, despite our imperfections, people still believe in us, we need to work diligently to properly channel all the rising talent away from the focus of competitive martial arts as legalized violence and more into that of sport; for a stronger foundation in an athletic and community-serving framework of growth, of responsibility and in all its added strength and, most importantly, its positive influence. Of course, again, easier said than done. But nevertheless important.

Without this effort, we will find more trying roads ahead. And all this development will be missing out dearly on its full and true potential.

Thanks for dropping by.

GuamMMA:TheGoodAndTheBad

Tuck Headed for Abu Dhabi

By Eric Palacios • For Pacific Daily News • February 25, 2010

By Eric Palacios • For Pacific Daily News • February 25, 2010

Growing up, Tuck wasn’t certain what his future held, he said. He had some options, but nothing really stood out. Now 25, Tuck is more focused in life, with his goals, and on where he wants to go. Tuck is now training for one of the biggest competitions of his life — the prestigious Abu Dhabi Professional Jiu-Jitsu Cup Championships, which is scheduled for April 15-17. “I will be competing in the 72-kilogram blue belt division,” Tuck said. “I trained out there for six weeks last year, and I’m taking all the knowledge that I gained and I’m training harder every day now.” Tuck worked tirelessly, turned heads and was invited to compete in the world-class event. The best Brazilian jiu-jitsu warriors will be competing in different weight and belt classes, including some of the world’s best mixed martial arts fighters from the Ultimate Fighting Championship. “As a single parent and an only girl child, this is something that I would never dream of,” said Vangie Cruz-Quintanilla, Tuck’s mother. “It’s something that I would never have dreamed of for him, but I’m glad that he found his passion. I always pray for his safety, and the safety of the other fighters because as mothers we never want to see our child get hurt.” MMA, including Brazilian jiu-jitsu, has been good for Tuck. He’s traveled to different places, built new and lasting friendships in the process and grown because of the experiences. “The comparison of being in the sport when I first started and now, I think, is that I’ve matured as a fighter tremendously,” Tuck said. “In the beginning it was more of a hobby and a way to get a good workout and just have fun with friends. Now, it’s another drive in life for me because of everything that I’ve been through Tuck understands that the sport is dangerous, one where competitors get injured, sometimes seriously. But it’s this perilous nature that drives him, almost coerces him, to be better than he was the day before, and more importantly, better than his next opponent.

Last fight in Saipan

Tuck’s most recent MMA fight was last November at an event in Saipan. He was matched against one of the Philippines’ top mixed martial artists, who also boasted an unblemished professional record. It took all of eight seconds for Tuck to knock out Eduard Folayang. A thundering right cross caught Folayang cleanly and put him out before he even hit the canvas. “My instructor, my coach, ‘Big’ John Calvo, asked me if I wanted to fight him. I was kind of undecided because our team had just split up and we didn’t have training partners or a training facility,” Tuck said. “But we pushed through and I took the fight on three weeks’ notice. Luckily, I was still in shape. I relied on the tools that I already had and just sharpened them.” The victory over Folayang, like the four before it, is a stepping stone, Tuck said, all part of the big scheme of things. “He was a champion in the Philippines and he was the No. 1 fighter there. I believed in my trainer and I believed in myself, and it’s the hardest fight I’ve ever trained for in such a short amount of time. The work ethic we put in shot me up another level in my game as a whole. Honestly, I was excited and nervous because he’s a good fighter, a really tough guy.” “But I was ready to go five rounds if we had to.”

Focused on BJJ

For now, though, Tuck is concentrating on Abu Dhabi and jiu-jitsu, a component of MMA that he admittedly loves the most. “People from all over the world are having trials. Whoever wins the trials, tournament organizers will pay for all expenses. That’s the benefit of winning a trial — you’re treated like a world-class athlete,” Tuck said. “As for me, I’m like a ninja in the system. I’d like to compete in the trials so I wouldn’t have to pay for anything, but I’m taking the invite and paying my way. I’m really paying for the experience.”

CHARGES

Alex James Castro has been charged in the Superior Court of Guam for two separate alleged attacks over a two-week period.

Jan. 24 incident

ONRA:February11th,2010

Hafa Adai, Fighter athletes out of the Spike 22 Academy return from Taiwan with 2wins and a loss in Pacific Rim Organized Fighting on February 7th. Good luck to Saipan fighter athletes as Rites of Passage introduces Korea to CNMI MMA competition as they join the force to help Haiti in donating part of their event proceeds to the cause with their event this weekend. Jesse Taitano returns to Japan on March 23rd climb his ranking in Professional Shooto. In the absence and incubation of local ProfessionalMMA competition, , the MFL i s seeing a host of MMA competitors taking action from the cage to the field in local football. In our landmarking days of competitive BJJ and MMA, Guam’s highly evolved collective combat sports community and industry might want to offer its respect for a long time competitive martial arts advocate and Guam’s Brazilian Jiujitsu and Mixed Martial Arts pioneer. From our island’s earliest days of Brazilian Jiujitsu secret training to the internationally respected island Guam has established itself in international BJJ and MMA today, from the drawing board to his role in Guam’s first locally promoted MMA event promotion, as competitor,cornerman and almost everything else in between–Longtime instructor and martial arts advocate -John Calvo has received his Brazilian Jiujitsu black belt under Marcos Oliveira and Carlos Santos fronm EMIRATES TEAM (ABU-DHABI COMBAT CLUB). As our island’s third locally produced BJJ blackbelt ( Dan O’Connor received his black belt training off-island) thatCalvo has been a significant figure as one of the spearhead figures whove laid the foundation for a more sound infrastructure that has provided us with a consistently evolving entity in Martial arts training and industry. Much respect for the local fighter who first showed Guam that our people could win with armbars, chokes, and true technique aganst overseas NoHoldsarred Compettiion(NHB). Reflecting on some of the things Calvo has accomplished in a truly international and very eventful MMA venture–an invitation into the world’s most prestigious AbuDhabi Combat Championships grappling tournament, a sincere inquiry for participation in the at-the-time leader in World MMA entertainment PrideFighting Championships, an opportunity to compete against the at-the-time UFC World Champion Dan Severn–we can say that we had come very far even in our earliest days of the world-expanding MMA industry. What has been very interesting is the growing ambition that has turned into opportunity among Mariana Island fighter-athletes since NHB’ Competition’s debut in Guam almost a decade and a half later. with an island’s sincere respect and admiration for Professional MMA competition, our athletes have not only immersed themselves into the larger mix of world competition. Our islanders have world also established significant roles in the world industry in the likes of Richard Chou as the matchmaker for Strikeforce and local clothing company Shoyoroll gracing the uniforms of world champion athletes in highly broadcasted competition (to name a few). The long-term uphill challenge for a hand raised in victory of competition has respectfully offered, in its process a multi-pillared structure in a true rise of our islands, in and through the BJJ and MMA competition industry. Our imprint abroad illustrates that the efforts of the few in the past are being celebrated by the success of the many today. With the industry pointed in the right direction,(and this always demands attention) imagine what the efforts of the growing number of many can provide. Rooted, Dedicated, and focused–We are capable of massive things. Congratulations Calvo, Good Luck Taitano, Great Job Saipan. And For everyone, at the very least:Respect. Thanks for dropping by

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