ParaIOnra:FrankCamacho

Hafa Adai, before everything else…hows about that Pacquiao KO? Geezos creezos! MMA rocks but still good to see that boxing is far from dead. Back on track, Marianas MMA pioneer, Tetsuji Kato, returns to Shooto this weekend as he faces Kenichiro Togashi in Tokyo. Rites of Passage7 still on for May 23rd in Saipan.And the BJJ WorldChampionships up ahead for June 6th. More details as always on www.fokai.tv and www.shoyoroll.com.

URCC 185lb. Champion and TrenchWarz and PXC veteran Frank Camacho of
TrenchTech/PurebredSaiapn and LloydIrvinMartial Arts in Washington DC
made his professional fight debut into the 155lb category as an
underdog against Binky Jones of Colorado in the Ultimate Warriors
Challenge at ThePatriotCenter in Virginia on April 26th.

Round1:
Camacho catches a right kick attempt from Jones and sends Jones to the
mat with an overhand right 30seconds into the fight.. Frank shuts downs
several submission attempts from Jones even lifting Jones overhead at
one point and slamming him to the canvas.  Continues
to mount an offense with small punches from above before allowing Jones
back to his feet. Frank gets the better of the standing exchage until
getting taken down only to recover quickly to his feet. Jnes tries for
a kimura nly for Frank to recover into good position. DingDing. End of
Round.

 

Round2. Jones comes out more aggressively to take Frank down after a short standing exchange. Frank stops a choke attempt from Jones for another quick recovery to his feet. And after ashort exchange, lands a big right to drop Jones to the canvas and follows through with a barrage of punches before the referee stops the fight KO victory 1:40seconds into  second round. Frank Camacho wins his debut into US MMA.

 

.

With a live audience of more than 6000 spectators, including special guest former UFC Light heavyweight World Champion Tito Ortiz, The match was also broadcast live online to tens of thousands of viewers and is still available streaming on  MMA online authority www.sherdog.com

 

Following is an interview with “The Crank” on the fight and what has motivated, at only 20years f age, one of the Marianas premier 155lb. fighter athletes competing overseas.

 

After a 10-0 record at 185lbs. and a relatively successful performance at 170, what motivated you to compete at 155?

-At the higher level, fighters at Middleweight and Welterweight and physically way bigger than I am at 5’8″. With my body type having a high percentage of body fat at 185 and 170, the 155lb weight class is perfect for me! I will be fighting with maximum performance and muscle to weight ratio. I believe I will be way stronger and faster as a Lightweight! This is the weight class that I will be fighting at for now!

How did this fight come to be?

-After taking a year and a half break from the MMA fighting scene, I’ve been training with Team Lloyd Irvin under Master Lloyd learning his system and working on my skills to be a complete Mixed Martial Artist. This fight was just to “scratch that itch” and get a fight in. Took the fight in 7 weeks and made my debut at 155lbs.

What key developments do you see for yourself as a fighter training at Lloyd Irvin Martial Arts? How was your training for this fight?

-I’m definitely a whole new Frank “The Crank!” The 7 week training camp for this fight was the hardest I’ve ever been in. We had up to 4 training sessions a day. This is the breakdown of the training camp week;

Monday, Wednesday, Friday
6am – Wrestling
10:30am – Boxing
3:30pm – Drilling or Sparring
6:30pm-9:30- Sprints / Sparring

Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
6am – Circuit / Conditioning
10:30am – MMA
3:30pm – Drilling
Have the night off depending on what Master Lloyd had us working on.

My conditioning, strength, and cardio felt spectacular! I was definitely in the best shape of my life.

As a Marianas Island fighter who has competed abroad in the Philippines and the US, what has this oine for your perspective in local MMA?

-There is definitely a whole lot of Talent & Heart in the Marianas Fighters! Add some Hard Work and Discipline success will come! World Champions will come from the Marianas!

What are your motivations as a Mariana Island Mixed Martial Artist competing overseas?

-A good friend once said, “We come from such a small island, a dot on the globe, coming from somewhere so small makes me want to prove big things, and let the Whole World Know where I come from!”

Whats next fr Frank Camacho? What are your goals as a martial artist and Mixed Martial Artist?

-Im going to take another break from the MMA fighting scene and keep up with training. I know I need to work on all aspects of my game. I want to rock the BJJ scene now and learn as much as I can on my journey! Worlds is coming up so that is one Im looking out for! The ultimate Goal is to be The World Champ!

What words might you have for Mariana Fighters and fans?

-For the Fans! Si Yu’us Maase! Thank you so much for all the Love and Support! I wouldn’t be anywhere without you all! Keep supporting MMA, its a beautiful sport and Rock on at all the fights! lol. You all are the best! Good Vibes always…

-For the Mariana Fighters! Keep doing what you are doing! No one else in the WORLD fights like the way we do! Keep your eye on the prize, set your goals, and don’t let anyone or anything Stop you or Slow you down from reaching your goals!

-For the Kids of the Marianas… I had a rough road pursuing my MMA career. If you have a goal, whether its to be a doctor, lawyer, mma fighter, or astronaut, Go after your goals and DONT let ANYONE or ANYTHING STOP you or SLOW you down from reaching your GOALS!The sky is not the limit, because there is NO LIMIT! ROCK ON!

 

At only 20years of age,with an MMA title in the Philippines, a successful MMA record in the islands, and a promising debut into 155lbs;  a very proud Chamoru,  Camacho has already given the Marianas much to be proud of and a lot of lessons we can learn from. As we continue to support our fighter athletes ventures overseas, we give applause not only for the victories, but also for all the efforts. Because regardless, as we recognize our rightful place in the bigger picture, win or lose, these are all movements forward.

 

Best of Luck Frank and Biba Marianas.

 

Thanks for dropping by.

FrankCamachoVs.JamesJones@UWC: www.trainlikeamadman.com

FokaiCombatUnit:sinceeversince TetsujiKato

TRENCH TECH’s head instructor, Tetsuji Kato will be leaving for Japan next week Friday and will be fighting and representing Saipan as part of the undercard for SHOOTO JAPAN’s 20th Anniversary.

Kato, who holds a professional MMA record of 20 wins and 8 losses has been living and training local MMA enthusiasts on Saipan for the last 5 years.

“He was invited by the Shooto organization for the May 10th event and will be pitted against BJJ Black belt and fellow Japanese combatant, Kenichiro Tohgashi from the Parestra Hiroshima BJJ Academy”.

Tohgashi holds an MMA record of 14 wins and 7 losses and is a southpaw fighter who has fought many times in SHOOTO. Kato for his part was the former WORLD SHOOTO ORGANIZATION’s welter weight champion of Japan in 2002. Since moving to Saipan in 2004, Kato has fought only a hand full of times with his last fight taking place in September of 2007 where he fought STRIKEFORCE light weight CHAMPION, Gilbert “EL NINO” Melendez and lost by decision.

“Kato has been training very hard this past month doing six- 5 minute rounds of hard sparring everyday at the TRENCH TECH gym from monday to Saturday in preperation for this upcoming fight”. He is doing what he needs to do and has really been working his sthamina and conditioning to the extreme.! He is ready for war and I know he will represent Saipan well!”

Kato will be one of the undercard match ups with Tohgashi in the 155lbs division. The event will take place at the Tokyo Krakuen in the JCB Hole Sporting Center. The semi main will feature PRIDE FC and HERO’S Superstar Takanori Gomi of RASCAL fight team and the MAIN event will feature SHOOTO LIGHT WEIGHT CHAMP Rumina Sato.

FokaiCombatUnit:CongratulationsFrankCamacho inUWC:CapitalPunishment

http://www.sherdog.com/videos/misc.video/Frank-Camacho-vs-James-Jones-UWC-Full-Fight-Free-Download-1989

ONRA:April8th,2009

 

 

 

 

Hafa Adai,

“Baby” Joe Taimanglo opted to fight Deep’s 145-pound champion April 16 in Japan instead of competing for the Fearless 145-pound championship title April 4 in the Philippines.

Frank Camacho is fighting in the Ultimate Warrior Challenge April 25 in Maryland, and Patrick Ayuyu will be fighting in Kokoro on April 29 in Niigata, Japan.

Shortly after a successful event with Guerrilla Warfare 2, Saipan mixed martial arts has already set the date for their next event, Rites of Passage 7: Fist of Furies. It will be May 23.

It is a very busy time in MMA right now. Local talent is being sought from overseas, our fighter athletes and local clothing labels are on national television, MMA celebrities make their way through Guam and we have almost 100 successful, live MMA events to our resume –and counting. We should all be happy for these great things that have happened for the island since Guam’s introduction to revolutionized martial arts in the early ’90s.

Without even adding all the benefits professional and amateur combat athletes have given us inside and outside of sport and martial arts, we can be proud of an archive of notable accomplishments from Guam’s venture into competitive martial arts since the earlier days of rough-and-tough, no-holds-barred fighting, to the highly evolved and polished MMA.

Here are some of those accomplishments:

John Calvo fought the at-the-time UFC World Champion Dan Severn in SuperBrawl 7.

Japan MMA and street-fashion, super-celebrity Kid Yamamoto competed against Guam’s Ryan Urquizu in his pre-stardom days in Jungle Rules 1.

Melchor Manibusan advanced to the semifinals at the Abu Dhabi Combat Club and went the distance with Royler Gracie.

John Calvo and Melchor Manibusan received invitations to compete in the ADCC the following year after impressive performances in Japan.

Spirit MC hosted a television special in Korea broadcasting to over 3 million viewers with 30 minutes of coverage on Korea’s participation in Fury 6.

(2 of 2)

UFC President Dana White wore a Guam T-shirt on national TV during the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Afterward, Anthony Torres made the second season of “The Ultimate Fighter” and became the Marianas’ first venture into the UFC.

 

Tetsuji Kato fought Gilbert Melendez in front of a celebrity audience for the main event in the first Strike Force at the Playboy Mansion.

Patrick Ayuyu represented the United States in 2007′s K-1 World Max 155-pound tournament. An Ayuyu highlight reel supported with a Chamoru chant by Jay Pascua played for 2 minutes on K1′s big screens in front of thousands of fans.

Kelvin Fitial received a last-minute call from the Philippines to represent the Royce Gracie Team and fought against former UFC world heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez on eight hours notice for Platinum Productions’ Ring of Fire.

Fight commentators announced Guam repeatedly for millions of online viewers over the course of Mike Fowler’s last-minute invitation to a debut and stellar performance in the ADCC. Fowler defeated Brazilian Jiu Jitsu legends Renzo Gracie and Saulo Ribeiro.Though I’ve left out quite a few, these are some pretty massive things from this tiny dot in the Pacific.

Bright future

Now that momentum is flowing from our neighboring islands, the future is sure to give us more than a handful of encore performances.

We also are taking steps forward, not only to materialize trophies and championship belts, but also to create catapults for future generations into new ventures.

Thanks for dropping by.

Roman Dela Cruz is a mixed martial arts super-fan, and a representative for Fury MMA.

SaipanMMAResults:GuerillaWarfare2

MAIN EVENT

Kelvin Fitial over Ed Carpenter – TKO / 2nd Round

FIGHT RESULTS: Eduard Folayang over Jerome Norita – TKO / 52 sec 1st Round Charlz Aiken over Mike Davis – TKO / 1st Round Jay Santos vs Joel Pangelinan – Cancelled Fight Tara Namauleg over Kristy Halstead – TKO / 23 sac 1st Round Shane Camacho over Lionel Borja – KO / 53 sec 1st Round Robert Palacios over Rick San Nicolas – Tapout / 1st Round John Borja over Neil Taisacan – Verbal Submission / 3:11 mins 1st Round Swain Cangco over Victorino Igitol – Decision Martin Ayuyu over Jay Muna – RNC / 52 sec 2nd Round Leroy Sablan over J.J. Mality – KO / 48 sec 1st Round

THE GORILLA THANKS THE WARRIORS FROM THE MAINLAND, NMI, PHILIPPINES, GUAM, POHNPEI AND APPRECIATES ALL WHO PARTICPATED IN MAKING “BATTLE READY” A HUGE SUCCESS!  TO OUR MAIN SPONSOR BUD LIGHT,  SI YU’US MA’ASE !!

Special thanks to our other sponsors:

  IT&E – Boarderline – Power 99 – Aquarious – Younis Art Studio
- J’s Restaurant – The Set - Shop 670 – The Flair – Jonny’s Bar – OTM – CD consulting – Saipan Apparel

ONRA:March27,2009

Hafa Adai,

 Congratulations To Guam’s Tessa Simpson victry in Texas for Guam’s Female debut into off island MMA competition, and cheers also to the Organizers of the Guam KickBoxing Invititational for a successful showing of a thriving venture towards total martial arts development here in the islands. PXC is in the works with Professional Shooto for sanctioning and affiliation which will help pool our fighters and local industry to international ranking and opportunity with perhaps the worlds most established amateur and professional MMA organization. And other fight organizations around the world are looking to Guam as a sincere option and contender  in Competitve martial arts.

In Overseas competition,

Guerilla Warfare2 is scheduled for this Saturday in Saipan while PXC17:Fearless is scheduled for this Friday at the The University of Guam Fieldhouse

At a last minutes notice, Guam’s Baby Joe Taimangalo fight is delayed from March 28^th til April 4th for the Fearless 145lb. championship title in the Philippines.

Fighters from the Spike22Academy are looking towards MMA competition in Japan on April 14^th.

We will be able to watch Saipan’s Frank Camacho’s MMA debut at 155lbs. in the ULtimate Warriors Challenge in Washington DC, streamed online on April 25^th.

Rota’s PatrickAyuyu returns to Mixed Martial Arts competition in Kokoro2 in Niigata, Japan On April 29^th.

And from Stephen Kamphius of BJJ Asia.com,

" BJJFP  will be hosting the Pan Asians BJJ Gi and No Gi comp on May 2-3
 at
 SM mall of Asia , Manila Philippines. You are cordially invited.
 IBJJF rules and weight divisions apply."

In reflection of last week’s article on Guahan Top Team’s Ryan Bigler’s decision to return to Guam for family over what people would consider to be the opportunity of a lifetime—its easy to respect the fact that despite all the great opportunities in development as a by product of Guam’s love of martial arts, our best performers have been able to maintain and even after hard work so evident, still make these type of decisions with the core values that make our island and our way of living so special.

As incredible as is the achievement stemming from our ventures into international competition, as we take professional aim towards bigger targets, we will find added value and increased opportunitiesf or our island and its people if we can keep this movement directed towards and rooted to these values.

 There are rewards that dont necessarily depend on gold medal finishes or world championship titles. They dont rely on cameras. These rewards don’t need international exposure or any of its the bells and whistles. It is the reward of hard work, of purpose, and ambition. Among others, it is the fruits that come with camaraderie and in rising (and in helping others to rise) from victory or defeat.

And confidently, something that the sport, the industry, and the way of life of martial arts throughout the Mariana islands has come to proudly discover.

 

 Thanks for dropping by.

ONRA:MMA.tvAndFuryFCF

I am writing on behalf of MMA.TV to express our interest in covering
> the upcoming event on May 7th.  As the world leader in Mixed Martial
> Arts coverage we are always looking to expand our market domination.
> As of December 2004 (k-1 Grand Prix) we have committed extensive
> resources in an attempt to expand our markets.  At this time we are
> cover a limited number of events in Asia and the South Pacific.  When
> I first learned of the events on Guam it peaked my interest greatly.
> Firstly because it is an American territory and therefore English
> speaking so the language challenges faced elsewhere would be
> eliminated.  Secondly outside of the "BIG 3" (K-1, Pride, UFC) this
> event is near the top in terms of draw.  We feel that by partnering
> with Fokai that we might be able to obtain a true MMA.TV customer.  To
> us at MMA.TV valuable patrons are what drives our business.

Over the past several years the sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) has
grown at an exponential rate.  An example of this is the Ultimate
Fighter television show that just recently concluded it's airing on
Spike TV.  The finally of the season captured a 2.6 Nelson Rating or
2.6 million views during prime time American TV.  This was the first
time in American History that a MMA fight was held on cable TV.  This
rating has prompted talks between the UFC and ABC about a second
season.  MMA is already the most popular sport in Japan and is gaining
momentum in the US.  Boxing is without a Heavy Weight Champion and
thus leaves an opportunity to gain a large share of the market place.
We feel that Guam has a possibility of obtaining a large role in the
development of MMA as well as the opportunity to showcase itself as a
destination.  There are currently only a handful of events in the US
that sell as many seats as the Fokai/Fury events.  We feel that Fokai
with the assistance of MMA.TV can place these events among the most
watched in the US.  Along with this comes a vast untouched market for
tourist revenues.  The average MMA fan is male between the ages of
18-35 years old.  Guam can benefit from its unique location in many of
the same ways that Hawaii has.  By being an Island Paradise with many
other attractions such as scuba diving, shopping, beach, golf, it has
the ability to cross promote with MMA.  Guam can sell itself to fight
fans as not only having world class events but many other things to do
for a 7 day vacation.
As for Guam and its role in developing the sport and its athletes:
From my last visit to Guam I believe that MMA is the number one sport
on the Island.  Because the sport is still in the development stage in
many US places this becomes a great advantage.  When people start
training as a young age, with the right training, coaching, and desire
they can advance to the top of MMA quickly.  Unlike other sports there
is no height or weight requirement, due to weight classes.  MMA unlike
a fully developed sport like basketball that will now only accept the
.01% of all players MMA promoters are searching for talent.  In other
words the demand for the sport has out paced the supply.  If Guam
becomes finically, and socially committed to producing athletes there
is no doubt that marquee talent will emerge.
In my opinion Fokai has done and will continue to do an excellent job
with it's marketing, as well as its reputation in the MMA community. 
At this time I feel that in order for Guam to make the next step in
its development into a fight tourism destination several things must
be done:
Ø	Advertising to the MMA community
Ø	Develop and promote a marquee fighter
Ø	Take event size to the next level with recognized names (BJ Penn ect…..)
Ø	Develop a multi-media package (DVDs and print media / Pay Per View)
Ø	Vertical Marketing plan with other Guam activities 
I feel that with the accomplishments of things on this list Guam would
rival Hawaii and possibly surpass Hawaii in regards to MMA generated
revenue.  Guam has a distinct advantage due to its location.  Firstly
it is a US territory and therefore much more accessible to US markets.
 Second is that is in close proximity to Japan.  Guam has the ability
to attract the best talent from both the US and Japan as well as fans
from both nations.
I feel that Guam currently has a wonderful opportunity to become a
player on a global stage with MMA.  The sport is young and its growth
will continue to be staggering over the next 10 years.  Guam right now
is one of a limited number of hot spots for MMA.  We hope that Guam
will decide to take advantage of this and promote not only MMA but the
beauty of the island itself.  At MMA.TV we hope that we can be of
assistance and be your partner for many years to come.

I hope that helps.......I am looking forward to seeing everyone in a few days
best regards,
-josh

HearYeHearYe!FightersInterestedInTHeUFC

Calling all Heavyweights, Light Heavyweights and Middleweights! With the ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter set to kick off April 1st, the 10th season is already in the works and SpikeTV, along with UFC, has announced the casting call at The Marriott Seattle Airport Hotel in Seattle, WA on April 6th. Fighters can register by showing up at the Marriott between 8am and 9am on that date, or in advance by filling out the online registration form here.
Applicants will have to grapple and hit pads so bring gear.

www.bjpenn.com

ONRA:March12,2009

Marcos Olivera of Guahan Top Team qualifies to carry the pride of our island to Dubai later this year in one of the worlds most prestigious international grappling tournaments—hopefully echoing the GTTs impressive performance in the NoGi Division in last months Marianas Open. This past SaturdayPXC unfolds turns another page in  local Grappling and  MMA with a successful turnout for their “ForTheTroops” event  in support of our armed forces. The University of Guam Fieldhouse will be busy again on March 27^th  for the next PXC, and Guerilla Warfare2 will be keeping Saipan busy at the World Resort on February 28^th. While on the same day, Baby Joe Taimangalo unfolds his exciting fight career with a shot for the 145lb championship title for Fearless FightingChampionships in ThePhilippines.

 

Meanwhile, Guams grapplers are busy again this time going over to Saipan for this weekend’s Saipan All IslandSubmission Grapplling Tournament, TheArtOfWar3. After over a decade after the arrival of Brazilian Jiujitsu and Submission Grappling to Guam –and after lesss than 5years after their arrival to Saipan, Guam submission grappling will be sending their largest host of competitors from Purebred, Spike22, GTT, CarlsonGracie, and  Gracie Barra, and to compete against (and touch base with) a similarly flourishing and parallel industry atmosphere to Saipan and the CNMIs revitalized interests into competitive martial arts.

 It’s a great thing that the grappling arts, jiujitsu, judo, wrestling,  etc… have been able to establish symbiotic connections with the Goliath of Mixed Martial Arts.  A frequency of single discipline events and the drive of its participants continues to push the performance levels of our total fighter athletes. And the success of Mixed Martial Arts has provided its growing fan base with a great stimulus for a first step into martial arts training.

 We are at a new phase in competitive combat sports now where we are better able to piece together separate independent events, both amateur and professional, throughout Guam and Saipan

 As  the industry evolves and our athletes improve, we can better focus our goals on targeting larger purpose throughout and beyond martial arts and athletics.

  We have seen a number of Martial Arts’s ventures into community service and a vast majority of these projects and initiatives have been led by the top performers in the sport.

In an industry that has been developed mostly from within, in and industry lined with victories and paramount performances abroad, this is as much a trophy for our elders as it is building blocks for our children. As our strength acts as our nobility, we can live in the plus that we are not only growing in Guam, but we are continuing this momentum and consciously sharing it with our brothers and sisters in our neighboring islands.

 With strength, intelligence, honor, and the Pride of The Mariana Islands.

 Thanks for dropping by.

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