PacMan,TheForce,&Money

Copied and Pasted from www.yahoo.com

To prove he doesn’t want a fight against Floyd Mayweather for the money, Manny Pacquiao has offered a fight with proceeds going to charity. In an interview with Aquiles Zonio of inquirer.net, Pacquiao opened up about the verbal jabs being thrown his way.

“I’m not desperate to fight him just for the sake of money or material things. I’m not the one seeking this fight; rather it’s the boxing fans all over the world,” Pacquiao said in the interview.

ALSO READ: Mayweather says Pacquiao is desperate

“I am ready to submit myself to any kind of stringent drug testing. Above all, I challenge him to include in our fight contract that both of us will not receive anything out of this fight,” Pacquiao challenged. “We will donate all the proceeds from the fight—guaranteed prize, should there be any, gate receipts, pay-per-view and endorsements—to charities around the world.”

Pacquiao added that he is not desperate for a fight as what Mayweather is suggesting. He said he is comfortable about how his career holds up in boxing history. “There’s no reason why I should be desperate to fight him. But since boxing fans worldwide are seeking and demanding a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight, I don’t want to disappoint them,” he added.

ALSO READ: Roach pushing for Mayweather-Pacquiao in September

“As to my tax problem, my lawyers are fixing it already,” Pacquiao told Zonio. “I’m paying my taxes religiously. It is just a matter of reconciling our records with the tax agencies both here and abroad. Should there be any discrepancy, rest assured, I will settle it. I’m a lawmaker and I’m a law-abiding citizen.”

Reacting to Mayweather’s announcement that he will be retiring from boxing in September next year, Pacquiao shot back at Mayweather. “The public clamor for a Pacquiao-Mayweather bout is getting stronger. The only way he can avoid facing me in the ring is to retire from boxing,” Pacquiao said.

“Floyd, if you’re a real man, fight me,” Pacquiao closed. “Let’s do it for the love of boxing and for the fans. Let’s do it not for the sake of money. Let’s make the boxing fans happy.”

May TheForce Be With You

Hafa Adai,

The whole venture of maintaining this blog has been a bit difficult. No Excuses. just poor focus and ethic into this venture. Evensayingthat however… youre support has been, is, and always will be appreciated.

This blog was primarily created to “Open a Window into the Heartbeat of FokaiInternational”. We wanted to keep our viewers connected to the people, places, and events that weve been closely involved with over the years.We have been involved in non-profit activity consistently in Guam, Japan, California, and Ireland ..Then things were shifted so that the blog would be more focused on merchandise  detail:  though we’ve made mistakes–there is constant evolution in product development. were taking extra steps in sourcing the materials and skillset to provide life-proven product…and then we really wanted to emphasize a good news blog that wanted to remind our internationally growing support base that there is collectively and individually a good and noble effort in the world to make a positvie difference. It’s a collective  effort , A FORCE, that is multiplied by bridges and not divided by  boundaries.

Too often we’re magnetized to the excitement of bombs exploding, heads severed, celebrity mishaps, and serial killers; we’re standing by on excitement to watch man against man and country versus country…we need to motivate ourselves more often with good things that bring  faith  and faith which  brings hope…for a fast-evolving global mindset that could always use it.

With an intended backdrop of Mariana Island fighter archives and achievement as well as multi-faceted Moment defining photos and videos…we were aiming to give you further insight into the energy we came to accumulate as “FokaiIndustries” and an movement labeled as “FokaiIneternational

All of which weve given a decent effort but, considering  all the details of merchandise, individuals, and good tidings weve failed to archive/ and of goals we’ve failed to achieve—without doubt we’ve  fallen tremendously short.

Again , were trying to make another effort.

So we’re here today, on December 8th..not to fix everything all at once. but to thank you all for your long time support and patience, ant to reiiterate that we’re still on deck to do our part and connect all dots for positive things in an  effort worthwhile for mankind.

Fokai&GoodVibrations.

Thanks for dropping by.

RESPECT:NelsonMandela

A MESSAGE FOR MANKIND

(CNN) — Nelson Mandela was always mindful that his leadership role in the liberation of South Africa from apartheid might not have been possible if he had not been imprisoned.

“It is possible that if I had not gone to jail and been able to read and listen to the stories of many people. … I might not have learned these things,” Mandela said of the insights that he gained during his 27 years in jail.

In an interview less than a year after he had stepped down as the country’s first black president, Mandela shared with me reflections of how prison changed him.

He said that reading the biographies of great leaders who had been able to overcome their shortcomings and rise to do great things had inspired him. He said it also helped him to realize that behind every seemingly ordinary person lay the potential of greatness.

“I have been surprised a great deal sometimes when I see somebody who looks less than ordinary, but when you talk to the person and they open their mouths, they are something completely different,” he said.

Mandela said that prison gave him time to think about the times when he had failed to acknowledge people who had been kind to him.

Mandela said that at the height of the struggle against apartheid, he and other leaders were understandably angry at the humiliation and loss of dignity of those who suffered under the unjust policy. It meant their actions were driven by anger and emotion rather than by reflection and consultation.

“But in jail — especially for those who stayed in single cells — you had enough opportunity to sit down and think,” he said.

There was time to listen to the stories of people who were highly educated and who were widely traveled and experienced. “When they told of their experiences, you felt humbled,” he said.

Mandela said that he had learned that when you had the moral high ground, it was better to sit down and talk to people and persuade them of the correctness of your cause.

“If you have an objective in life, then you want to concentrate on that and not engage in infighting with your enemies,” he said. “You want to create an atmosphere where you can move everybody toward the goal you have set for yourself,” Mandela said.

Nelson Mandela: A man of many handshakes

In his twilight, Mandela was at pains to publish and acknowledge his weaknesses and shortcomings in his family life, in his relationships with women and his first wife, Evelyn. He was keen to dispel any notion of sainthood that might be bestowed on him.

He also spoke increasingly about the importance of changing oneself.

“One of the most difficult things is not to change society — but to change yourself,” Mandela said in 1999 at a tribute to billionaire businessman Douw Steyn who had made his Johannesburg residence available to Mandela as a retreat after his prison release in 1990.

Mandela had given similar advice to wife Winnie in a letter written to her in 1981 after she had been jailed by the apartheid regime. Mandela noted that there were qualities “in each one of us” that form the basis of our spiritual life and that we can change ourselves by observing our reactions to the unfolding of life.

Ten years later, Mandela said that it gave him a feeling of fulfillment to see that Douw Steyn had changed and had learned to share his resources with the poor.

“It enables me to go to bed with an enriching feeling in my soul and the belief that I am changing myself” by reconciling with former adversaries, Mandela said.

I believe that the essence of Mandela’s greatness was to change himself fundamentally during his period in jail and emerge as a potent leader and example for all humanity.

Opinion: Nelson Mandela saved my life

The reflections took me back to the extraordinary day of Mandela’s release. The day the legend became a man. Even now, the moment seems frozen in time.

It was February 11, 1990, and the African sun shone from a clear blue sky on a windless summer’s day in Cape Town. About an hour’s drive from the city, the international media thronged around the entrance of a neat prison warder’s house to await the emergence of one of the century’s most iconic figures.

I had arrived late at the prison and wandered unnoticed into the prison grounds where my slate-blue cotton suit coincidentally blended in with the uniform color of the South African police. That might have had something to do with the fact that I was not challenged when I strode confidently into the prison grounds. But to this day I do not know.

An unscheduled wait of an hour while Mandela consulted an anti-apartheid delegation including his wife Winnie, who had arrived an hour late, seemed like an eternity.

When Mandela, flanked by Winnie, finally emerged walking down the driveway towards the prison premise gates, I lost all sense of time and self and strode towards Mandela to shake his hand and congratulate him on his freedom.

He recognized me from the photograph that accompanied my regular column I had written for the Cape Times, where I often analyzed the successes and setbacks of the anti-apartheid movement and the African National Congress in exile.

His face broke into a broad smile as we shook hands and he continued his historic walk to freedom.

At the time, I was the southern Africa correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor which was for many years the only international news publication that Mandela was allowed to read in jail albeit in a vetted form with pages and sections frequently removed.

On his first visit to the United States in 1990, Mandela broke from his official program on Sunday, June 24 to pay an unscheduled visit to the headquarters of the Monitor at One Norway Street in Boston to the astonishment of the editor and staff. (Today the Monitor is online only. The newspaper ceased daily publication in 2009.)

South Africa since apartheid: Boom or bust?

I received an incredulous call from my foreign editor, Jane Lampman, on that Sunday asking me if I could guess who was standing outside the building with two bodyguards asking to see the editor. It was, she said, Nelson Mandela. I was astonished too.

Mandela was intrigued that the founder of the newspaper, Mary Baker Eddy, also founded a religion. Mandela came to respect the Monitor’s sustained and fair coverage of South Africa during his time in jail.

To this day, Mandela’s weaknesses, his turbulent youth and his sometimes tempestuous relationships with women can still detract from the iconic status that Mandela achieved in his own lifetime.

But, the responsible airing of his weaknesses — including his own acknowledgment — in fact humanized Mandela and focused on his extraordinary strength of character and commitment in overcoming both his weaknesses and adversity in his own lifetime. It augmented Mandela’s greatness.

Carrying on the work of Nelson Mandela

It is Mandela’s achievement as a universal icon that has always fascinated me most. He first conquered his jailers by convincing them that they were the ones imprisoned by their own unsustainable policies based on fear and racial injustice. And then he negotiated them out of power with the sheer force of his moral authority and belief in himself.

Mandela’s example and actions in becoming the country’s first black president struck a mortal blow to racism worldwide and helped build confidence and pave the way for Barack Obama to pull off a similar feat in the United States.

If Mandela has a global heir in the ongoing campaign against racism and the quest for human dignity it has to be Barack Hussein Obama.

The power of Mandela’s leadership was rooted in the fact that at key moments in his life he acted independently of the movement to which he dedicated his life and to which he deferred as a “loyal and obedient” member.

He did so when he decided in 1986 to begin negotiating with his jailers from behind bars not knowing where it would end. He did so in continuing to refer to former President F. W. de Klerk as a “man of integrity” long after it was less popular to do so in the ranks of the African National Congress.

And he did so again when he went out on a limb within his own constituency after his release to support the overwhelmingly white South African rugby team in the World Cup in 1995.

Mandela said that even if he wanted to he could not bind future generations to remember history in a particular way.

The lesson of Mandela’s life is that he has no need to bind anyone to his legacy nor does he need any organization to do so.

His actions in his own lifetime are his legacy and they will remain indelibly etched in history for generations to come as a living example to inspire the leaders of tomorrow.

What Is Yamato Damashii?:

ENSON INOUE speaks about the evolution of “Yamato Damashii”" and how he has been applying it into his life to help others.

ElevationIIsla13N144E:Shoyoroll&Jiujitsu

Giving props to a fellow company originated in Guam that is aiming for Guam’s positive landmarking in action sports. Shoyoroll has been around “since the 90′s”. Fokai and Shoyoroll have been on common paths, and shared among a similar circle of friends. Sharing i the path of an already-large-and-growing extended campaign of Hafa Adai–We can identify with the struggles and setbacks in the very competitive clothing and Jiujitsu Industry and are very stoked to see friends making it happen.

Here’s a pretty dope feature copied from www.guampdn.com..Check it out for some insight into the source of one of the Jiujitsu world’s most recognized gi manufacturing and clothing companies. Props.

It wasn’t too long ago when fashion and martial arts mixed as well as oil and water. The fighters’ traditional uniform — the gi — was worn to showcase technique and skill, not to flaunt the latest ensemble. Vince “Bear” Quitugua sought to change that perception more than 10 years ago. He is the founder of Shoyoroll, a company of humble beginnings that recently blew up the martial arts world, growing to global recognition status. Quitugua, a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt, is also a formidable businessman in the mixed martial arts and BJJ communities. Born in California and raised on Guam, Quitugua founded Shoyoroll, a premium fight wear company specializing in high-quality gis.

The clean designs, contrast stitching and fitted cuts make the brand among the most popular on the market.

Inspired by his love of surfing, skateboarding and grappling, he created the electric yellow Shoyoroll logo prominently visible at major competitions in the United States.

“Seven years ago we would only see a few of the gis being worn at competition, and it was just fighters we knew and gave the gis to. Then the next year we saw a few more, and realized it wasn’t just people we gave the gis to,” Quitigua says. “That was super cool to see.”

The million-dollar company appears to be an overnight success, but the brand’s roots originate on a tiny island in the Pacific. Bear started with a handful of hats and T-shirts, created inside a little garage on Guam.

“I was just a creative kid trying to do something that I thought would be cool,” Quitugua says.
Shoyoroll frenzy

Here’s a scene from the World Jiu Jitsu No Gi Championship held in Long Beach, Ca. just four months ago. A crowd waited in the cold air for the gate to open, eager to watch the battles of the premiere submission-grappling tournament of the year.

But instead of filling the stands surrounding the arena at the Walter Pyramid, more than a hundred people swarmed the Budo Videos retail booth. Each one hoped to buy the collectable Shoyoroll gi named the “Charles Lew,” but only 50 were for sale.
Budo Videos, a top martial arts online retailer, first carried Shoyoroll gis in 2009 after agreeing to be the exclusive retailer for North America. President Dave Contreras clearly remembers the initial public response:

“They just sat in our warehouse. No one was really buying them,” he says.

Now, they sell out within minutes. Thousands of people around the world wait anxiously for the moment the limited-edition gis go on sale. Once the site opens, only a small percentage of buyers get lucky, surviving site crashes and thousands of other online buyers all wanting the same thing at the exact same time.

“They brought something really unique to the market by changing the look at the time. The other gi brands had been making the same gis for years,” says Budo Videos CEO Jake McKee.

Quitugua always sets a few aside for his Guam distributor and friend, Wayne Matanane, but still — not everyone gets one.

“When you look good you feel good, and when you feel good you roll good,” says jiu jitsu black belt “Big” John Calvo, who supported the brand in its early days. “That’s what wearing a Shoyoroll gi will do for you.”

Ultimate Fighters Jon Cruz Tuck, BJ Penn and Benson Henderson wear the brand with pride too.

Founder of top clothing brand RVCA Pat Tenore says simply: “Shoyoroll rules.”

All the success Quitugua enjoys didn’t come without sacrifice.

“People think the brand all of a sudden became popular. They don’t know the back story, all the work that took place and all the struggles we went through,” he says.

The founder of a million-dollar company today talks about his childhood home in Ordot, made with wooden walls and a leaky tarp for a roof. Rainy day puddles were normal, and typhoon warnings sent his family packing to a safer structure.

His family didn’t have much, so they safeguarded what they had.

“Our house wasn’t concrete like the other homes, so if a typhoon hit we’d lose everything,” he says.

Those days left him yearning for a better life and hungry for a solution.

“I told myself I wanted to me a millionaire by the time I was 30. When I was 5 I told my dad I wanted to be an engineer,” he says. “He told me, ‘Good, they make a lot of money.’”

He fell into a rut along the way, caught up in an aimless lifestyle. He said far too many of Guam’s youth also get snagged and unfortunately, a few will never get out.

“Depending on your circle of friends, you can get stuck, using the wrong people as role models, getting in trouble and dropping out of school,” he says.

His only secret to success was no secret at all: hard work.

“If there is anything I can tell the young kids on Guam today, the freshmen in high school, is, to stay in school. Expand your circle of friends. Hang out with people that want to go to college,” he says. “When I hung out with my boys, that’s all I knew. Having fun and partying. But when I networked myself with different friends, I realized I had to change my mindset to pursue bigger things.”

But he doesn’t believe an aimless detour should stop anyone from reaching goals. Continually striving for a goal can make changes and create outlets even where there are seemingly none.

“I was really discouraged just a few years ago. I was losing money with the brand. It wasn’t popular. Yeah, people thought it was cool, but after awhile you just think, ‘is it worth my time?’ But I kept at it,” Quitugua says.

The company grew slowly.

His wife Melissa gave up her position in human recourses to focus on the brand.

Bear Quitugua left a successful position in sales a year and a half ago, and hasn’t looked back since.

“It was a huge leap. This started out as a hobby, and we have kids to take care of. With our jobs we had benefits, insurance and income we relied on. My wife was super scared, but it’s probably the best decision I’ve made in my life,” Quitugua says.

He’s happy to say he hired two others from Guam, Natasha Barsana and Georgianna Castro. The warehouse manager Juan “Roach” Rodriquez is from Mexico, but already he’s been given “honorary Chamorro” status.

“Everyone says I act like you guys,” he says.

Quitugua also changed his goals, and not all revolve around business.

He realized working hard just for money doesn’t necessarily create happiness and success. Melissa keeps him balanced at home and at work and together, they raise two children — Bear’s absolute pride and joy.

“In that regard, I would say I’ve made it.”

MaytheForceBe

MaytheForceBe with them SaveOlympicWrestling

May t

Guam Jiu jitsu Shines @ the Asian Open

An article over two weeks overdue but better late than never as its time to give due credit to one of Guam’s most outstanding collective Jiujitsu achievement in 2012.

More than 50 competitors from Guam were in large attendance at the Tokyo Budokan in Japan on October 13th and 14th for the Asian Open Jiujitsu Championships, the largest Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament held in Asia by the world authority International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation…
In an event where Guam was , in the years previous, well-represented primarily by the Purebred Jiujitsu Academy—additional participants from the Spike22Academy, Vida Jiu jitsu, Universal Alliance, and Carlson Gracie Jiujitsu Guam arrived en masse to secure numerous Bronze, Gold, and Silver medals in virtually every category in the region’s largest and most established Jiujitsu event.

TeamPurebredLloydIrvin Leads theWay
Securing 1st place team trophy in the Novice Division, The PurebredLloydIrvin Jiujitsu Academy led the pack securing an impressive 13GoldMedals,9Silver Medals, and 9Gold Medals for another stellar performance in their 5th tournament tour through Japan .
“It was an excellent showing from all the Guam athletes at one of the big 5 journeys on the IBJJF calendar Master Lloyd Irvin and i sat down at the worlds in June to plan all phases of training..14weeks, 12weeks, 8weeks and then to have our affiliate instructors from the EastCoast JT Torres and jared Weiner here for the final 2week phase helped to put the finishing touches as far as positive mindset and also refining everybody’s game plan. Having the largest contingency shows just how passionate the team is about the art….we are proud to represent Guam and appreciate all the support leading up to the Asian open. It was Awesome to see the other Guam gyms Take part and represent……this will help Jiujitsu on Guam evolve as a whole.Thank you to all the friends family and sponsors who supported us.”
Normally regarded for their successful and well-traveled mixed martial arts program–Members out of Spike 22 also enjoyed success as theywere able to walk away with 8 medals from their 11particpants.
Eli Monge, head instructor out of Spike22/NovaUniao Jiujitsu mentioned that
“I sat on the mat after a Saturday morning class and said to myself I am going to do Asian open as a black belt. I started training for it but I had some injures on my elbow but kept training. One morning It the pain was so bad so I got it checked. It was not good news that I had to get Surgery. That night I went to teach class and I looked at my students and said ‘who wants to do a Bjj tournament’? So we put together a Triathlon style training and a 14week Bjj camp. It was Tough.I am so proud of them. They did it in a short amount of time– Our SPK NovaUniao Bjj team is really just about a year old. What I felt seeing them on this Journey we took Together and seeing them on the Mat that day made me feel almost like when I had my two Beautiful Daughters. All the morning workout and Evening Bjj six day a week workout was Worth it. I am happy that there’s now a SPK22 NovaUniao BJJ Team. “
Local tournaments such as the Marianas Open and Docomo Pacific Copa de Marianas have maintained their events to prepare local competitors for these type of larger tournaments. Aligning the standards and protocols with the IBJJF has proven to be successful in setting a fluorishable environment for local competitors to succeed on a larger scale. With twelve successful events already in the books and also in Japan to support the Guam contingency– Tony Bashaw and Steven Shimizu, event Coordinators of the Marianas Open and Copa de Marians Jiujitsu Tournament commented that
“. Haters be hating ; We never said our events were perfect—but we love what we do, we do what we love—and doing what we can with what we got….. seeing all the blings come home from off-island tourneys from our competitors of many different gyms, makes us feel pretty good. It looks like we’ve been doing a good job with the Marianas Open.”
Within the past 5 years, theSpike22Academy has been competing actively in Japan in the highest levels of Kickboxing and Mixed Martial Arts—impressively including participation in events such as K-1World Max, Dream Fighting Championships, Deep Impact, Cage Force, and Professional Shooto. Though they had occasional success with MMA and Kickboxing n the far east—their most recent venture into competitive Jiujitsu has proven to be the most fruitful.
“When we send MMA fighters out to Japan , we were facing top ranked fighters which we were hardly able to come out victorious . With this being our first Jiu Jitsu Squad as well as being a young team , we were successful in bringing home some medals .I remember it was only Pat Ayuyu that we used to watch fighting in Japan, now its great to see a bunch of Guam faces –all under one roof aiming at the same prize was cool to see .”
-Melchor Manibusan, owner and founder of the Spike22Academy
“Our preparation for the Asian Open was one to remember! We focused on our mindset and gameplan so that we can be sharp for when we competeJT Torres and Jared Weiner helped to really sharpen everyones game. Being with the team and family is always a blast when in Japan! Taking gold means alot to me emotionally. with the help of GOD, the team and my girlfriend and son I was able to persevere and come out on top– Everything is possible through HIM.”
Alan Cepeda Purebred/Team Lloyd Irvin
Adult PurpleBelt Middleweight Division GoldMedalist
“The competition was a such a learning experience. Competing in tournaments like the IBJJF Asian Open is a great way to develop and enhance your skills in jiu jitsu. Training hard months in advance for such tournaments, alot on the line for you to fight for. You learn alot about yourself physically and mentally, especially about your jiu-jitsu game.
Having the support of your Coaches and Teammates behind you, is very important to success, and I am thankful that I had a wonderful team to support me throughout each match and throughout the tournament. It is a great feeling knowing that all your hard work has paid off and having your brothers and sisters by your side to experience that with you”.
John Eddie Moser
BlueBelt Adult HeavyweightDivision Gold Medalist/Open Class SilverMedalis

i believe you can find the results at this link for the tournament:

https://www.ibjjfdb.com/Campeonato/PublicResults?CampeonatoId=135&CultureInfo=en-US

While one Guam flag hanging proudly front and center from the main entrance of the Tokyo Budokan ,in front of the rafters that seated a unified contingency of about 80 represenatitves from Guam including competitors and supporters, and in front of more than a thousand spectators in attendance—a second flag was shared among the different academies on the many repeat visits to podium. On another historic day for our island’s sports almanac—Guam once again made a profound impact with the International competitive Jiujitsu community.

Onra: July 26th, 2012

Hafa Adai,

It seems that Grappling and Mixed Martial Arts  are everywhere these days… If were not watching it on the UFC or youtube, then the frequency of events here on Guam stays busy enough to keep those offline and off the grid entertained and hopefully, at some point, educated about the evolution of martial skill. The fast-accelerated refining  of technique and  the exponential advance of physical conditioning combined brilliantly with a Jedi’s worth of martial strategy is arguably breeding the greatest hand to hand fighters in the history of mankind.

Not too long ago, in some ways for a whole lot of people, martial arts competition was in many ways sensitive territory. Martial arts in massive seemed to be centered around self-defense and fighting skill was mostly used only when absolutely needed.  Today, it seems that there’s a major mixed martial arts event every weekend, there are millions of videos on the internet, there are more martial arts publications to count, and online fight sport forums are populated by the millions who have an opinion and an interest for who might be the world’s greatest fighter.

In prior thinking, the more time spent in martial arts seemingly certified better skill and this gave us the confidence that more time well spent will guarantee skill above others and would keep us that much safer from any single assailant. What we have discovered in the UFCs Octagon is that experience doesn’t always lead to victory. And with all the training manuals so wide-open—it doesn’t take nearly as long to be a tough guy. How did we feel when John Jones, barely five years, into the sport made short work of lifetime martial artist Lyoto Machida, How did we feel when the great Jiujitsu legend Marcelo Garcia lost to referee stoppage in his first(MMA bout against a seasoned yet no-name competitor? And further rewinding how did we feel when the fancy kicks and fancy punches once adorned in martial arts fell fast victim to very basic jiujitsu which looked at the time like primitive and unrefined violence. Who ever thought that wrapping your legs around another man could be so fight-threatening?

In the past 15years we have been uprooted in what we might have thought to be the best in martial arts. Thankfully what was uprooted was not left discarded and now all the arts are sprouting and sharing seeds in the much bigger flower pot that is regarded today as Mixed Martial Arts competiton.

Its safe to say that weve graduated beyond the question of which art is best, though we might be confident in our personal answers—what MMA has taught us is an appreciation for them all. We can  see the logic in different discipline cross-over training.  We recognize there are no secrets to what it takes to become a successful competitor. And we know that where theres a will there is most certainly a way as some type of self-improvement…ooops. training is more accessible than ever before.

So with everything above  in mind, What type of citizen will Guam’s venture through Sport fighting  provide in the next 20 years? What kind of competitive martial arts environment does Guam surround itself with today? Is it more competitive? Or is it more martial arts? Though both definitely can develop great characters of the spirit—in such a large population of students and teachers in our current training atmosphere will we see more of the the wisdom and skill of Mr.Miyagi or will our be breathing the mettle of Conan the Barbarian.  Depending on which way you look at it—both are good things.

With our hands as deep and  our eyes as wide as they are into the industry—our people are in better position than ever to steer the growing interest in fight sport towards servicing the community with the Spirit of Perseverance so we can best activate the very real  Strength  and Honor from the blood sweat and tears from the efforts of our islands competitors…on and off the Podium, inside and outside of the limelight.

It seems today that Guam is not overly consumed with which fighter is best. We are seasoned enough in the sport and lifestyle, we are blessed with good leaders, and we are gifted with great alliances abroad. Todays fight sport is escorting our athletes to their physical peaks. Seeing this up-front and knowing this inside, From every seat in a full-capacity event–Its important that we try to move consciously to set the environment not just for great fighters but also for responsible citizens. Not  just with the interests of keeping our communities safe and our people honorable but also by sharpening the minds of those in training to best recognize martial arts done responsibly, can be a ridiculously powerful  vehicle  to pave their roads ahead  for  (hopefully)  well-deserved persevering , productive, and extremely exciting  lives.

Thanks for dropping by.

Onra: June 14th, 2012

Hafa Adai,
Congratulations to Robert Maloney for Gold and Mike Carbullido for Bronze for the medals and achievement at the Brazilian Jiujitsu World Championships in California . It’s good to see that , even as former residents, our islanders are arriving in increasing numbers and from every angle to reiterate Guam’s commitment to Competitive Jiujitsu.
Already near the top tiers of Strikeforces lightweight division –Good Luck to Joe Duarte who will be facing Ryan Cotoure on July 14th in Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy, at the Rose Center in Portland, Oregon
Spike22’s Robert Washington fights Richard Clementi in the main event of the Rogue Warrior Championships fight card to take place at the Cannery Casino in Las Vegas on June 16.
Grapplers stay ready—the CopaDe Marianas Adults no-gi grappling tournament is locked in for June 30th at the Phoenix Center.
It’s a bit far stretched to call boxing a martial art but none can argue that it truly is fighting sport. What might look to some like a face punching challenge—extended observation can easily reveal that boxing truly is “a sweet science”. In the unofficial race between the increasing popularization of MMA and boxing’s dwindling fan base– Professional boxing took a big hit below the belt with Manny Pacquiao’s extremely controversial loss to Timothy Bradley last weekend.
Hordes of Pacquiao (and Bradley) fans around the world are publicly disgusted in a judges decision that has been popularly marked as “the most disgusting call in the history of Professional Boxing.”
In between the lines of all theTweets, Status Updates, instagram photos, and celebrity blurbs condemning the Nevada State Athletics Commision ruling the bout in favor of Manley —the controversial call has also been considered “another great day for the UFC”.
There have been a number of highly publicized inconsistencies between boxers and boxing-industry players and their respective mixed martial arts counterparts. And anxieties continue among promoters in the industries as the UFC viewership grows destined to (if not already ) surpass that of boxing.
Boxing vs. MMA years ago took center stage as James Toney challenged MMA icon Randy Cotoure—though both were often cited as being past their prime…Cotoure easily and quickly dismantled a highly self-promoted James Toney in a bout that opened the eyes of boxing fans around the world to the obvious fact that MMA competitors are dangerous and are to be taken seriously.
For the highly uninformed, part-time boxing fans—it seems that Boxing’s attraction has been highly anchored down by two bigger names.–Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. On one hand you have a guy who has desecrated the sport of boxing in a lot of his self-promoting antics and questionable conduct on the other you have one that has been desecrated by the sport of boxing in last weeks decision loss than has also been considered a ploy to produce larger ticket sales and pay-per views for a rematch set in November.
Though many people felt that Pac-Man could’ve fought a much better fight—hard evidence tells the tale that there was no way that Timothy Bradley won that fight.
Is it more upsetting that a decision was fixed or is it more upsetting that a legend has been dethroned?
As much as we might believe in the increasing level of fighters, theres a part of all of us that would like there to be an absolutely unbeatable champion. It provides us with stability, with confidence, and keeps us in pure awe of skill and talent. Especially if its someone we can identify with—we’d love to believe that there is a way to become an irresistible force and/or an immovable object. There’s apart in many of us wants to believe in hidden training secrets that can put us above the rest. Unfortunately the reality is that there isn’t.
Talent, genetics, preparation—these are all extremely important ingredients for a Recipe of success but just like a man cant make fried rice without rice—these ingredients only take shape when bundled with desire.
There is an old poster about a hummingbird I can recall reading some20years ago. It said something along the lines of ”According to science, a hummingbird’s wings do not have the shape and capacity to send the weight of a hummingbird into flight—but the Hummingbird doesn’t know this so he goes ahead and flies anyway.” That’s some remarkable stuff and though im not sure if its accurate—its certainly good to hear because it gives us hope that no matter how the odds might be against us…where there’s a will there most certainly is a way and in that we are all at some point capable of defying all odds to even defy mathematics itself—to become champions.
In total respect for the millions of viewers around the world that felt Pacquiao won that fight—We still gotta give Bradley some props for some good boxing and for fighting a fight convincing enough to, in some eyes(even if just 2 or 3), dethrone an absolute beast of a competitor.
Along with that, even more respect for Pacquiao for being so gracious in this very questionable defeat. Hopefully that act in itself will help bridge the gap from boxing to its millions of fans who are at this time ashamed for the violation of the integrity of a sport that they might have held so valuable.
You win some, you lose some; People make mistakes and Flagrant calls happen—unfortunately, in front of a watching world, it happened to what seems like a real prize of a Champion. For Manny Pacquiao–No love lost, none whatsoever—Long live fight sport and good job PacMan.
Thanks for dropping by.

A Thousand Words: Ground Fu

sinceeversince. Just dropping a not too far back photo taken from the walls of theGroundFu training center in Yona. circa 2007.  Lots of good times in this place and a whole lot of Mixed Martial Arts talent for sure.  For those that are in the know- athousand words at the very least.

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