RealFighters:POW@U1

Tone,
Just wanted you to see this. Here is a few testimonials of the guys from pow. I have about fifteen sent in so far but i just copy pasted the top few to show you. We talked about how everyone of these guys has a story, here they are.
Its important to know how much good you and fokai are facilitating by allowing me to take up time and space in the gym and giving the guys breaks on prices and helping me with fokai…pass this to rome if appropriate.

06/14/2011
I’ve been in Todd’s program for almost a year now, and it’s has been an awesome learning experience for me. Todd’s program definitely brings veterans together. It motivates all of us to stay healthy, both physically and mentally. His program has also gives us more confidence in the things we encounter in our day to day life. When I first started his program I was not in the same shape I was in when I was in the Marine Corps. At the same time I had problems with my lower back, so at first I had to take it slow. Later, I had a small procedure done on my back, because of this I had to sit out for a while. When I started back up I saw a positive change in myself and also the otherveterans in the program. I also had a little improvement on my lower back, yet still take things at my own pace. This program has also inspired me to work out a bit more. Now, I don’t always have the time to make it out to Todd’s classes, because I have to balance my family life. Sometimes my two girls watch my train. I know that one have found a slight interest in what I do. Like I said the veterans in Todd’s program live a better healthier lifestyle. This program is unlike some of the other veterans establishments were drinking and telling war stories is the thing to do. I think Todd has done an outstanding job in making this program run and keeping it going for all veterans.

My name is and I am a sergeant of the United States Marine Corps. I completed two tours of duty in Iraq (OIF1 and OIF2) with Third Battalion Seventh Marines Weapons Company. After I returned home and eventually separated from the Marines, I battled with alcoholism and other symptoms that stem from PTSD. The top four symptoms I experienced were: isolation, anger/rage, insomnia, and depression. The program that Todd Vance offered targeted these symptoms and it has helped. The group has given me a friend base, which helps with isolation, by holding meaccountable to other veterans (who share my expectations in friends). Also the friends I gained are my security net if I am ever in need, they are my first real support community (outside of my family) I have had since the Marine Corps. The classes will push you to the brink of your being and you have tofind a way to go one-step further. This gives me a vent for my anger as well stress and with both under control, I am not as likely to explode. Lastly the P.O.W. program has helped with my depression by exposing me to the most taxing workups one has to offer, which in turn makes me tired at night and eases my insomnia.

In the short time that I have been training with Todd Vance and the P.O.W. crew my life has taken a significant turn for the better. After being seriously wounded in combat, my military service came to an abrupt end and ptsd, anxiety and depression consumed my life. Though I have come a long way, every day is a struggle and you cannot do it alone. Training under Todd is very therapeutic for me and it has motivated me to better myself both physically and mentally. The camaraderie of P.O.W. is very powerful and something I have been without since leaving active duty. Todd Vance is an excellent coach and mentor who genuinely cares for the welfare of each of his veterans. In addition to great physical exercise, P.O.W. has given me a new drive, motivation and sense of belonging.

Coach Vance is an amazing individual who carries his passion for veterans on his shoulders. More than just a coach and mentor, the values that you learn in the P.O.W. Tactics program can also be applied to all aspects of life. A soulful person with a heart of gold and a true warrior, Coach Vancewill help you find focus and balance in and outside the ring.

i was airborne infantry in the 82nd airborne, i deployed to afghanistan to provide security during the elections as well as be QRF for the RC sector south, i was apart of thelargest and most successful mission besides the invasion, it was w/ 173rd LRS, SF, and my platoon (operation unforgiven). ive experienced small arms, rpg, and sniper fire while in the desert. my platoon took over QRF for the sector cause 173rd took too many casualties an command lost confidence in them. so they brought us into the country after a 5 days notice and we executed our mission to the standard that we would have made the oldest, saltiest WWII vet proud. paragraph 2: from the things i saw and did in that country, it affected me for years later. i had a problem with alcohol and felt useless due to injuries (broken ankle) an illness (psoriasis) from the army which made regular exercise painful and depressing. it took a long time to adjust to the fact that even tho i once could do almost anything i wanted to (afghanistan used to be like that, only 25 of us for weeks hunting down al qaeda through the mountains, surviving off food we stole or bartered from the natives) to have to come back and completely re-wire my train of thought an the way i saw the world. but through the program i have been able to see that im not alone in the way i feel andthat others have been affected worse than I. and though you teach us a violent art, it has always kept me grounded and calmed, and i have been in almost no fights since ive started, while before i would fight every time a drink touched my lips. so far in the past year of the program, i have only smoked 5 cigarettes and have cut my drinking down to one or two beers during casual outings and barely more than that on the times of celebration. your program has giving me a sense of pride an confidence that i felt i had lost when i left my brothers to be a civilian and constantly punished myself that i never went to iraq w them when they deployed shortly under a year later. it’s an abstract way of thinking, i cant exactly tell you why, but fighting with fellow brothers and learning a skill has helped turned my life around and now i am in a position where, its not exactly where i want to be, but i am working in the field i have been trying to get into for years
David Cruiz

I enlisted in the Army at 17 years old in the split operation program. I was stationed in Fort Carson, CO and was assigned in the 3rd Bn.29th Field Artillery unit. I was also deployed to Iraq and was stationed in FOB Prosperity. The P.O.W. team has helped me gain confidence in myself and to be positive. I like it here because of the people I am around and the environment. Its a great place to let go of that negative energy and helps your mind to be clear.

My name is and I was born and raised in Milford, Connecticut. I joined the Army at the age of 18 in 2004 and went to Fort Benning, GA for basic training and Fort Gordon, GA for advanced individual training. I spent my 5years of active duty stationed at Fort Drum, NY. I was deployed to Iraq twice with 2-22 INF, 1BCT, 10th Mountain Division (Baghdad 2005-06, Kirkuk 2007-2008). I ETS’ed in 2009 and joined the Connecticut National Guard, where I deployed to Afghanistan (Mehtar Lam, 2010). I’m currently on inactive reserve status in the National Guard.
Shortly after my deployment to Afghanistan, I began having severe depression and anxiety issues. I had frequent emotional breakdowns and great difficulty managing personal relationships. I sought help at the local Vet Center and VA hospital, where I was encouraged to immerse myself in new hobbies to make new friends, develop a sense of belonging andbetter utilize my free time. I was a high school wrestler, and I had enjoyed training combative and jiu jitsu in the Army, so I decided that joining a gym could help. I began attending some classes at a Renzo Gracie academy in Connecticut, but found it very impersonal, hard to follow, and difficult tostick with.
In June of 2011 I decided to move with some friends out to San Diego, CA to start fresh. I loved San Diego right from the beginning, but my friends didn’t. A month after we all picked up and moved out here with everything we had, the only 3 people I knew in California told me they were moving home. The next day they were gone, and I was left by myself one month into a year lease. Again I felt alone and had depression clouding my mind and my judgement. I was drinking heavily and rarely leaving the apartment.
Then one day in July I was driving down University Ave in North Park and I saw Undisputed. It looked interesting and I decided it was worth checking out. After one trial class I was hooked. I started coming every day. At first I could barely last 15 minutes into an hour class a few times a week. By the end of the month I was coming for 2-3 hours a day for jiu jitsu, boxing, muay thai, and MMA classes. I stopped drinking altogether so I could train more often and I began feeling much better. I knew one of my former roommates had a cousin that was living in town, and when Icontacted him he just happened to be looking for a new place. He was another Army vet and we had a lot in common, so he moved in and things started looking up.
Then in August, I heard about a group of people from my gym taking a trip a few hours upstate to support some of Undisputed’s fighters at an MMA event. I decided to tag along. One of the guys fighting for our gym was Todd Vance, and he fought a very impressive fight. I asked one of the guys who he was, and he told me the story of how this guy had organized a team of veterans who trained MMA together at the gym a few times a week. The next week I decided to try it out. The training was great, tailored to fighters of all levels. But even better was the camaraderie. All the guys were very welcoming, and the group emphasizes brotherhood (which it seems has become a sort of unofficial mantra) above all else. Everyone is accountable to the rest of the group and members are encouraged to look after one another,which keeps everyone out of trouble and on the straightened arrow. I’ve only been a part of the POW for a few weeks now but I can say with certainty that my life is better for knowing Todd and the rest of these guys. I started bringing my roommate to classes and now he’s hooked too. It’s good to have support and a network of friends who’ve been through some of the same things that I have. The POW definitely makes me a better fighter, but more importantly it makes me a more complete person.

Joined the Air Force as Security Forces (MP) in December 17 2002 and got out in Febuary 16 2009. Did 3 tours to Iraq in support of OIF and OEF. After my third deployment and witnessing several incidents of bad leadership I decided to get out and further my education in hopes of returning back to the Air Force as an Officer. When I got out the first year was great and I felt great, I started school, joined an MMA gym in La Mesa and began my quest as a college student/MMA apprentice. After jumping around from several MMA gyms I found Infinity BJJ in Santee, CA where my love and knowledge for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu expanded. After a few months in school and training I found myself in a dark hole. For a while everything just didnt seemed right. I asked myself what I was doing out of the military, I kept asking myself if i had made the right decision and when will I ever be donewith school. I gave up on training and I gave up on school. After a few attempts to get back to training I finally did it and signed up to fight mysecond fight for Epic Fighting (my first fight went bad and was not as prepare as i should have been) sometime in March. At the last minute my opponent was unable to compete, I kept on training and decided to jump down on my weightfrom 185 to 170 lbs and fight on the following Epic Fighting at 170 lbs. Mygirlfriend Alexis had mentioned to me before that her fellow college friend was also a veteran and a MMA fighter who ran a program especially for military veterans. So i decided to give it a shot and started training with them. I can honestly say that I have never met a group of such great people who have the same passion as I do for this sport and deal with the same problems that I do. Before meeting up with Todd Vance and his POW MMA Team I had no friends or at least any who I can relate to, every day I come in to train with these outstanding group of individuals my day is always better. I no longer feel alone and I have a great group of friends that helped me out get ready for my fight. After training with Todd Vance and the POW Team I was more mentally ready than my first fight and physically ready than ever before. I looked up to Todd Vance and members of the team such as Matthew Zbiek, Jay Jackson, Shane Hanner for guidance and advice for the fight. When the fight night approached and I was walking down towards the cage and my walkout song “La Grange” by ZZ Top was playing I can hear my fellow teammates cheering me on made me feel really comftarble. After the bell rang and the fight began I kept telling myself that I have to finish the fight on top because my teammates came to see me do work and not crumple up. After every round finished I could still hear my friends cheering me on which gave me the last burst of energy to finish the fight and on top. Even though I lost my fight I ended up going home with the fight the night trophy which couldnt have been possible without the help of Todd Vance and his crew. In reality to me the question is not what the team has done for me but what can I do to support and help out Todd Vance and his POW Team. All I can say is that I hope to keep on representing well Todd Vance and his POW Team on and off the cage. Thanks POW Team and thanks ToddVance

Onra:September1st,2011

Hafa Adai,

On August 28th and 27th,2011 under the supervision of Mr. Larry Papadopoulos, aFILA Instructor and World Grappling & Pankration Committee member– 8 Participants from several Jiujitsu and mixed martial arts academies from around the island sat in for 2days of in-depth lectures on the various regulations, tournament procedures, refereeing systems, and on mat techniques to receive FILA Referee certifications in the courses of Pankration, No-G Grappling and Combat Grappling.

FOR THIS WEEKEND’s COMPETITORSWeighIns for the Guam Grappling Qualifiers for Cadets, Juniors and veterans will be on September 2nd, 2011 from 6pm to 8pm at the University of Guam Fieldhouse .On the next day the tournament will run at the same location from 10am-5pm

A big congratulations again goes out to Josh Calvo who submitted his opponent in just 34seconds of the first round in the main event of Rumble on the Ridge19 at the SnowqualmieCasino in Wahington on August 27th

It’s going to be another night of exciting fights on September 9th in the CNMI as 17 matches are scheduled for competition in Trench Wars’ Rites Of Passage 11: Onra on at Saipan World Resort’s Royal Taga Hall

It’s a paramount date for August 18th,2011 as The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) announced a multi-year broadcast deal on in a joint press conference with FOX Sports bringing live MMA programming to FOX starting eary to mid November of this year. Coincidentally August 18th, 2011 marked the ten year anniversary for Guam’s first locally promoted MMA event Jungle Rules 1:War in the Pacific.

The 1st several editions of the UltimateFighting Championships introduced most of the island to the Octagon, and SuperBrawl did a great job of introducing Micronesia to live MMA entertainment with UOGFieldhouse sellout events . Arguably, however, it might have been our first locally-promoted event that really got the wheels turning in industry for a good part of Guam’s recent and accumulated combat sports ventures. .

It took a lot of work for infant promoters to gather fighters, sponsors, and fans and bring them to an event that sought out to deliver live MMA entertainment with local branding. It took almost just as much effort living up to the guidelines of a very-diffiicut-to-deal-with Guam Boxing and Wrestling Commision. But ultimately it was the collective efforts of our island’s faith and love for Mixed Martial Arts that filled the University of Guam Fieldhouse past capacity, with outstanding fights, and not one displaced incident of violence among the more than 4500 in attendance on that very eventful night.

Melchor Manibusan made his pro MMA ,debut, Kid Yamamoto fought on Guam, and and among many other things –the tone had been set in both fight talent and event choreography for local residents to take by the reigns and soar with the different potentials of live and local Mixed Martial Arts event promotions.

10years later and Its uplifting to see most of the major faces of that event today still so instrumental in the notable success that has come from this industry’s ventures since the arrival of that monumental event. Though they might be making different headlines, and happily to even larger numbers, our industry today is in the hands of a good supply of the experience and momentum filled from the efforts of those who have been involved from the get-go.

10 years have passed and this industry has endured many rough roads ranging from noteworthy gym rivalries, two questionnable professional competitive martial arts Commissions, the fall of some of our local champions, and many justified arguments towards local MMA’s legitimacy as sport…

10Years of controversy has passed yet among our defeats we have found even more victories defending local soil and in proudly representing our islands in faraway lands. 10years of controversy have passed and we have graduated above the though-still-existing gym rivalries and 10 years of controversy have passed for us to leave the priorities of identifying our island’s toughest man in the wakes of finding for our island a dignified position in the world arena.

10years of controversy has passed yet this gas tank is still full as Competitive Martila Arts continues to are cultivate a brotherhood with our neighboring islands, and we are still in many ways to promote locally and even to promote abroad to provide opportunity…

Opportunity for the promoters, opportunity for the athletes, and opportunity for a growing collection of fans to hopefully archive another ten years and more of even greater opportunity of more strength, and even more honor to the growing numbers that are hearing Guam’s voice and feeling the percussion of our anthem through our athletes more widespread and stronger than ever; our promoters, well-networked and more driven than before; and the goals hard-sought yet more accessible than believable… from this tiny dot in the Pacific.

Though we may never totally convince the masses of the legitimacy of this sport, though we may make many mistakes along the way—over the past ten years of controversy and for the ten years of controversy that even might be ahead, lets not forget that we have been able to and must continue to extract positivity from competitive combat sport and from professional mixed martial arts competition

Thanks, Respect, and Cheers for all who in one way or another are helping bring this vehicle forward. Obviously we still have a long way to go.

Great if just for the legitimacy of our sport, but additionally and even moreso, for the legacy of our islands.

Thanks for dropping by.

Onra:RespectForGuamLeaders

Onra:August4th,2011

Hafa Adai,

A few weeks back, the Guam Grappling Organization sent out notice to our island’s top Mixed Martial Arts and Jiujitsu Academies to put their best feet forward to recommend their best male and female athletes to represent Guam in the _2011FILA World Championshipsfor 48 slots to be filled in different weight divisions in the Gi. No-gi,Pankration, and Combat Grappling categories.

From the academies that attended to take draws for suggesting competitors that took place on July25,2011 @ The Outrigger Hotel, The GGO is currently looking at 15preliminary names selected from the Universal Alliance, Countershot, UnderworldXtreme, and the Spike22Academy to represent Guam for the September 28^thtil October 1^st event in Belgrade Serbia.

After reviewing these results, Its easy (and almost natural) to wonder where the other academies are. Wheres Purebred? Wheres Carlson Gracie, Wheres Gracie Barra,?Wheres The Guahan Warriors? These guys have been around for a long time and they have shown on many occasions that not only are they focused on a common flag well-worth representing; they are.proven all to be forces worth reckoning.

After speaking with Melchor Manibusan, president of the GGO— it was at first disappointing to hear that only 4teams showed up to the draw from the 8 that were promptly invited. However, it later became enlightening to learn that the lack of attendance was because that the other academies were already busy at the same time frame with progressive efforts and tournaments overseas.

Over the years that have passed, the unified force that used to define Guam’s best competitive fighting chance has since expanded into a number of training facilities scattered north, south, east, and west.

Once so obviously divided and focused on determining our island’s best—(though some of us find it difficult to get along) we are seeing more cases of cross-training between former rivals and we are clapping our hands as our island’s premiere fighting forces have evolved significantly towards  multiple targets set on locations all over the globe.

Its pretty exciting to think about just how much ground weve covered over the years in the past . And its even more exciting to think about the places our youth will venture in the decades in the future.

In the universe of  Guam competitive martial arts, Whether we understand it or not, as fans, fighters, promoters, and sponsors–we are all playing a part of a trail blazing generation. For the most part we have walked respectfully through the doors opened from the generation for us and have done a lot to service the generation after us.

This generation took (among other things)a once secret art (Jiujitsu) to fuel (among other things)a once barbaric event(MMA) to reinvigorate(among other things) a collegiate sport (wrestling), to nurture ambition, and (among other things) to raise oor flag and present us respectfully and honorably to a world with eyes wide open.

If and When properly cultivated—the sky is the limit for what the following generations will offer in the years to come. So it’s cool that we’re becoming professionals atshowing them the road forward and it’s great that we’re at impressive levels with teaching them how to fight. But for everything we can show them and for all the doors we might open for them, hopefully that before entering these doors—they are more than happy  to leave their shoes and ego at the front.

Thanks for dropping by.

GuamQualifiers:WorldTeam2011Roster

The GuamGrapplingOrganizationPresents…!”

for more details go to www.spike22.com

Uli’tao!:PatrickAyuyu

K-1WorldMax, FuryFCF, and JungleRules veteran PatrickAyuyu of the Mariana Islands embracing his culture, discovering his role, and making a difference@13N144E

Onra:LiberationDay2011

Editor’s note: This column is about mixed martial arts, and it will appear on a biweekly basis on Thursdays.

Hafa adai.

Among other things, congratulations and good luck to our new Guam Amateur Wrestling Federation president Shawn Gumataotao. Barely two months in and he has reportedly introduced some healthy additions to the organization and is looking well seated with the impressive reinvigoration of Guam’s grappling, freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling interests.

With its eyes set on the FILA Worlds Grappling Championships Sept. 28-29 in Belgrade, Serbia, and to secure an unbiased selection of Guam’s best grappling representatives, the Guam Grappling Organization is requesting that all training centers submit their best picks for the different weight categories of 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 90 and 110 kilograms for the divisions in gi, no-gi, pankration and combat grappling.

Submissions and inquiries can be made online to guamgrapplingorg@gmail.com.

Just around the corner, it’s PXC25 at the Marriot on July 29, while for those of us who missed PXC in the Philippines, we are able to catch it on MCV.

As busy and multi-dimensional as Guam’s fight sport and industry have become, as widespread our enthusiasm has grown, as impressive as our ambition has climbed, and as honorable as the sacrifices that have been made, surely there is a lot more to be reported regarding the developments and adventures of our island and islanders in martial arts and combat sports.

In the course of the few years that this column has been running (can’t believe it’s been that long), we’ve come across a lot of highlights and reports of good things that have happened and good things that have been in the works with our island’s fighter athletes and fight industry. As we’ve moved at our capacity to provide a small window into the ventures of our flag and the resonance of our national anthem, we’ve followed our athletes around the world and we’ve cheered together in our island’s victories and hopefully grown collectively from our island’s losses.

Regardless of all that’s been reported, admittedly still, there have been tons of accomplishments that have escaped this column’s radar as well as the radar’s of much larger media outlets.

Sincerely, this column hopes to service not just MMA and jiu-jitsu, it aims to be of service to Guam martial arts as a whole and through the medium of martial arts, share a sense of honor for our island and people regardless of gym affiliation, discipline and/or skill level.

Boxing, taekwondo, karate, judo, aikido, wrestling, these arts have been assets to our island long before the arrival of mixed martial arts and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. They have been changing lives, touring our competitors around the globe and flying our flag honorably to the world even before the arrival of our first SuperBrawl. There is no denying that their efforts in the past have played a significant and tremendous role toward the collective success story our athletes, industry and island can speak of truthfully with our status in world combat sports today.

Our fighter athletes and martial artists today are luckier than ever with evolved training methods, advanced fight strategies and impressive training equipment. Coupled with super-significant developments in nutrition and ridiculous access to technical information, in honest and pure opinion, I feel that our fighter athletes today are more capable than ever.

When talking of the past and how our martial artists of yesterday can service our island today, many of the answers lie in their students; not necessarily with the efforts of enhancing fight skill, but more so significantly in extending the atmosphere of humility and honor, the call of duty for community service and for the ongoing pursuit of positivity for the many different ways of the fist.

Happy Liberation Day.

Thanks for dropping by.

Onra:July7,2011.CongratulationsCaesarWhitt

Hafa Adai,

It’s been Almost 2weeks past the Marianas Open, and before, during, and after that we are still finding a lot of things to think about, celebrate, and forever grow from with the arts of Submission Grappling and Jiujitsu as well as with other Combative sports and Martial Art.

A toast, a standing ovation, and fireworks for a massive and sincere congratulations to one of Guam’s first Brazilian Jiujitsu instructors Caesar Whitt of who after more than 15 years of training, after just as many years teaching,after several years of representing Guam Judo,after opening up Gracie Barra in Saipan, and after opening up Gracie Barra in Guam has received his Brazilian Jiujitsu blackbelt under the very-honorable Master Carlos Gracie Jr.

With all the epic paragraphs in Guam’s Jiujitsu Chapter, it seems quite fitting that one of Guam’s most significant pioneers in Jiujitsu and Mixed Martial Arts would receive the most sought after promotion from a world Jiujitsu icon so notable.

There are a lot of names that come to the surface with all the talent that is sprouting from Guam’s adventures in competitive Jiujitsu.. Alongside all the news that were hearing about some of the more mainstream academies /training centers locally, there are also a lot of development in lesser-known training groups and “backyard” gyms. Collected, Just in Jiujitsu and Submission Grappling alone–we likely have more than 500 people training in the grappling arts considering such a small island population.

It wasn’t too long ago when this number was less than ten.

Before all these academies, before the Marianas Open, before Premiere XtremeCombat, Geran Haga, FuryFullContactFighting, Jungle Rules, and even SuperBrawl, a healthy seed was planted for sharing Jiujitsu on Guam that sprouted in a small garage in Hyoondai in Santa Rita, from the good intentions of two people, Dan O’Connor and Caesar Whitt.

The original students there were hardly anything like our top local fighter-athletes today. Where the best of our competitors today are usually physically fit, athletically-impressive, and often quite-obvious. Though still(especially at the time) fight-formidable, The majority of the handful of people training Jiujitsu back then was far-less imposing, not nearly intimidating, and not the least-bit recognizable.Truthfully, it seemed that most of the guys group the were in some type of physical disadvantage. One thing that made Caesar’s instruction so valuable was that, regardless of size, shape, or form, the Jiujitsu he taught gave us all a fighting chance.

From there the very-private mat floated to a location on base, then also still at the garage, then to other garages, then to the University of Guam, FBLeonGuerrrero, GeorgeWashington High School,, The Judo Hut, Melchor Manibusan’s Backyard, the Dededo Clock Tower, at one point we were even doing matwork next to the GNOC office at the Corn Building.

Because of the extreme difficulty to find quality training, and because of the sensation and effectivity that this newly-exposed martial art had to offer, Even the idea of receiving a Jiujitsu Blue belt seemed like a lifetime achievement.

It’s simply amazing to see how much Jiujitsu has grown for us locally and even in our immersion with worldwide Jiujitsu today.

We have guys leaving island to compete all over the world and we got guys from all over the world coming to teach and/or train on Guam. We have World champions. Pan-American Champions. All-Asia Champions. Outside of competition the non-competitive population that makes up the majority of our Grappling community has never been so colorful with more than a healthy amount of blue belts, purple belts, and brown belts to carry this movement forward.

Dan O’Connor, Stephen Roberto, Terrence Aflague, James Quan, John Calvo, Joey Calvo, Mike Ulloa, and now Caesar Whitt. How enlightening it is to see that we have 8 resident Jiujitsu blackbelts training and teaching on island. How inspiring empowering it is to see that because of this, sooner than later we will have even more.

So many things have happened with MixedMartialArts and Jiujitsu on Guam. Neither of them are built on one single pillar. But a lot of credit for its positive expansion definitely goes to our very first instructors who chose to teach so responsibly. Its easier to understand now why they wanted the training to stay so private. As new students, we needed some type of maturing process, we needed to have a more familiar relationship with these potentially lethal defensive and offensive techniques.

Well, the maturing never stops and the techniques continue to evolve and as in island we’ve been in this thing long enough to get in as deep. There is no turning back.

To be honest with you, , still for some and among other things and – receiving a Bluebelt might still be a lifetime achievement. They re still training in Melchor Manibusans Backyard, they are still doing matwork at the CornBuliding, and most importantly—Jiujitsu continues to give us all… a fighting chance.

A whole lot of gratitude and much respect–Congratulations Caesar Whitt.

Thanks for dropping by.

JeffHoughland,GeorgeSotiroplous&DominickCruz

Wishing our friends and support the best of luck for UFC132. Real stoked that first of all, everyones been given their  well-deserved opporunities. Dominck Cruz has been with us from the earliest days of his MMA career, George Sotirolous fought in Guam in Fury5 against Brazilian Jiujitsu World Champion, Sergio Lourenco, for our island’s most technical grappling display ina MixedMartialArts match and Jeff Houghland graciously celebrates the bridges that have been built through the efforts of Guam’s JoshCalvo and Roque Martinez.

Over the years, the sport of Mixed Martial Arts and the the lifestyle of Martial Arts has built the bridge to good folks with higher profiles.

We’ re definitely not a big-money company and were not pretending to be big-time sponsors. Not sure if we ever will be that way. but that wont stop us from celebrating the victories (if not ventures) of our friends and family on their road forward to brighter horizons.

Win Or lose—Great job guys and thanks sincere!

HAFA ADAI,

Among other things…Congratulations to the promoters, fighters, and staff of Pacific Xtreme Combat 24 who, with almost 200,000estimated television viewers, were able to produce a very successful event with their major step into the Philippines as KelvinFitial secured the PXC Heavyweight Belt in his rematch against the at-the-time reigning champion Roque Martinez.

CukiAlvarez and Jason Tarkong of TrenchTech Purebred Saipan visited Palau this week to conduct an introduction to Mixed Martial Arts seminar in with Palau Mixed Martial Arts.

And eyes are on the PurpleBelt Open and BrownBelt Open divisions of this Saturday’s MarianasOpen at the PhoenixCenter, Guam’s signature event in Brazilian Jiujitsu and Submission grappling competition.

Support Your local wrestler! The Guam Grappling Organization is hosting a Wine tasting and food paring @ Meskla on June 29 . 6-9pm. $50.00 donation goes to Team Guam Wrestlers for 2011 World Championships from September 12-18th i Istanbul , Turkey .

And an overdue and sincere congratulations goes to theUniversalAlliance’s Christiana Cruz for securing a silver medal in the Womens’s Feather Weight Division in the IBJJF Jiujitsu World Championships  on June 2nd in California.

We have seen many different extending facets of our island’scombat sports . From our long-time traveling competitors in TaeKwon Do, to our islander’s off island ventures in KyokushinKarate, our wrestler’s trek’s into the Olympics and our island’s many successful stories for boxing at the SouthP acificGames .

We’ve seen the growing sophistication of our industry as We’ve watched total fighting sport evolve from NoHoldsBarred fighting to MixedMartial Arts Competition. We’ve watched local fighter athletes conduct everything from fundraising carwashes to full-blown sold out events at our islands biggest venues.

We watch admiringly as our islander’s venture overseas to faraway and exotic lands such as Russia, Brazil, AbuDhabi, and Thailand to name a few. And we’ve sat just as astoundly as we’ve seen elite athletes and world celebrities visit Guam repeatedly from just-as-faraway places .

We’ve witnessed a growing interest in hand to hand combat sports from our armed forces and we’ve watched our island soldiers succeed and advance time and time again in the relatively recently formed MACP programs and tournmanents abroad

All of these things and all these different corners, nooks, and crannies are in the cultivation of our island’s very supportive audience yet one topic of serious interest and development that seems to often escape much-deserved attention is our women in combat sports.

Women in combat sports is definitely not a new thing. Thinking of women in local  martial arts, its easy to remember TaeKwonDo’s familiar name in EleanorMinor, personally I can remember being thrown around effortlessly by Aikido’s Minegishi Sensei of Guam AikiKai, we watched Sera Chargualaf technically dismantle a much larger opponent in Guam’s first female MMA bout in Fury3:Round2, and our island continues to cheer for the Guam Amateur Wrestling Federation’s Olympic veteran and ever-hopeful Maria Dunn.

It seemed that before, we only had brief instances and only the occasional training and very-temporary partners with women in martial arts training, with women in combat sports competition. But today that isn’t the story.

What’s amazing is that in the martial arts evolution of our local women in skill is in their ability to remain as feminine, and in some ways remind us of the art in martial arts. Even without the testosterone you’d think is necessary in fight sport Their growing formidability offers testament to the assets of precision in timing, technique, and strategy—things nowadays often overshadowed by the more aggressive physical qualities of stamina, endurance, and explosiveness often displayed by the super-athletes that our modernized combat sports have been reflecting today.

Aflague, Cabaccang, Cruz,Dunn, ,Gandaoli, Roberto ,Velez, Wong—how many times have we seen these names in competition? How many more times will we see them? How many more names will we be given reason to remember? Female athletes who are helping to pave teh way for more women atheltes and ambassadors in the art of Brazilian Jiujitsu. They are making the sacrifices and crossing the miles to illustrate a serious pursuit of combat sports success and martial arts reward. These are the names that have offered us in women not mere sideshows or experiments in sport and entertainment—but for the sincere and formidable windows into the non-discriminating passion and road that comes with martial arts training and/or in sport and in just as much as for men—for the love of the game.

There is much to be applauded for the leaps that our women are making in training and for the bounds that they are making in competitiion. In awe of things we might want to offer a photo, in support of things, we might want to offer a hand, but in light of everything they’ve been doing and in confidence of their contribution to our martial arts and martial sports identity—what some of us might have reluctantly missed out on before, and what we may happily offer them now and ongoing…is respect.

Looking forward to watching the women’s division at the Marianas Open.

You go girl.

Thanks for dropping by.

« Previous Page — Next Page »