ONRA:April8,2010

Hafa adai,

Guam grapplers in the U.S. mainland are gearing up for the Pan American Jiu-Jitsu Tournament this weekend in California.

Members from the Guahan Top Team will be representing Guam at the Abu Dhabi World Pro 2010 April 15-17.

Enson Inoue will be returning to MMA competition on April 25 against Antz “Notorious” Hansen for the co-main event In Japan’s event ASTRA.

There’s a new face in Guam’s grappling community: the newly formed Guam Grappling Organization started by Guam wrestlers involved in mixed martial arts competition. The organization looks to bring some new flavor to revitalize Guam wrestling, starting with its takedown-only tournament Slam or Be Slammed on May 1, which is open to all styles of wrestling and martial arts.

Also on May 1, Premiere Xtreme Combat returns under the new rules and official sanctioning of the newly formed Guam Unarmed Combat Commission.

And, on May 8, Guam BJJ and no-gi competitors, young and old alike, will have another shot in the next Marianas Open.

Bearing in mind how dynamic Guam’s grappling and BJJ environment has evolved over the years, and seeing how intent our athletes have been in pursuing higher-level competition abroad, there is little way that we can argue that, outside of self-defense, Guam’s grappling population has collectively evolved more into a venture of athletics than that of entertainment.

However, the new restraints and new prerequisites of the GUCC are bound to slow down the frequency of amateur and professional MMA events, which leaves us curious as to where we might be able to best activate this growing pool of fast-evolving talent. And, without any foresight of where to escort this very real concern in the bigger picture, Guam MMA could be missing out on some opportunities.

I received a phone call from one of the members of the GUCC hours after the last Onra column was published. We conversed over the intention of that particular column and over the intention of the GUCC. A comment was made stating that no one has ever tried to do anything for MMA in the past besides try to make money from it, and that the newly formed GUCC was created to truly legitimize MMA and BJJ as sport — even though they didn’t even know what BJJ stood for.

Wikipedia defines sport as “an organized, competitive and skillful physical activity requiring commitment and fair play. It is governed by a set of rules or customs.” And the The Free Dictionary online defines legitimate as “being in compliance with the law.”

Waivers and contracts were signed and notarized. Fight purses were made available to the commission more than 24 hours before the event, licenses were paid and signed at the Guam Revenue and Taxation offices. Fighters were paid in full and injuries were cared for immediately after the events.

Money and time were invested to bring off-island media to Guam to give our island a bigger spotlight. And firm connections have already been established through these efforts to resonate and build upon more than two dozen matches for local fighters secured off island in at least seven countries in the last four years.

The frustration here isn’t because we’re afraid to be legitimate. The frustration here is because we aren’t being recognized for the legitimacy that has taken years for this industry to accumulate.

So, it isn’t the hate for the commission — it’s for the love of the game.

Food for thought.

Thanks for dropping by.