wrestling
Abu Dhabi Now Means UFC Mixed Martial Arts
In a recent post “Abu Dhabi And Martial Arts?” I introduced this vibrant Emirate on the Arabian peninsula as a true epicenter of top-level international submission wrestling.
The driving force behind all this is Sheik Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and his ADCC (Abu Dhabi Combat Center).
Dana White and the Sheik have worked out a deal to host UFC 112 on April 10, 2010 in Abu Dhabi.
One of the exciting fights of this event has been confirmed.
It will be between two true mixed martial arts legends: Matt Hughes vs. Renzo Gracie.
Both are accomplished submission grapplers in their own right and that is an understatement, if there ever was one.
Will this be ‘Wrestling vs. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu”?
I leave you today with two short videos that will give you an idea of these fighters’ personalities. Enjoy!
Matt Hughes
Renzo Gracie 
Meet The Amazing UFC-Champion Georges St. Pierre (GSP)
I have been following the career of one of UFC’s absolute superstars for some time now and I gotta tell ya, GSP does not seize to amaze me for a lot of reasons.
Refreshingly, Georges St. Pierre is simply a very down to earth and likeable guy. The kind of guy you could just sit down with and have a beer or whatever.
The Canadian from Quebec has stayed very humble and modest even after all the breathtaking success he has had on the mat and in The Octagon.
Unarguably, Georges has become one of the outstanding figures of MMA worldwide with a very strong background in kyokunshinkai karate and wrestling.
He is consistenty ranked among the Top 4 Pound-For-Pound MMA-fighters in the world, along with Fedor Emelianenko, Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida.
Georges is very methodical in his workout that includes a lot of cross training with plyometrics.
His inclination to being extemely analytical when preparing for his next opponent continues to pay off for him, too.
He is very professional in his approach to fighting, career choices and the way he presents himself.
Recently I came across a magazine headline that made reference to the physical results of his training regimen and lifestyle.
“Georges St. Pierre, The Body Women Desire And Men Admire”.
I let you be the judge!
Martial Artists And The Day After Thanksgiving, Aka Black Friday
Hi everybody!
How was your Thanksgiving?
Hope you had a great time with friends and family. And if yours was anything like mine, you definitely had too much turkey and all the trimmings, right?
Well, I was able to get some time on the tennis court, but it just wasn’t enough to burn off all the calories of a genuine Thanksgiving dinner.
The disciplined martial artists an/or enthusiasts that we are, we simply call several friends over for some serious super-human workout.
The kind of fitness workout that includes push-ups, pull-ups and some other fitness exercises every serious practitioner of most martial arts such as aikido, judo, BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu), boxing, karate, JKD, Kali, grappling, Wing Chun Kung Fu, Muay Thai, Tae Kwon Do, wrestling etc. usually does on a regular basis.
Just check me, I mean, these guys out. Absolutely mindboggling!
Abu Dhabi And Martial Arts?
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) consists of 7 states, termed emirates, which are located in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia on the Persian Gulf.
The three most well-known emirates are Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi is the capital and second largest city. It is also the country’s center of political, industrial, and cultural activities.
One of the martial arts activities that has been gaining in international reputation is submission fighting.
Abu Dhabi and martial arts?
Sheik Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nayan who happens to be one the sons of the former President of the UAE, Sheik Zayed, has been the driving force in introducing martial arts to his home country.
While studying in the United States he started to learn more about grappling which led him to training in BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu).
A man with an open mind and an eagerness to learn, Sheik Tanoon also took up Russian Sambo, freestyle wrestling and Muay Thai in which he became an expert in all. A true mixed martial artist!
He sounds like our kind of guy!
After getting back to Abu Dhabi he immediately went about in creating a combat center to provide his people with the opportunity to study and learn more about martial arts. It was named the Abu Dhabi Combat Center or short ADCC.
The man of vision and action that the Sheik is, he introduced a tournament in which the world’s best and most famous grapplers and submission fighters would compete again each other.
This tournament is simply known as the ADCC World Submission Wrestling Tournament. It has become THE submission grappling event in the world and is being copied across the globe.
To give you an idea of the caliber of competitors who have fought at this tournament are for example Renzo Gracie, Royler Gracie, Mark Kerr, Tito Ortiz, Jean Jacques Machado, Rigan Machado, Rolles Gracie, Fabricio Werdum, Josh Barnett, Vitor Belfort, Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza, Roger Gracie, Dean Lister, Jake Shields and many more. Impressed? I certainly am.
Abu Dhabi And Martial Arts!
Switzerland Is The Place For Cheese, Chocolate, Skiing, Watches And ….Wrestling?
Switzerland is known all over the world for great cheese, delicious chocolate,
breathtaking downhill skiing and some of the finest watches money can buy.
This landlocked Central European country, which is only about twice the size
of New Jersey, has a population of about 8 million.
It borders 4 other countries: France, Germany, Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein.
And would you believe that they even have 4 official languages (German, French,
Italian and Romansch).
While travelling there several years ago, I came across something that I found
rather stunning and today I think you might appreciate it as well.
Besides all of the above, you would assume that the Swiss can really put on some
serious wrestling competition at altitudes of several thousand feet?
I gotta tell ya that there’s a lot of hearty food at the beginning of the video footage.
Just try to stay focused on the wrestling, Swiss style, will ya.
What do you think? Do tell.
What Does Olive Oil Have To Do With Wrestling?
What does olive oil have to do with wrestling?
Well, I didn’t think there was a connection either until I came across some
really interesting facts about Turkey.
Turkey is famous for many things such as:
- The Trojan Wars took place there and the Trojan horse rests in Western Turkey today.
- St. Nicholas, also known as Santa Claus or Saint Nick, was born in Turkey.
- The Turks introduced coffee to Europe.
- Turkey’s largest city, Istanbul, is the world’s only city that is built on two continents
(Europe and Asia).
- And Turkey is the world’s second biggest producing country of … olive oil!
But did you know that besides consuming this food product known as olive oil,
the Turks actually use it in their own very special style of fighting?
The style is simply known as Turkish Oil Wrestling.
We all know that Western style wrestling is pretty tough.
Now picture yourself trying to wrestle an opponent who is dripping with olive oil!
“Get a grip, will ya!” How?
All while you too are oil-drenched and wearing leather trunks that weigh almost
30 lbs. (THIRTY pounds) themselves!
A match usually takes place on grass and can go for half an hour.
If the outcome isn’t decided by then, the referee will call for sudden death.
Looking at it, I gotta tell ya, oil wrestlers require some serious strength and
endurance to get through these matches and ultimately winning a championship
in this Turkish national sport.
Is the increasingly popular style of Turkish Oil Wrestling for you?
UFC Hall Of Famer Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell On Fire (Again)
Let’s dance, shall we?
This season of “Dancing With The Stars” offers all mixed martial
artists a very familiar face.
Listen up, guys, Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell is one heck of an
ambassador for Mixed Martial Arts and Ultimate Fighting.
You better believe it!
Yours truly just talked to a neighbor who has absolutely nothing
to do with martial arts and isn’t even into Ultimate Fighting, but
who is really impressed with “The Iceman”.
And why, you ask?
This is what I took away: Chuck Liddell has presented himself
as a soft-spoken, almost shy, humble and simply nice guy.
Despite Mohawk and skull tattoos. (Original quote!).
And what really make him impressive is hands down his work
ethic and utter willingness to get out of his comfort zone.
Any other volunteers?
From wrestling mat and karate ring to “The Octagon” and now
to the dance floor judged by millions of TV viewers during prime time!
“I applaud you, Chuck Liddell!”
He has already done martial arts, especially mixed martial arts
and UFC, an outstanding service, no matter how far “The Iceman”
gets during this year’s season of “Dancing With The Stars”.
Who agrees or disagrees? Let your voice be heard.
Just in case you missed Chuck’s version of “The Tango”:
And just in case you prefer his version of “The Octagon”:
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