Ultimate Fighting
Legendary Renzo Gracie Gets Multi-Fight Deal With The UFC
Things are getting really exciting again.
If you admire true martial artists in the ring and/or The Octagon like I do, we are in for a treat.
Just several minutes ago, I heard that the one and only Renzo Gracie has signed a multi-fight deal with the UFC.
Renzo Gracie, one of the most successful Gracie Jiu-Jitsu family members, will certainly contribute to get even more people excited about mixed martial arts in general and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in specific.
Now, this guy knows a thing or two about submission fighting.
Enjoy the visual appetizer!
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!
NFL vs. UFC = Ocho Cinco vs. Anderson “Spider” Silva
Now, this should be fun!
I leave up to you to decide who it’s going to be more fun for:
Ocho Cinco or Anderson “Spider” Silva?
UFC President Dana White has accepted Ocho Cinco’s challenge on behalf of UFC World Middleweight Champion, Anderson “Spider” Silva, to a charity fight.
Silva has been rated among the top four pound-for-pound mixed martial artists for some time now. The other three are Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko, Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida and George St. Pierre aka GSP.
Does Ocho Cinco know what he is getting himself into?
Is the challenge for real or will he back out (right before fight night)?
Will his employers, the Cincinnati Bengals or the NFL even allow him to step off the Gridiron and enter the Octagon?
Even though Ocho Cinco has been reportedly lacing up the boxing gloves to enter both the boxing and Muay Thai ring, I have more questions than answers.
It gets even more questionable considering a possible match-up of Chad Ocho Cinco Johnson vs. Anderson “Spider” Silva after closely looking at the following video clips.
Krav Maga – Martial Art Or Not?
Is Krav Maga a martial art or not?
As far as Krav Maga practitioners are concerned it’s more about martial than art.
Now what does that mean? Good question.
For some, traditional martial arts appear to be too rigid and simply too tradition-bound.
Krav Maga strives to be a ‘defensive tactics system’ which means it has to constantly adapt to situation and circumstances.
It is NOT a sport. It is about self-defense that will get you home safely.
Krav Maga incorporates elements of many martial arts themselves.
Krav Maga has been the prime fighting system of the Israeli Defense Forces since the State of Israel was founded in 1948.
Imi Lichtenfeld, who created Krav Maga (Hebrew for contact combat), was the Israeli military school’s chief instructor for physical training and Krav Maga.
He already developed the concepts of an effective self-defense system while still living as a Jew in Eastern Europe and fighting fascist thugs in the 1930s.
Years later in Israel, Mr. Lichtenfeld continued to refine the system to base it on the body’s natural instincts under stress and making it a very aggressive, “never quit” combat system.
Check out this video clip and as always viewer discretion is advised.
Do not attempt without a certified instructor and not before consulting your physician!
So, is Krav Maga a martial art or not? Let me know what you think.
Pankration – One Of The World’s Oldest Martial Arts
Pankration has got to be one of the world’s oldest martial arts, dating all the way
back to ancient Greece.
How far back in time does ancient go?
How about 648 B.C. as its official entry into the Olympic Games.
That’s like more than 2,400 years before the American Declaration of Independence
was signed in Philadelphia, which happens to be Greek for ‘Brotherly Love’, but I know
you knew that.
Alright, some historians may argue that martial arts originated either in Egypt, Meso-
potamia or India, even thousands of years before they were formulated in Athens, Greece.
Anyway, let’s get back to them Greeks, shall we?
The Greek word Pankration means ‘all powers’.
This ancient fighting form or all-out combat incorporated hands, feet, mind, spirit,
you name it. Except for eye-gouging and biting.
Kicking, boxing, wrestling and whatever gave you a competitive edge.
Reminds me kind of ValeTudo (‘anything goes’), Pancrase, and most certainly of Ultimate Fighting.
Pankration has been enjoying a true revival all over the world in various forms.
Hope you enjoy the video clip below.
Are there any Pankration practitioners reading this blog out there?
Don’t be a stranger, I would love to hear from you.
2016 Olympics Awarded to Rio de Janeiro – Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Anybody?
“Tonight I have the honour to announce that the Games of the 31st Olympiad
are awarded to the city of Rio de Janeiro,” IOC President Jacques Rogge said.
My heartfelt congratulations go out to the people of Brazil in general and the
citizens of Rio de Janeiro in specific.
When I think of Brazil and Rio de Janeiro, what immediately comes to my mind:
Pele and artistic Brazilian soccer football, Copacabana, super-model Gisele Buendchen,
the famous song “The girl from Ipanema”, churrasco, Carnival in Rio, and …
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, of course.
The Gracie familiy members have done herculean work in laying the foundation
and together with their Machado cousins spreading the now immensely successful
and, just ask any of their opponents, very effective martial art.
BJJ founder Helio Gracie must have a really big smile on his face right now!
So, the Olympic Games 2016 have been awarded to the mesmerizing metropolis
of Rio de Janeiro and that leads me to the following question:
Can Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu become an Olympic discipline ?
And why not?
Just look back at the Olympics 1964 in Tokyo when Judo became an official
discipline and has stayed one ever since!
Or how about the Korean martial art of Taekwondo that first was a demo sport
during the 1988 Olympic Games of Seoul, Korea and then just 12 years later
officially became an Olympic discipline in 2000 during the Sydney, Australia games.
By the way, this recognition came less than 50 years after Taekwondo was first
officially introduced to the world.
Can Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu do the same?
Tell me what you think!
Check out some great books on BJJ, too:
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”:
“Was Bruce Lee The World’s First Ultimate Fighter?”
Was Bruce Lee the world’s first Ultimate Fighter?
That’s exactly what I was asking myself just the other day.
Join me as we travel back in time, back to the mid 60s:
Remember that in the early stages in the U.S., martial arts in
many cases were just being introduced by former members of
the U.S. military after they had returned from the Far East and
Southeast Asia.
It was a time when dojos weren’t yet commonplace.
Today, they’re in just about every strip mall.
Back then, the first martial arts enthusiasts trained in backyards,
garages, gyms, basements and basically wherever they could find
sufficient space.
And consider this: Once you picked a specific martial arts style,
well, that’s the one you most probably stuck with forever.
I guess you can say most martial artists in those days were
generally rather closed-minded and didn’t think (or train) outside
the box. It was about staying in your so-called comfort zone.
Luckily, there were a few exceptions such as the legendary
Bruce Lee, who was cross-training and mixing it up big time
when it wasn’t quite popular yet at all.
He even started teaching non-Chinese which in those days
was a really big No-No.
Fast forward to 2009, about 40 years later:
For years now, quite a large number of martial artists have been
recognizing that cross-training and being involved in Mixed Martial
Arts can help you become a more effective martial artist and simply
makes training a lot more fun.
So, was Bruce Lee the world’s first Ultimate Fighter?
What say you?
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