6 things happening in Martial Arts before the end of this Month.

6 Things that are happening in Martial Arts before the end of this Month.  

1. Saturday September 14^th _ Battle at the Boards II

Chris Romulo has been doing some incredible rebuilding work after Super Storm Sandy destroyed his school Crom Martial Arts last year. The school is now reopen thanks to the loving support of the Muay Thai Community and the Romulo family’s determination. Crom is hosting Battle of the Boards II, a free Muay Thai event promoting Crom’s comeback and the local Muay Thai talent. So head out to the Rockaways Saturday afternoon to watch the fights, the event starts at 3:00.  It’s a free show, and maybe one of the last weekends to make it to the beach, so there’s no reason not to check it out! 

2. Friday September 20^th_Lion Fight 11

Lion Fight 11 is happening in Las Vegas, featuring both Muay Thai and MMA champions on their stacked card.  Cris “Cyborg” Justino, the current Invicta FC featherweight champion returns to Muay Thai to face highly skilled Martina Jindrova.  The Pro fights will also include the pro-debut of New York’s own Angela “Overkill” Hill, who will face Moe “The Giant” Travis. Both fighters have undefeated amateur records, so that fight is shaping up to be a real battle.  Lion Fight 11 will be aired on AXS television, (pro-bouts only) starting at 10 pm EST time. 

3.  Saturday September 21^st UFC 165 Jones vs Gustafsson

 Jon Jones will defend his Light Heavy Weight Title against Alexander Gustafsson in Toronto Canada.   Jon “Bones” Jones has successfully defended his title 5 times, tying Tito Ortiz’s record for the most successful title defenses in his division in the UFC.  If he beats Gustafsson then he will break the record.  He is the youngest UFC champion in UFC history.  

 4. Friday September 27^rd Take On Muay Thai 23

Take On Muay Thai returns to the Resort World Casino with an action packed fight card featuring Justin “The Purple People Eater” Greskiewicz against Eddie Martinez as their main event.  Doors open at 7pm and the fights get started at 8pm.  If you can’t make it out to the fights they will all be streamed on gofightlive.com with yours truly as color commentator. 

 5. Saturday Septemeber 28^th GLORY 10

Glory 10 is going to LA featuring New York’s Wayne Barnett. The main event features Le Banner vs. Kharitonov.  Glory puts on a tremendous show and is also set to head to NYC in November.

6. Every Wednesday at 10pm EST on FOX Sports 1. The Ultimate Fighter Rousey vs Tate.

The Ultimate Fighter is back!  And it feels like it’s the first season all over again because women are now in the house.  Coaches Meisha Tate and Ronda Rousey are bringing their rivalry to new levels every week, and the house looks like it has some serious talent, both male and female. 

Sh*t I Learned This Week: "Enter the Dragon" Edition

Last Friday I was able to go see "Enter the Dragon" at BAM on the big screen.  This is one of my favorite movies of all time and having the opportunity to watch it on the big screen made me see things within the movie that I have never noticed before.

I think it’s very important for martial arts enthusiasts and MMA fans to understand the traditional roots of the sport.  As 70s and as corny as some of the movie may be, it’s still important to understand where the popular interest in MMA comes from.  So I decided to take my young friend Mia with me, who has a serious interest in martial arts, but has never seen Enter the Dragon!  So in addition to my Sh*t I Learned this Week, we also have Sh*t She Learned This Week. (which is shit I already knew, and thought everyone knew already!)

(Thanks to AMC.com for the facts!)

Sh*t I Learned This Week:

Bruce Lee was born in the year of the dragon. He was born between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m., which is the hour of the dragon. (To be fair, I already knew he was born the year of the Dragon but I didn’t know about that whole on the hour business)  

Han is played by Shih. Shih was a veteran of some 800 martial-arts films. He would regularly play the villain in the martial-arts movies Lee watched as a boy. (He must have inspired both Doctor Evil and the bad dude from inspector gadget.)

Braithwaite is played by Geoffrey Weeks. Enter the Dragon was his only film credit.  (It’s kind of mean they came up with the name Braithwaite when they knew that Lee had a Cantonese accent.  I mean have you ever met anyone actually named Braithwaite??)

In China, it was considered taboo for women to portray prostitutes or wear face paint. Producers had to hire escorts for $150 per day to fill the roles. (Their faces were painted like the De La Soul album.)

The Shaolin Temple was founded in the fifth century and is famous for its martial-arts teachings. (“You have disgraced the shaolin temple!”  I cannot tell you how many times I have wanted to use that line when I am mad at somebody.)

Jim Kelly speaks the famous line “Ghetto’s are the same everywhere man, they stink!” During the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), thousands of Chinese fled the mainland for Hong Kong. The migration created a large pool of cheap labor, and most lived in appalling conditions.  (Word up Jim Kelly!)

Sh*t Mia Learned This Week

Critics call Enter the Dragon the granddaddy of martial-arts movies. It made Lee an international phenomenon.

One of Lee’s attackers is Jackie Chan.  (At least she knows who Jackie Chan is.)

Robert Wall plays Oharra. He was a karate world champion and trained with Chuck Norris.   (I think she only knows Chuck Norris jokes, I don’t think she knows who he actually is)

Lee’s technique of redirecting an attacker’s motion is a foundation of MMA fighting today.  This was the first time an arm bar was featured on screen. (She knows what an arm bar is.  Thanks Ronda Rousey.)

Enter the Dragon was the first English-language martial-arts film.  (Phil Nurse didn’t even know this, so I guess I can’t be too upset about that.)

The South China Sea, at 200 feet deep, is relatively shallow.   (We don’t think there are crocodiles in that sea.  We checked) 

Stay tuned for next week’s posting!  (also, check out the video I made about this topic last Saturday before the fights! Enter the Dragon)

Help LIFT the BAN on Professional MMA in NYC

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD! It makes a difference!
IF New Yorkers want Professional MMA in NY State: here's a step by step of what to do. This came directly from the UFC's Lawyer:

We are talking to New York residents.
1. They should go to the New York State Assembly website and follow the simple instructions to find out who their Assemblymember is if they don't already know. If they know any of their elected officials, they can simply call their office and ask as well.

2. They can then go to their assemblymember's web page and get their district office number.

3. Call and ask for the Assemblymember. Whoever answers will ask why they are calling. Say," I am a mixed martial arts fan/student/ family member of a fighter, etc. I want the assembly member to know that I live in the district and want the MMA ban lifted."

" MMA is the fastest growing sport in the world; it's silly that we are the only state in the country where you cannot have live professional matches. The regulations provide safety for the fighters and our economy needs all the help we can get. I will be calling regularly until this is done; thank you"

4. They should leave their contact information.

5. They should have their friends call too. The goal should be to call once a week. We can build momentum for when the Legislature reconvenes later in the year or in January.

A video of my interview with Lawyer to the UFC David Weinraub will be up by WEDS. I will post it soon. If you have any questions please contact me.

Phoenix

Sh** I learned this Week that I found fascinating. PURE MARTIAL ARTS EDITION!

Sh** I learned this week that I found fascinating. PURE MARTIAL ARTS EDITION

BLOG Category: NERD STUFF

7/27

Language Fact: SAY UNCLE - Back in the day to saying "uncle" was a way to tap out. It is speculated that 'Say uncle' comes from the Irish anacol, meaning mercy or stop. It was brought to America by Irish immigrants. (I wonder if it was used in Ireland when an older brother sat on your head and farted?)


Fighter Fact: Michael Bisbing is also a DJ. He DJ's mostly electronica and house music and he's very good at it. ( I didn't learn that this week. He told me that a few weeks ago I just wanted to bring it up)


UFC Fact: UFC President Dana White used to teach cardio boxing classes. ( I can hear him now "and a 1 and a 2 and a fucking 3 and a fucking 4...." ha ha ha)

Weapons Fact: Some call them ninja stars, some call them shuriken. Shuriken is another word for dart in Japanese. ( My brother and I left Shuriken holes all over our bedroom walls)


Training Tool fact: Often referred to as a wing chun dummy, this tool is used for several different styles of kung Fu. It's actual name is MOOK JONG. ( I am kinda mad at myself for not knowing that)


Fighter Fact: The tattoo on Georges St-Pierre's chest means duality. GSP has been quoted to say "There's two sides to me. I have a dark side". ( Well... may the force be with you, Georges)


UFC Fact: Zuffa is not a made up word. It's an italian word for "scuffle". (faggettaboutit!!!)

UFC Fact: UFC 14 was the first event to require gloves. ( Wait...this just occurred to me, what did fighters do before "touch gloves"..fist bump? )

Technique Fact: A gator roll is a Brazilian jujitsu technique named after a move a Crocodile or Alligator does. These Creatures will grab hold of large prey and roll over and over again with their body weight in the water to over whelm and drowned their prey. Here's a link to the BJJ technique:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sA2RtPbanO8&feature=youtu.be

SH** I learned this week that I found fascinating: 7/22/13

Blog Category: NERD STUFF

Sh** I learned this week that I found Fascinating 7/22/13


7/22

FOOD FACT: In the United States, more tomatoes are consumed that any other single fruit or vegetable. ( hmmmm….it's gotta be because of PIZZA)

CULTURAL FACT: The Spanish word esposa means "wife." The Plural, esposas means "wives" but also "handcuffs" ( no comment, men will make their own)

BAD MOVIE FACT: Actress Halle Berry's stunt double in the movie "Cat Woman" was in fact a man. ( doesn't matter if it was Jet Li that movie still would've sucked…That's not Halle Berry that's a man baby!)

NERD FACT:The first Crocodiles appeared on Earth about 250 million years ago. ( yep, told ya…more crocodile stuff)

NERD FACT:A Chef's hat is shaped that way for a reason. Its shape allows air to circulate around the scalp, keeping the head cool in a hot kitchen. ( dur da dur da dur…Only Sesame Street fans will get that joke)

SPORTS FACT:Ancient Greeks awarded celery to winners of sports events. ( I just pictured Dana White handing GSP a batch of celery)

FOOD FACT: Each American eats an average of 46 slices of pizza a year. ( I KNEW IT!)

The Misadventure of Phoenix. Why I like "...that UFC stuff"

Category: The MisAdventures of Phoenix

          Why I watch "…that UFC stuff"

3,300 feet somewhere between NYC and Las Vegas, I store my water bottle in the seat back pocket of an A320 airplane. I've got a window seat and I don't want to continue to irritate the two women next to me by constantly getting up to pee. I am not a sit-still-kind-of-person and I'm not tired enough to fall asleep. I've got a six hour flight to just read, listen to music, read again, look through the skymag at all the stuff I'm not gonna buy, see if the safety card says anything new or if it's stuck together by a wad of gum, listen to more music, lose horribly while playing chess on my iPhone, listen to music, notice the battery dying on my iPhone, check the sky map to see how far away I am and then finally stare into space.

So while I am staring into space I begin to think about why am I on a plane to Vegas in the first place.

I am going to Vegas for an overloaded UFC weekend starting off with the UFC Fan Expo and ending with UFC 162 -- the Middleweight title fight featuring Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman. This is one of those fights I am sure will make history.

Since I was heading to Vegas for a "fan" expo, I wanted to think back to how I first became a fan of The Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The dictionary categorizes a fan (sometimes called aficionado or supporter) as a person who is enthusiastically devoted to something. Yeah, when it comes to geeking out over Martial Arts related stuff…that's me. I'm enthusiastically devoted. Working in the fighting sports means I'm employed to be an over-educated fan. Like they say, you gotta love what you do.

My first experience with the UFC was on a chilly night sometime in the 90s. My friend Deena 'snapshot' Clemente and I were at a hip hop spot somewhere in the Boogie Down Bronx.

After a night out dancing we went back to her house to raid the fridge. We grabbed our grub, sat on the floor with our backs against the couch, and we began flipping through the channels. Deena's house had something called " a hot box." No kids, get your heads out the gutters. A hot box was a box that could steal cable. So "hot" as in stolen! You would get every single channel, including PPV without paying for it.

Back then it was easy to steal cable, unlike like the maximum security cable has now. Back then you just had to know a guy-who knew a guy-who could call a guy, to get you a hot box. You felt like you were in the mafia. You would even be selective about which members of your friends and family you would tell you had a hot box. That night, on that hot box, we saw two guys 'going at it' in a steel cage. What the hell was this? It certainly wasn't boxing and wasn't kickboxing. The dudes fighting weren't even wearing similar clothes. One guy was in a traditional Karate Gi and the other was in tights and boxing shoes. Deena and I didn't know it then but we were having our first Ultimate Fighting experience . That was the first of many in a long-standing friendship and the first of many in a possible career for me.

I am pretty sure Deena and I were watching UFC 4 or 5 that night. Now I am personally on my way to UFC 162! So many of my friends love it now, but that wasn't always the case. We've come such a long way from those early tournament-style days, when there were barely any rules. Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock where two of the first guys to actually know submissions. At the time the commentators Kathy Long, Bill Wallace and Jim Brown weren't even sure exactly how to call the action. Later, when Joe Rogan first got involved the idea of the sport was still very much taboo. Between acting gigs, Rogan would head someplace like Colorado or North Carolina to do post-fight interviews. When he'd tell people what he was doing they would look at him as if he said "this weekend I'm gonna star in a porno."

From that first PPV moment I was intrigued. I am the type who rarely misses a fight, especially the big ones. I suck my teeth when I get a wedding invitation and it's on the night of a big fight. I've been caught checking Dana White's Twitter feed while trying to fulfill bridal party duties. Even though the sport has grown, I still have friends that question my sanity for liking "that UFC stuff…"  I had to think about it. Why do I like fighting? Why am I so comfortable with combat sports?

The answer is that I am comfortable with fighting because I understand fighting. I believe it is part of our natural human-animal instincts.

I think the biggest problem with people who do not understand the sport associate fighting with violence instead of skilled competition. These athletes aren't blood thirsty and angry (with the exception of a few guys that are, and you have those types in all sports). The thing about those guys is even though they can be entertaining, they just don't last very long. People mistake a determination to win with anger when it comes to combat sports. Perhaps it's because they look the same. I think it's normal for people to associate violence with fighting and anger with violence. The truth is it's a sport. It's a willingness to succeed and answer the question: who is the more skilled here? People say dumb things because they associate practicing a martial arts with being angry. Till this day, when I tell people I am a Martial Artist, they will respond with "oh I will try not to get you angry." They don't realize that dumb comment just made me angry. The martial arts are the very thing that stops me from being an angry person in the first place (with the exception of the NYC transit system. Nothing will quell that anger. LOL.)

People aren't angry when they play baseball, anger isn't associated with basketball. Though I will admit that sports are a great way to channel your anger, emotions and aggressions. Making it even more important for people to compete and have an outlet. I believe using anger to help fuel your determination to win isn't necessarily a bad thing as long as it's utilized and doesn't cloud your judgement.

A few months ago I had the pleasure of sitting down with Chael Sonnen before his fight with Jon Jones. He told me "disliking the guy you're fighting or being angry is only helpful in the gym, on those days you don't want to show up. You don't want to be angry on fight night. You want to be READY on fight night." Chael is very insightful, very wise and very charming. He made me blush at least twice.

One thing that I've seen as a trend when I have interviewed the Best of the Best in the business is they say to me "before a fight I try to relax, take a nap, breath, visualize, meditate, etc." That sounds like some zen master shit…That probably isn't what most people would expect to hear from top-tier ass-kicking athletes.

I understand why, to the untrained eye, it appears violent and angry. But I can assure you it's the individual fighters perspective. I am a fighter as well and I am rarely ever angry when I fight or spar. I am, however, determined. I'm not saying 'never' because there's been a few times that I've hit the bag thinking bloody murder over a bad break up or an extremely high utility bill. All sports are great stress relievers, so fighting can be too. In the movie "ENTER THE DRAGON," Bruce Lee said it best: "we need emotional content. Not Anger!" When I watch a fight or when I am ringside commentating, I mostly see an exhibition of skill. In fact, I am extremely uncomfortable with real violence. I can sit ringside and blood from a fighter could splatter on my paperwork and I won't bat an eyelash. Yet if someone shows me a YouTube video of a street fight, I get sick to my stomach.

Fighting outside of competition is violent, rape is violent and war is the highest level of violence. But wait, hold on! I am not saying that two people stepping into a cage with the intent to knock the other person unconscious or submit them is all flowers and sunshine. I understand that this is still fighting but the competitive aspect makes it seem fair to me. Fighters are saying: "here's our playing field, these are the rules. We choose to step into this ring/octagon together and see who's better tonight."

In every civilization, there has been a warrior class as necessary as the farmers and the medicine men. You choose your role in society based off your genetics, desires, dreams, goals and abilities.

Just because the human animal is domesticated doesn't mean that warrior/protecter still doesn't live in us. I am not sure if guys with the genetics of Cain Velasquez or Brock Lesner were put on this earth to be great accountants. I believe it's in some of our natures to fight, to compete and to want to test those skills. I also believe it's in our nature to watch. The human being is now a domesticated animal that occasionally needs to express its wild animalistic side. This is the reason we fight, we compete and we crave adrenaline.
All dogs were spawned by wolves, all cats are from wildcats. They chose us. They chose to hang around humans because of our food sources and because it would be an easier life. But their instincts are still there. It's the reason your dog will attack a shoe and shake it around as if it was digging its teeth into the jugular of a rabbit. It's the reason your cat will stalk and pounce on your shoelaces. It's the reason the bell rings and we compete. We need that outlet.

As the plane touches down and I get ready to head to the fan expo and UFC 162, I'm glad I wrote this and took a trip back memory lane. The UFC is the biggest thing to happen to Martial Arts in popular culture since Bruce Lee. I truly am a fan.

Now…let me off this airplane!

Confessions of the Week: 7/20/13

Confessions of the week 7/20

Confession: Deleted 4 people who continued to ask me if I wanted to play Diamond Dash.

Confession: I expect a few Inboxed apologies from these people later.

Confession: I cannot eat a soggy sandwich.

Confession: My Facebook friends like my violent and sarcastic posts the most. Makes me wonder about my friends list. lol

Confession: I think Arnold Schwarzenegger is a much better actor than people give him credit for.

SH** I learned this week that I found fascinating. 7/20/13

Category: NERD STUFF

S**t I learned this week that I found fascinating.


Both African and Asian elephants have a pregnancy that approaches two years—22 months, to be exact. ( Phil Nurse told me this fun fact)

Barbie's real name is Barbara Millicent Roberts. ( No, I did not make that up! )

Bats like to groom themselves constantly to keep their fur extra soft, shiny and clean. ( but they are still freagin gross).

A crocodile sits on the river banks with its mouth open to cool off since it sweats through its mouth. (terrifying..told ya there'd be more Crocodile stuff on here).

Velco was invented more than 50 years ago by a Swiss dude who was inspired by the way burrs stuck to clothes. ( who invented jumping on the velco wall then? cause that looks fun! )

Bullet proof vests, fire escapes and windshield wipers were all invented by women. (girl power)

60 minutes is the only show on CBS without a theme song or music. (tick tick tick tick tick)

The thong accounts for 25% of the U.S women's underwear market. ( I can't see the word thong anymore without saying…."that thong-tha-thong-tha-thong".. Come on admit it, you did it too!) SMH

5 Confessions of the Week. 7/14/13

Blog
Category: The misadventures of Phoenix
Confessions of the week:


1. Confession: I Know I am stupid with money because in Vegas I spent $16 dollars at an "Oxygen Bar". I spent $16 dollars on AIR! smh...


2. Confession: I know I am living in NYC too long when I say "oh 16 dollars for fresh air..yeah that's reasonable".


3. Confession: I can't get any work done unless my apartment is immaculate.


4. Confession: I couldn't go in the pool in Vegas because there was a dude with Austin-Powers-type-chest-hair just lounging in it.


5. Confession: When on a first date and I can't think of anything to talk about....I bring up Crocodiles. Crocodiles are my default conversation.

Website Recommendations for the Martial Arts enthusiast

COOL WEBSITE FOR THE MARTIAL ARTS ENTHUSIAST.

1. Middleeasy.com
Why you should log on? _ Because its great, often hilarious info about MMA mixed with a ton of nerd stuff!!

2. FuryMagazine.com
Why you should log on? _ Because it's beautiful. Marz photographs the "art" in the Martial Art, Muay Thai.


3. Muaythaiislife.com
Why you should log on? _ because it's a clear and crisp look at a beautiful and deadly sport and lifestyle.


4. Takeonproductions.com
Why you should log on? _ because you get to see some of the current stars and rising stars perform the Art of 8 limbs.


5. Gloryworldseries.com
Why you should log on? _ because the fights will elevate your heart rate and make you fall in love with Kickboxing again.


6. Urbanactionshowcase.com
Why you should log on?_ because "they ain't no jive turkeys!" Amazing event for film makers to showcase their work, panels with urban action celebrities, contests and awards, a Jim Kelly Tribute and Phoenix Carnevale moderating.


7. figureoffighting.com
Why you should log on?_ Because Jacob Klensin takes you around the world with him on a fantastic visual journey with his stunning photographs.

8. muay-thai-guy.com
Why you should log on?_ because Sean Fagan really does eat, sleep and breath Muay thai. Insightful and witty, he's rich in material.


9. Thefightnerd.com
Why you should log on?-Because if you want to find out everything that's happening in combat sports, they're one of your best resources.

Sh** I learned this week that I found fascinating.

Blog
Category: Nerd Stuff
Sh** I learned this week that I found fascinating.

1. Food Fact: Ketchup was sold in the 1830's as a medicine. (....ewwwww....)

2. Nerd Fact: During World War 11, Metals were so scarce that Oscar statues were made out of plaster and wood. ("I'd like to thank the academy of carpenters"....)

3. Nerd Fact: Legendary Martial Artist Jim Kelly was also a professional tennis player on the USTA Senior Men's Circuit. (In his older years he was on the court..." busy lookin'good").

4. Sad fact: 40 percent of McDonald's profits come from the sales of Happy Meals. ( genius toy marketing )

5. Nerd fact: Bob Marley's album “Legend” stayed on the chart for 992 non-consecutive weeks. ( one love.....)

6. Nerd Fact: The Taoist philosophy holds that the universe operates within laws of balance and harmony, and that people must live within the rhythms of nature. ( Like Bruce said don't miss all the heavenly glory... people!!!"

7. Nerd Fact: The smallest crocodile is the dwarf crocodile (Osteolaemus tetraspis) from central Africa, which has a maximum 6.5 ft. It is more terrestrial than other crocodiles. (...I wish i didn't learn this...)

8. Nerd Fact: Crocodiles can live up to 80 years! (just a heads up friends…there very well might be some Crocodile info on every one of these lists. I am deathly afraid but completely fascinated by these dinosaurs!!)

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