XFS #58 "RETURN OF THE WARRIOR" COMING TO CENTURYLINK ARENA JANUARY 28TH 

After 7 months, Mixed Martial Arts returns to Boise, Idaho; in XFS #58 "RETURN OF THE WARRIOR" at CenturyLink Arena Saturday, January 28th. 

Undefeated XFS Light Weight Champion Chase Cowin defends his Bantam Weight XFS World Championship belt against Oregon Champion David Rangel in a much anticipated grudge match.

"This could be the fight of the year." says Knockout Promotions President Kasey Thompson. "This will be a major test for Chase"

Undefeated XFS Heavyweight Champion Andrew "ANIMAL" Nelsen will put his undefeated record on the line against #1 contender Josh Ables.

There will be a total of (4) CHAMPIONSHIP belts on the line, in a night of action-packed, full-contact, cage fighting action!

PLUS a whole lot more - with a total of 14 fights! That's XFS #58 - "RETURN OF THE WARRIOR" in the octagon on SATURDAY, January 28th at CenturyLink Arena! 

Tickets start at JUST $15...Exclusively through the CenturyLink Arena box office, while supplies last.  Charge tickets on-line at www.Centurylinkarenaboise.com or call 331-TIXS.

Continuous Karate Championships

By: Tony D

Once again The Atemi Cast was live at another fantastic event. That night we brought you, live, the C.K.C. (Continuous Kickboxing Championship) at Padrino's MMA Acadamey 4735 East 10th Ct. Hialeah, Florida 33133.

First fight of the night was to be a grappling match. No striking in this match, just straight grappling and as there was no air circulating in the building, it was extremely challenging to get a hold of your opponent and secure a proper lock... This kind of grappling in these conditions makes the fight that more interesting to watch. First fight ended with a submission, guillotine choke and the winner was Christian Vivanco.

Fight two was announced as another grappling match and the two, young, combatants were struggling with the same grip issues as the first fight as the heat in Padrino's was stifling. LOL! What else do expect from a gym?

Third fight of the night was a kickboxing match and two rounds have gone by and this has been, what I will call, the street slap down match! Both fighters show that they do not seem to have had much training in the fundamentals of kickboxing but plenty of action on the wild streets of Miami. Nelson Perez, the outside challenger to one of Padrino's home team guys was just told that his "stellar" performance was not enough to get him the win. I, a humble unbiased spectator, would have to disagree on that call... Out of the two sluggers, Perez, was the more accurate in his swimming style of fighting.

Fourth fight of the night and we were back to some more kickboxing. This one was for entertainment purposes only and it will not count against the fighter’s record.

The next bout was on and we are back to grappling. One of Padrino's fighters against a fighter from a school whose name I did not catch. Padrino's fighter was in red trunks and he was in control of this match.  The fighter known as Fabio wins by submission, with what looked like a leg triangle placed on the Padrino's fighters head, good win.

The abutting fight is a kickboxing match and it is a slug fest right out the corners as both fighters charged in on each other. Round two and the fighters almost turned this into a Chicago Street fight as head gear comes off and the fight got crazy. Round three and it seemed as if Jorge Silva won. The heat in the building has caused the judges to become delusional and ruled for the other combatant. Clearly, Jorge was the winner of that fight as he dominated the last two rounds.

Our next contestants were Gustavo Bueno vs. Angel Martinez. Round 1 ended and Gustavo was trying to hold on to this fight. Gustavo lost control of this fight as round two started and Ramirez put on a clinic of how to put together combinations. Round three was over and it seemed as Angel Martinez was the winner and Gustavo had a broken nose as blood drips from his nostrils. Gustavo put on a hell of a fight and although he came to win, this night was just not his night.

The battle following was about to begin and we had two fighters that came out throwing bombs as they both landed decisive punches. Round three and the fighter from MMA Masters is hanging on for dear life. He is getting the shit beat out of him. He is done the fight is over, the fighter from MMA Masters QUIT!

The night goes on and the event continues with Antonio Perez, winning over another Perez who has to get props for fighting two fights in one night and unfortunately losing both.

The consequent fight was a battle of "David and Goliath”. The fight ended and I would have to say that Goliath won that match up and put a win in the history books.

Jose Gomez vs. George Paulos was the ensuing fight. I feel for Jose. He is about to get an ass whopping! George is a fighter well known to The Atemi Cast and I think this will end with a leg kick from George. Fight ended and the winner was as predicted, although not by a leg kick but by decision two to one, for George Paulos.

Second to the last fight is on and it is our friend from a previous fight, Nickerson. He made minced meat out of his opponent. Nickerson destroyed his opponent Carlos Martinez. Nickerson wins by T.K.O.

Ramon Natal vs.Jose Tobarubia for the CKC 155lbs Belt. Jose landed some good kicks and scored heavily but Natal landed some of his own combos and scored well. I gave the first round to Jose. Second round and Jose came out the aggressor and took control of the round. Natal needed to be more patient and picked his openings where it would not cost him as many counter. Round three and Natal had to hope for a miracle. Fifth round ends and it was all Jose's fight. Natal put up a valiant effort. I salute you on your warrior’s spirit...ous!

Alberto Wayne Rabon, known as "Lil Wayne"

“Lil Wayne”

This is about a little boy named Alberto Wayne Rabon, known as "Lil Wayne" he was born the first child of Milvia & Wayne Rabon, January 26, 2004. He is a big brother to a beautiful 5 yr old Lexi.

Lil Wayne is your average 7 yr old, enjoys the outdoors, running, playing , his PS 2, DS, loves cars, transformers, wrestling, baseball, football, action movies, music, etc, well you know, whatever 7 yrs olds enjoy. He is average on that level, its the fate handed to him on July 14, 2008 that sets him apart from the average 7 yr old. While on a family vacation at Universal Studios the week after 4th of July, July 11th, 2008, to be precise Lil Wayne developed high fevers no less than 103, with a severe dry cough, Tylenol and Motrin administered and alternated every 4 hours. Family shortened the trip and returned to SC, Lil Wayne was seen by his regular pediatrician and it was determined that his prior diagnosis at the end of June, of a respiratory infection may have been caused by what may be allergies, had reoccurred and worsened as an pneumonia was now present. The pediatrician is a very competent, well established physician. He determined his diagnosis and confirmed with results of an x-ray later that afternoon. Milvia called to inform me of the Dr's. findings, while she was on the way to the pharmacy, she received a call from her husband, Wayne, Lil Wayne was holding his chest and trying to communicate to his father that he was having difficulty breathing. She returned to the line and told me what her husband, Wayne had just informed, I told her to call him back & ask him to meet her at the hospital, this is very rural country, his waiting upon her return would be wasting too much time.

At the hospital, Milvia informed the emergency room doctors of the pediatrician's findings. The Emergency room physician said time was crucial and could not wait for the X-ray of earlier that day, she immediately ordered another X-ray. The Emergency room Dr. was alarmed to the results of the X-ray as it appeared to have the left lung almost completely "whitened" she questioned Milvia as to when the fevers emerged Milvia told her Friday. The ER Dr. had suspicions that this may not be an pneumonia, perhaps something more serious but would like him transferred to Children's Medical University of South Carolina, a more advanced hospital renowned for research, studies and teaching professionals, one of the finest in the state. Lil Wayne was transported by Ambulance to MUSC, there, a CT SCAN was done and the nightmare began, doctors held conferences and finally spoke to Milvia and Wayne, explained what was found a mass (tumor) covering almost his entire lung, we kept hope and thinking perhaps it was benign and not malignant, I remember talking to whom Milvia thought was a lung specialist, she introduced me to Dr. Bowman, I saw his name tag and despair rushed in as I saw ONCOLOGIST below his name. I remember Milvia crying and holding the picture of the CT scan, Lil Wayne walked up to her and asked "Mommy is something wrong? Is my heart too big?" Needless to say not a dry eye in the room, she replied "No honey your heart is just the right size, full of love".

On Tuesday, July 15, 2008. Lil Wayne had a biopsy done on and a port was inserted into the upper right side of his chest, the doctors were certain it was cancer, that Tuesday we were introduced to PLUEROPULMONARY BLASTOMA, he was at stage III, which is solid tumors, we were given a brief history, the percentages and all the horror attached to this disease. This disease has 4 stages, Stage one are liquefied tumors, stage 2 a combination of liquefied and solid tumors stage 3, solid tumor, and well, stage 4 a bad prognosis with perhaps no cure. The stages are progressions from the prior. Whereas, stage 1 easiest to cure and stage 3 more challenging. Chemo was started immediately and a plan was set in motion, aggressive chemotherapy, followed by surgery and then radiation. Chemotherapy did not affect him as severe as we were all prepared, expecting vomiting and weakness, Lil Wayne taking it all in stride. Here's this little 4 yr old, who was somewhat of a shy fellow, talking to nurses, doctors and making them laugh. He played PS2 during the Chemo sessions, we went for walks in a wagon thru the hospital and he stayed upbeat the whole time. When his hair fell out, he told his mom, "its a good thing I have no hair, Daddy doesn't have to shave my head anymore".

By January, surgery was performed to have the lower and middle lobe of the left lung removed, he recovered like a charm, and while in ICU, complained about not being able to play PS2, he was back in his regular room quicker than doctors anticipated, and his mood NEVER affected. By March, radiation was done and completed by April 2009, Life had returned to a subnormal life and things were all heading in a positive direction, our family was able to breathe once again.

On September 5, 2010, Labor day weekend Lil Wayne is now 6 yrs old, I got a call from Wayne, said Lil Wayne was complaining of chest pains, told them get to MUSC now, on the way to MUSC they couldn't make it all the way to MUSC as Lil Wayne was now having chest pains, Milvia and Wayne stopped at Trident Hospital not too far from MUSC, Wayne calls me and tells me he is being checked out, I told Wayne please tell them to just transport him to MUSC, his case is known there. Wayne calls me after what seemed like an eternity and said they diagnosed pneumonia, my heart sank as I knew it wasn't pneumonia; this disease was attacking him again. After 17 months of remission, we were once again facing the dilemma that this cancer was not gone, surgery was scheduled and performed that Tuesday, followed by Chemo and a new procedure was introduced to the family, stem cell, stem cell is a bone marrow transplant, but without a donor, they will use his good cells to get re-introduced into his body to fight off the cancer cells. We were very optimistic, and ready for whatever the doctor’s recommendations were. This time the Chemo did affect him, drastic weight loss, vomiting, severe diarrhea this little body was going through shear hell. In all that, his spirit unbroken, he still wanted his transformers built, challenge anyone in PS 2 games, even had the patience to teach the games, anxiously awaiting the guitar man to come sing to him, the visiting dogs, and the reading cart coming around on Thursdays. He needed platelet transfusions and still stayed upbeat.

On January 4th 2011, just 22 days shy of Lil Wayne's 7th birthday was his transplant day, doctors, nurses all made signs celebrating what would be day 0, which meant his immune system completely wiped out and rebuilt to fight this cancer himself. We remained in the hospital and Ronald McDonald House for a while, waiting for his immune to start build up, his numbers got better with each passing day, we were finally home by mid February, with occasional admitting when his clinics showed low white blood count or needed platelet transfusions, by March 2010, he was receiving his radiation treatments and everything was looking great.

During a routine clinical visit on Monday November 7th, 2011, last week, a CT SCAN revealed that this cancer would have Lil Wayne once again in a battle for his life. It has come back in the tissue lining of the heart and liver, although the cancer has not penetrated the organ itself, it is on the lining, the doctors are almost certain it is the same region and are not quick to say it is spreading, but a reoccurrence, we have always dealt with this disease in and around the lung, so are fears are not minimal, as we are now facing this and are fearful of a stage IV advancement. He is not suffering any symptoms, and is still attending schools as we anxiously await the call from the Dr. as to when and if surgery will be preformed and what are new plan will be to win this battle.

Awareness is key to further prevent this illness that is quick in progression; a CT SCAN is the only way to visually see a mass as an X-Ray shows whiting on the lung which could be fluid or a mass. Since this disease is not well known due to its rarity, perhaps the rarity can be due to misdiagnoses. I have often asked myself if the many children that have passed away from not being able to combat or recover from pneumonia, could they have had this fast progressing disease.

Letty Rodriguez,

Affectionately referred to as G-Ma, by Lil Wayne

Please people contact John Rivera at 954-328-8927 or email: themusclebot@gmail.com for further information on donations and or any help that can be done for this child.

FIGHT TIME 7

By Rick

Friday October 7^th was the night of Fight Time Promotions’ Fight Time 7 “The Return” of Din Thomas. The Atemi Cast Entertainment show was there blogging the fights, shooting photos, and just enjoying another wonderful Fight Time event.

Fight number one was Doug Rossi vs. Lucus Pimenta. This was a very fast! Pimenta totally overwhelmed Rossi and earns the TKO in the first minute of the round.

Altercation number two was Patrick Williams vs. Phil Gebauer. Williams came out throwing jabs. Gebauer did not like getting hit in the face and clinched up with Williams. Williams then picked up Gebauer and body slammed Gebauer.

Round two was very even until Williams started to rule the stand up. He then took this advantage to drop Gebauer. Williams got Gebauer’s back flattened him out and won the fight with a rear naked choke.

Rivera Stalking Alexander

Battle number three was John Rivera vs. Jimmy Alexander. The Atemi Cast logo is proudly displayed on Rivera’s fight shorts.  The fight started and at the 34 second mark Rivera connects with vicious head kick that knocks out Alexander.  What an amazing finish. Rivera proves his kickboxing/ kung fu skills are truly ready for pro mma. America Top Team Coconut Creek now has a new hundred and thirty five pounder who has knock out power and the first Atemi Cast Pro fighter Kicks ass and drops opponents.

Bout four featured Damion Williams vs. Julian Flor. This was another Fight Time beat down. Williams man handles Flor and lays in a choke fifty six seconds of round one for the submission win.

Clash number five was Matt McCook vs. Roy Bradshaw. What was thought was going to be an easy win for Bradshaw turned in to a very evenly matched encounter. This one ended in round two when Bradshaw caught McCook in a guillotine choke.

After the fifth confrontation Howard Davis Jr. entered the cage with the microphone. He solemnly tells the near capacity crowd the he had just revived word that Din Thomas had been in a car accident.  Later that night the Atemi Cast was able to confirm that Din Thomas was in a terrible car wreck on the turnpike during his drive from Port St. Lucy to Fort Lauderdale. Luckily his injuries were not severe and should recover quickly.

The Fight Time Promotions Fight Time 7 Main Event is now Cedric “Killa Gorilla” James vs. Walter Harris. This heavy weight battle is over very fast. Harris dropped James with flurry of punches. 

Fight Time Promotions put on a very fun event and next year they plan to do it again. Break out your calendars and mark down these dates:

FIGHT TIME 8 February 17^th

FIGHT TIME 9 April 17^th

FIGHT TIME 10 June 22^nd

FIGHT TIME 11 August 24^th

FIGHT TIME 12 November 2^nd

Sensei Jarrod

“It’s not the martial art, it’s the martial artist.”

Martial artists are a sundry group, which is one of the fun aspects of our art.  Everyone has a different take on the same thing.  As an example, here is an interview conducted through emails with my first instructor in Martial Arts, Jason Backlund Sensei.

AtemiCast:  Thank you for doing this interview with me.  As an introduction, could you describe the history/origin of Yamagata Ryu, as well as what the official name of the system is?

Jason Backlund Sensei: When I began studying under Yamagata Sensei, he was a Soke Dairi (official representative) of a style called Matsubara Ke Senpo (literally - Matsubara Family Strategy / but better translated as the Matsubara Family's Method of War Fighting). The Matsubara Ke had a huge number of techniques detailed in several scrolls including Tojutsu (sword techniques), Sojutsu (spear techniques), Naginatajutsu (glaive techniques), Bojutsu (staff techniques), Taijutsu (unarmed techniques), Goshinjutsu (self-defense techniques) and Kotojutsu (knife techniques). Unfortunately, none of us had the time necessary to devote to studying all of these techniques adequately, so, as time went on, Yamagata Sensei began to focus his lessons on two main fields of study - Tojutsu and Goshinjutsu. Yamagata Sensei's true passion was the sword, and for this reason nearly half of the classes were devoted to Tojutsu. He was also a strong believer in practicality and, therefore, Goshinjutsu filled most of the remainder of our time. About 10 percent of the classes were spread among the remaining Matsubara Ke curriculum.

Such a large amount of time was spent on self-defense techniques and sparring that the mindset of practicality and efficiency began to pervade every aspect of our training. This was especially true for sword training. Matsubara Ke Tojutsu included hundreds of techniques for every conceivable form of attack and defense. Yamagata Sensei began to see this method of teaching as flawed. He believed that groups of techniques could be distilled to their fundamental versions, and that mastering these fundamentals and practicing them free-form in controlled-sparring situations would allow the students to naturally adapt to variations in an opponent's attacks. The difficult and time-consuming part was choosing which techniques best fit this criteria.

As this transition was happening, I was becoming increasingly dedicated to my training - to the point that I stopped going to school and spent more time at the dojo than I did at my own home. Yamagata Sensei rewarded my dedication by working with me privately before and after classes. Eventually, Yamagata Sensei utilized me as his sounding board and assistant while he developed and catalogued his new method of teaching sword techniques. What began to emerge was not only a set of distilled Matsubara Ke techniques, but also a complete and distinct curriculum. Yamagata Sensei thought that this new curriculum could become an addition to the Matsubara Ke curriculum and presented it to the Soke, Matsubara Isao, during his visit to the Orlando dojo in January, 1994. Soke Matsubara was indeed impressed, but in addition to entertaining the idea of including Yamagata Sensei's curriculum into Matsubara Ke Senpo, he also insisted that the techniques and, more importantly, the method of teaching them, be taught as an entirely new style. This new style became the Yamagata Ryu. 

Yamagata Sensei, then at the age of 64, had little interest in starting a new style, and instead had planned to return to Japan the following year and retire. Having devoted a substantial amount of time to helping Sensei with his endeavor, I was excited about the prospect of opening a school and teaching Yamagata Ryu. Sensei, who had begun to encourage me to go back to school and continue my education, proposed a deal - my reward for achieving a high-school diploma would be permission to open my own school. After graduating high school, I made plans to move to Gainesville and attend college. Yamagata Sensei rewarded my efforts by issuing me a Menkyo Kaiden (license of full transmission) certificate that not only granted me permission to open my own school, but named me as the Nidai Soshi (Second-Generation Head Teacher) of Yamagata Ryu Kobujutsu (Yamagata Style of Ancient Martial Arts). The following year I opened the first Yamagata Ryu dojo in Gainesville.

Regarding the second part of your question:

The original name for the style was Yamagata Ryu Kobujutsu, which was composed of two equal parts: Yamagata Ryu Hyoho Kenjutsu (literally - Yamagata Style Soldier Method Sword Techniques / but better translated as the Yamagata School of Strategy and Sword Techniques) and Yamagata Ryu Goshinjutsu. 

In addition to the Matsubara Ke curriculum, our Dojo in Orlando also held classes by instructors of Jujutsu, Aikido and Judo. Part of the Matsubara Ke Taijutsu set included a group of techniques referred to as Inyoho (Yin Yang Method), which was very similar in nature to Aikido and other styles of what is today called Aikijujutsu. My interest in these techniques and Yamagata Sensei's take on them led me to include a large portion of them in a separate curriculum, which I briefly taught in Gainesville under the name Yamagata Ryu Aikijujutsu. My interest in this curriculum waned, and I eventually stopped teaching it as a distinct class. As my interest in Aikijujutsu was fading, I was beginning to rekindle my interest in Jujutsu and Judo. Atemi waza (striking techniques) had always been a dominant part of Yamagata Ryu Goshinjutsu, but I wanted to teach more grappling than had been in the original curriculum. Since this was getting outside the realm of what Yamagata Sensei had developed, I decided to start a club, which I called Kobushin Kai (Society of Ancient Martial Spirit) with additional techniques in its curriculum. Today, approximately 60 percent of Kobushin Kai's curriculum is taken directly from Yamagata Ryu Goshinjutsu, and the remainder is a combination of Jujutsu and Aikijujutsu techniques that I have learned from various sources over the years. Since I no longer teach Yamagata Ryu Goshinjutsu, Yamagata Ryu Hyoho Kenjutsu is now a stand-alone style. There is a certain amount of irony in this, as it was my insistence that Goshinjutsu be included as part of the Yamagata Ryu curriculum, and Sensei, who originally wanted the style to focus solely on Kenjutsu, only agreed reluctantly after a significant amount of respectful badgering on my part. 

AC: So your official rank/title is as Soke?

Backlund Sensei: Soke, as I'm sure you are aware, essentially translates as head of a house or family, and its use in the Japanese martial arts stems from the fact that many styles used systems of family succession to transfer leadership from one generation to the next. I was first referred to by this title when I moved to Gainesville. At one point, I was invited to join an international body composed of the heads of various martial arts styles, which referred to its members as Soke regardless of their official titles. As it is such a widely understood and accepted term, I fell into the habit of using Soke as my title and even signed a number of documents as such. The title that Yamagata Sensei conferred upon me is Soshi (Head Teacher), an uncommon term in the martial arts. At the time when I was considering joining the aforementioned organization of "Soke", I did not have a healthy respect for the difference between the two titles.

As I became more involved in the martial-arts community at large, I discovered that there exists a group of Koryu purists that take offense to Americans using the title of Soke, and I have come to see their point. Soke describes a relationship with a family, and usually is conferred upon a blood-relative of the previous head of style. At the very least, Soke of legitimate Ryu are almost always Japanese. While I am the head of Yamagata Ryu, I am not a blood relative, nor am I Japanese (I guess I should point out that my father is half Japanese, which I guess makes me a quarter, but that detail would be irrelevant to most purists). 

Over the years, I have learned to see the wisdom in Yamagata Sensei's choice of title. Even though Soke and Soshi both effectively mean the same thing in terms of day-to-day responsibilities, they are very different in what they represent. Koryu, led by Soke, are family endeavors that span generations with carefully protected histories. Our style is a technical study of Japanese sword techniques stemming from historical teachings but intended to treat its subject matter as if it were still relevant today. In other words, Koryu are snapshots of history, and their techniques are essentially frozen. Yamagata Sensei approached his art by essentially saying - hypothetically, what if we were still engaging in sword fights today? What would be the best way to train students to fight and defend themselves? From that perspective, Yamagata Ryu is a Gendai Bujutsu headed by a Soshi, not a Koryu headed by a Soke.

Atemi Cast: Looking at the nature of weapons involved in the art, I'm going to assume that this is a traditional bushi art, and not a modern budo.  Is this a correct assumption?

Backlund Soshi: I would classify Yamagata Ryu as a Gendai Bujutsu (modern-age martial art). It is not a Koryu simply because it was developed in the 20th Century. However, it is not a Budo either. The goal of Yamagata Ryu is to teach its students to effectively fight using the Japanese sword with ancient Japan as the setting. The curriculum includes techniques for fighting in armor on the battlefield, and for fighting out of armor in the context of a self-defense situation or duel. We train using bokuto (wooden swords) for kata (paired forms) and kumitachi (sparring), and shinken (live blades) for batto (sword drawing) and tameshigiri (test cutting).

Atemi Cast: You mentioned earlier that practicality and efficiency became part of the mindset, could you elaborate on this?  Is this in terms of removing techniques from the common repertoire or in terms of minimalizing movements?

Backlund Sochi:  A little of both. The kata of Matsubara Ke were far more numerous, and there were many kata that, while being slightly varied in movement or execution, essentially expressed the same fundamental principle. Yamagata Sensei spent a great deal of time trying to determine which kata best expressed each fundamental principle and included one version of each in an attempt to avoid repetition - thus increasing efficiency. The problem as he saw it was that too much time was spent on training kata and not enough on training waza. 

In Yamagata Ryu, a kata is a pre-arranged series of movements that deal with an attacker from the initiation of his attack until he has been dispatched. Waza are individual, constituent components such as individual cuts, blocks or footwork. Most kenjutsu styles spend the bulk of their time training kata, as was the case with Matsubara Ke. Yamagata Sensei saw this as a flawed method of teaching. He believed that kata should make up approximately half of the students' training time. The remainder should consist of training individual waza in combinations that are put together by the instructor on the spot and changed often, so that the students begin to learn how to deal with unpredictable situations. The students then work their way up to being able to respond to free-form, improvised attacks - thus increasing practicality. Eventually, the students can even freely spar. This is similar to the method used to teach Kendo, but Kendo techniques have become so specialized toward winning competitions using shinai that they are not practical for fighting with shinken.

As for minimizing movement, there was a little bit of that in adapting the kata, but those changes were fairly minor. The individual Matsubara kata were already a pretty good case study in efficient movement.

Atemi Cast: When did you start martial arts training, and why did you start initially?

Backlund Sochi: My father took me to my first martial arts classes when I was eight years old, and the best reason I can think of is because I liked to watch martial-arts movies as a kid. He also thought it would be something that would provide me with the benefits of physical fitness and discipline. The first classes I took were Karate and Tae Kwon Do, but those didn't last for very long.

When I was in fourth grade, I met two classmates, Tommy and Yoshi Hara, who shared my enthusiasm for martial-arts movies. Being Japanese, they were somewhat isolated in a school populated almost entirely by Caucasian children. When I told them that I had a Japanese grandmother, we became fast friends.  Eventually, I learned that they were receiving private Jujutsu lessons three times a week, and, even though I had no idea what Jujutsu was at that age, I was nevertheless fascinated by what they described. They invited me to attend one of their backyard sessions, and I jumped at the opportunity.

Tommy and Yoshi's father, as it turned out, was a big financial supporter of the Matsubara Ke dojo, but never had the time to attend. Instead, he arranged for three private lessons a week for his sons - two of which were to be taught by a senior student and one to be taught by Sensei. As luck would have it, I happened to show up for my first time on a day in which the class was to be taught by Yamagata Sensei himself. I'll never forget the look of disapproval I received when the brothers introduced me. During a very brief sidebar, which I could not understand at the time, Yamagata Sensei informed Mr. Hara that I was not welcome. Mr. Hara, however, insisted that I be allowed to stay, as he thought it would be rude to send me away after having been invited by his sons. Sensei reluctantly allowed me to participate, but only as an uke for the brothers.

At five feet, nine inches with a barrel chest and stern demeanor, Sensei was quite intimidating, especially to a fourth-grader. That first training session was intense, exhausting and painful. Sensei, as I would only come to understand much later, was hoping that I would never want to come back. Ironically, I was more afraid of quitting than I was of showing up for the next lesson. For some reason, the idea of simply not showing up never occured to me. I thought that in order to quit, I would need to personally give some excuse for not wanting to continue, especially since Mr. Hara had gone through the trouble of insisting that I be allowed to attend. The idea of trying to explain to Sensei why I couldn't continue, and what his reaction might be, terrified me, so I came back - over and over again.

Atemi Cast: That’s an awesome story.  Now that you have stayed in martial arts, how has martial arts positively impacted other aspects of your life?

Backlund Soshi: I guess this is the part where I admit that growing up I got into a few fights, and martial-arts training certainly came in handy. Although the neighborhood I grew up in was a normal, lower-middle-class area, it was surrounded by areas that weren't so nice. Before moving away from Orlando to go to college, I worked on occasion in private security, and it came in handy a few times then as well. Aside from those circumstances, the real benefit of my training has been that it has taught me the nature of conflict and conflict resolution, which I use quite often in every aspect of my life. What we do in the dojo can be thought of as a metaphor for the interpersonal conflicts that we deal with every day - in my case, both personally and professionally. I don't mean to say that people are always trying to start fights or arguments with me on a daily basis. Rather, I've learned to read peoples' postures, expressions, demeanors, etc. - I've become sensitive to the potential for conflict. Usually, I can use that extra sense to avoid conflict, but sometimes, if a conflict becomes unavoidable, I can anticipate it and deal with it better than I would be able to otherwise. Once I'm in a conflict, I can determine the best strategy to deal with my opponent using some of the lessons I've learned through the years.

In my professional life, I am a vice president of a construction company. I deal with both customers and subcontractors on a daily basis. Customers often want more from us than what was agreed upon in the contract. Subcontractors often don't want to provide all the goods or services they are contractually obligated to deliver. Conflict resolution has become my specialty, and I use the lessons I've learned from my 27 years in the martial arts on a daily basis.  

Atemi Cast: I agree with that.  Martial arts has to influence your daily life, or its really not an art.  Now for the fun questions.  You know how James Lipton always asks the same questions at the end of his interviews, well you get to be the first test for my three questions.

Q1: What is your favorite martial arts movie and is there any particular reason why?

Backlund Soshi:  Recently, I saw the movie "13 Assassins," which I really enjoyed, even though a couple of parts were a little twisted. I have to say that my favorite Samurai movie is "Heaven and Earth," which tells the story of a famous battle between Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen. It is not a martial arts movie, per se, but it has some excellent battle scenes and a really good, albeit brief, sword battle between the main character and one of his retainers.

Q2: What book would you recommend to all your students?

Backlund Soshi:  Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. As far as martial arts books go, I haven't read very many of them, and I can't say that I've ever read one that I would recommend.

Q3: Who was the most impressive martial artist you ever worked with and why?

Backlund Soshi:  Yamagata Takashi Sensei, without a doubt. He understood every aspect of the martial arts techniques and concepts he taught, and could see every conceivable variation and counter. This was the most important lesson that he taught - how to truly understand. I've worked with and taught many martial artists over the years, many of whom have more years under their belts than I do, and it always surprises me how little they truly understand. I can watch the mechanics of a technique that is completely foreign to me, one that I might be seeing for the first time, and immediately understand how it works. It amazes me how few martial artists there are that can do that, but it makes me appreciate the depth of what my teacher communicated to me and how much of a genius he really was.

Atemi Cast: Again, it was a pleasure to talk to you again, and thank you for your time.

Jason Backlund teaches Yamagata Ryu Hyoho Kenjutsu and Kobushin Kai Goshinjutsu in Jacksonville, Florida.

If you are a martial artist, or you would like to recommend a martial artist to share an interview with us, please contact the Atemi Cast at atemicast@gmail.com

Michael Chandler Stuns Eddie Alvarez to Capture Bellator Lightweight Title at Bellator 58

In one of the best fights the Bellator cage has ever hosted, undefeated lightweight Michael Chandler fulfilled his dream of becoming a world champion at Bellator 58 with a fourth round submission victory over the reigning Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez LIVE on MTV2 and in HD on EPIX.

The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino was in a frenzy as Alvarez set out to defend his Bellator title since capturing the belt in Belltaor’s first season. In his first title defense, his superior boxing led to a five round decision win over the last tournament champion, Pat Curran, but this time his opponent wouldn't stop moving forward. Alvarez was able to fend off Chandler's takedown attempts, but Chandler connected with too many power punches and had Alvarez on the fence multiple times.

In the fourth round, one of Chandler’s powerful punches stunned Alvarez and dropped the Lightweight Champion to the mat, where Chandler was able to gain full mount with a knee to belly pass. He poured the pressure on Alvarez and forced him to turn over where he sunk in a rear naked choke and forced a tap almost immediately. Chandler was awarded the win, and more importantly the Bellator Lightweight Championship.

Michael Chandler Stuns Eddie Alvarez 

“Chandler vs. Alvarez was quite simply the best mixed martial arts fight I have ever seen,” said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “After having watched over 1000 fights since the early 1990’s, I’ve never seen a better back and forth battle. Chandler’s win over Alvarez is a win over a fighter who I believed was the best lightweight in the world, while at the same time is a testament to what Bellator is all about. Aguilar vs. Ellis was a tremendous battle, and speaks to the great quality that exists in the women’s MMA game, and a quality that we will continue to support. Hector Lombard again showed his tremendous dominance and his spectacular power, and Marlon Sandro came back from a loss to regain top form and use this fight as a spring board into our next featherweight tournament.”

Also stepping in the cage was Florida resident and current Bellator Middleweight Champion Hector Lombard, who gave the fans just what they wanted by delivering an exciting TKO finish in the second round. Lombard displayed his raw power more than once in this fight with ferocious flurries aimed right at Prangley's head whenever he was able to cut off the cage.

In the end it was a failed two punch combination from Prangley that left his chin vulnerable to a counter left from Lombard. The punch left Prangley stunned and staggering. Lombard swung away with vicious hooks until the referee stepped in due to unanswered strikes at 1:06 of Round Two.

Two of the top ranked women in Bellator met for the second time in their careers as Jessica "Jag" Aguilar earned a dominant win by unanimous decision over Lisa Ellis. Aguilar won all three rounds on every judges' scorecard and avenged a loss to Ellis from five years ago. She beat Ellis on her feet, throwing punches in bunches and landing plenty of straight left and right hands. It was an impressive victory for Aguilar.

Former Featherweight Tournament Runner-Up Marlon Sandro returned to his winning ways in his first Bellator battle since being KO'd by Pat Curran in the finals this past August. Sandro predicted a knockout win over Rafael Dias but was knocked down by his opponent early in the first round. He sat up immediately though and put Dias on his back when he tried to follow him to the floor. Once the pair returned to their feet, Sandro was able to apply an arm triangle while standing and forced a tap on the ground after he muscled Dias to the mat with his head and arm securely trapped.

Ultimate Kickboxing/MMA Amateur Challenge
By: Tony D.

Rivas being looked at by the Doc

Ring Girls at the Ultimate Challenge

BEYOND THE CAGE OFFERS “THE CROWN JEWEL” OF MIXED MARTIAL ARTS MERCHANDISING WITH FIRST-EVER MMA FINE ART LINE

GSP

 High-quality fine art publishing company, Beyond the Cage has proudly released mixed martial arts’ first ever fine art line. With a catalog of the top-performing athletes in the sport, Beyond the Cage has encapsulated MMA stars in their own unique settings.

“Our goal in developing this fine art line is not to feature fighters in the cage, but rather ‘Beyond the Cage,’ giving fans a rare look into the lives of these world class athletes,” said company spokesman Jerry G. “This artwork captures the true essence of these elite fighters...a glimpse into their personal lives, their training lives, and their hearts.”  

Anderson Silva

In an effort to preserve the history of mixed martial arts and offer its fans a new level of collectible merchandise, Beyond the Cage spent countless hours creating what is believed to be the best artwork on the market.

In addition, Beyond the Cage has traveled all over the world to personally present the artwork to the fighters and have them approve and sign many of the pieces bearing their images. 

Randy Couture

The artwork has been produced in very limited editions utilizing only the highest quality materials, inclusive of museum grade paper, metal and acrylic. A glimpse of the fighters who have signed art for Beyond the Cage reads as a who’s who of MMA royalty: UFC welterweight champion Georges “Rush” St-Pierre, UFC Hall of Famer Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell, UFC middleweight champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva, “Ultimate Fighter” winner and former UFC light heavyweight championForrest Griffin, former WEC featherweight champion Urijah “The California Kid” Faber and MMA legend Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva to name a few. 

Standing out as a pioneer in MMA merchandising, Beyond the Cage is the first company to not only offer a high quality fine art line focused on MMA, but also the first to have a Notary Public present at most autograph signings to witness the authenticity of the fighter’s signature. This element truly solidifies the rarity and uniqueness of the artwork.

Chuck Liddell

“We believe the Beyond the Cage MMA Fine Art Line is the ‘Crown Jewel’ of consumer products for the sport,” said Jerry. “Beyond the Cage is proud to have its artwork hang in many of the homes and gyms of these warriors. MMA fans can now own something truly unique and rare.”

Beyond the Cage accomplished its goal of bringing fine art to the MMA marketplace by working side by side with the world’s premier MMA photographer, Eric Williams.  A commercially successful photographer, Williams and Beyond the Cage had the same vision of MMA as fine art and joined forces to make this a reality for the world.

“The fan base, and the emotional attachment fans have to the fighters, is unmatched in any other sport,” commented Jerry. “We at Beyond the Cage have the same passion for the sport as the fans. We love MMA, we love the fighters, respect their talents, and appreciate their heroic efforts.”

To learn more about Beyond the Cage and see available images, visit www.mma-beyondthecage.com.

Alvarez vs. Chandler Lightweight World Title Fight plus Lombard vs. Prangley Superfight Headline Loaded Bellator 58 from The Seminole Hard Rock on November 19

The Bellator Lightweight title will be on the line November 19^th as Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez squares off against undefeated Michael Chandler from the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino at Bellator 58 LIVE on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX2 at 9 p.m. ET. Tickets for the November 19th event are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com. The night will also see reigning Bellator Middleweight Champion Hector Lombard put his 24-fight unbeaten streak on the line against former UFC fighter Trevor Prangley in a non-title catchweight fight at 195 pounds.

In the night’s main event, Alvarez brings a near perfect record into the fight. The Philadelphia native sports an incredible 22-2 professional record, with Bellator tournament wins over Greg Loughran, Eric Reynolds and Toby Imada during his Season 1 Lightweight Tournament Championship run. This won’t be Alvarez’s first title defense, as he successfully defended his title against current Featherweight Tournament finalist Pat Curran at Bellator 39. The two engaged in a five-round battle that eventually ended with Alvarez securing a unanimous decision victory.

After a spectacular run through the Bellator Season 4 Lightweight Tournament that included victories over Polish prodigy Marcin Held, submission specialist Lloyd Woodard and explosive Brazilian Patricky Pitbull, the undefeated Chandler is ready for the challenge Alvarez will bring.

While the heavy-handed Hector Lombard watches the Season 5 Middleweight Tournament with a close eye, his focus will shift to former UFC veteran Trevor Prangley, as the Cuban-born middleweight champion will battle near his Florida residence in a non-title affair LIVE on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX2.

For the second week in a row, Bellator will host a women’s feature fight as long time Bellator veteran and fan favorite Jessica “Jag” Aguilar will battle Lisa Ward, who will be looking to move to 2-0 against Aguilar with a victory at Bellator 58.

The night will also host the return of a few fan favorites as Top 10 ranked featherweight Marlon Sandro is back with Bellator after a Summer Series Featherweight Tournament Finals appearance. The impressive Brazilian takes on submission ace Rafael “The Law’ Dias in a 145-pound feature fight.

Lombard vs. Prangley Headline Bellator 58 From Seminole Hard Rock on November 19

Hector Lombard

Bellator Fighting Championships announced today that reigning middleweight champion Hector Lombard will put his 24-fight undefeated streak on the line against former UFC fighter Trevor Prangley in a non-title catchweight fight at 195 pounds from the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino at Bellator 58 LIVE on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX at 9 p.m. ET. Tickets for the November 19th event are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com. The preliminary card for this event will be streamed LIVE and FREE around the world on Spike.com, starting at 7 p.m. ET.

Widely regarded as one of the top middleweights in the world and a fighter known for taking every fight put in front of him, Lombard enters the bout looking to continue his dominating run through MMA. The imposing knockout artist has claimed victory in his last 19 fights with 15 coming by finish, including a devastating knockout against Falaniko Vitale at Bellator 44. A former Judo Olympian with a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and knockout power in both hands, Lombard is always eager to get back into the cage and continue as one of the most devastating fighters in the sport.

“I just want November to get here and knock someone out,” Lombard said. “I doesn’t matter who it is, I just want to do what I do and that’s win. I don’t know much about Trevor, but it doesn’t matter. I’ll be in front of my fans in Florida, and it’s going to be a show.”

While Lombard may not be very familiar with Prangley, the MMA world should be, as the longtime MMA veteran holds notable victories over Chael Sonnen, Matt Horwich and Keith Jardine. The South Africa native is always looking to finish, and knows exactly what to expect on November 19^th.

“Both of us are going to get in that cage and throw bombs, no questions asked,” Prangley said. “It’s no secret both of us like to stand and bang, and that’s exactly what everyone is going to get. I know Hector is really tough on his feet, but so am I, so he’s going to have to play my game when the cage door shuts.”

Shlemenko, Vianna TKO their way to Bellator Middleweight Finals From Boardwalk Hall In Atlantic City Presented By Caesars

Shlemenko get TKO win

Returning to Atlantic City for the second time this season, Bellator Fighting Championships brought the fans to their feet inside Boardwalk Hall as Alexander Shlemenko and Vitor Vianna advanced to the Finals of the Bellator Middleweight Tournament. Current Bellator Bantamweight Champion Zach Makovsky earned his 14th career victory with a submission win in his non-tile feature fight against Ryan Roberts while Jacob Kirwin took down the previously undefeated Nazare in surprising fashion LIVE on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX2. The finals will take place on Saturday, November 19 at The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

“The middleweights have absolutely brought it this season,” Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “Vitor Vianna, who is known for his submission game, has proven tonight that he has dynamite in his hands, and Alexander Shlemenko is absolutely one of the most exciting and explosive middleweights in the world. These finals will be an absolute magic at The Seminole Hard Rock on November 19.”

Alexander Shlemenko entered the night as the perceived favorite with Brian Rogers. The dynamic Russian entered the fight with over 40 victories and was the winner of Bellator’s last Middleweight Tournament. Rogers surprised many when he was able to knock Shlemenko to the mat with a punch and steal the first round, but Shlemenko stayed true to form nearly knocking Rogers senseless in the second round with a flurry of big knees to the head. It took exactly 2:30 for Shlemenko to finish Rogers in the second round as referee Keith Peterson decided to stop the fight and award a stoppage victory to Shlemenko.

It was a heartbreaking night for middleweight Bryan Baker who was eliminated for the second time in a Bellator Tournament. Just one win away from a possible rematch with Alexander Shlemenko in the finals, Baker was stunned early on by Vitor Vianna. While both exchanged blows early, it was Vianna that caught Baker with a crisp overhand right to drop “The Beast” and secure a Bellator Finals spot and a shot at a $100,000 payday.

Winning his second feature fight since becoming Bellator Bantamweight Champion, Zach Makovsky submitted Ryan Roberts in the opening round at Bellator 54 by way of a brilliant North-South Choke. Roberts thought he’d have an advantage over the champ since he was dropping down in weight for this fight but Makovsky’s stand up and ground game proved sharp as ever with “Fun Size” controlling the fight from the opening bell. After staggering Roberts with a stiff left cross near the end of the first round, Makovsky forced a takedown and set up a choke after making a beautiful guard pass into side control and then moving out in front for the finish. Roberts tapped from a north-south choke with just 12 seconds to go in the first round and Makovsky improved his record to 14-2.

In a stunning upset at lightweight, Jacob Kirwan improved his undefeated record to 7-0 and dealt rising star Rene Nazare his first career loss in 11 fights with a win by unanimous decision. Kirwan took Nazare down at will and was able to neutralize both his stand-up and his ground game by taking the fight to the floor and riding out rounds in half guard. Nazare attempted a kimura and guillotine from the bottom, but was unable to get out from under him without the referee standing them up. Kirwan won the takedown war and spent the majority of the fight in dominant position.

Next week on October 22, Bellator Fighting Championships will visit Yuma, Arizona, as the Bellator Bantamweight Tournament Semifinals take place at the Cocopah Resort and Casino. Marcos Galvao is scheduled to take on Alexis Vila who recently knocked out Bellator Featherweight Champion Joe Warren in his bantamweight debut and Ed “Wild” West will look to advance to the finals with a win over Eduardo Dantas who also made his way into the semis with a win by knockout in the quarterfinals.

Saunders, Lima Secured Spots in Welterweight Finals at Bellator 53

Saunders vs. Santos

There were eight at the start but after Bellator 53 in Miami, OK, just two men remain in the Bellator Season 5 Welterweight Tournament. Ben "Killa B" Saunders and Douglas Lima will advance to the welterweight finals after finishing each of their opponents in front of a sold out crowd inside the Buffalo Run Casino Resort.

“Our Welterweights were simply electric tonight” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Lima looked spectacular on his feet against a top, top tier striker in Chris Lozano and Ben Saunders on the ground was spectacular. Top to bottom this was an incredible show, and our Welterweight Finals should be something very special.”

Saunders scored an impressive victory with a dominating performance on the ground against veteran Luis Santos, a fighter with over 50 career wins. Santos succeeded in taking the fight to the mat but Saunders dictated the pace of the fight from his back with arm locks and a stiff underhook. In the third and final round, Saunders found himself in top position on the mat for the first time in the fight. He advanced to half guard and finished the fight by keylock to secure victory and his spot in the Welterweight Finals later this season.

"The Assassin" Chris Lozano was dealt just the second loss of his young career at the hands “The Phenom” Douglas Lima. More than half of Lozano's wins inside the cage have come via knockout, and it was evident by Lozano’s willingness to stand and trade with Lima. It backfired however in the second round as Lima caught Lozano coming in with a perfectly timed right cross following a failed left hook by Lozano. Lima knocked “The Assassin” out cold to advance to the finals of the Bellator Welterweight Tournament.

Josh Burns and Thiago Santos were fighting for a reserve spot in Bellator’s Heavyweight Tournament as semifinalist Mike Hayes, who knocked off Neil Grove at Bellator 52, may be under a 60-day suspension and unable to compete due to a broken orbital from his fight against Grove. Santos was on task from the beginning in his fight with Burns as he systematically pressured him against the cage, took him down, softened him up with numerous strikes and finished the fight by rear naked choke after Burns gave up his back. With the victory, Santos may join fellow heavyweights Ron Sparks, Blagoi Ivanov and Eric Prindle in the semifinals of the Heavyweight Tournament.

In a Season 6 Featherweight Tournament Qualifier fight, Ronnie "Kid Ninja" Mann defeated Kenny Foster in impressive fashion. Foster managed to take "Kid Ninja" to the ground twice in the first round, but Mann proved just as dangerous from his back as he's shown to be on his feet. He constantly worked for submissions until he caught his opponent in a triangle choke near the end of the opening round and forced Foster to tap. Mann dedicated the fight to the memory of his coach Shawn Thompkins who passed away on Aug. 14. Thompkins was a respected member of the MMA community and was also the coach of Bellator veteran Chris Horodecki.

Question Everything?

“Where’s Mr. Miyagi?”

Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi

As westerners we come into martial arts with certain stereotypes in our mind, most of which have been put there by martial arts movies of the 1970’s and 1980’s.  One of most common of those stereotypes is that of the martial arts instructor.  The sensei of the movies is almost always a traditionally minded, stoically quite, Asian male who disseminates the secrets of life in cryptic pieces of wisdom that are not fully understood until “the right time.”- in short, Mr. Miyagi. 

In my few years of martial arts training, I’ve met dozens of martial arts instructors in many different styles, and none have fit the Mr. Miyagi model.  They may have had a characteristic or two in common with the archetype, but they’ve all been very different people.  I’ve met grouchy aikido sensei (in the Japanese language they don’t have plurals for words, i.e.the plural of sensei is sensei), smiley kung fu sifu, and timid jujutsu sensei.  I know it sounds like I’m naming all random members  of the seven dwarves, but this is to show how stereotypes are just stereotypes, especially those made from fictional sources.  I’ve even met sensei who were…female.  (Mrs. Miyagi?)  Each of these sensei have taught me valuable things, sometimes the things they taught me were martial arts, sometime they were not.  Occasionally I’ve even learned, through example, what I didn’t want my martial arts to be.  If you’ll pardon my indulging, I’m going to go through a couple of sensei I’ve had, and what I’ve learned from them.

                The first martial arts instructor I had was Jason Backlund sensei of Yamagata ryu Hyoho.  I discovered this instructor while attending the University of Florida Gainesville.  In hindsight, I never new what a unique opportunity I had.  Over the course of a couple of years, he taught me the beginnings of martial arts.  I spent many hours going up and down the dojo doing kicks and punches before moving on to anything resembling a jujutsu.  At the time I didn’t know any better, but this became a great foundation for my martial arts.  It still surprises people when I, a mere aikidoka, pull a kick out of my repertoire.  Backlund sensei also taught me something else.  One of his ideas was that drawing something, made you look at it closer.  Draw the knot of the sageo of a katana.  In order to draw the knot, you have to understand how the knot is constructed.  Draw the motion of ikkyo.  See if you can illustrate the motion that is required.  I still do this today, and my understanding of something usually increases when I do.

My second instructor was a good example, but for bad reasons.  Once I moved to South Florida, I wanted to continue with my training, so I looked up a traditional Japanese jujutsu that was being taught South Florida.  The sensei was short, not particularly muscular, and looked more like an accountant than a martial artist.  He was a gruff sort of individual.  In fact, that’s why I left that system.  I left the system after witnessing an incident where sensei was yelling, in anger, at a student.  That student happened to be his son, so I don’t know if that influenced his behavior, but I wasn’t willing to find out.  I finished that class, and never went back.

Now I study aikido, kenjutsu and jujutsu through Atemi Ryu under the tutelage of Doctor Philip Chenique.  “Doc” is humble, but he puts on a large persona when teaching.  He actually hates the spotlight, but is good at being in it.  He often uses humor to teach, but usually at his own expense.  He treats everyone as if they were family members.  He cares more about your character than your martial skills.  He is a large man who still surprises me with his quickness.  He has a huge presence, but is still able to sneak out of the door when no one is looking.  In some ways, he’s more Mr. Miyagi than not.

All of these people have their own method of teaching: learn from them.  It is the individual that puts art into martial arts.  They will all have their own philosophies and experiences on what martial arts are.  Just because you don’t agree with them, doesn’t mean you can’t learn from them, or even that you won’t change your own mind in the future.

Baker, Rogers, Shlemenko and Vianna Advance to Semis of Middleweight Tourney

By Derek Constable- It was a night of big finishes at Bellator 50 as the beginning of the Season 5 Bellator Middleweight Tournament boasted three finishes out of the four quarterfinal matches.

Bryan Baker put an exclamation point on a sensational night of fights and turned in a stellar performance against Season 1 Middleweight Tournament Finalist Jared Hess. Both men were committed to takedowns but Baker was able to outwork Hess on the mat. Baker secured two anaconda chokes and attempted a rear naked choke more than once, but in the end it was an exciting ground and pound finish by Baker who sunk in his hooks from rear mount and flattened out Hess until there was no escape from his ground assault.

Alexander Shlemenko showed that he is a complete mixed martial artist and used a standing guillotine choke to submit Zelg Galesic at 1:55 of the first round and as a result will advance to the semifinals of the tournament.

Bryan Rogers defeated Victor O'Donnell by ground and pound as well, but it was a questionable stoppage after Rogers dropped his opponent with a head kick and a barrage of punches. The straight right was the shot that put O’Donnell down and after a number of unanswered punches the referee ran right in to waive a stop to the contest.

In the closest fight of the night, Vitor Vianna edged Sam Alvey by split decision. Alvey opened a cut on Vianna and landed a number of jabs and leg kicks, but Vianna controlled the pace and the judges eventually awarded the Brazilian the victory.

The competition will only get tougher as Baker, Shlemenko, Rogers and Vianna advance to the semifinals. All of these men are working for a shot at reigning Bellator Middleweight Champion Hector Lombard. The semifinals will feature Rogers taking on Shlemenko, and Baker meeting Vianna.

"We saw some great finishes tonight from some very exciting Middleweights,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Shlemenko's first round finish shows his spectacular striking game now has a submission companion and Brian Rogers again, looked very, very explosive."

Bellator Fighting Championships will return next Saturday, September 24 as Bellator 51 comes to the Canton Civic Center in Ohio for the first leg of the Bellator Bantamweight Tournament. Fans can look forward to current featherweight champion Joe Warren taking on the undefeated Alexis Vila as he drops down to 135 pounds and attempts to become the first person in history to hold two Bellator titles at the same time.

FIGHT TIME PROMOTIONS REVOLUTION 2

Thursday Night September 8^th Fight Time Promotions and their brand of amateur mma invaded Revolution “Live” for the second time.  Eight fights were beheld by all in attendance and here are the results of that exciting night.

Fight #1 was a 155lb altercation was between Alex Lopez debut fighter from Club KO and Simon White a debut fighter from American Top Team Port Saint Lucie. Lopez wins via a TKO.

Fight #2 was a 185lb battle amidst Hector Olazabal (0-1) from Cruz Muay Thai vs. Luka Nikolie (1-0) of American Top Team. Nikolie wins via TKO.

Fight #3 was a 180lb bout with Jeff “The Big Stick” Henry (2-1) of Coy Kang Team Muay Lao vs. Davaun McCoy (4-0) from American Top Team Sunrise/ Team Wolfpack.  McCoy wins via TKO.

Fight #4 was a 180lb clash among Johnathan “JC” Cole (0-1) from Team Popovitch vs.  Joel Van Der Loon a debut fighter out of American Top Team Fort Luaderdale.  Van Der Loon wins via TKO.

Fight #5 was a 185lb conflict betwixt Joab Martin debut fighter from Suarez Jiu Jitsu vs. Brent “Take Down” Edwards a debut fighter from Premier Martial Arts. Edwards wins via a TKO.

Fight #6 was a 150lb confrontation between Yvon Agneord (1-0) a fighter from Team Popovitch vs. Daniel “First Class” Terrell (2-2) from MS Fight Team.  This was the first fight to go to the judges and they rule for the winner Agenord.

Fight #7 was a 175lb grudge match that was weeks in the making. Team Popovtich fighter Fred Moncaio (1-0) and Eli Zen (1-0) from Grand Master Moti Horensteins MMA had words during Fight Time Promotions Play Hard 7 at Club Play South Beach. Instead of fighting in the street both fighters decided to meet in the cage and settle their differences like men. This was a great contest and Moncaio came out on top with a triangle submission that should make Pablo Popovtich proud.

Fight #8 was a 145lb Main Event exchange between Ray Paige (3-0) from Premier Martial Arts vs. Carlos Rodriguez (3-0) of Zens jiu Jitsu/ Young Tigers/ Winners Sport. This was also title fight for the ISKA 145lb belt.  Carlos Rodriquez wins the belt! Rumor has it that his first title defense will be against Atemi Cast friend Aarron Rajman. That will be a great one.

Social Media Melee

Manny Reyes Jr.

This is one of our favorite FaceBook conversations ever. It all started Sep-tember 6th when friend of The Atemi Cast Manny Reyes Jr. posted this photo and stated:

Ok, let’s go Public...

I'm Looking for a Local MMA Promotion who would make this "Mega" Fight Happen.. Miami's Historic BEST "All Around" Fighter MANNY REYES JR. vs. the Locally Popular LEVEL MARTI-NEZ.. I am REQUESTING this Fight. No Disrespect but I know I can BEAT Level.. After Losing to Mike Brown a few years back I went on a Short Losing Streak but I've Won my last 2 Fights...

11-4.. Level, its Time.. Oh and please, do not Mis-Understand me and what I write... Why am I Miami's Best All Around Fighter? Simply because my Accomplishments speak for themselves...

Long Resume Short: I have Won 18 World Titles in Karate 1987-2010, I went Undefeated in Full Contact Karate and Yes I Won the ISKA Title 2001-2003, I Won a few Titles in Kick Boxing and in K1 Rules Fights..

Fought & Won for Chuck Norris and the World Combat League.. Unlike Level Martinez who made a name for himself on a "Local" Level by COPYING Kimbo Slice and Beating up Goofy Bums and Beating them up in a Back Yard I made my name fighting in the Ring Winning Titles in Karate, Kick Boxing, K1 Rules, Full Contact and MMA… Let’s see if Level will ac-cept my Challenge... He has nothing to lose...

From what I Hear he's Dodged 11 Straight Fight-ers and hasn’t fought in Over a Year... I know Level is Fragile Minded over his last Fight... a Fight he Really Lost but I am Assuming he will Fight me...

a 36 year old guy Past his Prime who can't make 155 lbs anymore and is now Fighting at 170lb…

STEVE: Wow level is a tough dude… to beat that guy u have to be able to stand and slug it out..he puts tons of pressure and doesn’t box he just slugs it out

Lordsfc: LEVEL CAN’T STAND WITH MANNY. LEVELS STAND UP IS WEAK. ALL HE HAS IS AN OVER HAND RIGHT. BUT LEVEL WON’T STAND TOE TO TOE VS. MANNY

Suleiman: Lmfaooo! I'll give my left nut for this fight lmfaooo now THAT is ENTERTAINING

Jim: This would be good..

Tom: So... we will see them fight?

Alex: Is this for real? or is this a joke?

Jorge: I still remember the oxygen mask after the Franca fight. Brutal.

Manny: Jorge... So what? Everyone in MMA Losses... that Night I Lost to a Ster-oid up" Hermes Franca...

I got KO'd... Big Deal... Randy Coulture, Tito Ortiz, Chuck Lidell, and even some of your Fight-ers today like Urijah Faber   LOST over 10 Fights in with the CFA in January… Bye Jorge... you GOOFY Mother Fucker!

Tom: And...

Who has "Level" fought? 1st fight: an 0-3 guy. 2nd fight: an 0-0 guy. 3rd fight: an 0-2 guy. 4th fight: a 1-1 guy; ended in a draw... SO WHO IS "LEVEL"?? if he's such a bad-ass, why isn't he challenging fight-ers? WHY HAS "LEVEL" ONLY FOUGHT GUYS WITH SUCH TERRIBLE RECORDS??? Yes, Manny got his ass kicked. BY HERMES FRANCA!!! geez... and that was years and years ago. Say it with me: WHO HAS LEVEL FOUGHT??? Why does he fight bums? Seriously. I don't know Level; I've never met him. But people are talking about him like he's some kind of mma legend. HE HAS ONLY FOUGHT BUMS!!! Why???

Manny: Level NEVER Re-sponded to my Fight Re-quest.. its Over.. its not Worth dragging along a Dead Topic.. CFA has Plans for me for 2012. Good Luck to Level in that new UA thing they got going on.. He's also moved up to 180-185 lbs.. Just for the Record: Manny Reyes Jr. vs. Level is a Dead issue..

Jorge: No need to be rude hommie. I work with Jorge at CFA and I know when I see BS. Don't go tagging people you don't know and then be rude to them.

Manny: I didn't Tag you.. and Don't Disrespect me.. I made my Point.. Read it again.. My Record as a Profes-sional Fighter is 57-6-2, this is my Combined Re-cord in MMA Fights, Kick Boxing Fights, K1 Rules Fights, Full Contact Ka-rate Fights 7 in Tough-man Fights.. I've Won Tons of Titles but the one thing I take Pride in is: I've NEVER EVER BEEN AFRAID to STEP IN A RING OR CAGE AGAINST ANYONE... Most People who Disre-spect  me and Talk Shit have NEVER even Fought in Match of any Kind in their Life!

Manny: I didn't Tag you.. and Don't Disrespect me.. I made my Point.. Read it again..

My Record as a Profes-sional Fighter is 57-6-2, this is my Combined Re-cord in MMA Fights, Kick Boxing Fights, K1 Rules Fights, Full Contact Ka-rate Fights 7 in Toughman Fights.. I've Won Tons of Titles but the one thing I take Pride in is: I've NEVER EVER BEEN AFRAID to STEP IN A RING OR CAGE AGAINST ANY-ONE... Most People who Disrespect me and Talk Shit have NEVER even Fought in Match of any Kind in their Life!

Alex: Why do you keep doing this to yourself? You’re not making Level look bad when he doesn’t respond to your chal-lenge, which I know is not true because he jumped at the opportunity once he heard about this. CFA does have big plans for you, BIG BIG PLANS. Just stop it already

Tom: Level accepted the fight? Hmm... That's the first we've heard about this. Details?

Suleiman: Can someone untag me from this Circus Show? No disrespect to Manny Fressh but FUCK this crap is getting old fast

Manny: I'm not Disre-specting Level.. Never did.. I just Simply said: Level did not Respond to my Fight Request.. I Wish him well.. and you are Lying.. Level Never Re-plied to my Fight Re-quest.. That’s the FACT. Doesn't Matter.. Its a Dead issue now.. we are both going in Separate paths.. it would have been good.. and Yes .. get Untagged..

Alex: Not disrespecting? you just went on a rant about how he hasnt fought anyone except bums in backyards, hes ducked 11 fighters? and worst of all.... fragile minded??? Dont do that to yourself homie. Whats funny of all this is out of all the people you tagged with this "challenge" the only one you should of tagged was Level himself which clearly you didn't fight with level if it was just a striking match, like karate rules bullshit, but in MMA, level will rag dolll you. And possibly knock your head off. Don't get mad now :) fight with level if it was just a striking match, like karate rules bullshit, but in MMA, level will rag dolll you. And possibly knock your head off. Don't get mad now :)

Tom: Tony & Alex: hey, I don't know either one of you guys, but here's a serious question that no-body ever answers: why does everyone talk about Level like he's some kind of mma legend? He has 4 fights. FOUR. and the guys he fought were chumps. All four.

I already posted this. 1st fight: 0-3. 2nd fight: 0-0. 3rd fight: 0-2. 4th fight: 1-1; ended in a draw... LEVEL ONLY FOUGHT BUMS... WHY????? Why do you think "Level" is such an mma bad ass??? I don't get it. I'm not trying to start shit. I'm not from here, and I'm trying to understand why a bunch of people think Level is such a legend. Tell me why he has only fought bums, and why he isn't taking on serious opponents. Real talk. Is his management only accepting hand-picked opponents that they know he will beat? Are they feeding him "tomato can" opponents to keep his "bad ass street cred" up? Seriously. Can somebody address this?

 Suleiman: @tom don't waste your time , Small Time Small Minded "Fighters" ruin the love of the SPORT , These local guys are only that LO-CAL , Local promotions only think LOCAL and will stay LOCAL , Everyone thinks MIAMI is its own country lol Outside Mi-ami who the fuck are these people ?! Walk around Japan , England , Canada , and say their names ..... WHO?! .... Ex-actly, Some people need to TRAIN and PUT UP or SHUT THE FUCK UP! Ranting on a FB Page doesn't get exposure it gets more LAUGHS! Ones Fight ability if WORTHY will speak for itself.... Ex: Cung Lee , Badr Hari , Ramon Dekkers , Imanari , etc etc REAL FIGHTERS WITH REAL RECORDS AND REAL OP-PONENTS ! They never "Chose" their opponents nor were GIVEN a "CHAMPIONSHIP BELT" without a Tournament! Promoters in Florida are smart market people who the STREETS FEAR and they get $$$ what they fail to realize is once a LEGITIMATE FIGHTER catches wind of someone running around a self proclaimed champ and gets called out .... What happens now?! Your Glo-rified HOMETOWN HERO just got SHUT THE FUCK

DOWN ! People need to SHUT THE FUCK UP AND FIGHT! Your not Eminent stop calling out Some-body's when your a No-body its not gonna work as well as he did it ! At least Eminent can rap !

Tom: SHUT UP AND FIGHT!!!! I love it. Let's put it on t-shirts, Suleiman I'll buy the first one... lol

Tony: Well he did beat the shit out of a Karate master so manny better watch out lol. No one ever said he's a MMA legend, but the dude knows how to get his name out there. He's proven himself in back yard brawls and now he competes in pro MMA fights, he's 3-0-1 He's still improving. I think his management is doing what's right for his career so he doesn't have to rush into anything that's gonna set him back. Give him time, maybe he'll turn out great maybe he wont, I just think people right now just hating on the man cause he's all over youtube getting all this attention, but hey the light has shined upon on him fast, let the man shine, he's obviously do-ing something right. No one is talking like he can

compete with MMA top level such as UFC fighters, he still needs to prove himself and improve his all around game. Respect the man for going out there and banging bare knuckle, that shit is never guaranteed a win when knuckles are flying hard. I never heard anyone say he is a 'legend' or said he fights like one, all you ever read about him is that he's a tough mother-fucker that shows up to bang and put on a good show, which he does.

Alex: @Tom: To answer your question, I never heard people ever con-sidering Level to be an MMA Legend. Thats the first I ever heard that. Helio, Rickson now those are MMA legends. Street Legend? absolutely. Ask the cops down in South Miami who Level is. What you fail to realize is that he started off in the streets, like most of us all did. Im not gonna get into the details of his no-toriety. Look it up your-self. He came into the professional ranks with ZERO martial arts train-ing, aside for the under-ground street fights and a couple of months training at MMA MASTERS. You know just as I do it takes way more than that to step into a Pro MMA fight. I know Level and he   is a personal friend of mine. He is every inch a fighter. Most of these guys that wanna down-play him cant walk a block in his shoes and what hes endured. I ap-plaud his management for not letting him turn into a sideshow act like Kimbo Slice. We all know Kimbo had no business going to the UFC, except for cashing in a big pay-day. Far from ready to take on those type of cali-ber fighters. Thus being exposed and embar-rassed. As for this Manny guy, come on

MMA South Florida: Is it bad that I am laughing my a** off at all these com-ments?? and lets take this fight to the "Backyard". I’ll bring the Mountain Dew and Skit-tles.

Tony: Yeah take it to the backyard, I'll bring an oxygen mask in case someone gets knocked the fuck out lol.

LEVEL

Level: LMAO!!! FOR EVE-RYBODYS INFORMATION I TRIED TO FIGHT THIS FA-GIT MANNY REYES AND HE SAID HE COULDNT CAUSE HE WAS SIGNED TO CFA, I AINT THE TYPE OF PERSON TO TALK SHIT (especially to a nobody) BUT ON A SERIOUS NOTE I SEEN YOU FIGHTING IN AN ALLEY WAY ON ONE OF YOUR VIDEOS, IF YOU SUCH A GREAT FIGHTER PUT YO MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS AND COME HOLLA AT ME ON SOME REAL SHIT JUST YOU ME AND A CAMERA MAN AND LETS SHOW DA WORLD HOW I DEMOL-ISH UR LIL BITCH ASS, DICK IN DA BOONGY ASS FAGET!!!! YOU AINT SHIT, ITS JUST GOING TO BE A REPLAY ON WHAT HER-MES DID TO YOUR CLOWN ASS!!!! ALL THEM YEARS OF TRAINING CANT HELP YOU FOR SHIT, WANNA BE ASS PO-LICE!!!!!

AND ON A SERIOUS NOTE, KEEP MY NAME NAME OUT YO MOUTH FUCK BOY.... REAL SHIT I AINT WITH THIS KEY-BOARD BANGING SHIT, I DONT TALK BOUT NO-BODY, DATS NOT MY STYLE... I GREW UP ON SOME REAL SHIT AROUND SOME REAL MUTHAFUCKAZ, LIKE I SAID KEEP MY NAME OUT YOU MOUTH, AINT NO GAMEZ ON MY SIDE

Yoli: {:O lol. Love you LEVEL!!!! This guy can really bark up a storm huh...."Like a Chihuahua". LOL. I guess he has to puff himself up cause no one else will.

Manny Reyes Jr. : Level, I got nothing else to say.. My Accomplishments in all the different Fight Sports Speak for them-selves.. Fighting all over the United States and parts of the World.. Etc.. Good Luck to you.. By the way, me and you would have put on a Good Fight.. thats the only rea-son I requested it.. Doesnt matter now.. Im 165 & I heard you are Fighting at 180.. Good Luck Bro.. Im not a Threat to you.. What you really need to worry about is that Reputation you have had the last year.. Every-one knows Hansell Beat you.. Since then I was told you havent fought a you ducked 12 Fighters.. Manny Mancinni can back me up on that.. Im not making that up..Hansell is your Threat because he really Expossed you.. Good Luck

Suleiman: You Guys should put on an Open Weight Grudge Match and Bet your own money, I could get investors to put down on it , and end this BS behind closed doors , Reyes fucked up by calling Level out , Now wants to back track and use Hansel as a scapegoat goat , I'll put down 1,000.00 towards this fight , PUT UP OR SHUT  UP , People need to learn

WORDS start WARS.

Manny: Wow This Never Ends! Manny Reyes Jr. Vs Level Would Generate More Money Then The Hermes Franca Fight. But Now I'm thinking This Fight Is Pointless..... It Doesn't Benefit Either Fighter. Level Is A Street Legend/MMA Star & Manny Reyes Jr. Is A Ka-rate Instructor & Former King Of The Cage Cham-pion Ect. I'm Sure If the Money Is Right for Both Fighters It Will Be in CFA. Hansel Calderon Has Nothing To Do With This Mess. Enough Said.

Level: LISTEN UP BITCH BOY AINT NOBODY EX-POSE ME, DAT LIZARD COULDNT BEAT ME WITH ALL THEM YEARS OF EX-PERIENCE HE HAD AND YOU DAM SHO NUFF WONT EVEN COME CLOSE!!! KEEP UR MOUTH SHUT FAGIT!!!! I SEE KNOW U COMING TO UR SENSES, LMAO BRINGING OTHER PEO-PLES NAME IN IT IS NOT GOING TO HELP YOU, YOU JUST A FAKE!!! AND WHAT ACCOMPLISH-MENTS??? YOU JUST A DICK SUCKA, LOOK AT MY ACCOMPLISHMENTS, WENT INTO MY FIRST MMA FIGHT WITH NOTH-ING BUT 3 MONTHS OF MMA TRAINING AND STREET KNOWLEDGE AND TILL THIS DAY STILL UNDEFEATED... I AINT SAYING IM THE BEST IN THE WORLD BUT YOU DAM SHO NUFF WONT COME CLOSE!!!!!!

OH AND WHAT 12 FIGHT-ERS HAVE I DUCKED???? NAME THEM.... YOU STU-PID LAME ASS PUNK, I DONT DUCK NOBODY MENG, I GOT NO FEAR IN MY HEART I BEEN THRU IT ALL, U GOT NO IDEA OF WHO I AM BRAH

Michael: MANNY I'LL FIGHT YOU WHAT DO YOU SAY STREET FIGHT OR PRO MMA YOU PICK?

Dave: Manny, Yosdenis will fight u at 165. Oh shit... Not that again! Lol. Actually u had ur shot, Yosdenis is fighting in CFA Oct 9.

Manny Reyes Jr.: Mancinni, you are Cor-rect when you use the Word Pointless.. Im done here, Big Waste of Time..I have another World Title to get Ready for Nov. 12 vs International Fighters at the Pan Americans.. I posted an Open Challenge to any MMA Fighter who wants a shot at me Stand up..

you can also read about it on Master of Bjj and ex FBBA Karate. I posted an Open Challenge to any MMA Fighter who wants a shot at me Stand up.. you can also read about it on Master of Bjj and ex FBBA Karate Champion Frank Morejon of Mma2theMax.. Its on his Wall.. Again eve-ryone, Hate me all you want and continue to talk about me.. Good or Bad it keeps my Name Hot.. and lets Face it..ive Fought all over the United States, parts of the World, Won Titles, some World Titles.. Ok, I’m best at Stand up and ive been a World Champion multiple times in Karate, Kick Boxing & K1 Rules.. My Photos on Face-book and Videos of most of my Fights on Youtube don’t lie.. My FB Profile Picture kicking that guy in Las Ve-gas in the Face don’t lie..yes, Las Vegas.. Have any of you fought in Ve-gas??? or in Cali? or At-lanta? or in Washington D.C.? or at Madison Square Gardens in New York like I have? Lol! Got to get Ready for Nov.. Im out.. Case Closed.. P.s. I built my Ca-reer on Fighting in all Kinds of Fight Sports "at the High-est Levels"..

Fight Time Promotions’ MMA Kids Self-Esteem Seminar

Howard Davis Jr. 

Children from the City of Fort Lauderdale’s Parks and Recreation “Fit Kidz Club” are in for a treat this Thursday. The children, who are part of the youth sports after-school program, will be getting a one-on-one lesson from former UFC Veteran Din Thomas and 1976 Boxing Olympic Gold Medalist – Howard Davis Jr.

The children will be taking part in the Fight Time Promotions’ MMA Kids Self-Esteem Seminar.

The free Mixed Martial Arts Seminar will be hosted by former nine-time UFC Veteran Din Thomas, who will be fighting on Oct. 7^th at the War Memorial Auditorium in Ft. Lauderdale. He will be teaching children about the importance of fitness, self-esteem and respect.

Nearly 60 Children, who normally participate in an array of exciting programs at their neighborhood park, will take a field trip to the #1 Mixed Martial Arts facility in Florida – American Top Team in Coconut Creek.

Mixed Martial Arts is a sport that combines different disciplines including wrestling, judo, boxing, jiu-jitsu and karate. Davis, known for his Olympic glory is also a well-respected trainer in MMA and has worked top professional fighters including Chuck Liddell. Din Thomas is a former UFC veteran with nine fights under his belt with the organization. The duo will volunteer their time to educate children about the popular sport.

The City of Fort Lauderdale’s, “Fit Kidz Club” was designed to increase the overall health of children by implementing weekly fitness activities and encouraging children to engage in any sport of their choice. Fit Kidz Club encourages children to get out and play, improve fitness and, most importantly, have fun!

Fight Time Promotions is a professional MMA fight company in South Florida that holds MMA PRO events and teaches children about Mixed Martial Arts and how to be a part of it in a safe way.

Date: This Thursday Sept. 29^th, 2011

Location: American Top Team in Coconut Creek

4631 Johnson Road - Suite 1
Coconut Creek, Florida 33073

Time: 2:30pm

Vila Stuns Warren in Opening Round of Bellator Bantamweight Tournament at Bellator 51

West-Dantas, Vila-Galvao Meet In Bantamweight Semifinals

Vila knocks out Warren

By Derek Constable

 For the first time in his Bellator career, Joe Warren not only lost a fight but was finished as former Cuban Olympian Alexis Vila put an exclamation mark on the evening with a 64-second knockout victory over the self-proclaimed “Baddest Man on the Planet” in the main event at Bellator 51 LIVE from the Canton Civic Center on MTV2 and in commercial free HD on EPIX.

“Just spectacular performances by our 135ers,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “These four semi-finalists are some of the best in the world. Vila and Dantas’ knockouts are two of the greatest knockouts I’ve seen all year. This division is stacked and I cannot wait for October 22^nd in Arizona. These semi’s will be magic.”

Vila had his raised high inside the Canton Civic Center after putting Warren to sleep with a fierce left hook after he rocked the featherweight champion with a powerful right hand on the previous exchange. The win sent a statement to the remaining competitors vying for Bellator Bantamweight Champion Zack Makovsky’s title, that Vila isn’t just some Olympic wrestler – he’s a 135-pound knockout artist.

“There’s nobody that can stop me from becoming the next Bellator Bantamweight World Champion,” Vila said. “I feel like the belt is already mine. I just have to beat up a few guys before I get to take it home.”

Those guys he’s referring too are Marcos Galvao, Eduardo Dantas and tournament veteran Ed West, who all walked away with wins at Bellator 51 in Canton.

West outlasted Luis Nogueira who only tried to tie him up in a clinch for most the fight. Once West kept his distance and fought his fight from the outside he was able to pick apart Nogueira with dazzling kicks and a superior jab-cross combination.

Fighting not only to advance to the semis but also looking for a chance at redemption against Warren were Galvao and former WEC veteran Chase Beebe. The first round of this fight was extremely back and forth with both fighters escaping multiple submissions and getting their fair share of punches in, but as the fight progressed Galvao gained the edge on the ground and was able box his way to a victory in the third and final round. Cardio seemed to be a big factor in this fight and Galvao walked away with the win by split decision.

Wilson Reis was eliminated from the tournament once again in his first attempt at 135 pounds, but big things were expected from his opponent, Eduardo Dantas, when he showed up with world champion Jose Aldo and Marlon Sandro in his corner. Dantas earned a knockout as exciting as Vila’s when he capitalized on a kick caught by Reis in the opening round. Reis wouldn’t let go of the leg at first and looked to set up a takedown, but when Dantas took his leg back and Reis began to retreat to get outside his striking distance, Dantas sprinted toward him and laid him out flat with a knockout by flying knee.

Bellator 52 takes will take place at the L’Auberge Du Lac Casino in Lake Charles, LA, on Saturday, October 1. This event is scheduled to kick off the second Bellator Heavyweight World Championship Tournament which includes heavyweights Mike Hayes, Neil Grove, Blagoi Ivanov, Thiago Santos, Abe Wagner, Eric Prindle, Mark Holata and Ron Sparks.

1^st Day of the $25,000 Lightweight Tournament

By Rick

Thursday August 11th, 2011 the premier amateur mixed martial arts company of South Florida Howard Davis Jr’s FIGHT TIME PROMOTIONS held the first fights of the PLAY HARD $25,000 Light Weight Tournament.  This action packed night featured ten cage fights but only the last three belonged to the tournament bracket. The first clash was between Justin Chuven vs. Steven Ade, the second was a contest among Daun King vs. Ricardo Supris, and the wrap up duel of the night was an amazing event between Myles Gilbert vs. Denis Alzugaray.

Chuven attempts a submission

Justin Chuven (1-1) the 5’6” fighter from Omni Combat Fitness vs. Steven Ade a 5’9” debut mma fighter from Club KO was a great match to start off the 155lb tournament. These men came to fight. Three rounds of nonstop action were beheld by all in attendance.  The standup was very hard fought and the kickboxing background that both fighters had was showcased but it was the exhausting pace of the ground game that impressed everyone. In the end it was Chuven’s performance that influenced the judges. Chuven wins via unanimous decision and is one step closer to the $25,000, the new car, and the FIGH T TIME PROMOTIONS pro contract.

The second tournament fight featured Daun King (0-1) 5’9” fighter from 5^th Street Gym vs. Ricardo Supris the 5’10 debut fighter from Club KO. This was hardcore action as stated by Atemi Cast host Tony during the live stream of the event. The bout started with both fighters dropping bombs until Supris took the fight to the mat using a double leg and hunted for submissions until the end of the round.

Round two started with more great boxing from King that forced Supris to take the fight to the ground once again. Here Supris was able to work decent ground and pound even if no shots to the head are allowed.  The bell sounded and round two was in the books.

Supris working the Guard

Round three got going with King using the jab trying to set up a decent offence. Supris on the other hand seemed to be looking for the one shot knock out. King did catch Supris with a right hook that sent Supris after the double leg once more.  The ground brawl continued until Supris got full mount and accidently struck the head of King. The combatants were stood up and it was King that once more caught Supris with a right hook that definitely hurt. Supris acted like a seasoned pro and after getting rocked by King took the conflict to the ground and tied up King until the bell sounded to end the fight.  Danny Mckeever the trainer of Club KO gets Atemi Cast kudos for training Supris on how to limit damage taken and get recovery time when needed.  The Judges rule the fight for Ricardo Supris and another contender moves on in the tournament.

The last fight of the night was an amazingly entertaining dogfight between Myles Gilbert (1-0) 5’7” of Team Popovitch vs. Denis Alzugaray (1-1) 5’6” of American Top Team Kendall.  Alzugaray comes out swinging at the start of round one. Gilbert tried for a takedown but got stuffed by Alzugaray. Gilbert then starts throwing leg kicks to try to soften up Alzugaray and nullify his stand up attack. Gilbert’s leg kicks do the trick and it opens up a beautiful right cross that rocks Alzugaray. Alzugaray starts back pedaling but Gilbert is a finisher and chases Alzugaray down and connects with a four punch combination that finally drops the dazed Alzugaray.  Alzugaray gets a standing eight count but gets back into the fray. Both fighters tie up but Gilbert is able to get off several right hooks as well as an upper cut. Alzugaray weathered the storm and is able to turn the tide and force Gilbert to back track for a few seconds. The round ended with both men dazed and needing the rest before round 2 started.

Local Fan Favorites Lester Caslow and “Binky” Jones meet at Bellator 49 Live from Caesars Atlantic City on September 10

Lester Caslow 

With a limited amount of tickets still remaining to Bellator’s fifth season premier in Atlantic City, the promotion has added two fan favorites to the card as Bellator veteran and New Jersey resident Lester Caslow will take on James “Binky” Jones in a catchweight feature fight at Bellator 49. Tickets for the event can be purchased at the Caesars box office, Bellator.com and Ticketmaster.com.

“To have the ability to put together world-class tournaments and memorable feature fights at the same time is what makes it fun for us,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Lester, being a New Jersey product, will have great fan backing and Binky has always been a crowd favorite and known for putting on exciting fights. This should be a great one.”

Jones, a supervisor at Baltimore’s Youth in Transition School for over 20 years, will be looking to impress Bellator brass with a strong showing. The 20-fight veteran competed at Bellator’s open tryout last year in Philadelphia, but had to cut his time short after suffering a knee injury. Healthy and ready to fight, “Binky” knows this is an opportunity of a lifetime.

“It’s just such an honor to be fighting for Bellator,” said Jones. “This is a tremendous opportunity and I’m looking to make the most of it. Even though I got this fight just a few weeks out, I’ve been training for this opportunity for the last year, and I’m ready to bring it on September 10.”

Training with former UFC lightweight Kurt Pellegrino in New Jersey, Caslow brings an impressive kickboxing background into the cage against Jones. While Caslow has one Bellator fight under his belt, the 27-year-old knows fighting in his home state will be a whole new animal.

“Atlantic City is like my backyard so it will be great to have that hometown crowd behind me,” said Caslow. “It’s an honor to fight for a great organization like Bellator, and I’m just excited for September 10.”

The night will feature a host of local feature fights, as well as four quarterfinal matches to kick off Bellator’s Season 5 Welterweight Tournament. The entire fight card is as follows:

Bellator Season 5 Welterweight Tournament – Quarterfinals (September 10, 2011 – Atlantic City, New Jersey.)

Dan Hornbuckle (22-4) vs. Luis Santos (49-6)

Chris Cisneros (12-3) vs. Ben Saunders (10-3-2)

Chris Lozano (8-1) vs. Brent Weedman (18-6-1)

Steve Carl (14-2) vs. Douglas Lima (18-4)

Local Feature Fights

Alexandre "Popo" Bezerra (9-1) vs. Scott Heckman (8-2)

Joel Roberts (6-3) vs. Brylan Van Artsdalen (6-1)

Lester Caslow (6-5) vs. James “Binky” Jones (10-9)

Giedrius Karavackas (5-1) vs. LeVon Maynard (11-7)

Azunna Anyanwu (3-0) vs. J.A. Dudley (3-7)

Question Everything?

“I Cheat at Aikido”

By Jaredd Wilson

I have a confession to make.  I teach my students how to cheat.  In fact, I tell them “this is my cheat, try it this way.”  I’ve been studying martial arts now for over a decade, and I’ve been teaching aikido classes for just over a year now.  One night lying in bed, it occurred to me, these aren’t cheats.  I’m not importing a special code to get unlimited lives in Contra (and if you laugh at that, you’re as old as I am); I’m accomplishing the task.

Let me start off by giving an example of a “cheat.”  If the attacker performs a straight punch, the defender in aikido may perform a kote gaeshi wrist throw.  This involves using the momentum of the punch to continue the attacker’s motion forward, keeping them off balance as the defender grabs the wrist, and then turns to return the wrist towards the attacker. This results in either a broken wrist, or more likely, the attacker on the ground.  The technique only works well if the attacker is in motion.  If they ever catch their balance or composure enough, they will resist the returning wrist motion.  My cheat is that as I step next to the oncoming attack, I place the back of their elbow against my body, so that as I spin, I put pressure against their elbow forcing them to move more.  It allows me to prevail in some situations where the defense shouldn’t necessarily work.

I don’t ever remember being shown this.  This was something I picked up through experience somewhere in those 10+ years of training.  I’m not saying that this is some new discovery and I’m going to rename the technique.  What I’m thinking is that this was an accidental experience of an okudan, a hidden technique.  For those of you not familiar with Japanese systems, let me give you a little background.  In a traditional martial system, the instructor would demonstrate a technique, and then the students would try to infer, from what they saw, how the technique worked.  Okudan were techniques in Japanese martial arts curriculums that were not written down, nor were they taught to most of the practitioners.  These were reserved for the highest level students, usually only the head of the school and his descendents.  This way the instructor always could make sure he knew just a little more that someone he taught.  Most of you have probably experienced this.  You know that time your sensei threw you and didn’t appear to move.  That was an okudan.  But, like many things in the Japanese language, there is more than one way to define what an okudan is.  Okudan also can be the technique within the technique.  Once you have gotten the gross body movements of a technique down, you can then start to refine said technique.  In kote gaeshi, you can work on timing or the exact way to grab the wrist.  The okudan is a further refining where it becomes more internal and less external.  This is what I am calling my “cheats” – the things I’ve incorporated into my techniques to make them more efficient.

Now that I’m teaching aikido, I’ve started to show my students my cheats.  I’m wondering now if this is a bad idea.  I may be robbing them of their own self-teaching experiences.   Am I reading them the last chapter in the book before they’ve gotten there?  Or am I just conferring as much information as I can to my students?  Because when I say “here’s a cheat I use,” the students react as if they are privy to some special piece of information.  Ultimately, I would hate to think that any student of mine would be the victim of an attack; however, I would hate to think of them as unable to defend themselves because I didn’t teach them everything I knew.   We live in a very information free society.  We’ve completely invested in the idea that information/knowledge is a right and not a privilege.   I agree with this as a general idea.  Nevertheless information and knowledge should be tempered by experience.  If I give all of my own experiences as instruction, my “cheats,” it will never become part of their technique as well as if the students figure it out for themselves.  And isn’t that the goal of an instructor, to make the martial art a part of the student?  I say it is which is why we may want to revisit the idea of okudan in martial arts.

John River talks FIGHT TIME 6 “Pride 7 Glory”

Atemi Cast: Hello Sifu how are you doing?

Rivera: How is the Atemi Cast doing?

Atemi Cast: Creeping along and making it happen.

Rivera: Same here. As you already know I am making my pro debut August 19^th. I am looking forward to it.  I thank Fight Time Promotions for giving me this great opportunity.  Howard Davis and Karla have done a spectacular job in regards to the amateurs and in show casing the up in coming new stars in pro events. They are professional individuals that know how to put a great show on.

Atemi Cast: Yes sir. We agree with that. Absolutely.

Rivera: I am seven week out. I am looking forward to this it is a new level for me.  I have put more time into the gym training.

Atemi Cast: You were doing some cornering last week.

Rivera: Yes I was. I was helping my teammates Christopher Alfonso and Carl “The Doctor: Darbouze.

Atemi Cast: We have seen all of his (Darbouze) kick-boxing matches and now that he has stepped into the cage… He is a scary dude in the cage.

Rivera:  He has taken his fight game to a new level. He trains hard, just like everyone else at American Top Team.  They are very diligent in their training. Win or lose they put their hearts into it. They do the best they can and love to do what they do.

Atemi Cast: How many more amateur fights will Carl do before he makes his step up?

Rivera: You have got to talk to Carl on that one.  You will see some surprising things in the future for him.

Atemi Cast: What are you focusing on in your training now?

Rivera: Everything. It is mixed martial arts. I am trying to be a very well rounded individual. I am trying to do everything as much as possible.

Atemi Cast: Don’t leave out the Kickboxing.

Rivera: I am concentrating on the mma right now. The kickboxing is there. To be a supreme fighter I must concentrate totally and put all my time and energy into that fighting aspect.

Atemi Cast: Is it different now that you’re moving from the amateurs to the pros? Are you looking at it differently?

Rivera: Yes. It is changed me. There will be more eyes on me and I do not want to come across poorly or ignorant. Training is harder but I have always pushed myself to the extreme. I will never stop.

Atemi Cast: Do you have any advice for armatures looking to go pro?

The Kick heard round the world

Rivera: This is what is great about the Florida Boxing commission changing the state rules that an armature must have 5 fights before going pro.  When you are going pro you have to be on time, you have to watch what you say, who you speak to, you have to totally make a true commitment in the fighting art. You can’t do it half way. You have to plan everything.   The pros take a lot; from dieting, dealing with sponsors, dealing with the media, your personal life, you have to be disciplined in mind, body, and spirit. You can’t do it half way. It must be one hundred percent. I have to do it over a hundred percent because of who I am and my personal beliefs. If you are an amateur looking to go pro you must train every single day. Don’t get me wrong you do have to give your body a chance to heal. Push yourself and never give up. Set aside time for yourself and family. Do not let negative emotions ruin your mind set or ruin you as a person.  You’re the one spending hours in the gym training so don’t let anyone hinder your progression.  Keep going forward.  After it is all said and done when you get in the cage and win, then you can look back and say wow look what I have now and for every one negative person you will have millions supporting you and screaming your name.

This has taken me by surprise. I have gotten such great support. Even as an amateur I would walk out with sponsors on my shorts. Even as an amateur I trained and acted like a professional.  You are portraying yourself. You are portraying your business. 

Atemi Cast: How long before this is your only job?

Rivera: I don’t know yet. Whenever anyone thinks mma, they think UFC and big money. That is not the way it is. I am at the bottom the totem pole. I am not leaving my full time job; yet.

Atemi Cast: What are you expecting to face personally on your pro debut August 19^th?

Rivera: Beside nervousness and butterflies in my stomach and chills. A fight is a fight, as simple as that. I will go in and do what I have to do.  I will not take things for granted. I am bringing everything I have in the martial arts. I plan to win.

Atemi Cast: as long as you talk to us after the UFC calls you up to fight Urijah Faber were cool.

Rivera's hand raised at PLAY HARD #1

 John Rivera is looking for sponsors if interested contact him at John “The Musclebot” Rivera fan page facebook, TheMuclebot @gmail,com,  @musclebot at twitter

More Atemi Cast Coverage or John “The MuscleBot” Rivera

PLAY HARD 1 MAIN EVENT John Rivera vs. Oscar Coello

Wfighter interview post Play Hard 1:  Interview with ATT Fighter: John Rivera

The Atemi Cast Interviews John Rivera

John Rivera (ATT Coconut Creek) 7-0 vs M J Holland (Bowon Muay Thai) 6-2

John Rivera vs Fitz Philogene

Undefeated Welterweight David Rickels Joins Bellator Fighting Championships

David Rickels

Bellator Fighting Championships announced today the signing of undefeated welterweight and 2-time Bellator veteran David “The Caveman” Rickels. No stranger to Bellator, Rickels (8-0) compiled a spotless record within Bellator during its fourth season with two submission victories.

The first win came at Bellator 40, as the fast-rising Kansas native took down Strikeforce veteran Dylan Smith with a first round triangle choke. Rickels was back with Bellator in short order, as “The Caveman” had a Bellator 43 date with Rich Bouphanouvong. Always looking for the submission victory, Rickels once again ended the fight with a triangle choke, submitting Bouphanouvong early in the second round.

“Bellator is the place I want to be,” said Rickels. “This is a place I can make a career for myself. You look at Bellator and they have top ten welterweights like Jay Hieron and Ben Askren, it’s a dream to be fighting alongside those guys.”

While no official plans have been made for Rickels in an upcoming tournament, Rickels should be back in the Bellator cage in short order.

“David made a strong impression on us during our fourth season, and we’re happy to have him joining Bellator full time,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney.

Top Brazilian Lightweight Ricardo Tirloni Signs With Bellator Fighting Championships

Ricardo Tirloni 

Bellator Fighting Championships confirmed the signing of top Brazilian lightweight prospect Ricardo Tirloni. Tirloni joins a lightweight division that already features the likes of Season 4 Lightweight Tournament winner Michael Chandler, Patricky Pitbull, Rene Nazare, Marcin Held and Bellator Lightweight World Champion Eddie Alvarez.

Tirloni joins Bellator after compiling an impressive 13-1 record, with notable wins coming over UFC veteran Brian Cobb and WEC veteran Anthony Morrison. Out of his thirteen professional victories, Tirloni has picked up eleven finishes, with six submissions and five knockouts to his credit.

A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt with knockout power, Tirloni currently trains alongside Bellator featherweight Nazareno Malegarie under the watchful eye of UFC veteran Thiago Tavares at Team Ataque Duplo in Brazil. Tirloni comes to Bellator currently riding an impressive 10-fight win streak.

Armed with an impressive grappling game that compliments his powerful strikes, Tirloni will only add to an already loaded lightweight class.

“Our objective is to sign the most talented fighters possible from every corner of the globe and Ricardo Tirloni certainly fits that bill,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Our lightweight division is turning into one of our deepest weight classes, and Ricardo should have great impact on that already stacked division.”

MMA PRO Action in Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Fight Time 6 - Pride & Glory - LIVE MMA PRO Action presented by Howard Davis Jr.'s Fight Time Promotions

Howard Davis Jr.’s Fight Time Promotions is back for another MMA PRO fight showcase – Fight Time 6 – which takes place on Friday, August 19th, 2011 at the War Memorial Auditorium in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

Fight Time 6 – Pride and Glory – will feature Mike Bernard as the main event. The mixed martial arts veteran will make his first appearance as a member of American Top Team.

“We’re proud to have Mike on the show,” said Howard Davis Jr. CEO of Fight Time Promotions. “He’s a strong fighter and we’re excited to have him as our main event.”

Bernhard (9-2) is coming off a 10-month layoff and will face Justin Guthrie (11-4) at 185lbs. The hard-punching Bernhard says he’s excited to fight in front of his hometown of South Florida for Fight Time Promotions. He’s been training at American Top Team in Miramar, Florida with a new team and will now wear the ATT logo as he steps into the cage with the red, white and blue.

The MMA PRO Card will also feature a Fight Time Promotions’ mainstay – Mike Bruno of American Top Team Coconut Creek in the Lightweight Division as the Co-Main Event. This will be Bruno’s 4th straight fight with Fight Time Promotions and he’s also going for another victory.

The competitive undercard features two hungry Heavyweights: Cedric “Killa Gorilla” James against Chris “Big Boy” Jensen. James’ last fight took place in 2010 when he lost against street fighter Da Da 5000. The 6’1 Jensen has trained at Gracie Tampa and now hails out of his own gym in the Florida West Coast.

The undercard is packed with popular American Top Team fighters including: J.P. Reese, Oscar Delgado, Giovanni Brugnoni, John Rivera, Sam McCoy and Gleadson DeJesus.

Other fighters on the Fight Time Promotions’ card hail from Team Popovitch, LL Boxing, Panhandle Combat and Gracie Barra South Jacksonville.

Fight Time Promotions is the exclusive fight promoter at the City of Ft. Lauderdale’s historic War Memorial Auditorium, 800 NE 8 St. Fight Time Promotions is celebrating its 1st year anniversary during its August 19th, 2011 PRO MMA fight showcase.

Howard Davis Jr.’s Fight Time Promotions is also the leader in amateur MMA with its Amateur Division at various locations in Miami Dade, Broward and Palm Beach County.

Fight Time Promotions is also launching its 2012 Fight Season. Season tickets are available now for 2012 at a discount.

Fight Time Promotions holds 5 PRO MMA fights a year at the War Memorial Auditorium in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

Fight Time 6 – Pride and Glory – August 19th, 2011 at the War Memorial Auditorium in Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Tickets: www.fighttimepromotions.com
Save $5 per ticket Promo Code: FIGHT6
VIP Tables: 786-543-1177
War Memorial Box Office 800 NE 8 St. Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Hard Rock in Ft. Lauderdale hosts Explosive Bellator Season 5 Middleweight Tournament September 17

Reigning Bellator Middleweight World Champion Hector “Lightning” Lombard will have a close eye on Bellator’s fifth season, as the promotion will hold an eight man middleweight tournament to find the challenger for the current title holder. Heavy-handed Judo black belt Bryan “The Beast” Baker enters the tournament fresh of his impressive knockout of Joe “Diesel” Riggs at Bellator 43, while the always dangerous Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko looks to build off his striking clinic victory over Brett Cooper at Bellator 44. Bellator veterans Jared Hess and Sam Alvey will also be in the tournament, while newcomers Vitor Vianna, Zelg Galesic, Brian Rogers and Victor O’Donnell look to impress Bellator brass for the first time.

Bryan Baker

“Our 185 pound division is filled with an awe-inspiring group of fighters who have great talent,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Baker's story of battling back from leukemia is inspiring and Hess’s come back after a devastating knee injury is an incredible story. Vianna is one of the most talked about prospects in the middleweight division, Shlemenko’s one of the divisions most explosive strikers and Alvey showed tremendous heart at Bellator 45. Rogers and O’Donell should be an incredibly exciting fight, then you add Zelg, one of Europe’s top Middleweight strikers to the list and this should be a hugely entertaining tournament.”

The action gets started on September 17^th LIVE on MTV2 from The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Bellator Season 2 Middleweight Tournament Finalist Bryan Baker will take on Bellator Season 1 Middleweight Tournament Finalist Jared Hess, who is coming off a first round submission victory at Bellator 42 following almost a year away from the sport due to a horrific knee injury suffered at Bellator 20.

Alexander Shlemenko

Alexander Shlemenko will bring his knockout power to the cage to take on hard-hitting PRIDE/DREAM veteran Zelg “Little Cro Cop” Galesic in quarterfinal action. Galesic has registered an impressive eight knockouts in his ten victories and has never gone the distance as a professional, so a stand up war should be in order at Bellator 50.

Previously one of the top unsigned middleweights in the world, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Champion and Head Jiu-Jitsu Instructor at Wand Fight Team Vitor Vianna enters Bellator ready to show the fight world what he is truly capable of, and will have that opportunity against Bellator 45 winner Sam Alvey, fresh off his impressive victory of Karl “Psycho” Amoussou.

“I know I can win the next Bellator Middleweight Tournament, and I'm going to win the next Bellator Middleweight Tournament. It’s time to just go out and do it,” said Vianna.

Ohio natives square off when Brian “The Predator” Rogers brings his knockout power to the Bellator cage as he meets submission specialist Victor O’Donnell in an intriguing quarterfinal fight. Rogers is currently riding a six fight win streak that includes first round knockouts in every victory.

The Season 5 Middleweight Tournament in full is listed below:

Bryan Baker vs. Jared Hess

Alexander Shlemenko vs. Zelg Galesic

Vitor Vianna vs. Sam Alvey

Brian Rogers vs. Victor O’Donnell

CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHTING ALLIANCE 2

Escudero vs Rio

After the debut of CFA on May 6, 2011 expectations were high for Championship Fighting Alliance’s next event CFA2 July 23, 2011. Jorge de la Noval and Dr. Lazaro Fernandez the owners of the company did not disappoint.  The two respected businessmen put together one hell of a show that featured twelve professional mixed martial arts fights. Four of those fights started off the CFA one hundred fifty five pound tournament. The co main event featured home town hero the undefeated Mike Rio vs. The Ultimate Fighter veteran Efrain Escudero and the main event was a heavy weight match featuring the newly released UFC veteran Sean McCorkle vs six foot five, two hundred and sixty five pound Cameron Befort.

The night started off gangbusters with Gabriel “Stunna” Varona (1-1) vs. Cesar Serje (1-1). This fight was over fast with referee stoppage from strikes in the first few seconds of round one. This was a TKO win for Varona.

Altercation number two was a one hundred and eighty five pound battle between Joseph Watson (3-1) and Leo Valdivia (1-1).  This one goes the distance with Watson winning via a split decision.

 Bout three featured Lazar “The Pitbull” Stojadinovic (6-5) from American Top Team vs. friend of the Atemi Cast and Bellator veteran Tulio Quintanilla (4-2) fighting out of Freestyle Fighting Academy.  This was everything you would come to expect from an FFA vs ATT clash. Great hard fought stand up action and a chess games on the ground. This was another contest that went all the way. The Judges rule a unanimous decision for Stojadinovic.

Quintanilla with an inside leg kick Photo by Jennifer Grey

Conflict number four featured Strikeforce veteran Pablo Alfonso (5-3) vs. Chino Duran (5-5) who was coming off a very entertaining TKO win over Jason Jimenez at Fight Time 5 – Total Destruction.  This was the third confrontation of the night to go the distance and ended in a unanimous decision for Chino Duran. This was also the first contest that Chino Duran had that went all the way.

The fifth duel of the night was Francisco France (7-1) vs. Danny Babcock (7-4).  This engagement was pretty much one sided. Round one was all Babcock teeing off one on France’s face. How France did not get a standing eight count is a mystery. When the round ended France had no idea where his corner was. Talk about being saved by the bell. During the Atemi Cast live blogging of the CFA2 event on FaceBook, Twitter, and Goggle+ I stated that there was no way France was going to make it out of round two. My prediction came true at the three minute thirty four second mark when Babcock finally knocked out France.

Free for all number six included another friend of The Atemi Cast Ailton Barbosa (7-2) fighting for ATT. Barbosa  had just recently won a spot on the Bellator roster after participating in the Bellator open tryouts at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Barbosa’s opponent was Anderson Melo who was having his debut match.

Round one started with Barbosa showing that he has been working hard on his stand up. When Melo started to worry about Barbosa’s hands, Barbosa took him to the mat and worked his Brazilian Jujitusu.  It was in round two that showed the true skill of Barbosa. Melo had taken Barbosa down and was in Barbosa’s guard when out of nowhere TKO management fighter Barbosa preformed a masterful transition into a triangle choke. It was a thing of beauty to see. The choke was deep and there was no escape for Melo. Barbosa won in three minutes and three seconds into round two.

Melee number seven pitted Jerrid Burke (2-0) vs. Patrick Cenoble (6-0). This was the first match in the CFA one hundred and fifty five pound tournament.  Thirty nine seconds into round one and Cenoble drops Burke. The referee steps in and stops the round. What a great way for Cenoble to start the tournament.

Tournament rumble number two and scrap of the night number eight featured Trent McCown (3-0) vs. Zachary Juusola (8-0).  The tournament fights continue with another quick win this time for McCown who catches Juusola in a Guillotine and chokes him out in thirty seven seconds of round one.

The first match for the semi finals is now set. Trent McCown (4-0) will meet Patrick Cenoble (7-0) Saturday, October first. I wonder if this war will get out of the first round.

Tournament fight number three and fight of the night number nine was between Christopher Garcia (2-0) vs. Rock Georges (1-0). The speedy results of the hundred and fifty five tournament continue with another round one victory this time going to Garcia with an armbar submission.

The last tournament fight and the tenth fight of the evening was Yosilandy Izuierdo (3-0) vs. Jayson Jones (2-2).  This battle went the distance with Jones struggling with the reach of Izuierdo.  All the judges ruled it a 30-27 bout for a unanimous decision for Izuierdo.

The second semi final match of the one hundred and fifity five pound CFA tournament is now set. Yosilandy Izuierdo vs. Chris Garcia will meet Saturday, October first.

The Co-main event was next. Ultimate Fighter veteran Efrain Escudero (13-3) faced undefeated South Florida hero Mike Rio (6-0). This was an amazing brawl. During round one Rio had gotten caught in a guillotine choke and after what seemed like a lifetime was able to work his way out of it. After his escape and while backing away Rio got caught with a perfectly time up kick. Round one ends with both fighters standing.

Round two was almost a carbon copy of round one. Once again Rio gets caught in a guillotine and again he escapes. This round ends with both fighters standing against the cage swinging for the fences.

Round three and the pace has slowed noticeably. Escudero is content to keep Rio pressed against the cage. Rio drops to try a single leg and gets a knee to the face. Rio’s nose is instantly broken.  The bell rings and the fight goes to the judges. This was a great contest. Escudero wins the unanimous decision.

The crowd was stunned. There is no doubt that Efrain Escudero won but the fans of South Florida mixed martial arts and Mike Rio had gotten used to seeing Rio dominate.  The amazing thing was after Escudero’s post fight interview the crowd showed their love for Rio by chanting his name over and over. It was a wonderful moment in Florida MMA.

The main event was UFC veteran Sean McCorkle (10-2) vs. Cameron Befort (4-3).  I do not want to say this fight was a disappointment but after the emotion filled exchange from Escudero and Rio this was just fast. McCorkle totally out classed the out of shape Befort. McCorkle took Befort down and got the submission by kimura in one minute and twelve seconds into round one. It really felt a lot quicker.

Championship Fighting Alliance 2 was a great pro mix martial art event. The twelve fights were extremely entertaining.  The stand out contests belonged to Lazar Stojadinovic vs. Tulio Quintanilla, Ailton Barbosa vs. Anderson Melo, and Efrain Escudero vs. Mike Rio. Anytime these men are on a fight card it is an event worth seeing.  CFA is quickly becoming an international company. So if you want to see world class MMA with a South Florida feel free to check them out on October first because once they start to tour who knows when they will be back in our neck of the woods.