The first fight I ever watched converted me into a follower.

I never watched any type of Mixed Martial Arts match from start to finish. Fighting just wasn’t something I had considered to be entertaining. I’d linger when I channel surfed, but all it was to me at the time was a bunch of scary-looking guys beating each other up; it was something I never really saw myself getting into, despite being a sports nut.

But after watching overly dramatic commercials on the rematch between Mike Brown  and Urijah Faber being the fight of the year, I just had to see what all the fuss was about. And boy, did I find out.

After five rounds of action-packed punches, elbows and kicks, Brown defeated “California Kid” Faber by unanimous decision.

The upset of last year’s World Extreme Cagefighting Championship by Brown over Faber was unexpected and led Faber to say he was “eager to get some redemption,” as said to the WEC.

The rematch of this fight took place Sun., June 7, at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, Calif. and was much anticipated. The fights leading up to the main event were nearly as exciting. Notably, one match lasted only eight seconds, with Jose Aldo knocking out Cub Swanson with a flying knee.

The match took place in Faber’s hometown, and when he walked into the arena the crowd erupted with cheers. Several times throughout the fight, chants of “Faber, Faber!” could be heard. Despite this, Brown came away from the fight victorious.

“I heard the boo’s coming in and I actually – I almost like it,” Brown said in an interview with WEC.tv. “When I’m the hometown guy, when people cheer for me, I almost am nervous, like ‘Oh no, I don’t want to let these guys down.’ But when I’m booed it makes me want to fight.”

Faber arguably took Round 1, while Brown dominated the rest of the fight, and won by unanimous decision after five hard-fought rounds, once again making him the WEC Featherweight Champion.

After breaking his hand early on in the fight, Faber did a good job of hiding it from the viewers and from his opponent for several rounds, eventually throwing more elbows instead of punches.

About halfway into the fight, Versus announcers called the fight “a classic in the making,” giving credit to Brown and Faber as both being talented and persevering athletes in the MMA world. Wec.tv called the fight “epic” and “one of the most memorable bouts of the year.” Philly.com called it one of the “biggest events in the history of the WEC.”

This sport got to me for several reasons. It showed strong emotions, determination, mental and physical toughness and extreme athleticism. It had me yelling at the television, screaming “Hit him!” and wondering how in the world the fighters got out of some of those holds (the guillotine and triangle chokes are insane!).

When the fighters teared up after losing or winning, I felt for them. Despite being an individual sport, it was still all about teamwork and supporting all the trainers that helped them get to the fight.

I admire their toughness even when injured. You can’t name too many professional athletes that would continue to play despite breaking a hand.

So, I think I learned my lesson: Don’t judge a sport ‘til you watch it!

MMA Mania

Summer is always a good time to get out of your air-conditioned house and try something new and different from your usual workout routine.  For many, summer also gives more freedom in a relaxed atmosphere and time to step out of comfort zones; power-walking and tennis at the country club get old after awhile.  If you’re really feeling adventurous, try one of the fast-growing popular new sports in America, Mixed Martial Arts.

With the many various forms of MMA fighting, one may get overwhelmed with deciding which route to try out.  (And, if you’re in the middle of nowhere in Central Pennsylvania, believe that you have no shot of finding classes near you.)

No-Gi Grappling:  Unless you’re familiar with the MMA world, you may have never heard of this type of submission technique.  However, it is quickly becoming popular and is used frequently in MMA fights- there are even nutritional supplements intended for performing No-Gi Grappling.  With odd-sounding names of techniques from Rear Naked Arm Crush to Japanese Necktie, one is sure to find a technique that is best for their style of fighting.

According to No-Gi-Grappling.com, fighters have described the Japanese Necktie as “the quickest tap I ever got.”  What makes this technique so hard to get out of are several things.  It’s an extremely tight hold, made by trapping the leg of the opponent and then pushing his chest on the back of the opponent’s neck and squeezing, leaving fighters no other choice but to “tap out.” 

No-Gi Grappling is a program based off of Combat Submission Wrestling, which was founded by Erik Paulson.  Back in the 1990s, the Gracie family was the first to show the effectiveness of grappling in UFC events and it evolved from there.

No-Gi Grappling is similar to grappling, which involves controlling and handling an opponent through various types of holds, instead of striking.  It includes choke holds and ground fighting, as well as standing.  These holds involve throwing, locking and pinning one’s opponent.  In ground fighting, escapes are also used.  Grappling sports include jiu-jitsu, judo, mixed martial arts and wrestling.

Both types focus on taking down the opponent, but the ways they aim to accomplish this are different.  To learn more about these differences, click here.

If you’re located in Central Pennsylvania, Titan Fitness in downtown State College offers classes teaching No-Gi Grappling.  Click HERE for more information.

According to their website at titanfitness.com, No-Gi Grappling classes generally teach an athlete “to compete in submission grappling tournaments. It also has a strong influence on the importance of striking on the ground for both self-defense purposes and MMA competitive fighting.”

Even if you’re not training seven days a week to win an MMA Championship, practicing No-Gi Grappling, or any type of MMA training for that matter, is good both for fitness and self-defense purposes.  Don’t worry, those sore muscles are to be expected!

Thanks to No-Gi-Grappling.com

Asylum Fight League, an amateur mixed martial arts circuit based in New Jersey, will be heading to the Raritan Expo Center (directions) on June 6th for Championship Series 2.  This will be Asylum’s second show to include a mix of combat sports, including wrestling, grappling, and MMA.  The schedule is as follows:

Wrestling – 9:30 AM

Grappling – 11:00 AM

MMA Fights – 8:00 PM

Event tickets can be purchased here.

Not familiar with Asylum Fight League?  Check out current Asylum Lightweight Champion Jose Villanueva from Tiger Schulmann MMA take on Donald Koch at Asylum’s “Battle at Fort Dix” event held on February 21, 2009.

hard knocks cage fights

 Mike Putnam, trained by MMA Coach, Bruce Lombard, of Titan Fitness in State College, PA won his amateur MMA debuwith a split decision victory(29-28,28-29,29-28) over previously unbeaten Ohio native Josh Baker, in the 145lb weight division.  The two strong willed fighters went back and forth for three rounds with no clear advantage for either fighter standing or on the ground.  In the first round Putnam almost got caught in a choke in Josh’s guard, but he cleared the submission attempt and threw down some effective ground and pound as he cleared Baker’s guard.  Baker landed a few heavy punches to the head of his opponent in the second round, but they did not seem to phase Putnam’s attack.  The third round was a back and forth battle as well, but in the end, I think the judges decision came down to Putnam’s control in the clinch game.  Mike controlled his tough opponent in the clinch throughout the first two rounds keeping him pinned against the cage and landing many effective knees. 

This event was promoted by ‘Hard Knocks Cage Fights’ and was held in St. Clairsville, OH.  The  event arena was sold out as over 2,500 MMA fans enjoyed 15 cage fights.

For more information go to:  www.hardknockscagefights.com

Overview -This DVD set features former 2-time light heavyweight Shooto World Champion and now world renown MMA coach, Erik Paulson.  Also featured is Greg Nelson, veteran MMA coach and trainer for UFC Heavyweight World Champion, Brock Lesner, and former UFC Lightweight World Champion, Sean Sherk.  Erik Paulson and Greg Nelson share and demonstrate tons of  standing to ground the material. Valuable training tips, techniques, and drills are presented throughout this series.   

Review -  This video is over four hours of MMA techniques and drills.  Erik Paulson and Greg Nelson are two of the most recognized MMA coaches in the world and train some of the best fighters in the world for a reason. This video covers everything a student and fighter of any level would want in an MMA instructional video.  Paulson and Nelson demonstrate multiple techniques and tips in all areas including: boxing, kickboxing, submissions, ground and pound, clinching, strength training, wrestling, and much much more. 

Rating – (5 out of 5)  In my opinion, CSW 2008 Camp DVD is one of the best Mixed Martial Arts instructional videos available today.  This is one of those videos that you will have to watch numerous times just to gather all the information.  It is worth every penny! Have a notebook ready!!

How to Order - Visit www.erikpaulson.com for purchasing information

Review By: Bruce Lombard, Certified Combat Submission Wrestling Coach. Titan Fitness, State College, PA