UFC 161: Dana White Post-Fight Media Scrum

Copied from http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/

Following UFC 161, president Dana White conducted his tradition post fight media scrum, as always offering compelling answers to wide variety of topics, including Roy Nelson.

Saturday was the final fight on Roy Nelson's contract, and he declined to resign a new contract before the fight, feeling that with a win and a four fight win streak, his stock would be considerably higher.

However, the reason you have the fight in mixed martial arts is you don't know what is going to happen. Sat Nelson lost convincingly to Stipe Miocic, who was himself coming off a loss.

While the loss will doubtless not help Nelson in the contract negotiation, White said he remains interested.

"I want Roy Nelson in the UFC," said White. "We never said we didn't want Roy Nelson in the UFC. If I didn't want Roy Nelson in the UFC, I'd tell ya - he'd know it, everybody'd know it. You know?

"Roy and I don't have to see eye to eye and be best friends for him to fight here. We don't have to do that.

"It doesn't have to do with Roy's shape, his physique, or anything like that. I've said it before. Roy came to me one time and said I'm having a hard time getting sponsors.

"I said 'Well that's weird. I can't understand why you would have a hard time getting sponsors. How about you cut your hair, lose some weight, get rid of the walk in song I'm Fat? And take yourself seriously - you're a tough guy, you've got a lot of talent. You're a very well-rounded fighter.

"He said 'OK.'

"I saw him at the next press conference, his mullett was longer, he grew a beard down to here, and he was maybe six pounds less than the last time I had seen him.

"I said 'It is good to see you took my advice.'

"Don't complain to me - who wants to put their logo on that? Nobody. Nobody wants to put their logo on that."

At that point a media member suggested Burger King.

"Burger King," replied White. "Well, that's what he thought. You ever watch a Burger King commercial? It's all handsome guys, skinny, and pretty girls. You think Burger King wants people to think that that is what you look like if you eat at Burger King? That's the last thing Burger King wants - 'If you eat Burger King you'll look like F@$%ing this guy with the mullet and the gut."

"Not even Burger King wants that stamp."

Ariel Helwani then asked about a remark White had made earlier in the evening.

"You said to him 'Let's go in a room and do it.' Do you want to go make a deal right now tonight?"

White explained that something had come up that required his discretion.

"No," said White. "There's... he's said he doesn't want to talk about it publicly. So... we won't talk about it publicly. It's not about making a deal.

Helwani then asked if Nelson had an offer?

"Yah, he had an offer," replied White. "A month ago, a month an a half ago."

Helwani pressed further, asking what White meant when he said "Let's go in a room."

White replied a little mysteriously.

"Because somebody is not telling the truth about something," said White. "And he said 'what we need is to...' and I said 'f@$%ing do it right now. Go get everybody in a room RIGHT NOW and we'll see who is telling the truth and who's not."

Helwani continued, asking what it regarded.

"He doesn't want to talk about it publically," replied White. "So I already talked about it too much. I already said too much, so..."

White was then asked what he thought about Nelson refusing the profered contract.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again," said White. "He's got a hell of a chin, and can knock people out, and he ain't going to be winning any f@$%king spelling bees any time soon. Okay? Not the smartest man you will ever meet."

"There's a lot of reasons why I respect Roy Nelson. Roy Nelson rolled the dice tonight, you know? He had a high stakes poker game tonight, and he lost."

"It's not like we're saying 'we don't want Roy Nelson, we hate him here.' We're trying to come to a deal with Roy Nelson. "

White was then asked about Nelson's reference to Daniel Cormier as an "Uncle Tom." White offered mild support for Nelson over the issue, but added "I will say it again, he is not the brightest f@$%ing guy you will ever meet. He's not going to be winning any Nobel Peace Prizes, he's not going to find the cure for f@$%ing cancer, he's not going to win any spelling bees, he's ...

"But if you ask him, he'll tell you he's the smartest guy in the world. He's just not."

White then related an experience from the past where Nelson approach UFC VP for Talent Relations Joe Silva and said his TUF contract was not lucrative enough. Silva offered him a new contract, with a higher pay scale, but as explained by White, it was not enough, so Nelson refused it, and stayed with his original and lower contract.

White was then pushed about Nelson's low pay (he got $24,000 to show, $24,000 win his previous time out).

"Yah," agreed White. "Because he wanted to say on the Ultimate Fighter contract, instead of taking the new deal that was offered to him. It's more money."

White was then asked if Roy was perhaps just stubborn?

"Yah," said White. "That's why he can't be knocked out. That's what I told his wife tonight... He's so thick headed you couldn't knock him out with a f@$%ing truck, you know?"

Helwani then said if you consider for example Nelson's Twitter followers, there are people that relate to Nelson and how he looks.

"People don't relate him in the way that he looks," replied White. "If people related to him in the way that he looks, there'd be sponsors f@$%ing stuck all over him. You're wrong there. What people related to is he's knocked 12 people out in a row. People tune in and watch this guy who looks like he could barely walk up the stairs to the Octagon, and he goes in there an knocks out these guys, like Cheick Kongo, this physical specimen. He hits them in the neck and knocks them out. That's why people like Roy Nelson. And people like Roy Nelson because he is this renegade guy.

White was then asked about Stipe Miocic's performance.

"Roy was talking about a title shot and they'll never give me one," said White. "But you get a guy who can use his hands, and footwork, he'll pick Roy Nelson apart every day, if he doesn't land that bomb on him. Or if he doesn't get that double leg and get him on the ground and smother him for all three rounds.

"That's my frustration with Roy Nelson. If he took himself seriously, if he lost some of the weight, and really trained, imagine what that guy would be able to do. Look at the things that he does now, in the shape that he's in and the things that he does now. He is his worst enemy. Everybody wants to talk about how popular he is... he ain't so f@$%king popular that he's making Georges St-Pierre money, or Anderson Silva money, or Cain Velasquez money or Junior dos Santos money. The guys that are the top of the division, you know? When you're the best you make a $#!*load of money. When you're mediocre, you make mediocre money."

For his part, at the UFC 161 post fight press conference, Nelson expressed the desire to stay in the UFC.

“I want to get past this loss and fight,” said Nelson. “If Dana and Lorenzo want me to be in the UFC then hey, I’ll be knocking on Cain Velasquez’s door or whoever the champ is when I’m knocking on it.”

Here's the 33 minutes long video clip:

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UFC 161 - Roy Nelson X Stipe Miocic Rds 2-3

This is the 3rd set of animated GIF's I made from UFC 161 - Roy Nelson vs Stipe Miocic's fight - Rounds 2 and 3. Both rounds Roy Nelson was noticeably fatigued. Miocic was landing his strikes as you will see below.

Everyone wonders what if Roy Nelson lost some weight? How much would that help his game? His past 3 fights he was able to win, but as we see in this fight, he may have to reanalyze his game/shape.

Round 2 - Slowmo Highlights

Round 3 - Highlights

During the Post Fight Media Scrum on Roy "Big Country" Nelson:

"Look at the things that Roy Nelson does now, in the shape that he's in and the things that he does now," said Dana White. "He is his worst enemy."

Congratulations to Stipe Miocic on his dominating win!

Please check the next entry for Dana White's UFC 161 Post Fight Media Scrum.

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UFC 161 - Roy Nelson X Stipe Miocic Rd 1 - part 2

Continuing my animated GIF's of Round 1 of the fight between Roy Nelson and Stipe Miocic from UFC 161.


With about a minute left, Stipe Miocic caught Roy Nelson and tried to finish Roy.

Here are the slowmo highlights of Round 1:

Please check my next entry for GIF's of Rounds 2-3.

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UFC 161 - Roy Nelson X Stipe Miocic Rd 1 - part 1

This is the first set of animated GIF's from Round 1 of this past Saturday's UFC 161: Roy Nelson vs. Stipe Miocic.

Round 1 - Roy Nelson's Feint Double-Leg Takedown to Overhand Right

Round 1 - Exchanging low kicks (with no set-up)

Round 1 - Roy Nelson's famed Overhand Right (throughout the fight, he missed)

Like the above GIF, but this has the Overhand Right in slowmo.

Please check my next entry for the second set of animated GIF's from Round 1 of UFC 161:  Roy Nelson vs Stipe Miocic.

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Bruce Lee's early Seattle years by James W. DeMile

About 2 weeks ago, I saw a posting by James W. DeMile on Facebook. He was looking to raise funds to make a movie/documentary about Bruce Lee's early Seattle years via Kickstarter. I neglected to post earlier to my site here and today I found out it's canceled. *UGH*



http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1462488503/bruce-lees-early-seattle-years


Here's a vidclip with DeMile sifu doing the voiceover... footage of Bruce Lee training!

Watching the video on the Kickstarter page (which I've embedded below) it seems the project may have been canceled on Kickstarter only but the project lives on via http://demileleefilmproject.com/





If every Bruce Lee fan pledged $5, this movie would see the light of day! Hurry, time is running out!! I'm pledging today!!!

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Jet Li's My Father is a Hero Animated GIF Set 2

Earlier, I posted my first animated GIF set from the movie "My Father is a Hero" starring Jet Li in recognition of Father's Day.


Here are 4 more animated GIF's I made from that movie:

How does a son show his father love for Father's Day? He willingly becomes a human yo-yo! LOL


Hope you enjoyed these animated GIF's as much as I enjoyed creating them! Also, I hope of my readers who are fathers, you had an awesome Daddy's Day!

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Jet Li's My Father is a Hero Animated GIF Set 1

Since today is Father's Day, it seemed appropriate to make some animated GIF's from Jet Li's My Father is a Hero :)


Here are the first 4 GIF's from Set 1:

Another 4 in GIF Set 2 in my next entry. 

Enjoy!

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Happy Father's Day 2013!

Photo credit:  pimp-my-profile.com

I wanted to wish my readers who are dads a Happy Father's Day!!

May your loved ones treat you like the King that you are!!

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NEWS: Vladimir Putin's Man Crush on Steven Seagal

Steven Seagal & Russian President Vladimir Putin / Photo credit: www.3news.co.nz

What is it about Steven Seagal that has 'celebrities' flocking to him? A while back MMA fighters Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida and now Russian President Vladimir Putin? This story came across my News feeds:

(BSW) Vladimir Putin's Man Crush on Steven Seagal
 
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
 
Vladimir Putin's Man Crush on Steven Seagal
2013-06-14 00:21:37.813 GMT
 
 
The action star has a new career as the Russian leader's friend
 
By Claire Suddath

     June 14 (Bloomberg BusinessWeek) -- When six members of
Congress went on a fact-finding trip to Russia in May to learn
more about the brothers accused of the Boston Marathon bombings,
they sought the help of a close friend of Russian President
Vladimir Putin: Steven Seagal. The aging star of bone-snapping
action films such as Hard to Kill and Under Siege took the
lawmakers around and arranged meetings with Russian security
officials. “Seagal opened some doors,” Representative Dana
Rohrabacher, the California Republican who led the delegation,
said on CNN. “We got to meet top people.”

     Wait—Steven Seagal? As it turns out, Seagal and Putin pal
around quite a bit. The actor has dined with the Russian leader,
gone with him to sporting events, and attended state functions.
The two “have long been friends and regularly meet each other,”
Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Russian Itar-Tass News
Agency in March. More recently, Seagal has cultivated a side gig
as an informal go-between for Moscow and Washington. The
state-owned RIA Novosti news service reported Deputy Prime
Minister Dmitry Rogozin asked Seagal to press lawmakers on
Capitol Hill to remove barriers to the sale of Russian-made guns
in the U.S. “Bizarre is the word that comes to mind,” Clifford
Gaddy, an economist at the Brookings Institution who focuses on
Russia, said in an e-mail.

     In Russia, C-list action stars are adored without irony, and
Putin and Seagal seem to have bonded over, among other tough-guy
traits, a shared affinity for martial arts. Putin is skilled in
judo—a fact he shows off in a 2008 DVD, Let’s Learn Judo With
Vladimir Putin —and has invited Seagal, a former aikido
instructor, to attend martial arts matches and the opening of a
school that teaches Sambo, a form of fighting developed by the
Red Army in the 1920s. The action star smiled and waved and made
Putin look cool by association.

     For Putin, using celebrities “has been a primary part of his
politics,” says Nina Khrushcheva, who teaches international
affairs at the New School in New York. “It’s partly a Soviet-era
practice,” she adds, noting that Joseph Stalin befriended famous
Western intellectuals. H.G. Wells spent time with Stalin,
reporting later that he found the brutal dictator “candid, fair,
and honest.” George Bernard Shaw and Lady Astor visited Moscow in
1931, enjoying a lavish dinner with the leader amid a
state-imposed famine. Shaw said he only saw “hopeful and
enthusiastic” citizens. Lady Astor was not as compliant. “How
long will you go on killing people?” she asked Stalin, according
to David Remnick’s book Lenin’s Tomb . “As long as necessary,”
Stalin replied.

     Cozying up to authoritarian leaders can be a tricky business
for celebrities, some of whom don’t seem to bother to do a quick
Google search before saying yes to an invitation. In 2011, Hilary
Swank apologized on The Tonight Show for attending the birthday
party of Chechnya’s leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, a Putin ally who’s
been accused by human-rights groups of kidnapping, torture, and
murder in his efforts to suppress Chechen separatists and Islamic
insurgents. Kadyrov denies the claims. Swank promised to give
away the six-figure fee she reportedly was paid to attend the
event. On the other hand, French actor Gérard Depardieu, another
friend of Putin’s, did not apologize for shouting “Glory to
Kadyrov!” at the next year’s birthday bash. In January, Depardieu
officially moved to Russia to avoid paying French taxes; Putin
greeted him with bear hugs. The actor was given a Russian
passport, an apartment, and two kittens. He’s since fallen in
line with Putin’s politics, denouncing the Russian feminist punk
band Pussy Riot and continuing to praise Kadyrov.

     Seagal has also defended Kadyrov. In May he traveled to
Chechnya to meet with the strongman and offered to arrange an
introduction for the members of Congress. They declined. Seagal
didn’t respond to interview requests, so it’s unclear what he
sees in Kadyrov. “All these accusations are thrown around” about
the Chechen leader, Seagal told reporters at a news conference
during the congressional trip. “Is there any evidence? Has he
been indicted?”
 
-0- Jun/14/2013 00:21 GMT

I posted a part of a Seagal interview on Kenjutsu (Japanese swordsmanship):

• Steven Seagal - "Kenjutsu is very, very difficult to learn. It's the hardest thing that I've ever tried to learn."

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Silat exponent Saiedah Said banned during the recent National Pencak Silat Championships

Saiedah Said / Photo Credit: is.asia-city.com

Something I don't read about every day, or even every once in a while ... a silat player banned from competition!


First up, let's "meet" the Silat player.


Copied from 2007 article - Super Sportswomen

SAIEDAH BTE SAID, 22, TEAM SINGAPORE SILAT EXPONENT

Like most good athletes, Saiedah has lived and breathed her particular sport since young. The fact that it is in her blood too, with her grandfather being the person responsible for first introducing her to silat, has undoubtedly help her to achieve the heights of success she is enjoying in the sport. A fact which she readily admits, saying, “The support from family...makes me what I am today”.

Her breakthrough season was in 2004 when she won four golds in international tournaments including the Swiss Open Silat Championship. This stunning performance was duly recognized back home when she was awarded the accolade of “Sportsgirl of the Year 2004.”

These achievements show Said’s sheer determination to win. She confesses that she “hates the feeling of losing.” It is, in her words, “the drive of wanting to win” alongside support from coaches and friends that settles those inevitable pre-match nerves and gives her the confidence to compete. Unsurprisingly for such a competitive athlete, she puts in a huge amount of work. Exactly how much? “Almost 30 hours a week,” she says.

Now that you've read a brief profile on her, here's the news on Saiedah Said - she tested positive for banned substances.


Copied from http://www.channelnewsasia.com/:

Silat exponent Saiedah Said has been banned for two years after testing positive for illegal substances during the recent National Pencak Silat Championships.

SINGAPORE: Silat exponent Saiedah Said has been banned for two years after testing positive for illegal substances during the recent National Pencak Silat Championships.

This is the first time a silat athlete is banned by the National Anti-Doping Disciplinary Committee.
The former Sportsgirl of the Year tested positive for metabolites of sibutramine, which is widely used for treating weight loss.

According to the Singapore Silat Federation chief Sheik Alau'ddin, Saiedah had previously taken jamu to aid in recovery from competitive silat.

Jamu is a traditional herbal medicine widely used in Malaysia and Indonesia.

The two-year ban makes Saiedah ineligible to participate in any sport during the period.

The 28-year-old has until 17 June to submit an appeal.

- CNA/xq

Copied from Singapore Sports Council:

TWO-YEAR BAN FOR SILAT EXPONENT SAIEDAH SAID

Singapore, 5 June 2013 - Silat exponent Saiedah Bte Said has tested positive for the banned substances Nor-Sibutramine and OH-Nor Sibutramine (Metabolites of Sibutramine) under the 2013 Prohibited List following in-competition testing at the 38th National Pencak Silat Championships on 14 April 2013. 2 The 28-year-old was informed by Anti-Doping Singapore (ADS) that she may have committed a possible Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) on 21 May 2013. She requested for her 'B' sample to be analysed which subsequently confirmed her 'A' sample result. 3 The National Anti-Doping Disciplinary Committee (NADC), appointed by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), convened yesterday (4 June 2013) to deliberate on the case. 4 Following the meeting, the NADC has imposed a Two-Year ban on Saiedah. She is ineligible to participate, as an athlete or support personnel, in any sport during the period of the ban. She is also disqualified from the 38th National Pencak Silat Championships and all results, medals, points and prizes attained at the event are forfeited. 5 Under the ADS Anti-Doping Rules, Singapore Silat Federation is required to enforce the sanctions on Saiedah immediately. She has until 17 June 2013 to submit an appeal to the National Anti-Doping Appeals Committee (NAAC). 6 Said Ms Yeo Say Po, Deputy Director of ADS, "Under the World Anti-Doping Code, the rule of strict liability states that it is ultimately the athlete's sole responsibility to ensure that anything that they ingest does not contain any prohibited substance. This case is a reminder to all athletes to be always mindful of what they consume to avoid falling foul of any anti-doping rule violation."

-End-

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I'm finally on Twitter!

*Checks calendar*

Yep, we are in the 21st Century ... Please welcome me finally to the 21st Century! I'm finally on Twitter! 

LOL @ me !!!



If you check my Sidebar to the right, under Social Profiles, you should see a Twitter icon.

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Armando Basulto - La Canne Basics

Check out this vidclip of my friend Armando Basulto demonstrating the basics of La Canne. I'm predominately into the Filipino Martial Arts stickwork and I observed parallels between La Canne and the FMA. After all, we are all Human and have 2 arms and 2 legs. We have our limited Range of Motion. We will all move pretty much the same. Bruce Lee said something similar:

"I don't believe in different ways of fighting now. I mean, unless human beings have 3 arms and 3 legs, then we will have a different way of fighting. But basically we all have two arms and two legs so that is why I believe there should be only one way of fighting and that is no way."

Without further ado, let's check out the La Canne basics, shall we?

For my CaneFighters: Just a quick and dirty review of La Canne de Combat basics, as integrated at Team BAD.

If you know nothing of La Canne, I trust you were perceptive enough to notice the chambering prior to striking. Just a note, what Armando Basulto is demonstrating are the sporting aspects of La Canne, therefore, each strike is chambered. He says:

"...in the modern competitive sport of La Canne de Combat, all coups have to be chambered (correctly) to count."

Armando Basulto authored 2 articles which I've put up on my site with his gracious permission. In case you missed these, here they are:

• 10 Seconds To Fight  
• To Gi or Not to Gi

Also, some earlier entries related to La Canne all by Craig Gemeiner:

• Le Baton: The 2-handed long stick of DDLR
• The Stick Fighting Method of Pierre Vigny
• The use of La Canne in Defense dans la Rue – Part one
• Practical Fencing With The Cane (Part 1) By Jean Joseph-Renaud (1912)
• YOUTUBE: La Canne Vigny in Action!
• La Canne: Savate's Walking-Stick Weapon Art

Hope you can integrate some ideas of La Canne into your 'game.'

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A Martial Framework by Badger Johnson

Just some thoughts. Comments and additions welcome. This is my framework after about 30 years of studying the martial arts from FMA to TMA to MMA to WMA.

I have tried to set up a 'martial framework' from which to give my replies to various questions on forums. Basically it's:

1. MA are a hobby, try not to take them too seriously.
2. There is a logical concept called 'base arts' and these arts should have a number of aspects. They should contain elements of aliveness, have little or no barriers to practice, be based on low-attribute methods and be structured based on 'range'. In contrast there are 'exotic arts' which are speculative, though perhaps have clever elements. Base arts are BJJ, boxing, MT, Judo, wrestling and MMA. High aliveness high resistance, multiple and varied opponents and performance based. Exotic arts would be Chinese MA, Silat, WC, Krav Maga, Kenpo, Aikido and TKD. You can make an exotic art work, or exploit some of their stuff but really only if you overlay it onto your robust base art training. A BBJ guy can often pull off an Aikido wrist lock. An MMA guy can sometimes pull off a Wing Chun chain punch series. He's already got the training and attributes and knows how to functionalize something.
3. There must be a delivery system for any art - you might have a great technique, but if you have no delivery system to allow its application, practice and functionalization it's useless. A delivery system is not just 'delivery', but the 'how' and the framework. BJJ has the mount and guard and the tap. This allows their techniques to acquire flow and functionality.
4. Functionality is defined as making something robust, flow and be available in the heat of combat.
5. For every action of the opponent you get at most 1.5 replies (an attack with a time-beat insertion). Advanced players can steal time in a variety of manners.
6. We tend to overestimate the practicality and efficacy of martial systems. If something requires that you 'first be Bruce Lee', you're better off looking elsewhere.
7. Training must have specific elements. It must be non-injurious, low-attribute based, be aware of the energy systems involved and train those, and it must have specificity. Above all it must be fun.
8. Truly effective SD is best served by having a layered approach, including using a partner, running scenarios, be stress-tested to look for flaws, and if you have to go H2H, you've already failed on several levels.
9. Situational awareness and preparedness fail when you need them most. The whole idea of the Cooper system, though nice on paper doesn't really work in the real world, particularly for our loved ones. Sure a 'commando' can use the Cooper system (white, yellow, red), but that goes back to the 'first be Bruce Lee' principle.
10. Your system should function durably for the weakest and least conditioned person for whom it must apply. "Fight like a Girl" is not a bad idea. (BJJ+Crazy Monkey is the best matchup for Females - both emphasize defense first, both have a functional delivery system).
11. The people that scare me are not dissuaded by kicks and pointed sticks. Any SD system has to have both lethal and non-lethal options so as not to trap you into a low option reply.
12. Research the moral and legal system where you would apply your techniques. In fact look -everywhere- in your researching. Your own experience, cross-examples, find MA applications in odd places. Look for weaknesses, the unexpected and above all look to history, science and music for your answers.
13. There is a place for the fantasy and fun aspect of MA, so if you like doing it, fine. Just keep an eye out for aliveness and insert it where you can. (Footwork, Timing, Movement and Resistance). So when I make a reply on various forums, these and some others are what I'm basing my response. If I see someone touting 'Krav Maga' an art developed by a commando, I'm going to ask 'what's your delivery system' and 'is it based on a low-attributes method', and finally, how do you train it and stress test it to assure functionalization?

My sincerest gratitude to Badger Johnson for his kind permission in posting his article to my site.

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UFC legend Royce Gracie to showcase Brazilian jiu-jitsu by Jeff Wagenheim

Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

It's been 20 years since a family from Brazil showed the world how to fight. The Gracies organized a combat tournament in the old McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, invited seven fighters from various disciplines -- a boxer, a sumo wrestler, a kung fu fighter, and so on -- to compete against the smallest guy they could find in their family photo, and put the whole spectacle on pay-per-view television under the title the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The fighting style that Royce Gracie used to defeat three bigger, stronger men and win that one-night single-elimination tourney -- plus two more UFC events over the next year -- was Brazilian jiu-jitsu, a variant of a Japanese martial art that had found its way to South America a century ago. Royce and the other offspring of Helio Gracie, collectively the most prominent practitioners of the art, called it Gracie jiu-jitsu. And today, even as the UFC has moved on to feature fighters well versed in all combat styles, from ground fighting to standing fisticuffs, the Gracies continue to preach the gospel of jiu-jitsu.

On Sunday, the first family of Brazilian jiu-jitsu will present its second annual Metamoris Pro Jiu-Jitsu Invitational at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles (7 p.m. ET, PPV stream at metamoris.com, $19.95). The six-bout card features an arm twister's row of black belts, from Andre Galvao to Braulio Estima to Kron Gracie, and also some names recognizable to mixed martial arts fans, such as UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub and Shinya Aoki, a former champion in the Dream, Shooto and One FC promotions.

Royce Gracie, whose nephew Relek founded Metamoris, sat down with SI.com to talk about the event as well as what he's up to.

SI.com: What seems to set Metamoris apart from other prominent jiu-jitsu tournaments is that there are no points awarded to score the matches in this event. Why is that?

Royce Gracie: Martial arts were created as a means of defending yourself. They were not created to score points. So what my nephew did was he took the points out and also made the fights 20 minutes long. It's a mix of endurance and skill. You have to know what you're doing and you have to pace yourself, but to win you have to attack. The best man will win.

SI.com: What if no one gets a submission in the allotted 20 minutes?

Gracie: This year there are three referees who will decide who won. Not by points, but by who was the best fighter. And it's possible, also, that the fight will be a draw.

SI.com: Another of your nephews, Kron, is in the main event, against Aoki. What is it like for you to watch him compete, as opposed to being in there yourself? Do you get more nervous?

Gracie: [Laughs.] Yes, I get more nervous when I'm in the corner than when I'm in the ring. My nephew knows what he is doing, but when I'm watching I can't react for him. I can help him train, but on the day he's the one who's going to walk in and take care of business.

SI.com: Speaking of which, do you have any unfinished business in fighting? A couple of years ago, when the UFC returned to Brazil after a long absence, there was talk that you might make a comeback. You even said you had one fight left in you, that you wanted a rematch with Matt Hughes. But now Hughes is retired. Are you officially finished, too? At age 46, do you feel comfortable with that?

Gracie: Man, been there, done that. I fought in the first UFC, three fights in one night. Second UFC, four fights in one night. I fought the second-longest fight in history. My father had the longest fight in history, three hours and 40 minutes [against Valdemar Santana in 1955]. I fought for an hour and 45 [vs. Kazushi Sakuraba in 2000]. I fought against Akebono, 6-foot-8, 490 pounds. Yeah, I paid my dues. I did my job. I sleep fine at night.

SI.com: With no fighting in your life anymore, how do you satisfy your competitive nature?

Gracie: I just got back from an MMA tournament in Dubai. And the night I got there, I heard that earlier in the day the promoters took some fighters up in a plane for skydiving. But when they got up in the air, most of the guys were, like, "Uh-uh." No one wanted to jump. I thought, man, I would have been the first one off the plane. Get out of my way. I'm a Gracie. We take every day as a competition, a challenge.

SI.com: I suppose in your family you get that way from an early age. Are your own young kids always pulling out a checkerboard and saying, "Let's go, Dad"?

Gracie: They're always challenging me. And that's good. They keep me on my toes, man. Keeps the sword sharp and clean.

SI.com: You don't seem like a guy who'd let someone beat him. Do you go hard at the kids?

Gracie: [Laughs.] Well, with the kids, we want to build them up to win. So every time they challenge me, I push them and push them, and at the last minute, they take it.

SI.com: What do you think of the MMA that your kids are growing up watching? The fighters of today are well versed in a variety of disciplines, from standup to the ground. The thinking is you can't survive as simply a jiu-jitsu guy anymore. Do you agree?

Gracie: Fighters have to adapt. Look at Lyoto Machida, for instance, or Chuck Liddell. They come from a karate background, but they had to learn wrestling to avoid being taken down. If they did wind up on the mat, they had to know jiu-jitsu, just to know what's coming at them. I learned my boxing and kickboxing not because I was planning to knock somebody out. I just needed to know how standup fighters moved, how they would set me up with a kick or punch. So, yes, fighters have evolved, but they all have one main style that they call home, where they feel most comfortable.

SI.com: Nowadays, though, a lot of gyms don't teach one particular discipline, like jiu-jitsu or karate. They teach mixed martial arts. Do you think something gets lost when young people learn this way rather than focusing on a single tradition that's been passed down through the generations?

Gracie: You don't say, "Hey, I'm going to go get some Starbucks." No, you're going to get some coffee at Starbucks. "Hey, I'm going to make a Xerox." No, you're making a copy on a Xerox machine. So kids want to learn mixed martial arts? Mixed martial arts is what you do inside the cage, inside the ring. What they should be looking to learn is a martial art.

You learn a style. You learn wrestling. You learn Gracie jiu-jitsu. You learn boxing. You learn judo. You don't learn mixed martial arts. You learn a style or maybe more than one style, and then you mix them. But you don't teach a mix. People come up to me all the time and ask, "Do you teach UFC style?" [Laughs.] UFC is a brand. It's not a martial art.

Copied from http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/

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Yamaoka Tesshu - The Secret of the Carpenter's Plane

 

I'm posting a passage from a book in honor of Tesshu's 177th Birthday. He tried to teach Shugyo in a lecture. In the Japanese Martial Arts, the term shugyo means the pursuit of knowledge, studying, learning, training and discipline, etc.

The following passage is from a lecture given by Yamaoka Tesshu to his students. In it he tries to explain the process of Shugyo.

There are three methods the carpenter adopts when using his plane. They are rough planing, medium planing and finish planing.

To practice rough planing make your body firm, stretch out the stomach and brace the lower trunk then with equal strength in both arms plane to a rough finish. In other words use the strength of your whole body without relaxing it. If you do not use sufficient effort you will not manage to rough plane.

Next there is medium planing. With medium planing it is not merely a question of using all your strength. You must plane the surface flat by adopting a natural modulation of strength in the hands. This is to prepare it for the finish plane. However without the experience gained from rough planing it will not be possible to succeed with medium planing.

Finally there is finish planing. This time the wood that was prepared by earlier medium planing is made even smoother and free of flaws. To do this you must plane with one single stroke at a time, from one end of the timber to the other. If your heart is not calm when you make this single stroke, you will score many flaws and faults into the wood and if there are flaws then the timber has not yet been finished. For the carpenter in his use of the plane this is the most important stage.

First of all you must be in possession of mind, body and technique. For the carpenter mind, body and technique equals plane man and timber. If the man thinks to plane the plane will catch; if the plane is thought to plane it will rise off the timber. To possess mind, body and technique is represented here in the action of one place of plane, man and timber. If this is not mastered thoroughly then however much you train to be a carpenter you will never plane timber well.

In order to become proficient at planing timber the most effective way is to begin training in the way of rough planing. If you can do this well then you can also manage medium planing and finish planing.

However, in order to finish plane well there is a secret. Although I say it is a secret, actually it is nothing so special. Just put mind, body and technique out of your head and plane away. It is by doing it in this way that you do a good job. And here, without being aware of it, you will have mastered the secret of finish planing. There is something quite interesting about this secret, I think.

Before you have mastered this for yourself, nothing that has been taught you will be of any real use. Thus, there is no other way than to try to discover it for yourself. No matter what you do, there is no way that anyone can communicate this to you.

The Kendo Reader

Noma Hisashi (1910-1039)

Page 8

For other entries on one of Japan's greatest swordsmen, please check out:

• Assorted poems by Yamaoka Tesshu 
• Yamaoka Tesshu's Shoe "Tell"

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BIRTHDAY: Today marks the 177th birthday of Yamaoka Tesshu!

Yamaoka Tesshu (June 10, 1836 – July 19, 1888)

Tesshu, when he was younger, was very much a braggart and had to win at everything. One of my favorite anecdotes about him.

Regardless of what it was, Tesshu did not like to be second to anyone.

...

There are other examples of Tesshu's dare-taking. Young swordsmen of his day liked to brag about how much they could eat and drink. An acquaintance boasted to Tesshu, "I ate thirty hard-boiled eggs at one sitting."

"Only thirty?" Tesshu raised his eyebrows. "You should be able to eat fifty. I can eat a hundred."

"Really?," the acquaintance challenged Tesshu. A hundred hard-boiled eggs were brought and Tesshu gulped them down in front of several witnesses. Tesshu returned home and vomited for the next three days.


The Sword of No-Sword:  Life of the Master Warrior Tesshu
John Stevens
Pages 8-9

Happy 177th Birthday Yamaoka Tesshu-sama!

For other entries on one of Japan's greatest swordsmen, please check out:

• Assorted poems by Yamaoka Tesshu 
• Yamaoka Tesshu's Shoe "Tell"

Read More

5 Short Vidclips of Mike Tyson (Teaching / Q&A)

There are some nuggets to be gleaned in these 5 short video clips of Mike Tyson.

Mike Tyson Teaching the Fundamentals of Boxing

How Mike Tyson Learned to Box

How Mike Tyson Psyches Opponents Out

Mike Tyson talking about his Squared Stance

Mike Tyson talking about Boxing Styles

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