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August 08, 2010 – Mojo Gym Striking Challenge
Watch outstanding and up and coming strikers at Mojo Gym – today at 6:00 pm. This will showcase how equip and how great fighters coming out of the gym.
Mojo gym is a MMA Gym – train boxing, muay thai, jiujitsu and mma. It also features state-of-the-art gym equipment at par with other high end gym facilities in the metro.
Deftac recently held an in-house jiujitsu tournament to help a comrade to go to mundials. It’s brotherhood in the works and it actually amazes me to see how these bunch of guys take time from their usual routines to come out and join this in-house tournament.
I have had groups before and I know how hard it was to organize something like this even if it was in-house. I saw familiar faces like Alvin Aguilar – founder of the URCC group, Richard Lasprilla, and WIlly Carlos (also behind URCC) who were the ones who invited me to watch and join them at this day. A pledge of support to our fellow athlete, I showed up.
Parking was jam-packed, and it was lucky for us to find 1 slot free from the gasoline station nearby. I came in with my brother and as we went along, ofcourse people there did not know us and us likewise. But it’s jiujitsu and it’s universal for us fans, and practitioners so it was like watching a ballgame for me.
We caught up with the absolute division and saw some nice white-belt action. They don’t look white-belts though and was actually impressed with how learned these players are. Hope I can start training again soon, and start here at BAMF MMA Center. Also saw familiar jiujitsu aces in the likes of Pichon Garcia, Jerome Lepiten, and Marcus Valda. A really great experience for the MMA Guy.
I got some pictures taken of the action taking place at BAMF, enjoy:
I think since it has been a while since I have posted (simply because there wasn’t much that interesting news to broadcast from the UFC) I think it’s best if I create like a weekly news on what I knew was going on and will go on.
UFC Related News
I am always excited about the Machida – Shogun Rematch. It’s a fight of legends since Shogun was the first fighter to ever exploit Machida to pain. They say they will give it their all, they say they will have different strategies and I do hope that they do and give us fight fans the fight of the year.
On another note, there is Tito Ortiz’s recent arrest due to domestic violence. I am with Tito on this one. It’s like a martial artists instinct that Ortiz would never hurt a female or anyone in the matter that is not necessary but on females generally. I think most MMA practitioners in its real sense knows this. To learn the sport and be good at it, discipline and mental toughness is necessary. Otherwise, if things get bad, I’m sure a broken arm would be Jenna’s least problems to undertake.
I remember this one time when I lost control myself, I punished our door and my hand. The rage is there, sometimes it comes out, most of the time it stays in. But never to hit my wife, or anybody for that matter that is not necessary. Doesn’t mean you can that you should always prove it as one of my sensei’s before taught me.
Back to UFC related news is that Jackson and Evans have now a fight scheduled. It was long time due but I guess it’s more of a hype now than it was before being that Jackson is now more well known being cast in the upcoming movie remake – The A Team. White is always full of these under the sleeves techniques by which he commits to further more hype UFC fighters.
WEC Related News
Urijah Faber got owned but Aldo hold back in the last round. Jose Aldo has now proven himself as one of the best pound per pound fighter in the world if not the best in his weight class. His dominant wins over Mike Brown and Urijah Faber seals the deal and gives him an invincible aura most of these P-4-P fighters have.
Manny Gamburyan, a TUF finalist also gained much respect after defeating former WEC champ, Mike Brown. A fight is a fight and it’s always as unpredictable as it is whenever you step into the octagon.
MMA in the Philippines Related News
An in-house jiujitsu tournament will be held in BAMF MMA Center tomorrow starting at 9am. The cause is for getting another individual within the DEFTAC (Defense Tactics Group) to go in the upcoming Mundials. It’s a show of how camaraderie can prevail in such short time and efforts to increase the growth of Jiujitsu and MMA in the local Philippine economy.
I will sure be there to watch and support these fellow jiujitsu practitioners which will be present tomorrow at BAMF MMA Center.
URCC University Challenge Trials
URCC is holding a MMA Try-out / Elimination on who wants to be a part of URCC University Challenge. On May 22, 2010 – these try outs or fights will be held at BAMF MMA Center.
This reminds me of the movie Never Back Down which is one of my fave’s by the way. Getting that social status in college, that is priceless. Also adds to the fact that we should promote martial arts in our young generation. Most people think that this will simply increase the number of bullies in school, but think again. Martial Arts is a serious deal to be in. If you really want to get buffed up and be the fighter you want to be, you have to have the mental toughness, discipline and respect along with a good heart and healthy body to cope up with real fighters of today.
URCC News
Richard Lasprilla possibly rematches with Erwin Tagle in URCC. Interesting fight to see, I remember some intriguing lines before between the 2 and they both grueled it out in 2 fights both ending in draws. Well now if the fight happens, there is no more draw in the URCC rules so we will know who the toughest man is.
What’s happening with URCC fighters? I am thinking of getting interviews from them whenever I get the chance. Let me write up a questionnaire for them then 
I guess that’s about it for this past week. Catch you guys up again next time. Probably sooner since if I can get pictures, I will probably share my BAMF experience tomorrow.
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Reckoning! Awesome event from URCC MMA.
Another successful event in my opinion as A. Venue was jam packed! A nicely prepared card where all I can think about after was the 42 year old guy who fought like Machida and yes, he won! Angelito Manguray prepared for the fight well and executed a Machida styled game plan and defeated Badong Domasian for the URCC Colt 45 Lightweight Championship.
Other fights that are very memorable were
Alvin Ramirez def. Sonny Tubal
Fastest finish of the night. Alvin Ramirez is a young blood which will be a force to be reckoned with in the coming years to come. Nice kick combinations by Ramirez which started the beginning of the end for his opponent.
Richard “The Dancing Devil” Lasprilla vs Angelo Estanol
Richard “DD” Lasprilla packed some muscle on his arsenal and probably crisp his boxing as we see him picking apart his opponent on the feet. Though Estanol proved to bring different challenges on the table as he swinged for the fences as well and tagged Richard on some good shots.
Whenever the fight goes to the ground, it was all Richard. A purple belt in Brazilian Jiujitsu, Richard dominated the fight all of 2 rounds. Richard looks to finish Estanol in every angle he can see, but Estanol proves to be strong and tough as he gave Lasprilla his best by defending and withstanding the beating he was receiving.
Overall, Richard pulled off an impressive win over his opponent.
Eduard Folayang vs. Dooje Chung
Chung was explosive with his flying knee but Folayang is simply just like a tree bark, and received his knee and took the fight to him. A nice exchange came by and Folayang got the best of it making it end on Chung’s back.
A good G-n-P by Eduard until he got caught with an upkick from Chung which almost cost him the fight. Eduard was stunned for a while but recovered quickly. He got back into beating into Chung and finally ended the fight due to referee stoppage.
Impressive win by the pride of the Filipinos, Eduard “The Land Slide” Folayang!
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A few hours before UFC 111 started, the Philippines’ biggest mixed martial arts event of the year was held in the A-Venue Events Hall, in Makati. Bloodyelbow.com was on site to cover URCC XVI: “Reckoning”, which was headlined by the country’s top MMA fighter, Eduard “Landslide” Folayang as he went back up in weight to defend his welterweight title against NEO Fight Korea’s Dooje Chung.
Even before the bout started, Chung, the visibly larger fighter, already displayed his athleticism, as he entered the ring by doing a fancy flip over the ropes that would’ve made his former Olympic gymnastics coach proud. There weren’t any feeling out period between the two. Things opened up quickly, and the pace never slowed down, leaving fans at the edge of their seats throughout the fight.
Chung gave it everything, throwing a flying knee right off the bat, launching several hard shots, and engaging into dangerous fire fights, but Folayang still got the better of the exchanges. He dropped his opponent twice, and finished off with vicious ground and pound in the first. The several time Wushu medalist kept his welterweight title and his perfect URCC record in tact, but it wasn’t with out a brief scare. In the middle of the opening period, Folayang was standing over Chung’s guard, and throwing huge shots to the delight of the hometown crowd, but that’s until the Korean landed a well-timed upkick which staggered the Filipino. Seeing that he hurt his opponent, Chung went after him throwing huge punches of his own, but Folayang recovered quickly and landed a huge hook that dropped him again. The “Landslide” followed him to the ground, and that was the beginning of the end.
In the co-main event of the evening, fan favorite and former URCC flyweight champion, Richard “The Dancing Devil” Lasprilla came back from a self-imposed hiatus to dominate Angelo Estanol en route to a unanimous decision victory. Estanol had his moments, landing some hard shots on a few exchanges that left the former champ bloody and bruised. For the most part though, it was Lasprilla who was pushing the pace, deciding where the fight takes place, and was doing the most damage. He was effective standing and on the clinch, landing hard knees and punches as he pressed Estanol up on the corner, but he was even more in control when things went to the ground. The DEFTAC jiujitsu fighter got into several dominant positions for majority of the 20 min bout, and although, Estanol got a reversal and landed a few shots towards the last ten seconds, it was too little to late, and Richard Lasprilla was victorious in his URCC return.
Star-divide
The bout that surprisingly got the most attention from the fans, was the lightweight title bout between Angelito ‘The Saint’ Manguray, an undefeated, 42-year-old, karate blackbelt, and Badong Domasian, a former pro boxer, who’s 15 years his junior. Manguray fought with a wide karate stance, stayed elusive and destroyed Domasian by using a wide variety of kicks, knees, and punches that dropped his opponent several times in the bout. Every time Manguray floors Badong, he threw vicious axe kicks to the grounded opponent. Domasian curled up at one point after taking an axe kick to the stomach, and Manguray followed up by unleashing another hard kick to the body which would’ve made PRIDE fans nostalgic.
When asked asked about winning the URCC Lightweight Title on the post-fight interview, ‘The Saint” stayed humble and said, “Fighting is my life… I just took my shot and I did well”. A doctor by day, and a brutal karate-based fighter by night, Angelito Manguray, at 42-years-young, certainly stole that show that night.
Quick Hits and Full Results:
1. FW (139 lbs): Jason Estoro def. Roldan Cartajena via TKO at 2:57 of the 1st round. Estoro was getting the better in the clinch and landed several knees while stopping Cartajena’s takedown attempts. The Elorde MMA fighter finished it with ground and pound.
2. BW (139 lbs): Reydon Romero def. Jessie Salvador via submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 5:20 of the 1st round. Romero was fighting with the unorthodox stance that is seen from some of the YawYan fighters. He gets taken down after a brief exchange, then scrambles and reverses when he attempted a triangle. Romero wounded up with the mount and after some ground and pound, Salvador gave up his back, and got choked out.
3. BW (139 lbs): Jessie Rafols def. Erwin Focad via submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 2:24 of the 2nd round. Erwin Focad, one of the youngest Lakay Wushu teammates of Eduard Folayang, tasted his first defeat as he got choked out in the second round. The match was a very entertaining match full of scrambles and reversals with Rafols getting the better of it. Focad was a very gritty fighter and despite being on the receiving end of a lot of hard shots, he didn’t slow down, showed a lot of heart, and found ways to get escapes and reversals. He had a chance to pull off the submission in the end, but he got reversed, and Rafols sunk in the choke.
4. Pinweight (119 lbs): Alvin Ramirez def. Sonny Tubal via TKO at :21 secs of the 1st round. Ramirez, one of the youngest fighters in the card, produced the fastest finish in the event. As the bell rang, he immediately threw a body kick, and followed up with a head kick that dropped Tubal. A few more punches on the ground, and the ref was forced to stop it immediately.
5. BW (139 lbs): Charles de Tomas def. Jun Paciedad via submission (Kimura) at 1:21 of the 1st Round. De Tomas threw several hard body kicks as they stood for a while. He then got a takedown and immediately moved to side mount. He locked in a Kimura shortly after, and it was another quick finish.
6. LW (159 lbs): Angelito Manguray def. Badong Domasian by TKO in the 1st, to win the vacant URCC Lightweight Title, at 42 years of age.
7. HW (206 lbs ++): Igor Sobora def. Nicholas Mann via TKO at 2:34 of the 1st round. A 6’3, 240 lbs Ukrainian born Sambo fighter, was too much, too big and too strong for the 207 lb Austrialian fighter in Nicholas Mann. Igor overcame an early striking advantage by Mann, by throwing a flurry of hard shots that overwhelmed his much smaller opponent. A light heavyweight bid would be probably be the logical step for Nicholas as he did show some potential.
8. Pinweight (119 lbs.): George “Pretty Boy” Lusadan def. Dindo Campo via submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 3:54 of the 1st round. Fresh of his victory in the headlining bout of URCC Baguio a month ago, George Lusadan dominated Dindo Campo en route to a first round submission victory. Campo came out agressive, and the Lakay Wushu member ducked under his looping hook and scored with a powerful takedown. Lusadan got mount shortly after and had a relaxed and controlled ground and pound attack. He controlled Campo’s left arm and threw hard shots. After a lengthy stay on mount which saw ‘Pretty Boy’ batter his opponent, Campo gave up his back and lusadan sunk in the choke. Huge potential for another Lakay Wushu stand out.
9. Flyweight (129 lbs): Richard “The Dancing Devil” Lasprilla def. Angelo Estanol via Unanimous Decision. The crowd was chanting ‘Richard’ during a few moments in the fight.
10. Welterweight (169 lbs): Eduard “Landslide” Folayang def. Dooje Chung via TKO in the 1st round, to defend his URCC Welterweight Championship.
Article courtesy of URCC MMA.
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Reposted from URCC
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:26:00 03/21/2010Filed Under: Martial Arts (general), Sports Events
RICHARD LASPRILLA, slowly regaining the passion that made him one of the country’s top mixed martial arts practitioners, battles Angelo Estanol in his comeback fight in the Colt 45 URCC XVI “Reckoning” on March 27 at the A. Venue Events in Makati City.
After a self-imposed hiatus, Lasprilla said he’s ready to start all over again, saying: “The joy and exhilaration of competing is just too much for me to avoid.”
Learning valuable lessons from his setback to Kevin Belingon three years ago and having trained long enough for this match, Lasprilla added that he’s now stronger and smarter than when he lorded over the flyweight division for several years.
“My training camp is really great, everybody in our gym is helping me prepare for my fight. We have different sparring partners from different teams to help me in every aspect of my game.”
But the limelight in the 10-bout event presented by Colt 45 and backed by Tribal Gear and My PLDT Watchpad is expected to fall on the title fight between reigning welterweight champion and wushu star Eduard Folayang and Korean Dooje Chung.
Tickets for the event pegged at P1,000 and P500 are now available at Ticketnet (tel. no. 911-5555). The first bout starts at 7 p.m.
Meanwhile, Angelito Manguray, a 42-year-old dentist from Davao City and Salvador Domasian of Ground and Pound MMA collide for the vacant lightweight crown.
Also expected to draw attention is the heavyweight showdown between Igor Subora of Ukraine and Nicholas Mann.
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Repost from URCC
George ” Pretty Boy ” Lusadan with a 1 win, no loss record in the URCC, will headline the Colt45 Baguio 2 ” Tribal Wars “. Lusadan will be going up against Leonard Kaliwa of Team Biagtan, Kaliwa a young and fierce fighter will debut as Pro MMA fighter in the URCC. He will be tested against a former boxer and wushu champion, in the person of Lusadan. Also in the undercard, a Welterweight match featuring Honorio Banario from Team Lakay vs. URCC veteran Rommel Del-Is of Team Muay Buran. Both are locals of Baguio City, so expect a match that will go the distance between these two excellent strikers, Banario is a highly decorated Wushu fighter with several Gold Medals under his belt. Charlie Angel will also be seen in action vs. Joseph Amurao. Erwin Focad vs. Adam Cacay. Focad will also be seen in URCC 16 ” Reckoning ” in Manila. He will be fighting URCC veteran Richard Lasprilla in the March event. The Baguio event will also feature Women MMA fighters: Gina Iniong vs. Sonrex Patanao, this will be a first in URCC history, wherein professional female fighters will duke it out in the URCC Ring. URCC Baguio 2 ” Tribal Wars ” will be held at the Baguio International Convention Center on February 19, 2010, Friday. At 7pm. Ticket Prices are at: 200 pesos and 500 pesos. For more details please contact: Mr. Ferdie Matias 0920-960-19-18. Bakbakan Na!
On Februaury 19, 2010 URCC Baguio, ” Tribal Wars ” will have one match featuring Lady MMA fighters. The fighters are Ms. Sonrex Patanao a Pro-Am muay thai fighter with 5 wins and no loss record, she will be going against Ms. Gina Iniong a Wushu nationals Gold Medalist with a 1 win, no loss record in MMA. The two ladies will be fighting in the 114.4 pounds division. This will be definitely be historical, in terms of women MMA fights in the Philippines. The question is,… is the Philippine audience ready for women’s MMA. We will find out on February. The event will be held during the Panagbenga Festival in Baguio. The venue: Baguio Convention Center. Bakbakan Na!
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Finally visited Mojo Gym a few weeks ago, I actually wanted to share this then but the transition of photos from my phone to the pc was always having issues. At any rate, I went to visit the Gym expecting to see a colleague of mine in the premises but actually just missed him when I got there.
I met this cool dude from the counter and I introduced myself along with the inquiries on how the gym works, which facilities are which and so.
When you enter Mojo Gym, you can already see the 4-cornered ring that is actually visible from the outside already. There is a fully matted area and 2 bags were hanging at the moment. The equipment inside for the gym proper was class A!
I asked for rates and I was presented with a rate card ready for me to choose what program I would want to be in. They offer Jiujitsu, Boxing, Muay Thai, and traditional weight training. The schedules are there too so you can plan ahead which program might be suited for you and your schedules.
Since my travel was a long one, I opted to go for a per session training usage of the gym. They said all the facilities are welcome to be used just that since I haven’t subscribed to any program they are offering, only the instructors will be lacking in my session.
An attendant guided me along the gym facilities and showed me the locker/shower rooms where members can change to their workout outfit.
Started with the bags feeling things out and stretched in the matted area, it felt really good to be rolling in a fully matted area, and not with the likes I am used to before which where mats but thinner. These were quality mats in which I recognize that is also used in Jiujitsu tournaments.
From the mats, shifted to the gym, and a helpful instructor guided me to which machine was for which. The stationary bike and treadmills were great along with all the high quality equipment that they had me used.
Best of all was the people you are with, they let you mind your own business but is contradictory friendly when approached. Overall, I had a great time at Mojo, if it wasn’t I reside in a really far place from it, I would instantly enroll in their programs.
Also I must say that the rates, their awesome! For a classy gym like Mojo, the rates are definitely and can still be considered cheap when compared to the quality of equipment and experience they provide.
Don’t forget to visit Mojo Gym located at 75 Panay Avenue, Rosemont Tower Quezon City.
This idea just came to me and opened up a series of thoughts on what more to feature on my MMA Guy site. Well for starters and as stated in my title, Filipinos are Born Warriors, just exemplifies that if you have Filipino blood in your system then probably you can be an excellent fighter.
My basis are the following:
Manny Pacquiao – Current pound-per-pound king. Pure Filipino, bread from the province of General Santos.
BJ Penn – part-filipino, just don’t know how much but I heard that he is. He even visited here years ago and trained with known pinoy fighters in the country. Best lightweight at 155 lbs in the world and has swept the division by storm.
Brandon Vera – part pinoy as well. A real talent in his division and has pure potential, it is just a matter of time before he converts his potential to true applied talent and when he does, he will definitely dominate the division he is in.
Ofcourse the most notable is Manny Pacquiao and BJ Penn since both are now leaving a legacy in the sport. When have you seen a fighter trying his best to leave a legacy besides the likes of Muhammad Ali, and George St. Pierre. People trying to make a name for themselves firstly in their country and 2ndly to the world.
Manny Pacquiao has definitely proven that he is the Pound-per-pound king of today and he will cement this come March 13, 2009 when he puts his name on the line with former pound-per-pound king Floyd Mayweather. Whatever the outcome is, definitely there will be a part 2 or 3 till someone gets a lead with 2 wins.
Filipinos by themselves are warriors by heart and who knows if the greatest fighters or warriors before were really Filipino bread as well. It just makes me think that how does a Filipino like the people I have previously mentioned achieve such greatness and who might be the next Filipino to do so.
I plan on creating a documentary as I can with what I can uncover with the likes of BJ Penn, Manny Pacquiao, and Brandon Vera. Also not to mention, we have a Filipino by the name of Vince Soberano who is an Adjarn in the art of Muay Thai, still fighting and still elite. Just proves that if pinoy blood runs through your veins, you can always be a potential great fighter.
I know that it might not sound good us Filipinos getting known together with such violence. But a fight is a fight and what makes a good fighter is not just his physical attributes but his spirit. Filipinos have good spirit, and I can say that each and every Filipino is a fighter in a sense or two. Like a mother taking care of her 5 children, pinoys abroad who leave their families to provide a better life for them. That is a fighters spirit, someone who does not give up and someone who gives everything to achieve what he or she wants.
We should always be proud of our pinoy bloodline becomes its what we are and what we are capable to do. The possibilities are endless!
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