KarmaAndMMA

GoverenmentOfGuamsignsMMAIntoLaw

Gov. Felix Camacho sanctioned Mixed Martial Arts by signing the sport’s rules and regulations into law this week.

The signing comes on the heels of the 30th Guam Legislature’s passage of Public Law 30-25 in July 2009, which acknowledged the sport on Guam and set forth the foundation for the rules and regulations.

“We’ve been working on legislation for more than two years now and we’re happy to see it come into fruition,” Guam Unarmed Combat Commission chairman Patrick Lujan said.

“Now the commission will begin the process of licensing the athletes and officials.”

The rules and regulations provide all the safety mechanisms for carrying out unarmed combat sports such as MMA and boxing. These safety measures will assure that the athletes are physically cleared to participate as well as place professional officials such as judges, referees and physicians in critical roles.

Here are some of the highlights of the licensing process:

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AintNothingButAGiThang!

ONRA:February28th,2010

Hafa adai.

Congrats to Team Countershot’s Joshua “The Hedgehog” Alvarez for a victory in Hawaiian mixed martial arts competition in 808 Battlegrounds this past Friday.

The Korean Top Team is running a weeklong MMA training camp at Trench Tech Purebred Saipan; Mariana Islands MMA pioneer Tetsuji Kato is relocating from Saipan to San Diego; Rollapalooza 5 is inviting Guam BJJ athletes to compete in the Philippines on March 13. But on the same day, Guam wrestling will be holding its qualifiers for the Micronesian Games in the freestyle, Greco-Roman and women’s divisions; Jesse Taitano is preparing for his return to professional shooto on March 22. All the while, Guam combat sports continue to make headlines in local media.

In yesterday’s paper, we were toured though some of the lows and highs of the realities that, in part, define our island’s mixed martial arts environment. On one hand you have a familiar fighter-athlete who has been going through sincere struggles to advance forward thousands of miles away toward one of the world’s most prestigious and difficult venues of competition. And on the other side of the paper, an MMA representative unfortunately makes headlines by wreaking multiple cases of havoc unsparingly on our island soil.

These articles adequately support statements that exist on both sides of the fence of MMA’s position and role in Guam’s community.

Mixed martial arts definitely didn’t invent violence and it definitely didn’t invent overseas competition; however, our island’s long embrace of such an interesting conversational topic, has placed our figures onto the podiums of public thought and opinion.

Regardless of our extended efforts, it is difficult to thoroughly label MMA as viable sport when such incidents of extreme and unwarranted violence take place by any of our island’s MMA industry celebrities. It makes a viewer question how people might be selected to be at the front door of such opportunity as an athlete when they might fall so short on their duties as citizens.

With all the authority the Guam Unarmed Combat Commission is seeking to gain over a fruitful sport and hard-pursued venture it had little part in building, part of the spotlight for now can be shared with it on how it might offer its resources to help the industry to deal with this type of situation or any other situations of fighter-athlete misconduct on one hand and of assisting local fighters in overseas ventures on the other.

Even if our fighters were the very best at this sport, what service do we provide with positive campaigning, with professional athlete or venture sponsorship solicitation, when the end product we bring to the table serves as a detriment to the bigger picture?

Guam has proven to love mixed martial arts competition. In our small and fast-ricochet community, if we want it to be around for a while and serve the island positively, then we have to make very conscious efforts to be strategic and conscious of how we go about doing it.

Technique knows no prejudice. The skills offered in training can be really dangerous, you know, in the hands of some. You could really instill terror, but we should also remember that these same skills can not only defend against this terror, but the wisdom offered in proper guidance could all-around better prevent it from even starting.

As advocates of MMA, for longevity purposes, we should do our best to convince and not deceive the island of the legitimacy of mixed martial arts development here in the Marianas. At a time where our athletes are more formidable than ever, at a time when the MMA world is calling our name, and at a time when, despite our imperfections, people still believe in us, we need to work diligently to properly channel all the rising talent away from the focus of competitive martial arts as legalized violence and more into that of sport; for a stronger foundation in an athletic and community-serving framework of growth, of responsibility and in all its added strength and, most importantly, its positive influence. Of course, again, easier said than done. But nevertheless important.

Without this effort, we will find more trying roads ahead. And all this development will be missing out dearly on its full and true potential.

Thanks for dropping by.

GuamMMA:TheGoodAndTheBad

Tuck Headed for Abu Dhabi

By Eric Palacios • For Pacific Daily News • February 25, 2010

By Eric Palacios • For Pacific Daily News • February 25, 2010

Growing up, Tuck wasn’t certain what his future held, he said. He had some options, but nothing really stood out. Now 25, Tuck is more focused in life, with his goals, and on where he wants to go. Tuck is now training for one of the biggest competitions of his life — the prestigious Abu Dhabi Professional Jiu-Jitsu Cup Championships, which is scheduled for April 15-17. “I will be competing in the 72-kilogram blue belt division,” Tuck said. “I trained out there for six weeks last year, and I’m taking all the knowledge that I gained and I’m training harder every day now.” Tuck worked tirelessly, turned heads and was invited to compete in the world-class event. The best Brazilian jiu-jitsu warriors will be competing in different weight and belt classes, including some of the world’s best mixed martial arts fighters from the Ultimate Fighting Championship. “As a single parent and an only girl child, this is something that I would never dream of,” said Vangie Cruz-Quintanilla, Tuck’s mother. “It’s something that I would never have dreamed of for him, but I’m glad that he found his passion. I always pray for his safety, and the safety of the other fighters because as mothers we never want to see our child get hurt.” MMA, including Brazilian jiu-jitsu, has been good for Tuck. He’s traveled to different places, built new and lasting friendships in the process and grown because of the experiences. “The comparison of being in the sport when I first started and now, I think, is that I’ve matured as a fighter tremendously,” Tuck said. “In the beginning it was more of a hobby and a way to get a good workout and just have fun with friends. Now, it’s another drive in life for me because of everything that I’ve been through Tuck understands that the sport is dangerous, one where competitors get injured, sometimes seriously. But it’s this perilous nature that drives him, almost coerces him, to be better than he was the day before, and more importantly, better than his next opponent.

Last fight in Saipan

Tuck’s most recent MMA fight was last November at an event in Saipan. He was matched against one of the Philippines’ top mixed martial artists, who also boasted an unblemished professional record. It took all of eight seconds for Tuck to knock out Eduard Folayang. A thundering right cross caught Folayang cleanly and put him out before he even hit the canvas. “My instructor, my coach, ‘Big’ John Calvo, asked me if I wanted to fight him. I was kind of undecided because our team had just split up and we didn’t have training partners or a training facility,” Tuck said. “But we pushed through and I took the fight on three weeks’ notice. Luckily, I was still in shape. I relied on the tools that I already had and just sharpened them.” The victory over Folayang, like the four before it, is a stepping stone, Tuck said, all part of the big scheme of things. “He was a champion in the Philippines and he was the No. 1 fighter there. I believed in my trainer and I believed in myself, and it’s the hardest fight I’ve ever trained for in such a short amount of time. The work ethic we put in shot me up another level in my game as a whole. Honestly, I was excited and nervous because he’s a good fighter, a really tough guy.” “But I was ready to go five rounds if we had to.”

Focused on BJJ

For now, though, Tuck is concentrating on Abu Dhabi and jiu-jitsu, a component of MMA that he admittedly loves the most. “People from all over the world are having trials. Whoever wins the trials, tournament organizers will pay for all expenses. That’s the benefit of winning a trial — you’re treated like a world-class athlete,” Tuck said. “As for me, I’m like a ninja in the system. I’d like to compete in the trials so I wouldn’t have to pay for anything, but I’m taking the invite and paying my way. I’m really paying for the experience.”

CHARGES

Alex James Castro has been charged in the Superior Court of Guam for two separate alleged attacks over a two-week period.

Jan. 24 incident

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It actually has been for the past 3weeks! www.fokaistuff.com

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