IRSHAAD SAYED: A CAGED "WHITE TIGER" IS A DANGEROUS FOE

Asia has long seen an influx of foreigners seeking martial arts knowledge and experience.  From the Shaolin Temple to Lumpinee Stadium, iconic Asian institutions beckon aficionados to make pilgrimages without reserve.  It is this ancient foundation of combat arts in synergy with an an inflow of forward-thinking people with overseas backgrounds that has catalyzed the exponential growth of Mixed Martial Arts in Asia.  And just as has been the case with karate and kung fu, Asia is starting to see a new wave of fighters immigrate to learn, teach, and even launch their careers in MMA.

Riding the crest of this wave is South African Irshaad "White Tiger" Sayed, now a resident of Hong Kong.


A fighter couldn't ask for a more ideal set of circumstances in his life to pave the way for success.  He found his passion for kickboxing early, and had highly encouraging parents who even supported his decision to train full-time in Thailand when he was only seventeen.  At nineteen, he fought in Hong Kong and was subsequently offered a teaching position.  By twenty, he'd won five championships in Muay Thai.  Now, at the ripe age of twenty-two he has fought all over the world, is married, and abides by a religion that keeps him healthy and motivated.  In striking ability, Irshaad is being recognized as a rare bantamweight with true knockout ability.  This puts him in the hot seat of already being sought after by MMA promotions as he tests the waters in the sport.

OF "EPIC" PROPORTIONS: NEW MMA GYM OPENING IN HONG KONG

Hong Kong.  Once known for its crowded, narrow streets smelling of bizarre and tasty delicacies overhung by precariously mounted two-story high neon mahjong parlor signs, Hong Kong has year by year transformed itself into a sparkling mountainous waterfront gem; a maze of marble-lined malls and mirrored superstructures.  If Bruce Lee were alive here today, would he still be espousing the path of least resistance, or would he be a multi-media mogul, sitting atop a stacked portfolio of dojos and holding meetings in his own private octagon?  If it were the latter, then he would likely be parked in the Aon China Building's first floor smack in the middle of Central, with a full-length balcony overlooking the city's greatest icons, Coach and LV.

That is precisely where Co-founder Cole Sirucek sits today.  The ultra-entreprenuer is a life-long martial arts enthusiast, a Gordinho purple belt, and married to a medaled judo black belt.  He's overseen hundreds of millions of dollars of investments, and tracked hundreds of millions of feet across the Gobi and Sahara deserts and up Mt Kilimanjaro.  Cole's newest expedition - for the next nine years - is to transform Hong Kong's fitness-concious finance-savvy fierce and fashionable Centralites into an army of martial arts moguls with the opening of the Epic MMA Club.

TAKEDOWN STARTS DISTRIBUTION TALKS WITH PXC

After signing Cage Fighting Championship of Australia, Takedown signs a Letter of Intent to Pacific Xtreme Combat, as written in The Smallcap Network here.  They intend to acquire its fight archives as well as future events.

Takedown Entertainment Expands Presence in Oceania Region (TKDN)

Takedown Entertainment Inc. (OTC: TKDN), a London-based sports entertainment company engaged in the acquisition, production, distribution and marketing of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) programming and products for television and digital media, has expanded its presence in the Oceania region.

On Wednesday, TKDN announced that it signed a Letter of Intent with Pacific X-treme Combat (PXC) of Guam, which is the first step in acquiring global media distribution rights to its fight archives and future MMA fights. With the signing, TKDN has solidified its position with major MMA fight promoters in the Oceania region. The company had previously signed Cage Fighting Championship of Australia.

FRIDAY FIGHT FACTS #14

The AFTER-PARTY
2/18 - DEEP 57th Impact, Tokyo, JAPAN
2/18 - URCC Baguio 4, Baguio, PHIIPPINES
2/18 - PXC 29, Manila, PHILIPPINES

!FIGHTING!
2/25 - Malaysia FC 4, MALAYSIA
2/25-6 F-3 Championship, MALAYSIA
2/26 - UFC 144, Tokyo, JAPAN


W-L-D
For Immediate Release

W - CITY FIGHT CLUB PRESSER: KICKOFF AND CARD ANNOUNCEMENT - City Fight Club's founder Vuyisile Colossa held a presser and announced the match ups for the first ever White Collar Amateur MMA event this coming March 8th. there will be 10 matches including boxing, Muay Thai and MMA championships... IN A CAGE!

W - DARE 2/12 PRESS RELEASE: PRETTY BOY VS BRUCE - ‎DARE announces the next match up: MuayFit's Allamurad Karayev versus Impact SG's Bruce Loh at Flyweight

W - RUFF 3 will be held in Chongqing, China on March 24: ‎RUFF锐武终极格斗 3 March 24th card announcements, online media co-operation with QQ Sports China, and trailer:
Rodrigo Caporal versus Zheng LiPeng
Irshaad Sayed versus Legend Fighting Championship Bantamweight Champ Jumabieke Tuerxun
- Wang Guan versus Jiang ZhouWen
锐武终极格斗是首个中国综合格斗官方网站, 锐武作为中国综合格斗, 也是中国综合格斗官网, 其形式包括终极格斗, 自由格斗, 自由搏击, 武术等让中国体育和公众了解到什么是中国综合格斗, 什么是中国mma.

DARE 2/12 PRESS RELEASE: PRETTY BOY VS BRUCE

The following is the most recent press release from DARE announcing the next match on their March 17th card:

GAME ON!

We know that especially you Singaporean and Malaysian guys have been waiting to see this banger for a loooong time! 

That means that the rest of us should probably also avoid blinking once this fight gets going.


PRETTY BOY VS BRUCE at DARE 2/2012 on March 17th!

DARE is proud to present a highly anticipated Flyweight fight (57 kilos/ 125lbs) between PRETTY BOY – Allamurad Karayev and BRUCE – Bruce Loh, 
taking place at DARE 2/2012 on March 17th 2012. 

DARE 2/2012 is broadcasted LIVE on www.darelive.tv and on www.gfl.tv for just 9,99 USD.


PRETTY BOY – Allamurad Karayev VS BRUCE – Bruce Loh.
Pretty Boy, who lives and trains in Malaysia, is only 20 while Bruce, a Singaporean, is 10 years his senior making this a clash between youth and experience. 
Both are unbeaten and have a lot of experience fighting MMA in Malaysia. Pretty Boy has finished every opponent he has ever faced in amateur and professional MMA 
while Bruce is a submission artists and has plenty of Muay Thai experience and a blue belt in BJJ.

The winner of this fight will proceed to the Quarter final level of DARE Championship and a step closer of being in the group of the first DARE Champions and the receivers 
of the Million Dollar Grand Bonus.

RUFF 3 RETURNS TO CHONGQING

Press release:

Ranik Ultimate Fighting Returns to Chongqing for RUFF 3

Having already taken Chinese Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) to new heights in 2011 with a string of successful events, the Ranik Ultimate Fighting Federation (RUFF) is raising the bar in 2012, and will return to Chongqing, China for RUFF 3, our most impressive event to date, on Saturday, March 24th at the Chongqing Indoor Stadium.

The first ever government-sanctioned professional fighting organization in mainland China, RUFF is once again partnering with the Wushu Administrative Center of the General Administration of Sport of China to produce and promote RUFF 3, where China’s Zhang LiPeng and Brazilian Rodrigo Caporal will square off in a highly-anticipated main event for dominance in the lightweight division.

CITY FIGHT CLUB PRESSER: KICKOFF AND CARD ANNOUNCEMENT

"Any time.  Any where.  Any style."  Any smack talk.   The newest project by Muay Thai and MMA fighter Vuyisile "The Cheetah" Colossa held its presser to announce the card for their inaugural March 8th event.  Featuring ten fights running the gamut from boxing and Muay Thai to full-on Mixed Martial Arts, this will be the first time a White Collar Amateur event has ever been held in Hong Kong - or in Asia for that matter.  A special treat for fighters and fans alike: they will be fighting in a cage.


The event kicked off at 9pm outside of Zinc in Lan Kwai Fong, amidst life-size stand ups of each pair of fighters, which was the first time all of the participants got to find out who and what style they would be fighting.  Around one hour later, fighters were introduced and the stare downs began.


FRIDAY FIGHT FACTS #13

The AFTER-PARTY
2/11 - ONE FC 2, Jakarta, INDONESIA
2/11 - Legend FC 7, Macau, CHINA
2/12 - RINGS The Outsider 20, Tokyo, JAPAN

!FIGHTING!
2/18 - DEEP 57th Impact, Tokyo, JAPAN
2/18 - URCC Baguio 4, Baguio, PHIIPPINES
2/18 - PXC 29, Manila, PHILIPPINES

W-L-D
For Immediate Release

W -  MMA in Asia: LEGEND FC 7: BIEKE WRESTLES THE BANTAMWEIGHT BELT, BAE NARROWLY RETAINS THE WELTERWEIGHT BELT: full recap of the weekend's events in Macau at Legend Fighting Championship 7 - two title defenses, seven first round finishes, and an announcement that LFC 8 will be going abroad - to Jakarta.


W -WIN LEGEND FC SIGNED SWAG!  results from our Legend Fighting Championship SWAG contest:
- Philip Wollschlaeger wins a signed poster for his call on Koji Ando who won his fight via submission, earning Submission of the Night.
- Eric Wolaniuk wins a pair of official LFC Fairtex gloves signed by new Bantamweight champ Bieke, because he stood by the challenger to take the belt.
- Jacob Millis wins a pair of official LFC Fairtex gloves signed by Welterweight champion Myungho Bae for this:

DEEP 57th IMPACT: CHOI MISSING; CARD DISCUSSION


BREAKING NEWS: DEEP confirms that Choi Doo Ho is missing and will be taken off the card.  He is replaced with Hideki Kadowaki - still a title bout for the vacant Featherweight championship against Kazunori Yokota.

Here are the five title bouts to take place at next weekend's DEEP 57th Impact:


Bantamweight champion defence

Takafumi Otsuka 大塚隆史 (AACC) VS Yoshiro Maeda 前田吉朗(パンクラス稲垣組)

Green Roman legion-skirted scrapper Takafumi Otsuka is 12-9-1 with the majority of his fights going the full distance.  His road to the Bantamweight  belt has been bumpy: he's seen more losses than wins in the last three years and he gained the DEEP title at 54 by manhandling - but not finishing - Hiroshi "Iron" Nakamura, who is now in Bellator. 

WEC veteran, Pancrase product and previous Featherweight King Yoshiro Maeda has a Roman legion record of 28-11-2 with fifteen wins by knockout.  His last three years have been a seesaw, and in his most recent outing at DEEP's Cage Impact, he also met Iron Nakamura, but lost a decision.

ONE FC 2: PRESS RELEASE RESULTS

Here is the press release issued by ONE FC following their second event:

Felipe Enomoto Submits Ole Laursen After Epic Back and Forth Battle
               
11 February 2012 – Indonesia: ONE Fighting Championship’s first show in Jakarta introduced Indonesian fans to mixed martial arts in unforgettable style with submission and knockouts throughout the course of the ten fight card.
The main event was an all out war between Ole Laursen and Felipe Enomoto. Both fighters came out swinging in the opening round and exchanged wild shots with the Filipino getting the better of the exchanges but taking some solid hits in the process.

LEGEND FC 7: BIEKE WRESTLES THE BANTAMWEIGHT BELT, BAE NARROWLY RETAINS THE WELTERWEIGHT TITLE

On February 11th, Legend Fighting Championship held their seventh installment in the Grand Hyatt Ballroom in the City Of Dreams entertainment complex, Macau, China.  The co-main events were both first time title defenses by Bantamweight Champion Yao HongGang of China Top Team against newly-signed Jumabieke Tuerxun of Xian Sports Uni, and Welterweight Champion Bae MyoungHo of Team MAD against Li JingLiang of China Top Team.  The remaining eight matches were national rivalries, pitting fighters from six different different countries against each other (seven depending on how you view Formosa).

The undercard - which was streamed free and live on Legend FC's YouTube channel - featured four  fighters new to the Legend ring against veteran opponents, and the Century Cup was a contest between two athletes also never before seen by the promotion's audience.  With over sixty fighters on their roster, Legend FC has many athletes with whom to create potentially stunning match ups. Stacking their first free live streamed event with so much talent not known to the regular audience was a daring attempt by the promotion to showcase its matchmaking skills, and a huge risk to obtaining new viewers if it didn't pan out.

Rounding out the main card were three matches between certified bangers.  Again Legend FC added more new talent to the pool with KO striker Hideto Tatsumi, and even gave a title shot straight away to the brand-new signee Bieke.  

Pre-fight day weigh ins occurred in the hall outside the Grand Hyatt Ballroom.  Only two of the fighters didn't make weight and were reweighed later.  Liu Wenbo, who has come down from heavyweight to 84kgs, suffered greatly and could barely step on the scale.  Wang Sai had it a little easier with a quick trip to the toilet.  Every single one of the fighters looked ripped and ready to throw down.  The only staredown that turned ugly was between Wang Sai and Gareth Ealy head-butting for dominant position.  True to form, Bae charismatically made a memorable entrance when he handed promoters Mike Haskamp and Chris Pollack samples of the underwear brand he models, then proceeded to turn around and 'arrange himself' for his turn to model sponsor S&R on the scale.


Legend FC 6 was a 4pm card on a Sunday.  Legend FC 7 was also an early card, but the switch to a Saturday was definitely an improvement in timing; there was a much higher turn out early for the undercard.  The ballroom holds 1,200 people, and it did appear to be close to capacity well before the main card commenced.

FRIDAY FIGHT FACTS #12

The AFTER-PARTY
2/5 - ROAD FC 006, Seoul, SOUTH KOREA
2/5 - DEEP Shizuoka Impact, Shizuouka, JAPAN

!FIGHTING!
2/11 - ONE FC 2, Jakarta, INDONESIA
2/11 - Legend FC 7, Macau, CHINA
2/12 - RINGS The Outsider 20, Tokyo, JAPAN
2/12 - Greg Jackson Seminar, Evolve MMA, SINGAPORE

W-L-D

For Immediate Release

W - Yao Honggang defends his Bantamweight Championship title at Legend Fighting Championship 7. dubbed "The Master", find out how he puts his Chinese wrestling into MMA, and how sacrifice got him where he is today at Kung Fu Magazine.

W - MMA in ASIA just got SWAG from Legend Fighting Championship! and we want to give it to you!   WIN LEGEND FC SIGNED SWAG!

W - Dubbed the "Chael Sonnen of Asia", here's Myungho Bae sharing more of his thoughts on dangerous opponent Li JingLiang at Legend Fighting Championship:  a video on our Facebook page.


WHAT WENT DOWN 2/4 - 10

W - Kiyotaka Shimizu retained his Pancrase Flyweight title, nice corner. read the recap here: http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Pancrase-Kawamura-Crowned-Again-Shimizu-Retains-Title-on-Draw-396  好きなもの

W - check out this photo recap of Road Fc 006 by Korean MMA Webzine Mfight. it looks near capacity in many shots, but COLD! see who you can find: 엠파이트 - 믿을 수 있는 격투기 뉴스 신세기 격투스포츠 길라잡이

KUNG FU MAGAZINE: YAO HONGGANG

THE PEOPLE'S CHAMP

Originally published on Kung Fu Magazine, February 2012 , Translation assistance by Terence Yam and Joe Qiao Bo

China Top Team's Yao Honggang doesn't quite fit the profile of a champion fighter. As a bantamweight, he's on the small side, he's got funny ears, and he can't keep from cracking a smile. He's almost too polite and unassuming, at times blending into the crowd of people who want his autograph. It's because Yao came from that crowd that he is so humble. To support his family, he went out for work early in his life, and took as many jobs as he could: he was a cook, a night-shift guard, and even fixed air conditioners on skyscrapers (his only protection from falling off was one rope tied to his waist). And Yao wasn't fortunate enough to be a part of the state-sponsored athletics system; everything he's achieved has been of his own volition. Calling him "the people's champ" might sound cliché, but if anyone fits the profile, it's Yao Honggang.

While Yao's weathered face and kind eyes reflect years of sacrifice for his family, his heart and spirit reflect the reward he's received from sacrificing for his martial arts. A very short time after taking up the Chinese wrestling art of Shuai Jiao, he began competing and has since amassed a record of 47 wins in just over 50 fights, in regional, national and international televised tournaments. Yao's progression into Mixed Martial Arts competition has been equally rapid and stellar: he has shot through the Legend Fighting Championship's Bantamweight tournament to become the holder of the belt and the first Bantamweight Champion of the organization.

WIN LEGEND FC SIGNED SWAG!

MMA in ASIA will be on the ground in Macau this coming weekend to cover Legend FC 7 at City of Dreams.  As always, we will strive to give you a comprehensive view of the excitement and action, from behind the scenes preparation to the final moments in the ring.  If you can't be here in person, check out Legend FC's broadcast schedule for Asia, Asia Pac, and overseas countries.

Added bonus: SWAG!  We will be securing posters signed by all the athletes, and - get this - Fairtex MMA gloves signed by the fighters of the two Championship title defences.



All you have to do to grab a poster is make your pick for one - or even every - fight, right down to round, method and time.  In each match, the person closest to the actual result wins.  If you want to make predictions on all matches, do it in the comments section for this post.  For individual matches, see our Facebook page (hey, we have to keep track of this stuff you know).

For a chance at the Championship fighter signed gloves, we want you to tell us why your favorite fighter is going to keep the belt or take it away in the most creative, inspiring, smack-talking, enlightening, crazy, or enthusiastic way possible.  We'll put all four winners' efforts on the site in a special post for Legend FC 7 results.

Here are your Championship fighters!

Bantamweight Champion: China Top Team's Yao "The Master" HongGang, a calculating China Shuai Jiao National Champion who spent his training camp in Las Vegas under the sponsorship of the UFC

Bantamweight Challenger: the beastly undefeated Xian Sports University sensation Juma "Bieke" Tuerxun, who handed Yao his first loss

Welterweight Champion:  Team MAD's monster mauler Bae "Wolverine" MyoungHo, veteran of MARS, DEEP, DREAM and M-1, undefeated in 2.5 years, and entertaining both in and out of the ring

Welterweight Challenger:  China Top Team's Li "The Leech" JingLiang, a Sanda champion with scary grappling, scary brawling, and even scarier smack talk

GOOD LUCK!

FRIDAY FIGHT FACTS #11

The AFTER-PARTY
1/29 - DEEP Fuji Festival, JP

!FIGHTING!
2/5 - ROAD FC 006, Seoul, SOUTH KOREA
2/5 - DEEP Shizuoka Impact, Shizuouka, JAPAN

W-L-D

For Immediate Release

W - ‎ MMA in Asia: BAE MYOUNG HO 배명호: LEGEND FC CHAMPION: 배명호 Bae MyoungHo has taken a long, hard road to finally achieve the Legend Fighting Championship Welterweight Championship title. he's fought outside his weight class in MARS, and had to fight the reigning champion of DREAM on a week's notice. find out what else makes Bae a true champion.

W - No Holds Barred: Mike Haskamp of Legend Fighting Championship On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Mike Haskamp, the co-founder of the Hong Kong-based MMA promotion, the Legend Fighting Championship. Legend FC will be having their seventh show Saturday, February 11, at the City of Dreams in Macau SAR, China.

W -   Legend Fighting Championship Signs Distribution Agreement With ESPN International ESPN and Legend to bring the best of Asia-Pacific MMA to a global audience.

W - ‎ONE Fighting Championship  and ESPN StarSports announce 10-year Media Partnership  ONE Fighting Championship™, Asia’s largest MMA organization, announces a 10-year media partnership with ESPN STAR Sports, Asia’s biggest sports content provider.

BAE MYOUNG HO 배명호: LEGEND FC CHAMPION

Robin Williams:
I want to be more talented than you.
Hillary Rodham Clinton:
I want to have more ability than you.
William H. Gates:
I want to be richer than you.

These aren't the typical things you might read on the header of an MMA fighter's blog, but "Wolverine" Bae MyoungHo is far from typical.  He has a charisma that fills up a room without any pretense; he's confident without being cocky.  His fight record attests to an uphill battle with cannonballs being shot at him.  He is as entertaining in the ring as he is outside of it.  And he's an underwear model.

Bae instantly made himself a crowd favorite at the first Legend FC event in January of 2010 before he even set foot in the ring.  His entrances are now anticipated for the energy and build up they bring.  From the moment Bae takes the fighter's platform, he commands your attention: he saunters up the steps, waits for all eyes to be turned in his direction, throws he head back and and lets out his Wolverine's howl.  Then he smiles as if to say, "Nah, I'm only kidding," and exuberantly skips down the runway trying to tag every outstretched hand from the audience.


Inside the ring, Bae's a different animal altogether.  His smile instantly disappears and he is all business.  His eyes find his opponent's and they never leave - take a look at his pictures on his Legend FC profile as proof.  He will stand and trade punches, can throw any kick at any time, has incredible takedowns, and brute strength submission defense.  On the ground, Bae's top position and ground and pound are as calculated and dominating as his stand up game  How does he prefer to finish a fight?  "I prefer a submission," he answers, surprisingly.  "But I don't care, as long as the audience enjoys my performance."