Monday,
October 18, 2010
Sherdog Technique
of the Week: Nam Phan - Kimura/Key Lock
http://www.sherdog.com/mma-techniques/TUF-12-Technique-of-the-Week-27589
Friday, October 15, 2010
TUF 12 Episode 5 Q&A: USAToday - Nam Phan Interview
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/mma/post/2010/10/nam-phan-reflects-on-tuf-12-episode-5-we-were-so-happy/1
Friday, October 15, 2010
TUF 12 Episode 5 Q&A: The Garv - Nam Phan Interview
http://thegarv.com/TUF-Talk-Nam-Phan-Discusses-his-Impressive-Win-over-Spencer-Paige-with-The-Garv.html
Friday, October 15, 2010
TUF 12 Episode 5 Q&A: Vigilante MMA - Nam Phan Interview
http://vigilantemma.com/2010/10/15/tuf-12-episode-5-qa-with-special-correspondant-nam-phan/
Monday,
October 11, 2010
Sherdog Technique
of the Week: Nam Phan - Rear Naked Choke
http://training.sherdog.com/techniques/news/108634-tuf-12-rear-naked-choke
Monday, October 11, 2010
TUF 12: Episode 4 Review
After Aaron Wilkinson's loss, Alex(Bruce
Leeroy) continued to be very annoying and disrespectful. It got on my teammates nerves, as well as the other Competitors.
The night Sevak confronted Alex about his maturity, emotions quickly became heated between them. In the beginning, Jeff, Andy,
Sevak, Aaron and myself were all sitting in the back yard trying to calmly talk some sense into Alex.
Alex refused to listen and accept anything
we had to say. He was convinced of his innocence and thought nothing wrong about his actions. In fact,
he said we were the ones at fault. On TV the whole fiasco lasted less then five minutes but in reality, it was more like 30-45
minutes of constant yelling and arguing about who was right and wrong.
For the most part, Aaron stayed quiet while
the arguments persisted.
Jeff said the way Alex acted was how douche
bags on the streets act (which was the first and only time he made sense).
Alex retaliated by continuing to say he didn't
do anything wrong and if any one had a problem, he would tap us ALL out.
Andy and Sevak quickly laugh at his remark,
then tell him he’s out of his league.
That's when Alex really gets made and
tells us to go eat a penis!
Sevak explodes in anger and runs toward him
like a bull, ready to tear him apart. At this moment I am sitting there looking around to see if anyone’s about to get
up and stop this?
Aaron just fought Michael and is too beaten
to move, Andy doesn't care to save Alex and Jeff is sitting there with a big smile on his face, waiting for Sevak to kill
this guy!
I realize that if I didn’t stop this
Raging Bull from attacking Alex, Sevak will get kicked off the show. So I quickly get out
of my chair and grab Sevak by the waist but he is super strong! I do my best to hold on, as he resists with anger and throws
me around! My glasses fly off through the commotion but luckily no one stepped on them.
Slowly, I’m able to move Sevak closer
to the door and tell him to go inside the house to cool off.
I’ve been in the fight business a long time
and have learned to control my emotions with experience. To not let my emotions get the better of me and/or
control how I conduct myself. I am not sure if these guys have the experience to do that?
Maybe one day they will learn to but for
now, I have to help prevent them from acting out of control. They understand how big this opportunity is but quickly forget,
when they’re all heated up like that.
When GSP announces Kyle Watson as the next fight, I immediately
thought I would be fighting against him. I assumed GSP would put their most experience guy versus Koscheck's most experience
guy, which was Me.
To my surprise they picked my good friend
Andy Main, who is very good but not as experienced as Kyle Watson.
Team Koscheck mainly focused on getting off
the bottom and working the striking to his advantage. The whole game plan was to stay off the bottom against Kyle Watson because
we all knew his strength was the top game. However, since Kyle was the oldest competitor, we thought his cardio would be an
issue in the fight.
Andy was able to take his back in the first round but Kyle used his experience to stay calm
and defend the choke. He eventually got Andy to the bottom and worked his GNP.
In the second round, Andy landed some impressive
striking but Kyle quickly shifted gears and took Andy to the mat.
Kyle Watson methodically played his strong
jiu jitsu top game and eventually choked Andy out with a rear naked.
I really believe Andy had this fight in the
bag, if he would’ve listened to his corner and get off his back.
I spoke with Andy later that night and He
said…"I don't know why Koscheck wants me to get off my back? I'm a jiu jitsu guy. I'm gonna go for
the submission."
In my opinion, I really don't care what style you claim to
be but you must do whatever it takes to win the fight. Meaning if you're a jiu jitsu guy that likes to chase submissions
but the knockout is there, you better take it!
Unfortunately, we are now 0-3 but to his credit,
Koscheck never yelled at us one time for losing. In Andy's case, Koscheck was disappointed that he did not listen to instructionst,
then the loss itself. Monday, October 4, 2010
Sherdog Technique
of the Week: Nam Phan - Cage Takedown
http://www.sherdog.com/mma-techniques/TUF-12-Technique-of-the-Week-Cage-Takedown-27257
Saturday, October 2, 2010
TUF 12 Episode 3 Q&A:The Garv - Nam Phan Interview
http://thegarv.com/TUF-Contestant-Nam-Phan-Next-week-it-Gets-Even-Crazier.html
Saturday, October 2, 2010
TUF 12 Episode 3 Q&A: Fisticuff Radio - Nam Phan Interview
(Show 63 and Show 64)
http://fisttacuff.com/show63-w-jacob-stitch-duran-nam-pham-and-antonio-mckee
Friday, October 1, 2010
TUF 12 Episode 3 Q&A: USAToday - Nam Phan Interview
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/mma/post/2010/10/nam-phan-on-tuf-12-episode-3-wilkinson-surprises-caceres-annoys/1
Friday, October 1, 2010
TUF 12: Episode 3 Review
After Alex submitted Jeff
Lentz via triangle choke, he couldn't stop talking about how great he was. Saying things like, “I wish I was in
the audience so I could watch myself fight.”
I remember sometime close to midnight, I
was eating my Acai fruit bowl and Alex sits next to me reeking of alcohol. Immediately, he starts boasting
about how amazing of a fighter he is. I was nice enough to sit there and listen for a bit while I finished my snack, but quickly
left the table without saying good night.
All the while Alex continue to annoy everyone
in the house with his boasts. Jeff on the other hand would whine about how he was winning the fight but got caught in a lucky
submission. I didn't want to rain on his parade but in my humble opinion, there are no such things as a lucky submission.
However, I do believe in a lucky knock out but not a lucky submission.The difference is that you can throw a punch with your
eyes closed and knock someone out by pure luck. But in order to submit someone, you have to know how to set it up and execute
the technique.
The next day was fight announcement #2 and
everyone on Team Koscheck was tormented with anxiety since no one knew who was next to fight? We all had to keep our weight
low and not let it get too high. Although, I didn't have much of a problem cutting weight considering I was the smallest
guy in the house. I normally walked around the whole season at 165, so I only had to cut 9 pounds to make 156.
GSP kept rehearsing his lines to prepare
for the fight announcement and as he walked to the center of the mat, he calls out his #1 pick, Micheal Johnson. We all stand
in line with this bravado demeanor but at the same time we were all thinking, "Man I hope I don't get paired up with
the biggest BLACK GUY in the house…LOL!" Then GSP points to my roommate Aaron Wilkinson and they meet at
the center of the mat to square off.
We knew that Micheal Johnson was a really
strong wrestler with good take downs but Aaron had the better striking of the two. In preparation for that fight, Koscheck
and Coach Danny Cormier worked on his take downs off the wall, as well as take down defense overall.
Boxing coach Teddy Lucio
worked a lot on fighting against a south paw like Micheal Johnson. We were all worried that Michael Johnson might be a little too strong for Aaron but Aaron told me in private
that there is no one in the house that is stronger than him. Hearing that gave me more hope that Aaron was going to win this
fight because confidence is definitely key in the fight game.
Fight day approaches and we’re all
in the warm up room watching Aaron get ready to do battle. Aaron and the coaches stay back in the warm up room while the rest
of the fighters leave first and wait in the hallway. I am the first guy to open the door and the first person I see is Mike Tyson! I'm thinking to myself,
"Holy crap that’s Mike Tyson, I gotta shake this mans hand!" Right then and there I realize that Team Koscheck
is basically the ghetto version of the two teams.
In the first episode, you’ll notice
Team GSP wearing all red uniforms while Team Koscheck was wearing a mix of different colors/styles. That’s because Team
Koschek’s uniforms didn’t arrive until for another week! Team GSP also brings in star celebrities like Mike Tyson
to visit them, while Team Koschek had….well… no celebrities…. LOL.
The first
two rounds I thought were very close but I still thought Aaron won both of the them. I really didn't feel that it should
have gone to a third round but it doesn't matter what I think right? Michael Johnson looked a bit winded after the second
round but at the same time so did Aarron. However, I thought Aaron had a little bit more gas than Michael. Apparently that
wasn't the case because Michael Johnson came out like a bat out of hell and knocked my British teammate to the mat, finishing
him with a rear naked choke.
Stay tuned for Episode 4 and the Post-fight follow up Blog at www.iamnam.com
Thursday, September 30, 2010
TUF 12 Episode 3 Q&A: Vigilante MMA - Nam Phan Interview
http://vigilantemma.com/2010/10/01/tuf-12-episode-3-qa-with-vigilantes-special-correspondant-nam-phan/
Monday, September 27, 2010
TUF 12: Episode 2 Review
As we’re driving to the new TUF 12 house, the vans are packed and full
of anxiousness. To all of our surprise, this was the biggest house any of us have ever seen. I made sure to be the first one
in the house so I can scope out all the rooms. I didn't want to be stuck in a room full of crazy guys, so I searched for
a room with the least number of beds. Figuring the less number of people, the less drama.
So I actually ended up in a four man room with Jonathan Brookins, Arron Wilkinson,
and Dane Sayers. I was very happy with the out come of my roommates because those guys were the coolest guys in the house!
The next day was team picks and I actually wanted to be on Team GSP because I thought my personality would click
better with GSP. GSP seemed like a very mellow mannered person on TV and Koscheck’s personality seemed
like it would conflict with mine, since I was a lot more quiet/composed.
The team picks begin and I expected to be a top 3 pick, considering my experience
along with the positive performance in the prelims. But boy was I was wrong! The team picks took only two
minutes to decide on TV but in reality, it took 30-40 minutes! The longer it took, the worse my anxiety got. It felt like
grade school all over again when I would be picked last because I wasn't really good at any sports. The flashbacks were
so over whelming, I almost cried on TV… LOL.
To my relief, I was finally picked 5th by Team Koscheck and thought to myself,
"Man, I got picked 5th? These guys must really think I suck?!"
Afterwards, the fight picks were announced
and it was Alex Caceras vs Jeff Lentz. I really thought Jeff was going to kill Alex because Jeff had better striking and was
physically stronger. Additionally, Jeff was running his mouth about how he would destroy Alex very easily prior to the fight.
But then again, Jeff likes to chain smoke which got me a little worried? But
I figured he must be pretty gangster, to be a fighter that smokes because it means he’s pretty confident to beat anyone
in any condition.
In the interview he said, "Let them think I have no gas because I got
cardio for days!"
But in training Jeff's cardio was actually not that good…. LOL.
I mean it was good for someone who smoked and I will give him that but as a fighter, it was less then impressive.
On the other hand, I can not question Alex’s cardio because I never
seen him smoke and he looked to be in good shape. Alex also displayed very flashy technique while being very animated and
I was very curious to see how he was going to perform against Jeff.
As Jeff entered the octagon he goes for
a running sprint to excite the crowd, but it looked more like he just gassed out and lost his breath. In the first round,
Jeff looked very dominant with his striking abilities. Jeff had the better shots in the exchanges and used his strength well
to pin Alex against the cage. However, as the Round progressed, Jeff's kicks and punches became lack luster. But as Dana White said on the show, Jeff ended the round with a big
judo throw to put an exclamation mark on Rd 1.
Round 2: Alex decides to take Jeff down but in the scramble,
Alex ends up on the bottom. Alex did a very good job of staying calm and was able to control Jeff's posture to set up
the fight ending triangle choke.
Everyone from Team Koscheck really wanted Jeff to beat the crap out of Alex,
to end all the talk about how great he is. Nevertheless, everyone was there to pick Jeff up when he was feeling down on himself.
Everyone at first was asking Jeff , "why did you decide to take him down?
The strategy was to stand up and bang with him". Jeff would answer in a very intense and frustrated voice, "He took
me the F..K down ok!"
Then we would ask, "Well, if that's the case how did He end up on
the bottom?"
Sunday, September 26, 2010
TUF 12 Episode 2 Q&A: Vigilante MMA - Nam Phan Interview
http://vigilantemma.com/2010/09/24/tuf-12-episode-2-qa-with-cast-member-nam-phan/
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Sherdog Fight Week: Nam Phan Interview
http://www.sherdog.com/videos/recent/Fight-Week-Half-Point-Scoring-System-2647
Monday, September 20, 2010
TUF 12: Episode 1 Review
When I walked
through the doors of the UFC training center, I saw two giant portraits of GSP and Josh Koscheck. I felt like I was
in wonderland and everything was surreal. The Director tells all the fighters where to stand, when they announce the pairing
of the fighters. My eyes wondered around the mat trying to figure out who they would pair me up with? As I observed every
detail of the process, I quickly realized that I was the smallest fighter amongst the 28 guys.
I thought
to myself, "Man these guys are huge, how in the world do these guys make 155?"
I was easily
the shortest at 5’ 6” and the next shortest guy was about 5’8”- 5’10”, while
everyone else was 6 feet or above. During this time UFC President (Dana White)
is pairing up the fighters one after another and I am patiently waiting for my turn to get paired. As I
size up the remaining competitors, Dana White
finally announces the final fight of the night “Nam Phan vs Mike Budnik!”
I had never heard of Mike Budnik before I arrived to Vegas but apparently everyone else did? I quickly gathered some
last minute research, by asking every fighter a little bit of info on him.
-
I find out that he had been training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for about 8 years and was a brown belt.
-
He fought in the WEC against Rich Clemente to a decision.
-
He is very crafty off his back and I should watch out for his armbars and triangles.
-
He is a pretty decent wrestler and likes to bang in the middle of the ring
-
His striking is not too technical but is down to brawl.
I thought
to myself… "Man, the UFC really doesn't want to make it easy for me to get into the house huh?" They
gave me an experienced guy right off the back! With that being said, I made my final analysis on how to beat Mike Budnik.
Defend the
take down and look to knock him out. If it went to the ground, I was confident that I could fend him off with my own Jiu Jitsu
experience. However, I also knew that I had the upper hand in the striking department because of my boxing experience.
Before my fight was called, I decided to kill some time by watching some of the fights before me. Unfortunately, I
wasn’t able to watch all the fights because I was also warming up for my own fight but I made sure not to miss some
of my friends from California compete.
The first
fight I watched was my good friend Steve Magdaleno, from the old grappling circuit days. I didnt know much about his opponent
Spencer Paige but I thought Steve would do well no matter what because he has a very strong grappling background and has beat
guys I’ve lost to in tournaments.
For the most
part the fight was pretty back and forth but Paige was able to display great take down defense and striking with awesome speed.
Paige ended up winning the unanimous decision.
The next fight I watched was between my two So Cal friends, Sevak
Magakian vs JJ Ambrose. These two guys are such amazing fighters with each guy bringing his own unique style to the table.
If this fight was held back in Southern California it would definitely be a main event at a local show. I actually thought
Ambrose was going to use his superior wrestling to take Magakian down and control him, but to my surprise it went the other
way around. It was Magakian who took Armbrose down and controlled him. Ambrose was able to slap on a tight guillotine and
kimuras but Magakian stayed calm and defended the submissions efficiently. At one point, Magakian slammed Ambrose completely
on his head and it looked like he was knocked out until he was awaken back up by one of Magakian's punches to the face.
Magakian eventually won by unanimous decision.
Now it was time for my fight. As I warmed
up in the room with Teddy Lucio and the rest of Team AKA, I would occasionally walk past the warm up room where Budnik was
and to my surprise he was just sitting there hanging out? I was thinking to myself… "Man this guy must be confident
that he is gonna beat me because he doesn't even warm up for the fight."
I kept telling
myself that I had to fight like it was the last fight of my life and be willing to die in that octagon
because I would have been embarrassed to return home empty handed. Although, if I lost I would have stayed in Vegas for the
next six weeks just to act like I made it on to the show… lol.
Luckily I came out on top and won the fight against
Budnik by TKO, dropping him with a left hook to the body and finishing him off with some relentless
ground and pound. Later after the fight Budnik had to go to the hospital for broken ribs.
Thursday, September 18, 2010
TUF 12:
Episode 1 - USAToday - Nam Phan "Relief of Winning"
http://mmajunkie.com/news/20612/meet-the-ultimate-fighter-12-cast-vietnamese-trailblazer-nam-phan.mma
Thursday, September 16, 2010
TUF 12:
Episode 1 - MMAJunkie - Nam Phan "Vietnamese Trailblazer"
http://mmajunkie.com/news/20612/meet-the-ultimate-fighter-12-cast-vietnamese-trailblazer-nam-phan.mma
Thursday, September 10, 2010
TUF 12: Nam Phan "Building
a Reputation"
http://www.ultimatefighter.com/videos/nam-phan-building-a-reputation
Thursday, September
1, 2010
TUF 12: Meet the Ultimate Figher 12 Cast
http://www.ultimatefighter.com/videos/tuf-12-cast-revealed
Monday, August 30, 2010
UFC 118: Post Fight Analysis
Frankie
Edgar vs BJ Penn
I really thought BJ Penn was going to
beat Frankie Edgar the 2nd time around. However, Frankie proved Me and the rest of the world wrong.
Frankie
appeared to have more fire and showed his desire to really want the win. He came to fight and BJ Penn did not look as hungry
nor as ripped, as he usually does. Even though I thought Frankie won the first fight (3-2 against BJ), this time Penn has
no more excuses for his loss. Frankie Edgar earned the right to retain the UFC Light Weight Championship but will be tested
when he defends it against the Bully, Gray Maynard.
Randy Couture vs James Toney
This fight was so stupid! Did anyone really think James Toney had a split chance? How was James Toney
going to learn to defend against a world class wrestler like Randy in six months? There’s no way a high level
PURE boxer was going to challenge a high level MMA fighter and win. The same goes for an MMA fighter trying
to compete at the highest level of boxing. Either way, He/She will never be successful. This fight should
NOT have taken place to begin with.
Demian Maia vs Mario Miranda
Great win by Maia. He consistently
took down the Brazilian wrestler, Mario Miranda. Although, I was not impressed with the striking from either fighter. However,
I was impressed with Maia's submission attempts and Miranda's submission defense against a world jiu jitsu champion.
Nate Diaz vs Marcus Davis
Nate Diaz is amazing!!
Joe Lauzon vs Gabe Rudiger
Gabe
is my good friend and I really wanted him to win against Joe Lauzon. I
guess he’ll have to get that win on his next UFC fight.
Wednesday, August
12, 2010
UFC 117: Post Fight Analysis
Sonnen Vs Silva
I was very excited for this fight and was really rooting for Chael to beat the unbeatable
champion, Silva. Chael said it wasn’t going to be a war but a one sided beat down and he was bringing the hammer!
That's exactly what he did and almost pulled off the impossible.
Chael was beating the snot out of Silva for all
five rounds and I would even score the first round a 10-8. However, in the fifth round Chael got a little careless and Silva
capitalized by slapping on a very slick triangle choke to win the fight.
Chael Sonnen beat Silva 4 rounds to none and eventually lost the
fight but gained millions of fans worldwide, including myself!
During the press-conference, Chael said Silva is the CHAMPION but He is the
BEST!
I still believe that statement is true today.
Jon
Fitch Vs Thiago Alves
Jon Fitch looked amazing
as always. Good job Jon, I'm very happy for you!
Clay Guida vs Rafael Dos Anjos
Nice shoulder
pressure Clay! Keep up the good work my Brother!
Matt
Hughes vs Ricardo Almeida
I didn’t see how Matt Hughes was considered the underdog in this fight? It really amazes me that the majority
of MMA fans thought Matt Hughes was going to lose?
Hughes is no chump but a proven 7x defending UFC Champion! There was no way
Ricardo Almeida was going to take Hughes down or submit him. Don’t people know that Matt Hughes took 3rd place at Abu
Dhabi Submission Championship and beat Almeida at the 2000 ADCC. I actually thought Hughes was going to sprawl and brawl with
Almeida, then knock him out. Instead, Hughes got a beautiful submission and put Almeida to sleep. Wow what an amazing job!
Junior Dos Santos vs Roy
Nelson
Wow JDS is the Man and he has great
boxing!
Tuesday, June 22,
2010
Bruce Lee: A Pioneer of MMA
I remember growing up watching many Bruce Lee
films together with my family. We would even re-enact specific scenes from "Enter the Dragon." We would of course take turns being Bruce
Lee, since no one wanted to be the bad guy.
My brothers and
I all agreed about the unstoppable nature of Bruce Lee. Bruce Lee was just way ahead of his time. Even though he came from
a traditional kung fu background, he evolved into what I would say is the first Mixed Martial Artist.
In my opinion,
Bruce Lee represents MMA more than the legendary Royce Gracie.
For all you Gracie fans, please don't be angry with my statement – hear me out…
Let me 1st
say that if it wasn't for Mr. Royce Gracie and…. the whole Gracie
family bringing the UFC to America, I probably wouldn’t
have a career in MMA today. Period!
However, in the
early stages of the UFC or MMA, the concept was not to find the best pound for pound fighter (as it is the main focal point
of today) but to bring the most diverse styles to a clash.
Back in the early
90's, the Gracie family wanted to prove that Jiu Jitsu or Gracie Jiu Jitsu was the greatest and the most effective martial
art in the world! Therefore, the early stages of MMA/UFC was not about using the most effective techniques or finding the
greatest fighter in the world. It was used more to open peoples eyes to Jiu Jitsu and to “MARKET” the Gracie family
“BRAND” of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
On the other hand, Bruce Lee was a Research Scholar in Martial Arts! He
started out studying kung-fu but eventually studied other Martial Arts, never claiming 1 style better then the other. Even
though Bruce Lee was not a prized fighter, he was obsessed with learning the best techniques in a real life confrontation.
This
led Bruce Lee to train in Boxing, after witnessing the effective strikes in combat.
However, he later recognized the holes in boxing and kung fu, since it lacked the ground fighting/defense. He eventually took
up wrestling and judo with the legendary Judo Master, Gene LaBell. He was so obsessed in his Martial Arts research (to find
out which technique worked best in different situations), he even started chewing on raw meat to strengthen his jaws. Just
in the case he had to bite someone.
Some of you might disagree
with me but Bruce Lee is not just a man that I and many fans consider a Hero but also
a Mixed Martial Arts Pioneer.
Thursday, June 10,
2010
The hypocrisy of dating: Superficial acts
Guys
get a bad rap for being very shallow and superficial when it comes to dating women. I’m unfortunately guilty for this
act and at the Ma Du Academy, the boys always joke about the level of respect they give a girl based on her beauty. 
Meaning the more attractive she is, the more she
can get away with. Therefore, the less attractive girls get very little lee-way. 
One day a student asked me, "Coach Nam would
you date a girl with a tattoo?" I responded "Sure but it depends on how many tattoos she has?" Then the students
asks, "what if Sharon Tay had tattoos all over her body?" My eyes opened up, as I imagined a beautiful moment with Sharon Tay and I quickly said
“YES I'll take it LOL!!”
Guys, including myself are guilty of being superficial when
it comes to looks. I admit it…
But girls on the other hand are guilty as well
but in a slightly different way. They judge guys based on their “Status.”
I’ve seen not so attractive dudes with some
of the hottest girls on the planet! I’ve even seen some wrinkled old dudes with some young super
model types! The point is that girls can look past the gross physical features but they can't get past the
status.
I'm not saying this goes for all women but
you will rarely see a young guy dating an ugly, old woman because she drives a nice car or has a lot of money.
Girls on the other hand are guilty of this act
many times over. They are so guilty of it there’s even a show called "Girls Next Door" where 80 year old Hugh Hefner has a bunch of super
model girlfriends all in there 20's. Now do you think Hugh Hefner would be able to have all these beautiful
girlfriends if he worked at Jack N the Box for minimum wage?
I don't think so! The only reason why he gets away with multiple girlfriends at one time, without problems
is because he has status.
So I guess I'm saying that the reason why
I'm single today is because I have very little status? 
Monday, May 24,
2010
UFC 114: Rampage vs Rashad
Rashad
Evans vs Quintin "Rampage" Jackson TUF 10
I just finished watching Rashad and Rampage talking smack and arguing with each other on TUF Season 10. I must have watched
each argument about ten times! It was so funny I couldn't stop laughing! They would argue about every little thing on
the show and it just never stopped. If the show was based on coaching skills and personality, I would have to be in favor
of Rashad Evans.
Rashad was a gentleman and caring coach. This was most apparent when Demico Johnson was submitted
by an anaconda choke and Rampage didn't go into the cage to check on his own fighter. Instead, Rashad Evans stepped in
and consoled the opposing team's fighter (Johnson) because he saw a guy that just lost and needed support. Rashad by no
means had to extend his support for him but being the cool guy
he is, did it anyways.
Aside from leading his team to a 7-1 victory over team Rampage, Rashad constantly backed
up his own guys when they were in trouble. I am specifically talking about the moment Rashad paired Darrill
Schoonover (aka Titties) vs Zak Jensen.
Rampage continuously mocked Schoonover as “titties” and threatened
to beat him up after the match up. Schoonover got fed up by the derogatory comments and finally responded back to Rampage.
The situation got heated and Schoonover was in the hot seat when Rampaged challenged him. All eyes were on Schoonover to make
the next move but Rashad saw the bad position and came in to take the heat off by continuing the confrontation in his place.
Rashad maintained composure and cooled down the heated situation and saved "face" for his guy.
The
Fight: Rashad vs Rampage…
Rashad has the more technical boxing advantage in this fight but Rampage has freak
strength with heavy hands. At any time during the fight, Rampage could knock out Rashad and it will be lights out for the
former champ.
However, Rashad also has the higher wrestling pedigree but as is the case with
the stand up comparison, Rampage is so strong he can cancel out that advantage with his take down defense.
This
will be a fun and entertaining fight, especially because of the all the smack talk that went on during TUF 10.
Sunday, May 16,
2010
Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery - Post Fight Analysis
Alistair
Overeem vs Brett Rogers
I
thought Brett Rogers had a very good chance of beating the Demolition Man - Alistair
Overeem because most of the fighters in Japan, have
historically performed poorly in America. Whatever
reason that may be (your guess is as good as mine), guys like Gomi have not performed as well as they were marketed. Since
Rogers did fairly well against Fedor, I assumed that he would do equally decent against Alistair.
This just proves
how unpredictable the fight game is and just because someone did well against one guy, doesn't necessarily mean they’ll
do so well vs their next opponent.
Rogers is a big and powerful man but Overeem did what he wanted to do and completely imposed his will on
this grizzly bear.
There are rumors circulating about Overeem fighting
Fedor next and I think he should because who else are they going to put in front of the him?
Andrei Arloski vs Antonio Silva
I was very impressed by Antonio Silva's improved boxing skills.
He looked great against the former UFC Heavy Weight Champion. I remember meeting Silva at the K-1 Dynamite show in LA, where
I fought against JZ (Gesias Calvacante). I was walking to the hotel lobby to get my room key and all the ATT guys were hanging
in front of the couch. I am a pretty small guy so maybe Antonio might seem a little bit bigger, but this guy looked like a
moving Red Wood Tree! He was so big and his hands were like base ball mitts. Anyways great fight against Andrei and I like
how he pressed the action.
Lyle Beerbohm vs Vitor Ribeiro
I have never heard of Beerbohm
but I will remember his name after defeating one of my favorite BJJ fighters. Shaolin was a very accomplished BJJ player and
was doing well in the MMA scene. For Beerbohm to beat Shaolin is a very big accomplishment. Keep up the good work Mr. Fancy Pants.
Friday, April 30,
2010
35th Year Anniversary
I
remember when I was a young boy, walking past my parent's while they were hugging one another and staring into the sky.
They appeared to be in a deep moment as they gazed to the sky, while my Mom was slowly wiping away her tears from her cheek.
I asked them if everything was okay? They replied, "Oh there is nothing wrong son, everything is just fine." I asked
"What are you guys thinking about and why is Mom crying?" She embraced me into her arms and began to tell
me her life, starting as a young girl in Vietnam .
While my mom was pregnant with my oldest brother Tan, she recollected
a moment walking past her old high school. Every morning she would be responsible for raising the South Vietnamese flag, so
the whole school can sing the national anthem. My mother was very proud of her role, since she was a very proud
Vietnamese woman.
One day while walking past her old High School, a new flag was raised
instead of the traditional South Vietnamese flag. The Flag she used to raise and admire as a young girl, was marred by shock
and dismay. She fell to her knees and with one hand holding her pregnant belly, she used the other hand to wipe away the tears
of disappointment.
The moment of reality sunk in and soon realized that everything she once owned, no longer belonged
to her. She could no longer claim Vietnam as her proud country anymore and the nightmare of losing her freedom, was too overwhelming.
A year later Tan Si Phan was born and the country my parents once called home, was taken over by a New Regime. My parents
had plans of fleeing the country to start a new life. A life of freedom and opportunity but the plan to escape was a difficult
task that took careful planning and perfect execution.
At 3am my parents and few other families slipped past soldiers
and quietly boarded my late grandfather's boat. Unfortunately, they were not sneaky enough and the armed soldiers detected
their escape attempt. The soldiers started shooting from a distance and my mom gripped her baby, while my father shielded
her while dodging bullets like a swarm of bees. My mother told me she would’ve stayed back and died, then to abandon
her new-born son. Everybody safely got on the boat but were still being shot while sailing away. Commands from a loud speaker
phone ordered them to return to shore or else they will pay the consequences for their actions. My family obviously ignored
those demands and continued sailing to freedom.
My parents and many other Vietnamese refugees settled in Malaysia for a few years. My Mother gave birth to my second oldest brother Khanh Si Phan
in 1978. They eventually settled in California where my Mom
gave birth to Me, Nhat-Nam Si Phan in 1983 out of Fountain Valley Hospital .
Final
thought:
To all my young Vietnamese brothers and sisters that read this. Please remember to be proud of you culture
and to have some Vietnamese Pride. In America , it is very
easy to lose sight of your roots and where you come from. I the younger Vietnamese generation losing
touch with their roots and it makes me sad. I know Vietnamese kids that can’t speak or understand a word of Vietnamese.
I’m not as fluent as I would like to be but the point is, do your best to save as much of you culture as possible.
Take Vietnamese classes, talk to your parents in your native tongue and learn about the Vietnamese history. Our parents
did not risk their lives to lose our cultural roots and forget the foundation. It’s important to know where we came
from and who we are because that’s what makes us unique. The life risking purpose for my Parents was to provide us an
opportunity that did not exist in Vietnam . To be Somebody and do Something that would make them proud!
Therefore, don't
think of On April 30th as the day we lost the motherland to the Communists. Instead, think of it as the day we left to start
a new beginning!
VIET PRIDE REPRESENT!
Saturday, April
24, 2010
WEC 48 - Pre-Fight Analysis
FABER VS ALDO
I am always rooting for my California Kid, Urijah
Faber but he is fighting someone that is so talented, it’s unbelievable. A while back I spoke with Jose
Aldo and asked him, "what's your secret to becoming so good?" He answers back, "Please don't tell anyone
but I sold my SOUL to the devil." He then looks at me with a sinister smile and laughs!
I looked at him in fear and then peed in my pants.
I totally believed him because how is it possible
for someone to be this dominant? I have a lot of respect for Faber and I thought he was the best 145 guy out there but Mike Brown comes in and knocks him out in the first round!
Brown then comes back and beats Faber again, to silence the critics and end any rumors of a fluke.
Then “Mr. Devil Worshiper” comes in the picture and beats the crap out of the Mike Brown!
One more fact
that supports my theory about him selling his soul to the devil, is that he kicked a soccer ball into a basket
ball hoop! I can't stand five feet away from the net and make a shot! This guy is scoring points with his
freakin foot? What the heck is that all about?
One more thing I would like to add is that I never met Jose Aldo and the
conversation about him and the devil never happened. Hahaha….
This is all beside the point because I really hope
the Faber brings the belt back home to Cali.
I would also like to say good job to Jake Shields
for Defeating Dan Henderson in a very dominant manner.
Very good job to
Gilbert Melendez!
Way to represent the SANTANA or SANTA ANA LOL. Also good job to King Mo for pulling off a win against a highly ranked Gegard Mousasi.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Strikeforce Nashville - Pre-Fight Analysis
Dan Henderson vs Jake
Shields
This is an interesting matchup. I
hope my jiu jitsu brother(Jake Shields) pulls off the win against the heavy handed Dan Henderson. If Jake does the impossible,
it would raise his legitimacy to a whole new level and improve his free agent value! Even though Shields is a 4-1 underdog,
I still think he has a good chance to win the fight. However, Jake cannot get careless and make a mistake. In past fights,
Henderson has been taken down by fighters with less Wrestling credentials than Shields. If Jake can capitalize
the top position, he might be able to submit him. Jake has a point when he says Henderson is not too crafty on his back and
if he gives is to Jake, there’s a chance he could be submitted. On the other hand, Henderson has dynamite in his hands
and Jake's stand up skills are not that powerful. I was about to say technical but Henderson's boxing technique is
not that technical either. However, power is something Henderson definitely possesses. Therefore, if Henderson stuffs the
take down and lands a big right. Jake Shields might be in some trouble. I really hope Jake will submit him and not get hurt
doing it.
Gegard Mousasi vs Muhammed Lawal
I admire both fighters
since they’re just amazing athletes.
In 2009, I fought on the same “Sengoku” card as King Mo in Japan.
My first impression of this King Mo was “just another cocky, arrogant fighter.” But after hanging out with him
in Japan, I realized that my initial impression was wrong. King Mo is a really down to earth guy and has
more class/manners than most College kids. I realized that all the crazy antics are just entertainment for the fans. The real
man behind the camera is just a regular guy, trying to make his mark in this sport. The Bigger then Life persona is just an
illusion.
I have never met Mousasi in person but from what I can tell in his interview, he seems like a stand up guy
also. Since I’ve met and spent time with King Mo, I will be rooting for him in this fight.
Gilbert Melendez
vs Shinya Aoki
I usually support
my fellow Asian brother because there’s so few of us but in this case, I don't have anything positive to say about
Shinya Aoki. His actions on New Year’s Eve at Dream/Sengoku was a disgrace. Not only did he break
Hirota’s arm, he flips him off while he’s lying on the ground and
then circles the ring flipping off the crowd?! What the heck is wrong with this guy? He has no respect for anyone but himself
and that is not how a martial artist should present himself to the public. I really hope that El Nino smashes him to a bloody
pulp. I know that Gilbert resides in San Francisco now but he’s originally from Santa Ana. Therefore, lets bring home
a win for the OC Gilbert! REPRESENT!
I also want to make it clear that I represent Northern OC which is the real Orange County. Hahahaha….
Thursday, April 15, 2010
UFC 112 - Post Fight Analysis
Anderson Silva vs Demian
Maia
I'm not sure why Anderson
Silva acted so childish during the fight. I respected Anderson Silva as a martial artist but after a performance like that,
I lost a little bit of respect.
As a martial artist you must keep your composure and always stay calm, regardless of
comments made by your opponent.
Unfortunately, Silva lost his cool moments into the fight and did not display all the
skills and experience he possesses. Anderson had a chance to finish Maia throughout the fight but instead decided to tease
and mock his opponent.
We’ll never know the true motives for Silva but what we do know is that Maia did his best
to finish the fight. Even though Maia's eyes were beaten shut, he went for broke and threw punches from his knees.
Maia looked very frustrated during Silva’s circus act but showed that he was a true black belt and a classy gentleman
until the very end.
However, I still believe Silva is one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world.
BJ Penn vs Frankie Edgar
Many people thought BJ got robbed but I thought Edgar was the hungrier fighter and
wanted it more. Frankie Edgar won the fight fair and square.
Matt
Hughes vs Renzo Gracie
Matt Hughes is still a GANGSTER! The old man still has it in him to whoop some butt.
Mark Munoz vs Kendall Grove
My Asian brother had a difficult
time in the beginning but showed tremendous heart and pulled off the win. Keep up the good work Mark Munoz, My fellow Asian
brother.
Wednesday, April
8, 2010
Everything in life happens for a reason......
I believe everything
in life happens for a reason and I do mean everything. Even if it has very little affect on someone's life, there’s
always a purpose. You should always stay up to date with what’s going on in your career/industry, especially if it’s
specific to your lively hood.
Florian vs Gomi
The fight between Kenny Florian
and Takanori Gomi taught us a great lesson in evolution and effort. Florian is a great example
of evolving with the sport, constantly learning new skill sets. On the other hand, Takanori Gomi
has not put any effort to stay on the “up & up” with the sport of mixed
martial arts and is unlikely to have much of a career anymore.
Growing up as an
aspiring young fighter, Gomi was one of my favorite fighters and he held the torch for Asian fighters around the world. To
be fair, Gomi was fighting a top 3 lightweight in the UFC for the 1st time but I’m just not sure where his
mind set is anymore?
I
have a lot of respect for Florian, he is a master strategist. He always sticks to his game plan and is someone that I definitely
look up to in the sport. Like I said before, he has grown from being a pure Jiu Jitsu specialist to a well rounded martial
artist. His Jiu Jitsu has always been up to par but his muay thai and boxing has improved tremendously. Now we see a much
improved wrestling base, with solid double leg take downs and this was against an accomplished
Japanese wrestler like Gomi.
If you pay attention
carefully, allow your mind to open up and absorb knowledge, you can learn a lot from this fight.
Yushin Okami vs Lucio Linhares
Yayyy…. Okami represent…woo
hoo!!!
Caol Uno vs Glesison Tibau
Was it just me or did Uno look really small in comparison to Tibau? Well for my sake, I hope that’s
just me who thinks that because I remember training with Uno and he made me look really small. If Tibau is really that big,
he would make me look like a little kid. Thank goodness for the 145lb weight class! Good job Uno but like I said about Gomi,
we all need to stay on top of the constant changes in MMA. We can no longer win fights based on a single discipline anymore.
I think Uno lacked with his striking and needs to improve both his offense and defense. Nonetheless, Uno is still my brother
and always a legend in my eyes.
Sunday, April 3, 2010
Nam Phan vs Rodney Rhoden - Post Fight Thoughts......
I was very worried about this
fight. There were many obstacles I had to overcome during the preparation for this fight. Hmmmmm...so many issues but here’s
just some of the things that made me worried and distracted….
- The 2 fight losing streak
- Girlfriend dumps me one week before my birthday
- Stomach flu
- Weight cutting issues……
Even though the prior fight vs DeJesus was a loss, I still think the ref
stopped the fight pre-maturely. Nonetheless, I lost the fight and it is what is. Life goes on right? or
does it…...
I was telling my good friend/student K-Mack, that if I lose one more fight….
I might as well slit my wrists! What’s the point of living if I lose 3 fights in a row? All the Girls in Little
Saigon won’t want me, since I’m damaged goods. My friend laughs hysterically thinking that I'm joking
around but I don't crack a smile and keep a serious face...... then moments later I burst out laughing too.
In all
seriousness, I really had to do some thinking about my life recently. I primarily had to figure out what was going wrong and
what I needed to do differently, to get back on the winning track. The 2 recent losses took quite a mental toll on me.
I thought things were getting better after acknowledging the fact that I was on a 2 fight losing streak.
But just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, my girlfriend of two years dumps me one week before my birthday!
Timed perfectly a few weeks after my last loss. Man….. life is great for the Little Saigon fighter isn't it? Only
Nam Phan is this lucky!
I’m not sure if she dumped me because I was on a losing streak and was officially a loser
in her eyes? Or maybe it’s because we're in a bad economy and she couldn't waste money on buying me a gift?
I may never know the reason but what I do know is, life wasn't too fun….
Thank god I have my Ma Du
brothers and sisters to always cheer me up! They always make me feel like I'm a somebody again. They all took me out to
my all time favorite restaurants, the five star Olive Garden!
At dinner, my faithful student "Kenny the Spaceman" told me…"Coach
Nam, you have a black belt in jiu jitsu and a SIX PACK! You can get any girl you
want!" The whole table exploded in laughter and I laughed so hard, it almost made me cry. My birthday
was a great experience and the Ma Du family lifted my spirits. I was so happy that I was mentally rejuvenated and got back
into the groove of things again.
Just when I was getting mentally strong again, training hard and my conditioning
was feeling great. Three weeks before the fight with Rodney Rhoden, I eat a piece of fruit that was sitting in the sun a little
too long and I get food poison!
How can a fighter like me get food poison, when I'm
a jiu jitsu black belt? Great logic right? Hahaha… I'm just kidding of course…. but I did get food poison
from the spoiled fruit and had the runs for four days in a row!!!!
I had a very hard time sleeping because my stomach was hurting so bad and was
losing sleep during the middle of the night to go use the bathroom. I lost a whole week of training due to this unfortunate
situation. I was very worried about my training because my cardio was shot, my rhythm was off and I felt
very weak. Thank god for Pepto Bismol, it helped me out a lot.
I only had two weeks left to prepare for the fight
and I usually walk around at a solid 160-165 pounds. I always train year round and don’t get sloppy, staying fit. But
2 weeks away and I was really struggling to make weight for some reason? The weight was not coming off, like it always did
even though I trained my usual routine. For the rest of that week, I trained hard, ran my miles on the streets everyday and
continued to eat clean.
5 days away from the weigh-ins, I wake up at 160 pounds and tell myself ,"This week
is gonna be a super strict diet! No carbs and no salt." The only type of food I was allowing myself to eat was fruits,
vegetables and protein to rebuild my muscles after intense training.
On the first day of hard training and clean diet, I got my weight down to 151.
But of course, life cannot be that simple for Mr. Nam Phan. There’s always a monkey wrench thrown in to make things
difficult. The same Monday morning at the Ma Du Academy I was training very hard with "The Spaceman" and tried to
get a little fancy with a stupid leg lock. Instead of submitting him, I popped my own knee.
Not only am I catching up
to make weight, I have to fight with a jacked knee! I'm thinking to myself, maybe I should get that knife ready to slit
my wrists because everything is going wrong! How am I supposed to beat this guy with a jacked up knee? Thank goodness I was
able to go to the gym and rehab my knee a couple days before the fight. My knee was not a 100% but it was good enough to perform.
One last annoying thing about this fight was the weight scale that this promotion uses. I have fought boxing matches
for these guys in the past and they always use this scale that is two pounds heavy. Meaning if I were to come in at 145, the
scale would weigh me in at 147. Therefore, I had to cut down to 143 just to make 145! I
really hated life because I was getting so weak with no carbohydrates for fuel. At least I was getting super ripped and looked
like a fitness model.
Anyways, I tried to look on the brighter side of things so the weight cut wasn’t making
me so miserable. I eventually dropped the weight from monday to thursday and went from 160 to 143. I cut 17lbs in four days
but those were the most miserable four days of my life even though I was ripped. It is very hard to maintain a super ripped
body all the time unless you put yourself through a lot of torture. I could be miserable and super ripped or pretty happy
and less shredded. My conclusion is that, I would rather be happy and not so ripped. At least I’ll be decently fit and
still get to eat bad food from time to time.
When I get to the wiegh in and step on the scale, it reads me at 143!
I’m like what the heck?! You guys have a history of crappy scales and all the fighters have to cut extra weight the
day of the weigh ins. The promoter smiles at me, laughs and says, "this is the same scale we always use." I'm
thinking yeah right! You think I like cutting extra weight for nothing?
The night of the fight, I warm up with
my boxing coach Art James and "The Spaceman" back stage. The Ma Du Ace and Pasinari are also there to help corner
me. My warm up was as intense as ever. I felt the fire igniting back in my heart, like Goku (from Dragonball) powering up
to become a super saiyan! Where his muscles get really pumped and his hair starts to glow yellow.
The fight was very successful. I landed a lot of hard shots and finished the
fight with an armbar submission via. 3 minutes of the 1st round.
Final thought:
Even though the life
of a fighter at times can be very stressful and you put yourself through a lot of misery. I would do it all over again in
a heart beat because I love what I do and there’s nothing better than being a Mixed Martial Artist.
When someone asks you how your day was? You have to do your best to stay positive
and look at the brighter side of things. To not let the negative get you down so much because if you do, you’ll be too
depressed to do anything. When you're depressed, you feel low on energy and you won't be able to work through your
day, especially to your full potential.
Just remember that there’s always someone out there that has it worst
than me and I should be happy with the life that I have. When I lost two fights in row, my girlfriend dumping me before my
birthday and all the problems I had with training, life couldn’t be any worse. But even though life sucked, I realized
that life goes on and that I had to stop feeling sorry for myself. So when someone asks me how my day is going? I reply to
them, "Everyday is a good day, just some days aren't as good as others but it’ll always be a good day!"
Wednesday, March
31, 2010
Gomi vs Florian - Pre Fight Analysis
Kenny Florian vs Takanori
Gomi
I remember Gomi back in the Shooto days when he was known as the "Undefeated King of Shooto."
The reason for his nickname was because he went undefeated in five years. Gomi has always been known for his good fundamentals
in boxing and wrestling but never an expert in the art of submission. However,
he possesses decent submission attacks, defense and will always be considered a dangerous fighter.
When
Gomi started competing in Pride he was a very dominate force. However, as he advanced his career in Pride, his technical side
started to decrease? His wrestling and submissions were not as sharp as they were back in the shooto days and it seemed like
he focused his improvement in boxing and weight lifting. As the years went on, Gomi is slowly being left behind. He’s
not evolving with the times and ironically, he’s facing someone that is always evolving with the sport (Kenny Florian).
At the beginning of Florian’s career, he was primarily known as a Jiu Jitsu fighter. However, as the years passed…Florian
made huge improvements in his overall MMA skill set. We saw him using his improved Muay Thai against the likes of Sean Sherk, cutting him up with sharp elbows and pounding his body with vicious Thai
kicks. In his fight with my good friend Clay Guida,
we witnessed Kenny utilizing his improved boxing skills, slipping punches and delivering a fatal counter to knock him down
and securing the Rear Naked Choke.
I’m a really big fan of Gomi but this is a really tough fight for the Former
Pride Light Weight Champion. I'm not sure how well Gomi will compete against the always improving Kenny Florian but I
am keeping my fingers crossed.
Caol Uno vs Gleison Tibau
I have rolled with Uno in the past and have to say that
his technique is very impressive. I also know that he always performs better in the fight than in training. Watching Uno Fight
and training with Uno, I witnessed two totally different fighters. At first I was very worried for Uno because he was going
against a monster like Tibau. Especially since Tibau is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black
Belt who trains at one the top MMA schools in the country (ATT). Tibau also cuts from 190 lbs down to
155! Uno has his hands full with Tibau but hopefully his experience can guide him to a competitive match.
Yushin Okami vs Lucio
Linahares
I don't know much about Lucio Linahares, so I’m just assuming that Okami
will beat the crap out of this guy.
Final thought:
Why can’t “The Man” give my Asian brothers
a break? 
Out of the three fights, I only think Okami has
the best chance of winning. The odds are definitely against Gomi and Uno’s fight is a tough coin flip.
Either way, I hope my fellow Asian brothers
will pull out a win, so I can celebrate with them over the weekend Sunday, March 28,
2010
GSP vs Dan Hardy, UFC 111 Post Fight Analysis
Gsp vs Dan Hardy
The fight went down exactly how I expected with GSP dominating the control with wrestling. I don't
know what it is but I was a bigger GSP fan back in the day, when he used to finish opponents. Now it seems like he just takes
people down, holds for position and does just enough to win a decision. Maybe it's because he’s such a great fighter,
his fights don’t interest me anymore? During a fight, the level of control in the fight usually swings back in forth
between the two opponents. But with GSP, it’s always a lope sided fight.
Nevertheless, I’m very proud of the Outlaw. He really showed his experience
on the ground and stayed calm in very dangerous positions. I'm a BJJ black belt but there were two times during that fight
where I and most Fighters would’ve tapped out. The first time came when GSP popped Hardy's arm on the straight armbar.
The second time would’ve been when GSP was scratching Hardy's own head with the key lock.
After this fight my opinion of GSP hasn’t changed, he’s still a
great martial artist and a true gentleman. However, my opinion of Dan Hardy has
changed just a little, not only is the Outlaw a great fighter but in the eyes of many MMA fans he’s considered GANGSTER
for his effort!
Frank Mir Vs Shane Carwin
All I have to say is…. don't mess with a guy that has size 6 XL gloves.
Those were some mean uppercuts to the former champion and I can't wait for Carwin to fight Brock Lensar.
Kurt Pellegrino vs Fabricio Camoes
This was an amazing fight. I was very happy that Kurt pulled off the submission
against the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt, Camoes. I think a lot of Brazilians
don't take Americans seriously when it comes to Jiu Jitsu. This fight showed that Americans are a force to be reckoned
with in Jiu Jitsu. Great Job BATMAN!
Jon Fitch vs Ben Saunders
I'm sorry I didn't
watch most of the fight because it was kinda of boring.
Rousimar Palhares
vs Tomasz Drwal
Amazing leglocks!
Jared Hamman vs Rodney Wallace
I thought this fight was gonna
be a boring fight because I had no idea who these guys were but they probably put on the best fight of the night. Great job
guys!
Saturday, March
27, 2010
GSP vs Dan Hardy, UFC Primetime Special – Episode 3: The
Best Man will Win!
I just want everyone to know that I really like
GSP. He's probably one of my favorite fighters and arguably one of the most powerful forces in MMA. I also like Dan
Hardy because I can relate more to him. In one of his interviews, the reporter asked him
Reporter: "Hardy what is the key to your
success?"
Hardy: "HARD WORK! I am not super athletic, fast or genetically gifted but I put a lot
of hard work into what I do and it pays off in the end."
I feel that GSP is so super human that I can't
relate to him anymore. He's an amazing fighter but on a personal level, he seems too out of this world. I'm not so
sure what Hardy's chances are against the Canadian Super Saiyan but if he's able to pull off the win, it would be considered
a Rocky Balboa story. No one ever gave Rocky a chance to win but he proved
to everyone that he belongs with the world's best fighters.
Lets go OUTLAW! Oi, Oi, Oi......!!!!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
The Ying and Yang of a Martial
Artist: GSP vs Dan Hardy, UFC Primetime Special – Episode 2 Each man self proclaims to be a true martial artist.
One fighter is the more traditional marital artist (humble, soft spoken and the belief martial arts is about technique). While
the other is more cocky, out spoken and believes martial arts is about beating people's faces in.
No matter how we look at it, these guys are both right in their own sense. We
all like to think GSP is the true martial artist
because he portrays the good guy image. However, Dan Hardy has sacrificed as much as anyone, to also be recognized as a true
marital artist. Hardy is also a student of traditional Chinese Martial Arts
and lived/trained at the Chinese Temples/training ground. It is in China where he credits a lot of his martial arts discipline
and self control. He may not portray himself as the stereo-typical martial arts hero but he shouldn’t be discredited
and is a legitimate martial artist.
2,000 years ago in China (before all this main stream Mixed Martial Arts craze),
there were a group of peaceful Shaolin Monks. In the early years, they
trained Martial Arts and exercised to maintain good health. The Monks believed a healthy body would equal to a healthy mind.
One morning, a Shaolin Monk was fed up with the way the Temple was operated/running.
He decided to rebel against the leadership and built his own clan that was anti-Shaolin. He called this group, the Wu Tang
Clan and no I'm not talking about the hip hop group
from the 90’s.
For years and years the war between the Shoalin and the Wu
Tang Clan would go on…..
No matter how we cut it, there’s always good and bad (a ying and yang) to every story. At the beginning of the UFC Primetime Special, I thought
it would be a Martial Artist (GSP) vs. a Punk -Street Thug (Dan Hardy). But after watching the last Primetime Special, I’m
very excited to see two very talented Martial Artist’s do battle on March 27th, 2010.
Sunday, March 21,
2010
UFC Live on VS - Pre-Fight analysis and predictions..
Hummmm.... this should be a fun fight. It’s always an interesting night when you put two Brazilians It
first starts out with calm broken English and super thick Brazilian accents. Then their eyes start to widen, followed by heavy
veins popping out of their foreheads and necks. Finally, they get up in each others face and start cussing
each other out in Portuguese! It's so freakin hilarious, I just can't get enough of it. It happens at least one time
at each tournament.
It's gonna be a fun fight with these Brazilians but I think JDS should win by knock
out.
together. If you’ve attended a
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu tournament, you'll know what I'm talking about. When the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Instructor argues
with the Brazilian Ref about how his student lost, the conversation gets very heated.
I'm not a big fan of either one of these fighters but
I'll give the win to James Irvin if I must choose.
ack in the
day (before my fights for Strikeforce), I remember hearing about Clay Guida because
of his famous win over Josh "The Punk" Thomson, for the Strikeforce Light Weight Title. No one at the time heard
of my friend Clay and he was just suppose to be an easy fight for Josh. However, Clay shocked everyone and fought without
fear of Josh Thomson's reputation in the UFC! Clay took him down with double legs and just punished him with the meanest
ground n pound I’ve ever seen. Clay became the first ever Strikeforce Light Weight Champion but unfortunately lost his
title defense to Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez, who is another amazing fighter from Santa Ana.
I first met Clay when he was fighting for WEC. My teammate and good friend Alex "The Russian
crusher" Serdyukov was fighting John Alessio for
the WEC world title. Clay and Jason Guida wanted to have a small training session before their fight, so they asked Jeremy
Williams and I to work out with them. The training session with Clay was a very good experience and we learned a lot from
each other. I showed him a lot of small tips on avoiding the sweep and submissions, while he gave me a lot of tips on wrestling.
We probably rolled for like 30-40 minutes together and afterwards grabbed dinner. The following day, Clay won a unanimous
decision against Joe Martin at WEC 23.
After the fight, Clay and I continued to stay in touch. Once in a while
Clay would stop by the old Apex Jiu Jitsu facility in Mission Viejo and train
with us. He would spar kickboxing with me and always asked Jeremy to give him tips on what he did right or wrong. After every
UFC match, I would always call him to tell him great job or congrats, regardless of the outcome. Clay always
has a very positive attitude and it’s great to see him succeed in the UFC.
I don’t know much about
Shannon Gugerty but I’m pretty sure my old Midwest brother should be able to grind out a decision against
Gugerty.
I first met Chase Gormely when I use to wrestle at Golden West College back in 2002. Chase was a 2001 Junior College State Champion
and then in 2002 he lost in the Junior College State Finals to Bakersfield JC. I remember for a man of his size, Chase was
an amazing athlete. He was very fast , big, strong and a powerful heavy weight. I remember back in the JC College days, I
would stand next to Chase and felt like I was standing next to a giant. I mean this guy was huge and built like a rhino. He
was always a nice guy to me but also recall times when he would get angry and have a bit of a fit.
I know Brendan
Schaub has very powerful hands and Chase is a very good wrestler with questionable striking. Therefore, I just hope Chase
keeps his chin down, hands ups, and pulls out a victory.
: I give this fight to Vladimir
based on his experience and high level wrestling. He should be able to pull off the victory.
: I don’t much about these guys, so I
can’t pick a winner here.
: I don't know much about Julio Paulino but I remember Mike Pierce having a very impressive fight with
former #1 welter weight contender, Jon Fitch. Based
on that fight alone, I'm giving the edge to Pierce.
Wednesday, March
17, 2010
Hard to be Asian American....Man!
This
past weekend, I was hanging out with a group of my Ma Du brothers and we all happen to be Asian (Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese,
Thai etc.). The discussion soon focused on how hard it is for Asian Men to be respected in America. One of the guys referenced
a recent statistic from an online dating site, that Asian American men were one of the least desirable racial groups amongst
all women. They had one of the fewest response rates, even from Asian Women. I was like “whaaaaaat!?”
This freakin sucks man! Then I started thinking about the portrayal of Asian American Men in the Media and how society molds
that view into the general perception. I think it’s fair to say we get the short end of the stick on a regular basis.
For
example, when women think of a sexy man, they got Brad Pitt and many others as the white guy, Denzel Washington as the black
guy and the Latinos have Antonio Banderas ("Desperado" was a pretty good movie by the way!). Who
represents the Asian American group? The only leading Man for the Asian Americans is "JACKIE CHAN." The best we
can do is Jackie Chan? Do you think when American women think of a sexy leading man, they say, "Jackie Chan makes me
want to take my clothes off!? Yeah right, I don't think so?!
Even in a fictional story, the Asian brother still
doesn't get any play. In both Rush Hour (Jackie Chan) and in Romeo Must Die (Jet Li), the leading character fights off
hundreds of bad guys to save a girl he barely knows, while almost getting killed multiple times in the process! In the end,
the Asian brother doesn't even get the chick? What kind of crap is that?! If that was a White/Black/Latino actor you know
he would’ve had the love scene written into the screenplay at least three times before the movie ended. But if you're
one of the lucky Asian actors who actually land a leading role (as rare as that is), you’ll never get the girl, let
alone a peck on the cheek. A freakin peck on the freakin cheek?! Are you kidding me? I just risked my life to help you and
all I get is a freakin peck on the cheek?
In public, you always see Asian women involved in inter-racial relationships.
This is understandable because my Asian American sisters are hot and are always in style. American guys are probably thinking
"yeah I want to date an Asian woman because they're submissive and will do whatever I tell them to do, plus the small
feet are cute." Submissive? Yeah right, submissive my A$$! Have you ever been with an Asian American woman?
Maybe Foreign Asian women from the rural countryside might be tradional and submissive but Asian American women refuse to
take a back seat to any man. My Asian sisters are strong and independent, that's why you girls rock and that's why
I can't get enough of you.
Asian American Men on the other hand, have a different issue. Asians
in general are raised in a family oriented style, meaning we like to stay together as a family and feel comfortable that way.
In the Asian community it's not a big deal if you're 18 years old and you still live with your parents. Heck I know
an Asian guy that is 30 years old, drives a Porsche, make six figures a year but still lives with his parents. This is not
a big deal in the Asian community and is quite common. I'm a professional fighter, run my own MMA Aacademy and I still
live with my parents. If an Asian guy goes out on a date with an Asian girl and brings her home to his parents' house,
the girl ain't gonna trip out because she probably still lives with her parents too.
Once
I attended college at Golden West, I was informed that many Caucasian families kick their kids out of the house at 18. This
whole time I just thought it was a myth or fairly tale of some sort.. lol. My good friend RJ Clifford (now
a writer for Tapout and MMA Worldwide), told me that when he graduated from high school, his parents gave him a suit case
as a graduation gift. I thought to myself, "dang, that must be rough man."
Now
try to imagine an Asian brother like myself, suggesting to my caucasian date that I'm gonna bring her back to my parents'
house? She'll probably think I'm a loser and ask me to take her back home. Where does that leave me, even if I'm
a professional fighter, run my own fight academy and I still can't get any play man. lol….
Now i'm not saying that there are no desirable Asian brothers out there, all I'm saying is that it's
hard to be an Asian American man in the U.S.
Friday, March 12,
2010 UFC 111 - Primetime Preview
I watched UFC 111 PRIMETIME with GSP VS DAN HARDY last night and it was interesting to see how deep
they got into their lives. Both fighters were very open about their personal life along with who and what they train on a
daily basis. I originally didn't like Dan Hardy too much as a fighter or as a person. I think his character (in MMA) was
too flamboyant, since he talked soo much crap and was a little bit on the weird side. However, after watching this UFC Primetime,
I really started to feel for Mr. Hardy. The Producers shined a different light on him and made him seem likeable and not such
a bad guy. I think he appears angry all the time because odds makers and MMA fans, always
pick him as an underdog. The fans always pick him to lose every fight and that's why he says, "the best part of fighting,
is proving everyone wrong because fans always think i'm the underdog and have no chance to win". The odds in
this fight are overwhelmingly against Hardy
because he is fighting arguably the best pound for pound fighter in the world! But having personal experience as an underdog
myself, I really feel for Hardy and hope he pulls off an upset against the reigning champion. Even though the odds are 8 -
1 favorite for GSP, I'll be rooting for the Outlaw!
Monday, March 10,
2010
Young or old, men of all ages make the same mistakes.....
This
past weekend, my friends and I ate at one of my favorite local
restaurants. My friend picked me up for lunch and we met up with the rest of the guys there. When we arrived,
one of my students brought a new lady friend that he was seeing, so I wanted to be as pleasant as possible.
At
first I thought nothing of it, but little by little we started to notice that this girl ain't too nice and a little stuck
up? The whole time we hung out, it appeared like she was bossing my student around (basically telling him what to do, where
to go) and he’s just taking it? I'm no one to judge but I later find out that this girl works at a Vietnamese Coffee
shop. That's fine because a girl has to make a living but I have seen waaaay hotter Coffee Shop girls and if this girl
was my waitress, I probably wouldn't even tip her. Yet, my student is letting this girl boss him around like chump change?
I understand if she was bossing him around because she was super FINE….. but her? Lets face it guys, the hotter
the girl is the more she can get away with but this girl wasn't even all that and he is letting this girl push him around?
Anyways, after we finish lunch we decide to walk around and go buy some snacks. My student and his little lady were
off to the side by themselves. I tell the rest of my friends….."Man, if i'm gonna get pushed around
by some chick, she better be super HOT. This girl ain't all that and she’s treating my Student
like a man slave?!
Why the heck are you gonna let some average or even below average chick (looks only) push you around?"
The cashier rings up my snacks and asks if we're paying together (with my friend’s girl)? Me and my
friend look at each other, then we look at my friend's lady with a big smile and simultaneously say "separate."
Come
on, she has to buy her own dang cookies. Then of course, she had this pissed off snotty look on her face….. probably
because she couldn't believe we weren't sucking up to her and being overly nice and generous.
Later that
day I had a talk with my student and I expressed my concerns. I told him that I know he likes this girl but she is not that
nice to him and he can do much better. I told him to “not be like Me." Try not to have a weak heart for the pretty
face. To be stronger than Me and be with someone who equally respects you.
He looked at me with a sad face, shaked
his head, smirked and said, "I will do my best coach." ……..and slowly walked out the door and into
the sunset…….
Young
or old, men of all ages make the same mistakes. I just hope my students become a better person then me, as I always wish the
best for them….
Monday, March
8, 2010
I'm a BJJ Black Belt and can teach you how to defend an Arm Bar but cannot teach you
how to defend a broken heart.....
This weekend i will be turning 27 years olds. There are only three more
weeks left until my fight at the Bonaventure Hotel for "All Star MMA" . The training
is going very well , i'm getting lean, stronger, learning new techniques, and no injuries. Mentally i am doing pretty
well considering the very disappointing result of my last fight, but there is no need to feel sorry for yourself, you just
have to suck it up and move on with your life. Try to learn from your mistakes because everything in life is a lesson and
we should all pay attention carefully to learn.
Saturday,
June 13, 2009
In Waiting
Trying to work on getting at least one last fight for this year.
I still have 2 fights left on my Strikeforce contract so hopefully they can make that happen. i'm really hungry for
a win... especially after the ridiculous outcome of my last one.
In the mean time, I've been working out regularly and training students at the academy. Anyone who is interested,
come out and try a day's worth of free classes!
One
of the academy fighters is competing in his 2nd pro mma fight. July 10, kenny quach will fight josh mejia at the quiet canyon
country club in montebello, ca. call us for tickets and support our local guy!
here's a pic of me and pasna at the silver wolf gym in japan. don't know when i'll be back
there. it would be great to go back again someday.
Sunday, May
17, 2009
Military Pankration
- Camp Pendleton 
The Ma Du team finishes strong and I'm really proud of our
guys! We took 2 guys and they both placed! Congrats to Max Thunyakij (left, featherweight) and Kenny Quach (right,
lightweight) for both placing second in the open (advanced) brackets in their respective weight classes!!! Interesting thing happened at the tourney that tells you that
in jiu jitsu, you never know what can happen. Max actually won 2 medals! He only wanted to compete in the beginner's
but when I noticed one open spot left for the advanced division, I signed him up hehe. He wasn't crazy about the idea
but I tell him it's good practice and besides, what have you got to lose?! He ends up placing better in the advanced division than he does in the
beginner division!!!
2nd place in the open division and 3rd in the beginner's division. Overall, it was a great accomplishment for our team. We celebrated with a wonderful home cooked meal made by my
lovely girlfriend. It was healthy and delicious. But the celebration is over and back to training for our upcoming events.
May 30 - both Max and Kenny have a kickboxing event at South Coast Kickboxing in Costa Mesa. The 3 of us also
have a grappling tourney hosted by Grappling X in San Bernadino, CA, June 13. It's gonna be a busy summer!I find out in the next 2 weeks if I'm gonna be back in Japan for Sengoku
again. Still up in the air but I have my thoughts about who they might pair me up with. I'm thinking Jung Chan Sung.
I'll post as soon as I know.-NPSunday, May
10, 2009
vacation is over
I took a week off to relax and recuperate. It's time to get
back in focus for the next fight. Hopefully by the end of the month I'll know when, who, and where I'll be fighting.
In the meantime, gonna find some jiu jitsu tourneys to compete in. After the FWGP, I'd like a rematch with Omigawa. Or
maybe a chance to fight current Shooto World Champ "Lion" Takeshi Inoue. I'm feeling good about fighting
at 145. I would have loved to get a fight with Rumina Sato, but after his loss to Inoue, I heard he might retire or drop to
bantamweight. I'm definitely NOT down with dropping that much!!!
I'm also prepping
my guys Kenny and Max for the military pankration on May 16 at Camp Pendleton and a couple of kickboxing fights May 30. Kenny
also has his 2nd MMA fight July 10 at the Quiet Canyon in Montebello, CA - opponent TBA. Come and support these guys! We'll
have more details as the dates get closer.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
reaction this is what I said to the ref after the fight backstage -
Me: With all due respect, you know that
was an early stoppage. I had guard and was defending.
Ref: (in Japanese) Safety first.
Me: Have you ever heard of
samurai spirit? (he nods) Well I have kamakazi spirit.
Ref: What do you mean?
Me: In the ring or cage, I am ready
to die!
Ref: Oh my, you are crazy!
My cornerman replies: He
is not crazy. He has "kokoro".
I later asked him:
What does that mean?
He says, "You have heart!"
Thursday, April 30, 2009
weigh in day today was a very interesting day. i woke up this morning at 147.6, after my first one hour run at got
down to 144.6, then after my second one hour run i made 142.00 on the dot. the reason why i got down so low is because the
scale at the weigh-ins are a little bit heavier. 12 o'clock japan time was the pre wiegh-in trials, to see how much you
are wieghing before the official weigh-ins. When i stepped onto the scale i was a little bit heavy, i was at 65.2 which equals
out to 143.4. I was way too tired to go run again, so i told mr.Paz to go buy me some chewy type candy to build up some saliva
to spit out. I filled up a cup full a spit and i went to go try the scale and the scale said i was still over. Then i decided
to go use the restroom. I got back on the scale and got down to 65.15 which comes out to be 143.3. i went back to the chewing
and check the scale again at 65.05 which is 143.11. i was getting so frustrated and tired, but i figure just suck it up for
a little bit longer. i step on the scale for one last time and i finally made weight at 64.9 kg which comes out to be 142.78.
i was so happy to finally make weight, i was standing in the middle of the room naked screaming my lungs out. ok, now off
to the official weigh ins!
10:19 pm pdtWednesday, April 29, 2009
cutting weight in Japan when i landed in Japan
i was 147.6, so i was a little heavy. While i was waiting for my buddy Paz at the airport i figure i just should pick
up my metabolism, so i started eating one tiger milk protein bar per every hour. When Paz
finally got in, me and him went to eat some food. I got some gayonza and a bowl of rice and my weight got up to 149.6 . i
figure, i will just wake up in the morning and run like crazy at the gold's gym in japan which is free for fighters. When
i woke up this morning, metabolism was high so high i lost 3 pounds overnight just by sleeping. I got down to 146.6 and then
after my run i got down to 144.6.
i'm heading off to the rules meeting now.
9:40 pm pdt
