MMA in Asia - all access pass!

one of the best parts of being a fan of MMA in Asia during the boom is that legends of the sport are so accessible. having the experience of being at Art of War in Beijing when Thomas was invited to referee was priceless. on the eve of the event, we found ourselves sharing a nightcap with Renzo Gracie.

while waiting for the bus to the stadium, i was kidding around with Bas Rutten in the lobby of the hotel as if he were just another MMA fan on the way to a show.

when Art of War came to Macau, Wanderlei Silva went up into the stands to chat and have a picture with our Kylin guys.

at the recent Fury cage fight in Macau, a BIG Japanese guy in a very bright yellow shirt had all heads turning. he was none other than Tsuyoshi "TK" Kosaka of Pride, Rings, Deep, Pancreas and UFC. he's also known as the only man to beat Fedor - even if it was by ref stoppage due to a cut. In Pride 2006 he beat Mario Sperry, but went on to lose by TKO to Mark Hunt in "Total Elimination Absolute". he had a pretty awe-inspiring aura about him, even though he was easy to approach.

another MMA legend - Yuji Shimada - was a referee at Fury. this man is a walking encyclopedia of MMA, Pride and Dream. and what many people outside of Japan don't know is that he also knows his professional wrestling - he's even had his own persona and once spoofed "Sexyama". when the last fight was over, everyone working the event made a beeline to the beer - and i was delighted that Yuji joined us. Nathanael Amacker, one of the judges, engaged him in some light conversation and learned a few more interesting things about him:
NA: "You are known over the world, and you've reffed some of the biggest fights in history. Do you ever get nervous when you go in the ring?"
YUJI: "Not really. Only sometimes I do."

NA: "Who would you say is your favorite fighter?"
YUJI: "I like Fedor. Oh, I also really like Brock Lesnar."

NA: "Do you think that Sakuraba is diminishing as a fighter?"
YUJI: "No, he's just getting older."

FURY 1 - the FIRST MMA CAGE event in China!

the 21st of May, 2010 heralded in an historic new era of combat entertainment as "FURY 1 - Clash of the Titans" made its debut at the City of Dreams in Macau, the "Las Vegas of China". the first caged fighting event ever to be held in China showcased 9 contests between fighters from Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, Thailand, Australia, South Africa, Canada, Scotland, France and the USA. the pace was fast, the fighters were aggressive, the audience was frenzied and only one fight went the distance.

the judges were Henry Fougstedt of South Africa/Macau, Benoit Lotter of France/Hong Kong, and Nathanael Amacker of Switzerland/Taiwan. the referees were Yuji Shimada of Japan, Thomas Fan of UK/Hong Kong and James Chan of UK/Hong Kong. photos of the event can be found on the Triquest Facebook page.

the first match between Sayed Irshaad and Ngoo Ditty was fast, technical and exciting. Irshaad is a Muay Thai fighter who only very recently started some ground training to enter the MMA arena. Ngoo of MMA Phuket knew this and came in with a good gameplan to engage in BJJ. Ngoo obtained some guard and back positions, but Irshaad escaped them all with a calmness usually seen in much more experienced BJJ players, and his excellent combinations finally put him in the dominant position. Irshaad caught Ngoo with an uppercut that backed Ngoo up, then followed it up with a knee which put him on the mat. it was ground and pound until Referee Thomas Fan stopped the fight.

the second fight proved that it was going to be a night of quick finishes. Vaughn Anderson of "Art of War" fame showed superior technical prowess against Ross Lavery of Scotland. Vaughn attempted a couple of great submissions and finally sunk an armbar so deep - from the top - that Ross had to tap with his feet.

the third fight was Artemj Sintenko (a replacement for James Doolan) - who landed at the airport at 5pm - against Takeshi Numajiri. he was very technical with his BJJ, but the trip took a toll on him and the TKO went to Takeshi.

in the fourth fight was local superstar Vuyisile Colossa against Tiger Muay Thai's John Vargas. John came out of his corner supper-aggressive - looking like a pit bull. Vuyisile definitely had some good reach on him in the stand up, and was able to smash his takedown attempts. finally John made a mistake on a single leg attempt and Vuyisile was able to reverse the position to take the back and win by RNC.

the fifth fight showcased Jason Jones of Golden Glory against Minoru Kato, veteran DEEP fighter. the fighters clinched and Jason caught Minoru with a knee to the groin and then landed some mean elbows that opened up a cut in his scalp. Minoru got 5 minutes to recover, but after more blood-slinging around the ring, Jason was given the win by the doctor's stoppage due to the cut.

the sixth fight was the only fight to go the distance. France's Sebastien Garguier was up against Nobuhiro Obiya of DEEP, PRIDE and SHOOTO. Sebastien was dominant in the first round, and Nobuhiro stayed safe enough to come back through the second. the result was a draw, so the two came back for a third round. all three judges scored in favor of Nobuhiro.

the seventh fight was the heavyweight fight of the night between Dion Starling from Golden Glory and Peter Graham. Dion made quick work of Peter and submitted him quickly.

the eighth fight was the main card K-1 rules fight between Ramazan Ramazanov and a Macau Thai boxer who was a last minute replacement for Seigei Vasylier. Ramazan was extremely dominant against the last-minute stand-in, and got the win.

the final fight was the much awaited match between France's Antony Rea (of CFC, PFC, fightFORCE and Bodog) and Yoshiki Takahashi (veteran of Sengoku, Bodog, K-1, Pride and Pancrase). Antony clearly had a reach advantage, but Takahashi didn't appear to be afraid of it. he took a few kicks, and unfortunately one landed in his groin area and he went down hard. he took the full five minutes to recover. when he got back up, he gamely faced Antony and a few exchanges took place, but Takahashi broke his toe and was unable to stand or continue.

it was and exciting event, and i can't wait to see more fighters get the chance to fight in a cage here!

the last interview with Antonio "Tatang" Ilustrisimo

i came across this article on Guro John Chow's website, who is the grandmaster of Andy Chan, TRIQUEST'S Kali Instructor. it is the last personal interview conducted before the legendary Filipino stick fighter passed away in 1997. after i read it, i wanted to write my thoughts on what i had learned from it, but i couldn't find any words that would be more enlightening than what "Tatang" said. how could i possibly? please enjoy reading it yourself.

Antonio "Tatang" Ilustrisimo’s last interview before his death.

Conducted by Steven Drape, a teacher of San Miguel Eskrima under Urbano "Banoy" Borja who was a student of Momoy Canette.

This interview was conducted with Grandmaster Antonio "Tatang" Ilustrisimo, along with his senior students Antonio Diego and Christopher Ricketts, on 29 July1997 in Manila, Philippines. At the time of the interview, GM Ilustrisimo had been ill for several weeks, so he was weak and had some difficulty talking. (As it turned out, his illness became worse and he eventually passed away in the fall of 1997.) We were accompanied by a live-in companion, who helped serve as a translator for some of the Grandmaster's answers.

GM Ilustrisimo lives in one of the toughest sections of Manila, near the docks. He was a merchant seaman for 35 years, and has spent most of his life in this same area. As an example of the respect people here give to this living legend, the story is told of a gang fight between a local Manila gang and a group of men who had come to Manila from the Visayan islands for work. At the height of the melee, with many men involved in the fight, "Tatang" walked right through the middle of the spot and everyone stopped fighting to let him pass. He is one of those rare men where legend may actually match reality.

This interview was conducted for Australasian Fighting Arts Magazine (AFAM).

AFAM: Erle Montaigue met you and wrote an article in AFAM in 1981. He told me that he was very impressed with you and your art. Have any of your training methods changed since 1981?
GM Ilustrisimo: The principles of the art have not changed, so of course it is the same.
AFAM: When you began teaching your students, like Tony Diego, you had certain ideas as to what they would learn by now. Have they reached your expectations?
GM Ilustrisimo: Yeah! Tony has been with me for a long time, since 1975. If you want to train with me, you must learn the old way. When we train, I will hit your hands, many times, so you learn. You must take the pain to learn.
AFAM: Tony Diego, you've been with GM Ilustrisimo for more than 20 years. Have you been satisfied with your training in the Art, and with "Tatang"?
Tony Diego: At first, he wouldn't teach me. He said that the Art was only for fighting. I kept asking and finally he accepted me. I've been very satisfied. I have never felt that I wanted to change, or stop training. At one time, I was a little frustrated, though, and I asked "Tatang" why I couldn't be more like him (in his ability). He simply answered, "You are you, you are not me." Everyone learns in a different way, so you must be satisfied with the result that you get. You can never be exactly the same as your teacher.
AFAM: Do you feel like you have mastered everything the grandmaster has to teach?
Tony Diego: Once I asked "Tatang" if he had taught me everything, if I had the complete system. He replied, "When a guest comes to your house and you give him food, you always give him the rice from the top of the pan. It's the best rice that everyone likes to eat, but you save for yourself the rice from the bottom of the pan. There it has become hard and crusty." I think that means that he taught me everything he could teach, but that there are things that he still has that are not teachable. Things that come from a person's experiences in life.
AFAM: Tony, you will retire from your job in a few years. Do you think that you will take on more students, expand your teaching?
Tony Diego: No, I don't think so. I have several students who have been with me for many years. Probably they will take over the job of carrying on, of passing on Kali Ilustrisimo.
AFAM: GM Ilustrisimo, your style of arnis impresses as one of the most natural for self-defense. Are your views still the same in that this Art should only be used for self-defense using straight-forward methods instead of more flowery techniques?
GM Ilustrisimo: The fancy stuff in arnis, all the flowery movements, is only for stage shows and demonstrations, not for real fighting.
AFAM: What is your advice to students who would wish to take up arnis nowadays in the Western world? It seems that today, the old ways of learning are fading, and more and more students want to learn tournament styles.
GM Ilustrisimo: Arnis is simple- 1-2-3 (demonstrating a 3-strike combination in the air). The tournament styles are different, not really arnis.
AFAM: How long do you feel a student needs to train to learn arnis, how many years?
GM Ilustrisimo: Only two weeks, you can master the techniques! Arnis is simple- 1-2-3 !
AFAM: Two weeks!?
GM Ilustrisimo: Study with me one hour every day and you can learn how to fight for tournaments. My students usually win in the tournaments. Remember, though, that training for tournaments is not training for real fighting. Wearing armor is bad for the Art, students don't learn well.
AFAM: Have your methods changed much as you have grown older?
GM Ilustrisimo: When fighting, you only adjust to your opponent, to what he does. As you get older, you must still adjust. Maybe you do something differently than when you were younger, but it is just an adjustment to the situation. Age is just one part of the situation.
AFAM: Does that mean that the inevitable physical decline that comes with age can be compensated for? Does someone's increasing skill and experience make up for declining physical ability?
GM Ilustrisimo: Yes!

(To illustrate this point, when Tony Diego first introduced me to "Tatang", he playfully attacked him. The grandmaster was holding two canes at the time, one to help him walk and a shorter rattan. Even though he does not see well any more, and he is 90 years of age, his reaction to even the playful attack was immediate, very fast and obviously exactly right to defend himself if the attack had been real. A very impressive introduction to the grandmaster!)

AFAM: Let's change directions now. In your lifetime, who were the best arnis players you can remember, the very best ones?
GM Ilustrisimo: Here in the Philippines, no one would fight me. I had fights in Singapore and in Jakarta with good players. The toughest one was in Singapore. I cut him across the right wrist and won the fight and $5000. I also fought in Calcutta and broke that man's right arm.
AFAM: Besides yourself, then, who here in the Philippines were the best fighters?
GM Ilustrisimo: My father, my grandfather and the brother of my father were all great fighters.
AFAM: So you learned from your father and uncles?
GM Ilustrisimo: Yes.
AFAM: Who was Pedro Cortes? Did you learn anything from him?
GM Ilustrisimo: Yes, he was the sparring partner of my father, from Mindanao. His style was much like the Ilustrisimo style, same as my father's.
AFAM: What about some of the famous names everyone has heard about? People like Dizon, Villabrille, Cabales? Did you know them when you were all younger?
GM Ilustrisimo: Yes, we were all here in Manila. Villabrille was my cousin.
AFAM: Did you ever teach Cabales anything?
GM Ilustrisimo: Yes, but I didn't like his techniques.
AFAM: Did you ever fight with Cabales or the others?
GM Ilustrisimo: Yes, we played often, but none of them would fight me for real.
AFAM: So you had a reputation even then, when you were a young man. What other fights have you had?
GM Ilustrisimo: Yes. No one wanted to fight me. In the early 50's, I had a real fight, not an arranged match, with a man called "Doming" here on Dock 8. He had a knife and I picked up a short piece of pipe from the ground. He died from a blow to the head with that pipe.
AFAM: I've heard that you have another nickname. "Dagohoy", is that correct?
GM Ilustrisimo: Yes, it is only a nickname.
Tony Diego: "Dagohoy" was a famous fighter from the island of Bohol who led the people in an uprising. He was a famous figure in our history, so people call "Tatang" this name as, well, a name of respect.
AFAM: Dan Inosanto is very well-known in martial arts circles. One of his teachers of arnis was John LaCoste. Did you know John LaCoste here before he went to the US?
GM Ilustrisimo: No, I didn't know him.
AFAM: What about the fighters from Cebu? The Canetes, the Saavedras, etc.? Did you know them, or ever fight anyone from Cebu?
GM Ilustrisimo: No, I never fought them, but I don't like their techniques. The Cebu fighters like to use the abanico techniques to the head. No good!
AFAM: In your style, you train to use a blade. Does that change how you use a stick?
GM Ilustrisimo: It's the same, no different.
AFAM: There was a famous match arranged once, between Joe Mena and "Cacoy" Canete. Can you tell me what happened?
GM Ilustrisimo: They began to fight but someone interfered and the fight was not resolved, no winner.
AFAM: I've heard that you began training when you were 9 years old. That would have been in about 1916. How was training different then, from the way it has become today?
GM Ilustrisimo: It was very different. It was only practical training then, learning how to survive.
AFAM: During World War II, you were a resistance fighter. There are several stories about you from that time. Can you tell me about some of them?
GM Ilustrisimo: Yes, I was fighting the Japanese. I killed 7 Japanese with my blade.
Tony Diego: There is a good story about that time. One night, "Tatang" and a friend had been drinking and were walking home when they came upon a single Japanese sentry. "Tatang" walked right up to the man and pulled his samurai sword right out of the scabbard, looked at it and put it back. The Japanese soldier was so surprised that he just stood there and did nothing, even though he had a gun.
AFAM: GM Ilustrisimo, you've had a long and eventful life. Is there anything you regret, or anything you would like to change?
GM Ilustrisimo: Nothing. I've been happy.
AFAM: Thank you for this interview and for the knowledge that you have passed along.