ONRA:July28th,08

30 Jul ONRA:July28th,08

Hafa Adai,

The opening ceremeony for the Olympics is nt even two weeks away and among our pther athletes, Maria Dunn and Rick Blas Junior are en route to represent Guam among the worlds finest in Womens Freestyle Wrestling and Mens Judo respectively. The Marianas will be welcoming its newest MMA show with “Gorilla Warfare” at the World Resort in Saipan on August 2^nd. Some Congratulations are overdue for our youth: Raise your hands for Minor’s TaeKwonDo for bringing back two bronze and two silver medal finsishes at the  10^thWorld Tae Kwon Do Festival and Korea Classic early this month in South Korea. God Job!. More for the kids: The Marianas Brazilian Jiujitsu and Submissin Grappling Turnament is already in the works for August 30^th. Adults also get ready as there will also be a mens and wmens adult divisions. 

PXC15—How about those fights? For one thing, despite the heat, it sure was good to see the Fieldhouse full again. Congratulations to the security and staff, fans, and fighters that night, for the most part, in keeping the peace. An applause for all the fighters for some great fights and a standing ovation for TheJuggernaut and Roque. Hats off to Alex and Charles for battles well fought. And two thumbs up for a new Boxing and Wrestling Commission that is willing to work with and through the people.

In a fully packed fieldhouse and with all the quality talent that weve found in a 100% local fight card. It kind of makes you wonder why before this, promoters have spent so much money flying in, housing, and accommodating off-island or outside-of-region fighter athletes.

Seeing it on tv is one thing but it was important that we were exposed to off-island talent live and direct. Bringing this level physically closer to home only brought us closer to the world level, as we can see in the ever-improving fighter athletes in our islands today.

Does the increasing abundance in local talent mean that we wont be seeing anymore off-island fighters? I hardly think so. There is definitely substantial value in an all local fight card but regardless of the rise of on-island talent, it is important that in the long run we continue to see Guam’s MMA atmosphere collectively growing with that of international combatives. Flying in , hosting, and accmodating athletes, officials, and media support from off island has been an extremely successful venture in not only showcasing our fighter athletes to a broader audience; Guam’s 8^th degree black belt in Hospitality has been an excellent key in opening gateways of opportunity for our people to build stronger relationships with foreigners in similar sacrifice and passion of the same interests. Its also important that we continue to bear in mind that the  foreign fighters we host locally will better open doors for our fighters to find opportunities abroad. In effect, our athletes will, in this way, feel the extended gratitude from an industry that they work so diligently to support.

Local Competition Martial Arts, (not just MMA competition)has gone far beyond about just figuring who’s best on the island. In many ways, this sport and industry has also grown far beyond mere money-making and entertainment; it has also evolved into a tremendous vehicle for ambassadorship and networking, and among other things it has also served as an instrument of inspiration for our people.

For those of us fans who have traveled off island and have met up with some of the fighters and athletes that have competed or visited here, Im confident we can agree that the love our island has given to our visitors, has set off a chain reaction of things that have gained our island and people a significant position not only as an Martial  Arts training and competition venue, but also as  a reliable and landmark source for many byproduct talents of our flourishing industry such as graphic design, video editing and general fitness training.

So for the fans who have, for years, stood by so loyally for Guam Combat Sports, you can rest in confidence that in more ways than one, Guam Combat Sports and its industry stand ever so loyally by you.

Thanks for dropping by.