Onra:10.09.08

10 Oct Onra:10.09.08

Posted at 15:50h in Onra by

 

 

MMATalentGrowingInMarianas

Hafa adai.

Congratulations to the Guam Army National Guard for their 13th place finish at the Fourth Annual All-Army Combatives tournament.

  • In San Diego, Herman Torado defeated Guerrilla Warfare veteran Johnny Mercurio by referee stoppage in Total Combat 32.
  • Locally, BJT Entertainment opens up in Talofofo as a fight industry service center for the southern side of the island, while the fight cards are in the making for an upcoming Pacific Xtreme Combat in late November and the next Trench Warz in Saipan.Hats off to the Muna Brothers for a great tour throughout for an excellent experience in the promotion and deliverance of Guam’s first full length film. With Guam’s mixed martial arts feature movie hopeful “I Fuetsan I Tao Tao” in the works, a great harvest is in the waiting for Guam’s flourishing entertainment industry. I’m more than happy to see that sport and martial art are part of that equation.

    Tremendous strides

    The developments between the Mariana Islands through MMA has been tremendous. Although it’s great to see how far we’ve come in skill and talent, what’s just as impressive is the bridge that has been built with our brothers in the Marianas.

    I was lucky enough to be involved with the Fury Fighting Islands Promotional Team. The first of the event series was in April of 2004 in Tinian, although the level of MMA on Guam has jumped incredibly since then, at the time we were still leaps ahead of the rest of the Marianas.

    Now it’s a different story. Fighters like Frank Camacho, Cuki Alvarez, Charles Aiken and Patrick Ayuyu have stood with Guam’s best for a stronger international presence with a conscious promotion for all of the Marianas. There have been many initiatives to stimulate Mariana Island interactivity and it’s awesome that MMA has become another vehicle.

    We’re going to be around for a long time. As our fighters start to venture internationally and more frequently, there will be victories, but we’re also bound to face some disappointments. Moving collectively among the islands, there will be bigger components to pick up the pieces.

    It’s important that we recognize, if not emphasize, that MMA in the islands is not just here to entertain, or to prove who’s the best fighter on the island.

    We are a sophisticated people and the longevity and community impact of our combat sports should already put us on top of that understanding.

    Standing ovation

    A standing ovation goes to Cuki Alvarez, who seems to have taken the lead in helping to provide our neighbors with a competitive MMA environment. An environment that can look through the importance of victory in competition, can appreciate the excitement of a good fight, and can recognize and celebrate technique.

    All of this is done while providing a growing platform for fighter athlete hopefuls throughout all the islands of Micronesia.

    Great rewards

    We will be fortunate to live and grow in this spirit, especially this early in a sport and lifestyle that will continue to grab interest across every demographic. The rewards are bigger than a championship belt, a front-page photo in a magazine or an appearance on national TV. It is more about getting our name across; it is about supporting the name with quality backbone. And we are well on our way.

    Biba Marianas!