06 May ONRA:May6th,2010.
Hafa Adai,
Guam clothing brand, Shoyoroll clothing company makes the front page of this months Gracie Magazine, with more than enough photos to line the pages of BJJs most respected monthly publication, the Marianas Open Brazilian Jiujitsu and Submission Grappling Tournament is this weekend at the FatherDuenas Phoenix Center and TrenchWarz12:BattleBrawl is on schedule for May21st at the Saipan World Resort.
Following last weekend’s PXC19, The Pacific Daily News, maybe mistakenly, published an end statement that PXC 19 was Guam’s first recognized professional Mixed Martial Arts event…no offense to the author , promoters, or Commision but after years of hardwork networked with local and international MMA industry heads— words describing response would be laughter, disappointment, and frustration.
Virtually a decade and a half in the transformation from No Holds Barred Fighting to to MixedMartialArts Competition with almost a hundred successful large and small scale combat sports events accumulated in the islands— sadly Guam’s landmark return to live MMA with a rew commission has in several ways become a stain in an industry that has, in the past, been working tirelessly for progress and community positivity.
When keeping in the light all the achievements local and abroad that we have established as a collective competitive martial arts identity—do we feel that this weekend’s past event was a true representation of things positive that we have collectively been trying from the start to illustrate in our MMA Industry Ventures .
Fans are not necessarily into this MMA thing for the same reasons. That’s something that could be understood and appreciated. But in the years that weve been trying to develop our fighters and industry, don’t we think its important that we work to educate our audience and further sophisticate the entity that skeptics might disdain and regard as nothing but bloodsport?
How are we doing this when we allow international ambassadors to take the back seat to the sensation of violence? How are we doing this when as sponsors, supporters, promoters, or columnists if after 14years—we still cannot recognize the difference? And in the end how can we do this if still for the sake of the community—we refuse to make a stand?
As the matchmaker of JungleRules1:TheWarInThePacific in 2001—I carelessly matched Hansen Nithan, a first time fighter to face a world class number 2ranked Professional Shooto fighter , Tetsuji Kato.
In 2005 in Fury4, After failing to find a replacement opponent for a fighter 8weeks in hard-training, Toshikazu Isseno arrive on Guam with 15 supporters from Japan—only to find out that, as a matchmaker , I failed to find a replacement opponent for Harris Sarmiento who pulled out from injury just 2days before the event; Leaving Issei without a fight and his supporters and our visitors disappointed.
But Fast forward to 2010 and where are we now?
Replacement fighters are more readily available in the islands and we’ve become far more educated to host any mismatches of the sort and not because of any commission, but because of experience.
As a former co-promoter, I have done shameful things and I am not here to throw stones in glass houses. the network i proudly stand with has grown from the mistakes and still continues to do our part to ccompetitive cultivate and showcase–a healthy experience in competitive Martial Arts.
As the sport has graudated internationally from NHB to MMA we need to work beyond cultivating the mystery of who might be the best fighter on island to graduate this way of thinking to real concerns of our fighters positions and potentials in a regional and world industry that is calling our name on more occasions than ever.
Much respect to the organizers of PXC for offering Guam fighters an event to showcase and in effect, cultivate, their talent. There is definitely volumes to say for an event that has maintained over 40 shows. A sincere applaud for the staff– After all, with these events comes a tremendous amount of work.
With the performance of our fighter-athletes, we can say that in some ways this last event was progressive.However–With all due respect to the promoters and commission, many fighters and fans have felt that we have actually taken a few steps backwards in what many thought was supposed to be the return and revamp for Guam’s Mixed Martial Arts Industry. An industry supposedly aimed for community positivity…of quality MMA representation.
For those who attended the event—Im sure we have noticed the increase in talent yet the absence of spectators.
How are we measuring the success of MMA? Personal venture, sport legitimizing, island pride, people movement…Do we measure the success in dollars earned, in accumulated victories? Is it the spill of blood or the rise of spirit? Is MMA a great thing because it sells tickets and fills our pockets, or is it a great thing because of its impact and very real potentials for mass enhancement? Are we trying to develop a sport and lifestyle or are we hoping to legalize violence? What do we want to provide for our fans, sponsors, fighters, and skeptics?
MMA globally and locally has proven itself to be a very powerful product . with great power comes great responsibility so as industry figures, we owe it to the island to ponder these questions and to move in awareness of the inevitable ricochet o f the decisions that we make in this small community.
Many people can appreciate the spectacle of a great fight but I think more can appreciate the pursuit of cultivating a great island. Hopefully in all our individual ventures in Martial Art or combat sport, in event sponsorship or event attendance, in training to fight or in organizing a show–we can continue move forward accordingly. In ventures beyond business—in hopes beyond entertainment, and in conscious service of the island we, in more ways than one, represent.
Thanks for dropping by.