Andy Marinos vs Brandon Takahara

2011 kept me busy blogging up the local MMA fight scene. In fact there is far more going on now than I can cover. This year gave me the opportunity to shoot beside the ring and cage as one of the people closest to the action not actually in the ring. I wouldnt go to the all that effort if I couldnt share the most memorable moments in the local martial arts scene in BC with you. I crossed paths this year with eminent people in the sport like Neil Melanson, Irish Mickey Ward, Canadian Light Heavyweight Boxing Champion Junior Moar, Gabe Morency, Megaton Dias, and the legend, Royce Gracie. In general, I selected special moments, images that conveyed a technique, the grit of a fighter, or the camaraderie fighters share after a fight; there is glory, beauty and pain.

Aaand alternatively, you can hit the who photo pool on flickr.com: http://www.flickr.com/photos/superwebdeveloper/sets/72157628695432021/with/6158051734/

LIVE in Vancouver – MMA, Muay Thai and Kickboxing
All Martial Arts Championship Back to Vancouver

WHEN: Friday June 24th, 2011
WHERE: Fraserview Hall 8240 Fraser Street Vancouver, BC
TIME: Doors open at 6:30 for Dinner tickets 7:30 non Dinner tickets
TICKETS: contact Mike at 604-318-1902, Marc at 604-729-6066, Gerry at 604-435-7777

All Martial Arts Championship is back to Vancouver, presented by BC’s leaders in Fight Promotions, Top Rank Martial Arts, and Gionco International Promotions, With Promoter Marc Crimeni following the smashing success of the 4 previous instalments. This fight series has reliably sold out  before the doors even open, so get your tickets now!

VIP tickets include a beautiful dinner prepared by outstanding chefs at Fraserview Hall. GA seating without buffet are also available.

AMA 5 will feature an action-packed evening of exciting fights in a venue that offers incredible views from every seat in the house.

This is your chance to cheer on some of the most explosive Canadian fighters as they do battle with notoriously talented Americans in Vancouver, BC.

North Vancouver’s ‘Tricky’ Nick Marinos MMA Canadian Welterweight champ faces off against MMA American welterweight champ Brett Lucero for the AMA Welterweight Title.

The EX UBC Football Player Seb Ankiel faces the American MMA Heavyweight Brandon Brazier.

Canadian Trent Skinner faces the American MMA Featherweight Jose Ramirez.

Jonathan Agnew out of Suitela fight team in Surrey, BC goes head to head with Dylan Brown out CV MMA in Courtenay, BC for the AMA lightweight Title.

Famina Wachal from Surrey, BC battling in MMA  Deb Boyes from Vancouver, BC.

Houtan Alikshani from KB-ONE in North Vancouver battling  Suraj Bangarh From Canadas best karate in Victoria in explosive Muay Thai.

Jay Jauncey From WKX in Surrey, Jay’s Brother of  Jr World Champion in Mauy Thai(JOSH) VS  San Shou Champion from Calgary, AB Bruce Tran batling in Mauy Thai.

A Stacked Card including electrifying fighters from Lightweight to Super Heavyweight in an |International event of epic proportions.

• Novic Pavic VS Navi Marzary  Muay Thai  SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT
• Rob Kruse VS Palvir Atwall  Boxing SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT
• Chris Hanson VS  Shaun Devries  MMA WELTERWEIGHT
• Ryan Hayward VS Pat Alec Muay Thai WELTERWEIGHT
• Curtis Baker VS Nate Nowak Boxing SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT
• Lloyd Kenny VS Ryan Daley Kick Boxing HEAVYWEIGHT
• Parker Lang VS Wade Abbs MMA LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT

Card Subject To Change

As always, this will be an amazing card that is stacked with edge-of-your-seat exciting fights!

Book early your tickets as limited tickets are available.

Quest For Glory FC “The Beginning” Fight card

Quest for Glory FC is pleased to announce that 170 lbs and 185 lbs tournaments have been added to the June 17th show at the Croatian Cultural Center in Vancouver.

The card will feature 13 action packed bouts with 3 MMA titles and 1 Muay Thai title on the line.

The four man Grand Prix Welterweight (170 lbs) Tournament will be between:

Saied Mizrai (Reality Martial Arts) and Josh Mazzerolle
Braedon Szlabon (World Class Martial Arts) and Chris Anderson 2.0 (Island Warriors)

The four man Grand Prix Middleweight (185 lbs) Tournament will feature:

Bela Bajai (Franco’s) and Jean Allard (Pheonix Rising)
Mikel Dupont (Infusion Fight Team) and Kiarash Moghaddam (Versus 21)

QFG is also revealing their fight card.

BANTAMWEIGHT TITLE
OLIVER VAJDA (CARLSON GRACIE) VS RONALD DIAZ (DIAZ COMBAT SPORTS)

LIGHTWIEGHT TITLE
RYAN CHRISTOPHER (WESTCOAST BJJ) VS BRANDON SHORTER (REVOLUTION)

WELTERWIEGHT TITLE
SHAWN PALLAN (Dragons Den ELITE) VS CHRIS ANDERSON (COMOX VALLEY  MMA)

160 LB MUAY THAI TITLE
JOSH WRIGHT (DRAGONS DEN) VS JOE HALFAR (POSENERS PANKRATION)

WELTERWEIGHT NUMBER 1 CONTENDER
JAKE LINDELL (CANUSA) VS VICTOR THE DRAGON WANG (POSENERS)

HEAVYWEIGHT
ROBERT MOOSE PALMER (WORLD CLASS) VS ROBIN LAYBOURN (AEGIS ATHLTICS)

MIDDLEWEIGHT TOURNAMENT
BELA BAJAI (FRANCO’S) VS JEAN ALLARD (Phoenix Rising)

MIDDLEWEIGHT TOURNAMENT
MIKEL DUPONT (INFUSION FIGHT TEAM) KIARASH MOGHADDAM (Versus 21)

WELTERWEIGHT TOURNAMENT
JOSH MAZEROLLE (INDY) VS SAID MIRZAEI (REALITY MARTIAL ARTS)

WELTERWEIGHT TOURNAMENT
BRAEDEN SZLABON (WORLD CLASS MMA) VS CHRIS ANDERSON 2.0 (ISLAND WARRIORS)

FEATHERWEIGHT
RENFRED BASSARA (TEAM DANARIUS) DEE OBARO (FIGHT PIT)

FEATHERWEIGHT
ALEX HOUSTON (INFUSION FIGHT TEAM) VS GARY GILL (WEST COAST BJJ)

The show will be head-lined by one of the city’s most anticipated re-matches: Oliver Vajda (4-0 Carlson Gracie Jiu Jitsu) will defend his title against former opponent Ronald Diaz.

Diaz has accepted the match after the wrist injury to Walter Barrios. Everyone wishes Walter a speedy recovery but the show must go on.
The previous match between Vajda and Diaz in 2010 was a grueling affair that left many fans on the edge of their seats with a close split decision. The rematch promises to a thrilling and heavy hitting contest.
The finely tuned ground game and striking abilities of the two opponents is unparalleled.
You will only be able to see this epic battle at the Quest for Glory Fighting Championships on June 17th.

Another excellent match is scheduled between Shawn Pallan (Dragon’s Den Elite MMA and Fitness 2-0 in MMA and 3-1 Muay Thai) versus Chris Anderson (Vancouver Island 3-0 ) for the Welterweight title.

The third MMA title contest of the evening will be in the 155 lbs Lightweight division. It will feature Coast BJJ’s undefeated Ryan Christopher (BC’s P4P #10) vs Brandon Shorter Revolution/Tactix. It promises to be a very exciting contest.

Joe Halfar (Posner’s Pankration 5-1) and Josh Wright 3-1 (Dragon’s Den Elite MMA and Fitness) will square off for the 160 lbs Muay Thai title bout. This is the fourth title bout planned for the evening and is expected to be an exciting and thrilling match.

An interesting non-title match has former Western Canadian Muay Thai champion and two time former BC Muay Thai Victor “The Dragon” Wang (Posners’s Pankration) (8-1 Muay Thai, 2-1 MMA) squaring off against undefeated Jake Lindell (4-0 Spokane CanUSA Fight Team) in a Canada versus USA MMA bout.

Tickets are on sale through ticketscene.ca. Visit QuestforGloryfc.com for more info. Tickets will sell fast, so be a part of history and witness the welterweight tournament.

Quest for Glory, ‘The Beginning’ will be on June 17th at the Croatian Cultural Center in Vancouver BC.

King of the Rock is an amateur MMA and Kickboxing fight night to be held in Campbell River BC on February 12 2011.

Special events in conjunction with the event include card girl charity fund-raising, weigh-in and banquet, and two days for training with Neil Melanson, Randy Couture’s trainer. More info: http://kingoftherock.com.

It is time for my fight blog to reflect back on the year it has been, now as 2010 comes to a close.  This year will be remembered as being the best year to date for the Vancouver fight scene. UFC graced our city and had its fastest event sell out ever. The ongoing local fight promotions matured, and new fight series emerged in and around Vancouver. Top quality amateur MMA fighters stepped up to try their hand in the octagon. There has been an explosion of a veritable local fight scene.  2011 is set to be an even better year with so much more that we know now, about fighters and fans who love MMA. In 2010 my martial arts blog has been to mma fights, martial arts tournaments, dojos, schools and seminars and reported back on the many different facets of a thriving scene. Now at the end of the year, I have culled through my flickr photo pool, now over 10,000 photos, to come up with the best photos when I attended events with a media spot by the cage, ring, or mat.

In sorting through my photos, I did my best to include ones that showed incredible intense moments, in people’s gestures and faces, that were compositionally great, or that were boldly visceral. This year I was fortunate to meet a few famous people in the biz, including George Chiuvalo, Royce Gracie, and others.

Cancelled: Calder Ultimate Fighting Network – MMA, Muay Thai, Kickboxing

BC VS Alberta

UPDATE: Event Cancelled.

NOVEMBER 5th 2010

Nygel Yargau
VS
Dustin Greentree
(MMA 3R X 3MIN 1MIN REST) Fight will be 185lb  . Nygel 1-0 training with Pure Self Defence  in Campbell River, BC.  Dustin1-0 training with Kamikaze Punishment in Edmonton, AB

Mel Shellenburg
VS
Cheryl Chan
(MMA 3R X 3MIN 1MIN REST) Fight will be 125lb  Mel   0-0 training with BOSS Boxing , Airdrie Alberta.  Cheryl 1-0 training with  MENDOZA Fight Team in Surrey.

Bryn Upham
VS
Andrew  Valiqutte
(MMA 3R X 3MIN 1MIN REST) Fight will be 160lb  Bryn   0-0 training with BOSS Boxing , Airdrie Alberta.  Andrew   0-1 training with Columbia Martial Arts in Burnaby, BC

Richard Evanochko
VS
Mike La Pierre
(Muay Thai 3R X 2MIN 1MIN REST)  Mike 210lb 0-0 training with Phantom Kickboxing  in Kamloops, BC .  Richard 220lb 0-0 training with Revolution in Langley, BC.

Abdul Majid
VS
Kurtis Waterston
(MMA 3R X 3MIN 1MIN REST) Fight will be 135lb  Abdul 0-3 training with Columbia Martial Arts in Burnaby, BC   Kurtis   1-2 training with  Carlson Gracie in Maple Ridge, BC

Mike Lapierre
VS
Oliver Vajda
(MMA 3R X 3MIN 1MIN REST) Fight will be 140lb  Mike   0-0 training with BOSS Boxing , Airdrie Alberta.  Oliver 18years  2-0 training with  Carlson Gracie in Maple Ridge, BC

MartialArtsNomad.com made its way from the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu seminar in Port Alberni to Summer Slugfest IV in Victoria BC. Summer Slugfest is an outdoor fight event organized by Peteric’s Gym, hosted this year on the grounds of Velox Rugby Club. We BJJ students had to blast down to Slugfest IV directly from Port Alberni to meet up with our team, which included two fighters on the card. The blue sky held, the weather was warm enough, the crowd was at capacity to enjoy the 14 fights on the card.

Highlights Reel

I have put together a highlights reel of what I shot with my video cam during the night, with shots from around the grounds, fighters warming up, card girls, and of course some action from some of the fights.

Over the course of the night, I shot 321 pics during the event and recorded fights for Moghaddam vs Downey (mt), McCurdy vs Bergen (kb), Ladki vs Aquino (kb), and Sharma vs Valiquett (mma).

Chase Ingalls

Other fights on the card worth noting was an appearance by Chase Ingalls against Robert Durkenson. Chase Ingalls is looking more and more like a fighter with a promising future after his unanimous win in the ring at Slugfest IV.

Chase Ingalls vs Robert Duerkenson

Sanjeev Sharma vs Andrew Valiquett

Sanjeev Sharma and Andrew Valiquett got together for a 3 round MMA battle. Round 1 went to the ground and Valiquett controlled from the top position. The fighters stayed on their feet during the next two rounds while they clinched, kneed, and boxed each other in a battle of attrition. The split decision went to Sharma.

Derek Mrak vs Nigel Yarjau

The MMA battle between 190 pounders Derek Mrak of Canada’s Best Karate and Nigel Yarjau of Pure Self Defence was in many ways the most impressive fight of the night. Yarjau is a fit and experienced fighter. Mrak didn’t look like your typical fighter, with longish hair and handlebar moustache, a guy you wouldn’t tussle with nevertheless. Mrak took a real beating from Yarjau, complete with lumps, blood, eye pokes, and the most brutal and hideous armbar I have ever seen. Mrak did everything he could to give payback, including dumping Yarjau out through the ropes and on to the judges table at one point. Fight fans watched in horror as Yarjau cranked Mrak’s arm from 3:00 to 9:00. Mrak didn’t tap. I kept snapping photos. People were screaming. The medic beside me said he thought he heard his shoulder pop. Most sane, and insane people would have tapped. Mrak is a stalky tough guy, and managed to slip out of it eventually and almost get full side control. His corner was calling for hammer fist but he didn’t have much of a left arm left. From a technical point of view, Mrak didn’t look, or move like a typical fighter, it didn’t appear he was able to listen to his corner as much as other fighters, and he missed opportunities that could have changed the tally. But such is ring fighting. At the end, Yarjau won unanimously, but the fans were on their feet cheering and applauding Derek Mrak for his exceptional grit and guts he showed against a superior opponent. Osu!

Moghaddam vs Downey

The co-main event of the evening was a rematch and at the same time an ‘ante upping’ between Kiarash ‘The Beast’ Moghaddam and Mike ‘knock ‘em Down’ Downey. These two cruiserweights battled it out in April for the Amateur Western Canadian Muay Thai title. It was a hard fought, intense battle that called for an additional round to determine the winner. The belt was given to Moghaddam. At Slugfest IV they got back together for the open IKF Canadian title in this division. The fight was again a closely called match, but Downey got the upper hand eventually with knockdowns, despite consistent and aggressive volleys from Moghaddam. Fight judging is not a perfect thing, and fighters know they must not leave it up to the judges. Fight fans can expect these two exciting fighters to step back in the ring when Downey has to defend his title.

Links:

Summer Slugfest IV Results

Youtube Videos

Flickr.com Photos

Got some fight news for martialartsnomad.com. Fight night is coming soon to Victoria BC. Summer Slugfest is back for its fourth year of fights on August 21.

Summer Slugfest IV Victoria

August 21 – Velox Rugby Club
3957 Gordon Head Rd, V8N3X2
Victoria, BC, Canada.
Google Maps Link

Facebook Event Page

Please note, last year, the event was held at Western Speedway, this year, the Velox Rugby Club, near University of Victoria.

Tickets Available at:

Club Phoenix - 2122A Government Street (250) 920-0300
Sports Traders – 508 Discovery Street, (250) 383-6443
Canada’s Best Karate – 777 Goldstream Ave (250) 590-6019
Peterec’s Gym – 831 Fisgard St, (250) 389-6166

Fighters interested in participating on this card, please contact Stan Peterec at (250) 389-6166.

Wanna be a CARD GIRL? Slugfest is Hiring (Link).

Here is a video of highlights from last year:

Update: Blake won by TKO with a Spinning Back Kick, in 2nd round. I understand Bebe Elzer backed out for personal reasons but brought one of his best guys from his gym. More info as I get it.

I am adding this alternate poster to my fight blog from my former Sensei, Blake Lirette. He posted this message recently on his FaceBook page. This should be a great matchup.  I know Blake as a great martial arts instructor and a super hard and tough guy to spar with. He is an incredible fighter to watch. Osu!

Check it out fight fans: I’m fighting in a Muay Thai match this Saturday in the Abbotsford sports arena. I will be fighting a guy from Sanfrancisco who has some recent titles…so should be a good one; however I can’t promise that I won’t knock him into outter space! Tix are $50 for …reserve seating and I still have one VIP table next to the ring available -$750 for table of 10. Proceeds go to help Joshua Ismirioglu a young boy with Cancer. You can get the tickets at Tactix gym downtown 1449 Hornby st. Vancouver. 604-719-7745 -c u der!

Join Blake ‘The Blade’ Lirette’s Fan Page on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/blakethebladelirette.
OR text ‘Like Blake The Blade Lirette” 32665.