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/

A great fight night

River Rock Theater, inside River Rock Casino in Richmond on Saturday, January, 23 was host to the first ever MMA fight night inside the cage since the City of Vancouver agreed to sanction Pro Mixed Martial Arts Fight events on a two year trial basis. West Coast Promotions, together with River Rock Casino Resort put on this amateur fight night with all the preparations that a pro event would have.

Cage Night at the Rock

FightNews.com has awarded the team of Manny Sobral, Neil Pope, and Alister Brodie all of West Coast Promotions as the Promoter of the year. In recognition of their work putting on top level fight nights at The Rock and Red Robinson, calling them ‘… a real class act’. They are of course also the guys who run the North Burnaby Boxing Club.

Manny Sobral talked about the transition to MMA in an interview with boxingcinema.com: “It was an evolutionary decision on behalf of West Coast Promotions as we are in the combative sports promotion business.  There is a lot of cross over between the fastest growing sport in N. America, MMA, and boxing so we felt it important to be promoting yet another very exciting avenue of sport.

There are people still wondering about the safety factor of Mixed Martial Arts. Fighters attended pre-fight medicals, and as pointed out ahead of the event in their press release, “…all the officials for the event have been trained and certified by either IPRO (International Professional Ring Officials) or C.O.M.M.A.N.D. (Certification of Officials for Mixed Martial Arts Development) training programs and have many years of experience in their respective fields.” Paramedics are also on hand for the duration of the event.

The first cage fight in greater Vancouver was a very well organised event. The River Rock Theatre had an enthusiastic full house.

MMA Cage

And like any event I have seen, trainers and fighters from gyms from various cities around BC and as far away as Alberta came together to make a great night. Fight of the night was awarded to the women’s MMA match between Wendy Roy and Sarah McLeod, which ended in a draw based on identical scores by all three judges. These two fighters fought a determined match until the end and demonstrated skill, strategy and surprises. MMA is all about the surprises, that is what the crowd has come to see.

Iman Rahmim of Versus21

An award was also handed out to Versus21 (disclaimer, where I train), by F.I.L.E.S News, for the best new martial arts gym in Vancouver.

MMA in a cage had a great debut in Vancouver’s Lower Mainland. UFC 115 is slated for June at GM place, and there are going to be more great fight nights to come in this town.

Photos

Link to full set on Flickr.com.

Fighers on the ground

Fighters in Guard

Coaches shouting directions

Card Girls Are Lovely

Fighter Wendy Roy

Fighters Sarah McLeod and Wendy Roy

Emilio Ditrocchio and Bazooka Joe

Fighters in Guard

Right Cross

Ground Work

Fighter Ready To Enter

Link to full set on Flickr.com.

Fight results

Fight Decisions published from West Coast Promotions, January 26, 2010.

Source: WestCoast Promotions, Press Release.

The Audience at River Rock

Other Sources of news for this event online:

Photos: MMA at the River Rock, Vancouver Sun.

MMA rolls into River Rock, Vancouver Sun.

Ground and Pound: Swinging Sisters Highlight MMA Event, Vancouver Sun.

Saturday Night Nearly Sold Out, Vancouver Sun.

More photos from my shots at Honour Combat Championships

Link to more photos from my flickr.com pool

First in a series of photos for Honour Combat Championships at Edgewater Casino in Vancouver, 27 November 2009.

Link to more photos from my flickr.com pool

Hey! If you like my photos, please vote me up for the Globe & Mail Olympics photojournalist dream job contest.

Link: http://bit.ly/lzpaN

And thanks very much!!

Osu!

I attended a special evening at Champions Academy of Martial Arts. Seven students tested to get their black belt. For were testing for low black, and three were testing to earn their black belt first degree.

Black Belt Night At Champions Martial Arts Academy

What does it take to get a Black Belt? A lot of kicks, pushups, shadow boxing, katas, no-fear drops, rolls, flying kicks, breaking boards, more flying kicks, sparring, takedowns, and lots of sweat. Have a look at the photos of the event, and videos I posted to YouTube.

Black Belt Students

Impress these people and you might get a black belt

Student Kata Movement

Kata Movement

Student slowly raises leg and extends with complete control

Kata

Do a little shadow boxing

No martial arts program is complete without the splits.

200 high kicks

You want to be here? You are going to have to do lots of pushups.

Board breaking demonstrations

Demonstration of takedowns