Fight Night!!

As Bruce Buffer calls out.....

"IT'S TIME!!!"

My weekend was crazy.

My trainer runs a promotion called Cage Warrior Championship and last Saturday (18 June 2011) I helped out all I could with setup, pick ups, warm ups and cornering.

It all started on the Friday night after work I drove to the weigh ins for the Christchurch competitors. I got to Eastside Barbells Gym which is a badass heavy weights old school gym on St Asaph Street. Most guys were keen to jump on the scales and get onto resting and carb loading. Pretty much everyone made weight bar a kickboxer who slugged it out on the rowing machine to drop 0.5 kg in 1 hour, true dedication and spirit.

I then went home ate dinner and got dessert. I picked up three members from the club to take down to Timaru.

We arrived at 11pm and stayed there setting up the cage and stage till 2.30am. We were back there at 9am to finish setting up. After a few small pick up and drop off jobs I got told to gear up with Kieran who fought in the main event for some mock photos and a roll and shadow sparring session  for 10 mins.

Warming up

About to get started

GnP on the fence

Hip throw

Kieran's love of leg locks

Followed by an attempt at an Achilles lock from me (too high up)

After some relaxing I started to help coach our team members who hand their debut fights. I was so proud of our debut fighters as they really stepped up to the mark. Marc is only sixteen and fought a more experienced fighter and lost in the second round to a choke (which he went out cold). Jackson fought a larger opponent and gave it everything but also got choked out in the second round. Johnnie, one of our most experienced fighters took on a thai fight with 24hrs notice and won by decision. Al easily took fight of the night honors. A three round destruction of a man with an iron jaw. Kieran lost by a reverse triangle and armbar in the second round which was sad because Kieran was set to destroy his opponent with his killer striking, but here I come to the quote for this weekend as I was talking during the car ride down....

MMA is like chess, you can win with all your pieces on the board and just as easily lose by leaving a gap with one piece...

Train hard and be well. OSU!

Marc (right) and his opponent post fight (you gotta love MMA brother hood)

Jackson, Matiu, Kieran and me

Jackson still pumped post fight, he wanted RNC!

Round one! Al with leg kicks and a strong stand up game!

Alan and the crew post fight. We were amped!!

Mud, Sweat and Tears

Well the company I work for at the moment loves to sponsor it's workers in cycling and other endurance events... AWESOME! So I got offered to compete in Mud Sweat and Tears 5km race as apart of the AECOM team. Now I haven't been running since my last fight and even then I only ran 4-5 times. So tonight armed with mapmyrun app on my iphone I went for a burn with my dog along the flat and up a hill. 36mins later I arrived home and I checked the data (6km) and I was very suprised to find out the results....

Not tired, not sore. Upset, yes.

I can blame my recent cardio condition to my MMA training. Thanks team!

OSU!!!!

Backyard Boxing

After Judo last Saturday which I did not attend, my good friends Matiu and Jackson popped over for a bit of hand work training.

I had earlier that morning been to the Doctor to get heavy antibiotics for a skin infection from mat burn. I thought originally it was just going to be Jackson attending, but as I saw Matiu get out of the car I knew that this training was going to be hard for me and especially Jackson who is fighting in two Saturdays time.

Start off on pad work for 5-10min rounds of different combos. Then for 10-15mins light sparring. Try new things, keep your guard up and work hard.

Osu!

big left hook: 1,2,3 combinations are amazing when pulled off with fist to face contact

Tight jab with good face/jaw cover

Focus on your opponent's eyes

power jab is something I will be working on

Matiu's kicks are deadly. Balance and flexibility is so critical for kicking

Light sparring is fun. I hate to fight in shoes.

Our sparring was very back and forward. Notice Matiu's foot inside mine?  Take down or inside leg kick looks good

One of the few shoots I got well. Timing and foot work is key to striking

How it all started

Birth
Growth
Passion
Experience

I have been passionate about martial arts ever since I was a small boy watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
I mean think about it. Teenage, Mutant NINJAS that are turtles.

I always wanted to learn martial arts, especially because my best friend's brother would often try out his latest technique learned from Ninjitsu training on me... often with absolute fear and pain attached. On a quick side note I still flinch when I'm around him now 16 years down the track and he is scared to train with me!

From this conditioning I wanted to learn Ninjitsu, but in Christchurch at the time there was very limited options for training. So 8 years later I finally got the change to learn the war art of Bujinkan Ninjitsu.

I first trained under sensi Richard Leech. Richard was awesome. He taught me that having fun and doing everything slowly a key to the budo way. Beers after training was encouraged and it was a very painful yet fun learning enviroment. Sadly due to Bujinkan politics in Christchurch, Richard stopped teaching and he stuck to Judo. On the last class he awarded me my green belt (7th kyu).

A few of the class members continued training in a hall in St Albans.I continued to learn from there for a couple of years till I met sensi Andrew Nateman, who I continue to train with once or twice a year (typically at seminars).I put Ninjitsu on the back burner as I was busy with Polytec & work. 

Me with Shihan Natascha Morgan

My sister Ava wanted to get fit and since I was training to run a marathon I'd thought that I would give her a hand. She joined our local non for profit gym/training center Cricton Cobbers and I followed. They offered all sorts of training there: Boxing, Muay Thai, Wrestling, Hapkido, MMA/BJJ, Judo and TDK. This was all inclusive of my $7 per week joining fee! Sadly this training centre got destroyed during the 22 Februrary 2011   Christchurch Earthquake.

Im on the far left. This was a Saturday session for the fighters @ Cricton Cobbers

I thought I was pretty fit and MMA had caught my eye from people posting about it gpforums.co.nz. So I thought I'd try it out.


My first session showed me how when you think you are fit, you are rubbish compared to grapples and strikers. I was shaking after the 2 hour class, but I was hooked. 


MMA:
The brotherhood,
The emotion,
The bar that gets raised,
The addiction




Two fights in the ring (A class rules) with a record of 2-0-0, I'm looking forward to new submissions, strikes and a few more fights!


Osu!!!


-Keeley

First and last fight @ 65kgs. Round one submission: Triangle Choke

Second fight @ 70kgs. Round one submission: Rear Naked Choke