Popular Fantasy MMA Site Offers Big Prizes for UFC Fans
Popular Fantasy MMA Site Offers Big Prizes for UFC Fans
With a new “fight season” about to start on the popular MMAPlayground.com website, fans of popular mixed martial arts organizations, like the UFC, have a shot to take home some big prizes.
Consisting of two games to be played, MMAPlayground.com utilizes a unique points system to reward correct predictions on upcoming MMA matches, and also gives gamblers a fun, worry-free outlet to place fantasy bets on their favorite fighters. The members who have accumulated the most points and fantasy dollars by the end of a “fight season” get their share of cash and prizes from this season’s pot of over $5,000.
MMA is finally receiving the reconigition it deserves thanks to the efforts of great organizations like the UFC and IFL, and we’ve built a fun and innovative way for the fans to follow the action
Account signup is free, offering players the opportunity to post on the growing MMAPlayground forums and participate in a community-powered “fighter ranking system” in addition to playing the fantasy games. MMA gamers who are interested in competing on a more personal level with friends, workmates, or schoolmates can form a “fight camp” on the website. Each “fight camp” comes with its own messageboard and scoreboard, enabling friends to have some friendly trash talk while competing head-to-head in a private area of the website.
Website administrator Dale Morton expects the site’s userbase to continue growing as mixed martial arts outings become more and more mainstream on a global level. Commenting on this trend, Morton explains that “MMA is finally receiving the reconigition it deserves thanks to the efforts of great organizations like the UFC and IFL, and we’ve built a fun and innovative way for the fans to follow the action”.
New and old Traditions unite
Martial arts come from all corners of the world, from the street dance fighting of capoeira in Brazil to modern European fencing, all share the same common thread of learning to defend oneself from a physical threat. And right here in Petaluma are several martial arts schools that draw heavily on the traditions of Asiatic cultures, and integrate them with modern American styles.
Kenpo karate differs from other organized sports such as soccer or baseball in that it is primarily an individualized activity, and does not focus on competition, two aspects that have attracted an older adult population to school. Another benefit of the classes offered at the school is that they make use of the entire body, rather than just concentrating energy in a few muscle groups.
The nice thing about martial arts is that you can train through injuries. For people who have back injuries, the slow movements of tai chi helps you to get stronger while that part of the body heals.
Another style that has been imported into Sonoma County is Taekwando, a martial art that uses lineal and striking movements and is often referred to as the “foot-fist way.”
From a mental standpoint, we teach people to understand fear and overcome it. We teach students to use common sense before self-defense. The majority of students are in grade school, so classes are aimed to teach students discipline and respect, with the ultimate goal of instilling inner confidence and learning to persevere.
It takes so much for a kid to stick with something for four years. It really all comes down to whether a student and their parents can connect with the instructor.”
Martial arts also has an advantage over other forms of fitness in its applicability to the real world.
The foundation of these arts is defending yourself against attacks you might face in real life.
Kenpo offers mental and physical benefits irrespective of sex, strength, size or age. We’re very kind, but don’t mistake our kindness for weakness.
Morrison wins MMA…I mean boxing match
The former heavyweight boxer Tommy Morrison won the first fight of his mixed martial arts career Saturday night, but there’s just one problem: It wasn’t mixed martial arts at all.
A week after former NFL player Johnnie Morton embarrassed himself and the sport of mixed martial arts, Morrison did the same, even though Morrison, unlike Morton, emerged victorious. Morrison knocked out John Stover in the first round of an unsanctioned fight in Arizona, a fight that has been characterized as mixed martial arts even though Morrison wore boxing shoes and Stover agreed to rules against grappling and striking with the knees or feet.
Those rules made the fight, in the words of the Associated Press, “a boxing match with five-ounce gloves.”
So it wasn’t mixed martial arts, and it also wasn’t a fight that any sanctioning body would have permitted because Morrison’s HIV status would prevent him from passing any pre-fight physical. Although Morrison, who retired from boxing in the 1990s after testing positive for HIV, claims that test was a false positive, his former agent revealed yesterday that Morrison has tested HIV positive this year. Morrison did not have to take a pre-fight HIV test for this fight because the Yavapai-Apache Nation, which organized the fight, did not require it.
Mixed martial arts gets a lot of negative publicity, and some of it is deserved. But Morrison’s fight wasn’t really mixed martial arts and doesn’t say anything about the sport.
Brazilian Jui Jitsu
At the Moo Duk Kwan martial arts center in White Oak, 24 year old Rener Gracie is teaching his family’s form of jiu- jitsu.
“My father brought Gracie jiu-jitsu from Brazil to America because he knew we had a secret and a system of self defense that the world should and will eventually know about” says Gracie.
The 23 year-old, 4th-degree black belt now travels the country teaching his discipline to everyone, including military units and law enforcement agencies.
“They teach thousands of other soldiers underneath them so what we do is we spend a lot of time traveling to different military bases and teaching the trainers of the recruits” Rener says.
His father helped create the popular Ultimate Fighting Championship in 1993. His uncle Royce Gracie was a 2-time champion.
“What he wanted to do was to put our families system of self defense, Gracie jiu-jitsu, up against other systems of self defense. It’s very real, and it’s fun to watch” he says.
But Rener says the real excitement is teaching his simple techniques of avoiding and escaping a real life attack.
“It doesn’t matter what they come to me with, I’m going to get them to a level of proficiency that will make a difference in their life” Rener says.
Gracie hopes one day everyone will be able to protect themselves through his families techniques. Gracie Martial Arts is based in California, but the family teaches all over the world. Two more seminars will be held tomorrow. For information you’re asked to contact the Moo Duk Kwan” training center in White Oak.
Martial Arts Videos Abound in Many new releases and old Public Domain downloads
It’s a quiet week in terms of DVD releases, but here are a few new titles, led by a pair of Chinese martial-arts extravaganzas that feature ’80s kung-fu stars Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao and Cynthia Rothrock.
“Shanghai Express” (a k a “Millionaire’s Express”) (Dragon Dynasty/Genius, 1986, not rated, $19.95). This is an Eastern Western, if you will, with emphasis on slapstick comedy, as you might expect from filmmaker Sammo Hung. He also takes the lead role as a rascal returning to his home town to set up a brothel.
When he gets there, he has run-ins with the locals, led by new “security chief” Yuen Biao, and there are loads of familiar faces in the supporting cast — including Cynthia Rothrock in one of her earliest films.
There are specific lampoons of everything from traditional Westerns to Sergio Leone’s “Dollar” films to “The Wild Bunch,” along with a group of Japanese samurais who are also martial artists! Don’t look for the plot to make sense, especially when the rogue American military shows up, with Rothrock and Richard Norton among them. (This was their first pairing; they would go on to costar in eight films in Hong Kong and America.)
The highlights here are many, but the one-on-one between Sammo and Yuen at the railway depot is not to be missed. And the Rothrock/Sammo fight — which occurs in the midst of a lengthy, eye-popping melee toward the end — is also something to see, ending with a funny exchange as Sammo tells her to go straight.
Sammo, Yuen and Rothrock are also interviewed separately for the bonus features, and all have amusing anecdotes to tell — but Rothrock’s enthusiasm is especially infectious, as she relates how she began martial arts at age 13, telling hilarious stories about life on a Hong Kong set. (The featurette also has her doing a few martial-arts moves, proving that, as she approaches 50, she hasn’t slowed down).
Extras: Widescreen, deleted scenes, audio commentary, feaurettes, trailers
“Above the Law ” (a k a “Righting Wrongs”) (Dragon Dynasty/Genius, 1986, not rated, $19.95). Yuen Biao was a contemporary of Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung, and he has the same agility and athletic ability, though he tends to play it straight, where Jackie and Sammo deal in slapstick.
Yuen has the lead role in this contemporary Hong Kong action picture with a “Death Wish” plot, starring as a disenchanted prosecutor who tires of seeing killers go free and begins to take the law into his own hands. Soon police officer Cynthia Rothrock is hot on his trail — and they ultimately have to team up to go after a corrupt cop.
The usual silly plot, wooden acting and idiotic dialogue abounds, but the action scenes make the film more than worthwhile — and there are some pips here, as when Yuen and Rothrock go after each other and tear up an upscale home in the process. This one is directed by Corey Yuen, who went on to do the “Transporter” films. (His name is “Corey” on the film’s subtitles and “Cory” in the advertising materials.)
These bonus interviews with Yuen Biao and Rothrock are also good, and if you — like me — have never liked the downbeat ending of this film, check out the alternate ending that allows key characters to survive.
Extras: Widescreen, alternate endings, audio commentary, featurettes, trailers
“Cannes: All Access” (Genius, 2007, not rated but with some female nudity, $24.95). If you didn’t get to the Cannes Film Festival this year … like most of us … you may find some fun in this star-laden documentary about what makes the festival tick.
It’s awfully inside, with as many producers (Harvey Weinstein chief among them) and journalists (Peter Bart of Variety, Roger Ebert) as Hollywood stars (Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Sharon Stone, Nick Nolte, Sydney Pollack). But it’s also entertaining for those interested in backstage machinations.
Perhaps the oddest thing is to see film critic/historian Richard Schickel being interviewed along with everyone else — since he’s the director of this film!
Extras: Widescreen, deleted scenes, alternate ending, featurettes
“The Final Patient” (a k a “One Step Closer”) (Echo Bridge, 2006, $19.99). Bill Cobbs, most recently in “Night at the Museum,” is good in this horror yarn as a scientist who unlocks the secret to eternal youth, but he can’t lift the film, a low-budget by-the-numbers effort.
Extras: Widescreen, deleted scenes, audio commentary, featurettes
And Lets not forget the Public Domain Martial Arts Class B badly dubbed yet funny movies that are free to download with a torrent:
Killer of Snakes Fox of Shaolin
Show bullies who’s boss
The Family Martial Arts Centre opened earlier this month and is much more than flying kicks and smashing wood with bare hands.
The gym in Farington is run by Paul Salter, 41, a martial arts expert who has been teaching since 1988, and fellow instructor Katie Wells, 29.
They say what makes their gym different to others is their ethos of instilling confidence, self-esteem and values into children as part of their all round personal development.
Bullied children are among those to be helped, although people of all ages are invited to join the beginners course.
Paul said: “We teach children from four years old key values and skills that improve their confidence, social skills and discipline.
“When young people come to us they are often lacking in confidence and may have been bullied at school. We focus on encouraging them that they can achieve what they want to achieve and can generally enjoy life.
Katie said: “The children’s behaviour and discipline at home and at school will improve from what they learn here. We get parents remarking all the time how much their children’s behaviour has improved. It’s well-known in America that children studying martial arts perform well academically.”
“When people join they get the outfit free. Also, if two people from one family join then the rest of their family can join for free.
“The beginners course lasts six months and then we put students on to the Black Belt Program. As part of the program we develop 12 different disciplines such as courage, creativity, leadership and confidence.
“Each individual is rewarded for their achievements in relation to their own natural ability.”
Quinton Jackson and Chuck Liddell UFC
Liddell toppled and Jackson jumped in to throw a couple of punches for good measure before referee John McCarthy stepped in at 1:53 of the first round to protect the fallen champion. Only a few punches were thrown before the one that tagged Liddell and at one point Jackson, who had been stalking the champion, raised his hands as if to ask what was going on.
The two traded blows and then Jackson nailed Liddell.
“I made a mistake and got caught,” said Liddell, the reigning rock star of mixed martial arts and the face of the UFC.
Jackson defeated Liddell by TKO in November 2003 at a Pride Fighting Championships show in Tokyo. Liddell went on to win his next seven fights, avenging previous losses to Randy Couture and Jeremy Horn along the way. But Jackson remains his nemesis.
Liddell fell to 20-4, while Jackson improved to 27-6.
“Rampage” Jackson, 28, entered the MGM Grand Garden Arena wearing his trademark rumble chain, howling like a wolf. But the crowd roar was reserved for the 37-year-old “Iceman.”
Jackson just waited in the ring from Liddell, ready to do business. He was booed when introduced in the ring.
On the undercard, light-heavyweight Houston Alexander upset Keith “The Dean of Mean” Jardine, crumpling the favorite with a series of hammer-like blows to the head. The slugfest ended with a knockout after just 48 seconds, with Alexander smashing Jardine with an uppercut that sent his mouthpiece flying.
Alexander improved to 6-1, and Jardine dropped to 12-4-1.
Also, Karo “The Heat” Parisyan and Josh Burkman traded blows in an entertaining welterweight contest. Parisyan, whose background is in judo, showed good striking power and accuracy, wearing Burkman down en route to a unanimous decision.
Canadian middleweight Kalib Starnes unanimously outpointed Chris “The Crippler” Leben to raise his record to 10-2-1. Leben fell to 16-4.
Brazil’s Thiago Silva won his UFC debut when James “The Sandman” Irvine injured his knee at 1:06 of the first round and was unable to continue.
Everybody’s Big Brother
The L.A. Times described him as “The Coolest Actor in the World” and People magazine named him one of The 50 Most Beautiful People in 1999. In Asia, where he reigns supreme as a megastar, he’s recognized as a cross between Cary Grant and James Bond. And to his fans, he’s known as their Big Brother.
And yet, with a deadpun look in his face, Chow Yun-Fat casually dismisses himself as “boring” which he defnitely wasn’t during a 20-minute Conversation at his suite in Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills where the press junket for Walt Disney Pictures’ Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End was held two weeks ago.
In this last (or is it?) installment of megabuck producer Jerry Bruckheimer’s trilogy based upon a fun ride at Disneyland (again starring Johnny Depp in the lead role), Chow is cast as Singaporean pirate Captain Sao Feng, a role he fits to a T. Said Pirates director Gore Verbinski, “He’s a living legend. When I learned that the plot would take the film to Singapore, I had only actor in mind for the role, Chow Yun-Fat.”
Having conquered Asia wih more than 68 movies, Big Brother Chow set out to Hollywood in 1996 for his first English-speaking role in The Replacement Killers directed by Antoine Fuqua. He then starred in the police drama The Corruptor, by James Foley. Then came Fox Studio’s epic romance-drama Anna and The King, with Chow as the king and Jodie Foster as Anna, and Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon which turned Chow into a highly-familiar presence not only in the US but around the world. He was last seen in Zhang Yimou’s Curse of the Golden Flower.
Here are excerpts, with Chow quoted verbatim:
Seven years ago during the Anna and The King junket, I asked you how your English was. I’m asking you the same question now.
“Getting better. It’s easier to understand a little bit of a native American speaking.”
Do you do it by maybe reading books in English, trying to speak English most of the time, or having an English tutor?
“I have an English teacher in Hong Kong. A British.”
Where are you based, in Hollywood or in Hong Kong?
“In Hong Kong. But I go where the studio gives me a job. But for the long term, I want to stay in my own country.”
Are you more comfortable in Hong Kong than in Hollywood?
“Yes, I am, because my family and relatives are in Hong Kong. My mother still in Hong Kong; I have to stick to her all the time. If Hong Kong provide me a job, then I stay in Hong Kong. If Hollywood provide me a job, then I come here.”
You and the likes of Jackie Chan have helped pave the way for Chinese actors to Hollywood. How do you feel about it?
“I think the Hollywood people, they can now appreciate Chinese movies more. They need more artistic culture in films and in the stories. Before, they do have some but not much like today. So, it seems the global life is one family more or less. Today, the Chinese economy is growing very fast. People are interested in China. That’s why Mission: Impossible 3 was shot in Shanghai. But I hope more and more Asian actors, not only Chinese, will come to Hollywood.”
How come Asian actors, whether Chinese or Filipino or whatever, are typecast in Asian roles in Hollywood movies?
“Hmmmmm. I can see that, yes. Mostly, Chinese actors play gangsters in Chinatown or something that humiliates the Asian. But I hope in the future Asian actors can do special characters and not only waiters, gangsters or small characters.”
But you’re lucky because you and other Chinese actors like Jackie Chan and Jet Li play lead roles. You’ve played a king (of Siam).
“Yes, right, right! But my first movie in Hollywood was not Anna and The King. It was The Replacement Killers, directed by Antoine Fuqua, in 1996. I played a killer.”
What is the difference between working in Hong Kong and working in Hollywood?
“Hmmmmm. Almost the same, except the languages.”
Is the system also the same?
“It depends on the what kind of the scale of the movie. A foreign actor no matter in a small-budget movie or an independent movie or big-production movie, he works the same. The same system.”
Pirates is on its third and last (so far) installment. You’re the last actor in. You’re just starting and the trilogy is ending. How do you feel?
“Very excited, very excited. Even though I’m a new kid in town I’m still very excited.”
It’s your first time to work with Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley and the rest of the cast (including Filipino actor Reggie Lee as Chow’s sidekick Tai Huang which is Chinese for “big wind”). How was the experience?
“It’s an honor and privilege to work with such good talents. We work like very old friends, like family members together. They didn’t treat me like a newcomer. They treat me like one of the members of the family. Dialogues, like drama. In Chinese movies, lots of drama, too. In this one, I don’t play major role; I only carry it like first part of the movie and the rest they will carry, so I’m easy.”
Are you comfortable delivering English dialogue now? How different was working on Pirates from working in Chinese movies of the same genre? You know, adventure/action films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
“Very different. This one is more heavy because everything was heavy — the make-up and the costume. Crouching Tiger was more wide work, flying in the air, more martial arts. This one is more.
“Still learning. Trying my best. During the normal conversation, like this, I have a lot of struggle putting my English into track. But then, in performance they have to hire a coach to teach me every single line, so I’m easy.”
What are your fond memories about Pirates?
“Oh, everyday is like in Disneyland… have a beautiful ride.”
In Disneyland?
“No, no. In movie. I mean, everyday it’s like Christmas Day.”
Have you ever imagined that you would be in a Pirates movie?
“No, no. But I saw the Pirates movie and I like it. I appreciate producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski for taking me in.”
What was your first reaction when the offer came?
“I was over-excited.”
What do you think about your look in the movie, a 17th-Century Chinese pirate with long beard and long nails?
“Oh, not like very scary, very awful.”
By the way, you’ve worked with director John Woo in some movies, including the internationally-acclaimed A Better Tomorrow which made you a megastar and established your image in your trademark trench coat, sunglasses and blazing Berettas. When are you working together again?
“We work again in Stranglehold, a video game. Next movie? I don’t know yet. John Woo is a genius director. I am honored to work with him in several movies.”
What’s your favorite movies with John Woo?
“The Killer, Hard-boiled…many, many!”
Your movie City on Fire by director Ringo Lam was the inspiration for Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs.
“Quentin is a very talented director. Ringo has his own version of City on Fire. I can’t say which one is good and which one is bad. But both movie I like.”
Of course, you know that Tarantino is a big fan of Chinese movies.
“I know that.”
Have you met him?
“Several times, several times.”
Do you look forward to working with him?
“Sure. I’m always open.”
You’re described by L.A. Times as “The Coolest Actor in the World.” Are you?
(Breaks into a wide smile) “I don’t know. Ask the reporter.”
How would you describe Chow Yun-Fat in a few words?
“Boring. I’m a very boring person.”
I don’t think so.
“In front of camera, I’m Chow Yun-Fat the actor. But away from camera, I’m just Chow Yun-Fat, like any ordinary people. Boring!” (And he breaks into an even wider smile that must have convinced People magazine to include him in its 1999 list of The 50 Most Beautiful People.)
Martial arts students fight hunger
Camarillo Taekwondo Academy is sponsoring its inaugural KickAThon for Hunger charity event from noon to 2 p.m. June 16 at 676 E. Ponderosa Drive in Camarillo.
Academy students will gather pledges, either a flat donation or on a per-kick basis. At the event, they will kick for three minutes to earn as much money for the charity as possible. All proceeds will go to Children’s Hunger Fund.
“It’s our way of helping starving children throughout the United States and the world and at the same time teaching my students the importance of ‘community,’” said Frank Moss, academy owner. “Our motto is ‘Training people to make a difference.’ I want them to understand we should make a difference not only in ourselves but in the lives of others.”
Martial Arts History Museum to open in Santa Clarita, CA
After eight years of hard work, political negotiations and with the tremendous support of the community, the World’s First Martial Arts History Museum will be opening its doors on June 2, 2007 in the city of Santa Clarita, CA (near Magic Mountain).
