STEPHEN ROBERTO

NAME: Stephen Roberto
INSTRUCTOR: Enson Inoue/Lloyd Irvin/Mike Fowler
ORIGINAL TEAM: Purebred
SCHOOL IN SEA: Team Purebred/Lloyd Irvin BJJ Academy Guam
WEBSITE: www.myspace.com/purebredjiujitsu
CONTACT INFO: purebred_guam@hotmail.com
HOMETOWN: Hagatna, Guam
ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
2nd hvwt all japan bjjfj 2006
2nd abso all japan bjjfj 2006
2nd hvwt all japan bjjfj 2007
1st hvwt 1st pan asia no gi
1st abso 1st pan asia no gi

PERSONAL HISTORY: Started BJJ in 1996 under Gracie Barra Black-Belt Dan O'Connor in Guam. Trained with Ralph Gracie from 1997-1998. Started training with Enson Inoue from 1998 to present. Consistent training in Guam and Japan with Tetsuji Kato, Baret Yoshida and Melchor Manibusan. Started training with Mike Fowler in early 2007 and received the black-belt in 2008. 4-1 MMA record. Interested in training in Guam? Please contact me. There is nothing a good day of grappling cant cure!

TIMEOF STAY: permanent resident of Guam
SPONSORS: Fokai Ind., DNA Inc., The Buzz Cafe

SHOUT OUT: TEAMMATE MOVING TO THE USA

I thought I'd give a shout out to a teammate that is moving to the United States, studying abroad for a year. Of all places a young Thai guy to move to, he's off to Minnesota. For those not familiar, Minnesota has yearly snow that stacks up several feet high (perhaps a meter for you metric dudes).

I had no idea until this past Tuesday when the announcement was made that it would be his last class at EMAC until his return.

Dew, we wish you the best and hope you continue to train wherever you end up in that cold cold place. I hate to see you go cause you've gotten to be quite the handful on the mat but I'm sure you'll come back far stronger. Especially if you grow a liking to American sized portions.

Luke

ALEXANDRE IZIDRO

NAME: Alexandre Izidro
AGE: 29
INSTRUCTOR: Ze Marcello
ORIGINAL TEAM: Brazilian top team (BTT)
SCHOOL IN SEA: JABMMA BTT
WEBSITE: www.jabmma.com
CONTACT INFO: admin@jabmma.com
HOMETOWN: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
CAGE WARRIORS WORLD CHAMPION (MMA)
CHAMPION ADCC TRIALS UK 2007(SUBMISSION)
CHAMPION SUPER FIGHT SENI UK 2007
(BJJ Second place state championship 2003 Second place state championship absolute division 2003 Third place Brazilian championship 2002 and 2001

PLANS FOR FUTURE:
Help Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Grow up in Hong Kong, bring big names from my time to give seminar like:Ze Marcello, Murilo Bustamante,Ricardo Arona. Keep teaching and take JAB BTT to fight in all Asia, Europe in next year in Brazil and I keep training to fight MMA.

STEPHEN KAMPHUIS

Stephen Kamphuis (L) w/ Prof Martins (R)

NAME: Stephen Kamphuis
INSTRUCTOR: Master Fabricio Martins of Equipe Fabricio
ORIGINAL TEAM: Machado Australia
SCHOOL IN SEA: Team Fabricio - Philippines , Taiwan, Korea
WEBSITE: www.bjjphilippines.com
CONTACT INFO: mail@bjjphilippines.com
HOMETOWN: Auckland, New Zealand
ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
7 x International Senior Champion Brazil including 2x Absolute Champion 2004 - 2006 2 x second place (2007 , 2008 ) and 2 x 3rd Place Absolute (2005 , 2008) 1 x Damau Champion Japan and 2 x runnr up Asia Pacific Champion x 1 Pan Pacific Champion x 2 Runner up x 1 Australian ISKA Blue belt Champion NSW BJJ Champion x 3 Former Oceania / NZ Judo Champion and place getter

PERSONAL HISTORY:
Started in BJJ mid 97 at the age of 37 after my Boxing gym closed . I received my Black belt in Brazil after approx 6 years of training. Trained and competed in Brazil over the past six years. Have consitantly competed since white belt in most major comps. Started in Judo age 14 and still love and train Judo.

TIME OF STAY: 4 years so far and are now based in Manila
SPONSORS: SM Mall of Asia, Sports Central, Crossface Fightwear, Pepsi

MMA PHUKET: AMATEUR MMA TOURNAMENT

MMA Phuket promotes amateur 4 man under 84 kilos MMA tournament!

With Special guest Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt Cristiano Jose Carvalho from Singapore in Attendance, Tiger Muay Thai hosted Phuket Island’s first ever amateur MMA tournament this past weekend. Fighters wore shin pads and 8oz "shooto style" gloves. No knees to the head when the opponent is standing or on the ground. Knees are permitted only to the body from the standing position. No upkicks, or down kicks from both combatants when a fighter is on his back. And no leg submissions. This tournament featured 2 rounds of 3 minute duration.

Opening Round 1.
Mike Hutchison Vs. Jason Saggo- many of the BJJ competitors in the region are familiar with both of these combatants. Former Canadian Collegiate wrestler (Mcmaster’s University) Hutch recently won a gold medal at the Lordz of Pain (Singapore) and Pan Asian Grappling games (Manila). Jason is a Marcus Soares Blue Belt who recently submitted all 10 opponents he faced at the Pan Asian Grappling games (Gi and Nogi combined).

4 man amateur MMA tournament in Thailand - Opening Fight #1
Uploaded by sweah

Opening Round 2.
Andreas Hesselback Vs Charles Cosens- Andreas Hesselback is a SEA Grappling games silver medalist and 2-1 in pro MMA. Charles Cosens is a King Of The Cage Pay Per View Veteran with a 2-1 professional MMA record. He is also a 2x Great Lakes Submission Tournament Gold Medalist.

4 man amateur MMA tournament in Thailand - Opening Fight #2
Uploaded by sweah

Tournament Finals-
Having both won previous fights earlier in the night Jason Saggo and Andreas Hesselback make it to the tournament finals. Crowd Applause decided the eventual tournament winner, giving Jason Saggo the very close victory decision.

4 man amateur MMA tournament in Thailand - The Finale
Uploaded by sweah

MMA Phuket will be hosting monthly amateur smoker events. Participants can compete in Muay Thai, Boxing, or MMA fights, and the rules can be catered to different skill levels, encouraging all to participate. The smoker fights will be organized in conjunction with a group BBQ, including all you can eat food.

Participants interested in fighting in an upcoming smoker event please email: Magicalray@aol.com

www.mmaphuket.com

JAVA SUBMISSION CHAMPIONSHIP 2008

QUICK RESULTS

65KG

1 – Hardian Kristiady (Synergy)
2 – Vincents Genesius Evans (Synergy)
3 – Roy Nugroho (Universal Grappling)

66-76KG

1 – Andry Fachruriadi (Borneo Banjar Baru)
2 – Eko Adriyanto (Synergy)
3 – Roy Kurniawan (Synergy)

77-87KG

1 – Mike Hutchison (MMA Phuket)
2 – Max Metino (Synergy)
3 – Leo Krishna (Synergy)

88+KG

1 – Nicolai Holt (Synergy)
2 – Vincent Majid (Synergy)
3 – Toga (UKM)

ABSOLUTE

1 – Nicolai Holt (Synergy)
2 – Fransino Tirta (Synergy)
3 – Mike Hutchison (MMA Phuket)

--
Sincerely,
INDONESIAN GRAPPLING FEDERATION

***FOR MORE INFO, CHECK OUT NIKO HAN'S BLOG: http://nikohansbjj.blogspot.com/

DEADLY IMPACT I: INDIA MMA

AUGUST 24, 2008

Mixed Martial Arts action hits Nasik city as a new series of MMA shows begins with event no # 1 on 24^th august at Raje Sambhaji Stadium.Being entitled "Deadly Impact" , the first show features an all star fightcard with 12 of the best fighters representing every region of India will square off one on one against each other with the most common set of martial arts rules … MMA rules.

Speaking to the press chief event co-ordinator and promoter Mr Atul Bhalerao said "MMA is famous worldwide and in the US and Japan it literally has a cult following , superceding even the mainstream sport of boxing in spectator statistics.We too have many talented MMA athletes and Deadly Impact has been promoted with the motive of providing these top athletes with the fight / job opportunities that they wouldn't receive anywhere else in India since for these fighters , slugging it out in the ring is just another day at the office".

Director of Action Entertainment Milind Shirsath says "Nasik has to gear up for some top-knotch fight action as these shows are going to keep spectators absolutely on the edge of their seats.In all there will be 6 bouts , 1 bout with kickboxing rules and 5 bouts with MMA rules."

Bout no # 1 [kickboxing rules] will feature 70 kgs Sunil Khakalari of Nagaland against Sumit Tickoo of New Delhi.Sunil is a veteran fighter and in 2005 fought against a british fighter for the WKL world kickboxing title.Sumit is the student of edgar noordanus , himself a kickboxing veteran who has been featured on numerous tv shows nationwide.

Bout no # 2 Abhijeet Petkar of Mumbai faces Javed Mulla of Sangli in the 85kg MMA rules fight , Javed gave Abhijeet a tough time in their first bout a few months ago and both fighters want to prove a point in this highly anticipated re-match.In November 2007 Abhijeet represented India at the World Muay Thai Title fight in dar-es-salaam Tanzania.

Bout no # 3 Shafiq-ur-rehman of Mumbai , 68 kgs undefeated MMA champion since 2004 takes on his next challenger Binod Sharma , who is a nationally ranked judo player.

Bout no # 4, 85 kgs Bhupesh Kamble , fitness trainer of the stars , from Mumbai faces Sreejith from Calicut Kerela , a state champion in wrestling and boxing.

Bout no # 5, the co-main event is an all star international bout as 75 kgs Martin Hensch from the USA will take on Iranian wrestling star Mohammed Mariwani."We are sure that this bout will have all the international attention , atleast from Bush and Ahmedinajad" said Mukesh Sonowane , media co-ordinator and director of Action entertainment.

Bout no # 6 , the highly anticipated main event fight will be between Iran Daido Juku champion Alireza Khoshlesan against hometown hero , veteran mma fighter , international star and teacher at Wisdom High , Alan Fenandes.

Deadly Impact MMA is an event created to accommodate combat atheletes from all the various fighting disciplines , karate , judo , kickboxing , boxing , wrestling and jiu-jitsu , the only platform where you can witness WWE type action accompanied with all the top production of hype , special effects and fireworks , the only difference being that the WWE is choreographed fighting whereas MMA is real fighting.

Action entertainment welcomes all Nasik fight fans to come and be a part of this pioneering show which begins at 5pm on 24^th August.

DANIEL CHARLES

NAME: Daniel Charles

AGE: 31

INSTRUCTOR: Wendell Alexander (founder Nova União with André Pedreneiras)

ORIGINAL TEAM: Nova União

SCHOOL IN SEA: Macau BJJ

WEBSITE: www.macaubjj.com

CONTACT INFO: info@macaubjj.com

HOMETOWN: Campos - Rio de Janeiro

ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

International Titles:

Panamerican Champion 2007 - Black Belt Master Middle Weight

Vice-Champion Panamerican 2007 Absolute Black Belt Master Under 80KG (www.cbjje.com.br)

Third Place World Cup 2006 (cbjjo)

Third Place South American Championship 2005 (cbjjo)

National Titles:

State Champion 2006 - Rio de Janeiro (cbjjo)

Third Place State Championship 2006 - Espirito Santo (cbjjes)

Champion Arena Búzíos 2004

Champion North Nordeste 2004 - Recife Pernanbuco (cbjjo)

Vice-Champion Brazil Team Cup 2003 (cbjjo)

Started teaching BJJ when I became a Brown Belt 5 years ago.

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE:
Help Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu grow in this region of the world, take a team of students from Macau and Hong Kong to the Mundials.

STEVE COTTER: KDTA

Steve Cotter is visiting KDT Academy this coming 16 & 17th August and we will be conducting special training courses. This will be an internet-based announcement only.

Dynamic Mobility - half day

This 3 hour class introduces the comprehensive system of joint mobility, which is the movement of all the joint structures of the body through all possible range of motion. Ideal as a tool for injury prevention and rehabilitation, joint mobility can also serve as a challenging, full-body training system and cardio vascual conditioning program. Best of all, joint mobility leaves you feeling subtle and healthy.

Double Kettlebell Power Exercises - half day

Kettlebells are famous as a tool for Strength-Endurance and mutant-like Work Capacity. However, kettlebell training can also be a highly accessible, practical and effective system for athletic power development. Less technical than Olympic lifting, the Double Kettlebell Power exercises

Martial Art of Strength Training - half day

Strength-Power-Endurance, Resiliency and Physical and Mental Toughness. These are qualities associated with martial artists. Now, you don't have to be a martial artists to develop the same kind of physical abilities. If you are a martial artist, you owe it to yourself to supercharge your current level with the high-level fitness that kettlebell training provides. This course teaches you how to blend fundamental martial arts drills and skills with the simple added resistance from kettlebells to provide the ultimate in mind-body-spirit training.

Cost: The 1/2 day courses (3~4 hrs) each : USD $200.00

Certification Courses: (advanced booking required and 6 candidates attendance)
IKFF-CKT Level 1: USD $1,000.00
IKFF-FMD Level 2 : USD $1,000.00 (pre-requisite: CKT Level 1)

The IKFF certification courses are 2 days long and require a minimum of 6 candidates. It is unlikely that there will be candidates for this visit but we hope this gives you an idea on the costs involved. Please check with us about taking a prep course or regular kettlebell training.

Personal Training with Steve Cotter
Mr. Cotter is available for personal training also at US$150 per hour. Learn from the best and have the teacher's teacher show you better technique for safer, more effective training for health, strength and more!

How to reserve your place:

1. Email me your name, contact number and phone
2. I require the fee for the course(s) you are interested in to the pre-paid.
3. The most attended course(s) of minimum 6 participants or more will be conducted.
4. Any fees paid for courses not meeting the required number of participants will be refunded.

Please email your interest to me as soon as possible. Once your place has been booked there are no cancellations. All fees paid will be forfeited in the event of same day cancellations/no shows.

--
Sincerely,
Vince Choo

CMD Performance Coach
Fizfit Workout Trainer
Certified Personal Trainer
Certified Kettlebell Trainer

Tel: 012 202 6111

More about our wellness programs and services: www.kdta.com

DAY TO DAY

Training has been a little irregular and I have been missing the warm-ups due to work and freakin' Bangkok-traffic. Hopefully in time things will improve but doing the best I can under the circumstances. Recently I've been thinking about the ups and downs of training over the past four years since starting BJJ. Nothing is ever that consistent unless your life is solely dedicated to jiu-jitsu and your body never tires. There have been times that I've been able to train 6 times a week but on average I think 3 is the key number. Less than that and it's even more of an uphill battle, haha. There's just never enough time in the day to get everything done and too many things to get involved with. Sometimes I envy the guys that are getting into the sport while in college or younger but ultimately I believe I came to BJJ at the right time in my life. Just trying to keep focused and positive because as I get older, the time I have for myself and for others becomes more precious.

Just be sure to enjoy every bit of it. Nothing new there.

Luke

FBT THAILAND BJJ/SUB-GRAPPLING OPEN

Just some hilights for those that are coming to Bangkok this September 27-28, 2008.

***NEW: On site nurse/medical aid

-Custom rashguard for first 100 registered competitors

-Added women and junior events

-Exhibition MMA matches

-Black-belt matches to be announced

-New sponsors: FBT, Fairtex, Hard Times Pub, Taro Jiro, Elefin Cafe, Golden Palace Hotel, Samitijev Hospital and more

-Discounted stay at Golden Palace Hotel for competitors

-Special awards and prizes

-Online registration on its way

E-MAIL: marksimmerman@gmail.com , bjjasia@gmail.com
LINK: http://www.thailandbjjcomp.blogspot.com/

GENERAL

I now feel settled back into things with work and training. I'm not too sore but I am feeling the weight I've packed on over the last month or so of being on the road. It's the price I pay for loving food a bit too much and living in Bangkok doesn't help. Another bonus of living in Bangkok is that we are always hosting out-of-town guests that come for a multiple of reasons. Most recently Prof. Santos stopped by while on vacation from the Emirates on his way to Brazil. A real pleasure to have him visit our class.

A few things I would like to bring up on the blog to keep people in the know. I've made some changes as far as the sourcing for t-shirt production so prices should come down from what I had originally quoted. I won't give the price just yet cause I think I've spoken too early and don't want to confuse people more than I already have. I am working towards having them ready by mid-August. Cross my fingers. I have a lot of t-shirt ideas that relate to BJJ/MMA/Muay Thai but those will come out slowly. Besides wanting to promote the scene, my goal is to raise enough money to build a full website for BJJ-ASIA. Right now it's just me at the helm but ultimately I'd like all of you to have more direct involvement with the content of the site. Especially with the calendar as I see more and more need for real-time input. When that happens, I can then say that the site truly reflects the community.

Still trying to get in touch with all the black-belts that I know are out there. Thank you to those who've already taken part. Spread the word! Help promote your coach/instructor and school!

This coming weekend we have the JAVA SUBMISSION CHAMPIONSHIP 2008 on July 26 at the Kridosono Sports Hall in Jogjakarta. Always an intense and action packed event and best of luck to all the competitors.

The FBT THAILAND BJJ/GRAPPLING OPEN is calling for all female competitors. In addition to the men's adult divisions, we've added women + juniors divisions as well. I have received a number of e-mails with interest in both the female and juniors category. Show your support, get involved and compete! Come out and have a great time, let's make this event a fun one to be a part of. Win or lose, see for yourself what it's like to compete and have a great time doing it.

Luke

INTERVIEW W/ PROF. CARLOS SANTOS

This past Thursday we had a special guest at EMAC, Prof. Carlos Santos. Taking time from his vacation, he stopped by to watch class and answer a few questions with BJJ-ASIA. Having already interviewed Prof. Santos earlier this year, we took a few moments to catch up with what he's been working on.

I will preface the video by apologizing for my shaky hand as I had just finished training, still wearing my soaked gi and not prepared as I would have liked to have been. Even so, it's always great to have a few words from those with such a rich background in jiu-jitsu and still leading the sport in other parts of the world.

A special thanks to Prof. Santos for his time and Pedro for putting us in the know. -Luke



EMIRATES BJJ BLOG

PREVIOUS INTERVIEW

NIKO HAN

NAME: Niko Han
INSTRUCTOR: Marc Laimon
ORIGINAL TEAM: Rickson Gracie
SCHOOL IN SEA: Synergy Jiu-Jitsu
WEBSITE: http://synergyjiujitsu.com/
CONTACT INFO: nikohan@gmail.com
HOMETOWN: Indonesia
ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
1st place South-East Grappling Games
1st place Desert Quest
2nd place Grapplers Quest
1st Place Pan Am Submission Wrestling
2nd place National No Gi
2nd place Rickson Gracie Int'l
1st place Joe Moreira's De Brasil Jiu-Jitsu Championships

PERSONAL HISTORY:
I started with Rickson Gracie in Los Angeles, then with Marc Laimon, Ethan Milius and Marcus Vinicius at Beverly Hills Jiu-Jitsu Club, then with Jean-Jacques Machado and Eddie Bravo in Tarzana, then Nova Uniao and Cobra Kai in Las Vegas with Marc Laimon.

TIME OF STAY: Permanent
SPONSORS: Oakley (http://www.oakleyindonesia.com/)

BANGKOK BJJ

I thought I'd make a short announcement on a modest space that I've opened here in Bangkok, Thailand. We have a weekly open-mat session every Saturday morning from 11am-1pm. I say modest because it's just enough room for 2-3 pairs to roll at a given time. If you're interested in taking privates with one of the resident instructors (EMAC or BFC), the space is available but notice needs to be given to me first. Because we don't offer any formal instruction at this point we just offer a space to train/drill/learn. Everyone is welcome regardless of school or rank, just give us a heads up if you're from out of town. There are 3 gate-keepers besides myself so when I am away on business there should be someone to open shop.

I imagine a lot of academies out there started like this, a group of friends wanting to push each to improve and expand their skills in jiu-jitsu. We hope to take root in a similar fashion to promote the sport that we love.

-Luke

LOCATION: SUKHUMVIT SOI ONE, BANGKOK THAILAND
DATE/TIME: EVERY SATURDAY OPEN-MAT, 11AM-1PM

Out-of-town guests, please contact e-mail below prior to arrival.

CONTACT: bjjasia@gmail.com

WEB:
www.bkkbjj.blogspot.com

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=18165017858

NOTICE:
By training at Bangkok BJJ, you accept the responsibility that BJJ/martial arts is a contact sport and the establishment and it's partners are not liable for any injury caused.

Because there is no formal instruction we do not recommend complete beginners to attend and would suggest contacting one of the established schools in the Bangkok area. But if you're so inclined, you can come, hehe.

This is not a social-club so be sure you come to train and give respect to those who have taken time out of their weekend to do so. Thanks

TONY EDUARDO LIMA

NAME: Tony Eduardo Lima
INSTRUCTOR: Rilion Gracie
ORIGINAL TEAM: Gracie Barra Florianopolis
SCHOOL IN SEA: Shanghai BJJ
WEBSITE: www.shanghaibjj.com
CONTACT INFO: shanghaibjj@gmail.com
HOMETOWN: Florianopolis, Brazil
ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
7 X South Brazilian Champ
South American Black Belt Champ
2 X Worlds Mundials bronze medalist
ADCC 2005 first Brazilian trial champ

PERSONAL HISTORY:
Started training at 12 years old and received the Black Belt at the age of 23.

TIME OF STAY:
(Shanghai BJJ, Feb to Aug 2008) (MMA Phuket, Sep to Oct 2008)

MAKOTO ARAMAKI

NAME: Makoto Aramaki
INSTRUCTOR: Toshiyuki Wado (student of Leozinho Vieira)
ORIGINAL TEAM: Academia Az (JP)
SCHOOL IN SEA: Hong Kong Jiu Jitsu (HK)
WEBSITE: Academia Az, HKJJ
CONTACT INFO: info@hkjj.com.hk
HOMETOWN: Japan
ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
ALL Japan Championship: 1st Place x 2times, 2nd Place x 3times Pan-Am 3rd Place (Brown Belt) Mundial 3rd Place (Brown Belt) Copa HK No-Gi Division Champion Pro-Bjj 2wins-1Loss

PERSONAL HISTORY:
My instructor: Toshiyuki Wado (student of Leozinho Vieira)

I started BJJ in 1999 when I was 19.
I have been training and enjoying this wonderful sport ever since.

In 2004, I became a fire fighter and worked for 2 years.
The reason I quit my job as a fireman was because I wanted to test
myself and focus more on my BJJ career.
In 2006, I entered both Mudial and Pan-Am.
Lost to Jeff Glover by 1 advantage at the Pan-Am.

He was a great fighter and I would like to have a rematch with him
oneday.

Same year after that, I spent 2 months training at Brasa in Rio.
Then I met Lee san who is the founder of Brasa Korea.

Same year in 2006, I first time visited Hong Kong and spent 1 month
teach at KLNBJJ.
It was a really special academy to me and I have met a lot of
wonderful people in Hong Kong.

About 1 year ago, my friend Brad KU asked me if I was interested in
starting my own academy in Hong Kong,
and that was why I have made up my mind to move to Hong Kong to teach
BJJ as a profession.
Now, I am not only a full time instructor at KLNBJJ, but also the
owner and manager.

I moved to HK at the end of June, and from August, there will be new
system and new classes at KLNBJJ.
2 classes in the evening and Saturdays, too.
I hope everyone will be happy with the content of the class and come
to train more frequently.

KLNBJJ's new Homepage is now under construction, and it will be ready
very soon. My friend who is a designer and also the owner of Academia-Az in
Japan is helping me with the new HP and
it's going to be a really cool one.

it was really nice meeting you and do come back to Hong Kong soon.

Makoto Aramaki

translated by: Brad Ku

***Aramaki-san has now parted ways with Kowloon BJJ but continues to teach in Hong Kong.

TIME OF STAY: permanent
SPONSORS: Bull Terrier: www.b-j-j.com
(seeking further sponsorship)

BLOG NEWS: NEW CATEGORY TO THE BLOG!!!

It's past my bed time but an idea struck me as I thought about the huge influx of black-belts and visiting instructors to the area this past year. Most recently within Hong Kong and China, several have made the move from both Brazil and the US to teach. So while this blog is limited in some ways, I thought I would create a new category tentatively titled, "RESIDENT BLACK-BELTS". I think this would give a nice hilight for the instructors that have made Southeast Asia their new home and the schools they teach at.

So this is how it works. E-mail me the following information on your resident black-belt and I will post the info on the blog. Please include a picture.

NAME:
INSTRUCTOR: (Who you received your black-belt from.)
ORIGINAL TEAM:
SCHOOL IN SEA:
WEBSITE:
CONTACT INFO:
HOMETOWN:
ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
PERSONAL HISTORY: ('When did you start BJJ?')
TIME OF STAY: (I add this because these things aren't always permanent. The standard is usually the length of a tourist visa, 3 months. At least this way we know you are/were here. For those who are permanent, just write 'permanent'.)
SPONSORS:

We'll see how well this works. I may have to do some hunting but it's something I alway like to hear when there's a new face in the area. I can't always check the blogs/sites but there's a lot of info out there, you just have to find it.

Luke

SHOUT OUT: PROMOTION

A shout out from Fang on a teammates recent promotion to blue-belt. A first for the local boys at Brutal BJJ Malaysia. Congrats to Alex!

Alex Padilla receives blue-belt from Quico Cunha.

MMA PHUKET: ANNOUNCEMENT

MMA PHUKET: the new vacation destination for BJJ Players and MMA training camps

Tiger Muay Thai has expanded their facility to include an imported MMA Cage from the United States, and an additional 30 meters of rolling space. Located in Phuket Thailand, many of the regions top Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and MMA fighters have been traveling to this modern training facility to prepare for their upcoming competitions. Tiger Muay Thai would like to introduce everyone in the region to some of its new guest.



Maryanne Mullahy is a purple belt under John Will and Rigan Machado some of her career highlights include;

*2007 Mundial Women’s Blue Belt Champion
*2008 Mundial Women’s Purple Belt Silver Medalist
*2007 ADCC Australian Qualifier

-Maryanne is available to instruct private BJJ lessons for any possible females interested in training with one of the world’s top female BJJ
players. She is expected to stay 5 weeks at MMA Phuket.



Brandon Nunley is a brown belt under former UFC champion Rico Rodriquez. Brandon also has an extensive background in Judo (12 years, brown belt from prof. Yamaza) as well as boxing (2005 USA Army Hawaiian Super Heavy Boxing champion). Brandon is a giant on the mat, standing 6 foot 6 and stepping on the scales at over 280lbs. He is a great training partner for any of the heavier BJJ players in the region. Brandon is available for both BJJ and JUDO privates. He is expected to stay at least 6 months at MMA Phuket.



Adam Santi began his BJJ training in Phoenix Arizona under the famed Megaton Dias in the late 90’s. After spending two years in Brazil training at Gracie Humaita, he was awarded his brown belt from Royler Gracie. Adam has spent the last two years living in the Philippines, and has rededicated himself to competing in BJJ. Adam specializes in the Gi and is available for private lessons. He is expected to stay at least 8 months at MMA Phuket.



Tony Eduardo is a 2005 ADCC Brazilian Trials Champion. He is a BJJ Black Belt under Rilion Gracie. Professor Eduardo won a Bronze medal at the 2007 NoGi Mundials, Black Belt division. After spending some time instructing at Shanghai BJJ, Prof. Eduardo is expected to stay at least 8 weeks training at MMA Phuket. He is available for both Gi and Nogi private training lessons. Keep an eye out for an announcement on a FREE GRAPPLING seminar presented by Professor Eduardo.



Alan Belcher is a 7x UFC veteran. He will be using MMA Phuket as his official training camp as he prepares for a Sept. 16th, UFC fight against Team Quest fighter Ed Herman. Belcher’s fight will be shown on a free Spike TV broadcast. He is a striking expert, with a professional MMA record of 12-5. Belcher will be staying at MMA Phuket for 5 weeks. Keep an eye out for an announcement on a FREE MMA seminar presented by Belcher.

For Updates on the FREE SEMINARS check www.mmaphuket.com frequently.

K-1 GP2008: TAIWAN

UPDATE: K-1's official website play-by-play: HERE

Taiwan BJJ 's own Vaughn 'blud' Anderson competed in the recent K-1 GP event. This is following immediately after his fight in Ming Wu MMA event in Taipei, July 4th.

A play-by-play of the entire event can be found at: ON THE MAT

K-1
In the first round Anderson beats Ito to face
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=683650233#/video/video.php?v=19224572961



MING WU MMA

BACK HOME

What a whirlwind tour I've been on this past couple of months. It's done now and I will be stationed here in Bangkok for the next couple of months which is a nice thing to know. I love traveling regardless if it's for work or leisure but it's also nice to be home. I can finally get back to training and to posting on the site.

Most recently I was in Hong Kong for a quick business seminar that took the majority of my two day stay. I did get to visit Kowloon BJJ to observe their no-gi class but was not prepared to train. I took some pics which I'll probably post tomorrow once settled in.

Now, a permanent fixture at Kowloon BJJ is Makoto Aramaki, a BJJ black-belt hailing from Japan. Aramaki-san was one of the black-belts that competed in the open-tournament at Copa De Hong Kong, facing Xandinho from BTT. I'll be sharing more information on Aramaki-san in a later post but definitely check out the club's blog for more detailed updates.

http://samulime.blogspot.com/

As for the shirts, I want to thank everyone for their e-mails and support. I am hoping this can be done by the end of July or early August. I will keep everyone posted on its progress. Besides representing the community with these shirts, it's also my goal to use the money from sales to develop a full website with an interactive calendar and data-base. So for it's just been me at the helm but for it to be a real community site, I want everyone involved and posting. A work in progress of course but that's one of my goals here. This coming September will be the 1st year anniversary of the bjj-asia. Perhaps I'll make a commemorative shirt, hahaha.

-Luke

SINGAPORE BJJ INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT: AUGUST 2008

SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL BRAZILIAN JIUJITSU CHAMPIONSHIP 2008

Date: 30th & 31st August 2008
Venue: SAFRA Tampines. 1/ A Tampines Street 92 Singapore 528882.
(10min from Changi International Airport Singapore )

Categories:
1) White Belt (novice)
2) White Belt (advance)
3) Blue Belt
4) No GI (novice)
5) No GI (advance)

For more information, email: fightworksasia@gmail.com

MING WU MMA: TAIWAN

Got some new video from the recent Ming Wu MMA event in Taiwan. Big congrats to the guys from Taiwan BJJ, Demitri and Vaughn, for the great performance. -Luke

74KG MMA Demitri "Narouque" Telfair VS Huang Guan Yu


More vids to come.

SEABJJ T-SHIRT

OK, I just got back to town and will be heading out again tomorrow afternoon for another biz trip. Don't feel sorry for me, I am not suffering any hardships, it's just part of my job. The only thing I miss is regular training. So here is the final final final layout of the team logos. There was a last minute entry and since my computer crashed at home, I didn't get them out as I had planned before this weekend. The files are going out today and the shirts will materialize shortly thereafter.

I know there have been some concerns with pricing but if you write me an e-mail, we may be able to figure out how to beat the shipping issue and quantity-discount. I will most likely be competing at the tournament in Taipei this August and of course at our own tournament here in Bangkok September 27-28. If I do not make it to Manila this December, I know that at least one or two of my teammates will be there. I will bring shirts to these events for sale but if you are looking to purchase on behalf of your team, please let me know in advance so that I bring enough.

My aim is to get these shirts on your backs.

Luke

QUICK

More last minute traveling has kept me away from the computer. A last minute addition to the shirt. Will be posting that up soon. Some comments on shipping and prices have come up. If there's a concern, just e-mail me. Thanks, Luke

SEABJJ T-SHIRT: FINAL LAYOUT

OK, so it's been a long time coming and with my recent travel schedule I've not been able to put everything together. I really appreciate everybodys participation and I promise I've done all I can to reach out to everyone. So if your team is not represented it will have to wait till the next project. But kudos to all of you who did participate. It's all in alphabetical order unless I've become dyslexic without my knowing. I'm open to comments or suggestions but outside of any major changes, this is more or less it. I plan to send these out to the printers by Friday afternoon.

As of now, the I believe the shirts will cost $18 USD per. If you buy them as a team with orders of 25+, there will be a discount. The final price for each order will also include shipping so that will depend on where you're ordering from.

Payment can be made to paypal (http://www.paypal.com/) account to this address: smultron_sato@hotmail.com

Thanks, Luke