Inside a real Kumite by Michael Schiavello. (click the link at the bottom of the page to read the rest of the article and see the Kumite video)
IN A GYM ON THE FOURTH FLOOR OF ICHIGEKI PLAZA IN TOKYO, Artur Hovhannisyan stands by a full-length window and looks down upon the streets of Ebisu though his thoughts are miles away. His white gi is pristine and a black belt adorns his waist with three gold bars on the tip (one for each dan ranking). With his shaved head and clean appearance, the 33-year-old Armenian could pass as a banker or an accountant. Indeed it’s not until you see his calloused knuckles and stare into the black abyss of his eyes that you realize who you’re really standing face-to-face with.
“It’s time,” says a voice from across the room.
“Osu!” grunts Hovhannisyan. He slams his fist into his palm, lets out a loud breath and is led out of the gym by two officials with all the solemnity of wardens leading a death-row inmate to the chair. Hovhannisyan enters the tiny Honbu (headquarters) dojo and the wooden door slides shut behind him. The eerie thud of a Taiko drum renders the room silent. As he gazes around the dojo his eyes widen; only now does he truly comprehend the gravity of what lies ahead. On the floor sit one hundred black and brown belts, legs crossed, perfectly postured. They’re bare knuckled and hungry, like a pack of jackals ready to rip Hovhannisyan apart at the limbs.
At 13:00 Kancho Shokei Matsui, Kyokushin Karate’s global leader, addresses the dojo. His voice is soft and melodic, unbefitting of a man who twenty-three years ago steamrolled his way through the Hyaku-Nin Kumite (100-Man Kumite) with a record 76 knockouts. He directs attention to a small altar and invokes the blessing of Kyokushin’s late founder, Sosai Mas Oyama, or God. Perhaps both — though one wonders how any sort of spiritual serenity can exist in the masochistic madness that is about to unfold. Then again traditional Karate is as much a spiritual pursuit as it is a physical one. The small ceremony, precisely worded in Japanese and conducted with complete attentionto detail, seems to still the ego, empty the mind, and raise the vibrational energy of the room in an almost shamanistic way.
Warrior is an upcoming action drama film about mixed martial arts set to be released on September 9, 2011 by Lionsgate. The film will star Nick Nolte, Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, Justin Berg, Jennifer Morrison and Pro Wrestler Kurt Angle. The movie will be directed by Gavin O'Connor and produced by Greg O'Connor.
"A former boxer (Nolte), whose alcoholism tore apart his family, welcomes back his youngest son (Hardy) and trains him to compete in a mixed martial arts tournament – a path that puts the son on a collision course with his older brother (Edgerton)."
"The Salamander Key ( formerly The Fifth Execution) is a motion picture staring Rutger Hauer, Michael Madsen, and Fedor Emelianenko which is scheduled for it’s world premiere March 24th in Moscow, Russia.
The movie is sure to entertain action film fans world wide, and marks the debut of Fedor Emelianenko on the big screen.
«…Today we’ve got a priceless gift – Elixir of Life…» – was the sensational statement of the head of «Farm-line» corporation in Bangkok. The miraculous preparation was found while researching salamander ability to renew it’s cells…
«Congressman commits suicide! It’s already the 8th death for the month! It’s an epidemic of suicide!» – that what is on the front pages of all newspapers. One of the best Thailand capital cops starts the investigation to find out the reason of mysterious deths.
A group of international scientists disappears on the island in South-Eastern Asia. The last message received from the scientists is about a threat of global disaster. Rescue Group finds traces of laboratory, where experiments with animals and humans were held"
A true story based on the life of deaf UFC fighter Matt Hamill, Hamill tells the story of what it takes to be a champion, on and off the mat.
Hamill is a sports drama depicting the struggles and successes Matt faces on the way to becoming a champion. Raised among those with the ability to hear, Matt later finds himself no less an outsider amidst the Deaf Community. Through sheer determination, he uses his perceived disability as an asset, and becomes both the first deaf wrestler to win a National Collegiate Championship and an inspirational force to the hearing and deaf alike.
Both Michael Bisping and Jorge Rivera have been feeling very confident when interviewed about their upcoming fight.
Rivera has taken it a step further and started making YouTube hype videos about Michael Bisping, most of which revolve around his English accent and how you can barely understand him, his inability to knock anyone out and the way he always speaks in third person.
Michael Bisping: 10-3 in UFC - Notable wins over Matt Hamill, Chris Leben, Yoshihiro Akiyama.
Jorge Rivera: 7-5 in UFC - Notable wins over Kendall Grove and Nate Quarry.
This past weekend, Paul Williams and Sergio Martinez went head to head in a second match, both trying to show the boxing world who is really the better fighter.
In their first match last year, both fighters were throwing massive blows back and forth, and it was probably the best match of 2009, but the decision was given to Paul Williams at the end with scores of: Pierre Benoist 119-110 for Williams, Lynn Carter 115-113 for Williams and Julie Lederman 114-114.
The second match was expected to be the fight of the year, but instead became the knockout of the year, with the fight only lasting 2 rounds.
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