MMA Asia is the leading source for news and interviews for what’s hot and new on the Asian Mixed Martial Arts scene. Listen to MMA Asia for the latest news about 1-FC, Dare, Naksu, Malaysia fighting Championships (MFC), URCC Philippines, and more.

In this multi-part series, MMA Asia tele-journalist Alan Cole, based in Kuala Lumpur, interviews the Brooklyn Monk, Antonio Graceffo, a martial arts author and TV host who is also fighting in the Malaysia Fighting Championships.

Listen to the MMA Asia interview with Antonio Graceffo

http://www.mmanewsasia.com/2011/12/24/mma-news-asia-podcast-antonio-graceffo-the-brooklyn-monk-pt-1/

With Host Eddie Goldman

Antonio Graceffo, the Brooklyn Monk, on Martial Arts and MMA inAsia

http://nhbnews.podomatic.com/entry/2011-12-21T23_47_40-08_00

Born in Brooklyn, raised in Tennessee, and living for many years in Asia, Antonio Graceffo has written books, hosted the “Martial Arts Odyssey” web TV show, studied traditional martial arts and boxing, and more recently has fought in mixed martial arts events in Asia, even though he is now 44 years old. He is also now adding wrestling to his repertoire of martial arts.

We spoke with Antonio while he was visitingNew Yorklast week. He has been bringing to the rest of the world information on Bokator, a traditional martial art fromCambodia, which is similar to muayThai.We spoke about how he ended up living in Asia, the martial arts and its culture in Asia, and how that differs from the culture ofWestern MMA. He explained which styles and techniques are practiced in which countries and regions ofAsia, and where some styles like wrestling are not. He discussed MMA in Asia, and especiallyMalaysia, as well as the emergence of the ONE Fighting Championship and its network, and much, much more.

Antonio Graceffo is a fascinating and unique individual, and we hope this lengthy interview is just the start of many discussions with him on No Holds Barred.

Antonio Graceffo is self-funded and needs donation to continue his writing and video work. To support the project you can donate through the paypal link on his website, www.speakingadventure.com 

Brooklyn Monk, Antonio Graceffo is a martial arts and adventure author living inAsia. He is a columnist for Black Belt Magazine and the author of the books, “Warrior Odyssey’ and “The Monk fromBrooklyn.” He is also the host of the web TV show, “Martial Arts Odyssey,” which traces his ongoing journey throughAsia, learning martial arts in various countries.

Warrior Odyssey, the book chronicling Antonio Graceffo’s first six years in Asia is available at amazon.com. The book contains stories about the war in Burma and the Shan State Army. The book is available at http://www.blackbeltmag.com/warrior_odyssey

See Antonio’s Destinations video series and find out about his column on  http://www.blackbeltmag.com
 

website

www.speakingadventure.com

Twitter

http://twitter.com/Brooklynmonk

facebook

Brooklyn Monk fan page

BrooklynMonk on YOUTUBE

http://www.youtube.com/user/brooklynmonk1

BrooklynMonk in 3D

Order the download at http://3dguy.tv/brooklyn-monk-in-3d/

Brooklyn Monk in Asia Podcast (anti-travel humor)

http://brooklynmonk.podomatic.com

Ancient techniques from Southeast Asia Enhance Modern MMA

By Antonio Graceffo

When the opponent’s punch comes, Silat Tomoi tell us to block it aggressively with an elbow, hopefully breaking his hand. If he kicks, San Da teaches to catch the kick and take him to the ground. In close-in stand-up fighting, Muay Boran teaches us to use close in, spinning back elbow strikes. Chaiya says that if we spin one way, we are now setup to spin the other way, action, reaction, and always, move your head out of the path of attack. Kick the thigh with your shin, then spin back around and smash him in the head with your forearm.

South East Asian Kombatives (SEAK) is a new series of videos, seminars, and books, where Antonio Graceffo shares the experience he gained during his ten years of traveling throughSoutheast Asia, training with various masters.

SEAK combines techniques from a variety of regional martial arts, including: Cambodian Bokator and Bradal Serey,Thailand’s Muay Thai, Muay Boran, andMuay Chaiya,Malaysia’s Silat Kalam and Silat Tomoi, as well as other arts such as Chinese San Da, Philippine Yaw Yan, and even some modern MMA techniques.

At medium distance, Yaw Yan uses a one-two combination of spinning back-fists to knock the opponent out. If the opponent grabs you and wants to grapple Muay Thai style, Bokator encourages us to move in with a close elbow, striking the man in the center of the chest, just above the solar plexus, knocking him to the ground. If he doesn’t fall, Silat Kalam offers a variety of throws. MMA tells us to go to the ground and grapple with him. Bokator gives us some basic chokes and submissions to end the fight on the ground.

From standing to ground fighting, South East Asian martial arts offer a complete set of techniques to dominate at any distance. MMA may be a new concept in the west, but revisiting the ancient techniques could offer a new twist to the fight game.

Before going toAsia, Antonio had a background in western boxing and kick boxing. He fought numerous boxing smokers, challenge fights, amateur and professional boxing matches. InAsia, Antonio has fought in boxing matches, as well as MMA competitions. During his travels, in addition to months he spent inChina’sShaolinTemple, as well as a Muay Thai temple inThailand, Antonio was the first foreigner to earn a Black Krama in Cambodian Bokator. He was also the first non-Muslim to be permitted to study the Malaysian art of Silat Kalam.

During his years on the road, Antonio wrote seven books, which are all available on amazon.com The most recent ones are Khun Khmer: Cambodian Martial Arts Diary, which is one of the first books ever written exclusively about Cambodian martial arts, and Warrior Odyssey, a book which details the first seven years of his travels. His web TV show, Martial Arts Odyssey, with over 200 hundred episodes on youtube, follows his travels and martial arts studies.

“My first goal in traveling and studying the way I did was so that I could learn and grow as a martial artist. My second goal was to share the experience with people in theUSand elsewhere, who maybe didn’t have the same opportunities I had.” Explains Graceffo. “Many of the masters asked me to go back toAmericaand teach their system, to help preserve and promote the arts. But teaching a single system seemed oo restrictive. SEAK gives me the opportunity to share a variety of systems and to pick and chose, passing on the techniques that I like best.”

It’s not just fighting techniques that you will learn in the SEAK DVDs, seminars and books, it’s also culture and history. “I know people want to learn deadly techniques or techniques that might help them win a fight, but I think it’s important to share the culture and experience that I gained from this incredible opportunity that I’ve had.”

In the seminars, Antonio tries to add some history and cultural perspective to the techniques he teaches.

“Some of these arts are dying out in the countries where they were created.” Antonio explains. “Tae Kwan Do was the fastest growing art in most of these countries, now MMA is exploding inSoutheast Asia. SEAK is a way of reminding people how wonderful these ancient arts are, before they go away.”

Antonio just finished teaching a SEAK seminar in California. His next seminar series will be in March of 2012, when he is planning several dates in California, New York, and other USlocations. You can get information about SEAK seminars and find out about the DVD release on Antonio’s facebook page, Brooklyn Monk (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brooklyn-Monk)

watch Martial Arts Odyssey on youtube http://www.youtube.com/user/brooklynmonk1 catch up on all of Antonio’s news at his website, www.speakingadventure.com

get his books on amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss/185-4365010-6514835?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=antonio+graceffo&x=0&y=0

 To arrange a seminar in your area contact Lee Lollio email: LeeL210@yahoo.com

In Miri, Malaysian Borneo, Brooklyn Monk, Antonio Graceffo, meets a number of masters of various styles of Silat. 

Martial Arts Odyssey: Masters of Miri (Part 1)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iizc61kYJJg

Martial Arts Odyssey: Masters of Miri (Part 2)

Antonio Graceffo is self-funded and needs donation to continue his writing and video work. To support the project you can donate through the paypal link on his website, www.speakingadventure.com 

Brooklyn Monk, Antonio Graceffo is a martial arts and adventure author living inAsia. He is the author of the books, “Warrior Odyssey’ and “The Monk fromBrooklyn.” He is also the host of the web TV show, “Martial Arts Odyssey,” which traces his ongoing journey throughAsia, learning martial arts in various countries.

Warrior Odyssey, the book chronicling Antonio Graceffo’s first six years in Asia is available at amazon.com. The book contains stories about the war in Burma and the Shan State Army. The book is available at http://www.blackbeltmag.com/warrior_odyssey

See Antonio’s Destinations video series and find out about his column on  http://www.blackbeltmag.com
 

website

www.speakingadventure.com

Twitter

http://twitter.com/Brooklynmonk

facebook

Brooklyn Monk fan page

BrooklynMonk on YOUTUBE

http://www.youtube.com/user/brooklynmonk1

BrooklynMonk in 3D

Order the download at http://3dguy.tv/brooklyn-monk-in-3d/

Brooklyn Monk in Asia Podcast (anti-travel humor)

http://brooklynmonk.podomatic.com

Antonio,Graceffo,Brooklyn,monk,warrior,martial,arts,odyssey,silat,,Malaysia,borneo,Sarawak,miri

Journalist Eli Seckbach interviews Brooklyn Monk, Antonio Graceffo, and martial arts expert, Lee Lollio, in Los Angeles. Eli asks the very volatile question, “Which is the best martial art?”

ES News interview 1 with Antonio Garceffo: Which Martial Art is Best

Watch the video on youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hBrxE8W8Zs

ES News interview 2 with Antonio Graceffo: Living at theShaolinTemple

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kijZV74reIc

World renowned South East Asian martial art expert and author Guro Antonio Graceffo (The Brooklyn Monk) now living in Malaysia will be conducting seminars in Southern California Teaching South East Asian Fighting Arts from December 6^th- the 11^th.  The curriculum will cover history and basic and advanced combatives of Malaysian Silat Tumoi and Cambodian Bokator.  Both styles are no nonsense reality based self defense martial arts that compliment each other or on their own make a complete fighting system.  Don’t miss this opportunity to train in two of the rarest and deadliest martial arts outside of South East Asia. Contact Lee Lollio @  LeeL210@yahoo.com for more info & open dates.

Scheduled seminar date: Union Chiropractic Group/Wellness Facility 1555 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90015 Sunday Dec. 11^th 2 pm-5pm with Free parking and showers after seminar.  $40.00 pre-registration or $50.00 at the door.

Antonio Graceffo has spent the last ten years living inAsia, moving from country to country training and fighting in various forms of martial arts. He was the first foreigner to ever earn a black krama (black belt) in the Cambodian martial art of Bokator Fighting. He was the first foreigner ever awarded the prestigious title of Palawan Kalam (Silat Kalam Warrior) from the Malaysian government. He holds black belts in Bradal Serey (Khmer boxing) and Philippine Kumandos Kuntaw.  He has also trained Special Forces inAsia.

His studies at the Shaolin Temple, Henan, China, became the inspiration for his book, The Monk fromBrooklyn.  Also Antonio lived in Wat Atchatong, a forest monastery inThailand, where he trained in Muay Boran with Pra Kru Ba, the last warrior monk inThailand. He continued his study of Muay Boran, training with Adjan Sok Chai, Tony Jaa’s first trainer, inSurin,Thailand. InMalaysia, in addition to learning Silat Kalam under Guru Mazlan Man, Antonio studied Silat Tomoi under Guru (Kru) Jak Othman.  InThailand, Antonio learned Muay Chaiya with Kru Lek.

You can find Antonio’s column, Destinations, in Black Belt magazine. In total, he has written seven books, all of which have some martial arts theme. His book Warrior Odyssey details his first seven years inAsia, training and fighting. His most recent book, Khun Khmer: Cambodian Martial Arts Diary was the first book ever written about Cambodian martial arts. Antonio’s web TV show, Martial Arts Odyssey is available on youtube. The show now has over 200 episodes, shot in numerous countries and with martial arts all overAsia.  He has also worked on various Films such as Delta Force 2 with Chuck Norris and TV shows; History Channel’s Human Weapon and others.

I am teaching a seminar on Southeast Asian fighting arts at the UC Wellness Center, in California on Sunday, December 11, from 2 PM to 5 PM all are welcome, if you buy a ticket.

On Saturday, December 10, from 12:00 to 3:00 PM, I will be doing a book signing for my new book, Khun Khmer: Cambodia Martial Arts Diary, the first book ever, exclusively about Khmer martial arts. Location: Martial Arts History Museum, 2319 West Magnolia Blvd, Burbank, CA 91506, http://www.amazon.com/Khun-Khmer-Cambodian-Martial-Diary/dp/B006BLPBII/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1322668535&sr=8-13

Southeast Asian Fighting Arts Seminar

WhenSunday, December 11, 2011.Time2:00pm until 5:00pm..Description Seminar details: Lee Lollio will be hosting Guro Antonio Graceffo aka The Brooklyn Monk who is on a southern California seminar tour visiting from Malaysia. Seminar curriculum will be covering basic and advance techniques of Silat Tomoi of Malaysia and Bokator of Cambodia, which both are pure reality based self defense combative systems. Don’t let this opportunity slip by to train with one of the most sought out experts of the South East Asian fighting arts. Price: $50.00 per person on the day of the event or $40.00 preregistration 24 hrs before the event. Free parking in the back of the UCG Wellness Center and use of showers at the state of art training facility, 1555 w. Olympic blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90015.

Contact Lee Lollio for further info on this event and also for open dates for seminars and private lessons with Guro Graceffo while in Southern California from December 5th – December 10th and also future dates. Cell phone number: (805) 824-3821 and email: LeeL210@yahoo.com

Bio:

Antonio Graceffo has spent the last ten years living in Asia, moving from country to country training and fighting in various forms of martial arts. He was the first foreigner to ever earn a black krama (black belt) in the Cambodian martial art of Bokator Fighting. He was the first foreigner ever awarded the prestigious title of Palawan Kalam (Silat Kalam Warrior) from the Malaysian government. He also holds black belts in Bradal Serey (Khmer boxing) and Philippine Kumandos Kuntaw and also has studied Wing Chun.

His studies at the Shaolin Temple, Henan, China, became the inspiration for his book, The Monk from Brooklyn. After the Shaolin Temple, Antonio lived in Wat Atchatong, a forest monastery in Thailand, where he trained in Muay Boran with Pra Kru Ba, the last warrior monk in Thailand. He continued his study of Muay Boran, training with Adjan Sok Chai, Tony Jaa’s first trainer, in Surin, Thailand. In Malaysia, in addition to learning Silat Kalam under Guru Mazlan Man, Antonio studied Silat Tomoi under Guru (Kru) Jak Othman. In Thailand, Antonio learned Muay Chaiya with Kru Lek.

For Muay Thai, Antonio has trained with various teachers and at numerous gyms throughout Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Taiwan.

You can find Antonio’s column, Destinations, in Black Belt magazine. In total, he has written seven books, all of which have some martial arts theme. His book Warrior Odyssey details his first seven years in Asia, training and fighting. His most recent book, Khun Khmer: Cambodian Martial Arts Diary, was the first book ever written about Cambodian martial arts. Antonio’s web TV show, Martial Arts Odyssey is available on youtube. The show now has over 200 episodes, shot in numerous countries and with martial arts all over Asia. He has also worked on Films such as Delta Force 2 with Chuck Norris and TV shows: Human Weapon, Digging for the Truth, Kill Arman, The Art of Fighting, Samantha Brown’s Asia, and Thai TV shows about Muay Thai Chaiya and Kun Khmer Champion in Cambodia.

As a fighter, Antonio has had over 45 boxing matches, including military, amateur and professional fights. In 2011, at the age of 44, he began fighting in MMA competitions and now holds a record of 3 and 1.

Military and police experience

Antonio has successfully graduated three US boot camps: Army, Navy, and Merchant Marines. He is also a graduate of US Army Infantry School, Ft. Benning Georgia, Army School of Training Management, and Non-Commissioned Officers Academy, Ft. Jackson, South Carolina.

In Malaysia, he works as a trainer for the Royal Police. In Burma, Antonio was a volunteer with the Shan State Rebel Army, where he worked as a martial arts trainer as well as documenting human rights abuses and war crimes.

Checkout Antonio’s website http://speakingadventure.com/

Brooklyn Monk Antonio Graceffo fights in MMA fight held on November 12, 2011, at Vogue the Club, Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The event was sponsored by Muayfit MMA, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. This fight won the award for “hardest kick in the face.” Antonio won the dubious honor (self-dubbed) of “hardest chin.”

Tale of the Tape

Watch it on youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ha1e5wpMm0&feature=channel_video_title

Antonio Graceffo is self-funded and needs donation to continue his writing and video work. To support the project you can donate through the paypal link on his website, www.speakingadventure.com

Brooklyn Monk, Antonio Graceffo is a martial arts and adventure author living in Asia. He is a columnist for Black Belt Magazine and the author of the books, “Warrior Odyssey’ and “The Monk from Brooklyn.” He is also the host of the web TV show, “Martial Arts Odyssey,” which traces his ongoing journey through Asia, learning martial arts in various countries.

Warrior Odyssey, the book chronicling Antonio Graceffo’s first six years in Asia is available at amazon.com. The book contains stories about the war in Burma and the Shan State Army. The book is available at http://www.blackbeltmag.com/warrior_odyssey

See Antonio’s Destinations video series and find out about his column on  http://www.blackbeltmag.com
 

website

www.speakingadventure.com

Twitter

http://twitter.com/Brooklynmonk

facebook

Brooklyn Monk fan page

Brooklyn Monk on YOUTUBE

http://www.youtube.com/user/brooklynmonk1

Brooklyn Monk in 3D

Order the download at http://3dguy.tv/brooklyn-monk-in-3d/

Brooklyn Monk in Asia Podcast (anti-travel humor)

http://brooklynmonk.podomatic.com

Antonio,Graceffo,Brooklyn,monk,mma,fight,real,competition,tournament,vogue,muayfit,muay,

fit,night,martial,arts,odyssey,mixed

The world’s first, ever, book dedicated 100% to Cambodian martial arts. In this rare work you will find stories about the three Khmer martial arts: Bradal  Serey (kick boxing), Jap Bap (wrestling), and the ancient fighting system of Bokator. The book includes interviews and profiles with most of Cambodia’s living masters and some of Cambodia’s top fighters.

Between the stories of martial arts and fighting you will get an incredibly close and intimate look into Cambodian culture. Traveling with Graceffo you experience Cambodia as few people ever can.

Order now, direct from the publisher

http://www.valleymartialarts.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=11_56&products_id=1706

From the publisher:

Antonio Graceffo, in his 7th book, returns to Cambodia in search of the elusive origins of Bokator, the unabridged original fighting style of Cambodia.  His search, 10 years in the making, has taken him from Cambodia’s capital city of Phnom Penh, to Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and many villages and towns in between.   Along the way, Graceffo details the people, culture, and mindset of a civilization far removed from his Brooklyn upbringing.

Always behind his journey, is Graceffo’s determination to find documentation and proof of Bokator’s roots.  This is Graceffo’s motivation, his holy grail, his passion.  Come along as Graceffo combines his passion for Martial Arts and culture to learn what it means to be human, in a sometimes inhumane world.

Experience with Graceffo the beauty of a country where few Americans live, eat with the locals where you can dine like a king for $4.00, travel the many dirt roads to people’s grass hut homes and dirt floors that welcome you with a smile.  Meet the young men who train 8 hours a day, but do not have enough money for food or competition fees.    Understand a country coming to terms with its’ own turbulent past and trying to carve a place for itself in the 21st century.

Discover why this book ends with more questions than answers, but rest assured, Graceffo will take you on a journey that you will never forget.

Contact the author: Antonio@Speakingadventure.com

By Antonio Graceffo

Mixed Martial Arts Competitions are capturing the hearts and mind of young Malaysians.

The bell rings, and Malaysian national san da team member Raymond Tiew flies out of his corner, ready to do battle. His opponent, Kong Ravy is a Khmer Bokator fighter, probably the first Cambodian to ever fight in Malaysia. Ravy throws a flying knee technique, better than any Tony Jaa movie, because it was real. The knee lands with enough force to knock Raymond out, but years of fight training have given the young Malaysian just enough instinct to slip about half the force of the blow. He is hurt, but he remains standing. Ravy delivers a shin kick to Raymond’s thigh with such force, that Raymond still bears the black-and-blue marks a month later.

San da fighters are experts at grabbing kicks. Eventually, Raymond plucks one of Ravy’s kicks right out of the air, and takes Ravy to the ground. He pounds Ravy on the ground right up until the bell sounds. Raymond was declared the winner, but every spectator understood that there were two winners in that fight, and any clean fight.

Fighting in a cage or in a competition you are not fighting your opponent. There is no anger. At the end of the day, you are fighting yourself. You are fighting to overcome your own fears and deficiencies and to test your skills. Seen from that point of view, your opponent is your helper, not your adversary.

A steel cage in a shopping mall is not exactly a scene from ancient Rome but like the gladiators of olden times, 64 MMA fighters met at Sunway Pyramid on September 11, to fight in Malaysia’s first, large-scale MMA tournament, Mayhem II, sponsored by Muayfit of Petaling Jaya. During the course of the twelve-hour event, thousands of spectators stopped by to watch. A month later, on October 15, the cage was set up in Overtime Bistro in Mont Kiara. This time the Muayfit event was called Fight Night I. Twelve pairs of fighters fought their hearts out to the shouts of encouragement from a young, upwardly mobile crowd.

Talking to the fighters and fans it seems that MMA in Malaysia is the sport of the young, a new generation, fluent in English, internet savvy, and open to people of all races, colors, and religions. Living out the spirit of Satu Malaysia (One Malaysia). Among the fighters and fans at both events were Malays, Chinese, Indians, Sikhs, and foreigners who live in Malaysia. There were fighters from US, UK, Pakistan, Kazakistan, Uzbekistan, Sudan, Turkmenistan, and three Cambodians from my Bokator Academy in Phnom Penh.

One of the most popular fighters on the burgeoning Malaysian MMA circuit is twenty-year old Allamurad, from Turkmenistan. He was the overall winner in both Mayhem I and Mayhem II and also won his fight at Fight Night I. With a record of nine wins and zero losses, he is now the most experienced and most successful MMA fighter on the new circuit.

Allamurad came to Malaysia to complete his university studies, now because of the opportunities afforded him by Muayfit events, he has also begun his career as an MMA fighter, the completion of a life-long dream.

“I like MMA better than muay Thai because I can use my wrestling skills.” Says Allamurad. “I also like being in Malaysia, so fun! I have a lot of friends here.” Malaysia has given Allamurad chances that his home country couldn’t have. “In my country maybe I could be competing in sambo (Russian submission wrestling) but MMA is difficult to find fights.”

I told Allamurad, Turkmenistan people have a reputation for being tough. He just laughed. “People in my country are really tough.” His laugh basically said, “Hit me with a table. I don’t care”

“But now in Malaysia the people are getting tougher.” He continued. “From Mayhem I, to Mayhem II, to Fight Night I, the level has increased a lot.”

Mayhem III (Scheduled for February, 2012) will in addition to amateur and semi-pro, include a professional division.

As testament to how much the level has increased in just a few months, Allamurad said “The Mayhem I runner up got knocked out in Fight Night.” To be the runner up in Mayhem I meant this guy had won four fights in a single day. Now, he was knocked out. “The level is going up, and new guys are coming in.”

I also fight on the circuit. In Mayhem II I had one win and one loss. I won my fight in Fight Night I. Training and fighting in Malaysia has allowed me to make a lot of friends and meet a lot of bright, optimistic young people who give me hope about the future of Malaysia.

So far, the experience of training and fighting MMA has only been positive. There seems to be no bad blood between fighters or rivalries between gyms. Everyone knows each other and helps each other. The organizers have also worked hard to keep gambling out.

Paul Teo, owner of Muayfit and promoter of Mayhem and Fight Night said, “I like MMA Malaysia because it brings together all the races. It fosters unity, bridging racial and religious gaps.”

One of the disadvantages to training in Malaysia is that we don’t yet have a solid MMA gym. So, people like Allamurad, Ryamond and I train at two or three gyms to cover all of the skills necessary for MMA, namely Muay Thai, boxing, grappling, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, San Da, and conditioning.

I originally met Allamurad at Alex’s Boxing gym and later at Muayfit. But we both also follow our separate training circuits at various gyms which help us with MMA training.

“I currently train with Muayfit MMA coach Peter Davis and BJJ coach Samir from France.” Said Allamurad.

Raymond trains primarily at the Shaolin Goh Chor, Five Ancestors san da club, in Puchong, with his Sifu Alex Loh. He also trains with Allamurad at Peter Davis MMA gym and at Muayfit.

I train primarily with the Combat Wing Chun MMA team in Kota Damansara, and fight for them in competitions (unless the Khmer fighters are here, then I fight for Team Cambodia). But I also train at Muayfit. Allamurad and I both visit Raymond and train with him at the san da club from time to time.

“We don’t have a real MMA center yet. We also don’t have a good MMA instructor or trainer yet.” said Raymond. What he meant was that in other countries, you would try and get all of your training under a single roof and with all of the trainers coordinating with each other. My boxing coach, for example, is still Paddy Carson, at Paddy’s Fight Club, and I train with him once a month or so, when I am in Phnom Penh. Has no contact with my other trainers. The same is true so far for most of the trainers in Malaysia, while the athletes train at two or three gyms, the Sifus don’t get to meet each other so much, because they are too busy training people.

All of this moving around may keep the overall fighting level lower, but it has done wonders for friendship and social interaction between fighters. When the fights are on you never know who to cheer for because we all know each other and have trained together at the same gyms. And of course, going from gym to gym, reshuffling students and masters has made race mixing inevitable, which is really a blessing. Malay, Chinese, and Indians are working together. And for us foreigners, there is probably no other sport or activity in Malaysia where we can participate as full members.

Sam Chan, a very popular MMA fighter on our burgeoning circuit, won his Fight Night fight in ten seconds. Sam said, “I like Malaysian MMA because we can all have a chance to fight like UFC. If we build up Malaysian MMA it could actually attract more fighters from other countries to fight, which would build up Malaysia’s name.”

“Another problem with training in Malaysia is we don’t have full equipment for stamina training. In America or Singapore they have every piece of equipment to train every part of the body.” Continued Raymond.

When MMA first started, with the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) in USA in 1993, it really was a contest between different martial arts. The point of the event was to test if judo could beat karate, or kung fu could beat boxing. The sport quickly developed, however and the bulk of the fighters adopted a very similar MMA style of fighting, which was a combination of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai. Critics of the sport have complained that the word “mixed” should be taken from the title because everyone fights the same.

As Raymond pointed out, “In Malaysia we are still in the mixed martial arts but the standard is not high enough to go for international competition.”

In many of the fights in Malaysia you can still see distinct martial arts styles.

“I think in America is boxing style but here is silat style, muay Thai, wing chun, Shaolin…” agreed Allamurad.

Yeow Chet, former professional Muay Thai fighter with over 90 fights and one of the few Malaysians to ever fight professional MMA in Europe is working as a coach, to help the sport develop in Malaysia. “MMA has just been newly introduced into Malaysia within these few months. Surprisingly there’re so many people in Malaysia interested in this sport, despite the lack of exposure to it other than the INTERNET(YOUTUBE). It is rapidly growing. More and more gyms are slowly converting into MMA gyms. I’m happy to see that there’re people who strongly support this game financially and physically ( fighters/ Contestants ) (promoters and sponsors),”

MMA fighter Keanu Subba, half Nepali and half Chinese, born in USA has lived nearly his whole life in Malaysia. “I think that the sport is still in its infant stages here in Malaysia, but in time as more people start to watch and understand the sport it will grow and hopefully we will see some talent come.”

MMA fan Eulver Raymund Tan Presto pointed out that not everyone in Malaysia is excited about the MMA boom. “It’s something new to them. Some old generation Malaysians may not like it.”

One of my sponsors, a Malay business man, said to me, “This is not martial arts. This is gusti (wrestling). I prefer to see boxing, much more exciting.’

A Malay Silat Guru told me, “This is not free fighting. It is wrestling with boxing.” The Guru and some older Malays were concerned that people would get angry at the fights and want to fight in the parking lot or get revenge later.

Luckily, until now, everyone seems to be treating MMA Malaysia as a community.

“So far, the youngsters portray excellent sportsmanship which is good for the MMA sport here to blossom and at the same time building a strong relationship between each and every single training center.” Said Yeow Chet.

What is the future of MMA in Malaysia? I personally hope it will grow and grow. Yeow Chet is probably the fighter with most overseas experience, and this was his message to the Malaysia MMA community.

“I sincerely hope that Malaysian MMA scene would continue to grow as there is much room for improvement. Malaysians have yet to experience what the real professional MMA scene is. It’s been long on going in the United Stated etc. As an ex professional MMA fighter, I would hope to see Malaysians going out to the international scene and also for overseas fighters to come fight in our local league. In fact we have quite a few local Malaysians who fought overseas without us knowing, due to the lack of publicity 5 to 6 years back.”

“Lastly, Malaysian young fighters should remain humble, as they are still new. Always remember the saying “there’s always a mountain higher” meaning there’s always a better fighter outside. You can’t beat everyone in this world. We’re still in the amateur ground compared to overseas. SO TRAIN HARD, FIGHT HARD AND REMOVE ALL EGOS TO PROGRESS FURTHER!”

Antonio Graceffo is self-funded and needs donation to continue his writing and video work. To support the project you can donate through the paypal link on his website, www.speakingadventure.com

Brooklyn Monk, Antonio Graceffo is a martial arts and adventure author living in Asia. He is a columnist for Black Belt Magazine and the author of the books, “Warrior Odyssey’ and “The Monk from Brooklyn.” He is also the host of the web TV show, “Martial Arts Odyssey,” which traces his ongoing journey through Asia, learning martial arts in various countries.

Warrior Odyssey, the book chronicling Antonio Graceffo’s first six years in Asia is available at amazon.com. The book contains stories about the war in Burma and the Shan State Army. The book is available at http://www.blackbeltmag.com/warrior_odyssey

See Antonio’s Destinations video series and find out about his column on  http://www.blackbeltmag.com
 

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