With so many shirt companies catering to MMA, it’s hard to distinguish the different brands. However, Furious Fight Wear has found their niche in marketing and design that makes them one of the best shirts on the market. Go to any TAMMA, King of Combat, or XFC event and you are sure to find Furious’ cast of characters including Machine, Rhyno, and Matt.
It is the owners of Furious that are the biggest characters behind the scenes, though. Father and son Manuel Hernandez and Manny Jr. are the brainiacs behind the up and rising clothing company. “Anyone can open a clothing company, but we wanted identity,” says Manuel. Identity is not a problem with these shirts, with artwork done by Alfred Perez, who was a customer at their shop before designing the shirts. The designs stay true to the original idea Manuel had when coming up with the company’s name. Manuel states that the name came from, “Joe Rogan had once said ‘furious kick’, but our true code is for a fighter, fan, or a regular everyday person that is Dominant and Uncontrolled”. Furious caters to all, and will soon be carrying a line of shorts for fighters.
Ask them and they’ll tell you, within a year you’ll see Furious Fight Wear on TV. An impossible dream, maybe, maybe not, but remember the MMA world recently lost someone who also dreamt big. Manuel was a big fan of Mask and the TapouT brand, and aspires one day to be on the same level as his idol. Furious is succeeding by creating characters and having beautiful women wear their brand, and by handing out flyers and walking around events. The Furious crew started as just regular customers that were fans of the sport. “With characters wearing the Furious Fight Wear, it helps to become more recognizable, people recognize me with Furious and I love the attention,” said Machine.
Manny Jr. likes to remain behind the scenes which leaves him plenty of time to work out the business aspect of the company. But working with a family member has many ups and downs. Manny Jr says, ”We are a lot alike and bump heads, but in the end we usually compromise.” Both are very honest if something does not work or a design is not quite right with the name brand.
Furious Fight Wear is one of the best companies to come out in a while, and with many more of their ideas you can be sure you will be seeing them anywhere they want to be. You can check out Furious Fight Wear on the web at http://www.furiousinternational.com/ or at their store on 4745 Fredericksburg Ste. A
By Raul Rangel
When someone says rematch many different bouts come to mind: B.J. Penn vs. George St. Pierre, Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier, Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar, etc… The point being these entire match ups came with closure between 2 combatants. Fights come and go, but the truly special ones need one more match.
One match that comes to mind was the fight between Stetson Horne and Noel Santiago. The intensity was high from the beginning to the end, with both fighters putting their heart and soul into the fight. Stetson was standing tall with Noel, just barely winning by points on his standup, while Noel was clearly dominant on the take downs and on his ground game. The match ended with a split decision for Noel, but most of the crowd thought they needed to go a few more rounds to determine a real winner. I personally would love to see this match again with the winner receiving a title shot.
Another match, which I would like to see again, happened on the same night as the previous bout. Michael Martinez vs. Antwon Williams was a match that was 5 months in the making, due to Williams’s accident. This was a fight during which Martinez took damage from powerful kicks by Williams, but stood his ground and fought threw the pain until the end.
There are also many other fights on mainstream that I would love to see, let me know your opinions.
By Raul Rangel
Soldiers have always been the foremost practitioners of martial arts- armed, and unarmed. Jeff Deickman is a U.S. Army Combative Training Instructor. Along with his team, he trains other soldiers how to fight. Training himself and others is more than a hobby, it’s more than a job, it is his duty to all of us that he swore an oath to uphold.
Jeff started training martial arts as a kid, and really got serious with it when he joined the Army in 2003. He’s been practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) these 6 years since. BJJ is valued in the training of soldiers for its basis in ground fighting and immobilization of opponents. Jeff doesn’t only train BJJ, he’s a national competitor in Judo, and also trains Boxing and Muay Thai.
Competing in MMA with TAMMA gives Jeff a chance to get some exposure for the U.S. Army Combative Instruction Program and test his skills in the cage. “It’s good marketing, and it helps out with recruiting,” Jeff said.”I have to present myself with class. I’m a representative of the Army.” It’s not all selfless though, Jeff gets a thrill every time he steps into the cage. “It’s the mono y mono, man to man- a test of skills that I love about it. It’s practical too. I am showing my proficiency, in case I ever have to use my skills in the line of duty.”
Last Friday and Saturday, April 17th and 18th, Jeff was in San Diego, CA for the Judo Nationals. He competed on Friday for membership of the national team, and lost a match during which his shoulder was separated. That wasn’t the end of the competition for Jeff Deickman though. He competed the next day in the masters, age 30+ and won the silver medal.
“The I.O.C. (International Olympic Committee) doctors treated me, and really did a good job taping up my shoulder and securing it to my body,” said Jeff.
In addition to the Nationals, Jeff also plans to compete in the Judo state competition, and looks forward to using his MMA skills in the All Army Championship, where he took 4th place last year. Jeff has also been preparing for the CISM Military World Games Judo competition, and eventually hopes to compete in the World Olympics.
Jeff was scheduled to fight Odell Pantin for the TAMMA Heavyweight title on Saturday, May 2, but will not be able to compete due to his injury. Jeff is having surgery to speed up his recovery time, though, and plans to compete as soon as he is able.
By Drew Wallen
Yep, it’s beginning to sound true. Talks are getting more serious for the UFC to hold an event at the AT&T
For a few years the UFC has been trying to gain a more hispanic audience, to lure boxing fans. UFC is also in talks with Mexican television for the broadcast their programs. With
UFC’s hispanic fighters could use some recognition with the hispanic audience. Fighters like Roger Huerta, Rolando Delgado, Nate Diaz, Efrain Escudero, and others have a high appeal to hispanic fans.
By Raul Rangel
It was a warm June afternoon at Texas Fight Club, students were getting ready to train and instructors were preparing to teach. I was warming up when I noticed the new guy; he wore his nervousness on his sleeves. Remaining quiet and to himself before the training session, Reily came in with a sense of low expectations and self doubt. The first time I spoke with Reiley was on the kicking pads. I told him that this training is great, you get a better result than just going to the gym.
Cut to 8 months later at the weigh ins for Fight Fest 10, imagine my surprise seeing Reily there. We started chatting it up and he told me he would be fighting in April. Now, this was not the kid that came in timid to Texas Fight Club, this was a warrior preparing for battle.
Training with Mike Rangel and Jose Cabral, Reily has greatly improved on his grapple and feels that’s where he excels the most. Mike credits Reily by saying, “Grappling with the bigger guys has given him an advantage, and he can take a punch.” With Reily fighting at 135lbs. everyone there is a bigger guy.
But, it wasn’t all easy, the first month can be discouraging to a fighter. Consistently losing sparing matches, being so tired you can barely lift your arms, and not too mention how sore you are the next day. But, like a true warrior, Reily pushed himself to become a better fighter.
With an array of high end motorcycles, scantily dressed women, and fight fans waiting for great competition, Reily Tannin would take his first steps in the MMA world. As the fans settled in their seats, eagerly anticipating the first match, a weird noise was coming out of the speaker systems of Cowboys. Madonna’s hit ‘Like a Virgin’, a fitting way of saying ‘first time fighter’, played out as Reily made his way to the ring, with his nerves all over the place.
His opponent, Shawn Darst, also a first time fighter, had a size difference that looked impressive. The bell rang, Reily came out with explosive rights and lefts that stunned his opponent against the ropes. The fight then went to the ground, Darst hoping to gain an advantage, but fell into a triangle choke. The only time Darst was able to get out of the hold was when the ref stopped the fight to move the fighters from under the ropes to the middle of the ring, but he was soon back in the choke. With no options left, Darst had to tap out, giving Reily the best victory there is, submission. ”I was nervous when we had to move for position, I had the first one on tight” Reily said after the fight.
His coaches and team could not have been prouder of their fighter than they were. I could not have been prouder, knowing a fighter I had told to keep coming back had won his first victory. More than anything Reily, no longer nervous, was a proud man.
By Raul Rangel
If you like knock outs, rap music, impressive rock ‘n roll performances, sick motorcycles, kick boxing beat downs, and/or crazy MMA wrestling submissions, then the Bike N Brawl is for you. Sunday April 5 was the first of many, the next is in June. The events include kickboxing and MMA matches on the same card and feature live performances from local musicians. Also on display are some of the rowdiest bikes ever crafted. So whether you’re a motorhead, a metalhead, or an adrenaline junkie, pick yourself up a ticket and get your fix!
The fights on Sunday included quite a few newcomers, including two MMA fights featuring just first timers. These guys came ready to bang. The first 6 fights all ended in submissions or TKO’s, with 3 finishing in the first round. Bobby Rodriguez of Texas Powerhouse dominated Curtis Gonzalez of Relson Gracie Jiu Jitsu in the first kickboxing match of the night.
The 7th fight was an MMA bout between Noel Santiago of Know Pain Fight Club and Todd Gentry of the New Braunfels Brawlers. Santiago returned from the very last event, when he defeated young prodigy Stetson Horne, to take on one of Horne’s training partners. Santiago demonstrated strength and control as he slammed his way out of submissions and took control on the matt. Santiago came away with a unanimous decision victory over Gentry for his 3rd win with no losses.
The best fight on Sunday was undoubtedly the final fight, a kickboxing match between Joseph Salas of Cedar Hill HOC and James Holon of Fighter’s Forge. The fight went the distance of 5 rounds, with both fighters exchanging blows the entire fight. At the end of the third round Salas connected with an uppercut, straight-right combo that rocked Holon, but Holon kept his defense tight and made it through the round. Joseph Salas came away the victor, and welterweight kickboxing champion by unanimous decision.
Saturday May 2nd, Cinco de Mayo, is Texas Fight Fest 11, doors open at 5pm. There will be two title bouts- heavyweight and cruiser divisions.
by Drew Wallen
Located on 15444 Tradesman, White Tiger MMA is across I-10 from The Rim shopping center, less than a mile from UTSA. Owner and Instructor Angel Soto has been training martial arts for most of his life, and pushes his students capabilities to their limits. In addition to an arsenal of techniques, White Tiger offers a stellar workout, with an emphasis on flexibility and cardio. You can get an idea of what White Tiger has to offer on youtube. Soto’s collaborator in grappling is Sam Coffman, who helps to round out the students skills for MMA competition. White Tiger offers classes for kids, Muay Thai beginners, and advanced MMA and submission grappling. The school will teach boxing also, starting in May. For more information contact Angel Soto at 210-379-3878.
By Raul Rangel
Muay Thai is a martial arts steeped in tradition, and alive with the spirit of competition. If you’re looking for an authentic Muay Thai experience, look no farther than the corner of Babcock and Hillcrest in San Antonio, at VongPhet Muay Thai Academy. Masters Ku Vong and Ku Phet hail from Laos, where the national sport is just as prevalent as it is in Thailand. Ku Vong has fought in more than a hundred professional Muay Thai fights in and around his homeland, and is highly respected in the Muay Thai community. Ku Vong and Ku Phet are longtime friends and have trained and taught together for many years. Ku Phet also teaches his family’s martial art, Phongsavane Sinlapa, or Shadowfist. Shadowfist is a Kung Fu based martial art that incorporates styles and techniques common to many other martial arts, to create a lethal ’streetfighting’ type of self defense. It’s goal is to disable the opponent as quickly as possible to eliminate danger. This school also trains fighters for maximum striking effectiveness in mixed martial arts competition, and is a great environment for a fighter preparing for an upcoming bout. Muay Thai is great for getting in shape as well. Whatever your goal or interest, VongPhet Muay Thai Academy has something to offer. The address is 2819 Hillcrest Dr, and the contact phone number is 210-860-9676.
by Drew Wallen