Fresh off a pro debut victory over John Clarke at Strikeforce Miami in January, Ray opened the bout throwing vicious kicks. But, not enough to bring his opponent down, Ray traded kicks for a takedown bringing Inchaustegui to the floor where he sought a submission.  After little action and an escape, the men stood up and were in the clinch for a short time only to bring the fight to the floor once again. Inchaustegui worked from open guard cranking Ray’s neck, but the referee didn’t like the lack of action and stood both fighters. From the top, Ray hit some knees that did little damage. The round ended with both fighters on the ground.

In the second round, Ray, again, hit kicks blocked by Inchaustegui. The fight was brought to the floor again, where Ray landed meaningless strikes from full mount. However, escaping turned out to be a bad decision for Inchaustegui, who gave Ray his back. Ray capatilized and sunk in the rear naked choke to finish the bout and remain undefeated.

In other action, America Top Team prospect Jessica Aguilar defeated Bellator Fighting Championships veteran Valerie Coolbaugh in tremendous fashion when she submitted her opponent by arm triangle choke in the second round at 3:28. Aguilar has now won two in a row. She last defeated Amanda Duvall Arm Triangle choke in November.

At Rumble at the Rock 2, Aguilar started the bout with a first round kick only to later shoot a single leg takedown bringing Coolbaugh to the floor. On the ground, Aguilar worked side control, where she searched for a submission. But, Coolbaugh escaped bringing both female fighters to their feet. After an exchange of blows, Aguilar landed a combination of strikes leaving Coolbaugh with a bloody nose before the bell rang.

An Aguilar single leg take down opened the second round, which took Coolbaugh to the ground, again. Aguilar worked for an arm-triangle choke. Coolbaugh escaped, only to surrender her back. Aguilar took advantage by sinking in a triangle submission making Coolbaugh tapout.

The fight of the night belonged to the heavyweights. Dhafir Da Da 5000 Harris defeated Cedric James by TKO 2:34 in the first round in a dual that had the crowd on its feet throughout the bout. The fight was a slugfest from beginning to end with both men unleashing dangerous strikes from the get go.  In the middle of the round, Cedric landed heavy shots on Harris, a www.youtube.com and backyard brawler. However, in decision opposed by the fans, the referee stood both fighters. Harris capitalized landing powerful shots. In the flurry of punches, Harris nailed a left that knocked Cedric down. Harris followed with two more hits leaving the referee with no option, but to stop the fight.

In a fight that had action both from inside and outside the cage, Michael Bernhard defeated Ariel Gandulla by disqualification (eye gauge) in the first round. After several stoppages of low blows and a poke in the eye, officials awarded the bout to Bernhard. But, the decision wasn’t welcomed by an unidentified corner man, who rushed cageside after the decision was read. Police rushed in to apprehend the man. At the same time, both Bernhard and Gandulla fought inside the cage without a referee. Meanwhile, a rowdy crowd threw ice, cups and drinks inside the cage. Eventually, security stopped the chaos and the card proceeded without any interruptions.

Lastly, undefeated Brazilian jiu-jitsu stylist Vagner Rocha submitted Patrick Mikesz with an armbar 2:10 into the first round.

Other results:

Dan Cramer def. Ever Nunez– Unanimous Decision

James Wynn def. Mike Ortiz — Unanimous Decision

Reynaldo Fuentes def. Kevin Osario — TKO (Punches) R1

Ailton Barbosa def. Keith Johnson — Submission (Triangle Choke) R1

Brian Fuery def. Oscar Encizo — Submission R1

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Action Fight League will present the most anticipated female bout at The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino at Rumble at the Rock 2 when American Top Team’s prodigy Jessica Aguilar (6-3) will go toe-to-toe with last year’s best pro female athlete Valerie “Vicious Val” Coolbaugh (3-4).

On March 5 at 7:30 p.m., fight fans will also get the best of both worlds, when former University of Miami football player turned MMA fighter Brian Fuery (1-1) will attempt to give a lesson to Backyard brawler Oscar “Diamond Boy” Encizo (0-0) that the cage is a whole different story compared to the streets.

In the main attraction, homegrown star and Youtube sensation Dhafir Harris better known as Da Da 5000 (0-0) will duke it out with Cedric James (0-2), who attempts to jumpstart his MMA career.  Infamous in the streets of South Florida, Da Da 5000 will make his debut inside the cage and promises to take the MMA world by storm.

“You give me your arm and am taking it home with me,” said Da Da 5000, whose bench press is 675 lbs. “Once I get you in that clinch and hit you with my knee, its nap time.”

There will be lots of experience on this heavy hitting card, UFC vet Steve “Hollywood” Bruno plans to get on the winning track when he faces on Reggie Pena (8-4) who beat his last opponent Dustin Winterholt by submission triangle choke.

The Ultimate Fighter contender Dan Cramer (2-1) wants to make a stand as a serious fighter, but he’ll have to go through Argentinean National Champion Ever Nunez (1-0), who is undefeated in his young career, if he wants to continue raising havoc in the sport.

World Brazilian Jiu Jitsu champion Vagner Rocha (2-0) who has yet to taste defeat will take on Patrick Mikesz (7-5).

The stacked MMA card also has the following bouts on the card: Frank “Buffalo” Carrillo vs. Ray “Combo” Fuentes; Mike “Gringo Diablo” Bernhard vs. Ariel Gandulla; Ailton Barbosa vs. Yoandi Inchaustegui; Mike Ortiz vs. James Wynn and Dr. Tony Crothers vs. Anthony Christodoulou.

Tickets cost $250, $125, $50 & $25*; all seats are reserved and available at the Hard Rock Live Box Office, open Monday – Saturday from noon to 7pm and on Sunday – only open on event days at noon. Tickets also are available at all Ticketmaster outlets online at www.ticketmaster.com or charge by phone: 1-800-745-3000. Doors open one-hour prior to show start time. *Additional fees may apply.

Some people call him “El Matador.” Others refer to him as “the Madman from Managua.” Sometimes, they use rougher language in referring to Ricardo Antonio Mayorga Perez, but everyone agrees that Ricardo Mayorga has achieved legendary status in boxing.

That would be enough for most athletes, superstar status in their chosen sport. But not for the swashbuckling character from Nicaragua. Now the former WBA and WBC welterweight champion and ex-WBC junior middleweight king is out to conquer a second sport, mixed martial arts.

Mayorga, who owns a 28-7-1, 22 knockouts boxing record, will make his MMA debut against UFC veteran Din Thomas on Saturday, May 15 in Shine Fights – WORLD’S COLLIDE: MAYORGA VS THOMAS. The show is taking place at the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, NC, and will be beamed on PPV on cable and satellite in the United States and Canada. The MMA showdown will be distributed live on Pay Per View beginning at 9 p.m. ET/PT, with a 30-minute countdown show prior to the live event.

“I conquered the world in the boxing ring all the while I was puffing cigarettes and drinking beer, “ stated the boastful Mayorga. “I won three world title belts, and I stood toe to toe with so many legends, beating some of them. Vernon Forrest, God rest his soul, was a great boxer yet I beat him back twice. I cannot be denied as I am a force of nature. Now I will shock the MMA fans and I know so many of my fans from boxing will follow me as I expand my repertoire. They can’t deny me in MMA and I will destroy Din Thomas. I am going to smash him the way I smashed all the big superstars of boxing. To me, a fight is a fight in a ring, in a cage or on the street. Fighting is my middle name,” added Mayorga.

Din Thomas, a top ranked Mixed Martial Arts fighter with a 25-8 record, feels he is defending the purity of MMA from the vultures of boxing, and is doing everything he can to make this fight as big as it can be. A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt with an impressive record, “Dinyero” has gained twenty of his wins via stoppage, including fourteen by submission. He has faced some of the top lightweights in the world, and will look to add the former world champion boxer to his list of victims.

Thomas stated, “I respect what Ricardo has done in boxing. He fooled many opponents with that smoking and drinking shtick but he won’t fool me. I train night and day and I know he works hard also. But I will send him back to boxing, crawling back to boxing. He is about to get a violent education about the skills he needs for MMA and they are skills that an old dog like Mayorga cannot learn. I will be taking this cat to school, trust me,” added the highly respected blackbelt.

Devin Price, CEO of rising promoter Shine Fights stated, “We’re excited and delighted to be able to put on this great card with Mayorga testing himself in MMA against Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt expert Din Thomas. Ricardo truly believes he can be a superstar in boxing and MMA so he is stepping up,” Price said.

“We think Mayorga’s fans are just that, his fans and they will follow him to MMA. Many boxing fans are out there who can become fans of both sports and that’s our target here. Mayorga inspires passion and that’s what we’re looking for, ” added Price.

“In my opinion, boxing and MMA are not in some knockdown, dragout war. It’s not all one and none of the other. The sports have so much in common, especially when it comes to the courage and fighting heart of the athletes. There is room in the marketplace for both boxing and MMA and seeing a big boxing name like Mayorga cross over without abandoning boxing is proof of this. It’s all about an open mind because fans of one sport can learn to love the other. I really feel this,” Devin Price, CEO Shine Fights stated. “All that boxing versus MMA nonsense is ancient history.”

“We at the Crown Center are extremely excited to be presenting Shine Fight Promotions Mixed Martial Arts event WORLD’S COLLIDE: MAYORGA VS THOMAS on May 15th in the Crown Coliseum. We look forward to working with Shine Fight Promotions to provide an evening of intense competition,” stated Frank Zaccaro, Director of Sales and Marketing at the Crown Center in Fayetteville, N.C.

Tickets may be obtained by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-736-1420, online at www.ticketmaster.com, or in person at the Crown Coliseum Box Office. For box office hours and more info, please call (910) 438-4100.

On March 13th, a two-day seminar hosted by MMA Institute, located at 6145 Jahnke Road, Richmond, VA 23225, will commence. The seminar will consist of grappling, striking, and MMA training, and the team of instructors will be made up of world class MMA fighters, such as WEC lightweight contender “Cowboy” Donald Cerrone, UFC fighters Aaron Riley and “The Filthy Mauler” Tom Lawlor, former TUF competitor and EliteXC headliner Seth Petruzelli, Bellator fighter Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal, and 2009 Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) champion and recent Shine Fights signee Braulio Estima. In addition, 50/50 Jiu-Jitsu owners Ryan Hall and Seph Smith will be teaching, and a kids seminar will be educated by the well-respected John Simons. All these great athletes will be donating their time, and merchandise will be auctioned off, with all proceeds going towards Haiti relief.

MMA for Charity is an organization conceptualized by MMA Institute Head Trainer Rick McCoy and Eric Callahan in order for the sport he loves to have an opportunity to respond to the tragedy in Haiti.

“When I saw the footage of all the suffering going on by the men, women, and children in Haiti, I just felt in my gut that I needed to do something,” explained McCoy. “I spoke with some of my associates, and things quickly came together to form the organization. Now, the sport gets to show that it’s about more than what happens in the cage; MMA is filled with good, caring people. And through MMA for Charity, we’ll get to show that.”

For those interested in signing up for the seminar or further information, please visit http://www.MMAInstitute.com/ or http://www.MMAForCharity.org/

“Never practice with live blades”, says Grand Master Bram Frank, as he laid out some of his Common Sense Self Defense Street Combat (CSSD/SC) tools on a Starbucks table, “use safe training knives.”

Bram Frank

We were like kids in a candy store examining the newest members of his famed Gunting family of edged tools: CRMIPT (Close Range Medium ImPact Tool), the Lapu Lapu Corto folding/tactical blades, and trainer Drones (named after drone bees with no stinger). Frank is considered by the knife industry to be the Father of the safe trainer Drone knife. His knives have won many awards such as the 2007 Tactical knife of the Year and Most Innovative Knife of 2006.

Frank’s grandfather gave him his first pocket knife when he was just four years old. He told him that his pocket knife was his best friend and if he kept it clean, oiled and sharp that it would serve him well for many years and he could give it to his grandchild.

“The knife is the first tool invented by mankind,” says Frank, “Everyone uses them.” No one invented a stick or impact tool, knives were invented almost a million years ago; it’s an edge designed to cut flesh, to make us equal to the big predators.

“There would be no civilization as we know it without knives. No hunting, clothing, homes, industry, cooking, building, farming, and no emergency healthcare such as surgery. Saws are mini knife blades in a line, scissors are opposed knife halves, chisels are single sided knives, ploughs are blades to cut through soil, and industrial cutters are just enormous knives to cut metal, wood and plastic.”

Frank says never practice with live blades.

Frank has studied various fighting arts such as Wing Chun, Jeet Kune Do, and American Freestyle Karate for more than 40 years. He is a first generation personal student of the late Professor/Grand Master Remy Presas, the founder of Modern Arnis. Frank has 30 years of Arnis training, and is recognized in the Philippines as a Senior Master in Modern Arnis and a Grand Master in his style of Conceptual Modern Arnis/Combat/Tactical Arnis. Over the past several years, Frank has concentrated on the use of edged weapons and tools as a principle instrument of self-defense and its use in Law Enforcement, Security, Military, and Anti Terror applications. Frank has won countless awards and has been inducted into numerous Halls of Fame, including earning the title of Black Belt Magazine’s Weapons Instructor of the Year in 2007. That same year he was recognized as the Father of Israeli Knife Combatives from those in Israel after a decade of teaching in Israel. He’s considered a Master of Blade Systems and Innovator of Blade Use and Design.

Needless to say, this man knows what he’s doing.

Common Sense Self Defense Street Combat

Frank went on to explain to us that knives weren’t considered weapons until the 1940’s and 50’s, when Hollywood movies such as The Wild Ones and other motorcycle/gang movies portrayed them as deadly. Hitchcock brought the fear of knives to the public with his classic movie Psycho and the famed inverted knife shower scene. All gentlemen carried pocket knives and would not have considered being without one. It was actually guns that made knives and swords popular again. At one point in history, armor was so strong that knives and swords had become ineffective against it. Then guns were invented and used in combat. Original guns would shoot only once and could easily pierce through heavy armor. Of course after the initial shot, the warriors resorted to whatever weapon they had besides the early gun. With armor now more cumbersome than effective, it was abandoned and knives and swords came back into the forefront of use in self-defense and combat.

In the middle of our meeting, a Seminole Police Officer walked in to Starbucks. He immediately observed the selection of knives and training tools on our table. He asked “are those new prototypes?” He obviously knew knives and edged tools. Without hesitation, Frank began a full demonstration on how the officer could use these tools. When I asked the officer if he would find this tool useful, he answered, “I carry a knife now and I’ll carry any tool they give me because everything can be used for different situations.”

Frank specializes in the use of the Bolo: a large Filipino blade.

Police Officers aren’t legally permitted to carry knives. If an officer saves a life by using a knife to cut someone out of a seatbelt, they aren’t allowed to put it in their report that they used one. Frank explains that an officer once used a knife to cut off flex cuffs because they were cutting off an arrestee’s circulation. The officer was later sued because the knife wasn’t considered Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). SOP is designed to limit the liability of the department and its officers.

Tasers are considered SOP, however, due to a recent 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling, they have been upgraded to a lethal force category. Tasers cannot be used on people with medical conditions such as pacemakers. Frank says, “Am I supposed to ask you if you have a medical condition before I taze you?”

Frank is currently in the process of achieving SOP status with his tools. They are specially designed to allow force options to go up and down from non-lethal to lethal and back to non-lethal situations. Officers can get up close and personal while controlling criminals.

“Wearing a badge doesn’t give me the right to beat the snot out of you,” Frank emphasizes, “officers just have to shut you down, not kill you.” He goes on to explain the concept of bio-mechanical cutting. “I can shut you down without killing you. Form follows function so all it takes is destroying or altering the form to stop the function: if you can’t hold a weapon, pull a trigger or detonator, if you can’t grab someone, then you are technically rendered useless. With no function you cannot harm yourself or others and the officer can safely do his/her job without fear of attack or safety. We are organic cable pulley systems, so all one needs do is cut or impair the cables to stop function.”

The Black Knight scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a perfect example, even if humorous in the extreme of bio-mechanical shutdown; Frank calls it “Measured Force.” Pat Covert and the magazine American Handgunner called Frank’s system of Measured Force designed for Law Enforcement, the “training of the future done now.”

The CRMIPT is designed as a full-force continuum multi-tool. It does everything a Kubaton will do and more. The CRMIPT can handle MOST situations that Law Enforcement and Security encounter with its grabbing teeth, and ball-peen hammer action– there’s no live blade to accidentally or purposely cut any one. Future versions will be designed with a seat belt cutter.

“These tools never run out of ammunition, never jam and you can carry them anywhere.”

Grand Master Frank continues to travel worldwide teaching seminars on the use of blunt and edged weapons to other martial artists, civilians, Law Enforcement and Military. He also teaches his recognized style of Filipino Martial Arts in which, of course, he specializes in the use of the Bolo: a large Filipino blade.

For more information on Bram Frank and/or upcoming seminars, visit http://www.cssdsc.com/ or contact Sonia Waring at sonia@waringindustries.com.