URCC XII Supremacy Wednesday, Jul 23 2008

The premier Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) competition in the Philippines held its 12th installment last July 5, 2008 at the newest entertainment and dining destination in Metro Manila, A. Venue Events Mall at Makati Avenue, Makati City.

There were ten featured bouts including three matches with titles on the line.   The first main event of the evening is the rematch between Justin Cruz of Team Fokai Guam and Lino Tagacay, a former RP team member in boxing.  Lino used to be my instructor and pad man in boxing and I sparred with him in preparation for his fight against Charlie Angel, around two years ago.    And the final main event is the super fight match between two reigning champions: Caloy Baduria, the URCC middleweight champion and Eduard Folayang, the URCC welterweight champion. 

 

The jampacked concert hall of A. Venue Events Mall. 

Introducing the fighters participating in URCC XII

 The two fighters squaring off in the main event of the evening: The Boxer Caloy Baduria and the Bemedalled Wushu fighter Eduard Folayang

Christian Wong checking the gloves of Hybrid Yaw-Yan Fighter Jerry Legaspi.   Its a surprise to see Christian Wong as a referee.   He’s also a URCC fighter who will be remembered for his gallant fight against a more experienced San Da fighter from China Ao Hai Lin.     For me, that fight is the second best display of a magnificent fighting heart.  The first is Richard Lasprilla’s futile defense of his title against Wushu’s Kevin Belingon.  Both Richard Lasprilla and Christian Wong kept on fighting and never backed down even though they are being battered and pummeled by their opponents.   Hope to see both fighters in the URCC ring again. 

Jerry Legaspi winning his match.  Proud to be Yaw-yan

This for me is the best part of the evening.  URCC pays tribute to Master Napoleon Fernandez, founder and originator of Yaw-yan, a Filipino striking martial arts.  Master Nap, as he is fondly called, recently had a stroke that paralyzed half of his body.   It is very painful for me to see him bound on a wheelchair, I always picture him as a strong martial artist even though he’s around 80 years old. 

I used to train in Yaw-yan Ardigma in Makati way back 2006, during one training session, I didn’t know that he is watching me and then he asked me to hit the bags.   I was advised by Jet Corpuz, one of the best Yaw-yan youngblood, to show my best in hitting the bags.   After about 2 minutes of doing the heavy bags, Master Nap said that I can join the daily training of the young fighters that he is grooming.   Though I wasn’t able to join that training, the session starts at 5p.m. while I stay at the office until 6pm, it is still a great honor to receive such invitation from the Master.

 Any yaw-yan practitioners out there who’s reading my blog, you may send a message to me on how you can send some help to Master Nap.   

Another Yaw-yan practitioner who won his match, Earl “The Beast” Uy.

The bout between the reigning and defending URCC flyweight champion Kevin Belingon of Lakay-Wushu Team and Magellan Perez of Elorde MMA team is one of the most exciting fight of the said event.  Belingon retained his title via submission when he applied a kimura on Perez.

 The see-saw battle between Lino Tagacay and Justin Cruz brought the crowd to its feet.  Their match is the classic striker versus grappler fight.   Justin would always shoot in and try to take down Lino. Tagacay’s excellent take down defense helped him to keep fight standing up.  The bout lasted until the dying minutes of the 2nd round (there are two-10 minute rounds in URCC matches) and even though both fighters are exhausted,  they still manage to exchange some blows and made attemps for a submission maneuver.  In the end, Justin Cruz won via knee-bar and is declared the new URCC Bantamweight champion. 

 

Another Hall of Famer was honored in URCC XII, Fil-Am Vince Soberano.  He won both the King’s Cup and Queen’s Cup, two of the most prestigious muay thai tournament in Thailand, in 2007.  He’s the only Fil-Am to win both competitions within the same year.

 The Superfight between two reigning champions: Middlweight Champion Caloy Baduria vs. Welwerweight Champion Eduard Folayang.     The match started with Eduard Folayang executing a quick side kick to the head but was evaded by Caloy Baduria.  Immediately, Folayang took down Baduria and pinned him on the canvas.  Folayang’s excellent ground game prevented Baduria from standing up and also enabled the welwerweight champ to do his ground and pound game.  Folayang’s fight strategy of taking the fight to the ground, thereby neutralizing the punching power of Baduria, worked.   In a little over than one minute of the first round, the referee stopped the fight, thereby giving the victory to Eduard Folayang an RSC (Referee Stopped Contest) victory and is declared the first URCC Superfight Champion. 

Damn those biceps, Folayang is ripped like he’s been carved by a skilled Igorot craftsman

 

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The Golden Leg Pudpad Noy (Poodpardnoi) Worawoot Saturday, Jul 12 2008

In his younger days, he’s feared for his powerful kicks that earned him the nickname, The Golden Leg.    His name will always be included among the Top 5 Muay Thai Champions of all time and has the distinction of being a 5-time Lumpinee Champion from 1971 to 1975.   He is Pudpadnoy Worawoot, and currently he’s the Thai coach of the Philippine Muay Thai team. 

Ajarn Pudpad Noy (Ajarn is the Thai word for Master) was tapped by Muay Thai Association of the Philippines to be the coach and trainer of the Philippine Muay Thai team last year.  I first saw him around November or December of 2007 but I was only formally introduced to him in January, 2008.    I was told that he is one of the best muay thai fighters of all time and I was really intrigued and eager to meet him.  I google searched his name Pudpadnoy Omglin but to my dismay, the only links that showed up are those of local newspapers with articles about how he intends to propagate muay thai in the Philippines and the prospect of the Philippine team in international muay thai competitions.  There’s nothing about him being a well known muay thai champion.   I remember taking to Kru Robert Valdez that I am not knowledgeable about the exploits of Ajarn Pudpadnoy Omglin and that the Pudpadnoy that I know is Pudpadnoy Worawoot, the muay thai champion whose challenge for a match with the legendary kickboxing champion Benny “The Jet” Urquidez was declined.  Then Kru Valdez said that they are one and the same person, Omglin is Ajarn Pudpadnoy’s real surname but Worawoot is his fight name.  Then my jaws dropped. 

I first read about Pudpadnoy Worawoot way back in 1995 in an artice in the quintessential martial arts magazine BlackBelt where he was named as one of the best muay thai champion of all time and that Benny Urquidez backed down from his challenge.  Then in 2004, I bought a copy of an instructional muay thai video featuring the 5-time Lumpinee Champion.  I never thought that years later, I will meet him and will have the honor of being trained by him.

When I first trained in a muay thai camp in Bangkok (Kaewsamrit Gym, its one of the top gyms in Thailand being voted as Best Muay Thai Camp in 2002, and first runner up in 2001and 2004) I complained that I wasn’t trained well and that I only wasted a lot of money going there.  I was then told that in Thailand,  especially in hard core and traditional muay thai camps, you need to earn the respect of the trainers.   You can’t just pay your way and expect them to give you a good training or teach you good techniques.  They need to see how good your muay thai is and how dedicated you are in learning the art.  I was told further that if a former champion held the pads for you it means, that your muay thai is good enough for you to earn their respect.    Perhaps I’ve paid my dues and must have honed my muay thai enough that Ajarn Pudpad Noy himself offered to train me and asked me to come go MAP-Central Gym in Ultra every 5 or 6p.m. so that he can train me.   No muay thai practitioner would ever let this opportunity pass.    And even though at the end of every session I feel I’m going to sweat blood or pass out due to exhaustion, I know that I’ve shown Ajarn my intense desire to improve my muay thai.     At the end of my training, the sweetest words that I will hear is “Come back again tomorrow same time, I’ll train you again”.  Coming from a muay thai legend, it is a big honor.   And it is very important to note that the training he provides me is FREE.

Outside the gym, Ajarn Pudpadnoy is a very well mannered and amiable person.  We would talk about Thailand, my many adventures in his country (first as a student, then as a tourist, then as a muay thai practitioner), how I come to love muay thai and about our respective families.    Despite his age, one can still see that in his youth, he’s a very handsome man.   There are no traces of cuts and bruises that are often seen in the faces of professional fighters.   His quiet and unassuming demeanor  belies his past as a fearsome and respected fighter.   He left for Thailand last July 4 because he has to attend to some things and then he also have to fly to Paris for the wedding of his only daughter.   He said that its one of the things we have in common aside from muay thai, we both only have one child, a daughter.    Before he left, he gave me a muay thai shorts with his name written in Thai  on front.  He asked me to wear this when I fight.   What an honor it is to receive such a request. 

I will meet him again when I fly to Bangkok on the latter part of July for my training and he will be there again to supervise me.    And I look forward to that day with great anticipation wherein a I will do the pad work with one of the biggest names in muay thai, Ajarn Pudpad Noy Worawoot, The Golden Leg. 

 

This is one of the instructional videos that featured Ajarn Pudpad Noy.  In 2004 I was able to get a copy of this video through Squadron Shoppe in Greenhills.    I didn’t know that four years later, I will be trained by this legendary muay thai champion. 

 

 Ajarn Pudpad Noy (Poodpardnoi)  Worawoot with Beck and RP.  This is taken at Aristocrat’s Malate right after the first night of the 2008 Muay Thai NCR-POF.     He enjoyed the crispy pata, specially the crispy pork skin and downed several SMB Light which he claims one of the best beer in the word.  I would tease him, is it better than Singha?

Here are some of the articles I found in the net about Ajarn Pudpad Noy

1. http://www.nakmuay.com/subpages/Fighterprofiles/poodpardnoi.htm

2. http://www.manuntoh.com/aboutmanu.htm

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NCR-Phil. Olympic Festival-Muay Thai Wednesday, Jul 9 2008

The Philippine Olympic Council (POC) and its member National Sports Associations (NSAs) organizes the annual, multi-sports event Philippine Olympic Festival (POF) with the goal of celebrating the Philippine Olympic movement and the International Olympic Committee and at the same time, to discover athletes with potentials to be Philippine Team members and future winners of medals in international sporting events such as the SEA Games, Asian Games and the Olympics. 

 The NCR leg of the POF was held from June 24 to 29 at various locations within the region.   For Muay Thai, the venue of the 2-day (June 27 and 28 ) competition is beside the fountain area of the Rajah Sulayman Park in Malate Manila.   MAP Chapters from Pasig, Quezon City, Las Pinas, Muntinlupa and Paranaque participated.   Matches between members of the Philippine team were also held to determine who will represent the Philippines in the upcoming Prince Cup which will be held in Bangkok, Thailand in August. 

The heaviest weight division for the POF is 67.5kgs which disqualifies me from competing in the event (I’m 75kgs).   Like I mentioned, one of the purpose of the POF is to discover athletes with potential to be RP Team members.   It would be senseless to hold an event for heavier weight division since the RP team doesn’t field a competitor heavier than 67.5kgs.  What a sham, I trained so hard to be foiled again.   No choice but to look forward for the Muay Thai tournament in August.

It rained on the first day of the competition but not so hard to discontinue the event.  On the second day, its another story.  The drizzle turned to a heavy downpour that we have no recourse but to halt the matches.  Since it is an open air area, the competitors, spectators and the organizers have to find cover or they will be drenched.   Some find it in the restaurants nearby, others found shelter under the boxing ring.    Sensing that the fights will no longer resume and most of the Philippine team are already hungry (its around 8p.m. and they were in the area since 4p.m.) I invited them to have dinner at Aristocrat.    When I had the final count of the RP team, I thought of disappearing or else, I would have to wash the dishes.    The first person I called is Toby, whose family owns Aristocrat, and hollered for an SOS.  Fortunately, he has some gift certificates with him that lessen the total bill.  Feeding 24 hungry RP team members cost me Php9,000! But its ok, were all brothers in the team, after the blood and sweat (tears is not applicable, we don’t cry in the ring), its time to satisfy our hunger pangs. 

 

The Muay Thai event of the POF-NCR was held at the Rajah Sulayman Fountain area in Malate.  This is situated between two restaurants that are both icons of Filipino cuisine, Max’s Restaurant and Aristocrats.

 

Starting them young.  These two kids are the children of the Kru and Chapter head of MAP-Muntinlupa Chapter. They are doing a demonstration of muay boran and muay thai as a form of self defense.

 The old warrior towering over the little warrior. This is the youngest daughter of Kru Robert Valdez, MAP president, on the background is a statue of Rajah Sulayman, the pre-Spanish era ruler of Manila. 

The sky at dusk and the colorful fountain provides a beautiful background for the competition.

The competition area.  It is difficult to get a shot of the ring when there are no high elevation in the park.  At first, I tried climbing up the statue of Rajah Sulayman but then I figured that I’m no longer a kid and my tree climbing and statue climbing abilities are long gone.  Besides, one wrong move would mean broken bones and a broken camera.   So I settled to take this shot standing at the ledge of the fountain.  At least, one misstep would just mean wet clothes.

 Kru Zhie Vallega, Chapter head of MAP-QC wrapping the hands of one of his female athlete. 

 

My Pasig Chapter Team-mate Myles Uy going against a competitor from MAP-QC.  Myles eventually won the match and will be fighting in the National Championship.

 My teammate and favorite sparring partner, Eric Aquino landing a punch to his opponent.  The bout was stopped by the referee giving Eric the match via TKO.  Eric was supposed to fight the following day but the tournament was cut short due to heavy rains.   The bout was rescheduled on Sunday, June 29 but he wasn’t able to make the match because he got sick due to the rains the day before.  He had to settle for the silver medal.

 Come one Eric, tell me, you skipped the bout because you don’t want to miss the Pacquiao-Diaz fight.  Believe me, it’s just between you and me. 

 

 RP team member, Tyron Naticho preparing for his match against fellow RP Team member, Benedict Alumno.  Tyron eventually won the match via decision.

 After the fight, its time to pig out at Aristocrat.    Feeding 24 hungry RP team members is very costly, my restaurant bill reached Php9,000.00.  Luckily,  my bud Toby arrived (his family owns the Aristocrat Chain of restaurant) and gave me some gift certificates that reduced my bill.

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