Sunday, August 15, 2004 Taneo: First come first served: Sumbagay o bakbakan By Paul J. Taneo Free-for-all
FOR a good part of a year, a group of Cebu-based stand-up fighters planned to put a mixed martial-arts tournament here.
Being converted MMA stylists, these guys wanted to spread the gospel of martial arts cross-training in the milieu of a Games and Amusements Board-sanctioned competition.
Bad timing.
A few weeks before, veteran pro boxer John Eman Juarez of Cagayan de Oro City, died at the Cebu Doctors Hospital three days after being knocked out by up-and-coming Rocky Fuentes in a Danao City fight scheduled for 10 rounds.
Juarez was a former member of the Philippine team and ex-Philippine Boxing Federation 105-pound division champion.
The GAB, wary of approving a fighting tournament that can seem more brutal than boxing, gave the tournament organizers-to-be the runaround. At the GAB office, they were made to wait a few hours before getting to talk to the GAB people.
Some sandwiches were offered which were feasted on like a stray grasshopper by army ants on a rampage by the MMA individuals who had foregone breakfast to make the supposedly mid-morning meeting.
Hoping and half expecting to be given endorsement by the GAB people, the MMA men got nothing concrete from GAB but were made to understand that they had a slim to none chance of getting approval for what they had in mind.
With heavy hearts and soiled spirits, they left the meeting hopeless and half expecting to get Mirko “Crocop” Filipovic to bang their gym bag with his patented “cemetery” left roundhouse kick.
NIL. Nada. None. Nothing to show for it.
Until months later!
Change of plans. Get what you want.
The persistent, insistent, ever optimistic Ekin Caniga, he with the hospital-morgue left-right Mountain Storm roundhouse/axe-kick combo, finally got to have the powers that be approve his “Only D’ Strong Survive” kickboxing tournament at the Cebu Coliseum on Oct. 9.
From UFC and Pride FC-like original MMA concept to K-1-like stand-up, Ekin and his trusted buddy, Richard, he with the Tito Ortiz attitude minus the cuss words and in-your-face victory shirts, put together 70 rounds of what is to be Yawyan Texas-Ardigma’s third kickboxing promotion since 1995.
If plans push through, the early October affair will have at least two exhibition MMA matches.
While the winners of the kickboxing matches will earn slots to the National Kickboxing Championships next year at a still to be determined venue.
Interested tournament sponsors may contact Sirs Ekin and Richard at the Yawyan gym in the Villa Campa Capuras bldg. in Sanciangko St. almost right in front of the University of Cebu gate.
Bad timing (Part 2).
A few days ago, we got this bittersweet info.
“Universal Reality Combat Championship, the first and Undisputed Mixed Martial Arts Tournament in the Philippines, in response to the growing clamor from mixed martial arts fans, will come to Cebu on Sept. 25, 2004.
Dubbed “Bakbakan sa Cebu,” the event is the first leg of the URCC regional campaign to bring the URCC to its Cebuano fans. The second leg is set on Oct. 9 (what a coincidence – PJT) in Davao City.”
Beaten to the punch again.
The press release continues: “URCC president Alvin Aguilar says that Bakbakan sa Cebu is in recognition of the thousands of requests that the URCC has been receiving from fans in Cebu for the URCC to hold an event in their city.
“‘We’re doing this for the fans who have been requesting a URCC event to be held there. And at the same time, we believe that there are a lot of mixed martial arts talents in Cebu whom we wish to highlight,’” Aguilar adds.
“The tournament, set to be held at Sunflower City in Cebu, will feature matches pitting Cebu mixed-martial-arts fighters, three matches top (sic) Metro Manila mixed-martial-arts fighters. The all-Cebuano matches are set to identify Cebu’s representative to the forthcoming ‘URCC V: Challenge of Champions’ in Manila on Nov. 20. This will be URCC’s yearend major event.
HOT BABES. “The Viva Hot Babes will grace the event as featured talents during the opening number and as the official URCC Ring Girls during the tournament.
“Limited ticket seats are on a first-come first-served basis.”
To Ekin and Richard and everybody behind Yawyan’s Oct. 9 tournament, this is a pleasant if disappointing development.
Seeking to pioneer MMA competition in Cebu, another group comes in to do it first. Well, first or second, we are still all brothers in the martial arts and we do what we can, regardless, to reach out to the general public on the benefits of self-defense and fight sports.
Incidentally, Ekin said that for a brief time in Manila he had taught Alvin Aguilar Yawyan techniques. A small world this really is.
(sports@sunstar.com.ph)
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