This year it will have a special taste to our SEA community once, after the Malaysia Trials, we have more athletes representing our community in the main event.

MEBJJA would like to wish the best of luck to all SEA representatives heading to Abu Dhabi… you can check names and results in the following link:

http://www.bjj-asia.com/2012/03/abu-dhabi-pro-jiu-jitsu-trials-malaysia.html

Sure we will have all SEA community united and supporting each other in this event and also sure we will get some great outcomes from it!

On our side, we would like to dedicate this post specially to our Team representatives who will be competing this weekend with big chances to bring the gold back to Malaysia!!

Magdalene Tan – Blue Belt Absolute Champion

Allen Chong – Blue Belt 65kg Champion

Adrian Tham – White Belt 74kg Champion

Not forgetting about our Absolute Vice-Champion Su Ling who is traveling as our Malaysia Trials representative and like so is not allowed to compete in the main event but will be there supporting and rooting to our team mates.

Mag "Monstrinha" Tan & Su "Pinky" Ling closing brackets in BKK

Adrian & Allen heading to Abu Dhabi

Remember – ‎”Pain is nothing compared to what it feels like to quit. -Author Unknown”

Kick some asses guys!

Posted by Bjjculture.com

Hi Magdalene! Congratulations on your win at the Abu Dhabi Pro Trials 2012 in Kuala Lumpur. We wish you all the best when you compete against all the other finalists from around the world in Abu Dhabi next month! We are all sure you did not reach this stage of your BJJ career overnight and we are interested in how long you have taken to get to this point. And hope that you might shed some light on how it is to be a female competitor in this male dominated sport, especially in this region.

How did you come to know about the sport of Brazilian Jujitsu?

I was first introduced to the sport of BJJ through a friend who wanted to get more girls onto the mats. I agreed to try a class because I do believe that life should be lived by experiencing everything at least once. (Well, except the totally illegal stuff!). What I got out of the first class was…. nothing. Most sports, after the first time, you at least know the basic goal of the game but BJJ was not like that all for me. It was very confusing.

Where did you start training BJJ? Who awarded you your blue belt?

I started training BJJ under Marcos Escobar who is a black belt under Leo Castello Branco, at Leverage Combat Academy. I am still training there. I was awarded my blue belt by Professor Marcos Escobar in 2011.

Did you take an immediate liking to BJJ, or did it take time to grow on you? What made you decide that this is the sport you wanted to pursue?

After that first class, through more cajoling from one my friend who initially asked me to join, I agreed to try BJJ for a couple months to see if I can at least figure what this sport is about. Initially, I was going to class at about two times a week, taking it as a casual hobby. It’s weird, but what kept me coming back to the mats time and again is frustration (it’s weird, I know..). The frustration of learning, the frustration of having a goldfish memory (i.e. forgetting after 5 minutes), the frustration of not knowing how to move, gave a certain energy to keep trying to figure out what this beast called BJJ is.

A few months into the sport, the gym I was training at, Leverage Combat Academy, was bringing in a visiting black belt and I agreed to host him for the duration. Because I was host (and his transport), I had to then go to classes more frequently. It was through this interaction and more time spent on the mats, I started to see some of the layers and some glimpse at the “art” of the sport. It was intriguing and still frustrating at the same time. A big part to getting me more involved in the sport is the visiting black belts that have visited Leverage Combat Academy. Having the privilege to host them, I get to know some of their life stories, their journey in BJJ and some it is has changed my perspective in both the sport of BJJ and in life.

How many (if not which) BJJ tournaments have you competed in as a white belt and a blue belt? What made you go out there to compete in tournaments?

I have only really competed in the regional tournaments. I competed in the Bangkok Open as a white belt and later on as a blue belt too. I have also competed in the Pan Asian in Manila as a blue belt, and of course, the Malaysian Pro Trials. Due to limited off-days from work and limited finances, it’s hard to participate in more competitions that are further away.

What made me go out to compete? The nagging! Haha.. No, not really. I first started out competing through the urging of the guys in the gym. I was very tentative and had lots of doubts and fears about the idea of competing. With much hesitancy I agreed to at least experience what BJJ competition is.

At this stage as a female Blue belter, do you think it is important to compete in BJJ tournaments?

I don’t think it is a must to compete in tournaments but I do think this the whole process of preparing for competition and competing brings a whole new perspective and appreciation to the sports. The whole process of preparing to compete, for me, is more a mental game in where I have to deal with my own insecurities and facing my fears (and sometimes, not necessary BJJ-related!); and also learning to train smart. Learning to deal with heightened emotions and stress was probably one of the most interesting parts of competing in BJJ tournaments.

I love the experience of BJJ tournaments where you get to watch different styles of BJJ at play. Meeting new people and sharing of experiences enriches the whole BJJ journey experience. For me, one thing for sure, win or lose, each competition have given me something to go back to the mats to keep working on.

As a female competitor and BJJ enthusiast, do you think there are still very few female competitors in this sport? Based on your opinion, why do you think this is the case? Would you like to see this change, and why? What are the most common difficulties you have faced as a female competitor in this sport?

BJJ as a sport is not an easy one to get into for anybody, male or female. Added to that, the smell of testosterone that usually permeates the mats does not really form a welcome mats for girls. In addition, there are obstacles for females to train, let alone compete. For example, logistics of childcare during training and in competition makes it hard for mothers to train regularly. In some cultures, females are not encouraged, even forbidden to participate in such sports. For those to do practice BJJ, there would be a good percentage of ladies who are only into the sport for the self-defence aspect and are not interested in the competitive aspect of the sport.

I think females are more tentative in their approach to life in general and this will definitely translate to their approach to compete in the sport. Not to generalise to others, but for me, I feel I get easily intimidated. Intimidated by everything that I don’t know, intimidated by the thought of having to intensify training, intimidated by other girls, intimidated by every little thing! I feel that the support and encouragement from my professor and guys in the gym was instrumental for me to put myself out there to try to compete.

I definitely would like to see this change as it would be great for the growth of the sport in our region. (Selfishly, more female competitor means more networking opportunities!)

Do you consider yourself to be a hardcore BJJ enthusiast?

No, not at all. I hear and read about all these people who trains multiple times a day and even when they are off the mats, their mind is still on BJJ. Well, I’m not like that. I train whenever my schedule allows and I don’t fall asleep watching youtube videos of instructional or competition matches.

That said, one thing I enjoyed is taking my gi with me while I travel (either for work or for leisure) and visit different BJJ gyms. It is awesome way to meet “locals” who share some of the same interest. I love experiencing the different gym dynamics and teaching styles, even when there are language barriers!

What was the lowest point in your Jiu jitsu journey? How did you overcome this period?

The period of injuries are always tough to deal with. My first BJJ related injury was a sprained wrist that happened at my 2nd class. Since then there have been a myriad of broken, bruised, sprained, torn something or other.

The lowest point in my journey is when I was still a very new white belt. It was while doing drills in class and I was partnered with a higher belt. I made a mistake and he got angry and said something really harsh. Now normally, it probably wouldn’t matter but I was a newbie that was already frustrated with myself and already having trouble with learning, but his comments that day was the proverbial straw. I walked out of class that day, cried and didn’t want to continue anymore.

Shallowly, what brought me back to the mats was the fact that I have already paid fees for the remainder of the period. But what kept me from totally quitting were the gym’s dynamic and camaraderie in that the support and encouragement from the other people in the gym to keep learning and striving forward.

Do you think BJJ has changed your life in some aspect?

One thing I have learnt from BJJ, is to change my “I can’t” to “I can’t.. yet”. The change is minor but the outcomes, for me, are very different. Instead of stating “I can’t do xyz” as a fact and then just leave it, I am learning to say “I can’t do xyz yet” and then keep working on whatever ‘xyz’ is to one day in the future change the statement to “I can” and “I just did”. I find myself not just doing this for BJJ but also in other aspects of my life.

How are you preparing physically and mentally for the finals in Abu Dhabi in April?

I’m putting in as much time training on the mats as I can. During this period of preparing for Abu Dhabi, I have come to realise that I have the best support system in the world! So many individuals have helped me prepare one way or another. Either by shoulder to cry on, tough love talks, financial support, sage advice, drill partners, experience sharing. Thank you all!

How do you balance your work and BJJ?(how many hours u work and train a day? And if possible perhaps share with us your occupation?)

I am an engineer by profession and I have a full time 8-6 job working in the power industry. I also have a part time job as a group fitness instructor. Any free time that I am not at work or teaching group fitness classes, I would try to make it to training.

I really appreciate how my employer has been really gracious in allowing me to take time off from work to compete in Abu Dhabi, even though at work, it is a very busy time and possibly one of the worst time for me to be absent from work.

What are you looking into after the Abu Dhabi finals?

Training and keep training.

Happening this Saturday, March 10th – from 9am onwards at Publika Shopping Gallery, Solaris Mont Kiara - the World Pro Jiu Jitsu Champioship Trials is by far one of the most respected and recognized BJJ event ever brought to the region.

Great opportunity to anyone to go and watch some great fights!

Below the final list of all warriors competing this weekend.
WHITE BELT

MALE ADULT 65kg
1. Kelvin Yeo Zhaohui
2. Huang Shihao
3. Zulfadhli Hilmi Mohamad
4. Takatoshi Shibayama
5. Raymond Sim Swee Hwa
6. Kong Kar Hoong
7. David Nash
8. Mok Bao Ren Clarence
9. Marwan Ma’som
10. Evan Chee
11. Imran Muhd Najib
12. Marcus Tay Tze Lik
13. Bharath Bhushan
14. Marcel Chuo Zung Jie
15. Gabriel Huang
16. Thomas Gumiran
17. Calvin Chan
18. Koo Kah Joon
19. Victor Lee Yuen Eu
20. Kenneth Teh Yu Keat
21. Hafiz Hanafiah
22. Abang Saef
23. Edward Leong
24. Glendon Cheok
25. Mohd Rizal Ismail
26. Arthur Kah Bowie
27. Mohd Hanafi Bin Hisham
28. Soh Boon Haw
29. Sallehuddin Zainuddin
30. Abi Umamah Ali
31. John Lee Kok Ping
32. Hj Abdul Hadi Bakir
33. Cheong Yew Leun

MALE ADULT 74KG
1. SOE THURA HTUN
2. Vincent Sit
3. Ching Leong Chok
4. Benjamin Chin Yee Ong
5. Shahran Masood
6. Nigel Wongsanguan
7. Jeremiah Moa Yii Erng
8. Chung Chun Ho
9. Edward Charles
10. Quek Kim Hock
11. Reza Tahar
12. Lucas Matthew Cacioli
13. Francis Au Chee Tong
14. Ooi Aik Tong
15. Ng Khye Ping
16. Christian Rodrigues
17. Leslie Ang
18. Adrian Tham Tuck Man
19. Abdul Muiz Bin Serakan
20. Mohd Khairul Anwar
21. Mohd Zaim Norzairi
22. Adrian Lee Boon Kiat

MALE ADULT 83KG
1. River Foo Suan Then
2. George Lim
3. Jason Leong Say Keong
4. Adam Mochy
5. Alex Lew Wen Jie
6. Mila Haziman Lazim
7. Kasfyi Raahman
8. Mohd Fadhil Joharie

MALE ADULT 92KG
1. Nikola Cicovic
2. Shun Kiatvongcharoen
3. John Merva
4. Chen Yawei
5. Jordon Roberts
6. Alan Finlay
7. Lucas Taylor
8. Sari Alkhaldi
9. Azwandee Abdul Aziz
10. Amirul Ariffin Anuar

MALE ADULT OVER 92KG
1. Justin Low
2. Nashriq Nassir
3. Shahrul Hamizan Shahari

BLUE BELT

MALE ADULT 65KG
1. Francis Ooi Tze Shian
2. Amirul Syafiq Bin Shah
3. Mohd Aizat
4. Harold Ko
5. Ng Khang Wei
6. Abang Dzulqarnaen
7. Allen Solomon Chong

MALE ADULT 74KG
1. Rahul Nath
2. Ivan Chua Ming Lai
3. Adrian Rodolfo Erwin
4. COLIN SLIDER
5. Sean Andrew Stolarczyk
6. Brendan Rake
7. David Goun Wye Louey
8. Lim Fang Han
9. Chew Lih Ren
10. Takumi Arai
11. Michael Chong
12. Kenneth Lam

MALE ADULT 83KG
1. Jan Harvey Angelo
2. Ivan Evetovics
3. Yang Seung Ho
4. John Phillips
5. Per Christian Sandgrind
6. Richard Ryu Kwang Hyun
7. Maher Aseeri
8. Patrick Lagniton
9. Lin Honjie
10. Vinc Tan
11. Samuel Lai
12. Eazy Anuar

MALE ADULT 92KG
1. Andrew Wong Kee

MALE ADULT OVER 92KG
1. Franz Gerald Reyes
2. Charles Wingate Hewitt

PURPLE BELT
MALE ADULT 65KG
1. Shane Kohei Suzuki
2. Ngooi Shih Loong

MALE ADULT 74KG
1. Isaac Chang
2. Ian Lee
3. Kane Gehling

MALE ADULT 83KG
1. Kyle Kapunan

WHITE/ BLUE BELT FEMALE UNDER 63KG
1. Chaterine Teppo
2. Chan Su Ling
3. Farezza Fadinha
4. Ashley Chong Swee Lin
5. Arlene Lim Rivas
6. Kate Wilson
7. Lynn Chiam
8. Angie Bartholomew
9. Caroline Anthony
10. Nova Renata Piusai
11. Valerian Alfante

WHITE/ BLUE BELT FEMALE OVER 63KG
1. Taya Leemeijer
2. Magdalene Tan
3. Chew Li Ying

Good luck to all fighters and thanks to all volunteers who are helping making this happen.

Special thanks to Aaron Goh from Leverage MMA who is making this event happen and my friend and Prof. Adam Kayoom from Q23 in Bangkok for all help.

Soon more news, pictures and results!!

“Buakaw Por Pramuk, the renowned K-1 boxing champ, has been missing from his home and training camp in Chaocheongsao province since early this month, forcing his manager to cancel his exhibition fights in France and United Kingdom.

Manager Theerapat Rojanantan said Buakaw, whose real name is Sombat Banchamek, 30, left his house on March 1. He took some clothes and was driving his brand-new BMW. His friends and his training camp have not heard from him since.

Theerapat claimed he had no idea why the boxer had disappeared, saying he had already contacted Buakaw’s father in Surin province but to no avail.

He asked Buakaw to contact him as soon as possible to solve any problem the boxer may be facing.

“I am ready to talk and solve the problem. Buakaw has been with the camp since he was seven years old. We are like brothers,” he said.

The manager did not think that his disappearance was related to money.

He said Buakaw is scheduled to travel to Europe for exhibition fights in France on March 17 and in the United Kingdom on March 25. However, he decided to cancel both because Buakaw is missing.

Buakaw won his first K-1 MAX World champion in 2004 and K-1 MAX Grand Prix title in 2006, becoming the first man to win that title twice.”

article written by www.nationmultimedia.com

Vão estar presentes vários expoentes da medicina desportiva nacional, entre eles o médico da CBF e do Flamengo (José Luiz Runco), o médico da seleção brasileira masculina de vôlei (Ney Pecegueiro), o médico do Vasco da Gama (Alexandre Campello) e do Comitê Olímpico Brasileiro (João Grangeiro).

Dr. Rickson foi convidado para falar aos estudantes de medicina e residentes sobre a sua experiência como médico do Jungle Fight Championship e sobre os protocolos médicos e condutas mais atuais adotados internacionalmente para garantir a segurança destes atletas.

Acho que esse convite é um passo importante na profissionalização do MMA no país, já que será a primeira discussão científica em uma universidade federal brasileira envolvendo a medicina nos eventos de MMA, ajudando a formar outros médicos especialistas que poderão atuar nos inúmeros eventos brasileiros, melhorando a qualidade do serviço prestado e mantendo a integridade física destes atletas.

Parabens Dr. Rickson e toda sua equipe pelo excelente trabalho!

Mais uma vitoria do nosso esporte fora dos ringues!

Dr. Rickson Moraes – http://medico.cremerj.org.br/index.php?idMed=74612

While others are busy propagating bullshit and false claims, let’s kick off a series of sincere and honest stories on how Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has changed our lives. A big thank you to our members who took the time and effort to share. Today, Darren Low thinks you too should try a FREE CLASS at Leverage Combat Academy and he’s gonna tell you why:

“Blessed with the opportunity to study overseas in Australia, I discovered and prioritised the importance of sports and physical activity to my quality of life.

Unfortunately, disobeying my coaches and a lack of discipline resulted in the misery and anguish from a labral tear in my hip (Rugby) and a disc herniation in my lumbar spine (Powerlifting).

Rapidly gaining weight and in a constant state of physical and mental pain, I was in desperation to get my life back on track – at the age of 19.

Unable to properly train and compete in the sports I once treasured, I had to look for some form of activity; Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (BJJ) came to light through the recommendation of some friends who had started training in it.

I figured there was nothing to lose and made the decision to join my local BJJ gym: out of shape and inactive in sports for close to a year.
Expecting an absolute beat down, I was pleasantly surprised when I was introduced instead to a friendly and supportive class environment that encouraged me to constantly improve myself in every aspect. Team mates soon became close friends

Months of training time passed by and I got stronger, faster and healthier than ever before. Best of all, my injuries began improving after months of chronic pain prior to starting BJJ!

Eventually my studies came to an end and it was time to return to Malaysia.

With BJJ friends already back home, it wasn’t long before I located Professor Marcos Escobar who warmly welcomed me as part of not only a team, but BJJ family.

What I would discover was Marcos’ sincere dedication to his students and the difference this made to our gratification from training: going so far as to bring World Champions and Elite Trainers from abroad to Malaysia.

Through BJJ and my time with Leverage Combat Academy, I have truly gained an education in not just what my body is capable of, but also on humility, respect and appreciation for others. Not to mention self-defence.

It has been an honour training at Leverage Combat Academy and watching the development and growth of a family of friends formed by this wonderful sport.

Marcos Escobar and Leverage Combat Academy exemplify the importance and virtues BJJ can have on our lives. What I thought started off as a form of therapy for my injuries has furthermore brought and continues to bring lifelong friends and experiences that I will forever cherish”.