Brazilian Jiu Jitsu World Champion visits Tampa

On November 19th one of the world's most talented and respected Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioners and competitors, Marcelo Garcia, visited South Tampa to conduct a very well attended grappling seminar at UFC veteran Matt Arroyo's Gracie South Tampa academy located at 936 South Howard Avenue in Hyde Park.  And while Florida is home to many talented BJJ grapplers, Marcelo is surely among the very best to grace suncoast martial artists with his time and talent.

Ask any grappler or mixed martial arts practitioner if they've heard of Marcelo Garcia and they'll likely laugh at you.  It's like asking a football player if they've heard of Joe Namath or Mike Ditka.  What Marcelo has achieved in the world of competitive Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is nothing short of legendary.  In fact, here's a list of his Championships as found on Wikipedia:

ADCC 2003 66–76 kg Division Champion

ADCC 2005 66–76 kg Division Champion

ADCC 2007 66–76 kg Division Champion

ADCC 2011 66–76 kg Division Champion

2003 Campos Open Weight Division & Submission Wrestling Champion

2004 Arnold Gracie Pro Division Champion

2005 Arnold Gracie Pro Division Champion

2011 Mundial 82 kg Black Belt Division Champion

2010 Mundial 82 kg Black Belt Division Champion

2009 Mundial 82 kg Black Belt Division Champion

2006 Mundial 82 kg Black Belt Division Champion

2004 Mundial 82 kg Black Belt Division Champion

Campos Submission Wrestling 3 Champion

Marcelo has literally competed against and beat the best the world has to offer, which is why he is considered by most to be one of the best grapplers in the world.  For attendees of the November 19th seminar this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn from the very best and they took full advantage.

When asked why he came all the way from his New York City home to conduct this seminar in South Tampa the answer was quite simple.  Marcelo used to live in Coconut Creek, Florida and train at American Top Team and his wife's family lives in Florida so this state holds a soft spot in his heart.  When his friend, Matt Arroyo, offered to host a seminar for Marcelo the opportunity was too good to pass up.  But for Marcelo, his appreciation for Florida goes beyond sentimentality and family ties....

Marcelo considers Florida to be a hotbed for martial arts because he knows how strongly this state embraces combat sports and its athletes.  The opportunity to be immersed in that culture once again, if even just for a few days, was too good to refuse and he thoroughly enjoyed his time spent training with Matt and his students, as evidenced by his trademarked ear-to-ear smile he wore during the entire seminar.

Matt Arroyo, his students, and Gracie South Tampa surely look forward to the next opportunity to play host to Marcelo Garcia...  A class act and brilliant practitioner, teacher, and ambassador for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

For more information about Matt Arroyo's Gracie South Tampa academy:
web: gracietampasouth.com
email: info@gracietampasouth.com
936 South Howard Ave
Tampa, FL 33606
(813) 319-5800

How Fighting Prepared Me For Entrepreneurship

I hear it all the time from business associates, colleagues, and mentors who ask me how I stay so calm when things start getting tense.  My answer is always the same: "I face killers in training so an angry suit is nothing."  And while my sarcastic tone might dilute the sincerity of that statement, I actually feel very adamant that my martial arts training has improved my effectiveness as a business professional.

As a graduate student of entrepreneurship one of the regular themes explored in classroom discussion is evaluation of one's capacity for the rigors of entrepreneurship.  We're constantly exploring our capacity to navigate stress, evaluate challenge, shoulder responsibility, and make quick decisions.  In business, like in fighting, the difference between success and death can be 1/2" or 1/2 a second.  Being able to stay calm and focused when the fists are flying will not only keep you strong in the cage, but strong in the office as well.

Throughout my professional career I've had the good fortune to work for/with several martial artists who owned companies in various industries.  As compared to those bosses I've had who did not have a martial arts background, I've observed some distinct differences in their managerial styles.  There are, of course, exceptions to every rule, but generally speaking I've found the following personalities in those bosses who did not have martial arts backgrounds and did not find it in those who did:

1. The "micro-manager" - While control freaks come in many shapes, sizes, and colors (and the martial arts industry is not immune to them) I have noticed that the business leaders most comfortable with letting go of control are the black belts.  Perhaps because they're comfortable being teachers.  Perhaps because they're confident they can handle any problems that arise.  Or perhaps because they understand what's truly important in life.  Whatever the reason, I've noticed that the bosses who were best at instilling confidence by not hovering/manipulating were those with martial arts backgrounds.

2. The "yeller" - Simply put, he's the jerk who yells and screams about everything.  Perhaps because he's not sure he's being heard or, more likely, he thinks he needs to instill fear in order to lead.  He's a coward because he's never developed that part of his ego.  Martial arts builds that kind of internal strength and I've never had a martial artist for a boss who raised his voice in anger.  In fact, they were almost unwaveringly calm, even toned, and assertive.

3.  The "passive-aggressive wimp" - He hides behind others, blaming them, circumventing them, always plotting how to take credit for their accomplishments while secretly envying them.  It's sad to see it in any situation, but in business it can be catastrophic.  Trust me, I lost a job to a passive-aggressive wimp of a boss who fired me and then took credit for months of work I developed on my own.  What I've found is that martial artists and soldiers, people who face combat, are not afraid of confrontation and can take it head-on.  And because they're able to handle confrontation, they're able to both manage and avoid it, which reduces even the biggest conflict to but a simple moment in time.  To the passive-aggressive wimp, every moment of conflict is monumental and his reaction is just plain out of balance.  He seeks vengeance and plots destruction for even the smallest of offenses.  He's ridiculous.  He's scared.  He needs martial arts in his life.

Coming up through a traditional martial arts system and then having spent 11 years teaching that system I was fortunate to devote a great portion of my life to learning from respected martial arts masters.  The calm assertiveness, skillful mentorship, and ability to lead through respect those masters showed me are skills I learned to show my students and continue to apply professionally toward my interactions with colleagues, employees, and interns.

You're welcome to leave your comments and share your observations and experiences in the workplace.


(Dan Greene is a former Tae Kwon Do instructor turned combat sports industry writer, entrepreneur, marketing consultant, and brand development expert.  He can be reached via Email at slaintedan@gmail.com)

My criticism of CNN's documentary: "Fighter Girls"

Last night I watched CNN's documentary, "Fighter Girls" and came away feeling greatly disappointed and a bit frustrated. Perhaps I was expecting a higher quality product from CNN, or at least an unbiased report supported by historical metrics or even a basic understanding of the combat sports industry.  Instead, we got an amateurish piece I suspect could have been produced better by an intern at NOW.  Don't let that statement fool you, I was raised by feminists and have always fought for equal rights, which is likely why I'm so put off by this piece.  What bothers me about this hack job CNN presented last night is that it was a biased disservice to female fighters everywhere and it once again painted MMA, the UFC, and Dana White as the bad guy when, in fact, there is NO bad guy in this equation.  Aren't journalists tired of vilifying the UFC and Dana White?  Why are they still beating that dead horse?!  Is anybody in combat sports even listening to this critique anymore?

The documentary opens with Soledad O'Brien and Dr. Sanjay Gupta sitting on stools in the CNN studio. Dr. Gupta opens the piece with the following:

"It's brutal, sometimes bloody, and wildly popular. It's Mixed Martial Arts, "MMA" for short, and it can be very lucrative... if you're a man."

Soledad takes the handoff and continues the opening:

"Yeah, but if you're a woman, uh, not so much.  It's actually a much different story.  So why would any woman climb into the octagon, into this cage, for all-out combat for what amounts to almost nothing?"

Dr. Gupta takes the handoff:

"Well, our Amber Lyon follows along a young, single mother and wanted to find the answer to that very question.  Now we want to warn you, some of the images we're about to show you are pretty graphic."

The piece begins with footage of a women's MMA match.  The two fighters meet in the center of the cage and exchange blows.  Quick cuts of bloody female fighters, striking exchanges, and grappling battles, lead into modeling photos of female fighters.  The video is matched to the following narration:

"They're tough, skilled, and not afraid to be sexy."

Images of male MMA action flash across the screen and are quickly replaced by female MMA images with the following narration:

"In an exploding sport dominated by men, these female fighters fight for much more than a win... they want respect."

*Let's stop tape here and analyze what CNN has presented thus far...

1. MMA is only lucrative if you're a man.
2. Women fight for "almost nothing."
3. Female fighters are sex symbols.

How this script got through CNN is bewildering!  Let me address each of these statements...

1. MMA is only lucrative if you're a man. - Correction: MMA is only lucrative if you're one of the elite few professional MMA fighters who happen to be male.  We're probably talking about less than one hundred fighters who make six-figures annually and only a handful who are making seven-figures. There are female fighters who are making six-figures and NONE of them were interviewed in this documentary.  Shame on you, CNN.  Furthermore, it is only in recent years that male MMA fighters have started making lucrative salaries as fighters.  In a sport that is only 18 years old it's completely warranted that the pay grade is still improving.  Look at professional baseball... how many years did it take before its athletes were making the equivalent of millions of dollars in today's money?!  The same is true for any other professional sport.  What we're seeing right now is a new sport that has only gone through infancy and adolescence.  The UFC is just now going to be shown on public television (Fox) after 18 years of existence.  If you're going to make the statement that MMA is only lucrative if you're a man you need to qualify that statement.  The simple truth is, that statement is only correct when made out of context, which is to lack journalistic integrity.
2. Women fight for "almost nothing." - Correction: Thousands of amateur and professional MMA athletes, male and female, are paid very little to fight.  Being a "professional" does not mean you're fighting for the UFC, Strikeforce, or Bellator and earning a substantial paycheck.  It only means that you're getting paid to fight and for most it means fighting at small local or regional shows, which don't pay very well.  I can introduce you to hundreds of professional fighters who have full-time jobs, bartending or otherwise, because they can't support themselves as fighters.  CNN and Amber Lyon shouldn't have let this copy pass through their first round of editing.  Shame on them.
3. Female fighters are sex symbols. - Correction: Attractive female and male fighters are sex symbols just like any other athletes.  What's unfortunate about this statement, besides it being intentionally biased, is that it once again places emphasis on female sexuality as part of an equality argument.  You almost never see/read/hear mention of a male fighters sexuality as an argument for validation of that athlete's value in his sport.  However, for some ridiculous reason, whenever the issue of equal pay in female MMA is raised somebody always tosses into the argument, "But they're sexy."  This is fighting, not modeling or stripping.  How about giving these women the respect they deserve as athletes, not as tight bodies in skimpy clothing?!  Shame on you, Amber Lyon.

We restart tape and the documentary goes on to discuss the discipline that goes into training for MMA and the hardships its athletes face.  The female fighter subject of this piece, Michelle "Diablita" Gutierrez is a heck of an athlete and has a respectable 3-2 record fighting out of Throwdown in Las Vegas as part of the Wand Fight Team.  She's a badass, a single mother, a bartender, and also very attractive, but that's not the point.  The point that should have been made by this documentary is not that she's a "pretty girl" and a fighter who makes more money bartending than fighting, but that she's a professional athlete struggling to compete and provide for herself and her child as a single parent.  That's the story that Amber Lyon should have told and Michelle Gutierrez is just one of countless such fighters, male and female, who could have made a good subject for this type of story.  Heck, I know several single parents who fight MMA and would love to be able to support themselves through fighting, but can't.  Instead, Amber Lyon (who may have pitched this story to her boss and sold it on the angle that female fighters are being treated poorly in MMA and as a female reporter she was going to uncover this injustice) chose to spin what could have been a very good piece on the struggles of the unseen single parent athletes in MMA into a women-are-being-victimized-by-men-again piece.  What a shame.  Anyway, let's get back to focusing on how women aren't getting a fair shot in professional MMA...

They introduce Kim Couture, Randy's wife, who is a great ambassador for the sport and an MMA fighter.  She discusses how some men are repulsed by women's fighting.  No surprise there.  In fact, there are many people repulsed by men's fighting as well.  What we're getting into here is a basic understanding of economics and the theory of supply and demand.  If more people are interested in watching and paying for men's MMA than women's MMA then the male product will carry a higher value.  If there is more money to be made in men's MMA then there is more money that can be paid to male MMA fighters.  It's that simple.

Then the argument becomes one of how female fighters should be paid the same as male fighters, which is often the case in many instances with Strikeforce and Bellator, which are major promotions that feature both male and female fights.  Fight purse and contract value are determined by the athlete's draw and the promotion they are fighting for.  Again, back to supply and demand theory.  When Georges St. Pierre fights for the UFC he draws a massive buy (live gate and PPV) and is paid accordingly.  If you show me a female MMA fighter with the same draw as GSP and she's not being paid as well as GSP then I'll show you a female fighter who is mismanaged and/or is fighting for a smaller promotion, which begs the next complaint...

The biggest payday for an MMA fighter is with the UFC, but the UFC doesn't have women on its roster.  Dana White was famously videotaped stating that women would "never" fight in the UFC and that video found its way into this documentary (not surprisingly).  Amber Lyon doesn't shy away from (hackishly) calling the UFC a "boy's club."  Ridiculous.  The UFC is in the business of providing a quality product that commands a premium price.  It is ENTIRELY ruled by market demand, which is not yet providing nor demanding women's MMA fights or athletes at the level required for a promotion like the UFC who has a premium brand standard to maintain.  Once market demand and talent are where they need to be I'm sure Dana White and the UFC will take a hard look at women's MMA in the UFC.  After all, they just brought in the lighter weight classes after denying them entry for years.  They've had professional wrestlers and boxers compete, which Dana White swore he would never allow.  He let Kimbo fight his way into the UFC after swearing he never would.  Dana White knows the MMA product better than anybody on the planet and he knows his customers even better than he knows his product.  In other words, he's no fool and he'll provide women's MMA if/when the market demands it at the level the UFC is expected to provide it.  Dana himself later explained, in response to that video of him stating women would never fight in the UFC, that there aren't enough talented women in the sport today to field a competitive division.  This is ABSOLUTE truth.  In fact, ask anybody involved in this sport and they'll tell you that female fighters often compete in 2 or 3 weight classes.  Not because they want to, but because they have to fight wherever there's an available fight and there just aren't enough female fighters at each weight limit for all of the promotions to field a complete roster.  This was the case for men in the early days of MMA and this will change for women over time, but for now there's just not enough talent.

What we're seeing is confusion resulting from the mistaken comparison of two similar, yet distinct sports at different stages of their growth cycle.  Men's MMA has been going strong in this country for the last 18 years since the first UFC event.  Women's MMA is really only a few years old.  I have no doubt that in 15 years women's MMA will be on par with what men's MMA is today, likely even beyond it.  Having trained with women for countless years I can tell you that they fight every bit as hard as men do and they deserve respect as athletes and warriors.  I have no doubt they'll get their big payday, but they're going to have to grow their sport the same way the men did for all those years.  Fortunately for the women, the men have paved a strong path toward success and are happily sharing it with their female counterparts.

What Amber Lyon failed to acknowledge in all of her journalistic due diligence is that women are not kept out of the training gyms, they're not kept out of the professional ranks, they aren't denied a paycheck, and they aren't vilified by their colleagues.  They are being given every opportunity to build their sport just as the men were given... minus the years of legal battles, public & political persecution, and lack of promotions to fight for.  Heck, the UFC's fighters even have health insurance now.  Yet another evolution of the sport ushered in by the UFC and hopefully soon followed by other all promotions.

A few other inaccuracies Ms. Lyon and CNN should have edited out, but instead aired:

1. Dana White is NOT the Founder of the UFC - The UFC was founded in 1993 by Art Davie, Rorion Gracie, and John Milius.  The UFC was purchased in January, 2001 by Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta who appointed Dana White President of the UFC.  A basic Wikipedia search would have prevented that mistake from airing.
2. Every promotion does NOT have a female fight on the undercard or main card - I'm sorry, Michelle, this is just untrue.  While most promotions are open to having female fights on their card, they do not always have one due to lack of available fighters.  Soon this won't be the case as the rise in women training in MMA will undoubtedly be producing more qualified female fighters all over the world.  However, for now, the talent pool is not as deep as we in MMA might hope it to be.  This goes back to what Dana White was saying, the talent is just not yet as deep as it needs to be.
3. Women aren't the only ones fighting for respect - In fact, ask any male fighter and they'll likely tell you they got into fighting for respect, challenge, fitness, and confidence.  Ask any female fighter and you'll get the exact same response.  In other words, we all fight for respect.  Any fighter knows that and were Amber coming from any position of experience in martial arts she would have known that too.

All criticism aside, I commend Amber Lyon and CNN for putting the spotlight on women's MMA.  I just wish they had utilized their vast resources and talents to do a better job.  For all you mainstream journalists who want to report on MMA with a provocative story, please go spend 1 year training and watching fights before you put pen to paper or attempt to voice an opinion.  You're doing yourself, the sport, and your agency a great disservice.

How Chael Sonnen is good for MMA

I'm writing in response to this article: http://www.mmamania.com/2011/10/17/2495473/chael-sonnen-doesnt-deserve-super-bowl-weekend

Beyond his fighting skills and ability to dominate world-class talent, he's got a mouth that seems to generate more attention than anybody in the sport before him.  And while many have labeled him an "ass" or a "clown," love him or hate him, he may just be the best damn thing to hit MMA since 4oz gloves...

Let's be honest, MMA is as much entertainment as it is sport.  If not, fighters wouldn't have nicknames or walkout music.  And quite frankly, it's a very profitable and successful form of entertainment.  And while we in combat sports hate the MMA-WWE comparison, there is a great deal of showmanship lacking in MMA that has for years been the backbone of the WWE's success.  Therein lies Chael's genius.

Guys like Mayhem Miller get it.  Shonie Carter got it.  Tito Ortiz got it.  Any fighter who ever wore a mask or costume, danced his way to the cage, or carried a 6' flag understood the need for showmanship in combat sports.  Like them, Chael Sonnen gets it, but he's taken it up a notch and borrowed a page from Boxing and the WWE.

People tune in to watch combat sports because they love the athleticism, but they love the backstory even more.  Fewer people want to watch two friends duke it out than two arch rivals who've spent months talking trash and have, at least in the public's eye, the intent to murder one another.  And there's no better way to build that anticipation than with a hearty amount of trash talking.  Heck, the WWE has built a billion-dollar business around trash talking and phony feuds.  In fact, I would argue that nearly all of the top grossing UFC fights have been between two men the audience was lead to believe hated each other.  We want to see rivals fight.  It's in our caveman hardwiring.  We can't deny it.

What Chael has done to capture the public's attention in creating a feud with a man who seldom/never talks trash about anybody is near masterful.  He's successfully provided enough talk and energy to make up for Anderson's lack thereof, which is no small task.  Chael has, in essence, become a less poetic Ali.  He is a media circus.  And he knows how to build intrigue for a match between he and the (somewhat boring) champion who he believes is holding his belt.  He knows that Dana is in the business of putting asses in seats and selling pay per view buys and there's no better way to do that than with a feud the paying public wants to see settled in the cage.  Dana gets his numbers, the fans get their blood, Chael gets his title shot.

Love him or hate him, Chael drives intrigue and conversation, which in the sporting world is entertaining... and profitable.

MMA thoughts: "Sanchez Syndrome"

(Frustrated, I originally wrote this article on August 30, 2009 the morning after UFC 102 and now, 2 years later, my position in this article has been proven wrong.  Completely wrong.  I post it now because I think we all need a little humility and, quite frankly, having seen how Diego Sanchez, Demian Maia, and Rashad Evans have evolved their striking game I think they deserve a huge amount of respect.  If this article serves any purpose other than making me look foolish let it be to document their evolution as true MMA fighters.)




Hello Friends,
Another UFC has come and gone.  Another night of interesting battles and lackluster performances.  Oddly, the two most lackluster performances came from the two most highly touted grapplers on the card, Demian Maia and Rolles Gracie who stumbled around the ring like Brazilian Shreks.  By all accounts these fighters should have put on a grappling clinic, but they didn't.  In fact, neither fighter spent any real time on the ground during their matches and couldn't complete a takedown, instead choosing to engage in an amateur boxing match that made both fighters look ill-prepared, a little crazy, and made we fans question who the hell devised their gameplans?!  Unfortunately, we've seen this script play out too many times over the years.  Enough so that I've coined a phrase to describe it, "Sanchez Syndrome."

It usually happens like this:  You're a top-level wrestler/grappler and you've competed and won for years using your wrestling/grappling skills.  You win a couple/few MMA matches in smaller shows, destroying your opponents with superior wrestling/grappling technique, which earns you a shot in the UFC.  You come to the big show and win a couple matches as a wrestler/grappler and people start talking about you as the next title threat.  Then, either as a result of a crushing defeat at the hands of a striker or sheer foolish pride, the pressure to become "well rounded" sets in and you abandon your wrestling/grappling skills in pursuit of the skills you feel (or the press tells you) you lack.  In your next several fights you don't use any of your superior wrestling/grappling skills, instead you rely on your brand new, amateur-at-best, boxing techniques that you just picked up in the gym over the past few months.  You step into the cage with one gameplan, highlight your new skills at all costs, and maybe you get lucky and leg out a decision victory or land a looping punch.  Or maybe you get dominated and put to sleep.  Either way, it looks bad to fans and proves only one thing, that ego is perhaps a fighter's greatest opponent.

It's become rather frustrating to watch wrestlers/grapplers fall victim to "Sanchez Syndrome."  They come onto the scene with devastating ground-n-pound and/or submissions and dominate their first few matches.  Like Diego Sanchez you might even smash your way through the TUF house and win a 6-figure contract.  Then everybody starts calling you "one-dimensional" and you begin to question your own place in MMA.  Your confidence drops and in a desperate bid to keep you motivated your coaches start focusing solely on your boxing or you change camps for one that will teach you the standup game.  The mistake comes when the boxing classes replace wrestling/grappling practice and your coaches start calling you "striker" or "heavy hands" or "Ali."  You're not a standup fighter yet.  You're still a wrestler/grappler, but you and your camp have lost sight of that.  It took you 10, 15, 20 years to develop your wrestling/grappling skills and now with a few months of boxing classes you think yourself the next De La Hoya and step into the cage with no wrestling/grappling gameplan at all.  You paw around for 15 minutes and everybody sits there angrily yelling at their TV, "Take him down!"  But you don't because you have to prove to yourself that you can stand and bang in the UFC.  It's sad when it happens and infuriating to pay $45+ to watch.  At least in Rolles' fight we got to see him put out of his misery.

In the case of Demian Maia he got knocked the hell out by Marquardt a couple months ago.  I mean, dude was asleep before he landed on the canvas. It was like something out of the Three Stooges!  The grappler wanted to play kickboxer and he got caught.  Rather than going back to the gym and refocusing on his wrestling & grappling so he could come out and reclaim his much-deserved reputation as a "top-of-the-foodchain" grappler (borrowed that hyphenated adjective from the poet, Joe Rogan) he laces up the gloves and decides that his next fight is standup or nothing, dammit!  (using my best Brazilian accent) "I gonna knock his head off, brotha.  I gonna show da world I can do it, man.  Bow ah!"  It's a bunch of bullsh*t and not what I, a paying fan, should be forced to watch.  Work out your self-esteem issues in the gym or on your therapist's couch, not on my dime on my TV on my time.  When I pay to watch you fight I'm expecting you at your best, a dominant wrestler/grappler who is going to highlight those skills and perhaps sprinkle in a few other tasty tidbits of burgeoning skills.  That's what a professional fighter does.

MMA has and always (hopefully) will be about the evolution of fighting.  To abandon everything and start over mid-career is not an evolution, it's a shame.  In fact, I can't think of anybody who has successfully and completely reinvented every aspect of their game by abandoning the original skill set that got them there in the first place.  Champions polish their skills and carefully add new ones.  Look at GSP.

What I love about Randy Couture, besides him spanking Tito, his legendary cauliflower ears, and his hottie-turned-fighter wife, is that he is and always will be a wrestler.  Over the years he has added great boxing and jiu jitsu skills, but his gameplan is always built upon his wrestling foundation.  It's odd that in a sport contested by martial artists it's the greco-roman wrestler who so eloquently represents the most basic of martial arts principles, that all technique must be built upon a strong foundation.  Growing up in traditional martial arts schools I was always taught that my foundation was everything, that technique would grow upon a solid foundation.  In martial arts, much like in life, a strong foundation is key.  Randy Couture stands as testament to the heights that can be reached if one builds upon his foundation, adding and polishing new skills along his journey, rather than abandoning his foundation mid-career and attempting to start over again.

To Demian Maia, Rolles Gracie, Rashad Evans, Diego Sanchez, and all the others who would forsake their masterful ground prowess for standup skill (you know who you are) be proud of what you are, respect the fans who have supported you as a wrestler/grappler, add new skills slowly and allow them time to mature before incorporating them so heavily into your gameplan or relying on them entirely.  Evolve, don't abandon, and for Christ's sake stop wearing those damn Affliction T-shirts, you look retarded.

Yours in fighting,
Dan Greene

Ps - I struggled with the decision to include Rashad Evans on that list because we share a Muay Thai coach and he has proven himself a good striker, but he's become so captivated by his knockout ability that he too has become a lackluster wrestler/grappler.  Didn't he win the Heavyweight TUF title as a wrestler?!  Come on, Rashad!


(See how wrong I was?!  I guess I, too, have evolved over the last 2 years...)

A look back at Lyoto Machida's influence on MMA

(I originally published this article on 5/24/09 - the morning after Lyoto Machida beat Rashad Evans for the Light Heavyweight title - I think it's an interesting read given his later defeat by Shogun and the continued evolution of MMA since that fight 2.5 years ago)


So the inevitable happened last night when Lyoto Machida knocked out Rashad Evans in the 2nd round after dominating the entire fight.  The "riddle" of Lyoto Machida has yet to be solved and it seems the conventional MMA practitioner doesn't have a chance to beat him.  Everybody's chattering about "old school karate" and "traditional martial arts," but the chatter is coming from MMA guys, not traditional martial artists so it's filled with speculation and theory.  Basically, they think they know why they're being beat by Machida, but it goes much deeper than they can comprehend...

As my sparring partners can attest, I've been telling them for years that there are many techniques I've learned from Tae Kwon Do that our fellow MMA practitioners are easy targets for.  In fact, I've shared some of those techniques in sparring and it's almost possible to land those shots at will against a Muay Thai guy, wrestler, boxer, or grappler.  The back kick (jumping or standing) is a personal favorite and so is the outside-in crescent kick, especially when breaking from the clinch.  Not to mention the effectiveness of random kicking combinations.

While driving to Atlantic City a few years ago for UFC 53 I told my buddies in the car (members of Renzo Gracie's school) that if MMA fighters could learn to throw the jump back kick proficiently it would most certainly lead to knockouts.  And sure enough, that night David Loiseau threw a perfectly-timed jump back kick while his opponent was throwing a straight right hand, caught him perfectly in the rib cage, and knocked him out.  Fight over.  David Loisea's background?  Tae Kwon Do. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qtw1VfdtTes

MMA athletes are constantly evolving.  It's a game that went from fixed, traditional style vs. fixed, traditional style 17 years ago to one of hybrid fighters typically trained in Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai, and wrestling who seem to be the total package.  We left behind the traditional martial arts with it's colored belt systems, forms, bowing, and board breaking rituals for MMA gyms where instructors wear T-shirts and house music is pumped loudly to guys wearing Tapout gear and ankle guards.  We don't bow.  We don't call anybody "sir" or "ma'am."  Everybody is learning to be tough.  To take punishment and give punishment.  And we're getting really really good at it.  Until Lyoto Machida came along...

Yes, he's a BJJ black belt.  Yes, he's a great boxer and wrestler.  So he's got all of the contemporary skills needed to step into the cage. But he's also undefeated against the best in the sport today.  He's never even lost a round in his entire professional career.  So how do all these modern warriors solve the "riddle" that is Lyoto Machida?

They become white belts.

Bruce Lee said that if a traditional martial artist trains for 1 year in wrestling and boxing he could beat any traditional martial artist he faced. And the UFC has proven Bruce Lee right since its "Bloodsport" origins (style vs. style) to its modern hybrid fighting systems (Miletich, Top Team, etc.).  Fixed systems don't work.  And, perhaps ironically, modern MMA has become a fixed system...  


You must train in BJJ, wrestling, and Muay Thai to compete in our sport.  Those are the unwritten rules and that is our recipe.  And it's a recipe that we've enjoyed for over 17 years, but like any family recipe it receives tweaks from each generation it's passed down to.  So along comes Machida who looks out our modern dish of MMA technique and basically says, "It's good, but it can be better."  His perspective is one that was formed in thousands of years of historical fighting experience, not recent TV history.  His predecessors didn't fight in cages, they fought in forests, on mountains, in emperor's kingdoms where referees didn't step in to save you, but instead your mistake was paid in death.  He has what we call in the traditional martial arts world, "a good foundation" or "strong roots" and it's the most important ingredient in any fighting recipe.

When you grow up in a traditional martial arts environment you're taught about the importance of origins, building a strong base, learning to walk before you run, grasping the fundamentals before advanced technique can be understood and made "our own."  It's one of the fundamental characteristics of any traditional martial artist and something that is absent in the majority of modern MMA fighters, IMO.  I bet you can count the number of UFC fighters who bow to their opponent on 1 hand.  Maybe 2.  Am I wrong?!

Sure, they're tough.  Sure, they're strong.  And yes, they put on a good show.  But within a cage, with a referee, lots of safety rules, a cup, a mouth guard, bright lights, and cameras.  They might get knocked out, or dazed, or cut, tapped out, or just plain outworked.  But there is little "real" danger.  Not like the life-and-death proving ground that traditional martial arts were forged in.  I'll take a skilled Hap Ki Do practitioner over the best MMA guy any day in a street fight, but you'll never see Hap Ki Do in the cage.

So what's the secret to truly solving the "Machida riddle?" as Joe Rogan has so aptly named in.  Of course, any fighter has a "puncher's chance" and Machida could get caught like any other fighter (*side note - I hope I didn't jinx Lyoto), but that's not my definition of "domination."  To truly beat Machida it's going to take somebody with the same traditional foundation whose techniques were not learned as an adult in a hybrid hip hop gym, but as a child who was taught to bow, to say "sir" and "ma'am," and break boards in order to earn the next colored belt.  It's going to take a true warrior who, unlike all those Machida has dismantled, has the "fighting spirit" instead of just the desire to put on a good show and get a juicy UFC contract.  Not to say there aren't some amazing MMA fighters, I idolize several of them, but Machida has brought to the table what MMA needed if it's going to evolve into the mainstream and become the respectable and marketable event it needs to be.  He brought tradition back to combat.

A fighting sport that has not abandoned its traditional roots and millions of practitioners of traditional martial arts in the process.  We've been told for the past 15 years that our traditional styles don't work against an MMA fighter. That they need to be combined with wrestling, boxing, and jiu jitsu so we can be effective fighters.  And there is a lot of truth in that, but not perfect truth.  What I believe Machida is proving to all martial artists is that if we have technique and power without foundation we will surely fall.  Like every one of his opponents.  I remember what one of my first Tae Kwon Do masters used to say...  "Even the biggest tree falls down from the slightest wind if it does not have strong roots."

So what does it all mean?  Does the rise of Machida usher in the fall of pure MMA gyms?  No.  What it does is introduce ballet to football players.  It sends the MMA guy's head racing with thoughts of insecurity and humility, wondering if he needs to learn grace before he can reach his true potential.  Does he need to learn to bow?  Should he say "sir" and "ma'am" if he's going to retrofit himself with the proper foundation upon which to continue building his MMA skills?

Lyoto "the Dragon" Machida has done more in remaining undefeated than any MMA fighter in recent history.  He has single-handedly reintroduced the traditional and modern fighting worlds to one another after a separation of nearly 17 years (since the first UFC event).  Like two brothers who parted ways out of frustration and ego who have reunited in understanding to help one another reach their true potential.  Machida's riddle is one that forces us to recognize that traditional martial arts schools and MMA gyms should not exist independently of one another if we are going to continue to evolve as fighters.  That is Machida's gift.


Final Thought:
In our fighting world we reserve for our most influential teachers the name, "Dragon."  In modern times, Bruce "the Dragon" Lee was our greatest teacher who revolutionized film, martial arts, politics, and philosophy.  His teachings changed the world by uniting it.  In his passing we were left with a void and we've fallen into divide while left to our own device.  It took some 35 years, but we are once again given a Dragon to lead us into greater understanding and create solidarity... I hope.

The Demographics of MMA - Know the Combat Sports Industry

“The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself.” - Peter F. Drucker

It's an interesting time to be involved in the combat sports industry.  For those of us old enough to remember the days of the karate-vs-tae kwon do-vs-kung fu-vs-boxing debate our world has certainly changed.  As MMA has led the combat sports industry's metamorphosis into the fastest growing sport in the world and has forever changed the style-vs-style debate our market has certainly grown, and changed, and it's up to we martial arts industry entrepreneurs to adapt to these changes or die...  retired to that great dojo in the sky.

So here's a quick overview of MMA demographics that should help we martial arts dinosaurs and entrepreneurs alike get up to speed on exactly who we're marketing to nowadays:

The Combat Sports Industry is comprised of traditional martial arts, mixed martial arts, boxing, and wrestling.

In North America we find the following data...

Approximate Size: 31-40 million active participants.

Approximate Value: $50 billion (and growing).

Gender Ratio: 3:1 male: female (75% male / 25% female)

Typical Age range: 18-34 years old

Average Income: $46k/year

Average Marital Status: In a relationship (married or committed)

Typical Education Level: Bachelors Degree

Weekly Training Habits: 3-5 days/week

Follows: At least 1 mainstream sports team (football, baseball, basketball)

Americans who call themselves "fans" of MMA: 35% of Population


At the risk of going too deep into obscure factoids I'll end the overview here.  If you have specific questions please feel free to reach out to me.  What I hope you'll take away from the above overview is the market potential for a new, valuable product/service in the combat sports industry.  Unfortunately, we're still fighting stigma left over from 17 years ago when the UFC first came onto the scene and, surprisingly, a lot of mainstream marketers and companies are still hesitant to engage the combat sports market.  Dust off your antiquated notions of what you think this market is, do your homework, and come join us.  We're waiting here with $50 billion to spend on you.