Take-On Prodcutions Announces Partial Fight card for Upcoming February Event

Several of the marquee names featured on “Take On Muay Thai XIX,” which will include representatives from 22 premiere Muay Thai kickboxing gyms, are:

Jess Ng (8-1) – coming off an impressive victory in Thailand and has gone 7-0 in her last 7 fights to include a WKA and TBA title!

Angela Hill (10-0) – Steamrolling through opponents, undefeated Hill will be facing a very tough and also undefeated California native Ariana Gomez (5-0)

Freddy Cheung (6-1) – The Take On Rising Stars 155lb. champ will face undefeated Manny Casais (6-0). Casais is the top fighter out of Coban’s Muay Thai right here in NYC.

Robinson Marte (8-0) – Undefeated Marte will be facing always fearless Cornell Ward who hails from renowned  Five Points Academy in NYC.

Joe “Avatar” Bastone (3-0) – Bursting onto the fight scene in impressive fashion, Bastone has two of the most vicious knockouts in Take On history

Others top fighters appearing on the fight card include: Joey Hernandez, 7-3 (Mushin MMA); Rich Brattole, 10-0 (Weapons 9); Kate “Rock” Allen, 3-1 (Cool Hearts/PA), and Omar Estevez, 7-3 (Sitan Gym NY).

Visit www.TakeOnProductions.com for the full fight card, highlights from past events, fighter features and more.

Muay Thai Fightclub’s Review of Take-On Production’s Muay Thai at the Mecca 2

On November 10th, Muay Thai Fightclub was invited by team Take-On to attend their production of Muay Thai at The Mecca 2.

Muay Thai Fightclub’s partner and Director of Marketing, David Mykel enjoyed a nice pre-birthday dose of quality, classic muay thai, something he has been missing in previous NYC.  Take-On Production’s Muay Thai at the Mecca 2 was hosted at none other than Madison Square Garden’s Theater where 3,000 muay thai enthusiasts gathered to watch the 13 fight card.  Fighters gathered from all over the Tri-State area as well as Virginia, Kansas, North Carolina and even as far as Milan, Italy. The depth of talented fighters was a clear demonstration of Take-On’s dedication to bringing solid skills to all their events and ensuring the audience is entertained from the ring of the bell to the clap of the bricks.30 fighters competed in 8 different weight classes, with 3 championship belts on the line, and they did not disappoint.  Stand out fights included an upset by the challenger Steve Hernandez (PinPoint Muay Thai) over the undefeated Ariel Abreu (Undefeated) for the Take-On middleweight title;

 

local fighter Freddy Chueng’s (Sitan) upset win over the very talented and athletic Manny Casias (Coban) and our favorite, a rematch of local boys Joey Hernandez (Mushin MMA) and Sean Fagan (Westchester Fightclub) for the Take-On featherweight belt, with Fagan just inching out Hernandez.  Muay Thai Fightclub watched these two warriors go head-to-head only 2 months ago in Chinatown, so it was surprising to see a rematch so quickly on the books, but we’re glad it was.  The men weren’t the only ones mixing it up in the ring; Take-On featured three women’s fight as well.

 

 

Stand-out included Irina K’s (5-Points Academy) victory of Chantal Perry (Renzo Gracie) and Jess Ng’s (Sitan) dominant victory over Melanie Odria for the Take-On atom-weight belt. 

In case you missed the fights, go here to watch some highlights:
https://muaythaifightclub.wordpress.com/2012/12/19/take-n-releases-highlights-from-muay-thai-at-the-mecca-2/

In addition to some stand out fighting, MTFC was also impressed by the charitable spirit Take-On exhibited at this event.  The card took place In the wake of superstorm Sandy, with thousands around us still without power, running water and subways down to name a few of our cities problems.  Not only did Take-On step it up and donated a portion of ticket sales to Sandy Relief victims, they also hosted a 50-50 raffle, organized a food and clothing drive at the event, donated muay thai gear to a local gym CROM Martial Training in the Rockaways as well as giving free tickets to anyone who lives in the Rockaways (a beachfront community located in Queens and one of the hardest hit areas by Sandy).  As if this wasn’t enough community spirit, Take-On Productions went one step further and offered free admission to all of our armed forces men and women who showed up in uniform.  Muay Thai fightclub wants to give a big shout to Take-On for remaining a pillar in the NYC and Muay Thai communities by setting a shining example of what a local business is supposed to be all about.

Take-On put together, what stands out as one of the best muay thai/mma fights Muay Thai Fightclub has seen in the NYC area.  There were enough fights and skill level to keep a variety of fans engaged and the pace at which production kept everything moving was perfect so-as not too have any delay time.  Proper fighter introductions were given, beautiful ring girls strutted their stuff in between rounds and fans were exposed to one of MTFC’s favorite traditions in our beloved sport, the wai khru.  No detail was left up to chance by Take-On: the seating layout was great, as every stoked fan had a great view of the ring; food and beverages were easily accessible for anyone wanting to imbibe, as were programs and gear (maybe even some MTFC gear at the next event??) and security was helpful and attentive.

In conclusion, we’re pleased to say that Take-On Productions and Muay Thai Fightclub will be working together in the future, so stay tuned….

Make sure you join Take-On’s and Muay Thai Fightclub’s fanbase to stay current on everything muay thai around the globe.

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Take-On Productions

http://takeonproductions.com/

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/takeonmuaythai

Take-n Releases Highlights from Muay Thai at the Mecca 2

Just in case you missed some classic fights at Take-On Production’s Muay Thai at the Mecca 2, be sure to check out the highlight reel here
http://ow.ly/geM8b

Chris Jones submits Roy Spoon to become XKO’s first champion

Written by Dominic Velando

Saturday, 09 October 2010 23:06

Photo: Dominic Velando

ARLINGTON, Texas — Before a packed house at the XKO Arena, lightweights Chris “Lionheart” Jones (5-1) trapped Roy Spoon (5-3) in a triangle choke just two-and-a-half minutes into round one of Xtreme Knockout’s inaugural championship match at XKO 8 on Saturday night.

Spoon closed the distance early but ended up underneath his sprawling opponent, who attempted a rear naked choke. Spoon reversed, but Jones wasted no time setting up the fight-ended submission that forced a tapout.

Results

Chris Jones def. Roy Spoon — Submission (Triangle choke) 2:30 R1

Chris Holdsworth def. Randy Villareal — Submission (rear naked choke) 2:05 R1

Beau Hohmann def. Zac Board — Disqualification (Illegal knee to downed opponent)

Texas Combat Sports Submission of the Night: Quaint Kempf def. Jay Flores — Submission (Arm triangle) 1:17 R2

Brad Mitchell def. Steven Peterson — Unanimous Decision

Kano Gregoire def. Michael Craycraft — Unanimous Decision

Kashif Solarin def. Mike Sierra — Submission (Triangle choke)

Texas Combat Sports Fight of the Night: Chris Pecero def. Gabe Guerrero — Unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Alex Russ def. Kevin McGee — TKO (punches) :38 R2

Jason Fisher def. Randall Kennedy — TKO 1:20 R2

Chris Feist def. Jason Painter — Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Report: Chael Sonnen Failed UFC 117 Drug Test

Michael David Smith, Lead Blogger

In a blockbuster development that will have far-reaching ramifications for both the way we view one of the biggest fights of 2010 and the potential for a rematch of that fight in 2011, Chael Sonnen has reportedly been informed that he tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs after his loss to Anderson Silva at UFC 117.

Sonnen will presumably be suspended, and a second middleweight title fight between Sonnen and Silva — which undoubtedly would have been among the biggest fights for the UFC next year — may need to be scrapped.

“[Sonnen] received his notice yesterday,” California State Athletic Commission Executive Officer George Dodd told Sherdog.com.

There is no word on which banned substance Sonnen took, but it was reportedly a performance-enhancing substance and not a drug of abuse.

Sonnen, who gained widespread attention for his constant trash talk leading up to the fight with Silva, has not commented on the story. But there’s no doubt that this will change his reputation among MMA fans. Sonnen was viewed after fighting Silva as the hard-nosed fighter who took it to the UFC’s most unbeatable champion for five rounds, and even though Sonnen did tap out in the fifth round, he was widely acclaimed for the way he dominated Silva for 22 minutes leading up to that submission. Now he’ll be viewed as a cheater.

Chael Sonnen Q&A Highlights

Life through the eyes of Chael Sonnen explained as only he can.  You have got to admire someone who speaks on life exactly as they see it.

UFC 118 Spotlight Deserved by Frankie Edgar in Rout of Legendary Penn

8/29/2010 9:32 AM ET By Mike Chiappetta

BOSTON — Once again, the headlines were stolen from Frankie Edgar, this time by an out-of-shape boxer who was quite predictably beaten.

All Edgar did at UFC 118 was beat the guy considered the best lightweight of all time … again.

All he did was silence any believers that BJ Penn was the better fighter the first time around, and that he’d never figure out a way to fool the judges twice.

Edgar didn’t just shut out Penn; he hurled a perfect game.

The UFC lightweight champion held on to his belt by outworking the legend everywhere. He outlanded Penn 155-53. He took him down four times. His foot movement and hand speed had Penn swinging at air. By the end, he’d captured all five rounds on all three judges’ scorecards. Only Georges St. Pierre at UFC 94 had beaten Penn more soundly, and St. Pierre is the most celebrated resident of a higher weight class.

The performance left UFC president Dana White effusive and Penn nearly speechless.

“This kid just beat the s— out of BJ Penn for five rounds,” White said after the fight. “Dominated him in every facet of the fight: on the ground, on top, on bottom, standup, everything.”

“Frankie fought a great fight,” Penn said. “He’s the man. I have nothing bad to say. He’s the man. What else can you say?”

Edgar? The soft-spoken father of two was his usual, understated self.

Asked in the post-fight press conference how important it was to get a statement win over Penn in the wake of the more controversial UFC 112 decision, Edgar shrugged.

“I think it was more important for you guys than it was for me,” he said. “I go in to every fight trying to win and trying to do my best. That’s all I can do, but that should help get some of you guys off my back for sure.”

Edgar has been maligned as a lightweight since entering the UFC. Thought to be undersized, he upset Tyson Griffin in his debut and rolled to wins in his first three fights before losing a decision to Gray Maynard, the man who will ironically oppose him in his next title defense.

Prior to Saturday night, Edgar had won four straight, but even after a razor-close matchup in his first fight with Penn, the champ was a sizeable underdog in defending the belt. But this one had barely a moment of doubt. Edgar took Penn down seconds into the fight, one of two takedowns in the opening five minutes. He captured the round and as the fight went on, they began to pile up as Edgar built a lead that seemed insurmountable as the minutes passed.

“I felt him fade a little bit, but whether he faded or not, I wanted to push the pace and keep backing him up,” Edgar said.

If there was one sequence that showed the champion’s resolve it came in the fifth. Penn was down all four rounds on the scorecards and came out for the round with energy, taking Edgar down immediately.

Penn punched Edgar with rights while looking to pass Edgar’s guard; meanwhile, Edgar worked to get to his feet. Penn quickly took Edgar’s back, a dangerous spot as Penn has finished five of his fights via rear naked choke. In an instant, though, Edgar created a scramble and ended up on top in Penn’s guard. With Penn’s last hope extinguished, it was on to the final bell, on to Maynard, on to the respect he’s deserved all along.

“The kid’s got a heart as big as this room,” White said. “He comes from wrestling, but his boxing is unbelievable, his jiu-jitsu was great tonight, his wrestling was sick. He picked BJ up and power slammed him. I guarantee you BJ Penn is banged up right now.”

Edgar, of course, had little more to say. The work stood for itself.

“I think every fighter should fight with a chip on their shoulder,” Edgar said. “I believe in myself. I know my team believes in me. If it takes time to get you guys to believe in me, I’ll do that, too.

“I definitely wanted to make it decisive so there were no questions,” he continued. “You guys ask me questions, that maybe the first fight didn’t go my way. No one can say anything now.”

Settled then, by Edgar himself, the belt around his waist can no longer be considered a fluke or a judges’ mistake. Maybe he didn’t get the solo spotlight a champion deserves at UFC 118, but at least in routing the best lightweight in history, “The Answer” can be questioned no more.

James Toney’s weight might mean upset chances are slimmer

John Buhl | Aug 27, 2010 | 0 comments

Clearly the build up to UFC 118 hasn’t featured enough Randy Couture vs. James Toney talk, so let’s keep it going by looking at how much Toney tipped the scales at today’s weigh in.

And the verdict is: 237 lbs. If you plunked a few bucks down on Toney hoping he pulls off the miraculous, be aware that his extra weight might mean his chances got slimmer.

According to boxrec.com, this much weight isn’t foreign territory for Toney in his boxing career. He beat a fairly durable Dominick Guinn in 2005 while weighing 235 and drew with Hasim Rahman the following year at 237. His next two bouts, against Samuel Peter in 2006 and 2007, he weighed 233 and 234 respectively.

However, having watched the fight with Rahman, Toney clearly started to fade down the stretch. And while he deserves credit for hanging in with a much bigger and very hard-hitting Peter, Toney’s reflexes certainly didn’t improve between the first and second bout.

It’s possible to carry extra weight at an older age and still perform well. Couture of course did it in winning back the UFC heavyweight title  not too long ago, and Bernard Hopkins elevated himself from an all-time middleweight great to an all-time pound-for-pound boxing great by going up to the 175-pound division and finding success there.

But if carrying around this much weight saw him fade down the stretch in boxing matches four or five years ago, I certainly don’t see it providing any benefit against Couture. Certainly a three-round MMA fight isn’t anywhere near the marathon of a 12-round boxing match.

Toney, though, will need good, quick footwork and what is left of his reflexes at 100 percent to offset Couture’s wrestling and overall MMA experience. In his last fight, Toney weighed in at 217.5 lbs.

Best case scenario, he’s put on 30-some pounds of muscle, which I doubt will help him in any department. Worst case scenario, he’s not in the best shape to back up his trash talk. If his weigh-in photo above is any indication, Toney’s chances are looking worse than they did yesterday.

WEC 50: Dominick Cruz Beats Joseph Benavidez

A wild five-round fight for the bantamweight title of mixed martial arts ended with the champion retaining his belt, as Dominick Cruz beat Joseph Benavidez by split decision Wednesday night at WEC 50.

With blood dripping from the bridge of his nose as well as an eye and his mouth, Cruz acknowledged afterward that Benavidez had given him everything he could handle.

“I felt the blood pouring down my face,” Cruz said. “Benavidez is a great competitor. I give him all the credit in the world.”

The fight was a rematch of a bout from a year ago, and that time Cruz used his size advantage and superior takedowns to control the fight. But this time Benavidez was much more active in his striking and did a lot of damage to the champion. In the fourth round Benavidez drilled Cruz with a knee to the nose, opening up a huge cut, and for much of the fight Benavidez was landing clean, effective strikes. It’s easy to see why one judge scored the fight 48-47 for Benavidez, but also easy to understand why the other judges scored it 48-47 and 49-46 for Cruz. It was a fight with five close rounds, and a fight that could have gone either way.

But there could be only one winner afterward, and that was Cruz, who has improved his record to 16-1, including two wins over Benavidez. Those two fights are the only losses of Benavidez’s career; his record drops to 12-2.

Up next for Cruz will most likely be a title defense against Benavidez’s close friend and training partner, Urijah Faber. That’s the most marketable fight the WEC can put together right now, both because Faber is the WEC’s most popular fighter, and because Faber’s victory over Cruz in 2007 was the only loss of Cruz’s career.

Although the 135-pounders in the WEC don’t get quite as much attention as the fighters in the UFC, Cruz was correct when he said after the fight that he deserves to be considered among the sport’s truly elite fighters.

“I rank among the best in the world,” Cruz said. “There’s not a doubt in my mind.”

http://video.aol.com/aolvideo/FanHouse/cruising-with-dominick-cruz/586353117001

UFC 117 winner Matt Hughes out till 2011, “taking it one fight at a time”

by John Morgan and Steven Marrocco on Aug 08, 2010 at 1:45 pm ET

OAKLAND, Calif – Fresh off a triumphant submission victory over Ricardo Almeida at UFC 117, Matt Hughes says fighting will take a back seat to hunting this fall.

“Early next year, I’ll talk with the UFC, and we’ll figure out what we’re going to do,” Hughes told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

It was the former welterweight champion and recent UFC Hall of Fame inductee’s third consecutive octagon victory after a disappointing run in which he lost his belt and dropped three out of four fights.

UFC 117 took place Saturday and drew a reported 12,971 fans to Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif.

While the term “hall of famer” conjures up images of competitors in the twilight of ability, the 36-year-old Hughes (45-7 MMA, 18-5 UFC) fought Almeida (12-4 MMA, 5-4 UFC) like a young guy.

Almeida, 33, kept Hughes at bay with punches and even managed to win a brief struggle in the clinch when the two locked up early in the contest. The former champion looked like he might have a slow night, but a left hook changed that.

Hughes landed the blow following a short exchange, and Almeida suddenly was on the mat. A little surprised, Hughes grabbed Almeida’s neck and arm and cinched up a head-and-arm choke he had once used in amateur wrestling. Almeida went unconscious as he tried to right himself.

Almeida, a decorated submission grappler, dropped to 4-2 in his most recent UFC stint and is now 1-1 as a welterweight.

“He just got clipped, and I caught him in a submission that he’s maybe never seen before,” Hughes said.

The old-school choke won the former champion the “Submission of the Night” bonus, which added $60,000 to his pocket. It was his third consecutive and fourth overall win against fighters trained in the Gracie tradition. Hughes TKOd Renzo Gracie at UFC 112 and beat Matt Serra on points at UFC 98. He also stopped early UFC champion Royce Gracie with strikes at UFC 60.

“It was one of those things where I could get people to go unconscious back then, so it’s just something I’ve always been good at,” Hughes said of the submission hold. “The technique just works with me.”

There was at least one former wrestler in the audience who was tickled by he saw.

“Actually, Chuck Liddell came up to me afterward and said, ‘I actually used to see that in wrestling. It was completely illegal. You couldn’t do it because you weren’t allowed to choke people out,'” White said. “He said, ‘Only a moose like Hughes could pull that submission off.'”

Hughes’ boss couldn’t have been happier, either. UFC president Dana White had fielded countless questions about the fighter’s viability after he lost his belt to current champion Georges St-Pierre and failed to get it back in a rematch. The questions continued to mount after he suffered a TKO loss to division standout Thiago Alves in his next fight.

“I never thought [he was in the twilight of his career],” White said. “Hughes is one of these guys – and always has been one of these guys – (with whom) no matter what happens to him or what goes on in his life, he never says no to a fight.”

But with hunting season around the corner, Hughes will do just that come fall, and the boss seems OK with it.

“I knew he’d be better and stronger for this fight,” White said. “Hughes said he’s taking it one fight at a time and see how he feels.”

Regardless, those pesky retirement questions can wait a while.

“He’s always a threat,” White said.