With heavy hearts, we are saddened to report that Sifu Jerry Poteet passed away Saturday evening, Jan 15 2012 in Los Angeles. His Flame is still burning bright now and into the future through our family, instructors, students, friends, and followers.
As Sifu Bruce Lee once said: “Remembrance is the only paradise out of which we cannot be driven away. Pleasure is the flower that fades, remembrance is the lasting perfume. Remembrances last longer than present realities.”
More announcements to come... The Jerry Poteet Family
Hope, Faith, Peach, Love, Belief: Hardly the words you would find in a place of fighting. Right?
If you have ever practiced martial arts, perhaps these words resonate with you, or perhaps not? I guess that depends on the discipline and respect of the Dojo you are studying under.
Hope, Faith, Peach, Love, Belief: Sure maybe you’d see them at a fairy tale martial arts studio. That is farthest from the truth tonight as I arrive at my 365 destination, TKC, a hard-core martial arts fighting and training center.
All around me are signs and displays with assortments of visual and written affirmations. The aforementioned text: Hope, Faith, Peach, Love, Belief, all part of a photo I see displayed on a video monitor hovering over the mat; And, at the center of it all, Dojo Fariborz Azhakh, 6th degree blackbelt.
The World Martial Arts Information Center would like to extend a sincere condolences to the family, friends and students on the passing of an old friend, Al Novak. He was an amazing individual respected by so many. The martial arts community worldwide is glad to have known Al for many years and have nothing but respect for his accomplishments.
Martial Arts History Museum, Burbank, CA – When most people hit that golden age of fifty, they see it as a time to reflect back upon their life enjoying their accomplishments and remembering the interesting places they have visited. It is a time for relaxation, an opportunity to be surrounded by family and friends around a hearty meal or even a well-deserved vacation. But not for Fariborz Azhakh, he plans to spend his fiftieth birthday fighting.
Azhakh, chief instructor of Team Karate Centers in Woodland Hills and a hapkido seventh degree black belt, has issued an invitation to his fellow martial arts practitioners, friends and students to celebrate his fiftieth sparring in the ring. On January 7, 2012, he intends to fight for “fifty” one-minute rounds, one round for each year of his existence.
“I think it's important that my students see that I'm still an active participant in the art that I love and teach. I don't want to be just standing on the sidelines watching, I want to be involved and I encourage them to be involved as well,” notes Azhakh. “I'm also doing this as a fundraiser for the Martial Arts History Museum. Our history is so important and finally we have a museum to keep that history alive. Everyone should be doing something for the museum.”
The event entitled “Fighting to Reach Fifty,” requires a minimum of $25 to go head-to-head with the seventh degree black belt. The entire proceeds of each fight will be donated to the museum. “This is such an amazing event to celebrate Fariborz's fiftieth birthday and raise funds to help the museum. I have been honored to know Fariborz for nearly 30 years and I've always been so impressed with his sincerity and the example he sets for his students,” says museum president Michael Matsuda.
Team Karate Centers, which will host the sparring matches, will also be celebrating its thirtieth anniversary. Azhakh began teaching in a small room in 1982 which eventually flourished to a 10,000 square foot facility with a variety of different teachers including kickboxing legend Benny “The Jet” Urquidez and film star Richard Norton. The fifty rounds of fighting is not limited to his students, but open to all who would like to contribute to the museum and spar with a former regionally ranked competitor. The first fight is set to begin at 8 am with refreshments and gatherings throughout the day until 8 pm.
To register for a sparring match or more information, visit their website at TeamKarateCenters.com. Location for the event is at 21038-A Victory Blvd., Woodland Hills, CA 91367. You can also contact Fariborz Azhakh directly at (818) 704-0606. For information about the Martial Arts History Museum, visit their website at MAmuseum.com.
Should children under the age of 18, be able to earn and wear a black belt?
(Oh man, now that's a question --of which I will address one "industry-relevant" aspect of in this not-so-short essay)
SHOULD CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 18, BE ABLE TO EARN AND WEAR A BLACK BELT?
That’s a tough one, but today, as the martial arts world is, as the world is, I would cast a definite “No” vote.
Now keep in mind, I’ve either promoted or participated in the promotion of (I’m guessing here) about 5000 kids to the rank of 1st degree black belt or higher. I started sitting on the testing boards of Master Ernie Reyes’ West Coast World Martial Arts Association in about 1982; thousands and thousands of young people have joined our schools --and many of those kids have not only earned their black belts, but have stayed involved with the martial arts into adulthood.
But if you asked me how I feel about kids getting their black belts today, in 2011, as a 51 year old 6th degree black belt, I’d say no, I don’t think giving kids black belts is the right thing to do for them or for the martial arts. By the way, my first martial arts teacher, Master Lou Grasso of Reno, Nevada, didn’t promote black belts until they were over the age of 18. I earned my first degree from him at age 19 in 1979, after 8 years of participation.
Kids should be encouraged to study and practice the martial arts. Parents should be encouraged to enroll their children in martial arts lessons. There are 14,600 reasons children should be deeply involved in the practice of the martial arts and all it entails (the number of days since I took my first lesson).
But as for the RANK of black belt --and people, of any age, earning one, here's the issue:
We have to do something about the incredible, demeaning gutter-slide the requirements and standards for earning a black belt have gone through (since, I think, selling “black belt club memberships” became the crude-oil-dependency of the commercial martial arts school --and “the industry” that’s grown up around it).
In the 30-plus years since I received my 1st degree black belt, there have been few, if any, industry-wide significant or noteworthy increases in the quantity or quality of educational requirements for earning the rank of black belt.
Yes, there are many exceptions to the statement above, as there are a good number of instructors who require far more than your average fare of one-steps, sparring matches,15 kata, and breaking half-boards (planed to half thickness) for their students black belt tests; it’s only that they’re very hard to find at the martial arts conventions; or the Dan Kennedy style “mastermind” group sales tactics meetings; or the billing service “power weekends” or in the folding chairs at the marketing meeting where the sharply dressed “business consultant,” is peacocking his way through ideas like the one’s I’ve heard recently:
“I send my entire staff, in uniform, down to the local elementary schools (across the street from the school, of course, as businesses are banned from school grounds) to wave ‘Free Intro’ signs at the busses, kids, and parents as school lets out.”
“The best marketing for your martial arts school, today, is spamming peoples cell phones with text-sales messages, as the the open rate is far better than e-mail.”
“With the economic downturn, I suggest that when parents come to you looking for help or relief with their membership contract, that you tell them (this is, by the way, called “lying”) that it’s not in your power to adjust the contract, just tell them your billing service makes all arrangements and decisions. Then, make sure you’ve told your billing service that nobody gets out of their contract.”
Now maybe you’re asking what all of the above has to do with kids earning black belts?
Well, it’s about a martial arts industry that has hardly dumped a penny into teacher education, but millions of dollars and 2 decades of time into classes on how to answer the phone, how to teach the first sales-lesson, how to enroll an entire family, how to upgrade memberships, how to run “accelerated staff training” sessions, how to give pizza parties to increase school revenue, how to do after-school child care, how to do for-profit glow-chuck seminars, how to “double your gross,” and how to sign up (my favorite hyperbole) “floods of new students.”
In the meantime, childhood obesity has become a world-wide epidemic. One in three children are expected to contract or otherwise be affected by Type II diabetes in the next decade. It’s estimated that the average American will have seen 200,000 acts of violence on TV, in the movies, or on a video monitor by the time he or she turns 18. (and just pretend I've added 10 or 20 other disturbing stats here about the perils of growing up in today's world).
(I won't, here, address how badly we got caught with our pants down when bullying became a media firestorm --and we, as an industry, had to confess we didn't really know squat about the issues --and that while we were well aware there was a problem out there, we were too busy doing buddy-day student referal events to do anything worth mentioning. We should OWN the topic of bullying education, but becuase of our apathy, we're not even invited to the meetings).
HEY, we’ve got REAL problems right here in River City! But the martial arts industry isn’t (currently) populated or led by educators or by social scientists looking to solve problems, but, it seems, predominantly by salesmen, billing service reps, marketing “gurus,” and other profit-motivated opportunists.
The requirements for earning a black belt haven’t gone through any kind of “industry wide” evolution that reflects the world as it is today, but black belt requirements have, dramatically, been affected by the need to drive membership sales. Schools that manage to gross $100,000 in a month (by selling cash-up-front black belt club, master club, and leadership courses) are treated like industry rock stars, but real, substantive, self-defense relevant education is near-absent from the industry’s agenda.
Or, in other words:
The giant gross income is the Lady Gaga of the martial arts industry --while real educational training for instructors is the parking lot circus act where the chimpanzee wears a gi and breaks three board with a spinning back kick.
I am suggesting that we shouldn’t even consider promoting children under the age of 18 to the rank of black belt until we, the leadership and members (willing or unwilling) of the martial arts industry look pretty-fricking-deeply at what we’ve allowed the rank to become.
Side Note: As I understand it, The Gracie family has had a policy of NOT giving BJJ black belts to kids under the age of 18. It hasn’t hurt BJJ or its reputation, has it? And on a side note, I’ve been studying and practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for 17 years now --and I’m still a purple belt. Now there’s a style where you have to earn the damn thing. Thank you to Helio Gracie and all of his extended family for shaming us into waking up.
Having kids wearing black belts when all that means is they went through XX amount of classes and can perform kicks and kata isn’t doing our reputation any good. We’re not growing or facing any of the issues we could and should be facing (racial prejudice, dating violence, domestic violence, hyper-masculinity, self-image, anger, teen suicide, consumerism and its cost to our culture, diet, the environment, and/or any number of self-defense related issues that we could address as teachers of “self-defense”), if we only took our collective heads out of our collective “DOUBLE YOUR GROSS” behinds.
Kids should not earn their black belts until we adults start treating the rank with some respect. Let’s see ADULT black belts coming up through the ranks with a curriculum that is more than just physical exercise and technique (as those requirements are a given). And for an even more radical suggection: Let’s spend some time and energy on making our black belts MEAN SOMETHING in --and for --the world.
SHAME on us for all the talk about fighting, all the violent fake-poses in the martial arts magazines depicting knife fighting strategies, all the “traditionalists” following some “ancient” tradition of teaching yesterdays lessons, all the emphasis on street self-defense; it’s like we’re stuck in some developmental stage of adolescence.
OF COURSE we have to know how to “fight,” OF COURSE we have to know how to defend ourselves (in any situation), OF COURSE we won't forget the past, OF COURSE we have to be fit, but realize we’re living in a world where the top 10 (and probably the top 20) things that hurt, cause pain, suffering, and that KILL PEOPLE, have absolutely nothing to do with front punches, side kicks, knife disarms, rear naked chokes, the Olympics, or how General Choi or Supreme Eternal Grand Master used to do things.
When will we graduate from the obvious and start requiring our black belts to focus on more than their own navels? We shouldn't award black belts to kids until we, ourselves, start acting like adults. Until we collectively address self-defense for today’s complex world. Until we make being an ADULT black belt something that’s backed up by things that the world can look at and say, “Ah, so that’s what they’re doing, that’s what they’re learning! WOW, earning a black belt is not just a physical thing, is it?”
PS. A reminder: "The Industry" is made up of a handful of retailers, billing companies, magazine / franchise companies --and YOU and ME. We are "The Industry" --and we, collectively, have to guide it.
Richard Hubbard, an instructor friend of mine and member of both The Ultimate Black Belt Test and The 100., has come up with the ironic martial arts school anti-slogan-of-the year, maybe for the coming decade:
WE ARE NOT A BLACK BELT SCHOOL.
“We are Not a Black Belt School” is the perfect (and appropriate) backlash to the last two decades of crass commercialization and watering down / lowering of standards for the rank of “black belt,” in general, in the “martial arts industry.”
It all started with the martial arts schools of the 1960’s and ‘70’s looking for ways to sell lessons. They ended up being influenced by and modeling how dance lessons were being sold --and we became an industry that sold untaught lessons in longer and longer courses (buy 6 months, buy 100 lessons, buy a year, buy 3 years, shoot, here’s a 10 year course!).
We named them after the belt colors people could earn by training for whatever period of time they signed up for (bought). There was the Gold Belt Course, then The Purple Belt Course, and so on. The big fat carrot? The Black Belt course or Club (of course, that wasn’t enough, as we’re Americans! The “BBC” was followed by the Master Club, The Grandmaster Club, The Leadership Course, etc.). The courses very often had little or nothing to do with actual talent or education, but a whole lot to do with the process of packaging lessons for sale.
And truthfully, for some school owners and students, it worked. People joined and paid for these courses, saw the training through, and “graduated” with some fine skills. However, in far (FAR) too many cases, people started getting sent to collection agencies because they stopped paying for long courses they were no longer attending (and often for good reasons) --and worst of all, many schools felt pressure to graduate people up the ranks, despite the fact that students didn’t have “black belt” levels of skill.
I mean, how can you sell the Black Belt Club to prospective members when nobody ever earns a black belt? Will little Johnny’s Mom and Dad shell out $5,000 for a course where students never graduate? Nope. And friends, there were --and still are (I’ve heard) --schools out there marketing and selling $5,000 and even $10,000 black belt courses to kids.
It’s my guess that these schools would point out the benefits of being a black belt, but I know all too well, from actually sitting in seminars and meetings by schools like this, that the real goal is to “get that gross (income) up.” I’ve heard a leader of a big chain of schools declare that he knew for a fact that students were not going to stick around, so their plan was to "get as much
money as they can, as fast as they can." For real.
The Black Belt Club and “We Are a Black Belt School” has become synonymous with billing companies, high-pressure sales, big contracts, “paid-in-fulls” (the Holy Grail of the strip-mall karate school, a “PIF” means the teacher scored payment in full for a long term course), bogus “membership upgrades,” and situations like I personally witnessed last year when I watched a 10 year old (?) third-degree black belt perform that I swear to you shouldn't have been wearing a green belt. I was shocked speechless --but simply smiled and played the good guest (I was, after all, a guest at this teacher’s school, and I know for a fact that he didn’t promote that young man out of purposeful negligence, but because of, well...some other factors that I am, at the moment, unable to intelligently and objectively express).
We are NOT a Black Belt School! I love it! It’s the Adbuster’s Black Spot campaign for the martial arts world. We owe a nod of thanks, by the way, to the Brazilians, for only graduating jiu jitsu black belts who are actually black belts --and for not allowing kids under the age of 18 (or is it 21?) to wear the rank.
We are NOT a Black Belt School! The Rebel Yell of martial arts teachers taking the martial arts back from the hands of dance studio operators and other opportunists. We are (NOT) a Black Belt School! It was, for a short time in the 80's, a smart thing, maybe even a good thing. Today, it's an embarrasment.
Maybe, someday, the black belt will come, once again, to represent something valuable and honorable, instead of a sales gimmick and a tool for greed.
Have you ever asked yourself, "What if? What if I never started training in the martial arts? Where would I be today?” This is an interesting question that you need to ask yourself.
So, where do you think you would be? What if you were to quit doing martial arts today? What would you do with your life? There comes a time when the luster fades and the newness wares off. Will you keep training through the lull?
Think back years ago, when you first started your martial journey. Did you go through a period when the honeymoon was over? What if you had quit then? I remember going through a time when I started questioning what my future would be when it came to the martial arts. I look back at myself when I was younger. As a teenager growing up in Chicago, I was running the streets and sometimes up to little good. Although misguided, I was like any other teenager exploring my boundaries and pushing beyond them.
Discovering the martial arts gave me a challenge that I know now was the positive influence that I needed. It became more than kicking or punching a mitt, or inflicting pain on a person, or myself for that matter. How could I predict that it would give me so much more than I ever expected. Looking at where I am today, it gave me a career, great friends, a wife, children and most of all it gave me a way of life. I am asking you to look back today and reflect on your journey in life and see where you are today as a result of the martial arts.
Congratulations on earning your black belt! Think of the possibilities of where martial arts will bring you tomorrow.
On Saturday, October 1, 2011, Team Karate Centers will be hosting its annual Black Belt Spectacular at Agoura Hills/Calabasas Community Center. The yearly event showcases TKC’s martial artists, in particular those who are to receive their Black Belts. In addition, this year’s offerings include live music by C.G. Ryche, and will showcase demonstrations by world champion kickboxer Benny "The Jet" Urquidez and Hapkido Master Steve Sexton. The list of experts who will be providing demonstrations is an elite one. Benny "The Jet" Urquidez is a film star in his own right, as well as being undefeated in a professional fighting career that spanned decades. Hapkido Master Steve Sexton is one of the top-ranking Hapkido practitioners in the United States. Further rounding out the list of luminaries that will be performing is Sara "Eaglewoman" Urquidez, a martial artist in her own right who will be performing authentic Native American blessing rituals for the event. Add to that the always exuberant percussives of C.G. Ryche, and you have a recipe for a martial arts demonstration that is truly "spectacular." "We’re very excited about this year’s Spectacular," says Master Fariborz Azhakh, owner of Team Karate Centers and the Spectacular’s chief organizer. "The students who will be showing their martial arts skills have worked extraordinarily hard to put on this show, and of course we couldn’t be happier to have people like Grandmaster Tae Joon Lee, Sensei Benny Urquidez, Ron Balicki, and Master Steve Sexton putting in appearances and providing their own demonstrations." Tickets for the Black Belt Spectacular are $10 and can be purchased by contacting Mr. Azhakh at azhakh@gmail.com .
Gina Carano's starring debut in the feature film, "Haywire," is set for a January 2012 theaterical release. Here's a webpage link to see the trailer, which is now playing in North American movie theaters.
In it, she plays a spy on the run with, of course, martial arts skills. The story seems to be sort of a "La Femme Nikita" meets "The Bourne Identity." And wow, she looks strong as all heck in her action scenes. Note her execution and follow-through on the kicks and screen punches she throws. Gina's got a screen punch that rivals John Wayne!
This is no low-budget B-movie. It's directed by Oscar winner Steven Soderbergh ("Traffic," "Ocean's Eleven") and she's surrounded by A-list actors including Channing Tatum, Ewan McGregor, Antonio Banderas, Bill Paxton and Michael Douglas.
It is the early years of the republic and China has been plunged into chaos as feuding warlords battle to expand their power and their lands. Young army leader Hou Chieh and his sworn brother Tsao Man find little resistance in their conquer of the township of Dengfeng, leaving thousands injured and dead in their wake.
The venerated Shaolin Temple throws open its doors to the wounded. Disciples Chingneng, Chingkung and Chinghai venture out in the day to save the villagers and at night, become masked Robin Hoods to help the poor and weak.
When Hou Chieh learns that temple disciples are helping his enemies, he challenges the temple's kung fu. The abbot purposely loses the fight to Hou Chieh and the latter becomes even more arrogant. But Hou is forced to repent when the shock betrayal of Tsao Man wipes out his whole family and he is forced to seek refuge at Shaolin. While recuperating at the temple, Hou has the chance to learn Shaolin's powerful martial arts from the crazy monk Wudao and find inner peace.
However, his wife Yan Xi has difficulty coping with the loss of their daughter and decides to seek out Tsao Man for revenge. In the meantime, Chingneng, Chingkung and Chinghai also have a confrontation with Hou. The encounters anger Tsao Man who brings his army to besiege Shaolin and the peace-loving monks are forced to take up arms to protect the refugees and their beloved temple…
Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton star in Lionsgate's MMA fighting drama 'Warrior,” hitting theaters Sept. 19.
An improbably effective and affecting mix of raw emotions and exciting smackdowns, "Warrior" shapes up as a pic with the potential to appeal to critics and audiences alike. Lionsgate faces the formidable challenge of convincing potential ticketbuyers that there's as much heart and soul as blood and thunder in this sharply observed drama involving long-estranged brothers destined to compete in a high-stakes, winner-take-all mixed martial arts tournament. But savvy marketing -- along with upbeat reviews and word-of-mouth raves -- could push the pic toward scoring a four-quadrant knockout.
The seven-year deal Ultimate Fighting Championship has signed with Fox Sports Media Group will bring the fast-rising sport its biggest presence on broadcast television to date.
But while the four live events airing on Fox each year will grab headlines, the impact on cablers FX and lesser-known Fuel TV could be transformative.
Starting in the spring, FX will air UFC programming on 32 Friday nights per year, turning a relative dead zone for the cabler (filled mainly with film and TV repeats) into a vibrant magnet for its primary demo. Fuel, meanwhile, will give more than a third of its primetime schedule to mixed martial arts coverage when the deal formally goes into effect Jan. 1.
We are sad to report the death of our founder, Philip S.Porter, who passed away on August 7th, 2011. O-Sensei Porter is considered by many "The Father of American Judo". O-Sensei founded the USMA, helped found the USJA, served as a Chairman of the AAU Judo Committe, Chairman of the U.S. Olympic Judo Committee, Secretary General of the Pan American Judo Union, and produced more than 1,000 national and international medalists in Judo over the past 50 years, 500 of them during the eight years he coached the National Judo Team. Phil Porter graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1948, and served in the U.S. Army and Air Force for 25 years, retiring as a Major in 1967. Phil will be greatly missed by his family and friends, and his legacy to the American Martial Arts will never disappear. A celebration of life will be held Friday, August 26th, at the US Military Academy West Point, NY10996 at 1:30PM
Shawn Tompkins, the Canadian trainer who helped steer several fighters to mixed martial arts prominence, has died. He was 37 years old. Known for a steady, guiding hand in developing his athletes, he was nicknamed "The Coach." His death was confirmed by Mike Straka, a friend of Tompkins' who worked with him at TapouT. Straka told MMA Fighting that Tompkins was in Canada at the time of his death with his brother-in-law Sam Stout and longtime fighter Mark Hominick. The cause is unknown pending an autopsy. Tompkins' wife Emilie was in Las Vegas, where the couple lived. Late Sunday night, she released a statement on her husband's passing. It read: "Team Tompkins thanks everyone for all of the condolences that have come in since the tragic news of 'The Coach's' death. Shawn would be touched beyond words by the outpouring of love from the MMA community. Sam Stout, Chris Horodecki, Mark Hominick, Kekoa Quipolta, Mr. and Mrs. Tompkins and I thank you for the respect you have shown us during this trying time. Shawn loved MMA and he considered all of you family. We will miss our Coach very much." An Ontario, Canada native, Tompkins fought as a professional mixed martial artist, but never won, going 0-4. But it was as a trainer that he made his mark in the sport, helping notable fighters like Stout, Hominick and Chris Horodecki to the big leagues. As a trainer at Xtreme Couture, Tompkins was in the corner of Randy Couture for several of the legend's fights. In 2009 though, he struck out on his own, leaving Xtreme Couture and moving to the newly opened TapouT gym in Las Vegas, where he was the head trainer. He also worked with former UFC light-heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort for several bouts. More recently, he had worked with Hominick prior to his featherweight title loss to Jose Aldo at UFC 129. Tompkins' death cast a pall of sadness over Sunday's UFC Live event in Milwaukee, as word of his passing spread as the main card was about to begin.
Thank you for the most incredible AOF Season Ever, with more films, more stars, more awards, it was our absolute best season and we're glad you were a part of it. Two Award Shows, 16, Nightly Parties, over 500 Films, the new Writer's Gathering, Symposiums and the incredible Ruth's Chris' 'Dinner With Series'; I don't think there was much more we could do.
I want to send out a special thank you to all of our celebrity guests, Harry Lennix, Diana Lee Inosanto, Richard Norton, Bill Plympton, John Savage for Nick Mancuso, Michael Des Barres and Anthony De Longis just to name a few. They all went above and beyond to support our festival and our show and made themselves available to all of our guests and attendees.
Please look for new photos, videos, interviews and more in the coming weeks and I would like to offer a special thanks to our sponsors and advertisers, especially the great folks at HITFlics.com who did such a great job meeting and taking care of our AOF Filmmakers and Writers. Until next season, thank you and continued success!
The newly constructed and opened Northeast Valley Neighborhood City Hall located at 13520 Van Nuys Blvd, celebrated the unveiling of a Mural commemorating the diversity of leaders who have emerged from the Northeast Valley community. These include writers, sports figures, artists, musicians, community leaders and non-profit organizers. The specially commissioned mural was painted by Los Angeles artist Ignacio Gomez.
With heavy hearts, we are saddened to report that Sifu Jerry Poteet passed away Saturday evening, Jan 15 2012 in Los Angeles. His Flame is still burning bright now and into the future through our family, instructors, students, friends, and followers.
Hope, Faith, Peach, Love, Belief: Hardly the words you would find in a place of fighting. Right?
The World Martial Arts Information Center would like to extend a sincere condolences to the family, friends and students on the passing of an old friend, Al Novak. He was an amazing individual respected by so many. The martial arts community worldwide is glad to have known Al for many years and have nothing but respect for his accomplishments.
Gina Carano's starring debut in the feature film, "
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We are sad to report the death of our founder, Philip S.Porter, who passed away on August 7th, 2011.
Shawn Tompkins, the Canadian trainer who helped steer several fighters to mixed martial arts prominence, has died. He was 37 years old.
