What a fantastic night of fight action once again at the Chelsea Heights Hotel- right down the street from our largest Dojo. Denis Kelly and Nicko put on a display of MMA that covered all ranges and left the crowd screaming for more. 2 true warriors who treat each other w/ honour and respect. Nicko not the victor , but we could not be more proud to have him lead the charge for our team and we are all honoured to take part in any fight that includes Denis. Andy showed us real heart & some new tricks (Superman!) and is gaining momentum in his quest. Wayno had a run at another stand up fight-he is the 1st ever Kimekai fighter to have an MMA fight back in 2005. Wayno and Nicko lost on Sunday night but showed the Bushido Spirit by showing up to train on Monday night in the general MMA session w/ regular students.
This leads me into a few words about what we do on the mat in all our training centres. Marco and I made a decision to start the full contact program in a truly formal way back after Wayno bothered me to train him for his 1st MMA bout. Most of you know I have stated I would prefer the fights to take place in a room w/ no music, hype, rah-rah, blah-blah, card girls prancing around and chest puffing. Well we live in a real world and thats what the punters want in a fight night. I put up with it to experience the spirit I witnessed Sunday night by our fighters and each of their opponents. The true test of a martial artist that can only come from a full contact match- against an equal opponent pushing each combatant's wills and skills is why we train so hard. The answers to the questions we have inside ourselves are presented to the martial artist who puts themselves on the line. This is the essense of Budo and the Muay spirit. Our greatest opponent will always be inside ourselves. The strength and confidence we gain after each test is what never leaves a martial artist who gives themselves fully to the art they study and train in.
-Ed
