Lanna Mixed Martial Arts

The latest Lanna MMA Blog!

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 13:44:28 -0400

The latest Lanna MMA Blog!

The Thrill training for a tournament

Thu, 02 Aug 2012 17:55:29 -0400

The Thrill training for a tournament

Young Andreas using the Thai Clinch!!

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 21:32:34 -0400

Young Andreas using the Thai Clinch!!

Look at those teeps!

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 14:44:33 -0400

Look at those teeps!

The latest Lanna MMA Blog!

Tue, 10 Jul 2012 11:39:07 -0400

The latest Lanna MMA Blog!:

This week we look at the Chael Sonnen/Anderson Silva Fight and the controversy Surrounding it!

Professor Bruno's Part 3 of breaking the Armbar Defense!

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 11:24:13 -0400

Professor Bruno's Part 3 of breaking the Armbar Defense!

Nutrition and Martial Arts!

Fri, 29 Jun 2012 15:22:04 -0400

Nutrition and Martial Arts! :

Summer is here, and with that comes patios, bbqs, tonnes of food and a lot of opportunity to fall off the wagon. You have to admit the smell of food on a barbeque is one of the most pleasant odours out there. Hunters and fishermen often use scents to attract game, and I often joke that if anyone were to set a trap for me, all they would need is the scent of a steak on the grill.

I’ve been told before that in fitness and weight loss, your diet can account for up to 80% of your results. I’m a real proponent to this statement. Just think, you can work out 6 days a week, however if you vacuum up, fast food, deep fried, high caloric and high sodium food, you won’t lose a thing. You may actually gain weight. However, if you don’t work out, but change your eating habits to a healthier option. You will drop weight, and feel better.

Think of your body like a Ferrari, like a high performance machine. Unfortunately, I don’t have the luxury of owning one, but I do know it will only take high octane gasoline. So if I owned one, I would want to protect my valuable investment and feed it only high octane gasoline. Even though there are other grades that are cheaper, I run the risk of doing severe damage to my car. In addition, if I went to anyone and said, “The told me to use high octane, but I don’t want to pay extra, so I used the regular stuff,” I’m sure that person would call me an idiot. But if I said, “Hey I just ate a double down,” I may get mixed responses. Your body is a Ferrari and so fuel it like one.

I’ve recently read the book, “Living Lean” by Mike Dolce, who right now is one of the top nutritionists in the UFC. The book itself is a great reference for recipes and workouts, but it also has some great philosophies into eating habits. When I first read it I was like, “that’s it?” but you soon realize it’s common sense. The premise is, it’s not how much you eat but it’s what you eat. Without getting into great detail, the book advocates reading the ingredients as opposed to reading the nutritional guide. And making sure your food has purpose with nutritional value, and being as close to pure/organic as possible. As opposed to unwanted chemicals and empty calories. This simple idea, works as a guideline to live the rest of your life.

I find that many diets fail because they are based on the idea of calorie counting, which does work however it becomes quite tedious over time. In addition one of the points that Dolce brings up, is that every day is different. Basically, one day you may be more active than the other so to limit yourself to 1600 calories a day or so won’t work, especially with an active lifestyle, as some days you will just need more calories to function.

One thing I must point out, is that if you are going to do a calorie based weight management plan, make sure to research and calculate your Basal Metobolic Rate (BMR), this is the amount of energy you need in a day to function, and thereby the amount of calories you need in a day to function. If your body needs 1800 calories a day to function and you are taking in 1600 calories a day you can potentially harm your body.

So back to the original point, you’re going to a bbq, what to eat. First off, if you still don’t realize hot dogs are horrible for you, you’ve been living under a rock. And most hamburgers that are pre-made in stores usually have a higher fat content to make them juicy. Also many contain fillers, which is usually grain based…. but really who knows.

This is my hamburger recipe, you can alter it to your liking, but I find this a healthy alternative to pre-made hamburgers, and you know every ingredient going into it:

Start off with a package of extra lean ground beef, (turkey or chicken can be used but for the purpose of this recipe i’ll use beef), try to get it from a butcher if possible. Throw it in a bowl
Dice up half an onion. toss it in
Finely dice a large mushroom and toss it in. This will act as a filler and will add juiciness to the burger, in addition to size.
Dice up a clove (or two) of garlic
Add in, a touch of sea salt, a few healthy cranks of pepper from a pepper mill, (grind your own salt and pepper folks, it’s better quality)
I also add a pinch of cumin
Throw in one large egg to use as a binding agent. You can try to just use egg whites, however the yolk holds everything together better. Not to mention this this makes about 5-6 good size burgers so if you’re worried about cholesterol from the egg yolk it’s not really going to be a significant amount.
From this point get your hands in mix up all the contents and make some patties about the size of your palm.
Throw on the grill and enjoy.

Try it out and experiment, and see what you come up with!

Part Two of Professor Bruno’s Breaking the armbar defence

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 14:50:45 -0400

Part Two of Professor Bruno’s Breaking the armbar defence

Ten Year old Johnny showing how its done!!

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 09:45:07 -0400

Ten Year old Johnny showing how its done!!

Professor Bruno demonstrating a sweet way to get that armbar!

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 10:43:03 -0400

Professor Bruno demonstrating a sweet way to get that armbar!

Does Judging need an overhaul

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 16:59:33 -0400

Does Judging need an overhaul

The next inhouse is June 8th here’s a little taste from...

Wed, 23 May 2012 10:57:23 -0400

The next inhouse is June 8th here’s a little taste from our kids martial arts program

What happened this weekent at the World Jiu Jitsu Expo

Tue, 15 May 2012 14:44:19 -0400

What happened this weekent at the World Jiu Jitsu Expo:

This past weekend Long Beach California was home to the very first World Jiu Jitsu Expo. The expo featured amazing seminars by the best in BJJ, such as Robert Drysdale, Andre Galvao, and Renzo Gracie.

On Saturday the expo featured a series of Superfights headlined by Gracie Barra’s Braulio Estima vs MMA vet and Cesar Gracie Black Belt Nick Diaz. Now Nick Diaz is no stranger to controversy, but he increased his stock in “haters” as Estima sat on the mat waiting for his opponent and Diaz was nowhere to be found.

This started a whole slew of comments via social media, as there was allegations of Estima missing weight, of Diaz not weighing on the right day, of shady promoters, and even somehow Rhonda Rousey got involved.

First the weight issue. Unfortunately there is still controversy on what was the agreed upon weight. Anyone who has competed in BJJ competitions knows that there usually is a range of weight per division, for example 180-195lbs. I still don’t understand how this has become such an issue, or why there was even weight involved as all the other superfights had no weigh-ins. In addition, the other superfights had huge weight differences, Glover was reportedly 20lbs heavier than Terra, as well as Lovato over Leite, and there was no issue.

There was discrepancies on when the weigh in was as Diaz weighed in the night before at 180 and reportedly Estima weighed in at 189. This prompted social media blasting that Estima didn’t make weight. However, apparently there was an agreement for Estima to weigh in the day of, which wasn’t released to the public until after the fact (This caused a bunch of retractions over the internet from people chastising him for not making weight.) At this point apparently Diaz had already left.

Unfortunately, no one had told Estima who was waiting in the mat area for his match. Visibly upset in the post interviews, Braulio indicates that he had made weight and that a Lana was witness to it. He was then misunderstood as to saying “Rhonda” and to which reporters thought it was Rhonda Rousey, who was quickly interviewed and of course denied it. This caused more hater tweets but soon they were all retracted again as they realized the name mistake.

There are also the allegations that Nick Diaz’s only stipulation was that he didn’t face anyone in MMA as he didn’t want anyone to use his name to further their MMA career even though this wasn’t an MMA match. A statement from Cesar Gracie indicates that rumours had surfaced that Braulio was training with the Blackzilians and was preparing for a MMA debut. I haven’t read anything to confirm or deny this.

Cesar Gracie also indicates that he was not impressed with one of the promoters who had booted Rilion Gracie (Cesar’s Uncle) from the promotion and thereby upsetting Cesar. In addition, he indicates that he was continually misinformed from this promoter, who was using Nick’s name to boost the promotion, but yet was favoring all the Brazilian competitors. After the Friday weigh in Nick apparently had enough and decided to leave.

All this story needs is an one armed man and a high speed chase and we have a conspiracy movie. First off, this is a case of when twitter goes bad. As we can clearly see no one still has all the facts. Too many people were jumping to conclusions and there was some bad reporting. The whole “Lana” vs “Rhonda” ordeal is a joke and trust me the reporters are feeling the backlash from the BJJ community on this. Secondly, the whole weight issue still doesn’t make sense as all the other matches didn’t have weigh ins. Thirdly, there is clearly some poor communication as the promoters may not have been completely honest, but on the other hand Nick Diaz should have at least contacted his coaches and tell them he was not going to participate.

In a strange way I can see why Nick Diaz decided to leave, but his way of doing it just made him look like the villain again. Some food for thought, Nick Diaz was the only competitor to indicate that he was donating his purse to charity, and reports from Cesar Gracie state that although he did not compete, he still is making that donation out of pocket.

The sad part of the story is that people are complaining as to paying ten dollars to see the match and losing out, ALTHOUGH the other superfights featured BJJ royalty. The Terra/Glover match was worth ten dollars alone. I understand people are upset, but as Dana White put it “Are you surprised?”

By all accounts my understanding was the the whole expo was amazing. I really hope that they use this as learning tool for future expos, and maybe visit other cities….closer to me!

Costin Beliciu
Marketing Coordinator
Lanna MMA

6 yr old Isiah demonstrating how to do a side break fall

Fri, 11 May 2012 12:05:18 -0400

6 yr old Isiah demonstrating how to do a side break fall

Weekend round up! Bellator, UFC, and Mayweather

Wed, 09 May 2012 09:28:17 -0400

This past weekend was chalk full of some awesome fights!

On Friday we had the Bellator Event at Casino Rama. In the main card we saw Ontario’s Ryan Ford come from behind with a vicious knee and get himself the “W”. We also saw welterweight Brian Baker fight a tough battle to get himself the win over TUF veteran Ben Saunders. In the main event Michael Chandler continued to make a name for himself as quickly disposed of MMA veteran Akihiro Gono. The 56 second loss was Gono’s final fight as he announced his retirement in the post fight press conference.

I really like the moves that Bellator is making right now, especially in the Canadian market. The are a lot of great venues, attached to respectable casinos in Canada. Therefore they are getting huge exposure at Casino promoted events, but because these are satellite casinos in smaller market, ticket prices are cheaper and local talent get showcased with a reputable organization. In my opinion they are taking advantage of the Ontario MMA legalization the most. Bellator, also recently inked a deal with Spike TV and will eventually move their events from MTV2 to a broader male audience on Spike TV. I really think that this is a very smart move on their part as Spike is very familiar in marketing MMA as they had years of partnership with the UFC and the Ultimate fighter series. Let’s face it, I’m sure people are questioning the Ultimate Fighter’s move to Fox Sports as it is receiving its lowest ratings in a long long time. Bellator, has also stayed classy, when faced with the fact that their two biggest fighters Eddie Alvarez and Hector Lombard are leaving, they have wished them the best of luck and are focused on promoting the organization. Again, smart move on their part.

Back to the Weekend..

The UFC had some exciting fights with their live on fox event. Alan Belcher proved that he has a well rounded game defending against some of the best leg locks in the game and then delivering some great ground in pound in Palhares’ guard. Lavar Johnson also opened some eyes with a devastating TKO over a fantastic striker in Pat Barry.

Johnny Hendricks had himself a very entertaining bout with Josh Koscheck winning the split decision. Many people are contesting that Koscheck should have won the fight, however Hendricks is looking forward and feels that he should get the winner of the unification title match between Carlos Condit and GSP. Since GSP’s recovery still can take some time I’m not sure if Hendricks should wait that long or if he’s even that guy that gets that shot, as Nick Diaz is still in the mix despite his athletic commission troubles.

Speaking of Diaz, Nate Diaz is getting better, and I don’t know how…. but he is. Jim Miller is a very tough opponent, and had never been submitted before and Nate Diaz did just that. In my opinion Nate is the brother to watch out for because I feel he’s the more cerebral fighter. If the fight doesn’t go Nick’s way he gets visibly frustrated in his fight. Nate on the other hand, adapts more, changing his game to get the win. Nate is announced to get the next title shot and I honestly think that he’ll win it.

Away from MMA to the boxing world Floyd “Money” Mayweather definitely had to earn his money against a very talented fighter in Miquel Cotto. Although Mayweather did clearly win this fight, Cotto hung in for 12 rounds and did win a few rounds himself. Mayweather’s defence and speed was the story of the fight, as he rolled, parried, and dodged punches as only he can.

Mayweather’s next opponent will be a Nevada correctional facility has he has been sentenced to 90 days for assaulting his ex…….in front of his children….The question I have, is if this was an MMA fighter that assaulted an ex, would the judge have adjusted the start date of their jail time so they can have their fight first. And would have they just got 90 days? Some food for thought.

Until next time

Costin Beliciu
Marketing Coordinator
Lanna MMA

Another full class at Lanna MMA

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 20:15:00 -0400

Another full class at Lanna MMA

UFC Recap and is Jon Jones the best 205lb ever?

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:11:31 -0400

UFC Recap and is Jon Jones the best 205lb ever?:

I hope everyone had a chance to watch what was a Canadian filled card at UFC 145 this past weekend.

First off congrats Woodbridge’s Mark Bocek as he grappled his way to a victory over the heavily experienced John Alessio from Vancouver.

We also saw London’s Mark Hominick lose a split decision to Eddie Yagin. Although the fight won “fight of the night” honours, it did raise a few questions. Although Hominick appeared to have the better striking technique, he seemed heavily affected by the looping right hand of Yagin which had knocked him to the mat on a couple occasions during the fight. Now, although I don’t think this the end for “The Machine,” something may need to be reevaluated. For example, I don’t remember one kick being thrown by Hominick, and he has fantastic kicks. The common comment that seemed to be circulating around me was that something appeared to be missing. The question arises, is it a coincidence that his last two fights, after the passing of Coach Shawn Tompkins, have resulted in losses? It’s tough to say, but I’m a huge fan of Mark Hominick and hope he bounces back from this.

The co-main event consisted of Rory Macdonald from, Kelowna BC, vs a relatively unknown in that of Che Mills. Now Mills, although unknown to the North American Market, had quite a bit of experience in Europe and was coming in with a record of 14-4. Macdonald clearly demonstrated his dominance with some vicious ground and pound ending the fight by TKO. This has really hyped up Macdonald, and people are already talking about him eventually facing GSP (who is a friend and trainer) for the belt. Personally, I think he’ll need a couple more fights before we can start talking about a title bout, especially in the stacked 170lb division. In my opinion, I feel the 155 and 170 divisions have the most talent and a path to a title shot may take a bit longer than the other divisions. Maybe a fight against Jake Ellenberger or Charlie Brenneman could be an idea. Either way Macdonald has a huge future in front of him as he’s only 22, and as people state a MMA fighters prime usually around 29 or 30, I can only imagine his abilities in 6-7 years.

The main event was a dominating display of technique and reeeeeaaaachh by Jon Jones. It really appeared that Evans didn’t have an answer for the 84 inch reach wonder, while Jones displayed some impressive muay thai elbows, which caused a nice bump to form on the forehead of Rashad Evans. Dan Henderson is now slotted to face Jones and it will be interesting to see if he has an answer for him and his wingspan.

Now the net is a buzz with people calling Jones the best 205 pounder ever. You definitely see their point, as he has beaten some of the best in the world, with ease. However, would Jon Jones have beaten a Chuck or Randy or even Tito in their prime? Right now it’s tough to say, however the argument can be made that Jon Jones is not in his prime and is only getting better. If this is the case, and he continues to rack up wins, there is potential for him to not only be the best 205lb fighter of all time, but possibly one of the best MMA fighters period of all time.

The next UFC will be May 5th and we’ll see two studs of the Lightweight division facing off in that of Nate Diaz and Jim Miller, with those two fighters we have a potential for fight of the year on our hands.

Costin Beliciu
Marketing Coordinator
Lanna MMA

Should Teammates fight each-other in MMA?

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 14:11:54 -0400

Should Teammates fight each-other in MMA?

What got you into Martial Arts

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 14:25:22 -0400

What got you into Martial Arts:

A discussion into the various reasons people join martial arts

Some great boxing technique from Kru Mel

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 16:51:15 -0400

Some great boxing technique from Kru Mel:

Kru Mel from Lanna MMA in Toronto showing the art the of slip in boxing, and its application to counter your opponent