What's in a (nick)name?

I am not sure who the first fighter was with a nickname but he started a trend that has lasted the test of time. We have been blessed with some of the greatest nick names ever. This trend crosses all boundaries and is common in all sports from basketball to Muay Thai. Nicknames have a soul, offer the fans a glimpse into the warrior mindset of the fighter they're going to see or are a fan of. I mean where would we be without one of the most famous monikers ever "SUGAR". Ray Robinson's style was considered "sweet as sugar" by his manager and the nickname sugar was born.

Now it's considered a bit of a sacred nickname. If you want to call yourself "sugar" you better be able to back it up. "Sugar" Ray Leonard and "Sugar" Rashad Evans have surely proven to be able to do that in their careers.

Of course my favorites are some of the greatest MMA and kickboxers of all time. Guys like "The Axe Murderer" Wanderlei Silva or Anderson "The Spider" Silva. No hype here, just a whole pile of whoop a$$. How about "The Flying Dutchman" Remy Bonjasky. He was given that name because of his jumping striking techniques."The Iceman", "The Natural", and "The Jet". I could do this all day. Nicknames are a part of the fight culture. Part of the culture period, I nickname almost every person I get to know. I can't help it..lol. Anyway, that brings me to my current fighters.

I fooled around with nicknames for them but it's official Felipe has to be "Babyface", I don't think his genes give me much choice. Yoka will be billed as "The Diamond" after someone I think she relates to, Ramon "The Diamond" Dekkers.

Anyway, nicknames are fun for fans, crucial for promoters and fighters when trying to sell fights and entice fans. It's also a way fans relate socially when debating the fights upcoming and in the past. I guarantee you'll probably never hear Ray Robinson's name mentioned without "Sugar" in front of it, heck Ray Robinson wasn't even his real name...

Pads with Patee and Jex

Just a couple of videos from Thailand and leading up to my fights in December and January of last year. The one in Thailand should have been named chubby guy doing pads. It was my second time training in Thailand and i was still not used to the heat. The one with Jex was really working on power strikes and didn't get into a lot of combos or movements. I'll post a training blog soon with some Video from doing pads this year. Blessings and L.M.T. All day!!!

Yoka D.'s first interview: The Diamond speaks

Come back when you're serious!

So, it is a new year and the future awaits. I hope everyone had a great and safe holiday season. My heart goes out to all of the victims and their families from this rash of violence across the country. That being said I am in hopes of another great year for my Muay Thai team and the whole L.M.T. brand. Now lets get on with it. I was just chillaxin around the apt the other morning and randomly an episode in my life that I had forgotten just popped into my head. I was living in Dallas at the time and it just brought me to a few conclusions as I gave it a very minor amount of thought. I was roaming through the city of Irving, probably on a skateboard seeing as that was my preferred vehicle of choice for any number of years throughout my teenage life. I skated past a martial arts school which I had passed at least 100 times before. You could clearly see through the storefront every kind of weapon a person might need for an ancient war in Asia. I might have even peaked in once or twice to look for Ninja claws(you should be laughing if you know what they are). Anyway, for whatever reason, on this day I decided to check it out more thoroughly.

This brings me to my first conclusion. I have always been a martial artist. It is in me. I was pursuing it all through my life and conversely it was pursuing me. As I stepped into the school I realized that there was a class in full session. I wasn't nervous as I had been through a few years of Taekwondo in Chicago prior to moving. I actually felt at home. I was only there for about 2 minutes before the large grizzly instructor noticed me and came over. I had always been very respectful of Sensais and I had met a few along the way. As he approached I gave a short bow. I'm not sure if he did anything. "How can I help you", he said in his grizzled voice. "I just wanted to come in and check it out", I replied. And without hesitation he said it. "Well come back when you're serious!". (Dramatic Pause)... Wow, even now i'm sort of shaking my head about it. I couldn't have been more than 14 years old at the time.

Second conclusion, I don't like a@$holes. Especially Karate instructor a@$holes. I walked out into the blazing hot dry heat that awaited me and skated away surely saying that I would never come back, in my head of course. Well I don't suppose I could get anymore serious than i've been over the last 10-12 years. However i'm convinced that I must have been serious then and since well before that moment. I know this was sort of a random blog but it all culminates into this one idea. My final conclusion about all of this is that you don't require anyone to tell you how serious you are. Your level of artistry depends solely on how you carry yourself privately, in society, and how much you train. Those are the things that determine how serious you take this lifestyle. Happy 2013 p.s. Stay out of Cobra Kai dojos.