As most of the MMA fans know that BJJ mainly focuses on grappling and ground fighting and it was developed with the concept of overwhelming a larger opponent by a comparatively weaker/smaller one by skilfully utilizing joint manipulation and submission holds. It was mainly developed from the skills and techniques of Kodokan Judo which at that time itself was a derivative of Japanese Jujutsu when Mitsuyo Maeda An expert Kodokan Judo practitioner was sent overseas to spread the art all over the world.

When Maeda visited Brazil in 1914 he met Gastão Gracie who at that time was a business man and helped get Maeda established. During one of Maeda’s demonstrations, Gastao’s son, Carlos Gracie got interested in learning the art and Maeda accepted him as his student. Carlos along with his brother Helio exceptionally mastered the art and later went on to become the founding fathers of BJJ. Later on, Carlos passed on the art to his brothers Osvaldo, Gastão and Jorge, Helio being ill at that time learned the art by watching his brothers and after overcoming the illness started competing in competitions which mostly ended in draws; however he faced one loss against a visiting Japanese Judo practitioner Masahiko Kimura, whose surname was given as the name of the submission hold he used to defeat Helio. The Gracie family continued developing BJJ, often competing in vale tudo matches in which they increased their focus on ground fighting.

Having created an effective self-defence system Carlos Gracie went on to prove the superiority of BJJ over other martial arts by issuing the now famous Gracie Challenge, all challengers were welcome to come and fight with the Gracies in no-holds-barred (NHB) matches. The Gracie fighters emerged victorious against fighters of all different backgrounds, since the Gracie brothers were winning against opponents 50-60 pounds heavier than them, they quickly gained recognition and prestige. Due to this success many Japanese practitioners came to Rio and tried to establish their own schools but were not as successful as the Gracie’s, this was due to the fact that traditional Japanese Jujutsu mainly focused on throws and takedowns while the Gracie Jiu-jitsu comprised of sophisticated ground work and submission techniques. These techniques were so distinctive that it became part of the national identity and since then has been called Brazilian Jiu-jitsu.

In the late 1980’s several members of the Gracie family began immigrating to the United States to promote their style and to prove that it was the most superior martial art. Rorion Gracie opened up a BJJ school in Torrance, California where he met Art Davie in 1991 who was currently researching martial arts at that time. The Gracies having a history of vale tudo matches and numerous wins over every martial artist whom they challenged or have been challenged by inspired Davie to create an eight man single elimination tournament, consisting of martial artists from all over the world competing head to head in a no holds barred match to determine which martial art was the best in the world, the tournament was titled War of the Worlds, however latter the name of the tournament was changed to The Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The first UFC consisted of famous fighters, including Ken Shamrock, Gerard Gordeau and Rorion’s younger brother Royce Gracie. As with many of the martial artists at that time, each one was experienced and mastered in only one discipline which proved to be very vulnerable against Gracie’s submission and ground fighting style and thus earning him the first UFC tournament championship. Similar to the first, Royce went on to win the 2nd and 4th UFCs in similar fashion. He remain undefeated and dropped out of UFC-3 after his win against Kimo Leopoldo due to fatigue and went on to a draw against Ken Shamrock at UFC-4.

These fights helped BJJ come into international prominence and from then became a staple art for many MMA fighters. Today BJJ is considered as the core unit of ground fighting and a very effective self defence system and has developed into a worldwide sport which has given rise to no-gi grappling tournaments such as the ADCC, Grapplers Quest and many more.

Tags: BJJ, Jiu Jitsu pakistan, Mixed martial arts karachi, Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan, MMA Karachi, MMA Lahore, Pakistani BJJ, Pakistani MMA

Joe Rogan, commentator for the UFC said that Martial Arts has evolved more in the ten years since UFC 1 than in the 700 years previous to it. I must agree with this comment. In the past 15 years, and more so in the past 5 years the martial arts community of the United States and much of the world has drastically changed. When I was in high school if a kid had a black belt, they were a dangerous, dangerous human being. Those days are now gone and anyone with a black belt is under a lot of scrutiny to actually prove that the belt that they have means something. 10 years ago, a dojo was a place where Martial Artists were made. Individuals strong in mind and body. Nowadays most dojos are merely after school day cares for small children. Most of the neighborhood martial arts schools are now referred to as “McDojos” for their fast food approach to Martial Arts. Want a black belt in 1 year with no skills to show for it? Head over to your local McDojo shell out a bunch of money and there you go, impress your friends and be a total fraud of a person not willing to put in the hard work that is required to truly be a competent fighter and Martial Artist.

The American martial arts scene, is (generally) split up into two camps. Combat sport gyms and traditional martial arts gyms. Combat sport gym train fighters, giving individuals useful techniques that can be applied in practical situations but without any guidance on when to use such techniques. Traditional Martial Arts gyms teach the guidelines in which techniques should be used along with general character development but do not teach any techniques of any use.

Traditional Martial Arts and Combat Sports have distanced themselves greatly in recent years with combat sports calling traditional martial arts “useless” and traditional martial artists considering Combat Sports practitioners “things and meat heads.” Unfortunately both of these terms have some element of truth to them. Traditional Martial Arts schools have no evidence that the techniques taught in their schools are actually effective and MMA schools aren’t showing any evidence that they inspiring a better human being. Once this divide is bridged, a new type of warrior similar to current UFC light heavy weight champion Lyoto Machida will emerge.

This is my vision for Mixed Martial Pakistan. A new Martial Arts culture within the country that not only is producing some of the worlds best fighters but some of the worlds best people. Not only will the new Martial Artist know how to defend himself and others in times of need but he will be a role model to his community regarding what is an honorable person. A person who speaks only the truth, keeps himself in a dignified manner, is humble with self restraint, strives towards continuous self improvement and goes out of his way to be involved in helping the community around him and the world at large regardless of race, religion or background. To become a new definition of strength and honor.

Tags: Mixed martial arts karachi, Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan, MMA Karachi, MMA Lahore, Pakistani MMA

It’s been a week since I came back from my 1 year and 4 month trip to Asia. I am having a bit of culture shock being back here. Big roads, big cars and no people hanging out in the street. Everyone is in a hurry going to and fro, busy, busy, busy, rush, rush, rush.

I have been busy this week planning the next few months and getting a training and working routine down so that I can make some extra cash and keep my skills sharp. While I am here in the USA I am going to be concentrating on my g round game as I have a wonderful coach here by the name of Tony Passos, who got his black belt from De La Riva who is the same person who gave the Nogeuira brothers their black belts. I have been training everyday but have yet to reach the same level of training intensity that one can get in Thailand with three hour sessions in the morning and three hours in the afternoon. Here people have to deal with juggling work and family and so that kind of schedule is very difficult. However, I am here to absorb Brazilian Jiu Jitsu techniques like a sponge. I will get the most out of this opportunity that I can.

My training aside, I am concentrating on establishing my own brand of Martial Arts gear, Somchai. I am looking for distributors and trying to set up channels with which to send my product out. In the next couple of weeks, as we get a new website I will have an online store showcasing the gear, the proceeds from which will directly support Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan.

On the Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan side here is what you should be looking for in the next couple of weeks. An updated website, more engaging and user friendly with a lot more information. A more focused mission statement regarding what it is Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan wants to achieve and what we stand for. Some more logistical planning on the training center in Lahore (or maybe somewhere else) and the details surrounding it as well as information on a potential event this winter.

So please stay tuned and be patient as things get sorted out over here. Good things are to come.

Tags: Mixed martial arts karachi, Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan, MMA Karachi, MMA Lahore, Pakistani MMA

Sambo: A grappler’s best friend

Sambo (meaning “self-defense without weapons”) is a modern martial art, self-defense and combat system originated and developed in Russia by Vasili Oshchepkov and Viktor Spiridonov. Sambo originally came into development when Vasili and Viktor travelled throughout the world to learn different styles of martial arts to improve the hand-to-hand combat system of their military. Vasili, having a background in judo and karate taught them to Army Forces, he used these styles primarily as the starting formula of Sambo.
Sambo’s early development started when Vasili and Viktor tried to implement the techniques of judo into native wrestling. The style was further developed when they added concepts from Japanese Jujutsu (not to be confused with Brazilian Jiu-jitsu). The hand-to-hand combat of Sambo was however developed by cross training between students and the military staff. When all the best techniques from Judo and Jujutsu were implemented and perfected, Sambo was taught around the entire Soviet Union for applications ranging from personal self-defense to crowd control.

Nowadays modern Sambo is said to be influenced by various styles of European wrestling, catch wrestling, Japanese jujutsu, French savate, muay thai and other martial arts of the day, plus the classical Olympic sports of amateur boxing, Greco-Roman wrestling and freestyle wrestling.

These days there are generally five styles of Sambo recognized:

Sport Sambo: Stylistically similar to wrestling or judo but with different rules.
Self-defense Sambo: Similar to jujutsu, this is based on the principles of self-defense, being able to defend yourself against an armed and/or un-armed attacker.
Combat Sambo: Combat Sambo was utilized for the military as it included practices of disarming techniques as well as practices with weapons. Nowadays Combat Sambo is also used by its practitioners in MMA bouts as it involves intense striking and grappling.
Special Sambo: This type of Sambo is designed specifically for Army Special Forces and Rapid Police as well as other law enforcement groups. Special Sambo techniques vary from team to team.
Freestyle Sambo: Comparatively different than Sport Sambo, Freestyle Sambo was created by the American Sambo Association (ASA) to encourage grapplers from different styles to take part in Sambo competitions. Freestyle Sambo includes choke holds and other submissions from Combat Sambo but does not permit the use of strikes.

Here is a video which demonstrates 2 out of the above mentioned styles of Sambo, Sport Sambo and Combat Sambo.

As you can see in the video, a Sambo Practitioner wears either a red or a blue jacket, a belt and shorts of the same colour, and sambovki (Sambo shoes). The Sambo uniform does not reflect rank or competitive rating. Sport rules require an athlete to have both red and blue sets to visually distinguish competitors on the mat.

Notable Sambo Practitioners

* Fedor Emelianenko, former World Combat Sambo Champion and Russian Combat Sambo Champion. He was the last heavyweight champion of the former PRIDE Fighting Championships.
* Blagoi Ivanov, Won the 2008 World Sambo Championships.
* Andrei Arlovski, former UFC heavyweight champion. He was also the Junior World Sambo Champion, as well as a silver medallist in the World Sambo Championship and World Sambo Cup.
* Clinton Burke, NCAA wrestling finalist and All-American from the University of Oklahoma, was a four-time finalist in world competition beginning in 1987, when he earned a silver medal in the World Cup in Tokyo. He won World Championship silver medals in three different weight classes (62 kg, 68 kg, and 74 kg), closing his career in 1993 as runner-up in the World Championships in Kstovo, Russia.
* Lance Campbell Sport Sambo World Champion. One of only eight grapplers selected to compete in the Ultimate Submission Showdown.
* Amy Ehlenfeldt, an accomplished US judo player; she won the 1991 FIAS World Championships in Montreal, Canada, becoming the first American woman to achieve victory over a female USSR competitor.
* Aleksander Emelianenko, Fedor’s brother, is a two-time Russian national Sambo champion and two-time world Sambo champion in the absolute divisions.
* Jason Gabrielson, Three-time World champion, one-time World Cup champion, Pan-American Games champion, Sixteen-time US Champion competing in all age groups. Only US lifetime undefeated champion. Was nominated for the American Sambo Association’s Pioneer of American Sambo award. Is also a champion wrestler and judo competitor.
* James Chico Hernandez, the first Sambo Champion to be featured on a box of Wheaties Energy Crunch. He is a 2000 World Cup Vice-Champion, 1987 US National Sambo Champion and Three-time British Sambo silver medalist. First Sambo Wrestler to appear in CNN/SI “Faces In the Crowd”.
* Scott Sonnon, Honourable Master of Sports in Sambo from the AASF, was nominated for the American Sambo Association’s Pioneer of American Sambo award, World University Sambo Games Silver Medalist, USA Grand National and Pan-American Sambo Champion, and USA National Sambo Team Coach. Sonnon specializes in no-gi Sambo for mixed martial arts competition.
* Ron Tripp, 1994 World Champion and 7 times World Medalist capturing 8 US National Titles and 6 Pan Am Golds during his career. A Judo champion and current general secretary of USA Judo. Tripp was promoted to 10th degree in Sambo in 1995 and became America’s first Distinguished Master of Sport in 1996. Also in 1996, he served as World Team Coach at the Tokyo World Championships. At the 1993 U.S. Sambo Championships, he scored a total victory throw victory over Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu legend Rickson Gracie.
* Igor Yakimov, World Judo Champion, as well a world Sport Sambo Champion and a medallist at the Combat Sambo world championships.
* Dean Lister, ADCC World Submission Wrestling Championships, ADCC 2003 88–98 kg: Quarter finals Openweight: 1st Place, Two time national (US) Sambo champion.

My Opinion of Sambo

Of all the places to hear about Sambo I actually first got acquainted with the word while watching a WWE show called ECW, in which one of their wrestlers known by his ring name Vladimir Kozlov came out for a match wearing a Sambo jacket (which at that time I thought was a karate Gi). During his entrance the commentators mentioned him being a master of Sambo (which in fact he really is). That’s where I heard about Sambo and began researching it, later to found out that this one of the best martial arts next to Brazilian Jiujutsu. After getting to know the history of the sport and how it was similar to Brazilian Jiu-jitsu I started watching videos of Sambo and studied it as much as I could. After watching dozens of videos I became really impressed with the sport and consider it my 2nd priority of ground martial arts, next to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Till this date there have been and will always be debates about whether Sambo is better than Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu but no result has been obtained yet. In my opinion there is no superior style at least among Sambo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu but for the sake of argument let me put forward some facts that I know about both the styles. If you search around YouTube you will find videos of the Gracie’s challenging and successfully defeating Sambo masters all over the world. However if we look in the world of MMA today, the world’s best heavy weight and the best pound-for-pound fighter is no one but Fedor Emelianenko, keeping in mind that he has no experience in Jiu-Jitsu whatsoever. There are lot more facts like these but none of them prove that which style is superior, in my opinion both BJJ and Sambo are great forms of Martial Arts and one must not fall in a debate over which is better in fact one must learn what he can from the other sport as it will be nothing but beneficial to him.

In the end I leave you with another Freestyle Sambo highlight video.

By Ali Naseer

On September 19th, in greater London Shah “No Pain” Hussain steps into the cage against Will Jackson at Pro Kumite (www.prokumite.co.uk) at 84 KG. There will be many other fighters across the world fighting that night including the UFC but something sets Shah apart from the rest which makes him very interesting to Mixed martial Arts Pakistan.

Shah is one of Pakistan’s few Professional MMA fighters. Living in England Shah has been competing in professional MMA for 3 years. Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan was lucky enough to catch up with Shah before his fight.

So you have a fight coming up. Do you know anything about you opponent?

Yes this is a re-match, I beat him last year via rear naked choke 4min 45 sec of first round, and since his loss to me, I heard from someone he’s been spending time training in UFC fighter Kenny Florian’s Gym in the states, and has recently come back from a lengthy stay in the USA with another camp. He is obviously taking the fight seriously, likewise I take every fight seriously, no matter if Ive beaten an opponent before or not, I wont let my guard down as anything can happen in MMA. I don’t really care what my opponent has been doing, main thing is that my training is to the highest standard. It’ll be fun and games!!

How have you trained for this fight? Done anything different? Describe a
typical “day at the office”?

I’ve been training 5-6 days a week for the fight, and as fight time approaches 6 week mark, at times twice a day, Ive concentrated on conditioning and cardio and Ive been really good with my diet, they say ‘you are what you eat’ a typical week in the office say 6 weeks before fight time would be mon am- cardio pm MMA, Tues, am-cardio pm BJJ, wed, am-sparring pm-cardio, Thurs pm-weights (one week light to heavy, one week heavy strength training) Fri- am sparring pm- conditioning. Sat- pm MMA Sun- am Boxing. before the 6 week period I would be training 4 days minimum. And one day will be swapped as total rest day. And with work commitments my schedule does tend to change, but my core exercises will always be completed, being strength, stamina, speed, cardio, technique, even yoga helps me.

How do you wish for the Pakistani MMA fans to see, what do you want to come to their mind When Shah Hussain is mentioned?

What I want MMA fans mostly to see is Mixed Martial Arts in its true form, I want them to see its not two guys just beating each other up senseless, but I want them to see and understand the technical aspect of the sport i.e. positioning, attack, defense, etc. and that there is so much more to MMA than what is portrayed in the media and by the critics. When my name gets mentioned, I want Pakistani MMA fans to see that I am giving something back my own people, and that its been through sheer sweat, blood and tears, I want them to think if Shah ‘No Pa in’ Hussain can do it, so can I!.

Any training tips to aspiring fighters?

My training tips to any aspiring fighters is to train, train, train, You will only get better by training, you must work on all aspects of your game i.e. stand up and your ground game. Even though Im a fighter fighting in MMA, I am still learning, being a fighter isn’t about having a name as a Cage fighter, its about trying to improve your game, as no one, even UFC fighters will admit that they have mastered MMA. There is so much to learn, don’t just work on your strongest aspects, but more on your weaker ones, get a good balance between stand up and ground game including take downs/wrestling. And you must spar, it is difficult at first, we have all been there, but sparring is extremely essential for fighters, change your sparring partners, and spar with small guys and guys who are heavier than you I spar 5×5 minute rounds after doing all my pad work and technical work and will even grapple afterwards. Take your time and don’t rush, we are all different and our bodies work at different paces. You will only learn from experience, good diet and correct amount of rest is also essential. Remember ‘Train Hard, Fight Easy’.

Thanks for your time Shah!

MMA Pakistan wishes Shah the best of luck for this fight and we will keep you updated on the results.

Shah will be the first fighter fighting MMA under the MMA Pakistan banner and we hope all of you give him your support as he goes out into the cage and represents us all. No doubt you will be hearing more about who Shah Hussain from Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan in the future.

Tags: Pakistani Fighters

This will be my last post from Thailand for a while. After leaving the United States in May of last year, 16 months ago I am set to go to the United States tomorrow.

I am in Chiang Mai now and tomorrow I fly to Bangkok from which I fly to London and then Washington DC. I saw my last live Muay Thai fight (authentic one at least, least for the next few months) and spent the end of my night sitting down next to the Ancient Chiang Mai gate of Tha Pae having a long conversation in basic Thai with my last opponent and his brother who was also an opponent of mine in the past (1-1 with those two). It was a really a good simple way to end this adventure (there will be many more).

It doesn’t feel like I am leaving to be quite honest with you, I don’t know when it will truly dawn on me. Maybe its being secure with the knowledge that I will be back here, and back many times over. Maybe because I am excited with all the new developments with Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan which is beginning to really find it’s legs. It’s with this great looming opportunity that I head out to put the rubber to the road and start getting ready for the big things to happen. My time spent in America will be committed to my return to Pakistan this winter where some real concrete changes are going to take place in Pakistan’s Martial Arts scene.

I’ve learned a lot in the past year, I have been gone so long that I can’t really tell you how I have changed as a person and a fighter from over a year ago. I guess I will find out from the reactions and changes people see when I return to the gym. It’s funny, despite saying good bye to “Land of Smiles”, its great people and great sport of Muay Thai this doesn’t feel like the end. It feels like things are just getting started. I leave you with a video appropriately titled Muay Thai’s Greatest Hits in honor of all my teachers who have taught me so much of this very effective, practical and honorable art.

See you on the other side…

Tags: Mixed martial arts karachi, Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan, MMA clubs Pakistan, MMA Karachi, MMA Lahore, pakistan, pakistan MMA Gyms, Pakistani MMA, Thailand, Thailand MMA, Thailand MMA camps, Thailand MMA Gyms, Thailand Muay Thai, training in Thailand

It’s odd to be writing a post like this after having posted over fifty times. You would think that the topic of “What is MMA?” would be one of the first posts. However, initially the way things were set up anyone searching for Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan would come to the main homepage because they were specifically searching for Mixed Martial Arts. Now however because of the massive number of people joining via facebook we’re getting a lot of people very interested in Martial Arts but not everyone understands what Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is. So to catch up everyone up, I am gonna through the history of modern MMA and the consequences that are affecting modern martial arts now.

One of the most active questions your going to get among martial arts lovers is – What is the best style? In the late 19th and early 20th century people were asking these same questions and were organizing events specifically to answer this question. In Brazil, Japan, Europe and America boxers were pitted against wrestlers, Judo fighters vs boxers, Jujitsu vs wrestlers etc. However I do not believe these events were held persistently enough to set off a combat sports revolution as we are seeing today and of course the lack of information and media sharing which is so common today did not exist to let people know that these events took place or what their outcomes were.

Fast forward to 1993 when the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) held its first event in Colorado. The event was advertised as a way to find the best martial arts style and rules were minimal to ensure that all styles had equal chance to win. The only rules were no biting, no eye gouging and no groin strikes, however these were considered “gentleman’s rules” and could be violated with a penalty in prize money.

In the first few events a man named Royce Gracie whose family created Gracie Jiu Jitsu also known as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu dominated the competition. In UFC 1 Royce Gracie defeated three opponents in a combined time of less than 5 minutes to win the tournament. What made Gracie so effective is that he used submission grappling, and defeated his opponents using superior position on the ground to apply joint locks and choke holds. Because at the time in the United States Martial Arts were seen as kicks and punches, no one was prepared for nor expected to be taken to the ground where they were completely helpless. After the first UFC, the Martial Arts community in the United States and the world (but for some reason not so much Pakistan) was transformed. Here was an event in which people could actually find out which style was the best. Because Gracie was so dominant in the first UFC’s people assumed that Gracie Jiu Jitsu was the best, then came the era of the wrestlers with folks like Don Frye, Mark Coleman and Dan Severn (though it should be noted Don Frye and Dan Severn both worked extensively on their striking with Frye having pro boxing experience) but then something started happening Over the course of the next several UFC’s something that started happening. The fighters started evolving, and many of the combatants that entered the competition labeled themselves as freestyle fighters. New combat systems were developed that stated that they only used what worked but even these failed as they became set systems. In the end what mattered was not the style but the fighter. the fighter who took what worked best for himself from the plethora of Martial Arts available and covered all the relevant distances that were used in ACTUAL combat, not a choreographed scene that people equate with “martial arts” (go check out the MMA Pakistan video below for an explanation in Urdu for the ranges of combat)

Here is a quote from Bruce Lee -

“the best fighter is not a Boxer, Karate or Judo man. The best fighter is someone who can adapt to any style.”

Currently, the best fighters in the world are those who can grapple on the ground, use wrestling to avoid being taken to the ground or take someone to the ground, control someone in the clinch to use knees and elbows or punch and kick from a distance. The best fighters are the ones who are most well rounded.

I am going to probably going to go back to this topic a few times this week and will also include in my next post some of the early “challenge matches” that went on and woke the martial arts community up as to what was effective and what was merely superstition and dogma.

So I leave you guys with a highlight from one of the most well rounded and entertaining fighters we have had recently, named Kazushi Sakuraba from Japan, who actually came from Japans Pro wrestling community and is one of my favorite fighters of all time due to his class and upholding of Bushido honor, showmanship and technical skill.

Thanks and enjoy.

Tags: Mixed martial arts karachi, Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan, MMA clubs Pakistan, MMA Karachi, MMA Lahore, pakistan, pakistan MMA Gyms, Pakistani MMA, Thailand, Thailand MMA, Thailand MMA camps, Thailand MMA Gyms, Thailand Muay Thai, training in Thailand

In what is the first of what will be a continuing series of interviews with Pakistan’s top Martial Artists we got a chance to get some information from Gohar Gul who teaches Muay Thai, Karate, Kung Fu and TKD in Karachi.

You can visit his website at www.gmmapk.com which I suggest you check out after reading the interview. We’ll most definitely follow up with Gohar Gul later at some point and see how his training and teaching is going. On with the interview.

Q1: What is your opinion on the state of martial arts in Pakistan today?
A:The tragedy with Pakistan is there is abundant talent but nowhere to showcase it and no people to appreciate it. Martial Arts as a profession is not an option as a consequence there isn’t a bright future in it.

Q2: Why and when did you first start training Martial Arts? What is your Martial Arts history?
A:I am the only child of my parents and due to an accident my parents passed away. I decided to move to Islamabad and survived there in some very adverse conditions for a few years. Here in 1980 I got the chance to train with Irfan Bhatti in the art of Ninjitsu or Ninja form. With no other options I devoted myself completely to the art and soon became his number one apprentice. I earned my black belt in 1982. In 1986 they sent me to compete in Thailand where I managed to earn the 3rd place in the competition, a feat as I was the youngest fighter in the tournament.

Q3: What are your top 3 greatest achievements?
1. (Champion of the year(1982)
a. 1st Position in 3 events (sparring, nunchak, bo)
2. Muay Thai champion ship 3rd position (Thailand) (1986)
3. British open karate tournament 2nd position (England) (1992)

Q4: Do you follow MMA? Do you have any favorite fighters?
I’m aware of MMA and its increasing popularity. However, I am unable follow MMA because of many reasons. Although I’d like to! My student has shown me some fights of Anderson Silva, Mirko Crocop they are quite impressive.

Q5; Would you ever consider taking part in Mixed Martial Arts competition?
A: I’m a fighter, that’s who I am. I would love to take part in MMA competition although I am very fit 39, the key deciding factor would be sponsorship.

Q6:Do you have a favorite Muay Thai fighter?
Yes I like
• Master Apidej Sit Hirun,
• Dieselnoi Chor Thanasukarn,
• Samart Payakaroon,
• Changpuek Kiatsongrit,
• Bunkerd Faphimai
• Ramon Dekker

Q7: What is your favorite technique?
A: I don’t favor a particular technique; I do prefer a specific strategy, which is to always conceal your true intentions when attacking.

Q8: If you could do one Martial Art only what would it be and why?
A: Kyokushin Karate, This in my opinion is the most difficult well rounded martial art in the world.

Q9: What advice can you give people who want to defend themselves on the street?
A: Pakistan, can be a violent place sometimes, mobile snatching and robberies are common place. Although it is not wise to engage these hard core criminals, sometimes you have no options. The best weapon for that is your own body!

I’ll tell you a story, a few months back me and my wife stepped out to take a walk near our apartment. Two people on a motorcycle pulled up and I instinctively knew they were here to rob us. As soon as the motorcycle stopped the passenger came down and reached for his gun. At this point my wife started saying “ give them what they want”, but I was already in motion I grabbed his hand which was on the gun. Controlling the gun hand I blocked his attacks and punched him a few times, and then disarmed him. By this time his partner had ran away and a crowd gathered, we took the crook to the police station.

Q10: What is the most important lesson a person can learn from training in the Martial Arts?
A: Self Discipline and the belief that he can overcome any challenge, any difficulty

Thanks for your time! For anyone living in Karachi who would want to train with you where do you teach and what are the timings?

I’m running a Club, named by Gohar’s modern martial arts academy it is in Gulshan-e-Iqbal the timings are 10:00 pm to 11:30 pm
I also take private classes in Defense / Clifton timings are almost from 6:00pm to 8:00 pm.

Tags: Gohar Gul, Gohar Muay Thai, Lahore karate, Mixed martial arts karachi, Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan, MMA clubs Pakistan, MMA conditioning, MMA fighters UK, MMA Karachi, MMA Lahore, MMA Pakistan, MMA training, MMA Virginia, MMA workouts, Muay Thai, Muay Thai camps in Thailand, Muay Thai training, NOVA MMA, Paddys Gym, pakistan, Pakistan Martial Arts, Pakistan Mixed Martial Arts, Pakistan MMA, pakistan MMA Gyms, Pakistan Muay Thai, Pakistani Fighters, Thailand, Thailand MMA camps, Thailand MMA Gyms, true bee gym, Ultimate Challenge UK

The following post does not necessarily represent the views and opinions of Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan. The post is to give fans of MMA Pakistan an avenue in which to express their opinions on anything Martial Arts. Please use these posts as starting points for discussions on martial arts in Pakistan. We appreciate the time and effort put in by our fans to make MMA Pakistan a reality in the near future.

-What is a practical Martial Art?

Martial arts. Meaning arts of war. Most people who are familiar with flashy martial arts moves, assume all martial arts are Chinese. But there are lots of other kinds too which are non Chinese in their origin. Lots of people around the world started getting martial arts training in the discipline of “un armed” combat popularly known as “karate” in 20th century. But everyone who joins a dojo has his own intentions as to why they join. Some want to get in shape, some need fancy dancy kicks and katas, some get bullied and want to learn how to defend themselves, while others also learn it to make it a source of earning.

But all those, who learn martial arts for self defense, somehow, at some stage, get disheartened- , disappointed coz they get beaten up in the street despite all the martial art techniques. Keeping Pakistan in view, its very common!! The reason this happens, is very simple. Martial arts, is of two types,#1:Sports or fancy martial arts #2:Real life updated martial arts. What happens in the street, is that a person, lets say a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, gets into a fight, he kicks, the opponent being in rage, takes that kick, but what next?? the Tae Kwon Do guy start getting beaten up coz the street fighter has now come close than the space needed by they TKD guy to throw next kick. The street fighter takes him down, and the TKD guy is in more trouble as he knows nothing about ground fight, and the result is, that he becomes the biggest advocate of the phrase “MARTIAL ARTS IS USELESS IN REAL FIGHTS”

But the fact is , he is wrong ,as I told earlier, he is a black belt in the “fancy or sports” martial arts, which is always useless in close range. Now a question arises. “WHAT works on street??” The answer is very simple. Any art, that tells you quick and simple moves and includes ground fights and locks works on street. In a street, no fight lasts long, no fight stays in erect position (both fighters standing), no fight obeys any rule or referee. That’s why, I will advise u ,to ask yourself a very simple question “What is that I need??” before joining any dojo . If you need to be a professional fighter, or know street self defense, never join TKD , YUN JUNDO, KAYOKUSHIN types of arts as they are “awesome sports”, but very bad street fight styles and if you want good stretching, fancy kicks , katas , do join previously mentioned arts , as they got all you need!!

Looking at the craze of UFC around the world, I want to mention, that in Pakistan ,there is no such dojo which can train for Mixed Martial Arts . Except those who practice “jeet kun do” and kenpo. A very experienced master named master Chan (Jackie lee Chan) has his dojo in f-8/4 below Nadra office and a very talented, experienced 4rth degree black belt master Billy Malik trains kenpo in f11 Markaz above Habib bank. Besides that, if there are any, I don’t know about them, but there is a very big need of guiding our youth towards martial arts which can help them on street and also in the ring of mixed martial arts.

But MMA is not only about punching, or kicking your opponent to a K.O. , its also not confined to locking your opponent and getting a K.O. by putting him in pain. What a lay man never notices, is suffocation. Locks which suffocate opponents are more effective than the pain locks as one can stand pain, but not suffocation. The very precious art called Kushti is entirely about locking your opponents. A slight modification to it can prove deadly in a fight regarding suffocating your enemy. And this modification cant occur unless we don’t have a gym of MMA. Dedicated only to improve MMA techniques.

But it doesn’t mean that if you don’t do MMA , you can’t be a good fighter. You can still be a very quick sharp and good fighter. But you should always know, that in a fight, front kick, side kick and back kick are the only three kicks worth something. Rest like tornado,, flying, spinning, and other fancy kicks are too slow to beat a raging street fighter. Regardless of what art u do, remember to keep your guard always up!!. If u closely watch TKD, 90% of the knock outs wont occur if they keep their guards up!! For example, the knockout in TKD gold medal match of Athens Olympic would never have happened if the Greek guy had kept his guard up. And finally, if your art doesn’t teach you ground fight, never let the attacker come close to you, or believe me, you’ll suffer.

Written by Fahad Rehman

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Taken from the website of the National Sports Board,

“Boxing is among the very few sports, in which Pakistan has made slow but steady progress despite general deteriorating standards. One is astonished to mark the progress keeping in view the fact that there is not a single gymnasium or indoor stadium of international standard.

The Pakistani boxers also lack necessary equipment and other facilities which have made the other countries leading boxing nations of the world. More surprising is the tact that the Pakistani personalia have climbed up the top berths in the organisational set-up of world amateur boxing by dint of sheer hard-work and individualistic efforts. Mr. Anwar Chaudhry, a Professor of engineering in Karachi University was at present the President of the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA). This is no small achievement by any standards.”

This tells me a lot about the future of combat sports in Pakistan. It gives me a lot hope that despite not being given adequate equipment, Pakistani’s are through grit and motivation beginning to make a mark on international boxing. Although the Pakistani government may not be supporting this sport just today Pakistan Boxing Federation was assured by the International Boxing Federation that it would grant 5,0000 US Dollars (4 Lakhs rps) of equipment to Pakistan. So lets see how that goes.

It seems that the Pakistani Boxing Federation has gotten serious because along with securing new equipment from the IBF they only recently hired a Cuban coach for the Pakistani team. Cubans are renowned for having good boxers, great coaches and an overall great national boxing program. Despite being the fraction of the size of Pakistan they consistently put out tough competition in International events. The MMA fighter Rogerio “Minatauro” Nogeuira has also trained with the Cuban boxing team for his MMA fights. The Cuban coach, Francesco Hernandez Roldan is joining the Pakistani team after this weeks AIBA World Boxing Championship being held at Milan (Italy).

Pakistan may or may not develop a domestic boxing scene, although there are promising signs with clubs being formed from the slums of Lyari, Karachi to upscale LUMS University in Lahore. But this rise in interest for combat sports especially one that is so important in MMA competition is very promising. Having good boxing coaches and practitioners means that this nations MMA competitors will have resources to prepare to become the worlds most well rounded fighters. In the coming months and years MMA Pakistan hopes to document the rise of some great Pakistani boxers and a general rise in popularity of boxing to the Pakistani public. Both as a sport and as a form of fitness.

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