The May 16th scheduled Pakistan Warrior Challenge (PWC) has been canceled and has now been changed to a Shaheen Smoker. The next PWC is still to be announced and there is no scheduled tentative date as of yet.
The upcoming Shaheen Smoker may also include kick boxing and grappling matches if willing participants are founds.
In other news, Shaheen MMA Academy should officially open in time for the Shaheen Smoker.
To get a better idea of what is going on behind the scenes please read the blog entry by PAK-MMA President and Owner of Shaheen MMA Academy, Bashir Ahmad
Pakistan is soon going to join the rest of the world in being enthralled with the sport of MMA. The sport has managed to become one of the fastest growing sports in the world. It is still growing and will become even bigger than where it is now. Academies in Pakistan have noticed the interest in this sport and they are starting MMA classes. While boxing has failed to reach the professional level in Pakistan MMA has a much more chance of success here due to its nature. MMA will also get a push in Pakistan due to the release of the Indian movie Lahore.
The interest growing in Pakistan is understandable. Pakistanis have been interested in fighting sports. Wrestling was very popular here but when it became apparent that is was fake the interest has dwindled out among the people who want something real. MMA can give this to the people because nothing about MMA is made up. There are no stupid storylines. There are no rehearsed moves where the fighters themselves get into the chokes and moves and throw themselves around just to put up a good show. MMA replaces this with real rivalries and brutally real moves. Mixed martial art fights are not about being entertained but are instead about winning and surviving.
MMA can benefit very much from the legendary history of Kushti and Boxing in Pakistan. Pakistan has had some absolutely phenomenal people in Kushti, like the Great Gama who remained undefeated all 50 years of his wrestling career and the infamous Bholu Brothers who ran the Dar-ul-Sehat gym in Pakistan. The style of kushti of grabbing and throwing to the ground will be beneficial to fighters in MMA. Boxing coaches are also common in Pakistan and their hooks will also be very useful. These two sports can contribute a great deal in creating great Pakistani MMA fighters.
Trims Fitness Fort in Islamabad and Tigers Fight Club in Rawalpindi are great places for training for MMA. They have people who know mixed martial arts and love mixed martial arts. Shaheen MMA academy is also going to commence operations on the same date as the release of Lahore the movie. This is a very smart move because as people in Pakistan get interested in the sports they will also want to train in the sport. The sport makes people want to play because honestly speaking, every guy wants to be able to beat everyone else in a fight. And when the fight is so spectacularly good as it is in MMA people will be very interested in learning it. MMA is also good because it helps you become very fit and at the same time it applies the learning of martial arts in a practical way.
Many times it was tried to bring boxing to the mainstream in Pakistan but it failed. There was even a heavily marketed televised tournament which tried to make things professional but there was just no interest in it. The reason for this is that the Pakistani mindset is not used to boxing. But martial arts have always been held in high esteem here. Bruce Lee had many fans here and nowadays people love Jet Li and Jackie Chan. So they will obviously be interested in seeing these kinds of real fights.
Lahore: The Movie shows a big fight happening between a Pakistani and an Indian boxer. It capitalizes on the hype that is generated any time there is a sports match between Pakistan and India. When these two countries are sparring on the field people will watch the match no matter what it is. People start watching hockey when these two countries are involved. Lahore: The Movie shows all this hype and the countries going into frenzy and getting emotionally attached to the fight just like they do when it comes to cricket.
The reason that MMA can become even bigger than cricket is that it is much more personal and has a lot more glory involved in it. Instead of there being a whole team and matches lasting for hours, these fights involve two people and last shorter. They involve strength. And while the punches being thrown in other sports are merely metaphorical but in MMA these punches are literal. Every hit hurts not just the player’s image but also their body. And the loser in the end is knocked out of their senses literally true.
It remains to be seen how far MMA will go in Pakistan but so far nothing but good things can be seen.
Posted on: February 21st, 2010 by admin No Comments
In brief here are some of the latest updates regarding MMA in Pakistan, South Asia, and the world.
Today February 21st in, Sector K Defense Lahore, from 12 – 4 pm there will try outs for the upcoming amateur MMA event on the 28th of February.
Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan paid another visit to the largest Akhara in Lahore and discussed MMA and kushti. Video of the visit to be released shortly.
Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan also got a chance to sit down with trainer and former champion Shafiq Awan at his club in Model Town Lahore where the competition on the 28th is to be held. Video of that visit to be released shortly as well.
Yesterday the Ultimate Fighting Championship held a show in Sydney, Australia. Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan will do its best to show HL’s of that event.
Before the event Dana White in a press conference mentioned that the next three countries for the UFC are China, South Korea and India. Lorenzo Fertitta (One of the Owners) will be going overseas for the next three weeks to work on getting a TUF (The Ultimate Fighter) season in those countries.
UFC 112 will be held in Abu Dhabi. Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan will be attending and reporting on the event.
Fite Selektor updates to be announced within 2-3 weeks by mid March.
A new academy is opening up in Lahore called Shaheen MMA Academy. This will be the first fully functional training center for all Martial Arts in Lahore and home of the first MMA team in Pakistan. Website and more details to be up in the upcoming weeks.
Thanks for the support! Thanks to those who follow the website and pass this info along to their friends MMA Pakistan has grown beyond all expectation in record time!
Posted on: February 6th, 2010 by admin 17 Comments
Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan is happy to inform everyone that the very first MMA competition in Pakistan will be held on the 28th of February at the White Sports Club in Model Town. Details are currently being finalized but here is a breakdown of the current format in which the tournament is to be held.
- Competition will NOT be tournament format. Each fighter will fight only once in a match lasting 3 rounds of 3 minutes with one minute break in between.
- Fighters will be paired according to weight and experience. Weight classes are as follows:
1) 45-50 kg
2) 50-55 kg
3) 55-60 kg
4) 60-65 kg
5) 65-70 kg
6) 70-75 kg
7) 75-80 kg
8) 80-85 kg
9) 85-90 kg
10) 90+ kg
Experience will be noted as follows:
1-3 years – Novice
3-5 years – Intermediate
5 + years – Advanced
- Full MMA rules EXCEPT no elbows to the face. All other rules are the same as the UFC. Rules will be explained a number of times in details to fighters participating in the competition.
- Protective equipment will be provided and worn to include groin cup, MMA sparring gloves, Head guards and shin guards. Mouth piece is to be the responsibility of the fighter.
- There will be an entry fee of 200 rs. Entry fee will cover the costs of shirts given to fighters, medical personnel fees and refreshments.
- There will be a medically trained personnel in case of injury.
- All fighters above the age of 18 who participate will automatically be applied for Fite Selektor TV show selection.
- If a fight is not ended due to submission, TKO or KO and lasts the full 3 rounds then it will automatically be considered a draw due to a lack of knowledge regarding MMA judging at the moment. This will change in future events.
- Individuals can take part in the competition as part of a club, team or as an independent (no affiliation).
These are some of the main points so far. The last piece of information and critical to the success of this show is that in order to make match ups as fair as possible there will be trials held on 21st February, 12 pm at:
White Sports Club
E and F Block Model Town
Lahore
Trials will help determine fighters skill levels in order to have the most competitive possible match ups. Those who attend trials will benefit from knowing who their opponent will be as well as have their picture and profile taken to be posted on the site.
Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan looks forward to seeing you all there. Please stay tuned for further updates.
Anyone who would like to participate please email info@pak-mma.com we have received complaints that the email is not working and if you do not receive a reply within 24 hours please leave a comment with your email and we will respond immediately.
Posted on: January 23rd, 2010 by admin No Comments
Apologies for the late delivery of this article. The website was down for almost a week and just got back online.
On January 17th, at Sukh Chan Wellness club in Gulberg, Lahore Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan partnered with Fite Selektor to hold an MMA seminar for Pakistan Television. The purpose of the seminar was to educate the Pakistani audience on what Mixed Martial Arts is as well as let everyone know that there is a reality show taking place and that we are looking for as many applicants as possible.
The exercise studio at Sukh Chan had about 40-50 people during the shooting. People from all walks of life attended the seminar ranging from domestic workers to those working for international firms. Children just starting their martial training were in the crowd alongside some of the top Martial Artists in the country.
The seminar dealt with the history of modern MMA, what MMA is (a form of competition), the sports rules and the latest news regarding Fite Selektor Reality Show. This was the first part of the seminar, the second part of the seminar had players from various Martial Arts put on demos ranging from Kata’s to light sparring. With each demonstration Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan gave commentary and analysis about what was going on as well as how each style contributes to MMA.
After the demo’s there was a wrap up where Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan summarized the days events and ended with the conclusion that there was a lot of talent in Pakistan that just needed a platform and outlet to be recognized. Fite Selektor is helping make that happen. Then came the issue of wether or not pakistan is ready for such a new sporting event in light of the current situation. MMA Pakistan is of the opinion that Pakistani’s just want to go on with their lives as they normally do, and this sport has such potential in the country that the current security situation will not pose an obstacle in it’s path to supreme popularity.
A special thanks goes out to all those who attended particularly those instructors who came with their students. Thanks, Shahbaz Ali Khan, Shafiq Awan and Aamir Butt for attending and to all your students. Thanks to all those who performed at the seminar helping make it the success it was.
Next up on the MMA Pakistan agenda is continuing to look for fighters from all around Pakistan to compete in Fite Selektor and to begin organizing an amateur MMA event in Model Town Lahore on the 14th of February. Details regarding this will be announced in the coming weeks. Those who want to fight please contact info@pak-mma.com or call 0334 413 7706.
Those who wish to take part in Fite Selektor please send the following information to info@pak-mma.com
Name -
Age -
Location-
Weight -
Experience -
Phone Number -
PICTURE in fighting stance -
Please keep yourself updated and take some time to look around the website and watch how MMA has developed in Pakistan! MMA Pakistan the original origin and destination of all things Mixed Martial Arts in Pakistan!
Posted on: December 25th, 2009 by admin 4 Comments
Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan visited the famous Akharas of Lahore in a Fite Selektor recruitment drive. The Pehlwans of Pakistan hold great promise as International Champions of MMA with education regarding the sport and cross training in other arts to round out their own existing ones. They are also in great shape and great care is taken to regiment their training and diets. They train twice a day and eat up to 500 rs worth of food daily to maintain their strength.
Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan got the chance to visit the home of Bashir Bohla Bhala on the back side of Lahore Fort, Bhamma Pehlwans Akhara, the largest Akhara of the area. For those who follow the local wrestling scene Bashir Bhola Bhala is currently at the top of the food chain throughout Pakistan having recently won another Championship. The Akhara houses about 2 dozen wrestlers and training sessions are watched by a number of former wrestlers who comment and advise throughout training.
Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan discussed MMA competition with the Ustads (teachers) and athletes of the Akhara. Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan looks forward to further working with the wrestlers of Pakistan to strengthen our traditional sports and to provide fame for Pakistan through international MMA competition.
Please watch the video below for some footage of our trip to the Akhara and don’t forget to spread the word and sign up for Fite Selektor. Keep yourself posted for more updates regarding Mixed Martial Arts in Pakistan.
Posted on: December 4th, 2009 by admin 11 Comments
A lot is going to be happening with Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan in the coming weeks, so everyone stay tuned and be active.
An instructor is available in Lahore for those wanting to learn Mixed Martial Arts. BJJ, Muay Thai or Boxing. Please do not expect a reply regarding any other martial. These are the only ones available. Please call 0334 413 7036
Grappling will be held soon in Model Town Park by Link Road. For those who can attend please send an SMS to 0334 413 7706 or email info@pak-mma.com. First session aimed for Sunday afternoon in Model Town Park.
Press conference from PTV regarding fite selektor. Please watch video below
If anyone wishes to compete in fite selektor please mail the following information along with PICTURE IN FIGHTING STANCE to info@pak-mma.com
Name
* Age
* Weight in KGs (Minimum Requirement 70 kgs)
* Height
* Experience in Years
* Style
* Wins / Loses / KOs
* email
* Phone
Referal Person
Please send all information by Dec 15th! Thanks.
We will also have the latest interview with Shah Hussain up in a few days. We apologize for the delay.
Posted on: November 25th, 2009 by admin No Comments
When selecting MMA equipment it is always recommended to research the brands that are available for that MMA equipment before you buy. This is true whether the MMA equipment you are buying is boxing gloves, MMA sparring gloves, MMA boardshorts, kick shields, rash guards and so on. The fightwear brands you may be most familiar with from other sports – and this is especially true if you are new to the sport – may not offer the best MMA equipment for you to buy.
General sports brands such a Fairtex, Addidas and Twins offer a good range of mixed martial arts equipment and fightwear which is of a high standard and quality. However specialist brands for MMA include Tapout who you may have seen advertised on the UFC. MMA fighters often wear MMA boardshorts and MMA clothing advertising this brand.
Granite and Affliction are also excellent manufacturers of MMA equipment and fight clothing, if not yet as high profile It should be possible for you to find all the different types of mixed martial arts equipment and fightwear on one website, for example, specialist stores.
If you are just starting out in the sport of MMA, maybe you got your interest peeked by watching the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), or have just starting taking lessons and have already decided to start purchasing your mixed martial arts equipment. You have probably decided to start buying your MMA clothing and MMA equipment with either a pair of boxing gloves or a pair of MMA sparring gloves.
When you start out in a sport like mixed martial arts it is important to purchase a gumguard, although you are probably more interested in buying your MMA sparring gloves or boxing gloves. Once you have bought this you can then examine the many different suppliers of MMA gloves and boxing gloves such as Fairtex, Twins and Granite.
Most good mixed martial arts instructors will have already advised you that the most important article of mixed martial arts equipment is your gumguard. Your boxing gloves, your MMA sparring gloves, your kneepads, your thai pads and your groinguard although useful are nowhere near as important an article of mixed martial arts equipment as this. If your instructor has not advised you of this you may want to consider how safety conscious your club really is.
Granite make good quality MMA gloves so this would be a good range of MMA fightwear for you to consider. These MMA gloves are 4oz as is standard and are made of black leather.
Alternatively, if you fancy buying from a brand featured on the Ultimate Fighting Championship you could try Tapout MMA gloves.
You will often see these on the hands of UFC fighters because they have a sponsorship deal with the UFC. Although this is good marketing and some people prefer to wear endorsed fightwear, these articles of mixed martial arts equipment are of just as good quality when bought from brands such as Granite and Affliction as when bought from the Tapout brand.
Isometrics are not often used in sports specific strength and conditioning. Because most sports are dynamic in nature, isometrics aren’t obvious to they eye and thus aren’t trained.
In MMA, isometrics can add another element to your game that can help you submit your opponent, escape a submission, or achieve a dominant position whether standing or on the ground.
For example, if you get caught in an armbar and your opponent doesn’t immediately lock you in, you’ve got some time to escape. How long you have depends on your ability to keep your arm flexed using your biceps while trying to move your body around so that your arm is in a safe position.
Another example is when you’ve got a triangle locked in. Submitting an opponent with a triangle is no easy task, so you’ve got to have the ability to keep your knees squeezed tightly together for an extended period to tire your opponent out to make him tap.
A final example is in the clinch. When you’re pummeling back and forth with an opponent or you have a single-leg, you’ve got to hold your arms in a certain position against his bodyweight – this is isometrics in action.
So how do you train isometrics in the gym?
My favorite way to do it is to throw isometrics into the middle of a set. That would mean if you’re doing 12 reps of an exercise, after rep 6, you do an isometric hold at the middle of the range of motion, then finish the set off.
Or, you can break it up into thirds, so you can do an isometric hold of 5 seconds after the 4th rep, 8th rep, and at the end of the set.
But let me warn you – this method is difficult and burns, making it a great method for training mental toughness at the same time.
Here are 3 of my favorite exercises to use isometrics with:
1) Inverted Row
Hang under a barbell with your feet on a swiss ball so your body is parallel with the floor
Hold when your elbows are at 90 degrees
2) Push-up
Do your standard push-up, or put your feet on a ball for an added challenge
Hold at 90 degrees of elbow flexion
3) Leg curl on Swiss ball with knee squeeze
For this one, you need a squishy child’s ball
Put it between your knees and for the entire set of leg curls, squeeze the ball together as hard as you can
So now you have 3 exercises and a new method for developing your MMA strength and conditioning. Put these into your workout routine and you’ll be tapping people out when you would’ve given up before, and you’ll take your MMA game to the next level.
Isometrics are a component of a good strength and conditioning program. But there are a few things that many MMA fighters do wrong in their MMA workouts. Don’t make the same mistakes, check out the Top 5 MMA Workout Mistakes
Posted on: November 23rd, 2009 by admin 5 Comments
Martial arts are more of a way of life and a life style that a sport. Even though awareness was lacking for a considerable amount of time regarding the role of fitness and nutrition in a martial athlete`s life, it has done wonders for those who were influenced by it. Today, sports nutrition has developed into a science and is responsible for the increasing number of athletes pushing their performance towards excellence. Athletes become faster, stronger and able to resist injuries owing to the influence of proper nutrition and fitness. Still, majority have not taken advantage of the nutrition that has done wonders for many others.
Mixed martial arts permit a variety of strikes and tactics which are not permitted in most sport events. Punching, grappling and kicking are part of these tactics. Here, techniques take a back seat and the stamina and strength of the body comes into play. That is why a school of thought puts high importance to nutrition in the life of mixed martial art athletes.
Another school of thought stresses that techniques comes first and giving undue importance to physical strength would mar the beauty and acceptability of these martial arts. They argue that these arts have been in place for many centuries and have developed into art forms. They further argue that physical strength never came into play earlier where smallish fighters could trip up heftier opponents by relying on techniques only.
But people participated in these martial arts for pride and not for monetary benefits. However, most of these mixed martial art forms have taken a commercial bend today and some are even recognized as Olympic sport events. This has fanned competition where the fighters look forward to latch on to any minute weakness of the opponent. Physical prowess started assuming more importance. Superior techniques still win you a spar, but being stronger, faster and having quick reflexes are seen as added advantages these days.
Carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, vitamins and anti oxidants play an important part in grooming the physique. Proper intake of these not only betters energy, they can sharpen minds too. Fibrous carbohydrate sources like vegetables, lentils and brown rice to name a few aids performance and reduces body weight.
Artificial nutrition supplements like Colostrum and Creatine, to name a few, are relied upon by many mixed martial arts performers to increase potency. However, these kinds of chemical supplements have their own drawbacks. Understanding one`s own body, its strengths, limitations and requirements is essential before he or she embarks upon the process of ingesting performance improving supplements.
