The contrasting emotions of victory and defeat in sports are profound, with victory's thrill being fleeting and defeat, agony lingering much longer. UFC Welterweight Santiago Ponzinibbio, reflecting on this dichotomy, is preparing for his return to the Octagon this weekend in Denver, facing fellow welterweight veteran Muslim Salikhov. Ponzinibbio has spent over a year grappling with the agony of his last defeat, eager to replace it with the thrill of victory. In his last fight at UFC 287 in Miami, Ponzinibbio faced Kevin Holland. After a competitive match, he was stopped in the third round, a decision he still finds frustrating. “I think I’m doing a good fight, I could win the fight, and then he catches me with that one punch,” Ponzinibbio recalls. Despite his frustrations, he remains determined to move past the loss and prove his capabilities once more. Approaching his 38th birthday, Ponzinibbio’s career is at a critical juncture. A respected figure in the UFC’s welterweight division, he has notable victories over Sean Strickland, Gunnar Nelson, Mike Perry, and Neil Magny. Although he contemplates retirement, his passion for the sport and his belief in his abilities keep him motivated. “This is not about showing something to other people; it’s about showing something to myself,” he says, emphasizing his desire to compete at a high level. While Ponzinibbio has established a role in the UFC’s Spanish broadcast team, his heart remains in the cage. Training at American Top Team, one of the most competitive gyms globally, he feels prepared and confident. “In training, it’s one of the most competitive gyms in the world; a lot of top guys. I feel great in my training every day,” he asserts. Ponzinibbio’s upcoming fight against Salikhov marks a crucial test. Originally scheduled to meet in January 2021, their bout was postponed due to Salikhov’s COVID-19 diagnosis. Now, both fighters are at a stage where questions about their futures are more frequent. Salikhov, 40, also seeks to prove himself after a recent string of losses. “He’s a good fighter — has a lot of experience, a great name,” Ponzinibbio acknowledges. Ready to deliver a standout performance, he believes this fight will showcase his improvements and reaffirm his position in the welterweight division. Ponzinibbio’s journey has been marked by adversity, shaping him into a resilient fighter. “I’m a fighter for life; we keep moving forward,” he declares. Confident in his preparations, he promises to reveal a new and improved version of himself. “People are gonna see a different Santiago Ponzinibbio this fight because I fixed a lot of things so that I can perform the way I want to. I’m feeling great and people are gonna see ‘The Dagger 2.0.’”

Ellis Amdur has a lot to say about the martial arts. The author of numerous internet essays, books, novels, and even a dozen psychology manuals on how to deal with violence, he isn’t shy about sharing his opinions, either. But unlike the majority of people who pontificate on martial arts, Amdur is someone you should definitely listen to. A mental-health professional specializing in crisis intervention and a consultant for law-enforcement agencies, Amdur is one of the few Westerners who hold certificates of full mastery from two Japanese koryu systems. He’s also one of the most iconoclastic martial artists you’ll find, as comfortable banging away in a boxing gym as he is practicing traditional sword forms in a classical dojo or working on Chinese internal strength exercises. Amdur, 68, began practicing kung fu while in college. Later, looking for a new kung fu school in New York City, he stumbled on an aikido dojo. All he knew about aikido came from an ad he’d seen in the back of a comic book, which claimed the art developed mystical energy. But Amdur found something there, in the Japanese martial arts, that resonated with him. “There’s a particular aesthetic in Japanese martial arts compared to other arts,” he said. “It has a kind of austerity in the way you move and hold yourself that appealed to me.” He began training regularly in aikido. After graduating from Yale in 1976 with a degree in psychology, Amdur dreaded the idea of additional study to become a therapist, so he decided to spend a couple of years in Japan to further his aikido practice. The two-year trip ended up lasting more than a decade. ARRIVING Before Amdur left, his teacher Terry Dobson suggested he look up the legendary apostle of classical Japanese martial arts — Donn F. Draeger — when he got to Japan. Amdur scoffed at the idea. Having read a couple of Draeger’s books, he said he wasn’t interested in those who wrote about martial arts. Instead, he wanted to meet people who actually could do something. “Then when I finally met Donn, he was built like a Greek god and could do full squats with 500 pounds even in his 50s,” Amdur recalled. He became friendly with Draeger — but never too friendly. There’s a touch of rebelliousness in Amdur, which always has led him to go against the grain. Thus, it’s perhaps unsurprising that while numerous young West- ern martial artists living in Japan back then became part of Draeger’s inner circle, relying on the older man for advice and entrees into various dojo, Amdur made a conscious decision to fend for himself. “I associated with Donn but also tried to keep my distance,” Amdur said. “I knew if I was with Donn, I’d immediately have one foot in the door with many instructors. But I left everything behind to come to this foreign coun- try, so why would I want to get comfortable like that?” Amdur found his own way. After several months in Japan, he decided he wanted to explore the koryu arts, those systems that developed before the Meiji Restora- tion of 1868. Although there used to be hundreds of individual koryu styles, only a few dozen are still prac- ticed, often by a handful of students.  SEARCHING Amdur’s introduction to the koryu arts came from an- other overseas American, a man named Meik Skoss. Skoss, who practiced several koryu arts, briefly shared an apartment with Amdur and one day mentioned that he’d found a nearby gym where a couple of old styles were taught. On separate days, the gymnasium hosted classes in yagyu shinkage-ryu swordsmanship and araki-ryu torite-kogusoku, a system that specialized in grappling with various weapons. Having heard of yagyu shinkage-ryu, renowned be- cause it was the style taught to the Tokugawa shoguns who once ruled the country, Amdur was determined to learn the system. But when he dropped by the gym, it happened to be on a day when the araki-ryu class was being held. “I wanted to do yagyu shinkage-ryu because it looked so elegant,” he said. “I’d seen pictures of araki-ryu in one of Draeger’s books, and it looked rough and unsophisticated in comparison. Araki-ryu was the one thing I didn’t want to do. But I thought it would be cool just to see it.” Showing up at the gym as a towering 6-foot-6-inch foreigner in tattered jeans and hair down past his shoulders, Amdur caused a minor commotion. A tough-looking Japanese man a few years his senior stepped outside and asked what he wanted. When Amdur said he’d like to watch the class, the man told him to get lost. But then he suddenly asked Amdur if he wanted to train in koryu and whether he knew Draeger. “I didn’t know Donn at the time but tried to say I knew of him,” Amdur said. “But my Japanese was so bad [that] what I ended up saying was, ‘Donn Draeger is my aunt.’” CONNECTING For reasons unknown, the man let Amdur in and al- lowed him to watch the class. When it was over, he told Amdur he could come back to train the next week. “Much later on, he told me that he didn’t like Ameri- cans but that I looked like a pretty strange American to him. He said, ‘I am a pretty strange Japanese, so I thought this might be interesting,’” Amdur recalled. Amdur’s teacher — he prefers not to identify him by name because the man is retired and wishes to stay away from the spotlight — has been described by Skoss as one of the most interesting koryu instructors in modern Japan. “He was a pretty hardcore guy,” Skoss said when asked about the teacher. “Besides araki-ryu, I think he had a background in judo, kendo and boxing. He quit participating in all the public koryu demonstrations be- cause he felt most of the other guys there were a bunch of wankers who couldn’t fight. “He also wasn’t wedded to koryu as an unchangeable tradition. Over the years, he and Ellis went through the whole araki-ryu curriculum and tested it all by beating on each other with weapons. They realized a lot of things that had been added over the years just didn’t work. So they cut them out, which was his right as head of the system. And if anyone gave him a hard time over that, he’d offer to go test things out with them!” Although Amdur accepted the offer to begin training in araki-ryu, he immediately regretted the decision. He’d gone to the gym, determined to train in yagyu shinkage- ryu, and instead came away committed to a style he wasn’t interested in. But in retrospect, he said he definitely made the right choice. He compared yagyu shinkage-ryu to a polished gem whereas araki-ryu is like a rough piece of granite. Amdur said he identifies more with the plain granite. The training often was brutal as Amdur and his fellow students would pad up and then have at it, sometimes fighting full contact with heavy wooden weapons. After a few years, he was the only student left in the dojo. Every- one else had quit. LONGING He now recognizes that between his own enjoyment of living on the edge and his teacher’s hardcore vision of martial arts, his life was gradually being pulled in a not-altogether-healthy direc- tion. What stopped him from veering too far down a potentially violent and destructive path was an introduction to his second koryu art called toda-ha buko-ryu and its headmistress Nitta Suzuyo. Amdur had married while in Japan and wanted to prac- tice a martial art with his wife. He didn’t believe that araki-ryu would be appropriate for her, so they decided on buko-ryu, a style that focused on the naginata, the traditional weapon most associated with women in Japan. He said training with Suzuyo provided a calming influence in his life. She reminded him of his own mother, a woman of both strength and morality. But training in two koryu arts was daunting. Although he’s now a licensed instructor in both arts, he refuses to teach both of them to the same person, believing that most people can’t properly devote themselves to two such arts. Of course, Amdur never took his own advice; he not only trained in both styles but also added modern fighting arts to his repertoire. He continued doing aikido for several more years but eventually noticed that whenever he made things difficult for his instructor in freestyle practice, the instructor would instinctively revert to a judo throw rather than an aikido technique. Amdur reasoned that he’d be better off studying judo. GRAPPLING He began training with the judo team at the high school where he was teaching English, which hosted the top scholastic squad in the country. He also enrolled at Tokyo’s leading muay Thai gym to improve his striking skills. And when he discovered some of the kicks used in araki-ryu were more effective when done muay Thai style, he and his teacher didn’t hesi- tate to change them. However, Amdur is adamant that any changes he makes within a koryu system must fall within a particular cultural context. Even if someone could make a double-edged katana that was somehow more effective than the classic single-edged sword, he said he’d have no interest in using it because it never existed on a Japanese battlefield. “But if we’re grappling with a weapon and you show me a better way to pin someone, I’m going to do that since it will fit into the context,” he said. While Amdur is willing to make certain changes within araki-ryu, he’s less willing to do this with toda-ha buko-ryu. That’s because he acknowledges that araki-ryu is a style in which change has always been an inher- ent part of the system. Originally practiced by warriors who straddled the border between low-ranking samurai and peasants, araki-ryu never had a hereditary head- master as other systems did. Instead, once someone was certified as a master, the person was expected to move on and spread his own version of the style in a different region — which has led to vast differences in the various araki-ryu branches. This is precisely what Amdur’s instructor expected of him when he certified Amdur as the only other master of his branch of the art. But the American was content to stay where he was in Japan, teaching English and translating technical manuals while spending six to eight hours a day training in martial arts. Finally, his araki-ryu teacher said, “You’re wasting your life here. You’re training for power, but how do you use that power? I don’t care if you become a policeman or a terrorist, but if you’re not using your power, you’re not a man.” Amdur took the advice to heart. “I realized martial arts by itself wasn’t anything,” he said. “It’s an activity that should contribute to something. I wanted to use my power in a way to contribute to society.” GROWING He delved into phenomenology, a branch of psychology with a heavy philosophical influence, and it ap- pealed to him. The idea of sitting in a room doing counseling all day still didn’t interest him, but he’d heard about the field of crisis intervention, in which counselors went to the homes of people in violent states and tried to get them to a less aggressive place. He made the decision to come back to America and return to psychology with a plan to specialize in crisis intervention. It was an area where he frequently found unusual uses for his martial arts. “One time, I was asked to do a visit to the home of a man with schizophrenia whose mother was missing,” he recalled. “He’d previously bitten the nose off a policeman, so I went to see him with two law-enforcement officers. This guy with huge arms opens the door, baring his teeth at me. Now, the final teaching of the toda-ha buko-ryu is that in all matters, you should be polite and bow. I didn’t see any point to that when I learned it, but when I saw this guy, I sensed his combination of terror and rage, and without even knowing I did it, I bowed to him half an inch.” Amdur’s display psychologically disarmed the man to such a degree that he and the officers were able to ascertain that the mother was in no danger and then exit the scene without incident. Amdur went on to develop tactical de-escalation programs to help various professionals cope with hostile situations. Among the more important points of such assignments, he said, is understanding the difference between dealing with people who are angry and those who are enraged. Angry people still want to communicate, so if you can let them know that you understand them, you may be able to lower their level of anger. But when someone is enraged, he said, you can’t just de-escalate. You have to use verbal commands to gain control. He recommended giving a single command like “Step back!” and not confusing the issue by adding anything extra, such as “Step back or else!” Amdur’s unique combination of psychological and martial insights has found its way into a number of unexpected areas. He’s teamed up with Don Gulla, the founder of a police-combatives program called Arrestling, to teach a mix of tactical de-escalation and physical methods for law-enforcement officers. As part of a Department of Defense project, he co-wrote a work for soldiers on managing communications with people in hostile environments and has trained numerous people in his unique brand of martial arts. ADJUSTING Chhi’mèd Künzang, a member of the Dog Brothers stick-fighting organization who’s learned elements of araki-ryu from Amdur, recalled one lesson Amdur gave on the subject of using a sword against a spear. Later, at a Dog Brothers gathering, Künzang had the op- portunity to put the teaching into practice by using a wooden sword against a fellow fighter who was employing a Chinese-style train- ing spear. He discovered that some of Amdur’s techniques transferred quite well to the wild world of armed combat. “With the Dog Brothers, you’re doing something combative, but there’s sort of an implicit rule set that you try not to permanently hurt anyone,” Künzang said. “Then there are the styles that developed for pure combat which use techniques that are too lethal for competitive fighting. Usually, those worlds are disjointed. To find that overlap between them, the way I have with Ellis, is very rare.” As long as there have been martial arts, there has existed a tension between the traditional and the modern, between those who care about aesthetics and those who care only about what works in a fight. “There’s a case to be made for each,” Amdur said. “But for me, I don’t want to just do either of those. I want both. It’s like calibrating a sail with shifting winds, though: If you find you’re off-center, you have to be able to adjust.” To learn more about Ellis Amdur and koryu, visit kogenbudo.org .

In Karate Way, often I’ve discussed the many Japanese idioms and sayings that refer to the sword. This aspect of colloquial Japanese reminds one of how deeply the sword and the warrior influenced the culture of that country.  THINKING ABOUT THESE figures of speech, I remembered one that I heard as a child: umi no uchi no katana, “the sword behind the smile.” This is a curious saying. How should one interpret it? A smile behind the sword would seem obvious in meaning. You are ready, even eager to use the weapon and happy to do so. But the other way around? We associate smiles with politeness and friendliness. The sword hiding behind that seems incompatible.  Much has been written about the politeness of the Japanese people in general and the samurai in particular. In Japan, the emphasis supposedly placed on manners is so pronounced that it’s almost a caricature. Old cartoons used to show the smiling Japanese bowing to his attacker before unleashing a judo throw or karate “chop.” Early accounts of martial arts in Japan de- tailed the conventions and etiquette that were supposed to be essential to the warrior spirit. Fights between samurai were thought of as a more pretentious version of Western dueling, with all sorts of conventions and rules.  IN REALITY, combat for the samurai on the battlefield had virtually no rules. Studies conducted on the skeletal remains of those killed in battle have revealed that a significant percentage died from being struck by rocks. Other fatalities were inflicted by the edges of helmets that were used to bash skulls. In duels, which became popular after 600 among the warrior class, the principle concern wasn’t adhering to protocol. It was satisfying strict govern- mental regulations about such things. The samurai were, after all, chattel. They were the property of their lords. Killing one in a duel could leave the killer open to a lawsuit for depriving the dead man’s lord of his property.  So we should not place too much weight on the whole “politeness” aspect of the samurai’s behavior. The samurai were not necessarily courteous because it was nice to be so. They were mannered, at least in part, because it was a martial advantage to do so. IF YOU’VE EVER WATCHED a boxing weigh-in, you know that scowling, grimacing and glowering can play a big role in pre-fight strategy. Similarly, confrontational displays like the famous Maori haka dances were once common in many societies. Displays meant to intimidate are central to much of the activity that precedes conflict, whether in a neighborhood bar or at the United Nations.  The samurai indulged in this, to some degree. You can see it in the fierce, elaborately fearsome decorations on their armor. For the most part, however, trying to intimidate had limited effectiveness. Professional warriors are not easily frightened. The samurai didn’t do a lot of posturing because they didn’t want to give away any clues regarding their intentions. The more seriously you took your enemy, the less information you wanted to give him about your plan of attack. That included giving him any ideas about how tough you might be.  There is a lot in the 2003 Tom Cruise film The Last Samurai that’s wrong. (For example, assassins in medieval Japan did not carry Okinawan sai.  And country folk, like those depicted in the movie, did not eat pure white rice. Their bowls were filled with rice mixed with millet and other grains because rice was too expensive to be eaten alone by the lower classes.) The portrayal of the samurai leader in the movie, however, is dead on. He smiles almost constantly, whether he’s angry or happy, plotting or relaxing. He doesn’t give any clues. He is smiling — with a sword always at the ready.  SOME YEARS AGO, a behavioral scientist did a study that revealed that while Americans tend to look at a person’s mouth when trying to read his mind, Japanese are more likely to look at the eyes. The notion in Japanese culture is that the mouth is easier to control; the eyes can reveal more. This may be a clue as to why smiling — which Westerners often look at in one way — can mean something entirely different on a Japanese face.  (Not incidentally, this has led to many problems in business negotiations between Westerners and the Japanese. Western businessmen complain bitterly that because their Japanese counterparts were smiling engagingly during talks, it was assumed everything was great — and they’re surprised that those smiling Japanese were completely opposed to the proposals on the table.)  Certainly, we see this in the behavior that’s encouraged in a traditional dojo. Posturing, menacing expressions — these are not a part of train- ing. Not serious training, anyway. Instead, the focus is on heijo-shin, the “everyday mind” that reveals nothing and gives an opponent no clue as to our intentions. In fact, the enigmatic smile actually can be confusing to an enemy. “What’s he smiling for? What does he know that I don’t?” A glowering face is easy to read in a conflict. A smile? That’s tougher to decipher, and the time and energy my opponent spends doing that is to my advantage. So what the casual observer may interpret as a friendly smile may be something entirely different. You may not think about it, but your facial expression is part of your technical skill set. In real-life situations or in competition, there’s usually face-to-face contact before the action begins. The face you present to your opponent or your enemy can play a role in your strategy. Can a smile hide your own sword? Dave Lowry has written Karate Way since 1986. For more information about his articles and books, visit blackbeltmag.com and type his name into the search box.

ONE Fight Night 23: Ok vs. Rasulov hit Lumpinee Boxing Stadium on Friday, July 5, with a fun night of martial arts action. ONE Championship’s U.S. primetime return saw ten bouts across three sports thrill the audience. Alibeg Rasulov missed hydration and was unable to claim the ONE Interim Lightweight MMA World Title. Still, the Russian used the main event opportunity to send a message to Christian Lee. The Hyperion Fighters star took a hard-fought decision to become an instant title challenger in his ONE debut. In the co-main event, Nico Carrillo cemented his status as bantamweight Muay Thai’s top contender. Although the Scotsman will wait for the winner of Jonathan Haggerty and Superlek Kiatmoo9 at ONE 168: Denver, he staked his claim as the next man in line. “The King of the North’s” destruction of Saemapetch Fairtex was impressive and made Carrillo seem like an unstoppable force. Black Panther picked up his third consecutive victory with a second-round knockout against Ali Saldoev. The Thai star has now firmly pushed himself into the rankings discussion. While the division is loaded with talent, Black Panther’s string of wins are hard to deny. “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane took care of Senegalese rival Boucher Ketchup with a first-round knockout. Ketchup tried being aggressive early, but the difference in skill was immediately evident. Kane now sets his sights on Anatoly Malykhin and the ONE Heavyweight MMA World Title at ONE 169: Atlanta in November. Alexey Balyko’s left hand was filled with dynamite in the opening match of the card. Balyko dropped Korodi before ultimately finishing with another crushing left hook. The stiff KO blow delivered a cracking start to the event. Miss any of the action from Bangkok? Relive every strike on-demand on Prime Video. ONE Fight Night 23 Full Results Alibeg Rasulov def. Ok Rae Yoon by unanimous decision Nico Carrillo def. Saemapetch by TKO at 2:03 of the second round Tye Ruotolo def. Jozef Chen by unanimous decision Kirill Grishenko def. Kang Ji Won by unanimous decision Tatsumitsu Wada def. Xie Wei by unanimous decision Black Panther def. Ali Saldoev by KO at 0:23 of the second round Hiroba Minowa def. Jeremy Miado by split decision Ellis Badr Barboza def. Aliff by split decision Oumar Kane def. Boucher Ketchup by KO at 2:08 of the first round Alexey Balyko def. Stefan Korodi by KO at 2:42 of the first round

The May 1974 Karate Illustrated cover featured Donnie Willams. So-Cal legend in the karate circuit. It was through his involvement in karate that Donnie Williams ventured into the world of movies. With his short but memorable role in the Bruce Lee film, "Enter the Dragon" (1973) . In this film, he bids farewell to his student "Williams," played by fellow black martial artist Jim Kelly, as the character departs for Hong Kong.

Intellectualization is defined as a defense mechanism that entails using reasoning to avoid unconscious conflict and its associated emotional stress — wherein thinking is used to avoid feeling. It involves removing oneself emotionally from a stressful event. Increasingly, I notice the trend in combatives and other self-defense “systems” to intellectualize — actually, to over-intellectualize. The definition of intellectualization that appears above perfectly captures the meaning as it applies to fighting. In an effort to avoid the pain, consequence, damage and stress of fighting — whether in train- ing or for real — instructors use constructed language to describe the impossible (what’s expected in the moment) and use pseudoscience to justify what they’re professing. Those of you who have read this column for any length of time have heard me say over and over that if you want to learn to fly, at some point, you have to actually take off and land. The same is true of fighting: If you want to learn to fight well, you have to spend a significant amount of time actually fighting. There is no replacement for this. Some of the tripe I’ve heard describes in exacting detail “how a fight happens” and what you need to accomplish in equally exacting detail. It’s laughable. Regardless of the reasoning behind the instruction or commentary — to assure students that they can fight without being hit , to minimize their fear, to diminish their stress over the scary event, blah, blah, blah — it harms students more than it helps them. One example of this is breaking down video assaults. (Interestingly, this is possibly the best example.) People! Hindsight is 20/20. Reviewing videos of attacks as they happen and videos of our own performance in training is, of course, super instructive and revealing. Video is a tool that can’t be overlooked if we’re seeking our best levels of performance. But preaching a textbook answer (in particular, application of technique answers) in retrospect isn’t impressive. What is impressive is applying principles in a sudden attack and adapting to a violent situation as it evolves. Guess what? Droning over countless drills that address one very specific type of attack or event isn’t preparing you for anything except failure. To the contrary, actually engaging in personal combat in which both participants are free to try to execute whatever they feel like is preparing you for precisely such situations. Linking your techniques to principles throughout a dynamic and evolving situation makes you far more competent and prepared to face a violent personal assault. Problem is intellectualization takes this rawness out of preparing for a fight. It makes a fight appear to be a clinical event. Yes, it’s good to want to become a “technician,” but you can’t become a technician without repeatedly expos- ing yourself to the dangers of unpredictability, uncertainty, consequence and fluidity that make up an actual fight. Please don’t misunderstand this. I’m not saying, “Don’t think!” — not at all. My point is that all the talk, all the nonsense, all the made-up words, all the wonky science won’t develop your ability to adapt quickly to what’s in front of you. Yes, understanding the physiology and psychology is important, but their roles are supportive — supportive to what you must physically execute while under duress. Ask yourself this: If one person trains by review- ing video assaults, discussing ad nauseum the stressors involved and performing drills for very specific events, then catalogs them and the associated “solutions” while another person trains in the same way but weights sparring heavily in that training as he or she focuses on the consistent application of principles against all manner of opponents, whom would you put your money on? Doesn’t it stand to reason that a race car driver who accrues maximum track time actually feeling what his car is doing under various conditions and living with the consequences of his input has the edge over the driver who can get only a third of the track time but has every racing reference written and some great racing games that he plays regularly? A balance of critical thinking, cerebral rigor and arduous training with consequences is what we need to become proficient. The quality of the sparring is important, as well, which is why mixed martial arts is the perfect medium with all natural weapons allowed in stand-up and ground fighting. Recently, a drop-in traditional martial arts practitioner visited our fight gym. He said he was interested in getting some “sparring time.” After watching three moderately intense sparring rounds between some of our fighters, he excused himself and said, “This is just a little more than I was interested in.” And they were moderate rounds! My point here isn’t to impugn but to inform. The next time you’re listening to someone pontificate about the adrenal effect or any other topic and realize that the narrative is just too much, wipe the drool off your chin and glove up. You’ll be hap- pier — and many steps closer to being able to take care of business. Kelly McCann’s book Combatives for Street Survival: Hard-Core Countermeasures for High-Risk Situations is available at shop.blackbeltmag.com .

Life is chaos. How we deal with that chaos is the key to living life with- out having life merely throw us about. Buddhist thinking holds that “Life is suffering.” It doesn’t say, “Life is terrible” or “Life is unlivable.” It’s how we use martial arts to deal with the chaos, not so much with the combat, that makes life livable. It can even bring us happiness. An examination of the philosophical side of Buddhism, as opposed to the religious side, has a lot to offer people, martial artists in particular. That’s because more than a few arts, styles such as China’s Shaolin kung fu, Japan’s Shorinji kempo and Korea’s bulmudo, are closely tied to the culture of and the mental processes taught in Buddhism. As such, a cursory study of Buddhism can give us insight directly into these specific arts and indirectly into the martial arts we practice. BEFORE WE BEGIN: A familiar adage advises us to “Seek not to be like the men of old; instead, seek what they sought.” That’s what we must pursue if we want to break away from simply “staring at the finger and missing the moon.” In short, without a cursory understanding of Buddhism, we risk seeing only the surface of our arts — and thereby miss the substance of them. SUFFERING Buddhism includes many commonly mentioned ideas and practices that are known to the general public, such as the Four Noble Truths, the notion of reincarnation, the Eightfold Path and so on. Here, we’ll examine the most common misconceptions that afflict martial artists who have been exposed to Buddhist thought passively through their training. In this way, we can stop staring at the finger and instead turn our attention to the moon itself. The first Noble Truth is “Life is suffering.” At first glance, Westerners likely will find this distasteful. However, it doesn’t mean that suffering or experiencing suffering is a terrible thing in and of itself. The Buddhist idea of impermanence is a vital part of this thought process. All things decay, and entropy always wins in the end. Since the very state of being alive is a process of growth that becomes decay as we age, as health problems begin and as death eventually comes, one can say that impermanence is a truth of existence. Even the stars eventually will expend their energy stores and burn out. On a grand scale, this seems obvious and has little relevance to our daily lives. But we must remember that the teaching says that all things come to pass. We lose friends, jobs, loved ones and parents, and we eventually will age and die. It’s a simple fact of life. What the first Noble Truth tells us is that we need to make peace with this. We cannot fight against it because doing so is a recipe for misery. Ignoring this Noble Truth yields similar results. Taking charge of our lives begins with accepting this. TAKE-AWAY: Understanding that suffering is part of life is one way to bolster ourselves during hard workouts in the dojo. Once we accept reality for what it is each moment, we can work to make better decisions in that moment.   REINCARNATION The notion of reincarnation is another element of Buddhism that’s often viewed in a religious way. That can be shortsighted. In life, I’m fortunate to have had a close friend and student who was raised in a Buddhist house- hold and who spent the first few years of his life with a Tibetan lama. As a child, he was smuggled out of Tibet and brought to North America to begin a new life. The conversation about reincarnation has been a recurring favorite for the two of us, and his interpretation helped me understand this philosophy. Reincarnation, from a philosophical point of view, need not mean a person is born again as another being after death. Rather, it’s a concept about living in the present rather than projecting ourselves into the future or clinging to the past.  Each situation in life presents an opportunity to be “reborn.” It’s another opportunity to do our best and be the person we aspire to be — inside and outside the dojo. Think of people who move to a new city. Making a fresh start gives them a chance to be someone who’s better than they were. Note, however, that the adage “Wherever you go, there you are” still applies. It’s not necessary to physically move to have a fresh start. Every moment of the day is a chance to be born again and make better decisions than we may have made in the past. Using the past as a source of experience with which to make good choices is healthy, but lingering and clinging to the past is a good way to miss out on the present. Excessive longing for the past leads to depression. Anger at past experiences creates a hostile attitude that manifests in the present and affects the here and now. Allowing ourselves to find the present moment and choose our actions carefully is being reborn; there’s no need to die first to be reincarnated. TAKE-AWAY: The idea of looking back to the past to inform our present shows how practicing movements and studying the associated principles give us information we can call on in the present when needed. How- ever, being reborn in every moment allows us to let go of past victories and defeats lest they poison our minds through the creation of an inflated ego, which can result in underestimating an opponent. In a worst-case scenario, it can foster fear, which will defeat our minds before we even pick up our hands. TAKE-AWAY: The only thing that exists in martial arts or in life is the present. In that moment, there is suffering and a chance to remove ourselves from suffering. There is an opportunity to be fully present — or to linger in the past or project ourselves into the future. Mike Tyson acknowledged the danger of this latter option when he said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.” Do you want to lose a fight quickly? Make plans about how it will go.  COMPASSION One of the most-talked-about parts of Buddhism, one that’s generally expressed as “Do no harm,” is compassion. However, we have martial arts that are descended from Buddhist temples and Buddhist thought, which would seem a paradox. How can one practice an art designed to harm others, sometimes grievously, in a Buddhist temple? The paradoxical nature of this is something the martial arts world tends to ignore. While it’s true that Buddhist thought and the martial arts can coexist, it’s difficult to understand how. Com- passion doesn’t merely mean doing no harm. Let’s look directly at the definition of the word: A deep awareness of and sympathy for another’s suffering; sharing the feelings of others (especially feelings of sorrow or anguish); the humane quality of understand- ing the suffering of others and wanting to do something about it. To understand how compassion and the martial arts are not mutually exclusive, we must endeavor to comprehend the idea of suffering and the desire to end it. It doesn’t always mean “do no harm” to show compassion for others. In fact, it does, at times, involve the opposite. The idea of the Buddhist monk who can harmlessly disable an opponent with a touch pervades the martial arts world. While a pleasant idea, it has its problems. In the chaos of violent conflict, there are always far too many factors at play to rely on disabling without harming. Perhaps the opportunity to do little or no harm never arises. Maybe the opponent is too skilled, too tough or too fast. When we need to save ourselves from harm, where do we draw the line? Is it more compassionate to cause damage to the opponent now so he doesn’t harm others in the future? How can we deal with having the power to make decisions such as these? Power is the result of proper martial arts training, and that power comes in many forms. Physical power is the obvious one. It manifests in strength, speed and skill that can control others through violence. But the traditional martial arts also empower us mentally, emotionally and spiritually. This kind of power is what tempers our character through training and is a big part of why Buddhist ideas and philosophy are still a living part of traditional training. TAKE-AWAY: The power to remain in the present changes our ability to deal with chaos and its fluid nature. In combat, clinging to the past, even a mere second ago, can result in mental and emotional changes that drastically impact our physical ability. Residing in the present is not only a good idea for us but also a potentially lifesaving one.  REMEDY A stable, calm mind that knows how different situations affect it is better-pre- pared to handle confrontation involving real enemies like fear and uncertainty. This steadfastness can be seen in the Four Noble Truths, as well. First, diagnose the problem of suffering and then steadfastly proclaim that there’s a way to end the suffering of the self. Know, too, that Buddhism also engages heavily in one’s ability to end suffering for others, and that’s a powerful act of compassion for the person in training. It’s here that the idea of compassion and the martial arts come together. What is the most compassionate thing we can do to end a conflict? How can we be sure to save ourselves and others from a similar fate? Here, we see the truth of power and a way to wield it. Real power exists in both application and discretion, and there are times when either is the more appropriate choice for a given situation.  TAKE-AWAY: Viewing such thoughts and scenarios through the lens of Buddhism enables us to question the when and why of our abilities. Is there a time when we just cannot do no harm? Is there a time and place where the most compassionate thing to do is cause damage to another? We must ask ourselves these questions because we are the only ones who can pro- vide the answers.  UNDERSTANDING Without examining the martial arts in this manner and engaging in this type of self-work, we are not only failing to take advantage of the full benefit of training in our art but also missing out on the cultural context the martial arts were born from in the first place. This can lead to misunderstandings that hamper training and impede us in life. If the study of martial arts is undertaken out of con- text, we rob it of much of its richness and instead retain only a group of “fist methods” designed to harm others. In the end, that’s a small treasure compared to the benefit we can gain from looking below the surface to understand why those fist methods need to exist. As one of my teachers stated, we must “be like a tornado on the outside and rest quiet and calm in the storm’s eye.” Without balance in both aspects, we lose the magic of the martial arts, a study of self that goes far beyond what can be seen on the surface. Neil Andrew Ripski has practiced the Chinese martial arts for more than 30 years. He holds lineage in both internal and external styles, including zuiquan (drunken fist), 18 lohan palm and xinyiliuhe.

"Sports nutrition not only enables you to stoke your furnace with the best energy-boosting and recovery enhancing food, but it also gives you the tools to understand the inner workings of your physiology, including how to achieve optimal body composition. Why is that important?" Because at some point in your life, you may have to cut weight perhaps to make weight at a tournament or just to shape up for the summer. The worst thing about cutting weight is, when it’s required, it often has to be done quickly. You need to take pains to do it right so you maintain the strength and stamina you worked so hard to build.As soon as you learn that need to lose weight, you should start eating and training for that goal. Forget sweat suits and saunas, they serve a purpose only on the day of the weigh-in because all they do is decrease the amount of water in your body. Unchecked, even partial dehydration can lead to exhaustion and weakness. Likewise, forget fasting. Blindly cutting your caloric intake can leave you feeling drained and unable to perform the way you normally do. For healthy weight loss, don’t restrict your food intake to the point at which you’re no longer getting enough nutrients. Here are some weight loss secrets. You need fuel to function. Instead of cutting out your energy source, you should refine it by cutting out “empty calorie” foods. Example: Replace a serving of French fries with vegeta-bles. Small adjustments like this can help you trim the excess while keeping muscle and energy levels intact. How is that possible? Because fat has approximately twice as many calories per gram as carbohydrates and protein.Your next step is to boost your metabolism, which means teaching your body to consistently use the food you eat to produce energy. That will make you burn more calories for longer periods, which leads to weight loss. Bonus: It will also help you maintain the energy you need to train hard without risking neuromuscular damage. In part, your metabolism is determined by your age and genetics, which means there’s only so much you can do to alter it. However, metabolism is also dependant on your exertion level and the frequency with which you eat. As a martial artist, you train regularly. If you need to cut weight, you can always up the frequency of your workouts. Obviously, you can adjust your daily food intake. If your schedule permits, consider eating six times a day: two or three smaller snacks in addition to three or four well-portioned, nutritious meals. The last thing you want to do is skip meals because it will have the opposite effect it will tell your body it needs to conserve energy and hold onto fat.When you’re planning your meals, try to combine protein with complex carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables. If you’re having trouble making six meals a day, consider cutting your three large meals in half. Instead of stuffing yourself at breakfast or dinner, split those meals so you can eat every three to four hours. A snack can be a serving of fruit or nuts, a nutritional drink or an energy bar. Just keep track of the calorie count so you can shoot for 100 to 400 calories per snack.Cutting weight is a lot like martial arts training: It’s not easy, but when it’s approached in a proven, scientific way, the benefits far outweigh the effort you put in.

"Over the years, I’ve made reference to The Bhagavad-Gita a number of times in this column. It’s an ancient Indian text that speaks directly to the central problem of the martial arts—namely, how one can engage in violence when hurting people is wrong. That makes it worth a close reading by all of us. But like any philosophical or religious text, what it offers is a mixed bag." What is The Gita? It’s a relatively short dialogue between a hero named Arjuna and his charioteer, the god Krishna. It’s excerpted from the Hindu epic Mahabharata. In that story, Arjuna is the head of an army of brothers and supporters and is about to fight a war against his relatives over the rightful succession of a kingdom. The scene reaches a crescendo when Arjuna must make the final signal and begin the war. The Gita begins when he asks Krishna to drive the chariot out between the two armies. Arjuna sees his kinsmen ready to die in battle and loses his resolve. He gets out of his chariot and refuses to start the war.What follows is 18 short chapters in which Krishna tries to convince Arjuna that he must fight this war. Initially, he cites the proper character of a warrior, his honor, and a sense of duty and social responsibility as reasons. But none of those mean much in Arjuna’s moment of doubt, and they certainly don’t mean much to anyone who lives outside the Hindu caste system. The book’s universal resonance begins when Krishna argues that spiritual discipline and mystical insight are the keys to right action. For many, those premises define what it means to be a martial artist. So it’s no surprise that The Gita speaks to our dreams and doubts. What is surprising is how effective the book is despite the fact that many of the arguments it contains aren’t all that convincing.One tack Krishna tries is to insist that the social order Arjuna is part of is crucial to the cosmic order of things. In other words, the universe will go terribly wrong if warriors stop doing their duty. Considering what we know, it’s doubtful that anyone now believes that the actions of a single man are crucial to the cosmos.Another line of argument from Krishna is that remaining mentally detached from the fruits of one’s action eliminates doubt. But this isn’t an answer. Simply insisting that one surrender desire for victory and doubts about its consequences doesn’t get rid of those doubts. What’s more, Krishna reminds us repeatedly that he’s the supreme deity in human form and that Arjuna need only devote his actions to him to receive absolution. What that boils down to is arguing that it’s OK to kill people in war when you do it for God reasoning we should all be uncomfortable with. The book becomes more convincing when it takes a poetic turn. When Krishna describes the necessary detachment from desire or disdain for victory, he says, “As the mountainous depths of the ocean are unmoved when waters rush into it, so the man unmoved when desires enter him attains a peace that eludes the man of many desires.” The metaphor, once unpacked, offers more than simple appeals to divine authority.But the most affecting parts of The Gita are the central sections leading to Krishna’s theophany. The book builds from talking about the fragments of his divinity to a request from Arjuna to see Krishna’s totality. When his wish is granted, it’s devastating and humbling. Only after seeing the sum of all creation is Arjuna’s doubt dispelled. Then he picks up his bow and fulfills his destiny. For some, me included, it’s easy to imagine that a humbling vision like that would obliterate any will to act. Why bother doing anything after seeing all of time and space at once and glimpsing the birth, life and death of everything? Wouldn’t it make you feel infinitely small and insignificant, thus increasing the emotional paralysis that started the book? It’s hard to say. What we can say is that this kind of mystical vision is what many martial artists work toward to give meaning and purpose to their actions.As martial artists, we can never lose sight of the fact that the violence in The Gita is not mere metaphor. Unlike literary scholars, we can’t minimize that this book is about urging a man of conscience who’s very skilled at hurting, maiming and killing to do so. If the book speaks to us at all, it’s because we take that problem and mystical vision seriously. Translator Barbara Stoler Miller probably said it best in the introduction to her version of the classic, The Bhagavad-Gita: Krishna’s Counsel in Time of War: “We may not share Arjuna’s developing faith in Krishna’s authority or be convinced by Krishna’s insistence that one must perform one’s sacred duty, even when it requires violence. But if we listen carefully to the compelling arguments and the imagery of the dis-course, we cannot but hear the voice of a larger reality.”

ONE Friday Fights 69 went down inside Lumpinee Boxing Stadium on Friday, July 5, with an exceptional night of Muay Thai and MMA action. Nabil Anane silenced many doubters in the main event with his second-round knockout over Kulabdam Sor Jor Piek Uthai. Anane utilized his extreme length to pressure Kulabdam and won the battle in the clinch with elbows and knees. Eventually, the punishment became too much, and Kulabdam fell to the canvas and could not continue. Maisangkum Sor Yingcharoenkarnchang wasted little time in dispatching of Petsansuk ChotBangsaen. The Thai star picked up his sixth consecutive victory on ONE Friday Fights with the first-round win. The knockout came at the 1:53 mark of the first round, showing why ONE Friday Fights remains one of the most exciting showcases for martial arts. Sunday Boomdeksean dropped Chusap Sor Salachee for the first time in the second round of their matchup and he knew the finish was near. As Chusap returned to his feet, Sunday went for it all. Although Chusap answered the referee’s count again, Sunday finished him off by dropping him a third time for the TKO. The meeting between Pongsiri PK Saenchai and Soe Lin Oo was guaranteed to be exciting and the match delivered. In the end, Soe Lin Oo’s power was the difference, putting Pongsiri down for the count in the second round. The victory earned the Myanmar powerhouse a six-figure ONE contract. The first Muay Thai finish of the night came at the hands of Ikko Ota. With blistering speed and impactful force, Ota sent BM Fairtex crashing to the canvas, where he was able to meet the referee’s count. The second-round finish gave Ota his first win in ONE. Mixed martial arts got the night off to a hot start. Katsuaki Aoyagi defeated Jung Jun Hee with a first-round TKO in the night’s opening bout. That was quickly followed by Avazbek Kholmirzaev submitting Changy Kara-Ool with an armbar in the first round to keep the momentum rolling in Bangkok. If you missed any of the action or want to relive every moment of ONE Friday Fights 69, the event is available on-demand at ONE’s official YouTube channel. ONE Friday Fights 69 Full Results Nabil Anane def. Kulabdam Sor Jor Piek Uthai by KO at 2:54 of the second round Nontachai Jitmuangnon def. Alessio Malatesta by unanimous decision Buakhiao Por Paoin def. Raksiam Sor Boonmeerit by unanimous decision Maisangkum Sor Yingcharoenkarnchang def. Petsansuk ChotBangsaen by KO at 1:53 of the first round Sunday Boomdeksean def. Chusap Sor Salacheep by TKO at 1:01 of the second round Mungkorn Boomdeksean def. Kaenlek Sor Chokmeechai by unanimous decision Soe Lin Oo def. Pongsiri PK Saenchai by KO at 0:29 of the second round Elbrus Osmanov def. Miao Aoqi by unanimous decision Ikko Ota defeats BM Fairtex by KO at 1:48 of the second round Avazbek Kholmirzaev def. Changy Kara-Ool via submission (armbar) at 3:39 of the first round Celest Hansen def. Masami by unanimous decision Katsuaki Aoyagi def. Jung Jun Hee by TKO at 4:47 of the first round

Here are the unofficial picks for the most outstanding UFC fighters of the first half of 2024... 5 – Max Holloway Once questioned for potentially being past his prime before his 2018 showdown with Brian Ortega, Max Holloway has since disproved doubters, amassing a record of 7-4. His exceptional performances, especially against notable fighters like Ortega, Calvin Kattar, Yair Rodriguez, Chan Sung Jung, and Justin Gaethje in April, highlight his enduring prowess. Notably, his knockout victory for the BMF title was not just a moment of triumph but a testament to Holloway's unparalleled skill and resilience in the octagon. 4 – Islam Makhachev Islam Makhachev continues to solidify his reign over the lightweight division, extending his winning streak to 14 with a recent victory. In his sole 2024 appearance thus far, Makhachev showcased his dominance by submitting Dustin Poirier in the fifth round, a performance that garnered him both Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night honors. 3 – Robert Whittaker Nearly 12 years into his UFC career, Robert Whittaker is defying expectations. His 2024 campaign includes a Fight of the Year contender against Paulo Costa and a swift victory over Ikram Aliskerov. Despite past setbacks against middleweight title contenders Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya, the Australian phenom is poised for another title shot, proving his enduring tenacity and skill. 2 – Ilia Topuria Ilia Topuria makes a remarkable entrance onto our list with just one fight in the first six months, but what a fight it was. Toppling featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski with a second-round knockout in February, Topuria not only captured the title but also disrupted the division’s hierarchy by ending one of the most dominant reigns in its history. 1 – Alex Pereira The consensus number one, light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira secured his top spot following a sensational first-round finish of former champion Jamahal Hill in April and a stunning knockout of Jiri Prochazka at UFC 303. Known for his poise under pressure and lethal striking, Pereira continues to captivate fans and pundits alike. As whispers of a move to heavyweight grow louder, the excitement surrounding Pereira's future in the sport reaches new heights.

It’s official, GLORY, the world’s largest kickboxing organisation, is returning to Belgium.  GLORY 94  will take place  August 31  live from the  Lotto Arena  in the historical city of  Antwerp .  Headlining GLORY 94 will be an earth-shattering clash between two of the light heavyweight divisions most explosive and unpredictable fighters in  Bahram Rajabzadeh (69-3, 61 KO)  and  Stefan Latescu (17-3, 8 KO) . Both men are known for their knockout power and have become GLORY fan favourites thanks to their incredible displays over the past twelve months. Also confirmed, Belgian superstar  Youssef Boughanem (188-43-8, 120 KO)  returns to compete in a feature bout on the main card against exciting Italian  Angelo Volpe (38-5, 12 KO) . The 34-year-old, former multiple time world Muay Thai champion, made a successful debut in GLORY earlier this year in Paris with a stoppage victory over Stanislav Kazantsev. He will now look to put on a showcase performance at home in front of his Belgian fans on August 31. Over the past eighteen months GLORY has staged several international events in France, Bulgaria, Mexico, Germany, and Japan, as well as stadium events in the Netherlands. In addition to GLORY Belgium, it was recently announced that, for the first time in over a decade, GLORY will return to Croatia on September 21. GLORY 94 will be available to watch live exclusively on Videoland in the Netherlands, on DAZN in France & Belgium, and on Bally Live & Stadium across the United States & Canada. For full global listings, please visit  GLORYKickboxing.com .