ONE 169: Atlanta got its first two matches revealed on Wednesday, and ONE Championship is bringing the gold to the Peach State. ONE Heavyweight MMA World Champion Anatoly Malykhin will put his title on the line against “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane in what is sure to shake the foundation of the State Farm Arena on Friday, November 8. Malykhin, the ONE Middleweight, Light Heavyweight, and Heavyweight MMA World Champion, has reigned over the organization with his superior wrestling and crushing KO power. However, “Reug Reug” is seeking a massive upset to set atop the MMA world. Kane has proven his ability to upset the elite already in his career. In his last outing, “Reug Reug” stunned Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida by decision in an exhausting three-round battle. One more upset will bring him championship glory. Also announced, Tawanchai PK Saenchai and “Smokin” Jo Nattawut will run it back one more time. At ONE 167, Tawanchai edged Nattawut for the second time by decision. He was not pleased with his performance, and many believed Nattawut to have been the better man. The trilogy will finally settle the score and give both men another chance to compete in what has become a sensational series. Nattawut also resides in Atlanta. The Thai athlete gets a home-field advantage after two attempts in Bangkok against Tawanchai. Fans interested in exclusive pre-sale tickets can register here for more information. Pre-sale tickets go on sale Friday, July 5, at 10 a.m. ET/7 a.m. PT. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Friday, July 12, at 10 a.m. ET/7 a.m. PT on Ticketmaster. Exclusive VIP experiences will be delivered by Stage Front VIP. Fans can sign up for more information on Stage Front’s VIP packages at stagefrontvip.com/one .

Start With the Right Philosophy All martial arts are good, Master Wong says. However, people often believe otherwise because they see moves that are done differently from what they’re used to in their style and they seem ineffective. “People want to learn, and when they don’t understand, they start to slag each other off,” he says. “Newcomers don’t know any different. When things like that happen, students get confused. “A good instructor needs to educate students, teach them that nothing is best and everything is good. The key is the context in everyday life in which you use it. As long as you make use of it to change you, to become a better version of yourself, to improve yourself, it is good for you. “People may learn martial arts to fight, to hurt others, even to kill others. But martial arts are about the mind- set that comes with training the body, mind and spirit. When people don’t understand that, they put fighting on top of everything.” Don’t Depend on Technique When students convince themselves that fighting is all that matters, they fixate on techniques as the solutions to every problem, Wong says. “When something hap- pens in real life, when you think someone is going to do [something specific] to you — it’s nothing like that. On the street, nobody’s going to suddenly attack you that way. “If they do attack you a certain way, you probably won’t be prepared for it because you’re wearing differ- ent clothes [than] the clothes you train in. Or because the environment is different, with people or obstacles around you.” In the dojo, he explains, you train in a safe environment, often one-on-one. But when you’re outside the dojo and must defend yourself, you may be in the middle of a conversation in a place where things are happening all around you. To avoid being taken by surprise, you must be aware. Awareness often will give you enough time to respond in a manner that fits the situation, rather than reflexively firing off your favorite technique in hope that it will save the day. “It’s the master’s job to educate students so they understand this,” he says. Strive to Act Before Physical Contact Takes Place Martial artists also should devote time to learning skills they can use before the fight begins, Wong explains. “That’s why I tell them to [focus on] awareness. Most of the time in class, you’re training movements but you’re not aware. The movements are good, but they will be bet- ter if you’re aware. For example, if a person is getting into their car, they should keep an eye on everything because that awareness can save their life. When you are aware, often you can save your life without doing any kind of attack on the other person. A technique is not needed. “But if you’re sitting there and you don’t understand what’s going on and somebody behind you gets a baseball bat — boom! You get hit. Maybe you drop dead. Does that mean you were no good? No, it means you were not aware because your martial art was not in your mind at that moment. That’s why you were sitting there with your back exposed.”  Enhance Your Understanding “I’ve got a saying for when you’re training: ‘Know your- self, know your enemy, know your ability and know your surroundings,’” Wong says. “This is a full concept. “Know yourself and know how to defend yourself. Know how to move effectively. “Know who your enemy is and how he potentially could hurt you. “Know your ability to do damage to other people. Understand that you can hit somebody hard enough to kill them — even if you don’t intend to. For example, you hit them and they fall and hit their head on the concrete. They could die. “Know your surroundings. Know that when you’re in some locations, you won’t have open space [to maneuver]. You might need to reposition yourself to make sure you can defend yourself.” Another facet of understanding self-defense is knowing the law, Wong states. In a fight, you can’t just take any action and use any technique and then tell the police that it was self-defense. “You might go to jail,” he says. “Then your life is ended. Your wife is not going to stay at home and wait for you to come out. She will have left with your best friend. She’s not going to wait because you were stupid. You didn’t understand yourself.” Good martial artists understand themselves and use that understanding to foster self-restraint, Wong adds. You know that it’s acceptable to hit other people while training, in part because they know how to block and/ or use a breakfall. You also know that it’s unacceptable to hit people outside the dojo, in part because of the law and in part because they’re more likely to fall and get seriously hurt. Unintended consequences involving the martial arts are a problem that needs to be avoided at all costs — whether you’re striking or grappling, he says. “If you grapple too loose, it doesn’t work, but if you grapple too tight, it’s easy to break something. You have to respond appropriately. You have to know your ability.” Foster the Proper Attitude in Training Attitude plays a crucial role in the dojo, Wong says. “If you put a crank on me, I’m probably not going to train with you. If I do train with you, I’m going to make sure I break you [the next time]. That is not learning.” Never forget that training is about learning, he adds. “Learning is about controlling movement. When you understand that, you [can exert] control to make sure he cannot move but you’re not hurting him. That is the skill of learning.” Adopting such an attitude about training does not mean letting your guard down. “Always be prepared because you don’t know what [your opponent is] going to do,” Wong says. “He might crank your arm and hurt you, so you need to always monitor what he’s doing so you understand. Know yourself, know your enemy.” In short, you must be aware, he explains. When he does a technique on you, flow with him so you and he can learn. If he’s a good martial artist, he will understand how to control his power so you’re not injured. If he tries something ill-advised, that’s when your awareness needs to kick in and tell you to take action for self-preservation, he says. “You need to be aware and keep an eye on your opponent.” Use Violent Action When Necessary Violent action enables you to use whatever skills and attributes you have in order to respond to a threatening situation right away, Wong explains. “When you attack with speed and violence and with the element of surprise, he’ll have no chance to [escalate], to pull a knife or gun.” To do that most efficiently, you must understand the roles that time, place and method of attack play in self-defense, he says. That readiness should be in play at all times. “In the morning, when you have not drunk your coffee and are not yet awake, are you ready?” Wong asks. “In a strange place, are you aware? If he uses a method of attack that is not the punch you [have been training to defend against], can you take action? What if he uses a knife, a gun or a stick?” Violent action, when coupled with awareness, is the key to countering such unknowns, he says. “When you under- stand that, everything you do becomes easy.” Stay Aware at All Times “Whatever you do, wherever you are, you have to be pre- pared,” Wong says. “Keep an eye on people around you. You never know who they are or what they are doing, so watch their hand positioning, their expression, the bulges under their clothing, whether they are touching [certain things like their waistband].  “Standing where you are, be ready to attack — or not to attack. If something happens, how are you going to move? Pre-scan things so that when something happens, you’re not surprised. You’re combat-ready all the time.” Train in a Suitable Environment Being able to function in any environment is crucial for self-defense, he says. “We train in the open, not on a mat. We do a lot outside, as well. But we always look at safety. If a student tumbles, they might fall. Safety must come first, especially when they’re still learning about awareness. “If you’re experienced, you’re aware. Someone can push you and you will take a step back while avoiding an obstacle. However, someone who’s just learning about awareness might not be able to avoid [the obstacle]. They can fall down and hurt their back, break their wrist, hit their head.” Learn the Four Things Master Wong’s final lesson harkens back to the fundamentals of philosophy. “I teach the four basic things: the purity of your intent, the focus of your will, the level of your awareness and the quality of your character,” he says. “If you have all four, you can excel at anything in life. “Go back to the quality of your character. Is it good? Is it clean? Are you a good person? If you’re a good person, you can learn from anyone and everyone because you’re ready to absorb. You understand, you absorb, you listen. You’re aware.” When you approach your martial art in this way, you’ll better understand yourself, your world and everything you do, he says. “Then everything will be easier because you won’t have problems with people. This is the most important thing — not just for martial arts but for everyday life.” For more information, visit masterwong.tv . This article originally appeared in a 2020 edition of Black Belt Magazine.

After navigating through a series of opponent changes and missed fights, Ikram Aliskerov is set to make a significant impact in the middleweight division as he faces off against Robert Whittaker in the main event of this weekend’s inaugural UFC fight card in Saudi Arabia. Emerging from Dana White's Contender Series (DWCS) Class of '22, the 31-year-old Dagestani fighter showcased his potential by securing two first-round stoppages in his debut year with the UFC. He started with a win against Phil Hawes and followed up with another victory over Warlley Alves at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi. These victories highlighted Aliskerov's potential and his esteemed position as a rising star in the 185-pound class. Initially, he was slated to face former title challenger Paulo Costa, but when that fell through, he was matched with Nassourdine Imavov at UFC 294, only for Imavov to withdraw and be replaced by Alves. Aliskerov was scheduled to fight last weekend in Las Vegas, initially against Andre Muniz and then against newcomer Antonio Trocoli after Muniz withdrew due to a foot injury. The rescheduling allowed Aliskerov the opportunity to test his skills against former champion Whittaker in Riyadh. Facing Whittaker, often seen as a formidable penultimate challenge in the division, this fight is pivotal for Aliskerov to cement his status as a title contender. This year has seen several underdogs step up in the UFC, with notable performances like Steve Erceg's commendable effort in his title fight loss to Alexandre Pantoja. Now, Aliskerov has a similar opportunity to rise to the occasion. This matchup offers him a chance to advance his career with minimal risk and substantial reward, potentially positioning him as a new contender in the middleweight division as the year progresses.

How Martial Arts Started? The origins of martial arts are a subject of debate with various historical perspectives. One school of thought traces its roots to approximately 2,500 years ago, during the spread of Buddhism throughout India. As Buddhism moved north into China, blending religion, spirituality, and combat techniques. Many martial arts historians pinpoint the founding of the Shaolin Temple in China. However, another perspective looks to ancient Greece, the emergence of Pankration around 648 BCE. Pankration, a blend of boxing and wrestling, was practiced as a combat sport in the Greek Olympic Games.. READ MORE: Bruce Lee vs. Chuck Norris: Who Wins? Breathe Like a Master The Way of Mastery Cutting Edge Techniques for Self-Defense

One of Bruce Lee's preferred techniques was the straight right lead. He also taught the lead-hand finger jab, which is technically faster, has a greater reach and requires less force to be effective. Allow me to intercept those who would object to the title of this article. I’m not claiming that there’s a secret move, shortcut or hack that will give you the edge in any fight. Even if there was an ultimate weapon or strategy, you likely would avoid it because you know that attach- ment to any one idea ultimately will limit your options and make you more predictable in battle. With that said, there is a move that’s perhaps the most versatile technique for use in personal combat, and Bruce Lee knew it well. Jeet kune do is a scientific approach to street fighting, a method for developing complete martial artists who are not bound by any style or system. Rather, they’re able to adapt to all styles, systems, situations and circumstances. JKD, of course, is the result of Bruce Lee’s search for the truth of combat, and part of that truth is that those who have mastered attacking the eyes and groin while weaponizing their awareness will have a distinct advantage in a street fight. A street fight is like a very brief game of combat chess involving two strategists. In this context, the “queen of all moves,” the most versatile technique of all, is the bil jee, or thrusting finger jab executed with the lead hand. Simply put, it’s the fastest, most effective strike in the martial arts. It can be found in all traditional styles and reality-based self-defense systems. It even appears in MMA — think about how many times you’ve seen an accidental finger to the eye stop a UFC fight. With the bil jee, you don’t need to pierce or penetrate the target; you just need to touch the eyeball. This offers an incredible advantage from a speed and range perspective. To strike with a boxer’s jab, you must get closer to your opponent and hit “through” the target in order to cause damage. That makes you slower because your fist must travel farther to make contact and then move past that point. In chess, the aim is to attack with the queen while defending your king. The queen isn’t limited to any set pattern and can strike from all angles, making it the most powerful piece on the board. Similarly, the bil jee can attack from any angle, and it can be adapted to work with any style. Further, the technique allows you to maintain the “fighting measure,” or safe fighting distance, and effortlessly strike your enemy’s eyes with the speed of a cobra. Whether you choose to initiate the attack or use a counterattack, the bil jee offers an opportunity to create a flinch response or a moment of pain. This is your op- portunity to steal the next beat in time and seize an open line of attack. For example, using a high-low-high strategy, you first attack the eyes (high) with a bil jee, then on the next half-beat, you attack the groin (low) with a lead- leg kick. Finally, you come back up to the eyes (high) for another bil jee. The real power of the bil jee lies in its seamless integration with other striking, trapping and grappling tools. Depending on one tool or strategy as your be-all and end-all is not a good tactical approach. The chess master knows this, which is why he uses every piece on the board and coordinates attack and defense in an integrated fashion. In JKD, the idea is simply to simplify. Attack the eyes and the groin, maintain the distance and intercept the space between. Use elbow and knee destructions to defang the snake and destroy the opponent’s punches and kicks. Be deceptive with footwork and timing, and draw him by setting and breaking rhythms. Weaponize aware- ness to connect to him, create opportunities and adapt like water. When the opponent expands, contract. When the opponent contracts, expand. Recognize patterns and seize openings by waiting, observing and reading his movements and intentions. DEFEND THE KING As you attack with your queen, you must not forget to defend your king. The king, in this case, is your breath. In chess, the king can move only one square at a time. Similarly, breathing can be managed only one breath at a time. If you lose track of your breathing, you’re doomed — in a fight and in life. Proper breathing is important for two reasons: It allows you to conserve energy, and it helps you weaponize your awareness. When you fight, fear, stress and anxiety create tension, which can cause you to hold your breath. When you hold your breath, your energy gets depleted. Feeling slower and weaker, you start to panic. Obsessive thinking sets in, and the chatter in your mind robs you of the pres- ent moment, making you your own worst enemy. Controlling your respiration in tense situations is a skill that must be developed. Learning to relax on demand during conflict, chaos and the ever-changing circumstances of a fight is often overlooked and usually undertrained. Fighting changes from moment to moment based on you, your opponent and your environment. Victory is not in the end result. Rather, victory is gained by mak- ing the right decisions and adapting from one moment to the next. To effectively adapt to your opponent, you must learn to weaponize your awareness. To weaponize your awareness, you must learn to come from the center of time and space. The center of time and space is where you, the observer, should live. An observer has no thoughts, judgments or attachments. An observer knows without knowing and acts and reacts on his own. That may sound mystical, but it’s really not. Consider: While driving your car, have you ever swerved out of the way at the last moment and barely avoided an accident? It’s almost like you moved before you had time to process the event, and only afterward did you realize what you’d done. In sparring, have you ever just hit your opponent and then, in the next moment, realized that he was open? This is the phenomenon you’re after. Awareness is always there; it’s just that some people have lost touch with it. By reconnecting with awareness, you’re not creating any- thing new. Rather, you’re connecting with something you may have forgotten. WEAPONIZE YOUR AWARENESS My tai chi master taught that to weaponize awareness and orient from the center of time and space, a martial artist needs to know the four pillars of the mind  imagination, sensation, intention and attention. They're considered the keys to weaponizing awareness because they teach you to task your mind with orienting from the perspective of the observer and not the thinker. Outlined below is the three-step process that I te ach a ll my stu- dents, from military and l aw - enforcement personnel to civi li an martial artists. STEP 1: ORIENT FROM THE STILL POINT Start by directing your intention and attention to your respiration. When you inhale and exhale, feel your abdomen expand and contract. Now focus on the still   point of the breath, the pause between an inhalation and exhalation and be - tween an exhalation and inhalation. During the pauses, direct your intention to your heartbeat. F eel the sensa- tion as it ripples throughout your body li ke a stone rip pling on a pond.  Count four heartbeats, then slowly increase the num­ber.If you try to expand the duration of your still points too quickly, you'll introduce tension in your body. Your mind will start to panic because it thinks you're dying due to lack of air. Rest assured you're not going to die. Instead, smile, relax and let go of the tension. Don't force this. As you practice and relax into it, the time between breaths will increase naturally, and you'll develop internal awareness. Once this becomes comfortable, expand your awareness outside your body and listen to the sounds in the room. Next, you must learn how to operate from the center of space. You need to extend your spatial awareness outward toward the six directions: forward and backward, left and right, and up and down. Extend your awareness by putting your intention and attention in these directions, and you'll be operating from the center of space. Remember that your awareness is a full 360 degrees, not just what's in front of you. You can try it right now while you're sitting. Concentrate on extending your attention into the six directions. Let your awareness envelope the entire room. If it seems difficult, do two directions at a time until you feel comfortable, then integrate the others.  The next phase is to imagine your physical body melt­ing away. All that's left is internal and external awareness, which merge into one "noticing awareness." As you practice removing yourself (mind and body) from the equation, you'll become familiar with this state of being. You'll create a new reference point, which is the center of time and space.  STEP 2: MAINTAIN AWARENESS INCHAOS: Now you're ready to start training your point of orientation under stress. You can introduce stress through exercise - by running sprints, for example. The goal is to exert maximum effort while maintaining focus on each stride, breath and heart­ beat, as well as the six directions of awareness. As you tire, your mind wants to wander. It wants to focus on the pain and the lack of air while forgetting about the directions. It wants to distract you with negative thoughts such as "This is hard!" or "I can't do this!"  This is OK. It's actually the moment you're seeking. It represents an opportunity to direct your awareness back to your breath, your heartbeat and the six directions. This ability to redirect can be used in everything you do, from hitting a heavy bag to sparring to forms. STEP3: RECOVER TO THE CENTER OF TIME AND SPACE The  moment you complete your sprint, you'll be exhausted. This is when you must mindfully take over the recovery response. Your heart will be pounding, and you'll be close to hyperventilating. Your goal is to quickly redirect your attention into slowing your breathing, maintaining your directional awareness and beginning to relax. Repeat the word "calm" as you exhale. When you inhale, do it from your belly, not your chest. Remember the sensation of relaxation from Step 1 and reconnect yourself to that state with each breath. Recovering to the center point is crucial because you never know when you might be blindsided by a situation - or an attacker. Your ability to quickly get hold of your senses, your emotions and your breath is of vital importance when you need to reset and recover. Remember that your awareness is the governor of your weapons, and as such, it must be trained. Orienting from the still point will allow you to observe your opponent and better read his intentions, movements and tells. It will become natural. This will aid you in positioning yourself and making decisions. You'll be outside your head, orienting from noticing awareness. Time will ap­pear to slow. By controlling your respiration and returning to the center, you'll be able to deal with chaos while controlling fear, stress and anxiety. HEED THE WISDOM OF MUSASHI Tactics, strategies and weapons are just knowledge, and knowledge without wisdom can be dangerous. Wisdom is the application of knowledge. You can learn about awareness, understand strategy and know the fastest move (the bil jee), but if you can't apply this knowledge, it's just useless information. Miyamoto Musashi said,"The way is in training." Your confidence stems from experiential knowledge and knowing that you've embodied your tools and strategies so they can be adapted for use in changing situations. Only then can you be wholly in the moment and surrender to the experience by letting go of victory or defeat.  The best way to develop this ability is by using a train­ing method that's fun and functional. It should develop your physical attributes, strategies and weapon selection while sharpening your awareness. It should be equal parts feeding drills, counter-for-counter drills and sparring against resisting opponents. Because a fight is a living exchange, your training must incorporate timing, angles, distance and progressive resistance. To help you with this, I have developed a method that gamifies the learning process. PLAY COMBAT CHESS To absorb all the benefits of training, you need a step-by­ step progression that chunks pieces of information and installs them in your subconscious mind. The greatest chess masters isolate individual pieces - for example, a king versus a king and a pawn. Chess masters learn how these isolated pieces move together on the board, and this information is stored in their subconscious. This isolation method of training accelerates the learning process, which is why Rickson Gracie made it part of his Brazilian jiu-jitsu training philosophy. When you isolate tools or positions, you have fewer options and are forced to focus on energy, awareness, timing, and the space between the strikes and positions.  The four “games” listed below can be used to functionalize any tactic or strategy, but to mesh with this article, you should focus on bil jee attacks to the eyes and lead- leg attacks to the groin. For best results, experiment with opponents of different body types and martial arts back- grounds. Start by feeding each other techniques with no resistance so the correct mechanics can be learned. Next, introduce counters so you can start to understand timing and the appropriate responses. Finally, incorporate resistance and intelligently spar using the isolated weapons and positions. GAME 1: COORDINATE AWARENESS AND MOVEMENT Your partner, wear- ing boxing gloves, is restricted to using only the jab. His goal in the first round is to hit you 30 percent of the time while feeding you 70 percent of the time. In the second round, he switches to hitting you 70 per- cent of the time and feeding you 30 percent. Your objective is to move, watch and breathe. When moving, reposition your feet, head and hands as one unit. When watching, extend your awareness in all six directions. When breathing, don’t tense up or hold your breath.  GAME 2: ISOLATE TOOLS AND ATTACK STRATEGIES Start by having your partner don boxing gloves and eye protection. Then the two of you will pit the bil jee against the boxer’s jab. Assign an attack strategy (primary attack or secondary attack) to each person. Primary attack has you initiating with one of JKD’s five ways of attack (single direct attack, attack by combination, progressive indirect attack, attack by draw, and trapping or hand-in- mobilization attack). Secondary attack has your partner initiating and you choosing whether to counter before, during or after the strike. Each partner should take turns using the attack strategies and then combining them. GAME 3: INTEGRATE TOOLS AND ATTACK STRATEGIES This exercise involves bringing other tools into the matrix while alternating primary and secondary attacks. The following are some combinations that will help you functionalize strikes to the eyes and groin:  Your partner uses the jab, cross and hook while you use the bil jee.  Your partner uses the jab, cross and hook while you use the bil jee and your lead leg.  Your partner uses the jab, cross and hook, as well as kicks, while you use the bil jee and your lead leg.  Your partner uses takedowns while you use the bil jee and your lead leg.  Your partner uses strikes and takedowns while you use the bil jee and your lead leg. Your partner uses strikes and takedowns while you use the bil jee and all your other weapons.  The best way to improve is to train with partners who are skilled at each discipline or range. That will ensure you get the correct pressure and resistance based on their timing, angulation, and ability to close and main- tain distance. GAME 4: ATTRIBUTE DEVELOPMENT Nothing kicks you into high gear like facing a partner with a training blade or rattan stick. Because of the speed with which a training blade can move, your footwork, timing, awareness and alert- ness must be hyper-focused. Because of the power with which a rattan stick can be wielded, you must bridge the gap and close the distance efficiently while striving to improve your reaction time and spatial awareness Adding multiple opponents to this game increases the intensity and pressure. It also forces you to adapt to more stimuli, which ones your reflexes. Make sure you have proper safety equipment, especially eye protection. PUT THE ART IN MARTIAL ART “Creation” refers to making something that didn’t exist before. When you create art, there can be no fear of the outcome, just honest self- expression. By following the combat-chess methodology, you’ll start chunking information and installing the chunks in your subconscious. Your subconscious has the ability to connect the various groupings of information and create responses without conscious thought, leaving you to be the observer of the experience. Operating as the observer will make time seem to flow more slowly and allow you to “start after but arrive before” your opponent. It’s the most freeing phenomenon that can be experienced in the martial arts. It’s the instinctive response that Bruce Lee was referring to when he said, “It hits all by itself.” The master key to success in this fighting process is you. Remember that results rule. Question everything and always look to explore, discover, grow and create. Harinder Singh Sabharwal teaches jeet kune do, wing chun, tai chi, savate, kali, boxing, wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He’s the founder of the Jeet Kune Do Athletic Association and Black Belt University. For information about his new online course, visit jkdforblackbelts.com .  This article originally appeared in a 2020 edition of Black Belt Magazine.

How Have Martial Arts Changed My Life? Martial arts can transform your life in numerous ways, enhancing your self-confidence, self-discipline, and focus, while also equipping you with physical self-defense skills. However, the greatest benefit of martial arts is the development of humility, understanding that your skills are meant not to harm others, but to help and protect them . READ MORE: Breathe Like a Master Combating Stress with Martial Arts Cutting Edge Techniques for Self-Defense

Just over a year ago, Muhammad Naimov, a former contestant on Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS), was seeking another shot at the UFC spotlight. After exiting the annual talent search following a loss to Collin Anglin in Season 4 and a subsequent defeat at Titan FC, Naimov bounced back, racking up three consecutive wins on the regional scene. Today, Naimov is preparing for his fourth UFC bout, having successfully extended his winning streak to six. This impressive run includes two notable victories last year and a third win in early 2024 within the UFC’s challenging environment. Splitting his training time between Southwest Russia and the Elevation Fight Team in Denver, the Tajikistan native made an impactful promotional debut. He stepped in on short notice, moved up a weight class, and secured a second-round stoppage against the seasoned Australian fighter Jamie Mullarkey. Following a tough fight with Nathaniel Wood at UFC 294, where Naimov emerged victorious on the scorecards, he quickly returned to action in February. In this outing, he claimed a win just 44 seconds into the first round due to an injury stoppage when his opponent Erik Silva sustained a leg injury. Naimov’s early UFC career has seen a series of unusual matchups, and the trend continues with his upcoming fight against DWCS graduate Melsik Baghdasaryan. Baghdasaryan, a 32-year-old kickboxer, last fought in July, defeating Tucker Lutz. He has had limited exposure, with only four fights since joining the UFC roster in September 2020 following a victory over Dennis Buzukja. For Naimov, the upcoming bout is more than just another fight; it's an opportunity to maintain his momentum and possibly secure a significant position in the featherweight rankings. With the division currently experiencing a lot of movement, a fourth consecutive UFC win and seventh overall could propel “Hillman” into the Top 15 as the year progresses.

As UFC Fight Night approaches this Saturday in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Robert Whittaker is gearing up to face Ikram Aliskerov in a highly anticipated middleweight bout. The former champion, known for his humility and relentless spirit, remains undeterred by the change of opponent from Khamzat Chimaev to Aliskerov, maintaining his reputation for accepting any challenge in the UFC's octagon. Whittaker, who holds a distinguished record within the UFC, continues to demonstrate his willingness to face the toughest competitors, embodying the "anyone, anywhere, anytime" mantra. This approach has seen him take on a series of formidable adversaries, each a top contender or former titleholder. His upcoming bout with Aliskerov, a rising star with a solid track record in the UFC, aligns with Whittaker's career-long commitment to taking on significant challenges. Aliskerov steps in after Chimaev's withdrawal, bringing a 15-1 record that includes impressive first-round stoppages in his recent UFC outings. Whittaker, reflecting on his career and mindset, emphasised his readiness and anticipation for the fight. Known for his strategic approach and resilience, he is focused not just on winning but on proving his superiority in the division. His recent victory over Paulo Costa at UFC 298 showcased his determination and skill, setting the stage for another standout performance this weekend. As the UFC makes its debut in Riyadh at the Kingdom Arena, fans can expect an electrifying match-up. Whittaker's readiness to engage with tough opponents and his track record of thrilling fights promise to make this event memorable. The prelims are scheduled to begin at 12pm ET, followed by the main card at 3pm ET on ABC.

In a recent interview on The Jim Rome Show, Dana White, the CEO of UFC, officially announced that the middleweight championship will be contested at UFC 305 as main event. The event is set to take place on August 17 at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, featuring champion Dricus Du Plessis and former titleholder Israel Adesanya. "August 17 in Perth. Now it's official," confirmed White during the show. This will be Du Plessis’s first title defense since he secured the championship from Sean Strickland at UFC 297 in Toronto. On the other hand, Adesanya is aiming to make history by becoming the first fighter to achieve three separate title reigns within the same division, a feat only previously accomplished by Randy Couture. UFC 305 marks the third UFC Pay-Per-View event in Perth, following the successful UFC 221 and the record-setting UFC 284 events held in the city. Additionally, White touched upon various topics during the interview, including Conor McGregor’s status, recent challenges in arranging short-notice main events, Khamzat Chimaev’s health issues, and other UFC-related news.

The UFC Apex in Las Vegas was buzzing with excitement on Saturday, June 15th, 2024, as UFC Fight Night: Perez vs. Taira delivered an electrifying night of action-packed fights. With eleven bouts across various weight classes, the event showcased a mix of thrilling finishes and hard-fought decisions, leaving fans on the edge of their seats. Main Event Shocker The highly anticipated main event featured a clash of flyweight contenders, Alex Perez and Tatsuro Taira. In a stunning turn of events, Taira secured a victory in the second round with a devastating knee injury from a takedown, ending Perez's night and propelling Taira further up the flyweight rankings. Co-Main Event & Main Card Highlights: The co-main event saw Miles Johns emerge victorious over Douglas Silva de Andrade in a unanimous decision, showcasing his dominance in the bantamweight division. The main card delivered exciting matchups across different weight classes: Featherweight: Lucas Almeida defeated Timmy Cuamba in a unanimous decision. Bantamweight: Brady Hiestand secured a submission victory over Garrett Armfield with a rear-naked choke in the third round. Flyweight: Asu Almabayev outpointed Jose Johnson, earning a unanimous decision win. Welterweight: Adam Fugitt emerged victorious in a closely contested split decision against Josh Quinlan. Preliminary Card Action The preliminary card set the tone for an action-packed night with a series of thrilling finishes and competitive bouts: Flyweight: Nate Maness defeated Jimmy Flick via unanimous decision. Flyweight: Gabriella Fernandes secured a split decision victory over Carli Judice. Featherweight: Westin Wilson submitted Jeka Saragih with a triangle armbar in the first round. Featherweight: Melquizael Costa finished Shayilan Nuerdanbieke with a rear-naked choke in the third round. Strawweight: Josefine Knutsson dominated Julia Polastri, earning a unanimous decision win. UFC Fight Night: Perez vs. Taira proved to be a memorable evening, marked by unforgettable highlights and remarkable demonstrations of talent. The competition confirmed Taira's emergence as a promising contender in the flyweight category and highlighted the abundance of skill in different weight divisions. As the UFC consistently presents captivating spectacles, enthusiasts are eagerly looking forward to the next phase in this dynamic sport.

Punches, kicks, pivots, throws and jumps. You and, if you teach, your students execute thousands of them over the course of normal training, and they’re all exciting and essential parts of any martial arts program. BUT HOW MANY TIMES have you been limited in class because of knee pain? If you teach, how many times have you had a student miss months of training because of a serious injury like an ACL tear? To the “older” population out there: How many of you have blamed years of martial arts practice for your current knee pain? How many of you find yourselves walking funny around the house in the morning? It’s easy to point to years of wear and tear as the cause and think there was nothing that could have been done to prevent it. Make no mistake: Knee injuries aren’t cool “battle wounds.” They’re serious limitations on the kind of life you and your students truly want to live. Instead of trying to treat pain later on, I believe we should take a proactive approach to keeping everyone healthy now. We live in a very reactive society, where we try to put a patch on the symp- toms instead of seeking out the problem at its source. I’m here to help show you that there’s a better way, one that supports both performance and longevity. OFTEN, THE UNDERLYING problem doesn’t have a quick solution. But I have faith in the martial arts community to have the discipline and sensibility to understand that true success takes time. If you’re a teacher, you have a real responsibility to keep your students healthy — not only now but for many years to come. Some areas that often become damaged within the knee are the ligaments, menisci and the region beneath the kneecap. Frequently, the actual cause of knee pain is a secondary concern compared to the issues at the joints above and below the kneecap. Strong knees require strong quadriceps, hamstrings and calf muscles to support them. When designing any injury-prevention program for the knee, it’s important to take a full-body approach. If you want to decrease knee problems, I strongly suggest targeting the mobility and stability of the hips and ankles. Here are some knee health tips. Hip Mobility: Whether you’re kick- ing, punching or working with some- one in your guard while lying on your back, having the right amount of flexibility in your hips serves as a foundation for all movement. If squatting causes your hips to feel “stuck,” it indicates that there may be excessive force going through your knees. Multiply that by the number of times you squat in the dojo, and you have a recipe for knee pain. Hip Strength: Once you’ve developed sufficient flexibility, you should work on building an ample amount of strength to control your body through movements such as those. Building a base of strength serves as your foundation for the performance of more powerful techniques. Ankle Mobility: Whenever you squat or jump, your ankles need to have enough range of motion to successfully keep stress off your knees. Can you imagine a marathon runner with poor ankle mobility? Sooner or later, something is going to hurt. Whether running or spar- ring, increasing mobility in the ankles is paramount. Ankle Strength: With the amount of bouncing and pivoting you do on the mat, adequate strength is clearly needed in this region. Unlike sports in which you get to wear shoes, the martial arts are often practiced bare- foot. Without any external support, it’s imperative that you add specific ankle-strengthening exercise to your routine. AS YOU CAN SEE, preventing knee injuries requires the ability to see outside the box. Stop chasing the pain and target the underlying areas for the future of yourself and your students. It will keep you and them healthy and performing amazingly now — and healthy and living life to the fullest later. Dr. Jason Han is a seven-time USA Taekwondo team member, a sports physical therapist, and a certified strength and conditioning coach. Based in Pasadena, California, he’s worked with numerous Olympic athletes and NFL players during his career. This article originally appeared in a 2020 edition of Black Belt Magazine.

Bruce Lee wrote, “The straight punch is the core of jeet kune do.” To write an article on the straight lead, then, is to write an article on the most basic, fundamental principles of JKD. In fact, the entire structure of the art was designed around the most efficient and forceful delivery of the straight punch. Strategically, you must have a strong lead hand for both offense and defense. Other weapons— hook punches, rear crosses, uppercuts and kicks—are of little use without a good lead hand to set them up. The culmination of years of scientific study, the straight lead is a biomechanical marvel maximizing the potential for leverage, accuracy, acceleration and force production. Once you have grasped the mechanics behind it, you will be able to learn other JKD punches and kicks with greater ease. Straight hitting is no simple task. Lee said so, as did all his major boxing influences: Edwin L. Haislet, Jim Driscoll and Jack Dempsey. “The ability to hit straight from the shoulder is not a natural act,” Haislet wrote. “It cannot be learned by chance, and experience does not teach it. Straight hitting, with body behind each blow, is an art that takes years of study and practice to perfect.” Years. You do not learn the straight lead overnight. Beginners often try it for a few weeks, become discouraged by their lack of power and give up, reverting to their old ways. They later wonder why their progress plateaus, but as the saying goes, the definition of insanity is repeating the same action over and over, expecting different results. Learning the straight lead may require you to step out of your comfort zone for a little while.  The Stance Before you can throw the straight lead, you must have a place from which to throw it, and in jeet kune do, everything be- gins and ends with the JKD stance. The physical ingredients are on-guard positioning, footwork and movement, and postures in relaying force. They are determined by the underlying ingredients: balance, economy of form and efficient mechanics. In the rush to whale away on an opponent, people may think that the small details are trivial matters and that simply coupling approximated gross movements with brute force is enough. But precision in executing the roots of JKD is everything. Lee said, “Good form is the most efficient manner to accomplish the purpose of a performance with a minimum of lost motion and wasted energy.” There’s been some dispute over which hand should lead, but you only have to go to the source—Bruce Lee’s writings—to find that the right hand is always referenced as the lead hand because “in this stance, you will attack mostly with the right hand and right foot just as a boxer in his left stance uses mainly his left jab, hook, etc.”  Stand with your feet slightly wider than a shoulders’ width apart. Line your right toe up so that your right foot makes about a 30-degree angle with the line. Your knees should be slightly bent. Your left leg will exert pressure on the ball of the foot, causing the spring so necessary to the straight lead. Because you will want to propel all your body weight forward, you do not want to waste any extra energy overcoming unnecessary inertia. This is why you want to feel all your weight, all your potential energy, concentrated on the inside, or medial sides, of your legs.  Also important to the storing of potential energy is what Lee referred to as the “small phasic bent-knee stance.” The bend in the knees gives you greater flexibility and mobility, allowing you to spring into action at will. Obviously, if you start from a straight-leg position, you have nowhere left to spring from and, therefore, no way of generating power. From a defensive perspective, bent knees allow you to give a little when receiving punches, taking some of the force out of a blow. Perhaps the most important advantage of a bent-knee stance is that it places your center of gravity in the optimal position—in other words, it enables you to achieve balance. The Power Line When we think of stances, we usually think of a static position. But we’ve already established that the JKD stance is designed to maximize mobility and force production. You stand in the on-guard position so that when you hit, you’ll be in the most favorable position to relay force. With this in mind, we need to consider what proper alignment will look like at the point of impact, and one of the most important elements of the stance at impact is the power line. The power line is the reason you punch “thumbs up,” as opposed to the palm-down fist seen in modern boxing. It’s also why you use the bottom three knuckles as your striking surface instead of the top two knuckles used in other martial arts. The power line is quite simply determined by your anatomy. If you extend your arm and make a fist, you’ll see that there is a straight line from your shoulder to those bottom three knuckles, not to the top two knuckles. The second benefit of the bottom-three-knuckle landing is a “big picture” argument. Since the straight lead is the most frequently thrown punch in JKD, it makes sense that we want to incur the least wear and tear on our bodies from throwing it. Good form is what will keep you in JKD for the long haul. The rear hand is positioned for protection, to parry and block blows aimed at your head. Keep your left hand close to the left side of your chin. A good left hand and judgment of distance can make you nearly impossible to hit. Parrying with the left hand also gives you a feel for your opponent’s range. You should keep your elbow close, to protect your side. By simply turning your trunk, you can deflect most blows to the body with your left arm. To correctly position your front hand, stand with it extended and resting at your side. Keeping your shoulder completely relaxed, bend your arm at about a 45-degree angle. There should be little space, if any, between your arm and your side. Holding your arm away from your body places tension on your shoulder, and you’ll be wasting energy holding it out. This will slow you down. I’ll talk more about mechanics and hip rotation later, but let’s touch on the subject here in relation to what proper alignment looks like at impact. From the on-guard position, extend your lead arm as you rotate your hips counterclockwise. As your hip rotates, your shoulder will follow. Notice that as you rotate your hips and shoulders, you actually become a narrower target, making you less susceptible to counterattacks. Passages in Tao of Jeet Kune Do and Haislet’s Boxing address this additional advantage of the stance. By the way, throwing a modern-day boxing jab does not give you this benefit. The palm-down jab does nothing to narrow your target area. It is only the straight lead that allows you to further protect the centerline as you launch an offensive. Mechanics of the Straight Lead Over the years, I’ve come to realize what a technical marvel the straight lead is. In investigating the disciplines of biomechanics, physics and the history of fighting science, Lee was ahead of his time, and judging from the way that many people still throw their punches, he’s still light years ahead. Indeed, the straight lead is a beautiful example of scientific application—the laws of physics set into poetic motion. As we dive into the mechanics of the technique, keep in mind Lee’s “essential qualities of the lead punch”: economy of form, accuracy, speed and explosive power. You’ll also want to remember that the end-force production of the straight lead is greater than the sum of its parts. The idea is that less movement equals less time and energy. You never want any single body part to travel more than it has to. For example, if you throw an arm punch, not only will you have less power without your body weight behind it, but you’ll also be slower, not to mention more fatigued. If you’re only using one set of muscles, they’re going to get tired a lot faster than if you recruit other muscles to help out. That’s why the feet and hips are so important in the straight lead. Your arm can move only so fast by itself. But if the hand covers some distance and your feet also cover distance, you’ll get there a lot faster. And rotating the hips will give you even more acceleration, and more acceleration means additional force. The principle that the force behind a punch should be greater than the sum of its parts is what the world of biomechanics refers to as the kinetic chain. What I call the “science of how to best throw your weight around” is nothing new to the world of sports, and the sequence of how to best accomplish this is what we call the kinetic chain. The kinetic chain is the coordinated activation of body segments in such a way as to generate maximum velocity, force or some other desired outcome. The purpose of the kinetic chain is to place the end segment, the hand, in the best position to generate optimum velocity—which, in turn, generates maximum force. The correct body-segment activation results in generation of a force that is greater than the sum of its parts. This is why we discourage arm punching. It’s an inefficient way of throwing a punch. It’s slower and generates minimal force. But by pushing from the ground up and rotating your trunk, you are able to put all your body weight behind your arm. The Sequence When it comes to executing punches and kicks, JKD truly is the science of how to best throw your weight around. Punches should be, as Lee noted, “not just arm power—strike with correct timing of foot, waist, hip, shoulder and wrist motion.” Note the phrase “correct timing.” To avoid mere arm punching, you must follow an intricate sequence of steps in throwing the straight lead: • Step One: Hand Be- fore Foot, Always The very first motion of this punch is the most difficult to master. The hand must move before anything else, which is a very unnatural motion. When we run, for example, we are used to synchronization of our arms and legs. This is not the case with the straight lead. In Tao of Jeet Kune Do, Lee wrote: “In all hand techniques, the hand moves first, preceding the foot. Keep this in mind— hand before foot—always.” There are several reasons for this. The first is a matter of speed. You will always be able to move your hand and arm faster than your legs or trunk, resulting in a punch that will reach its target sooner. The second is being non- telegraphic. The straight lead is especially dangerous because of its non telegraphic properties. I’ve already mentioned the advantage of using the lead hand because of its proximity to the target. This is only an advantage, though, if it is executed properly. You shoot out your fist as straight as an arrow from wherever it is and return the hand along the exact same path. • Step Two: The Push-Off Following the fist by mere milliseconds are the feet. This is the push-off. If a large part of JKD is the science of how to best throw one’s weight around, the push-off is what sets that weight into motion. You want to have a controlled push-off. Lee emphasized small, controlled steps. You should never sacrifice distance for balance. Retain the integrity of your stance. You are essentially moving from point A to point B without upsetting the on-guard position. Also, remember that the push-off is a take-off. You are unleashing all that potential energy stored in your left leg.  There’s more to the push-off than just the push. Remember from Isaac Newton’s first law of motion, you need to overcome inertia to launch into the straight lead. In general, your weight is distributed 50-50 between your right and left leg. But when you are poised to throw a straight lead, you actually cheat inertia a little by shifting your weight ever so slightly to your lead leg. You’ll require less force to propel your body weight into the punch. • Step Three: Hip Rotation and Shoulder Extension Rotation of your hip helps to compensate for the effect of gravity. First, it enables you to increase your acceleration toward the target. Once you have thrown out your lead hand and pushed off, gravity is going to slow you down as it drags you to- ward the ground. But this isn’t what you want. To generate the most force, you need to continue to accelerate. To achieve that, rotate your torso. Put your shoulder into the punch when you rotate your hips. Fully extend at the shoulder but beware: Do not add extra linear reach by straightening your legs. This is a common mistake. People tend to think that because the lead punch is directed linearly toward the target, all the power must come from linear mechanisms. Wrong. The rotation of your trunk is critical to generating force. The linear portion of the punch is mainly controlled by the extension of your hand and the push-off. • Step Four: We Have Contact! When the punch lands with the bottom three knuckles, you add more force to the technique. You must direct all your speed, energy, form, alignment and body weight toward one little point that culminates at those bottom three knuckles. Your hand should be completely relaxed right up to the moment before it hits the target. Being unnecessarily tense wastes energy and slows you down. Think about it: Once you see the target, you have to overcome that tension and relax your muscles first so you can move them. You can eliminate this step by being relaxed in the first place. Easier said than done, I know, but don’t forget to work on it.  Fist clenching doesn’t occur until just before impact. As is always the case, muscles should be activated only when they are needed. Otherwise, you waste energy and restrict your ability to move quickly. • Step Five: Landing of the Front Foot Rotation of the hips is considered the final step before contact with the target, but as this occurs, you will be in midair, on your way back down to the ground in the second half of the push-off. Recall that the first half of the push-off sets your body in two directions—horizontally (linear) and vertically (upward). The horizontally linear aspect of the push-off is very much like a fencer’s lunge, propelling your body forward in the direction of the target. • Step Six: Contact and Retracting the Hand In many martial arts, a punch ends once it lands, but this is not the case in JKD, where retraction of the hand is every bit as important as launching it from the on-guard stance. Retracting the hand is obviously important because it gets you back into position to throw the next punch. But what isn’t commonly understood is that how you retract your hand can greatly contribute to the damage you do. You already know that the force of your fist will be much greater when the time of contact with the target is very short. The momentum of your fist is decreased considerably when you hit, for example, a focus mitt. And the less time your fist is in contact with that focus mitt, the greater the force of the impact. This isn’t to say that you don’t “go through” the target. Penetrating the target is an important part of doing damage with the straight lead. As Lee wrote, “All punches should end with a snap several inches behind the target. Thus, you punch through the opponent yet end the punch with a snap.” The Three-Point Landing The final step in executing the straight lead is what Ted Wong refers to as the three-point landing. If there is a segment of the straight lead that might be called “easy,” this is it, for if you have performed all the other steps perfectly and in their correct sequence, this final step literally should fall into place. The first point of the three-point landing should be your fist on the target. You never want your lead or rear foot to hit the ground before your hand lands. Why? Because you want to take advantage of the downward gravitational force acting on your body mass. When you hit the target before your front foot hits the ground, you are taking advantage of the second, downward half of projectile motion and redirecting the force of your body weight toward the target. If your foot lands before you hit the target, all that force goes into the ground and is wasted. Land on your heel first, then let the rest of your foot touch the floor. This ensures a stable landing. Landing on your rear foot is the last of the three points. You should end up in the on-guard stance with no adjustments required to fire off another perfect straight punch. About the author: A registered dietician, Teri Tom is a board member of the Bruce Lee Foundation and the first woman to be certified to teach jeet kune do under Ted Wong. This article was excerpted, with permission, from her book, The Straight Lead: The Core of Bruce Lee’s Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do. For more information, visit http://www.tuttlepublishing.com . To order Tao of Jeet Kune Do, visit http://www.blackbeltmag.com . Jeet Kune Do and Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do are registered trademarks owned by Concord Moon.