Martial Combat

Hey peeps!!! Sorry I was away for SOOOOO long... *guilty look* Thanks for coming back for updates every now and then. I've got so many things in store for you guys this week, so hope it makes up! =D

I was wondering for the whole week how to write this post, on something I've absolutely no knowledge about. Then I thought, LIKE HOW I NORMALLY WRITE LA!!!!! I figured since most (or all) of you won't know anything about MMA, I'll tell u guys about this macam I talk to my friends la, boleh? ^.^

Okay, I got invited to this event at Resorts World Sentosa last week. RESORTS WORLD SENTOSA LEH!!! The last time I went there was for Star Awards and I got ferried straight to the convention centre, or something like that. And didn't really get a chance to explore the place. Anyway, my memory of that place was a blur, that's all I remember. This time, my manager drove me in, and we were given the beginners' impression of RWS, from getting lost INSIDE the very very very huge carpark, to finding our own way to the Convention Centre, to knowing where the ATM is located (It's beside Toast Box anyway). Actually that was all I found out. I'll reserve the rest of RWS for when someone decides to bring me to Universal Studios!!!!! *drooling just thinking about it*

I rode, and parked my bike in VivoCity. Yeah, Sentosa STILL does not allow motorcycles into the island, other than to Sentosa Cove because some residents do own motorcycles. So...Shavy drove me in...

All prepared for the event, except for the failed proper adhesion of my lashes on my right eye.

Grrr.....

If you wanna drive into Resorts World, be prepared that the carpark charges are scary...$6 for 1st hr, and subsequent hours cost $2/hr. One thing good is it absorbs Sentosa Island admission charges. And it's capped at a maximum of S$20 for 24 hours. Good news is during weekday-lunch hours from between 12.00pm and 2.00pm, RWS is introducing a special concession rate of S$1 for the first hour of parking.

Okay la parking at Marina Bay Sands is scarier...

MBS charges $8 an hour, followed by $2 per subsequent hour, and it's capped at $28 per 24-hour period. By far the most expensive carpark in Singapore. I'd go to Sentosa anytime man..there's shopping, casino (whatever the MS has) PLUS Universal Studios, and if I wanna get out of RWS, I can still go to other parts of Sentosa...

Walking towards the Convention Centre and feeling super swakoo coz I was like "WAH!!!! Very big leh!!! Very nice leh!!! WAH SHAVY(my manager)! See the lights!!!"

I think that somehow, I'm still very much a Kampung Girl...heh~

Trying to look seh despite my excitement.

Anyway, MMA stands for Mixed Martial Arts. And this event I was attending is called Martial Combat.

Some background info before I start confusing everyone:

MMA is a full contact combat sport featuring an array of fighting techniques and skills from a variety of traditional and modern martial arts. Meaning to say, there is no fixed style to use. You can combine Judo, Wushu and Karate, or Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with Boxing. Whatever works, you use it in your favour. Cool huh?

I was watching “The Legend is Born: Ip Man" and the son of the original Wing Chun master injected some life into Wing Chun by introducing high kicks and several techniques not usually used. There was some conflict that the proper original Wing Chun shouldn't have high kicks, but it did make the fighting style more powerful, so the new techniques were accepted later on.

这叫前进，与进步。

Of course you can't do things like biting, hair pulling, clawing the flesh, spitting at ur opponent or grabbing their groins. Be civil here, shall we? The whole list is here, under FOULS.

MMA has been around since the early 1900s, but really only got more popular in recent years. In Singapore, not much is known about the sport, though I've seen a school teaching MMA in POMO called Evolve. I heard walk-in trial sessions are available at $50 per session if you wannd find out whether this is your thing.

Asia's ESPN Star Sports, in partnership with RWS, launched MARTIAL COMBAT – Asia’s Ultimate Mixed Martial Arts Fight Championship in 2010, in May this year. For 2 days a month from May till October, you'll get to watch some of the World's toughest fighters, right here in Singapore!!!

I've only gotten to watch actual ring fights in movies like Ip Man, so this was something really exciting for me!

The MARTIAL COMBAT will feature a grand total of twelve events comprising 60 action-packed fights per year, featuring some of the most popular and celebrated Asian fighters and many ranked fighters from around the world. It will receive an unprecedented amount of television coverage from ESS in excess of 60 hours, making it the largest MMA broadcast in Asia.

This will be the first-ever MMA event till date to receive television coverage in 24 different countries in Asia, extensive online support through www.espnstar.com and mobile initiatives through mobileESPN.

- excerpt from ESPN STAR Sports' press release

310 million viewers of STAR Sports will be watching this event!!! Great way to boost our tourism and the integrated resorts~! AND AND AND!!!!!!

I was invited by ESPN STAR Sports to be the guest presenter for this....

The Championship Belt!!!!! Whoa~~~~~

It's huge and SUPER heavy...I couldn't hold it up properly with one hand...

If the presentation of the belt gets broadcast, 310 million viewers will see me leh!!!! How many viewers do we have watching our local channels? 4million? If EVERYONE decides to watch TV la. Which I doubt will happen.

310 million viewers across 24 countries!!!!!

Okay la let's just take 10 percent of that number. It's still 30 million viewers! And they just might see me!!! Okay la I'm just presenting the Championship Belt for the Superfight on the 14th July, and there are 2 Superfights every month, but hey, it IS exposure for an up-and-coming starlet like me hor! Who knows some Hollywood or HK or TW producer might be watching....

Don't play play~*delusional*

Camwhoring in the toilet before the fights, and trying to decide if I should tie up or let down my hair...

The things girls do...

See the cage in the middle? That's where the fighters will battle it out!!!

Fierce...

Honestly, I wouldn't want to be that guy in green shorts.
No one dies here la of course, it's all about technique. =)

The one match I was looking forward to the whole night...

Need a closer look?

The women's fight!!!!

THE most action-packed fight for the night. Though this wasn't the main event which would be the Superfight later on, I gotta tell you, the women's fight was fiercer than any of the men's fights I saw that night.

Never mess with women....

MeeOooOOOWWWWWW~~~~~~

Now for the main event - The Superfight Championship Belt Showdown!!!

Between Eduard Folayang (top) from Baguio, Phillipines, and Bao She Ri Gu Leng (bottom) from Inner Mongolia, China.

I think Eduard's kinda good-looking.

Anyway~

Eduard is the current MMA Champion of the Philippines and a multiple SEA Games Wushu gold medalist.

Bao She holds the Champion title for the 75kg WulingFeng in Sanda and has fought in ALL of China's MMA promotions. In his career, he has remained undefeated. Will he keep that record tonight?