CLEAN SWEEP!!

Big congrats to the Guys on their recent win on Man Of War III, was a great night for the Kokoro/Legends fight team, with 4 wins out of 4 fights!!

In a cracking show that saw submissions, K.O.s and only 1 fight goin the distance, as well as 5 titles being won, it was great to see the fighters do so well, and to see the amount of supporters from the clubs!!

From Kokoro we had Johnny Bowden, who finished with a slick triangle in less than a minute , against a strong and experienced Konrad Iwanowski, and Dylan Tuke, whos cage debut ended in a win, also by triangle!!

Dean Knight rounded out his hat-trick of fights against Dermot Byrne of RFA, with a first round finish, by (yet again) Triangle choke. While Alex Vieru went 3 rnds to clinch the decision in an exciting teen bout.

Also a big thanks to Jimmy Nolan, Sean Keogan, and Vic Grundy for the stirling job in the corners, and the backroom.

Cant wait for the next 1!!!! 

First of all I want to say congrats to the two lads who fought at Clan wars. Keith won his bout by sinking in a deep triangle while Vic secured his victory by connecting with a beautiful right which KO’d his opponent. Both lads worked hard and their effort paid off in the end with the two of them having their hand raised as winners.

The Fight Before Christmas

Sean “of the Dead” Keoghan (the lads barely alive!) and two of the legends boys, Oisin Coburn and Dean knight, will be taking part in The Fight before Christmas which will take place in Rush, December 2nd. All three lads have showed great prowess in the ring so far and will play a major part in the future of Irish MMA.

Those of you that were at Man of War 2 should remember the excellent fight between Dean and his opponent from Rush Dermot Byrne. Both lads displayed some excellent skills in their last encounter and the judges score cards reflected how close it was by calling it a draw. The rematch is bound to provide us with an entertaining fight.

Tickets for this event can be purchased in the gym or direct from promoter baz.oglesby@gmail.com

Christmas Party Anyone?

Also please keep the 17th of December clear in your calender for this years Christmas tournament and Party. If the last few years of Kokoros partys are anything to go by then this should be a Romper Stomper!

We are barely over our weekend at the Helix and already we are looking forward to seeing more Kokoro lads in action.

Clan Wars 9

After some great performances at Man of War 2 we are excited to say that it’s not over yet. Both “Slick” Vic Grundy and Keith “The Menace” Ennis are to make their fighting debut at Clan wars 9 on the 11th of November. Clan Wars is an event that we are always excited about taking part in. They put on one of the best shows in Ireland and anybody that makes the trip to support our boys will not be dissapointed. Tickets are available in the gym

BattleZone 4 – NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS
	And if thats not enough to tickle your fandango then we have one more fight left in us. The one and only Stevie Webb is fighting on Battlezone – The Night of the Champions. He will fighting Drogheda’s Kasper Jnk and even if the fight is not great then you should get your moneys worth by seeing Stevie in his new shorts (Trust me on this).

Full fight cards are available here Clan Wars and here Battlezone

So ill see you all there

Osu!

Invite Kokoro onto a show and you can expect two things; 100% effort and a solid technical display in all ranges.

Steven’s masterful performance on his feet and great ground game saw him taking charge of the fight standing and grounded. As the match progressed an error of positioning saw Steven paying the price. His opponent, a decorated Judo champion, capitalised on the mistake and latched on to a match saving armbar. Steven will be back and we can’t wait to see him again.

As for Alan; what can we say? He’s become an overnight sensation as a solid technical fighter. With just two amateur matches under his belt – he’s a model of what effort and dedication can achieve. His win by unanimous decision (following three rounds of complete technical dominance) was well deserved.

There’s plenty of time for these two lads to continue developing their skills on the mat and in the Cage. Outstanding performance gents!

We also need to thank Cage Contender for having us and our awesome support team of coaches, corner men and spectators. Having a crowd shouting for you is no small boost for a fighter – so thanks to everyone that showed their support on the night.

Next outing for Kokoro – Man of War…

Thanks to everyone that has made this year, yet again, a year of exponential evolution for us. 2010 is without a doubt the year that our mantra of “Effort x Time = Results” has truly come into it’s own.

In keeping with tradition here are a few videos to celebrate a truly massive year. Thanks everyone. Thanks for everything.

Our program outline is as follows (starts 6th September 2010);

MMA PROGRAM:
(Tier 1) MMA STARTER – Tue & Thur 18:30
(Tier 2) MMA ROOKIE – Mon & Wed 20:00
(Tier 3) MMA PRACTISE – Mon,Tue,Wed,Thu 21:30
(Tier 4) MMA CORE – Tue & Thur 20:00
(Tier 5) MMA COMPETITION READINESS – By invitation

SUPPLEMENTARY TRAINING:
(6) BJJ NO-GI – Mon & Wed 18:30
(7) KICKBOXING – Friday 18:30
(8) KYOKUSHIN – Friday 20:00
(9) STRENGTH TRAINING – By invitation

Josh breezed in with another ICE COLD, calm, collected performance. He followed his game plan to the letter and tapped out his opponent 1:30seconds into the first round. That’s Josh’s strength really – he follows the plan and works with corner instruction like a pro. Gentlemen – we salute you!

Thanks to our outstanding corner team for helping make it a great night and to the Kokoro Army for showing up en force! More Kokoro matches on the horizon and a large number of bookings still in negotiation for the year.

STRIKERS will maintain their strong striking skillset whilst aquiring a solid grappling base.

GRAPPLERS will continue to grapple regularly and put their skills to use against active striking opponents, all the while developing their own striking skillset.

ATHLETES may well already have a head start in this exciting combat sport since strength and conditioning is a significant element of success. Athletes know what it means to dedicate themelves to a goal and the long road of self development.

Give us a call to discuss your options (087) 792 8363.

Adopt, Adapt, Improve. It’s not just for Boy Scouts.

As an experienced fighter, you may be wondering how to get involved in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). Would you like to test yourself in MMA competition? Now’s the time to give us a call. We’ll help you tailor existing strengths to the sport of MMA.

Thanks to Legends Gym for attending as guest competitors. We sincerely hope that this will be the first of many sessions together. A great bunch!

Congratulations to our winners (names posted later) and to all that “put their money where their mouth is” and turned up to participate on the day. Awesome!

Join the forum discussion on this post - (8) Posts

Shane was very much looking forward to challenging for the title on Saturday and is certainly disappointed. However, he’s more concerned for Kevin’s health and wishes Kevin a speedy recovery. Walker has assured Shane that Carney vs. Thomas will happen at the next available opportunity.

It seems that Carney vs. Thomas may well be a jinxed fight. They’ve missed each other due to injury and schedule conflicts for over two years at this stage.

We’re disappointed that the fight is not to be on Saturday and know that the scores of Kokoro members who bought tickets are going to be disappointed too. Right now though, our thoughts are with Kevin and we hope he’ll be back to full health soon.

Kokoro members that have purchased a show ticket solely to watch this title fight can return their ticket to Kokoro Gym for a full refund. Of course, all purchased tickets are still valid and it promises to be a great show. We hope those that have bought a ticket will choose to support the national MMA scene by attending the show despite the cancellation of this match!

The show will boast a solid card of pro fights and is touted to be on of the highlights of this years MMA calendar.

The full interview is 30 minutes long and is available here.

The event will now take place in Ballymena on the same day. As soon as tickets become available we’ll let everyone know. There’s a solid card planned for the event, with an all pro line-up, including several title fights. No doubt the Kokoro army will be there in force as Shane Thomas makes his bid for the Irish Featherweight Title.

Spartan 5 “Resurrection” will take place on Saturday June 26th in the Leighinmorhr House Hotel in Ballymena.

Take 30 guys, tell them they’ll need to spend the next three hours sparring, then sit back and watch the magic unfold. That’s how it was at today’s level assessment.

Not to disrespect those that have gone before but WOW! This was hands down the best display of technical awareness we’ve experienced during a Kokoro Level Assessment. We implemented our Starter Concepts Programme about 6 months ago. We held the belief that slowing down in the short term – and building a solid foundation from which to grow – would pay dividends in the long term. Today we were proven correct.

To those that participated today, you deserve 100% respect for your performance and I can’t wait to spend more and more time sparring with you on the mats over the months and years to come.

1. How long have u been involved in MMA?

I’ve been involved in martial arts since I was eight years old (I’m 35 now) and MMA since around 2000. I got started with MMA in Germany and we referred to the sport as “Free Fight” or “Mix Fight”.

2. When was the first time you heard about MMA?

When I moved to Germany, I took up a form of all round fighting that combined Kickboxing, Full Contact Karate and Judo. At the time, I was a huge fan of K1 and was desperate to find a form of competition that allowed for both full contact striking and grappling – it seemed to fit the bill. Through my training I was more heavily exposed to the Japanese sporting scene so I discovered Pride FC and was a huge fan of both Wanderlei and Fedor.

Sure, like everybody else, I’d seen the odd UFC way back when, but it hadn’t evolved into the martial arts competition that we now know and love – it didn’t appeal to me at all and I don’t really think of those shows as MMA. Pride was another matter altogether. Trained athletes, of varying skill sets, fighting for Pride. It was great stuff. I was hooked instantly and have been MMA obsessed ever since I laid eyes on it.

3. In hindsight how do you rate your ability when you were fighting?

I had a terrible career as an amateur. I fought anybody that was anybody and lost to them all! From British Cage Champions to European and World Kickboxing Champions – I was willing to fight anyone and ready for none of them! My amateur days were, to my mind, the only real “training” that I could get at the time. I’d enter the ring just to test myself and “get some training in”. I was a naive idiot really and wasn’t at all focused on “winning”. I was just happy to be fighting and training in some form. Foolish when you think about it really.

Back then, most ridiculed me for coming back for more, over and over, and told me I’d get nowhere. They’ve since come to learn though that I don’t really understand what quiting means. I just kept training, learning, fighting and improving.

We’re so much further down the line now. My amateur days are a distant memory and have served their purpose – they were an educational experience and the lessons were well learned. These days, Kokoro MMA (our gym) has developed into one of Ireland’s largest gyms and in many ways I now have the opportunity to take things a little more seriously. Since turning Pro, I’m happy enough with my performances. I don’t train or fight anywhere near as often as I would like due to coaching commitments and managing the gym. I’m still around though – fighting away from time to time. It’s been the best learning curve of my life and I’m enjoying the ride.

4. What’s the furthest u have travelled to fight?

Hmm… Croatia (I think!). I’ve travelled and fought all over Europe. Geography isn’t my strong suit though.

5. Who do u think are the main players in Irish MMA today?

I think I’ll always see Davy Patterson as my role model here in Ireland.

Truth be told, our national MMA is in a great place. When I arrived in 2005(?) there were a couple of big fishes in a very small pond – some less humble than others. Since then, so many gyms and promotions have thrown their hats into the cage – each enjoying their own levels of success – that no single gym stands out nor does any one promotion.

I really hope that any single discipline martial artists out there, that are thinking about MMA, will continue to get involved regardless of their experience level in Mixed Martial Arts. Sure, there’s talk from from certain elitists that these guys have no right getting into the sport or that they’re only in it for the money but I’d pay no attention.

Whatever the motive, it’s fine by me! I don’t care why they get involved. The more the merrier! If they don’t make the change to sport specific training they’ll be found out in the ring (as was I) and this may spur them to progress as martial artists (as did I). I well remember what it was to be the black sheep (pun intended) and we put in the effort to develop and become one of Ireland’s core gyms. So, who’s to say that “single disciplined traditionalists” have no right to get involved? Evolution is for everybody.

Maybe our own story will motivate a few to throw their hats into the cage. I arrived in Dublin with my Irish wife and we only set up Kokoro as a means to continue the training I’d started in Germany. I guess I was hoping I could get a group of sparring partners together. That didn’t really work out and I was teaching from day one. We had no equipment of any kind and couldn’t do a great deal of ground work. A couple of us would grapple on the concrete but that’s not for the faint of heart!

Due to lack of experience and no means to develop our grappling skills, I didn’t perform well and our efforts were systematically derided by the majority of the “players” of the time. We got through it and came out the other side all the stronger for it. Fortunately for us, Davy Patterson kept an open mind, and allowed us to grow through his show. He never once picked me or my guys an easy fight and we learned so much from our wins and more so from our defeats. We benefited from the baptism of fire. That’s what being a martial artist is all about.

Now is hands down the best time for people “outside” of the MMA community to get involved in the sport and I sincerely hope we see more and more people jumping on the bandwagon. It’s a perfect time to get started.

The playing field has been levelled out and thankfully there are no real big fishes anymore. There are six or seven top quality shows and nine or ten quality gyms in the country and I’m proud that we stand to be counted as one of them. MMA in Ireland is now ultra competative and that can only be good for the development of our athletes.

6. What is your martial arts back ground?

I’ve a few black belts in full contact striking and grappling arts. I suppose I’m thought of as a striker but only by those that haven’t rolled with me.

7. How would you describe your club/teaching style?

I’m a wierdo. There’s no avoiding that! The gym is my life though. Everyone that visits us says there’s something special about the atmosphere in our place. We’re a family. All be it a bloody big one!

In terms of training practises? Over the years we’ve merged the skills, techniques and training methods from my own background, with the methods of those I’ve had the pleasure of spending time with (from grappling world champions to the ranks of the K1 elite), and a number of all new practises that are specific to the sport of MMA. We’ve spent the last five years or so developing both our technical syllabus and training methods.

All Kokoro MMA gyms, in Ireland and abroad, are now 100% sport specific and all of our training is geared towards MMA. If it’s not useful in the ring or cage – we don’t train it. We’ve spent years breaking down the components of Mixed Martial Arts combat and come up with a defined training method and development path that’s proving insanely effective.

As for my personal teaching style; I’m a bit of a schizophrenic! We’ve a number of training groups at the gym, each geared toward the level and goals of the participants. In some training sessions you’ll find me on the mats enjoying the craic with a bunch of 50 or so lads ‘n lasses. During others, I’m a Drill Sergeant that will have you wishing you were never born. Those session are usually a lot smaller though! One thing’s for sure; I’m not the kind of guy that stands in the corner and points. I’m a permanent fixture on the mats and I love getting involved in our training – I wish I could train more.

I like to try to find the balance between fun, camaraderie and a serious focus on the task at hand. That’s not an easy balance to strike but I hope we’re getting it right. We seem to be growing exponentially in scale and technical ability, inside and outside of Ireland, so something must be working. The plan is to maintain a self critical view and keep on evolving.

8. How do you see Irish MMA evolving in the next few years?

The lack of a governing body (or a voluntary association for the purpose of a unified rule set) has been done to death at this stage so there’s little point my heading down that road. I’d like to see unified rules happen as a matter of urgency and as the smaller shows die out a unified rule set seems achievable.

In terms of progression on the international stage; we need more gyms to realise that the “old school” of BJJ + Muay Thai = MMA is no longer the evolved approach. Sure, people from those backgrounds still do well but it’s the gyms that focus on MMA as a newly evolved sport that seem to be making an impact on the world stage. Even world champions of these disciplines realise that you’ve got to take a sports specific approach to MMA. They’ll all agree privately and that’s exactly how they train for MMA in their own gyms. Hopefully, more and more gyms here in Ireland and the UK will pick up on the sport specific approach. If they do; there no reason why we can’t perform internationally.

I’m hugely impressed by the “fighting spirit” here in Ireland. When you consider the population, MMA is about as “massive” as we could wish it to be. I do think we’ll see more of the serious gyms paying far less attention toward mediocre brawlers trying to appear as local heroes on poorly produced amateur shows. A good few gyms seems to be focusing their efforts on professional training plans that develop fighters toward a longer term goal – that’s only going to be a good thing. If gyms stop throwing people into the rings and cages early, just to get their names out there, albeit under the thin veil of “getting some experience”, it’ll do wonders for the development of the sport.

We’ve all learned so much as promoters and gyms in the last decade that I can only hope we’ll see more and more pro fighters on the scene. Sadly, most people don’t have what it takes to get through the years of self development and effort that it takes to grow into a truly complete fighter. So, who knows? I’m looking forward to seeing how things develop on a national level.

If there’s one thing I’d like to see; it’s a true structure for Amateur MMA that doesn’t throw people in at the deep end too soon (mismatched C-Class fights to large crowds) and also doesn’t turn the rule set into a parody of MMA (D-Class for sure and in some respects C-Class). Maybe take the continental and american approach? Let’s allow headshots at C-Class but with greater protection (gloves, guards) and take measures to hold these not as “spectator shows” rather as amateur events held for experience only (where the fighter pays to participate).

Only the cream of the amateurs or those that are about to make the move to Pro should be put into the carded spectator shows. US fighters that visit us stare in blank amazement when they find out that there’s “MMA without headshots?”. Can of worms anyone?

9. Your funniest memory in Irish MMA?

I know it’s been mentioned before but I really will never forget poor Peter coming out to “Do you really want to hurt me?”. Alan’s face was equally a picture. Davy P has a lot to answer for! There was another incident for which Davy is entirely responsible; I’d got myself nice and psyched to fight in Dublin. Davy P walked his fighter to the ring, who then handed me an inflatable sheep (yes, I’m Welsh) in the middle of the ring. I couldn’t concentrate for love nor money after that. I was still laughing when we touched gloves. It got worse when I took it home and my daughter mistook it for a kids toy. She rode around the house on the thing then asked, “Daddy, what’s the hole for in the back of the sheep?”

10. We ask everyone to leave us with one bit of scandal!!! What u got for us?

Scandal? I’m going to do my best to steer well away!

SOURCE: www.fight.ie

In the meantime; thanks to the lads for doing us proud!

K-1 : 90.0kg : Daragh Kennedy (Kokoro) v. Robert Miskow (Top Pro Kilkenny) – Win RD1
MMA: 70.0kg : Patrick Sheridan (Kokoro) v. Levi Keogh (Total Submission Fighters) – Win RD1
MMA: 73.0kg : Felim Burke (Kokoro) v. Carl Holmes (Total Submission Fighters) – Loss RD1
MMA: 77.0kg : Josh Coughlan (Kokoro) v. Bartosz Miskow (Total Submission Fighters) – Win RD2

We’ve received nothing but glowing feedback from fighters, promoters, fans and reporters. They all seem to be singing the same tune. The lads put on the finest technical displays of the evening and we’re delighted with their performance.

Thanks to the ever present Kokoro Army for showing up and supporting our lads. At one point; the Kokoro Crowd were cheering so loudly they managed to drown out the local crowd.

Great Stuff. Well done lads!