My Amateur MMA Journey, Part 19: What to Expect from a First Boxing Class

Wondering what to expect from a boxing class in Manila? I'm going back to the basics to give a full rundown of my experience.

My Amateur MMA Journey, Part 18: Why I Box

Recently, in my journey of exploring mixed-martial arts, I've switched from doing a bit of everything to going back to where I started and focusing on boxing. I've done so for a few reasons. For one, because I'm still jet-setting and haven't yet put down roots anywhere, I don't want to buy gear that won't…

Things to Know About Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Sydney

An interview with Mario Yokoyama of myBJJ in Camperdown

My Amateur MMA Journey, Part 17: A Trial Class at myBJJ

And we're rolling! I've been back in Sydney for a few weeks now and earlier this month I took a trial class at myBJJ, an international Brazilian jiu-jitsu school founded by Mario Yokoyama and headquartered in Camperdown. I had been referred here by Petros Menelaou, a fellow patron of Darkside Gym and an instructor in…

Things to Know About Boxing and Martial Arts in Sydney

An interview with Uro Pavi, founder and head coach of Darkside Gym.

Sydney through its Locals

With a little over two weeks remaining in Sydney, I've decided that I'd like to pick the brains of a couple of interesting locals for the inside scoop of everything from live music and the martial arts scene to permaculture and proactivism before I leave. For one, I've gathered lots of interesting snippets about pro and amateur…

My Amateur MMA Journey, Part 16: One Month at Darkside Gym

No martial arts gym I've been to has given me a full of as valuable an experience as Darkside Gym in Sydney.

My Amateur MMA Journey, Part 15: Picking a Gym in Newtown

The MMA training was great. Right off the bat, we jumped into sparring drills with mouth guard and shin pads.

2018: Mindfulness, Minimalism

You won't even find the word "and" in the title because, from a minimalist point of view, it's entirely unnecessary. How mindful of you to notice, in any case. I have a few things on the agenda for this post. First of all, I'm following up on my  24-day yoga challenge, which ends today. Other…

My Amateur MMA Journey, Part 14: Yoga Challenge

When I was training at Bulldog Muay Thai, what probably impressed me the most was the almost unnatural flexibility of these great big bulky fellows. I can also say that the fighters at Team Lakay back in the Philippines, were extremely flexible: most of the guys I trained with could take their splits a whole…