The Pac Man Cometh

Photo Credit: ONE FC

By: Chris Huntemann, Columnist

Usurped yesterday by UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon “Bones” Jones and Daniel Cormier brawling at an event promoting their fight at UFC 178 was the news that Manny Pacquiao, long considered one of the best boxers in the world, purchased shares in ONE FC, a burgeoning mixed martial arts promotion in Asia.

It’s still unknown what role Pacquiao will have with ONE FC, if any, according to reports. But this definitely brings a spotlight to a MMA promotion not named UFC, Bellator or World Series of Fighting. While the latter two still lag far behind UFC in terms of media attention, Pacquiao lending his name to another promotion makes getting a seat at the MMA media coverage table that much more difficult.

An unspoken rivalry between MMA and boxing has definitely simmered over the years. Recently, boxing’s Floyd Mayweather made headlines when he referred to UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey as “he” when he responded to a claim by UFC President Dana White that Rousey would beat Mayweather in a street fight or MMA bout. “I don’t even know who he is” was Mayweather’s exact quote concerning Rousey.

Floyd later apologized and praised Rousey, so there is that. White is also a frequent critic of boxing and its personalities, including Mayweather and promoter Bob Arum. A quick Google search can confirm that.

However, White also considers Mike Tyson a friend, and boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. has openly campaigned for a match against Anderson Silva for years. So the two sports may be more similar than it seems on the surface. Just to stand on my soapbox for a minute, while I admittedly watch boxing rarely, if at all, to me it seems the sport suffers from an over-saturation of title belts, weight classes and loosely-kept-together federations, not to mention rampant corruption.

If the phrase “less is more” can ever be applied accurately, I think it can apply to boxing. I believe a consolidation of weight classes, title belts and federations into one entity would go a long way toward “the sport of kings” reclaiming the luster of its heyday.

Will White feel threatened by Pacquiao throwing his hat into the MMA ring? Unlikely. But when UFC’s chief “rivals,” Bellator and World Series of Fighting, are run by knowledgeable people but who lack a certain personality, having someone emerge to match White in terms of name recognition in MMA ownership is a welcome development.

If nothing else, I hope Pacquiao’s affiliation with ONE FC, whatever it is, turns out better than Oscar De La Hoya’s apparent association with the ill-fated Affliction.  

Chris Huntemann writes about mixed martial arts in the state of Maryland. He also contributes his thoughts to our site on the UFC, Bellator, and World Series of Fighting. Check out his blog, or follow him on Twitter: @mmamaryland.

APEX SPORTS AGENCY CEO JASON CHAMBERS TO HOST HISTORIC ASIAN MMA SUMMIT

ONE FC to hold massive invitation-only event this weekend

Ft. Lauderdale, Florida (USA): It was recently announced that Apex Sports Agency (ASA) CEO Jason Chambers is slated to host ONE Asia Summit 2012, which is scheduled for this weekend, June 1, 2012 through June 3, 2012, at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. Created and promoted by ONE FC, the largest MMA promotion in Asia, the Summit is garnering a significant amount of buzz in the world of mixed martial arts.

Chambers will serve as the Master of Ceremonies, and will participate in the sessions as a panel moderator. In addition, he will be in charge of facilitating the Q&A sessions.

Asia’s top MMA promotions, gyms, sponsors, and media outlets will be represented at the Summit, which is designed to be a clearinghouse that will help promote networking and expansion opportunities for all those involved. With ONE FC at the helm, the event has drawn the interest and attention of MMA pundits across the world.

“I am honored and excited to be asked to be part of such an incredible and needed event,” said Chambers. “MMA is exploding in growth all over the world, but especially in Asia. And ONE FC is leading the charge…their vision is being executed quite effectively, as evidenced by the Summit.”

ONE Fighting Championship is Asia’s largest mixed martial arts event. They recently consummated an unprecedented ten-year deal with ESPN STAR Sports, the number one leader in sports content, which will bring ONE FC content to 500 million homes across 24 countries in Asia.

ASA has quickly garnered a strong reputation in the MMA world, working with stars on the rise such as UFC fighters Chris Clements, Clifford Starks, Carlo Prater, and Matt Lucas, as well as established fighters like Karo Parisyan, Lyle “Fancy Pants” Beerbohm, Drew Fickett, Jorge Gurgel, and Zoila Gurgel. However, ASA is more than just another management firm. The company offers a wide array of services, including brand-building. The partnership with ONE FC came about as a result, and proves that ASA is a company to keep an eye on.

For more information on Apex Sports Agency, please visithttp://www.ApexSportsAgency.com/. ASA can also be found on Twitter@ApexSportAgency.

For more information on the ONE Asia Summit 2012, please visithttp://www.ONEFC.com/. ONE FC can also be on Facebook athttps://www.facebook.com/ONEFCMMA, and on Twitter @ONEFCMMA.

TOP FIGHT PROMOTION ONE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP AND APEX SPORTS AGENCY AGREE TO TERMS

ASA to become ONE FC’s North America brand ambassador

Ft. Lauderdale, Florida (USA): Apex Sports Agency (ASA) today announced that a partnership with top Asian fight organization ONE Fighting Championship (ONE FC) has been agreed to. With this pact, ASA will now exclusively handle all North American sponsorship and media negotiations for ONE FC.

ONE FC is one of the world’s largest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotions. They recently consummated an unprecedented ten-year deal with ESPN STAR Sports, the number one leader in sports content, which will bring ONE FC content to 500 million homes across 24 countries in Asia. Now, ONE FC and ASA have joined forces.

CEO and Owner of ONE Fighting Championship Mr. Victor Cui said, “ONE Fighting Championship has completely changed the game for the sport of MMA in Asia, a region that has been the birthplace and home to martial arts for the last 5,000 years. This is a result of the synergistic efforts and outstanding support from our partners. We are the biggest and best MMA organization in Asia because we work with only the best fighters, promotions, gyms, sponsors, and media companies. I am happy to be working with another world-class agency in ASA as we expand our reach to work with new sponsors and partners.”

“Though less than a year old, ONE FC has done some amazing things already in the sport of MMA,” explained ASA CEO Jason Chambers. “They have a huge reach…it’s unreal to see what they are accomplishing. With the growth they’re experiencing, it’s only natural that they want to expand their presence here in North America. ASA can help ONE FC achieve that, and that is our goal.”

ONE Fighting Championship is Asia’s largest mixed martial arts event. While ONE FC is dedicated to featuring the best Asian fighters in the world, the promotion also aims to reach the North American fight faithful as well. Events thus far have featured well-known fighters such as Phil Baroni, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Melvin Manhoef, Yoshiyuki Yoshida, Andy Wang, and Rolles Gracie, while also introducing talented combatants such as Zorobabel Moreira, Ole Laursen, Fabricio Monteiro, and rising star Eduard Folayang.

ASA has quickly garnered a strong reputation in the MMA world, working with stars on the rise such as UFC fighters Chris Clements, Clifford Starks, Carlo Prater, and Matt Lucas, as well as established fighters like Karo Parisyan, Lyle “Fancy Pants” Beerbohm, Drew Fickett, Jorge Gurgel, and Zoila Gurgel. However, ASA is more than just another management firm. The company offers a wide array of services, including brand-building. The partnership with ONE FC came about as a result, and proves that ASA is a company to keep an eye on.

For more information on ONE FC, please visit http://www.ONEFC.com/. ONE FC can also be on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEFCMMA, and on Twitter @ONEFCMMA.

For more information on Apex Sports Agency, please visit http://www.ApexSportsAgency.com/. ASA can also be found on Twitter @ApexSportAgency.

Melvin Manhoef "Its going to be a hard explosive fight"

Feared Dutch Striker Melvin Manhoef prepares to take on Deep Champion Yoshiyuki Nakanishi this weekend at ONE FC War of the Lions.

Originally scheduled to take on Babalu Sobral many feel that although not as well known in the western world, Nakanishi's all action style could make for an even better fight come the weekend. Melvin himself eagerly awaits the new matchup and is not disappointed in the rescheduled bout as he explains:

"No, I’m not disappointed. Of course I would have liked to fight him (Babalu) a lot, but who knows maybe in the future it will happen. I’m also excited to fight my new opponent. I know he’s a strong complete fighter so it will be a hard fight."

With an astonishing 96% finishing ratio with 23 of his 24 wins coming via knockout or tko Melvin is still regarded as one of the most exciting fighters on the planet. Moving up to the light heavyweight division to take on the Japanese champion, Melvin can still be confident in the knowledge that he has knocked out opponents bigger than him in the past, including the likes of Mark Hunt and Ian Freeman. Far from fearing his bigger opponent he is relishing the opportunity to fight Nakanishi:

"I've fought bigger guys most of my career. Of course it's hard for me to fight the heavier guys since most of them are naturally heavier and taller than me, but I like the variation and the challenge!"

Deep champion Nakanishi has suggested he is willing to meet Melvin in the centre of the cage come event time although the Dutchman has his doubts:

"I really don't know if he will stand with me, but as with most of my opponents I think he'll prefer to take the fight to the ground."

Manhoef is excited to be a part of an excellent ONE FC card this weekend that is available completely free of charge in HD quality around the world:

"I know ONE FC are a young ambitious organization. They have a lot of great plans and I'm honored to be a part of it. I hope to fight many times for them and help them build the organization."

As far as a prediction for the bout Melvin is only sure of an exciting fight for the fans:

"It's always hard to predict the fight. The only thing I can tell you is that I'm ready and focused. I think it's going to be a hard explosive fight".

ONE FC War of the Lions will be streamed live and completely free on ONE FC's YouTube channel. Please head to http://www.onefc.com/  for complete details.