MMA: San Jacinto's Guzman plays waiting game

photo credit: William Wilson Lewis III / The Press-Enterprise
Greg Guzman (left), who fights in Sunday's MMA card at Citizens Business Bank Arena, spars with Curtis Tomkins during a November workout.

MMA: San Jacinto's Guzman plays waiting game

Thursday, January 21, 2010
By BREANNA ARMSTRONG
Special to The Press-Enterprise

It has been three and half months since Greg Guzman's last mixed martial arts fight.

It has been nearly two and half months since the former San Jacinto High wrestler was supposed to get back in the cage.

What has Guzman done with all that time between bouts?

Train.

Six days a week.

Welcome to the life of an MMA fighter.

As he writes on the bio of his Web page (www.gregguzman.com): "You're either going to experience pain in the training room or in the cage. You have to choose one or the other."

Guzman, 21, finally returns to the cage Sunday night when the CalledOut MMA II event, postponed from November, takes place at Ontario's Citizens Business Bank Arena.

"I was really looking forward to fighting my last opponent," he said, referring to the original Nov. 14 date with since replaced Chad George, who moved over to World Extreme Cagefighting. "But since that fell through (I) couldn't do much but ... just keep training."

Guzman (7-3) will face Jared Papazian (5-4) in the 135-pound division on the Sunday card, which is headlined by the match between UFC and King of the Cage fighter Alberto Crane (12-4) and Albert Rios (11-4). The first bout is scheduled for 6 p.m.

Guzman, who trains out of Pinnacle Jiu Jitsu in Redlands, said his participation on the high school wrestling team inspired him to fight professionally.

"I started fighting professionally three years ago with my wrestling coach, Stan Holmes, as my only source of training," Guzman said. "I trained out of my garage. I didn't have a team or a gym to train out of until I started at Pinnacle. It's really great over here; it's a nice gym and has tough guys."

Guzman fought against current teammate Reuben Duran in the "King of the Cage: Superstars" fight in August. Duran won the bout by unanimous decision. After the fight, Jake Behney, Duran's trainer and the owner of Pinnacle, invited Guzman to join their fight team. He has been training with the Pinnacle team ever since.

"Greg has a positive attitude and great work ethic, he never complains and he puts everything he has into training," Behney said. "He is a very well-rounded fighter and is a pleasure to work with."

Guzman hasn't had a fight since October 3, when he defeated Chris Wolf by submission 2:21 into the first round. Of his 10 fights, six haven't lasted beyond the first round. The others have gone three rounds.

"Jared seems tough, looks like he's not scared to stand up and throw," Guzman said of Papazian, Sunday's opponent, who last fought December 18.

"I feel like I am in the best shape of my life," said Papazian, who has slimmed down to 135. "I'm ready for Guzman. It's going to be a high-pace fight. He is great at jiu-jitsu and a very good fighter. This will be war."

Georgi Karakhanyan signs with Bellator Fighting Championships

photo credit: David Bauman / The Press-Enterprise
Riverside MMA fighter Georgi Karakhanyan will compete in the Bellator Fighting Championships Season 2 series beginning in April.


Riverside MMA Fighter Lands Spotlight in Bellator Series
By BREANNA ARMSTRONG
Special to The Press-Enterprise

January 12, 2010

Riverside's Mixed Martial Arts fighter, Georgi "Insane" Karakhanyan has been added to the Bellator Fighting Championships schedule for Season 2, which begins April 8.

"It felt great to sign with Bellator, it's a great organization. I just want everyone to know that there is a MMA fighter in Riverside that is doing good," said Karakhanyan, 24, who trains at United States Karate Organization in Riverside and Millennia MMA in Rancho Cucamonga.

Bellator (Latin for "warrior") Fighting Championships is a tournament-based series with eight competitors in four weight divisions conducted over 12 consecutive weeks. The series has plenty of television exposure, airing live weekly on Thursday nights on Fox Sports Net with a one-hour taped highlight show on Saturday nights on Telemundo, a Spanish-language network, and a 30-minute taped highlight show airing Saturday nights on NBC.

"Georgi is a proven winner," Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney is quoted as saying on the BFC website. "He brings an explosive style to the cage that makes for great fights. We are excited to welcome Georgi to Bellator."

Karakhanyan, who is currently teaching and training at USKO, brings a 12-1-1 record into the series.

"This will be a great opportunity for me to show my skills," he said.

Georgi Karakhanyan has a 12-1-1 record.
Said Betiss Mansouri, Millennia's head trainer: "We are confident that he has all the tools to win the entire tournament. We are also hoping that the last few fighters they add to the tournament are truly the best in this weight class the world has to offer, because, we believe Georgi is the best 145 pounder around at this point in time."

Joe Soto is the featherweight champion from Season 1. Karakhanyan would have to reach the final in order to fight Soto.

Muay Thai- More than a sport

December 4, 2009

Muay Thai- More than a sport
By Breanna Armstrong

For Joey Pagliuso, Muay Thai is more than just a sport; it is his lifestyle. He is the owner and trainer of the United States Karate Organization in Riverside. He has been an active martial artist from his early childhood and is a professional Muay Thai fighter.

He competed in Karate matches all throughout his childhood and earned his black belt in Karate. Pagliuso started training Muay Thai when he was in his early twenties. His father, Joe Pagliuso, founded USKO in 1972, it has been a family ran organization ever since.

His father, mother, Sandy and sister, Shawn El all has their black belt in karate as well. Pagliuso has found much of his inspiration from them.

“My mom was always a really aggressive fighter. When she was in her twenties, she would go to Hawaii to fight, and there were no girl divisions then so she would fight against the guys. So growing up with her and having her teach me, really made me want to fight and get out there to do it. And by watching the fights and training with my dad, it really brought us all together,” said Pagliuso.

Now, at thirty-two years old, he has implanted that same dedication into his family life. Pagliuso and his wife, Desiree have three children, Dominick-7, Malia-3 and Kiana- 4 months. As a family, a big part of their life revolves around Muay Thai and martial arts. Dominick is already an aspiring martial artist, as he won first place in his last sparring tournament and Malia is just learning her basics in karate.

“I would suggest Muay Thai and the lifestyle for anyone. From Karate training as a child I learned a lot of self-discipline, respect and confidence. And as I grew up I could relate the hard training before a fight to business because it is so intense and you have to devote so much to it. It is empowering but it also translates into our family life and everything that I do. It brings us closer as a family and everyone comes together for support,” said Pagliuso.

Pagliuso (11-2-3) is currently training for his next fight against Scott Leffler (17-2) for the IKKC Muay Thai Welterweight bout in Dennis Warner’s World Championship Muay Thai event at the Buffalo Bill’s Casino on Dec. 5.

Pagliuso has fought in 15 of Warner’s World Championship Kickboxing shows all around the world. The WCK is the largest Muay Thai organization in North America and holds the largest international fight cards as well; his goal is to have a World Boxing Championship title in 2010.

Training for a title fight against his opponent Leffler, who has had 14 career knockouts so far, keeps this family man busy.

“At this level, these fights are not that different, Scotty is very aggressive and likes to clinch and move forward. It’s not like I’m just fighting another person, my work goes towards improving myself more than fighting an opponent,” said Pagliuso.

To prepare for this fight, “I have been doing a lot of cardio and running sprints along with that, Muay Thai training sessions on the pads with my dad or master Tom. And I teach classes Monday thru Thursday, at the same time we have other fighters that go to our gym that I need to spend time with as well. The last few weeks before my fight, other trainers really step in to help out,” said Pagliuso.

“I have been training Joey for seven years. And this time around, this is the hardest that I have ever trained him because he is training for the belt,” said Master Tom Khamvongsa, USKO’s Muay Thai instructor.

Also on the fight card for Saturday’s fight night are USKO’s Shelia Telliard (2-1) and Michelle Percival (3-0). They have been training and conditioning alongside of Pagliuso to prepare for their fights four to five times a week.

Percival will be fighting against Kristin Shepard for the IAMTF Women’s Lightweight title and Telliard will be matched against Tandi Schaeffer for the IAMTF Women’s Super Featherweight title.

In the main event of the night is WBC International Super Welterweight Champion, Malaipet “The Diamond” Sitarvut (138-28-5) who resides in Chino Hills and trains out of his gym, Sitarvut in Highland. Malaipet reclaimed his title from England’s Richard Fenwick earlier this year and will be defending it against James Cook (41-13) from San Francisco.

“So many people want the WBC title because its not easy to get so I feel good knowing that I am the two-time WBC champion. The best thing about Muay Thai to me is respect. There is a lot of respect in Muay Thai for your culture, family, teacher, fighters, and friends. I also like it because it makes you into a real man,” said Sitarvut, who has never been knocked out.

The WCK’s World Championship Muay Thai event will be in celebration of the King of Thailand with weekend-long festivities to represent the culture with food, massages and dancing to go along with the 16 Muay Thai fights on the card.

For more information go to: www.kickbox.com

Redlands' Arana wins at MMA event

Redlands' Arana wins at MMA event

10:00 PM PST on Friday, November 20, 2009
By BREANNA ARMSTRONG
Special to The Press-Enterprise


Aaron Arana improved his record to 3-1 with a first-round victory at the "Respect in the Cage II" MMA event at the Fox Theatre in Pomona on Friday night.

Arana, a Redlands High grad, defeated Vincent Martinez by submission with a triangle choke 1:57 into the 135-pound bout.

The headline fight between Sevak Magakian and Fontana's Bobby Green in the 155-pound bout was just starting at press time. Read the final result at PE.com/sports.

www.PE.com

Respect in the Cage

My article for the Press Enterprise Newspaper
www.PE.com

Fontana fighter a showman

Wednesday, November 18, 2009
By BREANNA ARMSTRONG
Special to The Press-Enterprise
Fontana's Bobby Green is a fighter. It appears that's always been the case.

This former foster child who once participated in fight clubs when not wrestling while at Fontana Miller High School has now become a headliner.

A rising Mixed Martial Arts fighter, Green is in the main event on Friday's "Respect in the Cage II" MMA event at the Fox Theatre in Pomona.

Green (10-2), who fights out of Pinnacle Jiu Jitsu in Redlands, is scheduled to face Sevak Magakian (7-2) in a 155-pound bout that headlines the card.

Aaron Arana, of Redlands, and Green's teammate at Pinnacle, is also on the card. Arana (2-1) is scheduled to face Vincent Martinez (0-4) in a 135-pound bout.

"I'm excited for this fight, and to be the main event," Green said. "This is a big fight, and I want this fight to show the new me."

Green is most known for his fight against Dan Lauzon on January's Affliction card. Green lost but has remained a memorable contender in the sport with his confidence and showmanship.

"I don't care about getting the win; I just want to put on a show," Green said. "I want to be your favorite fighter, and if I'm not, I want to know why."

At Miller, where he graduated in 2004, Green was a wrestler good enough to advance to the CIF-Southern Section Masters Meet. But it seems Green was always a fighter.

"In high school, my friends and I would start these backyard fight clubs," he said. "I was doing what I do now for free and without gloves back then."

Green, now 23, said he was in foster homes as a youth until Shana Vasquez and her son Jesse, now 19, took him in.

"Then when I turned 15, I met these really great people, they have become my family ever since," Green said.

Green started training in MMA two years ago and has taken many of his 12 professional fights on short notice. He took his previous fight on 20-minutes' notice for the King of the Cage-Jolted event in October when he defeated Jeff Torch (1-4) by submission in the first round.

"The training alone has been preparation for Bobby," said Jake Benhey, owner and trainer of Pinnacle Jiu Jitsu. "He has already had 12 fights and (Friday) is his first fight that he has actually been training for. There are only a handful of people that have the athleticism that Bobby has, so over the next six months, be prepared to see a different Bobby Green."

When Green used to train, it would consist of a series of broken workouts just two weeks before a fight. Now he has increased his training to five days a week and makes training his job.

"We all now know that his career is going to take off," Shana Vasquez said. "He is everything to me. And even though he is gone training a lot, we know that it is going to be worth it in the end. Bobby will be a star."

Arana, 22, is a 2005 Redlands High grad and former varsity wrestler who is taking his fourth fight since his professional debut in February.

"I am feeling really good about this fight," he said. "I have been training really hard and I am ready."

Said Benhey: "Aaron is a very well-rounded fighter; he has great work ethic and is easy to coach. He is hard working and is a very pleasant kid to work with."

Called Out MMA- Postponed

My article for the Press Enterprise Newspaper -
www.PE.com

Saturday's MMA card at Ontario postponed

Thursday, November 12, 2009
By BREANNA ARMSTRONG
Special to The Press-Enterprise
UPDATED

This is an updated version to reflect the correct title for Called Out MMA CEO Steve Miller and to include Miller's statement.

The "Called Out MMA" card scheduled for Saturday at Ontario's Citizens Business Bank Arena has been postponed. No makeup date has been set.

Fighters on the card, including two locals, learned of the postponement Tuesday night via text message from Mike Rush, a matchmaker for Called Out MMA.

George Bastmajyan, an official with Called Out MMA, said that the show was postponed because of lack of funding.

Riverside's Georgi Karakhayan (12-1-1) and San Jacinto's Greg Guzman (7-3) were among those on the 11-fight card headlined by Hector "Sick Dog" Ramirez, the coach from season 10 of Spike TV's "True Ultimate Fighter."

"I look at this in a different way," Karakhanyan said. "I'm very frustrated, but I will take it out on my opponent when I actually do fight. I'm going to keep training and eating healthy because all things happen for a reason."

Sue Oxarart, the director of marketing for the Ontario arena, said she didn't have a chance to talk to Called Out MMA CEO Steve Miller and that potential reschedule dates have not been discussed.

"We all put so much time in training and sacrifice so many things to get ready for a fight and prepare ourselves mentally and physically," said Karakhanyan, who trains out of Millennia MMA in Rancho Cucamonga and United States Karate Organization in Riverside. "I have been training hard every day on top of that dieting to go down to my weight class since August.

"There are so many expenses for gas, for food, for supplements and as a fighter, I spend that money thinking that at the end I will get it all back after I get paid for the fight. One of my friends, Chad George, was on the same card with me and went all the way to Japan to train for the Nov. 14 fight. He spent all of his money to go train and prepare for a war."

The Citizens Business Bank Arena Web site refers questions to CalledOutMMA.com. That site only says that the show has been postponed and they are currently working on a new date and will post any new information as soon as it becomes available.

Later Wednesday night, Steve Miller, the CEO of Called Out MMA, issued the following e-mailed statement to PE.com: "I appreciate your interest in helping to possibly bring clarity to the chain of recent events concerning Called Out MMA II. In consideration of certain deadlines involving the California Athletic Commission, our matchmaker, and designated capital, we did not meet a couple of deadlines and had to choose the least painful of two decisions. Postpone the event, giving ourselves a little bit more time to pull off a successful show of this magnitude ... or try to continue without the proper funding and risk leaving a whole lot of people unpaid. The decision was painful and difficult to make, however, it was the necessary one. We are very much aware of the inconvenience and even hardship a postponed show creates for different people, it touches my own staff as well. We have committed to making it up to those particular people.

"We are meeting with the arena tomorrow to try and work out a new date so we can put the show back together and give our great fans the kind of excellent fights and production they have already come to expect.

"In a long-term consideration, our company's vision, staff, and overall condition is very healthy. We will be back on track in a very short time.

"The feedback and criticism from most everyone has been fair. Disappointed in the postponed show but understanding of the huge costs involved in putting on a show of this magnitude, with little room for mistakes. To put on a successful big show like we are committed to, there are many components that have to come together synergistically; ticket sales, sponsors, a fight card that stays in tact, and sufficient up-front working capital. When one of these components fails you can possibly recover and continue the show. If two or more fail, however, it becomes extremely difficult to proceed without irreparable damage. In these cases it is less damaging to take a very short time-out, regroup, and come back stronger than ever. That is precisely what we will do.

"Again, thank you for your interest and coverage."