Once

She was always about work, so busy, too busy. Too busy for happiness, too busy to act her age, too focused on her career and there was hardly anytime for herself. It was business as usual. Until she met him, and he met her. She was his and he was hers. For the first time ever she had her own him. It happened once. Love happened once. He took away all of her fears, he made her laugh, he replaced work with daily opportunities to be happy again. She found her voice through him. She loved being loved and for the first time she knew what that feeling was like. All of the times in the past that she had been let down, no longer mattered. She forgot everyone’s name before him. He blew them all out of the water. This is what she was looking for. She was that still river, always focused, pure and determined. And he was like the rapid that stirs a river, unpredictable, wild at heart and brave. She was not use to being so loved, so appreciated and so taken care of. There had to be something wrong, how could someone love her so much? She started pushing him away and stopped understanding his wild heart. His rapids soon mellowed down into ripples, to change his ways for the smooth and peaceful her. But it didn’t work. She loved him so much that she wanted him to be those rapids again. So she chose a different path. Her river turned into a stream that simply glided over the cobblestones at the bottom of a once raging and beautiful body of water. Could she ever be loved like that again? Could she ever love another? Her stream is still and waiting. He became a rapid again and she could not be more pleased. He still loves her and she still loves him. It happened once. Love happened once and she won’t forget that feeling for any other feeling in the world.

Breanna Armstrong (c) 2010 "Once"

MMA Spot - Vitor Belfort ~ Sacrifice, Discipline And Humility

Check out my article on MMASpot.net on Vitor Belfort. Thanks Behind the scenes will soon follow.

MMA Spot - Vitor Belfort ~ Sacrifice, Discipline And Humility

Strikeforce Interview with Gegard Mousasi, Jake Shields and Dan Henderson

Behind the Scenes: A Day in the Media
By Breanna Armstrong

Behind the scenes of my interview with Gegard Mousasi, Jake Shields and Dan Henderson at the Strikeforce open media work out day on March 17 at Legends MMA gym in Hollywood, Calif.

It was a scorching, hot day in Hollywood as I stepped into Legends, the outside appearance of the gym was not so pretty. There were shabby dogs running around, and a pretty beat up gate surrounding the wear-house like gym. I didn't know what to expect. When I stepped into the gym, it was like I stepped into an art gallery. The walls were painted in bright colors and the interior design was fit perfectly for an elite gym.

Although it was still stuffy, being inside a gym that literally creates legends was worth it. My photographer and close friend, Lisa and I entered the gym where the Strikeforce fighters were working out to showcase themselves to the media. There is Dan Henderson, the fighter that I am so use to seeing in the UFC, now in his glory now as a most honored and anticipated Strikeforce fighter who is going up against Jake Shields for the title on April 17.

Shields was standing on the other side of the room with his belt, calm, collected and cool. All cameras were on Aoki, the superstar from DREAM. DREAM's Vice President was there to showcase him now, as a Strikeforce contender going up against the also present Gilbert Melendez for the title.

Every time I see King Mo, I feel his confidence rising off of him, sometimes lifting him up about a foot off the floor. Well, that's how the media responded when he walked into the crowded room full with martial arts equipment like a cage, a ring and jiu-jitsu mats. Which is a home a way from home for this elite group of warriors. King Mo was all smiles and when he stepped into the cage to throw down for the media's fancy. He had everyone laughing. I feel like most laugh and encourage, because he is the last person in the world that you would want to get on his bad side.

I go downstairs to interview Dan Henderson, who is relaxing without media interruption. Then and just then, Gegard Mousasi, walks through the doors. He had his typical ivy style cap on with a white shirt and a little cut under his eye. Casual. I have met him once before and threw some questions his way while we were at the Called Out MMA fights in January. Instead of getting to fully enjoy his time at the fight, of course, the humble Mousasi was more than happy to appear to be enjoying his time answering some questions for me.

I walk up to Mousasi to shake his hand and re-introduce myself, but he already was way ahead of me. He smiled and remembered who I was and I got right in there for his first interview out of many more to come that day. It was a good interview... I am looking forward to his fight against King Mo, who has been talking smack on Gegard non-stop. Gegard's response to his opponent's criticism: I'll take it out in the ring. Class act.

Back to Dan, our interview also went smoothly and we got to joke around about how he was not doing anything for St. Patty's day. His teammates that came with him were hilarious, I kind of doubt they sat around their hotel room on St. Patty's day, they were too lively of a crew, although none of them wore green. I felt most comfortable interviewing Dan. I was a little intimidated to at first, until he just had a way of making everything come so naturally. He is a really chill and down to earth kind of guy.

I then made my way back upstairs to interview Dan's opponent, Jake Shields. I have always been a pretty big fan of Jake, ever since I saw him on Bully Beatdown. I knew that he would be a cool interview. I was right. He was very professional and thorough with his answers. This guy is only 9 years older than me, and he is this HUGE superstar fighter. I have the utmost respect for the professional fighter. It takes a lot of sacrifice to get where these men are today, standing in front of probably 60 people all wanting an interview with them, a picture of them and a shot at the spotlight through them.

Who could get the best interview? Who could get the best picture or the most hits on their article? And all these fighters are thinking is: fight, train, eat, sleep. It takes commitment, it takes perseverance and it takes control. Being in a room of legends at Legends in Hollywood was truly an enlightening experience.

Update

Just an update on what's been going on-

I am writing for www.MMASpot.net and I just started my new blog for www.UltimateGrapplingMag.com and I am still devoted to Muay Thaimes Mgazine. We just launched out new site- www.MuayThaimes.net Check them all out!

Check out the next issue of Ultimate MMA Magazine it comes out this week you can find it pretty much anywhere- from 7 eleven to Borders :) I am loving every second of my internship with the Magazine and I am looking forward to a few future projects that I am currently working on.

If you want to see links to my work check out the right side of my blog, under "My Work" Tab. I am going to stop posting my articles on here and just post the link up instead because I have been writing a lot lately.

If you have any ideas for stories that you would like to read about or interviews you would like to see, let me know, e-mail me at BreannaArmstrong@gmail.com :) I would love to hear from you!

Ultimate MMA May 2010 Work

Check out Ultimate MMA Magazine's latest issue, to see what I have been up to! Here are a few clips bellow:

WMC Muay Thai Fights (www.MMASpot.net)

WMC: Welcome To California Recap And Results
Article author: Breanna Armstrong. Posted on 03/06 at 12:47 PM

It was a successful event for the World Muay Thai Council (WMC) on Friday, March 5, as fight fans came out to support the WMC’s first appearance in California. The Quiet Cannon nightclub in Montebello, transformed into a stadium fit for a memorable Muay Thai show.

The night had six action packed amateur and two professional fights. In the main event, Muay Thai legend, Coke Chunhawat (41-8-1) entered the ring comfortably as he sought to destroy his opponent, Tampa's Dan Rawlings (13-5), as fast as he could.

Coke never ceases to put on a show for his fans or audience, and that is exactly what he did. He practically danced around Rawlings, who was taking some powerful strikes from Coke. In the third round, Rawlings started it off with a kick to Coke’s stomach that triggered a rampage from the vet, until Rawlings surrendered 46 seconds into the round.

In the WMC’s amateur featherweight title bout, a rematch between Jessie Magusen (4-6) and the undefeated (at the time) Ruben Ekyotin (4-1) was the most anticipated bout of the night. Both put on a brutal fight, exuding the fact that they had met their match. However, fans were able to see a different Magusen as he defeated Ekyotin via split decision.

“I have seen all of Jessie’s fights, he is really improving and one to watch for,” said highly-regarded judge Nelson “Doc” Hamilton.

The women’s match between Michelle Percival, training out of USKO in Riverside, Calif., and Joslyn Mikow, training out of Fairtex in San Francisco, had fans out of their seats as the two power house 135 pound fighters battled it out in the ring.

Percival’s reach was too much for Mikow, and it resulted in a unanimous decision victory for Percival.

“It felt really great, I had a good training camp that helped me to see that I can keep taking a step forward,” said Percival, whose only loss came in December 2009, via decision. “This time I initiated quicker. I started counting on my cardio. I am looking forward to my next fight and I am thankful that Joslyn could come down here from San Francisco.”

Percival’s teammate, Riley Miller (0-1), making his debut, did not have the same success as Percival. Miller lost by decision to Robert Wendiwlier (2-0), who trains out of Team Oyama in Irvine, Calif., under Colin Oyama and Muay Thai WBC Champion Romie Adanza.

It was successful night for Team Oyama, as Wendiwlier’s teammate, Oscar Sanchez also won, defeating Dereck Leung (1-3) via split decision.

Results:

Amateur Bouts:
Oscar Sanchez defeated Dereck Leung (1-3) via split decision
Robert Zakartin defeated Mike Herman via TKO in at 0:50 of Round 3
Victor Acosta (4-3) defeated Erik Alignay (1-2) via unanimous decision
Michele Percival (4-1) defeated Joslyn Mikow (1-2) via unanimous decision

WMC Amateur Featherweight Title:
Jessie Magusen (4-6) defeated Ruben Ekyotin ( 4-1) via split decision

WMC Heavyweight Bout:
Robert Wendiwlier (2-0) defeated Riley Miller (0-1) via majority decision

Professional Bouts:
Chike Linsey (13-1) defeated Nathan Willet (8-3) via TKO in Round 3

WMC Lightweight Championship Title:
Coke Chunhawat (41-8-1) defeated Dan Rawlings (13-5) via TKO at 0:46 in Round 3

FiOS TV- Every MMA Fan's Dream Come True

SHOWTIME's Interactive Strikeforce Event: Where the sports fans play.

We all put our two cents in as we watch our favorite fighters go at it on television sets all over the world. It doesn't matter if your watching a fight by yourself or in a crowded sports bar, let's face it we are going to make some noise.

We are going to turn to our buddy and take on the role of an official or judge and say what this guy should have done to this guy. What if you could put all of that energy in and actually interact with other viewers and fighters DURING the fight!?

Here is the ultimate MMA fan's dream come true: Tonight, FiOS TV will add a new level of interactivity today with the launch of SHOWTIME Sports Interactive during the Strikeforce Challengers mixed martial arts telecast. The event airs tonight (Friday, Feb. 26) on Showtime HD East Coast feed (Channel 865 on FiOS) at 8 p.m. Pacific.

MMA fans who are SHOWTIME subscribers on FiOS TV will be the first to have instant on-screen, on-demand access to a wide array of interactive features during the Strikeforce event including: viewing fighter profiles, customizable stats, a trivia game, voting in viewer polls, and more, with the touch of a button on their FiOS TV remote. It's all free to SHOWTIME subscribers on Verizon FiOS TV.

I can't think of a better way to watch Strikeforce. If you are a FiOS TV subscriber, you will have the chance to view this new network's interactive experience first. According to Verizon's press release: All FiOS TV customers with a high-definition set-top box who subscribe to SHOWTIME will have access to the interactive experience.

This takes watching this sport to a new level. I can't think of a better target audience then MMA fans. If you want to learn more about FiOS go to www.verizon.com/newscenter

Have fun playing.