© Marc Wickert www.knucklepit.com When BJ Penn travelled to Rio De Janiero in 2000 to compete in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, few people thought he had a chance of winning the Black Belt Championships. This was because a non-Brazilian had never won the coveted title before. But a determined Penn fought against the odds and returned […]
© Marc Wickert, www.knucklepit.com Internationally acclaimed fighting events such as UFC, Cage Rage, and IFL provide avenues for some of the world's elite mixed martial artists to compete and hone their skills. However, not all martial artists originally take up a fighting system to compete in sporting events. Many partake in a self-defense system as […]
Copyright – Marc Wickert 2002 www.knucklepit.com At just 41 years of age, Bill Wakefield has been one of the most successful promoters of Australian martial arts. Born in New South Wales, a young Bill Wakefield took up boxing lessons at the local Police Boys club in Dubbo, a country town noted for being the birthplace […]
© Marc Wickert It was through a chance meeting that Bill Boyd's English-born mother and Australian father met in Canada. Bill's Father was working as a teacher chasing work, and his mother was a nurse helping the indigenous Indians in remote Canadian villages. They married and later settled in Surrey England, where Bill was born. […]
© Marc Wickert www.knucklepit.com 30 Jan. 2007 Benji Radach has just flown into Houston with Anacondas' coach, Bas Rutten. The weather channel has been showing heavy snowfalls in Dallas and Austin, but it's not snowing in Houston, although it is freezing. The Anacondas are coming here to take on the Silverbacks and Benji confirms that […]
Sensei Suzuki demonstrates the art of Ashihara. © Marc Wickert (previously published in Fight Times) Previously in Fight Times (Volume 8 Issue 6) Sensei Suzuki had stated that he would be returning to Australia with the intention of cementing his friendship with Australian martial artists, and to develop a network between Australia and Japan as […]
Sensei Suzuki (left) with Ashihara, founder Hideyuki Ashihara. Copyright – Marc Wickert (previously published in FIGHT TIMES magazine) Ashihara Karate was developed in 1980 out of the necessity for a style of Karate that would be effective in today's society. It was founded by Hideyuki Ashihara, who trained in Kyokushin Karate for twenty years, before […]
© Marc Wickert www.knucklepit.com January 2, 2007 IFL Silverback Ben Uker is back at full-throttle training in Bettendorf, after briefly celebrating the beginning of 2007. "I hung out with some old wrestling buddies at Iowa City for New Year's Eve after traveling back from Connecticut this past weekend. We were pretty worn out, so I […]
© Marc Wickert www.knucklepit.com 2006 IFL Silverback fighter Ben Uker is busy doing some work at the computer in his capacity as a mortgage rep for Wells Fargo, when the phone rings for an interview with knucklepit.com. Born in Osage, Iowa, Ben is presently in Bettendorf, Iowa, where he's trained with Team Miletich for the […]
© Marc Wickert www.knucklepit.com 18 Jan.'07 Silverbacks' heavyweight, Ben Rothwell, has just finished training after hitting the mitts with Pat Miletich and doing some technique drills. But he's taking things a bit easier today after his grueling workout the day before. "Yesterday we had one of our workouts where we do a circuit incorporating a […]