© 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 […]
© 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 […]
© Marc Wickert www.knucklepit.com 10 Oct. '06 "I'm just kicking back in my room – getting ready for bed. I got done training about an hour ago," says the 6'4", 265-pound human mako, affectionately known as 'War' Rothwell. Ben resides in Bettendorf, Iowa, in an apartment above the Team Miletich gym with fellow Silverback members […]
© Marc Wickert www.knucklepit.com 2 Oct.'06 At the time of this interview Bas 'El Guapo' Rutten is traveling home after instructing at his gym in Hollywood: "I was listening to the XM Radio 150: It's a stand-up comedy channel. I'm driving now. I was teaching at the Legends Training Center, and now I'm on my […]
© Marc Wickert www.knucklepit.com 2006 Silverbacks' lightweight fighter, Bart Palaszewski, is busy preparing for celebrations at the time of this interview. "I'm putting up a tent at my buddy's house; we have a big party tomorrow night – the night before Thanksgiving. It's the biggest party night in the US, I guess. And we're having […]