Date: Wed, 17 Dec 2008 02:48:22 +0100 From: the_dojang-request@martialartsresource.net Subject: The_Dojang digest, Vol 15 #340 - 3 msgs X-Mailer: Mailman v2.0.13.cisto1 MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Errors-To: the_dojang-admin@martialartsresource.net X-BeenThere: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.13.cisto1 Precedence: bulk Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net X-Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net List-Unsubscribe: , List-Id: The Internet's premier discussion forum on Korean Martial Arts. 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Hapkido's Denis Kang (Ray) 2. WTF Holds Council Meeting (The_Dojang) 3. First Day of World Poomsae Championships (The_Dojang) --__--__-- Message: 1 From: Ray To: The_Dojang Date: Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:26:35 -0800 Subject: [The_Dojang] Hapkido's Denis Kang Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Denis Kang, the UFC's Newest Acquisition By Bryan Levick FightTicker.com I recently conducted an e-mail interview with the UFC's newest middleweight Denis Kang. Kang is currently training for his UFC debut against Alan Belcher, which will take place January 17 at UFC 93 in Dublin, Ireland. FightTicker.com: When and were did you get your start in MMA? Can you tell me a bit about your background? Denis Kang: When I was 17 I watched a video of UFC 2 and I was hooked from the start. I thought that it was the greatest thing in the world. Still do in fact. FightTicker.com: At what point did you realize that you wanted to make your living as a fighter and what did your family think about it? Denis Kang: After training Hapkido and BJJ I decided to give it a try. At first I trained part-time as I needed to hold a job, but eventually I started to make the move to full-time training. It was hard in the beginning but it made me appreciate what I have now. FightTicker.com: Did you have any heroes growing up? Were there any particular fighters that you tried to emulate? Denis Kang: Well you gotta remember that back then there was rarely anybody in their early 20s competing. Most guys in the UFC were old time TMA guys in their early mid-30s or older. I remember that I could relate to guys like Jerry Bolhander and Vitor Belfort because they were the only guys close to my age then. FightTicker.com: How did you get hooked up with American Top Team? Denis Kang: I'd always had a good friendship with ATT because of the Carlson Gracie connection with Marcus Soares. I had gone down there already to train before and it only seemed natural for me to go down and live in Florida. FightTicker.com: You have fought for many different organizations. Can you tell me which of them you enjoyed the most and why? What were the differences in fighting for Pride as opposed to Spirit MC or Pancrase? Denis Kang: Well they all had their good and bad points, but the most prestigious was definitely Pride. Pancrase was cool because it had so much history behind it, and Spirit MC was in Korea in front of my family so it was very important as well. FightTicker.com: Having fought for Dream can you tell me the similarities between fighting for them and Pride? Denis Kang: They were similar yet different. Pride had a certain magic in the air when the event would start. Dream is close but seems to be lacking a certain something. FightTicker.com: I have heard a lot of good stories from fighters about fighting in Japan. Is there anything that sticks out in your mind about your experiences there? What are the fans like as opposed to other fans from around the world? Denis Kang: The fans are the biggest difference. They are very passionate but in a different way than the Western fans. During a fight they are not as loud or vocal as the American fans. Events in Japan also tend to start earlier in the day. I remember one Pancrase event was at 1 pm. FightTicker.com: You have fought so many quality opponents. Can you tell me who your toughest fight was and why? Denis Kang: My hardest fight was the one against Mizaki for Bushido GP finals. I was already tired from the first match of the night, where I had also torn my right bicep. I chose to fight anyways but it was the most grueling thing I have ever done. FightTicker.com: After losing a 3 out of 4 fights at the end of 2007 and early 2008 how did that effect you mentally? Denis Kang: I had to regroup and find my focus again. I think the problem for me was that I had forgotten to always try and evolve as a fighter, instead of merely getting in shape and making weight. FightTicker.com: What ranks and titles have you held and are currently holding? Denis Kang: Well, I've won the WFA middleweight title and the Spirit MC heavyweight title. FightTicker.com: If you could have a rematch with any one of the fighters you lost to who would it be? Denis Kang: Right now I don't care about rematches. FightTicker.com: What are your expectations about fighting for the UFC? Denis Kang: Well I'm ready to fight the best. I really think that for my weight class, only the top talents in the world are currently there. FightTicker.com: Do you have any thoughts on fighting in a cage as opposed to a ring? Denis Kang: I like cages as much as I like rings. You do have to change your strategy a little when going from one to the other. But I have done both and I will be ready. FightTicker.com: Do you have any thoughts on why some of the Pride fighters have struggled once they came into the UFC? Denis Kang: I don't know about that one. Maybe they succumbed to the pressure or the crowd reactions. FightTicker.com: How many fights did you sign on to fight for in the UFC? Denis Kang: Four fights. FightTicker.com: Were you asked to sign any type of licensing agreement when you came aboard with the UFC? Denis Kang: I don't know -- maybe. If my manager wants me to sign something then I trust him and sign it FightTicker.com: You are a very versatile fighter as you have almost as many wins by KO as you do by submission. What is your favorite way to finish a fight? Denis Kang: Well KO is definitely the best. FightTicker.com: What are your thoughts on your upcoming opponent Alan Belcher? Denis Kang: I just know that he beat Ed Herman and has good Muay Thai. FightTicker.com: Right now, Anderson Silva is the king of the middleweight division in the UFC. How many fights do you think you will need to win to get a crack at him? Denis Kang: I think it mostly depends on who I beat and how. But 2 or 3 solid wins should be enough for anybody. FightTicker.com: Are there any fighters out there who you really enjoy watching? Denis Kang: Wanderlei Silva! FightTicker.com: Can you give me a prediction on how you think the GSP- BJ Penn fight will go? Denis Kang: There is no doubt that BJ is a great fighter, but GSP is just on fire right now. I don't see BJ taking this one. FightTicker.com: Denis, on behalf of the FightTicker.com I want to say thank you for taking the time out to answer these questions. I certainly wish you the best of luck in your upcoming fight and we are looking forward to watching you fight in the Octagon and enjoying a ton of success. Is there anything you would like to say to your fans or any of your sponsors? Denis Kang: Please visit my website at www.deniskang.com --__--__-- Message: 2 Date: Tue, 16 Dec 2008 12:15:28 -0800 From: The_Dojang To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Subject: [The_Dojang] WTF Holds Council Meeting Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net WTF Holds Council Meeting in Ankara, Turkey to Approve Amendments to Competition Rules 15 Dec 2008 The World Taekwondo Federation held its Council meeting in Ankara, Turkey on Dec. 15, 2008 to approve amendments to its Rules and Regulations and the Competition Rules. The WTF Council also approved the adoption of the WTF world athlete ranking system and the WTF Code of Ethics. Pending final approval by the WTF General Assembly, the approved Competition Rules and others will take effect as early as in 2009. The WTF plans to send the approved amendments to the General Assembly for voting by email or post in late December 2008 or in early January 2009. The voting window will be one month and the WTF will tally the results and announce the decisions of the General Assembly. Among the approved amendments to the WTF Rules and Regulations this time was the WTF's designation of the World Taekwondo Academy in Korea as its international academic center for studies, education and research of taekwondo. The Council also approved the change of the name of the WTF Education Committee to the WTF Education, Training and Development Committee, while giving an approval to the creation of the WTF Technical Committee for Poomsae. Among the approved major amendments to the WTF Competition Rules at the Council meeting were the shortening of the competition area from the current 10 meters by 10 meters to 8 meters by 8 meters, the introduction of a differentiation of points, the abolition of a 7-point gap and a 12-point ceiling, the reversal of match results in case of a clear error in factual judgment, the introduction of an instant video replay system after a series of tests, and the awarding of an additional point to the opposing contestant for two kyonggo and a gamjeom. The WTF Council also approved the bylaw of the WTF world athlete ranking system. The Council members were briefed on the progress of the WTF's ad-hoc Committee on Electronic Protectors and its talks with the International Taekwondo Federation. The next Council meeting is scheduled to take place in June 2009 in Baku, Azerbaijan on the occasion of the WTF World Cup Taekwondo Team Championships. --__--__-- Message: 3 Date: Tue, 16 Dec 2008 12:25:28 -0800 From: The_Dojang To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Subject: [The_Dojang] First Day of World Poomsae Championships Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net U.S. Team Posts Two Top-10 Finishes on First Day of World Poomsae Championships Bill Kellick - USA Taekwondo December 15, 2008 The U.S. team achieved two top-10 placings on Tuesday during the opening day of the 3rd WTF World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships in Ankara, Turkey. The event runs through Thursday, Dec. 18. David and Judith Turgeon (Amston, Conn.), competing in the 2nd Pairs division, went straight to finals and finished ninth. David Turgeon, also competing in the 1st Master division, made the first cut but was eliminated in the second round of 13. Turgeon finished 10th overall. In the individual Junior divisions, Lilian Angel (Orange, Calif.) and Matt Dunlap (Hermiston, Ore.) were both eliminated in the preliminary rounds, both finishing in the top 25 in large divisions. Competition resumes on Wednesday. The daily schedule for the world championships is as follows: Tuesday, Dec. 16 In Action... Lilian Angel (Orange, Calif.) - Junior Female Matthew Dunlap (Hermiston, Ore.) - Junior Male David Turgeon (Amston, Conn.) - 1st Master Male David Turgeon & Judith Turgeon (Amston, Conn.) - 2nd Pair Wednesday, Dec. 17 In Action... Kimberly Fritzsche (Owosso, Mich.) - 1st Senior Female Muhammad Chishti (Carlsbad, Calif.) - 1st Senior Male Muhammad Chishti & Lilian Angel - 1st Pair Noreen Thackrey (Fresno, Calif.) - 2nd Master Female Reggie Ubiadas (Simi Valley, Calif.) - 2nd Master Male David Turgeon, Ron Southwick (Fort Worth, Texas), Garth Cooley (Indianapolis, Ind.) - 2nd Team Male Barbara Brand (Fremont, Calif.), Tara Zielinski (Sacramento, Calif.), Anacleta Thorne (Elk Grove, Calif.) - 2nd Team Female Thursday, Dec. 18 In Action... Aline Salzberg (Chatsworth, Calif.) - 2nd Senior Female Jim Null (Banks, Ore.) - 2nd Senior Male Dure Chang (Anchorage, Alaska) - 1st Master Female Madison Motoyasu (Santa Clarita, Calif.), Mariel Calinog (Granada Hills, Calif.), Maisey Calinog (Granada Hills, Calif.) - 1st Team Female Jason Hwang (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.), Matthew Dunlap, Henry Darnell (Lawndale, Calif.) - 1st Team Male --__--__-- _______________________________________________ The_Dojang mailing list The_Dojang@martialartsresource.net http://martialartsresource.net/mailman/listinfo/the_dojang Subscribe or Unsubscribe: http://the-dojang.net Old digest issues @ ftp://ftp.martialartsresource.com/pub/the_dojang Copyright 1994-2008: Ray Terry and http://MartialArtsResource.com Standard disclaimers apply. Remember September 11. End of The_Dojang Digest