By DYAN CASTILLEJO-GARCIA
with JACKIE CASTILLEJO

Mixed martial art is the fastest growing sport in the world today as underscored by the increasing background diversity of the mixed martial arts fighters who participated in the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) of the United States.

The Fearless Fighting Championships (FFC) is similar to the UFC because of the use of the Octagon cage as its fighting arena. The "Octagon," as mixed martial arts practitioners call it, makes FFC the most exciting and realistic form of mixed martial arts competition in the country.

The fourth tournament for the FFC was held at Metrowalk Ortigas last October 13, 2006.

It was the 13th of the month and on a Friday but many went to the Metrowalk to witness the event instead of watching a scary movie. It was then that the Octagon gates opened for the third and final installment of the qualifying trilogy of the FFC.

The FFC organizers pulled no stops! They had an Octagon identical to that of the UFC in the US. They placed it at the very center of Metrowalk for all to be able to watch the event for free.

An elevated ramp was connected to the gates of the Octagon where the fighters came out from after their names were announced.

Upon hearing their names called, the fighters made a grand entrance to the cage from the ramp with a big puff of smoke surrounding them. The scenario really set the mood for the event. The accompanying music made the fighters look even more aggressive.

FFC is known for being a high-intensity event. It’s both a sport and a spectacle, which when combined, always draws a crowd.

Fight clubs came to represent themselves from all parts of the country with their best fighters showcased in 12 thrilling matches.

Martin Lastimosa of Fight Club was up against Joshua Abella of Kyokoshin. Both were first timers in FFC.

Lastimosa, who was known as the striker, used jiu-jitsu as his martial arts style while Abella, in supporting red and blue shorts, used karate. Abella was known for his "Ground and Pound" technique.

Lastimosa made Abella feel the power of his strikes and won by technical knockout in the first round.

For your info, not all fighters are initially trained in martial arts. Some are bouncers, some are security guards, some are gym buffs and others are bodybuilders who all got into fighting somehow.

One case in point is Ariel Samadio of Sprawl, one of the fighters, who was Mr. Philippines in 1993. His opponent, Marlon Abrigoso, was a freestyle fighter and a first timer in the FFC.

Samadio, who was known for his hammer fists, defeated Abrigoso in another technical knockout in the first round.

Angelo Lazzarito, also of Fight Club, had a reputation of being a very explosive fighter. He was up against Timmy Ledesma from the Submission Sport Bacolod, who was known to be a submission specialist.

Take note that fighters were not categorized by their martial arts but by weight divisions. An explosive fighter versus a submission specialist? The fight should be interesting and quick!

The Octagon at the Metrowalk also drew a lot of famous celebrities who were very much into the sport.

You are wrong if you think fearless fighting only draws men to watch because even women go "gaga" over the sport.

Though the organizers of the event assured everyone that the sport was as safe as possible for all the fighters, it did not mean no blood inside the Octagon.

Obviously, the hometown crowd was rooting for the Pinoy to hold on until the end of the fight. The Pinoy went the distance but came out short in the end.

***

A fighter must walk in that Octagon not knowing what the "loser" means. That type of mental attitude is what turns a fighter into a winner.

Sure, all fighters during the event had mutual respect for each other. Some of them were probably friends when not inside the Octagon. But inside the cage, no apologies were necessary until a fighter beat up his opponent. You could say that respect was earned among them only when one took a bad beating.

FFC proved that there is a wide range of audiences clamoring for raw, real and riveting battles. The raw, real in riveting you can only find in mixed martial arts!

All winners in the event will face each other in the FFC finals to be held in early December. You can expect Sports Unlimited to be in the middle of all the fighting!