Archive for January, 2009

Fedor Emelianenko

A Tribute to ‘The Last Emperor’

©Marc Wickert ©www.knucklepit.com

Born in Rubizhe, Luhansk, Ukraine, on September 28, 1976, Fedor Emelianenko relocated with his family to the Russian industrial town of Stary Oskol when he was two.   Situated 500 miles south of Moscow in the Belgorod area, Stary Oskol is best known for its steel mills and iron ore plant, which suited Fedor’s father who was a hard-working welder.

As a child, Fedor grew up idolizing another Ukrainian, the legendary Soviet weightlifter, Yury Vlasov, and was determined to one day inspire young Russian children in the way Yury had inspired him.  The adolescent Fedor missed seeing Vlasov at his peak, when he took over from America’s Paul Anderson as the ‘Strongest Man in the World’ before slashing 32 world records in the super-heavyweight division. But the legend of Yury was enough for Fedor to set the bar for his own aspirations.

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BJ Penn Book of Knowledge

MIXED MARTIAL ARTS – THE BOOK OF KNOWLEDGE

with Glen Cordoza & Erich Krauss (Victory Belt)
© Marc Wickert www.knucklepit.com

BJ Penn is the grand sorcerer of ultimate fighting who blends together a lethal brew of strikes, takedowns and submissions, making him the true alchemist of mixed martial arts.

This former UFC Welterweight Champion is not only one of MMA’s most respected practitioners, but BJ captured the imagination of all martial artists around the world in 2000 when he became the only non-Brazilian to win the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Championships.

“BJ Penn is one of the most talented athletes I’ve ever had the honor to train with.  Any techniques you learn from this book will be time well spent,” says Randy Couture.

In Mixed Martial Arts – The Book of Knowledge, Penn divides his publication into two parts: ‘The Stand-Up Game’ and ‘The Ground Game’, thoroughly explaining both areas clearly to his apprentices.

One of the main features of the book is that BJ doesn’t try to convert people to any particular fighting style, but works with the reader “Meshing techniques from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, kickboxing, and wrestling… that beginners and experienced practitioners can follow,” says Penn. 

And while The Prodigy encourages athletes to develop a well-rounded game he also encourages them to work primarily from their home base, whether that be stand-up or ground warfare. 

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