ARLINGTON, VA -  Just over the Potomac River from Washington D.C. and a stone's throw from the Pentagon sits Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, an installation that houses multiple U.S. military services and also serves as home to the Arlington National Cemetery Honor Guard. This was the site of Odyssey Fights Saturday night affair, Battle on the Base, an MMA showcase for military personnel their families and the surrounding community.  Odyssey bills itself as the #1 Professional MMA promotion in the Mid-Atlantic region and the irony was not lost on me that a location that is utilized by a mix of military service personnel, played host to a combat sports competition that utilizes a mix of martial arts.  O.K. maybe a stretch but that's where my head was.

Nine bouts were scheduled for the night with the main card featuring a Welterweight title fight between, JD "Swamp Thing" Domengeaux of American Top Team vs. Portland "The Promise" Pringle fighting out Four Seasons MMA of Lexington, Kentucky.  This weekend's event included three fighters who served in the military.  They included Sean Reed, ten year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corp., Kenny Gaudreau currently serving in the U.S. Army Reserve and Martin Davila, an eight year veteran of the U.S Marine Corp.   One of the promoters of the event, Pete Ward is also a former Marine.

Cage announcer Giovanni Lemm, himself a former cage fighter and MMA trainer, got the show started with a call to the crowd to stand as the Marine Color Guard marched in to formally kick off the evening.  The energy of the fans could clearly be felt in the building as the first fight was introduced. 

​Featherweight competitors Darnell Murphy and Anthony Tisdale got the early call as they made their way from the formal gateway entrance to the cage set-up about twenty-five feet away.  All of a sudden the music stops, the cage door locks and it's on.  Tisdale was in trouble early after being on the receiving end of a couple of range finder jabs. After being taken down by Murphy, he immediately fell into a mounted crucifix, which clamps your legs on your opponent's one arm, while keeping a grip with one hand on the other arm and launching strikes with the free hand and elbow. Murphy moved quickly but was careful not to rush.  He ended the fight at the 1:54 mark in the first round, when the referee stepped in to stop the contest. That first contest would set the tone for the evening as most bouts were decided early.

In the light heavyweight division, Karl Reed of Pitch Black MMA took on General Marrow of No Limit MMA next. Reed begin the round with low hands and stepping in early with a strong offensive side kick, obviously his way of welcoming Marrow to the fight. While Marrow danced on the outside, Reed slide in and out while pulsing on both feet, obviously measuring his kicking distance for a strike. Marrow seemed oblivious to this and tried to keep what he thought was a safe distance as he tried to get comfortable. Before he realized it, his back was against the fence, his body became square and Reed unleashed what he'd been measuring. A right rear leg kick to the head. It's moments like this where I see people in the crowd who are often shocked the first time they attend a live fight or MMA match, and hear the sound of bone hitting flesh. The strikes are real and they're hard. The crowd let out a uniform,"OWWW!" Marrow was hit before he could react and his body met the cage and mat in quick succession. The first KO of the night.

Everett Sims and Ricardo Ramirez, fighting Super Heavyweight and Welterweight respectively, made quick work of their opponents in the next two matches. Sims delivered a thunderous left knee catching John Calloway coming in on an attempted a takedown and Ramirez got a submission via americana armlock.

Francisco Isata vs. Kenny Hill at the catchweight of 150 lbs., was an interesting match. Isata who fights out of Disciple MMA, came in all business. Hill, of Combat Club Martial Arts on the other hand, was in the entertaining mood as he danced his way to the cage, feeling his walk-out music, which got cheers from the crowd who appreciated his moves.

Hill may have been trying to lull Isata into a false sense of security as he  immediately went for a take down during the opening bell.  Isata promptly stuffed and reversed the position against the cage and tried his own hand at a takedown which proved successful. Hill spent the rest of the first round defending mount and choke attempts from Isata who seemed to have an edge on the ground.  In the second round, Isata shot in and got a double leg takedown that he was able to use to work his way to the half-guard position for most of the round.  Hill put on a gritty effort as he made several attempts to either wall-walk his way to his feet or rise to his knees before he was taken back down by Isata.  Isata stayed on him throughout and eventually was able to sink in a rear naked submission choke to end the match at the 4:15 mark in the second round.

The Welterweight title fight would pair two fighters on a current winning streak. Pringle who had won his last 2 fights and Domengeaux who was on a blazing streak of 8 wins in a row.  Round one began with one of the tell tale signs of experienced fighters, the feeling out process. Lots of movement, feints and pawing each others hands.  Pringle was caught against cage mid-way through the round and taken down.  He managed to roll out of trouble and Domengeaux pulled him into guard to start a ground fight. Domengeaux attempted to slap on a triangle but Pringle calmly fought his way out as the two traded positions with sweeps and reversals before regaining their feet and closing out the first round.  The second round began where the first round left off, lots of hand fighting and open stance engagement.  Ultimately, Pringle was able to pull off the victory defeating Domengaux via rear naked choke in the Second Round.

A Muay Thai fight is not something you typically think about as a way to spend your Saturday night. As some folks took their seats, I could hear whispers of confusion behind me.

What is it? Kickboxing? Some kind of karate?

What it is, is exciting! Muay Thai night in D.C., put on by the American Muay Thai League, is almost like it's own fight club. A real cool fight club. A tribal fanbase comes together. You can see them all when they walk in. The supporters show up in the customized T-shirts or gym apparel that represents their boyfriend, their girlfriend, spouse or their crew. The high-fives and bro-hugs from the coaches who know each other and have competed over the years. The moms and dads come in, who still aren't quite sure what they're watching, but faithfully take their seats and prepare to just yell when the time comes. They all come and none are disappointed.

THEARC in Southeast D.C.,  by day a community center, is transformed quite well into a fight arena for the evening.  Sixteen fights were showcased on the card Saturday night.  The common thread in all of them was that everyone came to fight. Not a lot of dancing or lateral movement, just straight up centerline striking.  Hit and not get hit.  Set-up, feint, parry.  Hit and not get hit. That is, until you get hit.  As kicks and knees found their targets, segments of the crowd yelled, to let the judges know of their approval.  By the way, the proper shout phrase on this occasion is, "OOOOEEEE!" I just learned that this weekend.

Muay Thai is not for the faint of heart. Spinning elbows to the bridge of the nose, brutal leg kicks to the soft tissue of the thighs, and well placed knees to floating ribs are all part of the game.  It's a splendid sport. One that requires thorough conditioning to compete and mental toughness to persevere.

AMTL Promotions now regularly brings Muay Thai fights to the Washington D.C. area and has an aggressive schedule to produce even more fights in 2017. Their formula seems to be consistent. Find  folks who really want to fight, pack a competitive card with well matched opponents, start the event on time and keep the show moving.  At the end of a couple fights, the next competitors were already in the ring before the previous competitors had even left the arena.  It's a good sign. Don't let the fans get restless.

Saturday night featured Rolando Valdez from Rockville, MD vs. Eric Rocha of Toronto, Canada at 147lbs. and in the co-main event, Jared Tipton of LevelUp Gym in Bowie, MD vs. Jonathan George of Lorton, VA at 133lbs. 

Leading up to the headliners were a couple of stand-out results from fighters on the undercard, including Nathashas Sotnychuck of Revolution MMA in Virginia who dispensed with her opponent, Casey Smith of Lotus Thai Boxing inside of 10 seconds of the first round. The walkout and pre-fight ritual start was longer than the fight. Bell rings. Head-kick. Fight over.

Jake Darr of Ground Control in Columbia, MD and Colby McIntyre of Iron Muay Thai in Atlanta, GA just decided to play a game of last man standing. Darr introduced McIntyre to the canvas a couple of times and it was enough to put him over with a decision. But the flurries and leg kicks by both guys proved to be very entertaining.  In the 115lbs. division, the crowd got behind pint-sized Abbe Pannuci who was seemingly kicked, pushed and thrown around the ring by her opponent, Nicole Ball of Mikido MMA. But she just kept calmly getting back-up, returning to her fight stance and throwing strong counters to Ball's face. Pannuci lost the fight by decision but her toughness was appreciated by the crowd.  In the spirit of Marvel Comics, Jovan Davis of Pentagon MMA entered the ring in a cape against Alvin Mercer of Mikido MMA.  Apparently the cape thing worked as Davis outclassed Mercer with a KO.

Returning to the main card events, after Jared Tipton floored Jonathan George early in the first round, he was seemingly stunned in the next exchange and George quickly took advantage returning the knockdown in quick fashion.  Tipton was on shaky legs when he rose from the count and was jumped on quickly by George  who ended the bout with a couple of quick combinations that sent Tipton crashing hard to the outer edge of the canvas. KO first round.​

Rolando Valdez and Eric Rocha traded shots for most of the first round but by the second round, it appeared Valdez had begun to get his timing together. He dropped Rocha with a straight right hand in the second and finished him with a front leg kick to the head in the 3rd.

AMTL Promotions gets back at it in December. Make sure you're ready.

One of the amazing things about martial arts is the number of different styles that stem from the variety of cultures around the world. Human beings scattered around the earth, working with the same anatomical structure have managed to find different and creative ways to use the head, arms, hands, knees, feet, and shins as weapons.  In reviewing a lot of different martial arts,  sometimes a round kick is just a round kick even in a different language.   But then sometimes you come across a truly unique form.

Capoeira is one of those different forms. It is a martial art that offers a very unique system of movement.  Considered a striking style, Capoeira combines elements of acrobatics, dance and ritualistic movements to feint, avoid contact, set-up sweeps, elbows and create openings for it's powerful kicks.

Capoeira is believed to originate during the 16th century when West Africans were brought to Brazil by Portuguese colonists and made into slaves to work the sugar cane and coffee plantations in the region.  They were prohibited from celebrating their cultural customs and forbidden from practicing anything that resembled traditional combat or self-defense.  Capoeira emerged as a way to pass along cultural traditions while at the same time hiding it's martial art form in music and entertainment for the slaveholders. But, it was also practiced in secret as a method of self-defense.  Today Capoeira is embraced in Brazil as a recognized martial art of the country and a sense of nationalistic pride for the Afro-Brazilians who gave birth to the art.

It can now be found around the world, with schools in several countries. Many of it's elements are used by some of the more popular MMA fighters in UFC who have received training in the discipline, including Anthony Pettis, Anderson Silva, Thiago Santos and recent sensation, Conor McGregor.

The style features a series of complex movements and positions which are meant to flow together producing a mix of unpredictable motions and strikes.  The practitioner of the art is called a capoeirista. The capoeirista's objective is to remain in a state of constant motion, presenting a difficult target for an adversary. Most attacks are made with the legs in the form of twirling kicks that can come from cartwheels or handstands.

In the nation's capital, CapoeiraDC (Capoeira Males DC) continues the tradition of teaching and sharing Capoeira.  It is a community-run nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering the Afro-Brazilian martial art through classes for adults and children.  On September 17th, the organization celebrated their annual event, Batizado and Troca de Cordas (exchange of cords/graduation) for their students and invited DMV Combat Fanatics to drop by to learn more about the art.

CapoeiraDC was founded in 2000 by capoerista friends led by Professor Morcego under the tutelage of Brazilian Mestre (master, teacher) Curisco of Seattle, WA. Saturday's event was a celebration of sorts with workshops, music, games, dance all of course with the objective or putting capoeira on broad display.

Students are advanced through a ranking system designated by colored cords or ropes. Like a lot of martial arts today, there is not a standard ranking system used by capoeira worldwide but it is generally recognized that the highest level one can obtain is Grand Mestre usually preceded by Mestre and Professor.

​If you ever have the occasion to see a capoeira event, don't mistake all the laughs and good times for a weak martial art.  A smile could be the last thing you remember seeing.

For more information on classes at CapoeiraDC, check out their website at www.capoeiradc.com.

​About the Author:
​Darryl Keeton is an avid striking, grappling and wrestling fan living in Upper Marlboro, MD. He holds a black belt in Taekwondo and is also a practitioner of Combat Jujutsu, Boxing and Muay Thai.

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Washington D. C. - American MuayThai League returns to D.C. this weekend, Saturday, September 17th with a stellar fight card that features Rolando Valdez (Bethesda, MD) scheduled to do battle with Eric Rocha (Toronto, Canada) in a bout scheduled for five rounds. In the co-main event, former WKA North American Kickboxing Champion and a Unified World Silver Medalist, Jared Tipton (Bowie, MD) will take on Jonathan George (Lorton, VA).

The event will be held at THEARC (Town Hall Education Arts Recreation Campus) in Southeast, D. C.

The card is promoted by AMTL Promotions.

In separate undercard bouts, Scott Noble (Baltimore, MD), known for having one of the fastest knockouts on record of three seconds will test his talents vs Samullah Amady (Lorton, VA) and AMTL veteran, Jovan Davis (Arlington, VA) is scheduled to go toe-to-toe with Shogun Fights veteran, Alvin Mercer (Fairfax, VA). Additionally, there will be 12 amateur Muay Thai bouts scheduled prior to these contests.

Special guest in attendance will be DeMarcus Corley, current Fecarbox WBC champion and former WBO, NABF and USBA light welterweight champion.

Tickets for the event are available NOW priced from $45 and are only available at AMTLPromotions.com.

Doors will open at 3pm EST for the AMTL event with the first bout starting at 4pm EST.

All bouts are subject to change.