Nicky
30-11-2005, 06:18
Hello Martin, would it be all right to start by telling us a bit about your Martial Arts background and what led you to take up MMA?
I started with Martial Arts when I was 13 years old. Some of my uncles and aunts were Karateka's and some of my friends were Jiu Jitsuka's. At the same time Bruce Lee and other Ninja movies were very popular.
I started with Jiu Jitsu (IJJF system), became a black belt when I was 17 years old, 2nd degree when I was 19 years old. At 17 years old I started to train Kyokushinkai Karate as well with my uncle. I became a black belt when I was 21 years old. I was doing a lot competitions at that time too. Then I met Remco Pardoel and started to train BJJ with him for more than a year and then founded my own gym (Tatsujin Dojo, The Specialist Gym). Jan Lomulder (World Champion Thaiboxing) came to my gym and I helped him prepare for a Vale Tudo fight in Japan. I trained Thaiboxing with him for many years. Dries van Leeuwen and Andy Jekel came to train with me as well (both Dutch Heavyweight Wrestling champions). They started to teach me the art of wrestling. At the same time, I was fighting and coaching many fighters in Japan. I got a chance to stay at a friend’s house in Japan and train twice a day in the Shooto gyms.
Sometimes I would stay 3 weeks in Japan. I had a great time there and learned a lot. I joined the Golden Glory team and started to train with Lucien Carbin, and all the other members.
I also went to many different countries and teams to train with the best.
Could you tell us what your first fight was like for you?
It was six weeks full of adrenaline before it! (laughs) It was in 1997. I won the fight within two minutes (the guy made 3 rope escapes).
What fight in your career so far has meant the most to you?
My third fight was in Japan (Vale Tudo Open) also in 1997. I defeated my opponent Taro Obata in 2:27 minutes by armbar. He became a very good friend of mine afterwards. I see him every time I go to Japan. He came to Holland and stay with me as well! So my first fight in Japan, I got the win and made a great friend!
Are you still active as a fighter?
Since I started, I said that I will quit the fight game. Many promoters have offered me fights. I will probably fight once or twice more...
What do you think you would have done for a living, if you weren't involved so heavily in MMA?
Before I worked as an insurance advisor, bank employee and account manager at a marketing company, which I bought later on. I Still work in marketing now. Check out my latest web-casting project: www.shooto.tv
In the near future you can watch all Shooto fights from the whole world here. I am working with some partners in some narrow-casting / digital signage projects as well. This is a new way of communicating with consumers by reaching them via in-store screens. Communication on the right time at the right place.
I have been the president of Shooto Europe and Shooto Holland since 2000 (when I introduced Shooto to Europe). Shooto is getting bigger and bigger right now. We are represented in Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Ireland, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Greece, Serbia & Montenegro and we are working on some more countries. I organise Shooto events in Holland and help the guys in Europe out as well.
What rules are used by Shooto? Have they always used these rules?
Shooto has been in existence since 1985. The rules have evolved since then. The rules are the same all over the world: Standing up all strikes except elbows, all take downs, on the ground, all chokes, joint locks and strikes except for kicks and knees to the face.
I understand that Shooto has different categories or “classes� of fighters. Can you explain why this is and what benefits this arrangement has?
Shooto thinks out of the mind of a fighter/sportsman, not out of a promoter. We are the only MMA organisation in the world who has C- Class, B-Class and A-Class matches including an A-Class ranking (European, Pacific Rim and World ranking). This is to protect and motivate the fighters and make sure you will get a proper matchmaking. Title fights are not made because one fighter is the friend of the promoter and the other fighter sells a lot of tickets. This is what we want to prevent. There are a lot of "champions" in the MMA world. This doesn’t make MMA look professional. The boxing world, which is much more professional than the MMA world, has been working with rankings for a long time already.
What would you say to someone who views MMA as organised street fighting?
Get a life... Come to our gym and train with us, talk with us afterwards and listen to what we do and don't do to prepare for a fight. Listen to how professionally we think about diets, supplements, physiotherapy, management of fighters etc etc.
I am sure you would think differently about MMA when you leave. We are professional athletes who have to work harder than for example soccer players.
Being involved since the nineties, how do you see the development of the sport in Europe?
It is getting better and better lately, I think the last 5 years the sport in Europe has developed a lot here. Promotions getting more professional, fighters getting better. This is great to see! I am very positive about the evolution of MMA. I think it will be bigger than Professional Boxing in a few years. Bigger companies will get involved and the athletes will earn decent money.
What do you see as the key differences between fans in Japan and around the world?
The fans in Japan are the most educated in the MMA world. They all understand what is happening and appreciate it. They know that we are professional athletes! The Japanese are more disciplined as well, so you will never see one person smoking in the arena or screaming stupid words to the fighters.
Martial Arts seem to be ingrained in Japanese culture, do you think that MMA can ever be respected by the mainstream public in the West?
Yes definitely! With the right promoters, media and fighters leading a good example. It will just take a little longer.
If you could change anything about the MMA scene, what would it be?
Get bigger and serious companies interested in MMA. This will be good for the audience (bigger shows) and the fighters (more money and professional referee's and judges).
Holland has a strong tradition of producing good Thai boxers. With MMA becoming wider spread, how do you view the evolution of fight training in Holland?
Holland has excellent strikers, with some proper MMA training, we can be the best in the world. I have been working with Alistair (Overeem) for a long time now. You can see it has paid off! We have more surprises for the MMA world coming up...Europe has Mirko Filipovic, Fedor Emelianenko and Alistair Overeem, are all in the top three in the world.
What is a typical training session like at Golden Glory?
Technical training, endurance training, sparring. We have different ways to do that. We always train multiple phases of a MMA fight. For example, stand up fighting (striking) with takedowns or wrestling and ground-fighting and of course the complete fight. The reason why we train the different phases separately is that you will develop better in each of the different phases that way.
Are there any techniques in MMA that you feel get neglected and should be used more often?
No specific techniques, but more the ways of training. I think that a lot of people still train just specific parts of the MMA fight instead of mixing it up.
What advice would you give to a young fighter thinking of going pro in MMA?
Train hard, train smart. Think of all the possible scenario's that can happen during the fight you are about to do. Don't enter just a competition, check the rules first and question the referee. If that is all OK, find the right teacher who will teach you the complete game (kicking, punching, take-downs, ground-fighting). For every fight, make sure you are prepared well, or don't fight.
When everything is set, go in there, think about winning and do your job. Enjoy the atmosphere. Always have respect for your opponent and don't talk trash before or after your fight.
Can you tell us about any memorable moments that have taken place in training at Golden Glory?
Everybody always trains hard. We respect each other a lot and we try to learn as much as possible from each other. The teambuilding days we have is a lot of fun (bowling or paintball and after that having dinner etc.)
Could you tell us a little more about who makes up the Golden Glory Team?
Alistair Overeem 93kg: Keeps getting better every fight, just start to shine, more to come...Will be the number one in the world pretty soon.
Peter Aerts 100kg: K1 Champion and getting very good in MMA as well. Watch him in the MMA ring doing damage soon.
Siyar Bahadurzada 80kg (just defeated Brazilian Alexandre Penao BJJ Black Belt BJJ by TKO in a Shooto Holland event. He is the next in line.
Dion Staring 100kg: Since he has been with me, he has had six fights which he all won by KO or TKO
Rafles la Rose 76kg: Very technical and a lot of experience
Vincent Latoel 70kg: Tall for his weight, had many fights and keeps getting better.
Bram van Koppen -76kg the number one submission wrester in Holland at that weight and getting better in MMA every week.
Marloes Coenen 65kg: 13-1-0 She had 2 fights in Holland, the rest in Japan. She is the best female fighter in the world
Dina van der Hooven 62 kg 1-0-0 Will fight in Lisboa next weekend and keeps improving every week.
Nadia Van der Wel 55 kg: Young and strong girl with a great future
More and more coming up!
And finally which of those is the next in line for a shot at the BIG time?
Mourad Chunkaev, definitely! Watch him fighting very soon in a very popular Japanese organisation !
Thank you very much for your time Martijn.
Your welcome, keep doing what you are doing!!!
Check out Shooto.tv
Shooto's Official Download Site
Images © Martijn De Jong, Susumu and www.MixFight.nl
I started with Martial Arts when I was 13 years old. Some of my uncles and aunts were Karateka's and some of my friends were Jiu Jitsuka's. At the same time Bruce Lee and other Ninja movies were very popular.
I started with Jiu Jitsu (IJJF system), became a black belt when I was 17 years old, 2nd degree when I was 19 years old. At 17 years old I started to train Kyokushinkai Karate as well with my uncle. I became a black belt when I was 21 years old. I was doing a lot competitions at that time too. Then I met Remco Pardoel and started to train BJJ with him for more than a year and then founded my own gym (Tatsujin Dojo, The Specialist Gym). Jan Lomulder (World Champion Thaiboxing) came to my gym and I helped him prepare for a Vale Tudo fight in Japan. I trained Thaiboxing with him for many years. Dries van Leeuwen and Andy Jekel came to train with me as well (both Dutch Heavyweight Wrestling champions). They started to teach me the art of wrestling. At the same time, I was fighting and coaching many fighters in Japan. I got a chance to stay at a friend’s house in Japan and train twice a day in the Shooto gyms.
Sometimes I would stay 3 weeks in Japan. I had a great time there and learned a lot. I joined the Golden Glory team and started to train with Lucien Carbin, and all the other members.
I also went to many different countries and teams to train with the best.
Could you tell us what your first fight was like for you?
It was six weeks full of adrenaline before it! (laughs) It was in 1997. I won the fight within two minutes (the guy made 3 rope escapes).
What fight in your career so far has meant the most to you?
My third fight was in Japan (Vale Tudo Open) also in 1997. I defeated my opponent Taro Obata in 2:27 minutes by armbar. He became a very good friend of mine afterwards. I see him every time I go to Japan. He came to Holland and stay with me as well! So my first fight in Japan, I got the win and made a great friend!
Are you still active as a fighter?
Since I started, I said that I will quit the fight game. Many promoters have offered me fights. I will probably fight once or twice more...
What do you think you would have done for a living, if you weren't involved so heavily in MMA?
Before I worked as an insurance advisor, bank employee and account manager at a marketing company, which I bought later on. I Still work in marketing now. Check out my latest web-casting project: www.shooto.tv
In the near future you can watch all Shooto fights from the whole world here. I am working with some partners in some narrow-casting / digital signage projects as well. This is a new way of communicating with consumers by reaching them via in-store screens. Communication on the right time at the right place.
I have been the president of Shooto Europe and Shooto Holland since 2000 (when I introduced Shooto to Europe). Shooto is getting bigger and bigger right now. We are represented in Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Ireland, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Greece, Serbia & Montenegro and we are working on some more countries. I organise Shooto events in Holland and help the guys in Europe out as well.
What rules are used by Shooto? Have they always used these rules?
Shooto has been in existence since 1985. The rules have evolved since then. The rules are the same all over the world: Standing up all strikes except elbows, all take downs, on the ground, all chokes, joint locks and strikes except for kicks and knees to the face.
I understand that Shooto has different categories or “classes� of fighters. Can you explain why this is and what benefits this arrangement has?
Shooto thinks out of the mind of a fighter/sportsman, not out of a promoter. We are the only MMA organisation in the world who has C- Class, B-Class and A-Class matches including an A-Class ranking (European, Pacific Rim and World ranking). This is to protect and motivate the fighters and make sure you will get a proper matchmaking. Title fights are not made because one fighter is the friend of the promoter and the other fighter sells a lot of tickets. This is what we want to prevent. There are a lot of "champions" in the MMA world. This doesn’t make MMA look professional. The boxing world, which is much more professional than the MMA world, has been working with rankings for a long time already.
What would you say to someone who views MMA as organised street fighting?
Get a life... Come to our gym and train with us, talk with us afterwards and listen to what we do and don't do to prepare for a fight. Listen to how professionally we think about diets, supplements, physiotherapy, management of fighters etc etc.
I am sure you would think differently about MMA when you leave. We are professional athletes who have to work harder than for example soccer players.
Being involved since the nineties, how do you see the development of the sport in Europe?
It is getting better and better lately, I think the last 5 years the sport in Europe has developed a lot here. Promotions getting more professional, fighters getting better. This is great to see! I am very positive about the evolution of MMA. I think it will be bigger than Professional Boxing in a few years. Bigger companies will get involved and the athletes will earn decent money.
What do you see as the key differences between fans in Japan and around the world?
The fans in Japan are the most educated in the MMA world. They all understand what is happening and appreciate it. They know that we are professional athletes! The Japanese are more disciplined as well, so you will never see one person smoking in the arena or screaming stupid words to the fighters.
Martial Arts seem to be ingrained in Japanese culture, do you think that MMA can ever be respected by the mainstream public in the West?
Yes definitely! With the right promoters, media and fighters leading a good example. It will just take a little longer.
If you could change anything about the MMA scene, what would it be?
Get bigger and serious companies interested in MMA. This will be good for the audience (bigger shows) and the fighters (more money and professional referee's and judges).
Holland has a strong tradition of producing good Thai boxers. With MMA becoming wider spread, how do you view the evolution of fight training in Holland?
Holland has excellent strikers, with some proper MMA training, we can be the best in the world. I have been working with Alistair (Overeem) for a long time now. You can see it has paid off! We have more surprises for the MMA world coming up...Europe has Mirko Filipovic, Fedor Emelianenko and Alistair Overeem, are all in the top three in the world.
What is a typical training session like at Golden Glory?
Technical training, endurance training, sparring. We have different ways to do that. We always train multiple phases of a MMA fight. For example, stand up fighting (striking) with takedowns or wrestling and ground-fighting and of course the complete fight. The reason why we train the different phases separately is that you will develop better in each of the different phases that way.
Are there any techniques in MMA that you feel get neglected and should be used more often?
No specific techniques, but more the ways of training. I think that a lot of people still train just specific parts of the MMA fight instead of mixing it up.
What advice would you give to a young fighter thinking of going pro in MMA?
Train hard, train smart. Think of all the possible scenario's that can happen during the fight you are about to do. Don't enter just a competition, check the rules first and question the referee. If that is all OK, find the right teacher who will teach you the complete game (kicking, punching, take-downs, ground-fighting). For every fight, make sure you are prepared well, or don't fight.
When everything is set, go in there, think about winning and do your job. Enjoy the atmosphere. Always have respect for your opponent and don't talk trash before or after your fight.
Can you tell us about any memorable moments that have taken place in training at Golden Glory?
Everybody always trains hard. We respect each other a lot and we try to learn as much as possible from each other. The teambuilding days we have is a lot of fun (bowling or paintball and after that having dinner etc.)
Could you tell us a little more about who makes up the Golden Glory Team?
Alistair Overeem 93kg: Keeps getting better every fight, just start to shine, more to come...Will be the number one in the world pretty soon.
Peter Aerts 100kg: K1 Champion and getting very good in MMA as well. Watch him in the MMA ring doing damage soon.
Siyar Bahadurzada 80kg (just defeated Brazilian Alexandre Penao BJJ Black Belt BJJ by TKO in a Shooto Holland event. He is the next in line.
Dion Staring 100kg: Since he has been with me, he has had six fights which he all won by KO or TKO
Rafles la Rose 76kg: Very technical and a lot of experience
Vincent Latoel 70kg: Tall for his weight, had many fights and keeps getting better.
Bram van Koppen -76kg the number one submission wrester in Holland at that weight and getting better in MMA every week.
Marloes Coenen 65kg: 13-1-0 She had 2 fights in Holland, the rest in Japan. She is the best female fighter in the world
Dina van der Hooven 62 kg 1-0-0 Will fight in Lisboa next weekend and keeps improving every week.
Nadia Van der Wel 55 kg: Young and strong girl with a great future
More and more coming up!
And finally which of those is the next in line for a shot at the BIG time?
Mourad Chunkaev, definitely! Watch him fighting very soon in a very popular Japanese organisation !
Thank you very much for your time Martijn.
Your welcome, keep doing what you are doing!!!
Check out Shooto.tv
Shooto's Official Download Site
Images © Martijn De Jong, Susumu and www.MixFight.nl