Tag: Boston

Wai Kru MMA Sets The Record Straight About Tamerlan Tsarnaev

By Oliver Chan

(Full disclosure – one of the staff members of Wai Kru is a family member of mine)

By now, we have all seen the tragedy in Boston. We have all seen their faces on the news. And we have all seen the tremendous acts of heroism, patriotism, and humanitarianism that reminds us that when it comes to good vs. evil, good shall always prevail. I grew up in Massachusetts, so it’s safe to say this had a surreal effect over me.

As Seth’s piece pointed out (not that it matters) one of these d-bags had previously trained at Wai Kru in Allston Mass. While MMA gyms are popping up all over the country at an alarming rate, this one is something to note as it is where former UFC fighters, John Howard and Sean Gannon currently train. Head trainer, Kru John Allan, who is currently in Thailand, sent this statement out when reached for comment sent this statement via Facebook message:

By Oliver Chan

(Full disclosure – one of the staff members of Wai Kru is a family member of mine)

By now, we have all seen the tragedy in Boston. We have all seen their faces on the news.  And we have all seen the tremendous acts of heroism, patriotism, and humanitarianism that reminds us that when it comes to good vs. evil, good shall always prevail.  I grew up in Massachusetts, so it’s safe to say this had a surreal effect over me. 

As Seth’s piece pointed out (not that it matters) one of these d-bags had previously trained at Wai Kru in Allston Mass.  While MMA gyms are popping up all over the country at an alarming rate, this one is something to note as it is where former UFC fighters, John Howard and Sean Gannon currently train.  Head trainer, Kru John Allan, who is currently in Thailand, sent this statement out when reached for comment via Facebook message:

Wai Kru MMA would like to first take the time to say our hearts go out to the victims and their families of this horrible tragedy.  Tamerlan Sarnayev was not now, or ever a member of the Wai Kru MMA facilities. He was a local golden gloves boxer who came into the gym to spar from time to time. Wai Kru has been working closely with the FBI & Homeland Joint Task Force all morning to provide them with any materials that might be useful to bring these people to justice for their heinous crimes.

Several employees of the school supported the statement when asked about his relationship with his gym.  “He came in for cross-fit, mostly… And occasionally sparred.  But he was not a member” stated one employee who asked for his name to be withheld.  Another employee stated he had not been present for over 4 weeks and even then the employee wasn’t sure if Tamerlan really had much of a presence at the gym. 

Most likely, the only reason why Wai Kru is even being mentioned in the conversation is because photos do exist of him wearing the school’s shirt.  An employee of the gym explains that “he’s a good boxer and sometimes we give them free sh*t”.  As far as his interaction with other members, that same employee stated that he “kept to himself” and reinforced that Tamerlan only appeared for the occasional sparring session. 

Former UFC welterweight John “Doomsday” Howard recently took to his Facebook page to offer a similar message. While Howard remembers sparring with Tamerlan, he reiterates that neither one of the Tsarnaevs were regulars at the gym.

Julie Goldsticker, head of public relations for US Boxing, confirmed that Tamerlan Tsarnaev was registered as an amateur fighter at Summerville Boxing Gym in 2003, 2004, and 2008 and registered at South Boston Boxing Club from 2009-2010.  However, when asked about any gyms he was currently registered, Ms. Goldsticker did not have any information that pertains to his current registration status and was unable to confirm or deny if he has updated his registration with any gym. 

It looks like a few pictures of this BOXER surfaced on the web with him wearing some Wai Kru apparel and the certain websites were quick to associate the school and the terrorist because of it.  Like Falvo said, so they trained in various forms of hand-to-hand combat.  So did this guy … And he beat the terrorist… TWICE!

Stretch of the Day – The Boston Marathon Bombers Trained MMA (As If That Matters)


(I had no idea what image to use for this post, so since we’re talking about sports propaganda, let’s leave that to the experts. Props: sportspropaganda.com)

To be honest, I assumed that our coverage of the absolutely tragic Boston Marathon explosions would begin and end with the TD Garden singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” during Wednesday’s Boston Bruins game. It was a respectful tribute to the families of Monday’s victims, but let’s be honest, an MMA site shouldn’t provide continuous coverage of a story that has absolutely nothing to do with MMA. Post a quick tribute, freely acknowledge that it has nothing to do with MMA, and then back to our regularly scheduled programming, right?

If only it were that simple. Perhaps you’ve read that the suspects – Tamerlan Tsarnaev and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev – trained MMA [Author note: I’m not linking to other sites that have been claiming this, Google it if you’re so curious]. Don’t bother looking for a professional record for either suspect, because it doesn’t exist. Neither does an amateur record. Or any proof that they were preparing for MMA bouts of any kind, for that matter.

So what made them “MMA fighters?” Tamerlan boxed, and briefly did so out of Wai Kru MMA. Dzhokhar wrestled in high school. And not that it matters, but even the extent of either of them belonging to an MMA gym has been exaggerated:


(I had no idea what image to use for this post, so since we’re talking about sports propaganda, let’s leave that to the experts. Props: sportspropaganda.com)

To be honest, I assumed that our coverage of the absolutely tragic Boston Marathon explosions would begin and end with the TD Garden singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” during Wednesday’s Boston Bruins game. It was a respectful tribute to the families of Monday’s victims, but let’s be honest, an MMA site shouldn’t provide continuous coverage of a story that has absolutely nothing to do with MMA. Post a quick tribute, freely acknowledge that it has nothing to do with MMA, and then back to our regularly scheduled programming, right?

If only it were that simple. Perhaps you’ve read that the suspects – Tamerlan Tsarnaev and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev – trained MMA [Author note: I’m not linking to other sites that have been claiming this, Google it if you’re so curious]. Don’t bother looking for a professional record for either suspect, because it doesn’t exist. Neither does an amateur record. Or any proof that they were preparing for MMA bouts of any kind, for that matter.

So what made them “MMA fighters?” Tamerlan boxed, and briefly did so out of Wai Kru MMA. Dzhokhar wrestled in high school. And not that it matters, but even the extent of either of them belonging to an MMA gym has been exaggerated:

So, a boxer occasionally sparring at an MMA gym and a high school wrestler are MMA fighters, because ___________…and the favorite sports of two alleged terrorists are completely relevant, apparently, because ___________. If anyone can fill in those blanks, I’d greatly appreciate it.

@SethFalvo

Non-MMA Video of the Day: The Entire TD Garden Sings “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Last Night’s Boston Bruins Game

(The anthem starts around the 3:05 mark.) 

For the past seven months, I have proudly called the city of Dorchester, Massachusetts my home. I’ll admit, it’s not much of a tenure, but despite my somewhat infantile knowledge of the surrounding area, I’d like to think that I’ve gotten to the know the people, or perhaps the “attitude” of this city pretty well. Laughing at some drunkard’s vomit-soaked, post-Celtics game misfortunes on the Green Line, crowd surfing at the House of Blues, watching some brave sap nearly slip into a diabetic coma attempting the Tasty Burger Challenge — these are all Bostonian pastimes I’ve come to enjoy in my brief time here, pastimes that were forged through the kindness of strangers and friends alike.

And out of respect for both the city I have only begun to experience and you readers, I have declined to express an opinion on, or even make note of, the horrifying events that took place at the Boston Marathon on Monday. Because quite honestly, you guys don’t come to CagePotato to read about all the terrible things happening in the world (unless they are referee-related, of course), you come here to escape them. We all do to some degree. We come here to, well, laugh at other people’s misfortunes, debate the attractiveness of ring girls, and occasionally learn something about this thing called MMA.

But this, this is something that transcends our beloved sport. It transcends the NHL, hockey, the great city of Boston; it transcends any pent up hostility or city-to-city rivalries that could have possibly been built over the decades. In one beautiful, life-affirming moment at last night’s Bruins-Sabres game, longtime anthem singer Rene Rancourt turned over his usual duties to the attending audience, who kindly obliged him with the most awe-inspiring version of “The Star-Spangled Banner” I have personally ever witnessed.

Although the actual anthem begins around the 3:05 mark, I’d recommend you check out the entire video, which features a brilliantly composed slideshow of the week’s events.


(The anthem starts around the 3:05 mark.) 

For the past seven months, I have proudly called the city of Dorchester, Massachusetts my home. I’ll admit, it’s not much of a tenure, but despite my somewhat infantile knowledge of the surrounding area, I’d like to think that I’ve gotten to the know the people, or perhaps the “attitude” of this city pretty well. Laughing at some drunkard’s vomit-soaked, post-Celtics game misfortunes on the Green Line, crowd surfing at the House of Blues, watching some brave sap nearly slip into a diabetic coma attempting the Tasty Burger Challenge — these are all Bostonian pastimes I’ve come to enjoy in my brief time here, pastimes that were forged through the kindness of strangers and friends alike.

And out of respect for both the city I have only begun to experience and you readers, I have declined to express an opinion on, or even make note of, the horrifying events that took place at the Boston Marathon on Monday. Because quite honestly, you guys don’t come to CagePotato to read about all the terrible things happening in the world (unless they are referee-related, of course), you come here to escape them. We all do to some degree. We come here to, well, laugh at other people’s misfortunes, debate the attractiveness of ring girls, and occasionally learn something about this thing called MMA.

But this, this is something that transcends our beloved sport. It transcends the NHL, hockey, the great city of Boston; it transcends any pent up hostility or city-to-city rivalries that could have possibly been built over the decades. In one beautiful, life-affirming moment at last night’s Bruins-Sabres game, longtime anthem singer Rene Rancourt turned over his usual duties to the attending audience, who kindly obliged him with the most awe-inspiring version of “The Star-Spangled Banner” I have personally ever witnessed.

Although the actual anthem begins around the 3:05 mark, I’d recommend you check out the entire video, which features a brilliantly composed slideshow of the week’s events.

Again, without waxing poetic on a disaster I can’t even begin to understand the motivations behind, I’d just like to say that on behalf of everyone here at CagePotato, our thoughts and prayers are with the families of Monday’s victims. Because as abhorrent and misguided as this tragedy was, it proved that every cloud has a silver lining. Whether it’s New York or Boston or (in light of recent events) Texas, in the face of adversity, we find inspiration. We find hope. We set all of our prejudices, our anger, and our fear aside and become more than just a community, more than just a city, more than just Americans. We become survivors, with few interests in mind other than the well-being of our fellow survivors. We become human.

 

 

 

Rene Rancourt is the man.

–J. Jones

Boston Sports Reacts to Marathon Explosions on Twitter

Tragedy struck Monday, as a pair of explosions detonated near the Boston Marathon finish line this afternoon while runners finished the race. The ramifications in the sporting world were swift. The explosions happened just minutes after a game between the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays. The NHL postponed the Boston Bruins’ home game Monday night […]

Tragedy struck Monday, as a pair of explosions detonated near the Boston Marathon finish line this afternoon while runners finished the race. The ramifications in the sporting world were swift. The explosions happened just minutes after a game between the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays. The NHL postponed the Boston Bruins’ home game Monday night […]

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Conor McGregor Will Next Land in Boston as Part of the UFC on Fox Sports 1 Card

Irish-born fighter Conor McGregor made a great first impression with the UFC, and he already has his next fight booked on the same night he made his debut. Without any definitive plans for the UFC to return to McGregor’s homeland in Ireland, his next l…

Irish-born fighter Conor McGregor made a great first impression with the UFC, and he already has his next fight booked on the same night he made his debut.

Without any definitive plans for the UFC to return to McGregor‘s homeland in Ireland, his next landing spot will be in an American city with plenty of Irish heritage.

UFC on Fox Sports 1 will land in Boston on August 17, and while UFC president Dana White rarely likes to book anything on the night of a fight card, it was a natural fit to slot McGregor on that show for his next bout.

“The answer is yes,” White said when asked about McGregor ending up on the Boston card at the UFC on Fuel 9 post-fight press conference.

A quarter of the people in Massachusetts claim Irish heritage, which is the highest in the United States.  McGregor won’t be at home, but he’s certain to feel the love from the Boston crowd when he enters the Octagon in August.

As for his first night as a UFC fighter, McGregor will celebrate not just the win but the windfall that came with it. 

According to the young fighter, prior to making his debut on Saturday, he was in dire financial straits living at home in Ireland.  Now he has his contracted pay, a win bonus and an additional $60,000 for the “Knockout of the Night” at UFC on Fuel 9.

“I just got $60,000, I’m thinking of what I’m going to spend it on.  Just last week I was connecting to social welfare,” McGregor revealed at the post-fight press conference.  “I didn’t have money before this. 

“Like I said, I was collecting 188 euro a week off the social welfare and here I am with like 60 G’s bonus and then my own pay.  I don’t know what the f—k’s going on to be honest.  This is the biggest one all right.”

While his fight was part of the Facebook preliminary portion of the show, McGregor received the attention of a main event fighter throughout the night and even at the press conference. 

Now the UFC not only has a popular and charismatic Irishman on its roster—it also happens to have a very good featherweight as well.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC Plans Return to Boston for ‘UFC on Fox Sports 1 1? (Seriously)


(And there was much celebrating.)

The UFC has announced an official date for its long-awaited return to Boston. Earlier today, UFC president Dana White took to his Twitter account to release the following statement:

For those uninitiated, Speed TV is set to be relaunched as Fox Sports 1 on August 17. Fox Sports 1 will be available in 90 million homes, and will not only feature its own daily news programs, but also live college football and basketball, soccer, NASCAR and UFC events, with plans of hosting Major League Baseball games starting in 2014. The network also plans to relaunch Fuel TV as Fox Sports 2 on the same day.


(And there was much celebrating.)

The UFC has announced an official date for its long-awaited return to Boston. Earlier today, UFC president Dana White took to his Twitter account to release the following statement:

For those uninitiated, Speed TV is set to be relaunched as Fox Sports 1 on August 17. Fox Sports 1 will be available in 90 million homes, and will not only feature its own daily news programs, but also live college football and basketball, soccer, NASCAR and UFC events, with plans of hosting Major League Baseball games starting in 2014. The network also plans to relaunch Fuel TV as Fox Sports 2 on the same day.

The UFC has only been to Boston one other time: UFC 118 on August 28, 2010. Headlined by a rematch between then-lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and BJ Penn, the main card also featured the American freakshow classic Randy Couture vs. James Toney, as well as Nate Diaz vs. Marcus Davis. Also noteworthy, the last time that the UFC was in Boston, the city hosted the only fan expo that matters.

Currently, there haven’t been any bouts announced for the debut of Fox Sports 1. We’ll keep you up-to-date as the card begins to fill out.

@SethFalvo