Tag: Editorial

On This Day in MMA History: Tito Ortiz Knees Guy Mezger into Submission and Somehow Still Loses at UFC 13

Believe it or not, there was a time long, long ago when Tito Ortiz was something other than a dopey, stuttering mass of injury excuses and self-congratulatory speeches — “The pre-Jenna Era,” as it’s sometimes called. Yes, “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” preferred to let his fists, knees, and elbows do the talking for him back in the late nineties/early aughts, and we respected him so, so much more for it. Of course, he got off to a rough start in his first night as a professional fighter, when he kneed Guy Mezger into submission and *still* lost at UFC 13 on May 30th, 1997 — 17 years ago today.

To be fair, Ortiz’s actual MMA/UFC debut came just hours earlier, and ended in a 31-second TKO of Wes Albritton. But it was his main event showdown with Mezger, a Pancrase veteran and member of the Lion’s Den camp, that would go down as the first of many controversial moments in the future Hall of Famer’s career.

After besting Mezger on the feet in the early-going and brushing off his takedown attempts, Ortiz unleashed a vicious barrage of knees to Mezger’s noggin’, eliciting what many believed (ringside announcers Bruce Beck and Jeff Blatnick included) to be a tap from Mezger. Big John McCarthy would eventually intervene to check the cuts on Mezger’s head, where he would clarify his belief that Mezger was not tapping, but rather attempting to block Ortiz’s knees (a fact that remains disputed to this day). In any case, Big John would restart things on the feet and Mezger would secure a fight-ending guillotine shortly thereafter, sparking a decade-long rivalry between Ortiz and the Shamrock brothers.

After the jump: A collection of full fight videos from UFC 13, including the UFC/MMA debut of fellow HOFer Randy Couture, Vitor Belfort vs. Tank Abbott, and Enson Inoue vs. Royce Alger.

Believe it or not, there was a time long, long ago when Tito Ortiz was something other than a dopey, stuttering mass of injury excuses and self-congratulatory speeches — “The pre-Jenna Era,” as it’s sometimes called. Yes, “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” preferred to let his fists, knees, and elbows do the talking for him back in the late nineties/early aughts, and we respected him so, so much more for it. Of course, he got off to a rough start in his first night as a professional fighter, when he kneed Guy Mezger into submission and *still* lost at UFC 13 on May 30th, 1997 — 17 years ago today.

To be fair, Ortiz’s actual MMA/UFC debut came just hours earlier, and ended in a 31-second TKO of Wes Albritton. But it was his main event showdown with Mezger, a Pancrase veteran and member of the Lion’s Den camp, that would go down as the first of many controversial moments in the future Hall of Famer’s career.

After besting Mezger on the feet in the early-going and brushing off his takedown attempts, Ortiz unleashed a vicious barrage of knees to Mezger’s noggin’, eliciting what many believed (ringside announcers Bruce Beck and Jeff Blatnick included) to be a tap from Mezger. Big John McCarthy would eventually intervene to check the cuts on Mezger’s head, where he would clarify his belief that Mezger was not tapping, but rather attempting to block Ortiz’s knees (a fact that remains disputed to this day). In any case, Big John would restart things on the feet and Mezger would secure a fight-ending guillotine shortly thereafter, sparking a decade-long rivalry between Ortiz and the Shamrock brothers.

Ortiz wasn’t the only future Hall of Famer making both his promotional and professional debut that night. Up in the heavyweight division, Randy Couture would breeze past Tony Halme and Steve Graham to win the evening’s heavyweight tournament, finishing both men in less than 5 minutes total fight time. As luck would have it, Ortiz and Couture would meet in the octagon some six years later at UFC 44, with the light heavyweight title on the line. It would not end well for Ortiz.

But that was then, this is now, and tomorrow is yesterday (or something like that), so check out videos of Couture’s tournament-winning fights, as well as Ortiz’s quick win over Albritton and a few other select fights from UFC 13 below, courtesy of Vimeo user Diesel Strongboy.

Couture vs. Halme

Couture vs. Graham

Ortiz vs. Albritton

Vitor Belfort vs. Tank Abbott

Enson Inoue vs. Royce Alger

–J. Jones

On Royston Wee’s Signing and the Death of “UFC-Caliber” Fighters


(This is one of approximately 4 photos that exist of the most talented fighter in all of Singapore. According to the UFC, at least. Via Yahoo.)

Who is Royston Wee, you ask? Oh, he’s just the first Singaporean fighter to EVER sign a deal with the UFC is all. No big whoop. He’s also undefeated, and has picked up every single one of his victories by way of first round submission.

The problem is, Royston holds just two professional fights to his credit, and they both took place back in 2011. Yet somehow, he, along with the slightly-more experienced Filipino Dave Galera (5-0) and One FC veteran (and therefore, most experienced) Leandro Issa (11-3)*, recently secured a multi-fight deal with the UFC. In fact, Royston already has his first fight lined up — against Galera at Fight Night 34:Ellenberger vs. Saffiedine, which goes down in, you guessed it, Singapore, on January 4th.

Is Royston some Brock Lesnar-level star over in “The Lion City,” you ask? Not exactly. He’s just a 27 year-old bantamweight who was competing for a spot on TUF China during the July tryouts like everyone else. The difference between Royston and his fellow potential castmates, however, is that Royston was able to convince whomever he was auditioning for — in a few short hours, no less — that he was not only of TUF-caliber, but that he was of UFC-caliber.

Is Royston simply that good? Here’s the only video of him in action that we could find. We think it’s from his last fight against Syed Shahir, who was making his pro debut at the time and has not fought since. Royston seems like a competent enough grappler, sure, but the caliber of his opponent speaks volumes more than that of his performance.

I keep using that word: caliber. It might be because that, for a time, there was a dubious distinction that came with having the letters UFC placed before it. It meant that you were proven. It meant that you were exceptional. It meant that you were one of the best in the world at what you did. But lo, it appears that the age when “UFC-caliber” actually meant something has passed us by.


(This is one of approximately 4 photos that exist of the most talented fighter in all of Singapore. According to the UFC, at least. Via Yahoo.)

Who is Royston Wee, you ask? Oh, he’s just the first Singaporean fighter to EVER sign a deal with the UFC is all. No big whoop. He’s also undefeated, and has picked up every single one of his victories by way of first round submission.

The problem is, Royston holds just two professional fights to his credit, and they both took place back in 2011. Yet somehow, he, along with the slightly-more experienced Filipino Dave Galera (5-0) and One FC veteran (and therefore, most experienced) Leandro Issa (11-3)*, recently secured a multi-fight deal with the UFC. In fact, Royston already has his first fight lined up — against Galera at Fight Night 34:Ellenberger vs. Saffiedine, which goes down in, you guessed it, Singapore, on January 4th.

Is Royston some Brock Lesnar-level star over in “The Lion City,” you ask? Not exactly. He’s just a 27 year-old bantamweight who was competing for a spot on TUF China during the July tryouts like everyone else. The difference between Royston and his fellow potential castmates, however, is that Royston was able to convince whomever he was auditioning for — in a few short hours, no less — that he was not only of TUF-caliber, but that he was of UFC-caliber.

Is Royston simply that good? Here’s the only video of him in action that we could find. We think it’s from his last fight against Syed Shahir, who was making his pro debut at the time and has not fought since. Royston seems like a competent enough grappler, sure, but the caliber of his opponent speaks volumes more than that of his performance.

I keep using that word: caliber. It might be because that, for a time, there was a dubious distinction that came with having the letters UFC placed before it. It meant that you were proven. It meant that you were exceptional. It meant that you were one of the best in the world at what you did. But lo, it appears that the age when “UFC-caliber” actually meant something has passed us by.

It’s rather obvious why the UFC chose to sign Royston, I guess. He’s got that local pull, and placing him on the card will (hopefully) ensure that a few more fans purchase tickets to the Singapore event. Strikeforce adopted this business strategy in the past — often to their own detriment – and Bellator continues to fill in their preliminary slots with regional fighters. But his local pull aside, Royston Wee is the last kind of person you’d ever expect the UFC to sign. He’s fought twice. Against guys who have 3 fights and 0 victories combined. He’s never been tested. Hell, he’s never even been remotely tested, but because he happens to hail from a region that the UFC plans to hold an event in, he’s suddenly been deemed UFC-caliber. This is the standard to which the highest promotion in the sport is now operating, and it’s fucking terrifying.

Ask yourself this: Is the twenty or so extra tickets a guy like Wee will pull in worth the risk of throwing him to the wolves so early in his career? The man even said that he wanted to compete in TUF and *eventually* the UFC, so why not at least run him through the minors before baptizing him in fire? Imagine if Amir Sadollah was given a shot in the UFC before TUF for a moment. You’d think it was presumptuous, dangerous, and borderline insane, would you not?

Of course, the important thing here is that Wee’s signing represents a tremendous step forward for the Singaporean MMA scene, right? That surely what one of Evolve MMA fighter, Benedict Ang, will tell you:

Singapore having its very own first UFC fighter is a huge accomplishment for the nation, as well as the MMA scene in Singapore. It proves we have the capability to compete at the highest level in the world.

As I much as I want that to be true, Ang (and I really, truly do), I must disagree with you. Because it isn’t.

No, Wee’s signing is unfortunately yet another sign that the UFC might be expanding at a rate that is consistently undermining the quality of its overall product. While a certain UFC exec/media starlet would likely counter this argument with something along the lines of “If you don’t like it, don’t watch it!”, well, we’ve already covered that. Ad nauseam.

Talent is not the reason Wee was signed, although we’ll soon find out exactly how much of it he has. Wee was signed because he’s from Singapore, and the UFC is holding an event in Singapore. It’s as transparent as that. The UFC has, somewhat ironically, begun taking pages out of Bellator’s book (flooding undercards with local fighters) in the hope of packing as many international stadiums as possible — we’ve seen this theory put into practice over the past several Brazil-based “Fight Night” cards. Unfortunately, the stadiums aren’t being filled. And the ratings these events are pulling in are even worse. It’s what you’d call “penny smart, dollar stupid.”

Depending who you ask, the UFC is planning on holding between 40 and 54 events in 2014, bringing new meaning to the phrase “stretching oneself too thin.”

“We are looking at expanding our Fight Night product,” said Lorenzo Fertitta when discussing the increase in cards:

We have the bottom tier, we have the Ultimate Fighter which we’re taking around the world now. We have obviously the series on FOX Sports 1. We just got done filming The Ultimate Fighter: China which will air in January in China. We’ve got The Ultimate Fighter: Canada and Australia in production right now. We’re in pre-production for series in other various countries around the world. That’s our base. 

In the middle of the pyramid we have our UFC Fight Night brand. We’re gonna take that Fight Night product and expand it into Europe and into Asia next year…

While the UFC is certainly expanding its product, it is becoming increasingly harder to sell the idea that it is improving its product. Sure, the promotion has secured broadcasting deals in over 140 countries and in 28 languages, and sure, The Ultimate Fighter is seemingly being filmed in more countries than Survivor nowadays, but has any of this expansion led to better numbers amongst casual fans, aka the people the UFC are trying to draw in? Short answer: Fuck. No.

It’s not just that Fox Sports 1 is available in less homes than Spike. It’s not. It’s that the UFC is watering down its product in an attempt to gain more fans. It’s that hardcore followers of the sport, let alone casual fans, are struggling to keep up with the number of unrecognizable names and garbage-ass cards being thrown at us, and both the UFC’s and FS1′s ratings are suffering as a result.

When even big-name, American draws like Jon Jones are seeing their PPV numbers slip lower than ever before, it’s safe to assume that oversaturation is at least partially to blame. Surely UFC 166 and Fight Night 31 would have seen better numbers had they not transpired a week apart from one another, would they not? The average UFC card is being given no breathing room, no time to be promoted or individualized from the cards before/after it, and it seems that this issue will only become more apparent in the coming years.

I’m not trying to be Mr. Doom and Gloom here, and I’m certainly not saying that the signing of one potentially subpar fighter is some irreversible travesty. But I am saying that adopting the Philadelphia Eagles circa 1976 strategy of acquiring new talent is a dangerous move for the UFC, and one that will surely result in more substandard and underwatched fight cards moving forward. Despite the tremendous amount of talent in the UFC’s roster, truly “stacked” cards — you know, the ones actually worth paying $50 for — are getting harder and harder to come by these days, and despite DW’s complaints that said roster is “too full,” the UFC seems to be taking a quantity-over-quality approach in regards to their fighters with acquisitions like Wee.

But who knows? Maybe Wee is a God damned killer. Maybe Dana White & Co. are thinking 40, 50 years down the road and I am the short-sighted one. Maybe they think that by establishing their brand in countries where the sport is severely underdeveloped in terms of talent, they can in turn monopolize said talent once (if) the sport catches on. But then why the emphasis on securing local, almost completely untested fighters already? Has Super Fight League not shown us that this might be a bad business strategy?

We wish Royston all the best in his UFC debut, and hopefully, he can invalidate these 1,600+ words I have spent on him come January 4th. But at the same time, we can’t help but think that maybe the pride of the Singaporean nation would be better placed on the shoulders of a guy who has truly proven himself to be an *elite* member of his division. Because after twenty years spent dragging MMA out of the dark ages, that’s what the UFC is supposed to be about: Showcasing the *elite* members of the sport in action. We have Bellator and RFA and countless other lower-level promotions to watch raw talent be molded into something more. What is supposed to separate the UFC from those promotions, especially among casual fans, is the *quality* of fights on the average card. By signing guys who have yet to pick up a credible victory (and based seemingly on their countries of origin), the UFC is failing to achieve this distinction.

*Oh yeah, the UFC also made offers to Shinya Aoki and Eddie Ng, but both turned them down for One FC’s “more favorable economics.” Just allow that to sink in for a moment. 

–J. Jones

Feeding the Fighter: Essential Foods to Add to Your MMA Diet


(Hey, close enough. Photo via relaxedfocus)

By Rick Talbot

MMA is widely regarded as the toughest professional sport on the planet, testing fighters to their physical and mental limits. Of course, you need to train hard and practice your skills to be the best, but like any finely-tuned machine, the fuel which you put inside yourself makes a huge difference. Here are some useful tips to ensure you get a taste of victory.

SUPER FOODS

Whenever you hear healthy eating or dieting discussed, supposedly “super” foods are often suggested to help to get you in tip-top shape. In fact, these foods can have a significantly positive affect on you, and they all have a specific healthy benefit. Our favorites are:

Green tea — rich in powerful antioxidants and has been proven to kill cancer cells. It also boosts your levels of good cholesterol and decreases the bad ones in the process. This one’s great for fighters, as it helps to keep the heart in good shape.

Apples — also loaded with antioxidants, but these ones help to repair damaged muscles and cells, making them perfect for fighters, especially when they’ve picked up an injury.


(Hey, close enough. Photo via relaxedfocus)

By Rick Talbot

MMA is widely regarded as the toughest professional sport on the planet, testing fighters to their physical and mental limits. Of course, you need to train hard and practice your skills to be the best, but like any finely-tuned machine, the fuel which you put inside yourself makes a huge difference. Here are some useful tips to ensure you get a taste of victory.

SUPER FOODS

Whenever you hear healthy eating or dieting discussed, supposedly “super” foods are often suggested to help to get you in tip-top shape. In fact, these foods can have a significantly positive affect on you, and they all have a specific healthy benefit. Our favorites are:

Green tea — rich in powerful antioxidants and has been proven to kill cancer cells. It also boosts your levels of good cholesterol and decreases the bad ones in the process. This one’s great for fighters, as it helps to keep the heart in good shape.

Apples — also loaded with antioxidants, but these ones help to repair damaged muscles and cells, making them perfect for fighters, especially when they’ve picked up an injury.

Blueberries – these are awesome, and not just in pancakes or muffins. Filled with Vitamin C and D, iron and zinc, these little beauties are great at giving your immune system a boost and prevent infection. The last thing you want to do is get sick before a bout.

Fish – our water-dwelling friends cut the risk of cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s and diabetes to name a few. Fish that are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, like mackerel, tuna and trout, reduce blood clotting and inflammation. Perfect for stripping fat from the body.

PROTEIN

This is the most important ingredient within a fighter’s diet, as it is necessary for growing muscle and allowing you to train intensely. Foods like chicken, tuna, anchovies, and almonds are rich in protein and should be incorporated into your daily diet plan.

Like any diet, if you stick to the same things over and over again, it can tend to get a little bland and boring. So make sure you keep it fresh and creative to ensure you enjoy your meals.

WATER

Your average MMA fighter will consume around four liters of water per day. This will keep them hydrated, which is essential for training. Muscles are controlled by the nerves in our bodies, and when an MMA fighter engages in weight training, the body is deprived of electrolytes. The most common way to get these back into your body is by drinking water, plain and simple.

The last thing you need in a fight is to be feeling dehydrated. The amount of sweat that you will be producing during training means that you need to restock your body of much-needed water.

Your diet is an essential part of your training regimen, so make sure you don’t let your standards slip, even when some chocolate cake or the occasional hamburger stuffed-crust pizza becomes really tempting. For those of you who train and compete in MMA — which foods do you swear by during your training camps?

This article was provided by Fightshop.com, the home of specialist boxing, MMA and Muay Thai equipment. 

Lloyd Irvin Finally Breaks Silence Regarding New Year’s Eve & 1989 Rape Incidents in Open Letter

The recent information that has been unearthed regarding renowned martial arts trainer Lloyd Irvin and two of his students is nothing short of horrific. One such allegation dates back to 1989, and involves Irvin’s role in the gang rape of a 17 year-old woman. The other involves the rape of one of Irvin’s students on New Year’s Eve, as perpetrated by two other students of the Lloyd Irvin Martial Arts School in Washington, D.C. Despite being vehemently pressed for information over the past few weeks, Irvin has remained silent on both cases, instead focusing his attention on the recovery of the female student that was accosted.

That is, until now.

Irvin recently issued a statement in the form of an open letter that addressed both his own involvement in the 1989 case and that of the New Year’s Eve case currently under investigation. In it, Irvin is both understandably apologetic and sincerely candid while describing the circumstances involved in both cases. Not to take anything away from as well respected a member of the MMA community as Irvin, we have placed the entire letter, completely unedited, after the jump. It’s a long read, but ultimately necessary if you want to understand the events from the perspective of at least one of the parties involved.

The recent information that has been unearthed regarding renowned martial arts trainer Lloyd Irvin and two of his students is nothing short of horrific. One such allegation dates back to 1989, and involves Irvin’s role in the gang rape of a 17 year-old woman. The other involves the rape of one of Irvin’s students on New Year’s Eve, as perpetrated by two other students of the Lloyd Irvin Martial Arts School in Washington, D.C. Despite being vehemently pressed for information over the past few weeks, Irvin has remained silent on both cases, instead focusing his attention on the recovery of the female student that was accosted.

That is, until now.

Irvin recently issued a statement in the form of an open letter that addressed both his own involvement in the 1989 case and that of the New Year’s Eve case currently under investigation. In it, Irvin is both understandably apologetic and sincerely candid while describing the circumstances involved in both cases. Not to take anything away from as well respected a member of the MMA community as Irvin, we have placed the entire letter, completely unedited, after the jump. It’s a long read, but ultimately necessary if you want to understand the events from the perspective of at least one of the parties involved.

An Open Letter To From Lloyd Irvin
Regarding The Reported Events Of New Years Eve 2012 &
The Ensuing Conversation About Himself & His Team
During The First Half Of January 2013

I first want to apologize.

I want to apologize
to my mother,
to my father,
to my wife
and
to my son for my silence.

The public taunting & harassing phone calls you have received are undeserved and my recent silence is partly to blame.

I have in fact made statements in the local news
but those statements have not reached everyone
in our BJJ & MMA family and this is the reason my silence ends today…

I want to apologize to every one of my friends, family and supporters who have suffered threats and degradation in my silence.

I apologize to my team and to everyone who has supported me in these last few weeks. It has been my family and your letters, phone calls, emails and texts have kept me going.

My ongoing support of my student who has suffered immeasurably, has occupied much of my thoughts and time in these past few weeks. And as we have unwaveringly shown her… her team, my family and I are there for her in every way.

She and I have been in consistent contact and she has been back in the gym with us again.

Her strength and resolve in the face of what has happened is truly one of the most humbling and inspiring experiences of my life.

I have shared with her my feelings on the matter and both of us are focused and committed to supporting her full recovery and violence prevention for ALL women going forward … I’ll speak to you more about that later in this letter.

One of my biggest priorities in these past couple of weeks has been to express to her my sincere and deepest apology. And that too is what this letter is about.

I want to publicly apologize to her for me not knowing, not sensing, and not having the awareness to know that this was even possible.

My wife keeps saying I couldn’t have known, my mom says I couldn’t have known.

Everyone I’ve confided in said I couldn’t have known, but that doesn’t change my wishing I could have.

They keep saying the same thing over and over…

any reasonable person would understand that you couldn’t have known.

And that may be true but while that’s a convenient position to take,

the truth is I didn’t know and I wish I had.
I will go to my grave wishing someone ELSE from my team would have been there for her that night.

My counselors will have to deal with any fallout from this letter, as they have advised against making this statement but I simply cannot let my friends and family be left to hang in the breeze like this anymore.

I also want to publicly apologize to my team.

Young men and women I love with all my heart and soul.

I wish for YOU that I could have foreseen this and made new years eve not happen.

Please know that no matter what is said about me…

you have been and remain the most honorable, supportive & special people I have ever known… I’m proud to have you represent my school and wear our colors.

I promise you that I will do everything in my power to clear the air so you may have free passage to attain the goals we’ve promised each other we’d attain together.

That all being said, in answer to the question… “Why have I been silent on this?”
To put it simply, my focus has been on my team…

most of all, I have at my school a dear friend, student & team member who’s had an unimaginably horrible experience and
my only desire is to care for, support and help her.

I have promised her that I will do everything in my power to avoid this happening ever again within the influence of my organization/team.

It should be clearly and simply noted…

I nor anyone else on my current team or staff had ANYTHING at all to do with what is reported to have happened New Years Eve.

It has been reported that a video (as of the time I am releasing this letter, I have not seen the video nor has the case been resolved) that was described in the recent court documents shows that this was a deplorable and disgraceful act committed by two individuals who acted OUTSIDE the code of honor of our team, NOT within it.

As for the accusations that I am “fostering” some sort of environment that makes people do horrific things…

One of the accused had been with me for barely a month and the other for a total time of barely seven months…

Anyone who feels that there is some sort of subversive environment being taught and encouraged on our team should realize the level of insult and disrespect they are directing not towards me but the truly honorable athletes and human beings that make up our school… both competitors and non-­?competitors alike.

I want to repeat,

my singular concern and effort right now (and much of the reason why I have not spoken to date) is caring for and supporting my teammate and friend who is recovering

In addition my focus is actively engaging as many people and resources as possible to understand more about how these things happen and what if anything we can do to directly impact these situations before they ever happen.

I don’t know much about what, how or why new years eve happened…
I wish I did and I think it unwise to pressure her about all of these details at this point as she’s got enough to deal with.

Certainly as the trial progresses we will all learn more.

All I can say is I feel sadness for the depraved and misguided individuals who would suggest that this is part of what we teach.

It’s an insult to the young women and men on my team who have never behaved in any way other than exemplary. Especially the young woman who most deserves our respect and support.

This young woman who needs my support, my team’s support and your support should be the ONLY thing we are talking about, thinking about & praying about right now but unfortunately as you know I have become a significant portion of this discussion for something that happened in 1989.

From this point forward I anticipate that
anything I say will be ripped apart and shredded by those who either have an axe to grind,
aren’t focused on prevention of violence/rape against women or even may simply not care about the truth.

I don’t expect ANYTHING less.

But its simply unfair to this truly remarkable woman and unfair to the rest of my supporters and team to not tell my side of this story.

The TRUE side of this story.

For those of you who hate me or who have judged me…

what I’m about to say is not for you.

You have passed your judgment and
I don’t expect to be able to undo that but

The truth is that nobody knows much of the real story of New Years Eve 2012 nor the incident of 1989 at all.

This letter is simply for those who have believed in me or at the very least reserved judgment until having more knowledge of the situation.

For those who have and continue to support me this is also so that you know your belief in me was not and is not misplaced.

I also want to add that I’m writing this letter as though I was writing a letter to my son.

The one person I MOST want to understand my position and gain the wisdom I didn’t have.

What I am about to share with you IS an eyewitness account of what REALLY happened 23 years ago.

I’m not going to give you the sugar coated version some have told me to give I’m simply going to tell you the truth, the same truth I told 23 years ago

So for starters…

I was once 20 years old
I did things 20 year olds do… drank too much,
partied too much,
etc…

Probably not unlike many 20 year olds,
I made more than my share of dumb choices.

I hadn’t found martial arts yet.

(I was 3 when I took my first martial arts class
but I didn’t make it the cornerstone of my life until 1996 at that time I still hadn’t learned how to be a leader)

I’m not saying this to excuse my choices and decisions, as that’s simply not possible.

I am saying my life and my foundation was different as an uncertain 20 year old than it is now as a father, husband and mentor at 43.

Recently some people have decided to believe things about me and the 1989 incident that are absolutely positively untrue….

and this is what I’d like to speak to next…
I cannot control what you believe nor will I try. I can only tell the truth.

I told the truth 23 years ago
to my mother
to my father and
under oath in a court of law and I’m telling the truth today.

I’m telling you the same thing I told the jury and the truth that is STILL on record.

The facts are the facts and glossing over the fact that

I did NOT rape nor have sex with ANYONE involved in the 1989 incident cannot and should not be brushed under the carpet.

I told the 100% unadulterated truth, just as I’m sharing with you right now.

I did NOT “get off on a technicality” as some want to say.

Please understand…
Before my trial in 1989 I was offered a plea bargain for “lesser time”…

the prosecutors told my father point blank…

“Mr. Irvin we are going to give your son
a lesser penalty if he admits
he is a rapist and if he doesn’t
we will lock him up and put him away for a very long time.”

I talked to my mom and my dad.

I was a kid.
I didn’t know what to do.
Terrified is the only word that comes close.

I’ve never seen my dad cry in my entire life not before and not since… but I remember his breath on my face and his tears in his eyes…

“Son, are you guilty of rape?”

Just the words coming flatly from your father’s mouth … eye to eye
I still tremble today just remembering it.

I said “no, no dad I didn’t rape her, I didn’t.” And with that he said…

“then you will not say you did.”

And so like my father taught me from the first time I could walk, I went and told the truth and as a result….
I was not convicted. I was innocent.

It’s the SAME truth I am sharing with you today…
It will be the same thing I will eventually tell my son.

I can only hope that you,

my BJJ and MMA brothers and sisters,
judge me based on this truth of what actually happened 23 years ago. Not what some want to presume, guess or assume happened.

I don’t know that this is necessary and my actions and behavior as well as the actions and behavior of ALL but two of my shortest tenured students should demonstrate this…

But just in case it is necessary I want everyone reading this to know without ANY uncertainty what so ever…

I am 100% against rape, attempted rape or any other form of violence against women. I don’t support it, don’t condone it and don’t enable an environment that would ever have anything to do with it.

Part of me wants to take you point by point bit by bit over the hundreds of hours of testimony and reams of media coverage to demonstrate how little has actually been revealed to date about the night of the incident, actual testimony and the trial.

But revisiting & rehashing every detail from the case 23 years ago would be nothing but selfish on my part (especially a case whose conclusion found me innocent of all charges).

I feel doing that does nothing productive for the BJJ and MMA community I care so much about, nothing productive for the men and women of my team and most of all nothing productive for healing needed for the woman my total focus and support is on right now.

The next most common question I hear
people asking is multiple forms of… “What about now?”

Would I do things differently?
Have I done things differently?
Would I make different choices?
Have I made different choices?
Does this alter how I counsel my son?
Has any of this effected how I counsel my team members in efforts to help them choose the right path?

Absolutely YES to all of it.

I can’t change what’s happened. I wish I was wiser then.

I have been and AM changing what’s happened every moment since.

Especially for these last 16 years …

…and as part of that continued changing
will be my deep and sincere
commitment to the woman who needs our support most right now and my promise to spend
the rest of my days doing what I can to
prevent any woman from ever
experiencing anything even remotely similar.

People are often quick to say “actions speak louder than words”… and in this case I have 16 years of publicly visible
actions as a martial artist, as a teacher, a coach,
a husband, a father, a mentor and an advocate…

and in the end while my actions don’t ERASE the past,
those actions DO demonstrate the DIFFERENCE between
the man writing this statement and
the boy who failed to live up to the standards his mother and father set for him.

Lastly.
I have been posed with two most common questions over these last few weeks.

1) “Why have I hidden this all this time?” Well to be frank…

please ask yourself to remember the most embarrassing and frightening moment of your entire life and then ask yourself exactly where is it appropriate in EVERY relationship you engage in to bring up that moment/circumstance for the rest of your life.

My wife has known about 1989 since we first met. My closest friends have known for years.
Even some of my enemies have known.
Nothing about this has been hidden.

Which leads to the second question…

2) Why did I buy and put up the website url that I purchased and put rape prevention seminar information on it shortly after all the news broke regarding New Years Eve?

For this I can do nothing other than apologize 100%. I was wrong.
The timing was horrible and I completely dropped the ball.

The long and short of it was this…
The reason I purchased the url was singular.

I didn’t like the tone and tenor of things online
(but still felt I could not speak publicly about anything) and I simply didn’t want someone else in control of
the name my Son and I share in association with
the current or 1989 situation.

Beyond that my intention was honorable
but the execution and timing were awful
As everyone can see,
the moment I realized this,, it was taken down…

I have been an ADVOCATE for women for all my life in the martial arts.

The martial arts have been my entire life since 1996
when I finally grew up enough for it to stop being a hobby and it became my life’s foundation.

Anyone who knows me KNOWS this to be 100% TRUE.

And since being told about New Years Eve
my resolve and commitment to doing MORE than I EVER have before
in this area of women’s advocacy against violence has grown RADICALLY.

Bottom line is I am 100% guilty of poor timing and taste when it comes to the url and what was posted.

I spoke to the woman involved new years eve about this and told her my sincere intentions…

I vow to absolutely make rape & violence against women prevention an even more major cornerstone of my future efforts.

Understand that my rape-­?prevention program has ALWAYS been completely free, its not a marketing gimmick as some accusers have said.

I didn’t realize it was possible but
I promise you that my sensitivity to rape & violence against women prevention has now been made stronger than ever before.

If there is any good that can come of all of this

it’s the fact that we are all talking more about rape & violence prevention against women, EDUCATION OF MEN and how to create environments and relationships that keep violence from being used off the mat.

If you believe what I’ve shared here,
I thank you for your support and I apologize for taking so long to speak out.

If you don’t believe me,
all I ask is that you spare my wife, my mom, my dad and my son any venom you have towards me.

In closing,

I want to directly and specifically speak to my brothers and sisters in the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu community. I am sorry, truly sorry for the shadow this casts over our great art, sport and lifestyle that we lead.

Many people have their opinions and say what they will about my team and my school and my approach to things.

But one thing nobody can say is that I don’t have a deep passion and commitment to and for our art, sport and our community.

And its with that passion and commitment that I promise every one of you with all my heart and soul that while I would not and did not commit nor encourage nor enable anything that would ever hurt, harm or violate one of my own friends and team members.

I will move heaven and earth to understand what happened and why it happened. And should I discover ANYTHING that can be done to prevent new years eve from happening ever again I promise with the tenacity and commitment I have become known for, I will make any and all necessary changes.

I will spend every waking moment finding ways to make sure everyday from this day forward Team Lloyd Irvin brings enough light back to our community to drown out the darkness of these last few weeks.

On this you have my word.

Lastly, If you really want to know what MY philosophy about my team, my school, my responsibilities as a martial arts instructor and the martial arts REALLY is…

If you want to know what’s happening to ‘the water and the fish in the bowl’…

watch this video…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTxAjN1XSso&feature=youtu.be

I AGREE 100% with their thoughts on what I face and every instructor faces going forward when it comes to what we want for our students and what our responsibilities are to our students, our art, our sport and our community.

During the video at 28:26 he says “this has to be a wake up call”… he’s right… it does… and it is… and I promise you

I will make things better for us all or die trying.

My sincere thanks to both of these men for making this video and the honor they bring to our BJJ family.

I sincerely thank you for your time and your attention,

Lloyd Irvin Jr.