The June 2009 edition of Revolt in Style magazine featured Joe Duarte in a full length article, detailing Joe’s life story, including his MMA career in San Diego. Check out the magazine if you are in San Diego or go online to Revolt in Style magazine.

Head Muay Thai Instructor for San Diego based MMA gym “The Arena”, will be featured in StrikeandSubmit.com’s upcoming online video tutorials as the Muay Thai video instructor. Asked to star in this series due to his long-standing recognition in San Diego as a true Muay Thai master, Kru Mark demonstrated numerous techniques on camera for the upcoming video series including his trademark elbow and knee techniques.

Kru Mark, whose formal name is Boungnaphonh Makthepharaks, is a Master Muay Thai Instructor with 50 years of Muay Thai experience. He started his Muay Thai training in 1959 at the age of 6 under his father, 4-star General Bounpone Makthepharaks, the former Commander-in-Chief of the Laotian army. Kru Mark’s style of Muay Thai has been passed down from father to son for five generations. His fighting system, called DETH KO SIN, draws from ancient Muay Thai combat techniques that were used in hand to hand fighting during battle.

Kru Mark has a fascinating history. Like his father, Kru Mark also served in the military, operating with the U.S. Special Forces in Vietnam, until his capture in the spring of 1975 by communists. After being held for six months in a POW camp, Kru Mark escaped and then emigrated to the U.S. Since then, he has spent the past 30 plus years competing (he was a Muay Thai World Champion), teaching, and coaching.

May 03, 2009 – San Diego, CA — The Arena –The MMA Gym for Training Boxing, Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai and Wrestling in San Diego

Alexandre “Xande” Ribeiro, current World Jiu Jitsu Champion based out of San Diego California, just won his 2nd MMA fight in Sengoku VIII. Ribeiro, Co-Owner of San Diego based University of Jiu Jitsu, and member of The Arena Fight Team (the leading MMA Team / Gym in San Diego, won with a 3rd round KO of veteran opponent Kei Yamamiya.

Ribeiro entered the fight with just one MMA fight on his record, where he TKO’d Takashi Sugiura in the 3rd round of a previous Sengoku event. For Ribeiro’s 2nd fight, he was given a tougher opponent in Kei Yamamiya, the former Light Heavyweight King Of Pancrase. Yamamiya entered the fight with 66 bouts, including 34 wins.

However, Ribeiro looked much improved in his second MMA outing. He controlled Yamamiya throughout the first round and kept pace through the 2nd round, never finding himself in trouble. But it was in the 3rd round where Ribeiro once again turned on the heat, slipping a right hand from Yamamiya and responding with a devastating right hand of his own, smashing his opponent to the canvas.

Ribeiro was expected to bring the fight to the ground and use his superior jiu-jitsu skills to submit Yamamiya. However, Ribeiro’s striking training clearly paid off, as the Jiu Jitsu great chose to end the fight with his hands. Ribeiro’s comments after the fight referenced this fact, as he was clearly pleased how his striking and conditioning training paid off.

The Sengoku VIII fight will be rebroadcast on HDNet and video of the fight is available online.

About the Arena – The Leading MMA Gym for Boxing, No Gi Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai and Wrestling Training in San Diego

The Arena is a MMA school and fight training gym located in San Diego California that focuses on fighters and those who want to train like fighters. The Arena offers high-level training in Boxing, MMA, Muay Thai, No Gi Jiu Jitsu and Wrestling. For more information on The Arena, call 619-222-5554 or go to http://www.TheArenaMMA.com or www.MySpace.com/TheArenaMMA. You can also follow The Arena’s tweets at www.Twitter.com/TheArenaMMA

May 03, 2009 – The Arena, the Premier MMA School and Fight Training Gym in San Diego recently gave a free seminar to members of the United States Marine Corps at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar, former site of the U.S. Navy Top Gun School.

With over 50 Marines in attendance, including instructors of the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP), The Arena’s instructors Rick Slaton and Chris Blanke demonstrated Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) techniques, as well as Self-Defense and Personal Combatives demonstrations.

Rick Slaton is a professional MMA fighter based out of The Arena MMA gym in San Diego and Chris Blanke is a professional Jiu Jitsu instructor based out of Toledo, Ohio, but frequent guest instructor to both The Arena and The University of Jiu Jitsu, also located in San Diego.

About The Arena – The MMA School / Fight Training Gym in San Diego

The Arena is a MMA school and fight training gym located in San Diego California that focuses on fighters and those who want to train like fighters. The Arena offers high-level training in Boxing, MMA, Muay Thai, No Gi Jiu Jitsu and Wrestling. For more information on The Arena, call 619-222-5554 or go to http://www.TheArenaMMA.com or http://www.MySpace.com/TheArenaMMA