| About Team USA |
 |
| Muay Thai |
|
| Mixed Martial Arts |
|
| Competition |
|
| Fitness Classes |
|
| Youth Classes |
|
| Latest News |
|
• Recent News • Visitors • Belt Promotion • Archives |
|
| Class Schedule |
|
| Contact Us |
|
| Home |
|
 |
Old News
GLADIATOR CHALLENGE: SEASONS BEATINGS DEC 2007
The main event of this card was Marlon Sims of Shamrock Submission. After a good first round where he delivered a solid knee that rocked Pat Minihan, Marlon lost by submission in the second round.
TEAM USA NEIGHBORHOOD CLEAN UP NOVEMBER 2007 As part of our continuing commitment to the community Team USA youths volunteered for a day of clean up around the Lakeside community this past November. We applaud our juniors for their selflessness.
WARRIOR'S CHALLENGE NOVEMBER 2007
Kenneth Giang fought a more experienced opponent with technical precision. His dominance earned him a majority decision from the judges. Vishnu Gulati did not get to fight Nate Smandych but fought a tough opponent nonetheless. Vishnu dominated his fight from round one with explosive power. The judges handed him the unanimous decision after a devastating knockdown in round three. Vishnu earned the North American title with this win. Ky Hollenbeck fought the formidable Billy Evangelista as part of the semi-main event. This was a last minute match up when Billy's teammate Mike Moreno was unable to fight. This fight had the crowd standing every round. Ky began with a storm of strikes, landing elbows with devastating precision. Despite being cut, Billy simply wiped off his blood and continued to come on strong. The fight showed the heart of two true warriors. The judges handed Ky the unanimous decision and the California Professional title after five action packed rounds. Congratulations once again to Kru Sam, Vishnu, Ky and Kenneth. Thanks to our incomparable cornermen Anthony Badua, John Ellcessor and Michael Mananquil. Thanks to BJohn Promotion for inviting our team. We welcome Ky to the Champions club. Pictures to follow. OAKLAND KARATE AND KICKBOXING SMOKER OCT 2007 Congratulations to our six up and coming fighters who participated at the Oakland Karate and Kickboxing smoker this past October. Most notable were performances by our female gladiators.
ANNUAL HALLOWEEN PARTY OCT 2007 Team USA families had a wonderful time at our annual Halloween and Haunted House Party this past Halloween. We had six costume contests, numerous relays, and a scarier than scary haunted house. Thanks to our staff members for their hard work and participation. Thanks to the families for making this a success.
MITCH CHILSON ON CONTENDER ASIA OCT 2007
WAR OF THE CONTENDERS OCT 2007
Congratulations to Fuller Espiritu and Carlo Rodis for a job well done at War of the Contenders. Fuller and Carlo showed much class in the ring, overcoming numerous challenges. Fuller, making his amateur debut, handled a tough opponent with the ease of a veteran. After three rounds of countering with accuracy and speed the judges gave the majority decision to Fuller. Carlo took on this fight with three weeks notice when his teammate, Skylr Pena was sidelined by an injury. Traveling every night from Santa Cruz to train, Carlo showed his dedictation to the team and sport. His performance was all class and a lot of heart despite a tough loss by decision. Congratulations to Kru Sam, Fuller and Carlo. Thank you to our conermen John Ellcessor, Michael Mananquil and Rene Basilio for taking great care of these guys. Thanks to the students who supported this show and much thanks to XFight Promotions for inviting our team.
CAGE COMBAT FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP OCT 2007
Congratulations to Ky Hollenbeck and Bobby Stack for their impressive victories at Cage Combat Fighting Championship this past October. Ky began his fight by taking charge immediately and did not let off on his attacks. He ended the fight within minutes in the first round by an armbar. Bobby countered meticulously his experienced BJJ opponent. He ended the fight 41 seconds in the first round with a knee to the head. Thanks once more to our hardworking cornermen Michael Mananquil, Jerry Filipe de Oliveira, Nik Theotikos, Tofer Stewart and Sanzio Garcia. Thanks to the numerous fans who came to support these guys. Finally, much appreciation to Cage Combat for promoting this event and inviting our team. Check out Ky's interview with the San Mateo Daily Journal.
UNLIMITED KICKBOXING SMOKER SEPT 2007
NATIONAL JIU JITSU CHAMPIONSHIPS SEPT 2007 Congratulations again to our Brazilian Jiu Jitsu team for their outstanding performances at Nationals this past September. Jerry Filipe de Oliveira placed first in the Black Belt division while Nik Theotikos, recently promoted to Blue Belt, placed second in his weight class and third in the open class. Yoshi Yamaguchi placed second in his division while Eric Sorenson and Michael Yamaguchi put on an impressive performances.
FIGHT AND FITNESS SMOKER SEPT 2007
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MUAY THAI SEPT 2007
Dennis Warner's card was much anticipated for months. Never before was there so much talent on one card in the United States. The talent came from everywhere, not just locally. The event brought back a thrilling sensation for true Muay Thai fans. The fights were so well matched, most went to decision. For Team USA, this card pitched reknowned Fairtex fighter RaKarma Young against our Michael Mananquil. As both have much talent and promise, this was the most anticipated fight on the card for our team and for our local community. This fight saw two fighters who are the product of good training. Michael and Ra both performed an entertaining and respectful Ram Muay to start. The fight began with a bang as Ra took charge but as the rounds went on, Michael unloaded a barrage of elbows, leg strikes and punches. Both fighters answered each other with speed and precision. However, Michael's strikes did enough damage to secure a majority decision from the judges. Michael brings home the prestigious WBC International Super Welterweight Championship title with this win. Congratulations to Kru Sam and Michael. A heartfelt thank you to John Ellcessor and Anthony Badua, both of whom helped raise Michael since the beginning, for their hardwork in the corner. Thank you to the incomparable fans and students who came to support the event. Finally, thank you to Dennis Warner and the WBC for their dedication to this sport.
WORLD JIU JITSU TOURNAMENT AUGUST 2007
OAKLAND STREET FESTIVAL AUGUST 2007 As part of our commitment to the community, Team USA once again participated in a Street Festival. The City of Oakland produced this two-day celebration of Asian Heritage. We saw spectacular non-rehearsed sparring by our Champions as well as some heart stopping Muay Boran techniques from Kru Sam. Our kids performed a beautiful Ram Muay and our female fighters showed their power during Thai pad drills.
Team USA gathered together on Sunday August 19th to enjoy some bonding, great food and lots of laughs.
About 20 Team USA fighters tested their striking and grappling skills at Born to Fight this past August. Twelve of our strikers competed with most placing in their respective divisions while all five grapplers took home either first or second place. Our superfight fighters performed extraordinarily well. Jackie Carlos, in her debut, lost by split decision to a tough and experienced opponent. In an equally exciting fight Marc Jimenez lost by split decision to Roger Agartap of Cung Le. Andre Hluskho won his fight by an explosive knockout and Vishnu Gulati's knockout was ruled a technical draw when the judges thought he kneed his opponent in the head while he was already down. Congratulations to Kru Sam and all of the fighters: Striking: TJ Arcangel - 1st place (Men's Advanced 135) Anne Espiritu - 1st place (Women's Advanced 115) Charla Villain - 1st place (Women's Intermediate 115) Scott Robinson - 1st place (Men's Advanced Heavyweight) Joe Feeney - 1st place (Men's Intermediate Heavyweight) Alex Munoz - 2nd place (Kids 12 and under) Aidan Lincoln - 3rd place (Kids 12 and under) Victor Chan - 3rd place (Men's Advanced 135) Tiffany Delfin - 3rd place (Women's Advanced 115) Grappling: Fernando Ng - 1st place (Men's Submission Wrestling 120) MIchael Ng - 2nd place (Men's Submission Wrestling 120) Eric Sorenson - 2nd place (Men's Submission Wrestling 165) Calvin Wu - 2nd place (Men's Submission Wrestling Advanced 155) Michael Farrah - 2nd place (Men's Submission Wrestling 155) Thanks to Michael Mananquil, Kenneth Giang, Ky Hollenbeck, Kevin Arceo, Brian Popejoy, Jerry Filipe de Oliveira and Yoshi Yamaguchi for their hardwork in the corners. Much appreciation to Coach Cung Le and Javier Mendez for promoting this event and inviting our team. Thank you to the hundreds of fans for their support.
XTREME MUAY THAI CHALLENGE JULY 2007
Skylr Pena had a great action packed fight for all three rounds. Using his long range techniques he pullled off the victory by a split decision. Carlos Rodis came out determined to win. Dominating each round with well timed hand strikes, the judges gave him a well deserved unanimous decision. Thank you to Michael Mananquil and Vishnu Gulati for their dedication, hardwork and support of Skylar and Carlo. Thank you to Lights Out Promotion for inviting our team.
CONDITIONING AND COMPETITION SMOKER JULY 2007 Great performances by Andrei Hluskho and Colin Dreyer at the Conditioning and Competition Smoker. Look for their return to the ring at Born to Fight this August. Thank you to Kenneth Giang for his hardwork in their corner.
GLADIATOR CHALLENGE BATTLE GROUND JULY 2007
Once again nearly 400 fans came to support Team USA's MMA team at Gladiator Challenge. Nik Theotikos drew the entire town of San Bruno as the main event of this show. Mike Fonseca pulled an impressive victory via rear naked choke against Luis Sanchez. Bobby Stack won from striking on the ground after several impressive take downs of the formidable Zach Yngojo. Despite a good start, Nik Theotikos lost by submission against the skilled BJJ black belt Raul Castillo. We looked forward to Ky Hollenbeck's debut. However, the CSAC doctor reversed a prior certification of his medical the night before the fight. Congratulations to our fighters for their performances and hardwork. Look for their return to the cage shortly. Thanks to our cornermen Sanzio, Toefer, Fernando, Rene Basilio, Michael Mananquil and Jerry for their hardwork. Thanks to Gladiator Challenge for inviting our team. Full details and photos to follow.
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MUAY THAI JULY 2007
Michael and Fabian started the fight like a head-on collision and didn't stop the pace throughout all five rounds. With the skilled use of well timed elbows and leg strikes Michael dominated most of the fight. Fabian certainly answered well. However, the judges gave Michael the decision win and the IKKC World Title belt. We also looked forward to seeing Jade Hayes in action on this card but unfortunately Jade was sidelined by an injury early on. Expect to see her back to true form soon. This entire card was action packed with impressive performances by amateurs and professionals alike. All fighters performed the Ram Muay with the crowd fully embracing the tradition. It was truly a great Muay Thai event. Thank you to Dennis Warner for inviting our team. Thank you to our hardworking cornermen Kenneth Giang and Vishnu Gulati. Thanks to our incomparable fans. Congratulations Michael Mananquil and Kru Sam!
A heartfelt congratulations to Frank Shamrock for his win over Phil Baroni at Strikeforce. Thank you to Michael Mananquil and Jerry Filipe de Oliveira for their hardwork in the corner. Thank you to the fight team for their efforts towards training Nik. Congratulations Nik and Kru Sam!
SUBMISSION WRESTLING SMOKER JUNE 2007 Once again Team USA brought a team of very enthusiastic fighters ready to test new territory at this challenging smoker. They worked hard and their fervor showed. Keep up the evolution of your fight game guys! Thank you to Coach Rudi Ott and Unlimited Kickboxing for hosting this event.
TRAINING WITH FRANK SHAMROCK MAY 2007
Team USA fighters were privileged to witness and be part of Frank Shamrock's training for his upcoming showdown with Phil Baroni on June 22. The team joined Shamrock Martial Arts for a day of grueling sparring with the legend. Nik Theotikos will be featured on the same show in the undercard. The show is expected to be a sell-out so don't miss your chance fans!
KAE OS at Asian Heritage Street Celebration 2007
With more than 40 bouts scheduled and the participation of 28 schools from all over Northern California, Kae Os at the Asian Heritage Street Celebration was expected to be a supernova of smokers. However, this outdoor event, which drew thousands of people, threw quite a few curve balls at the Team USA staff that day. We were not allowed to set up our ring until an hour before the bouts were to begin and we were not allowed to set it on even ground. This culminated in having to set up and break down the ring three times. Despite being seriously delayed when the Kae Os bouts were finally put on the excitement drew crowds by the hoards . Fans climbed on fences, cars and windows just to get a glimpse. They surrounded the ring, which by then had to be flat on the ground, like bees on honey. Unfortunately, only 15 bouts were able to finish that day. Team USA is offering a continuation of the lineup on June 2nd at our facility. All fans welcomed for free. We thank you the numerous schools who spent hours training, driving and waiting to participate. We sincerely thank George Tsutsui and Rudi Ott for their perpetual professionalism under pressure. Thank you to Asian Week for inviting this event. Thank you to our two sponsors Savage Inc. Fightwear and In the Ring for their incomparable support. The most deserving of appreciation are the 50 volunteers who dedicated hours of help to make this happen.
Cage Combat Championship May 2007 Congratulations to Bobby Stack for his TKO win in the second round at Cage Combat Championship this May. Bobby was certainly challenged by experienced fighter Terrance Dickens but kept the fight coming. Both fighters showed their skills striking and on the ground with Bobby in the advantage in the second round. He took the opportunity to win by ref stoppage on the ground. This was Bobby's MMA debut and he put on a veteran-like performance. Congratulations to Bobby and Kru Sam. Much appreciation to Michael Mananquil, Nik Theotikos and Jerry Filipe de Oliveira for their efforts towards training and cornering Bobby. Stay tuned for pictures!
Strikeforce Kickboxing April 2007 • Asian Week Congratulations to Kevin Arceo and Michael Mananquil for their exemplary representation of Team USA at Strikeforce Kickboxing this past April. The venue was filled to near capacity and the West Coast Production put forth its usual professionalism. Kevin fought a tough hometown favorite from San Jose. Both fighters were strong and technical throughout the fight. The decision was close but judges gave the edge to Kevin's opponent. Michael Mananquil fought Ben Yelle, fresh off his three recent knockouts, of Michigan's US Muay Thai. Ben was tough as nails and certainly kept the fight coming. However, Michael dominated from the get-go with a barage of strikes that didn't cease with any of the rounds. The judges easily handed Michael the unanimous decision win. Congratulations Michael, Kevin and Kru Sam! Thanks to the hardworking cornermen, John Ellcessor, Rene Basilio and Mario Guzman. Thank you to West Coast Productions for this promotion. Most importantly a heartfelt thank you to the hundreds of fans who came to support the show and Team USA.
Bobby trained rigorously and prepared all proper paperwork to pass tough standards by the California Athletic Commission. Unfortunately, Bobby's fight did not go through when the promoter informed us that his opponent failed to secure proper paperwork and "pass the medical." Nik faced tough Gladiator Challenge veteran Eric Lawson. The well matched fight drew nonstop action from both sides mixed with equal striking and groundwork. Nik saw the opportunity, however, in the second round to win the fight with a triangle choke. Here's what MMA Weekly had to say about the fight: 170- Nik Theotikos vs. Eric Lawson: In probably the most exciting fight of the night, Nik Theotikos pulls out a submission-from-strikes victory over the very tough Eric Lawson who was cornered by Urijah Faber. The fight started out with tight clinch work, solid back-and-forth knees before Lawson takes down Theotikos but unfortunately lands in his guard in an anaconda-tight guillotine. After fighting it off for about a minute, Lawson popped out and started landing some mean ground and pound against the fence, nearly ending the fight until the arm-tired Theotikos mentally regrouped and the round ended. The 2nd round started out with a superb arm throw by Theotikos, but Lawson reverses it and starts landing more ground and pound. Theotikos then successfully takes a tight triangle from the bottom, and after resisting it for a bit, Lawson succumbs to several painful elbows from within the triangle, tapping out at two minutes into the second round. Lawson was impressive even in his loss. Keep your eye on Nik Theotikos. Congratulations Nik and Kru Sam! Thank you to the hardworking cornermen Michael Mananquil, Mario Guzman and Sappone. Look for Nik and Bobby in action again soon! Thank you to the promoters of Gladiator Challenge for inviting our team. Stay tuned for pictures.
Jerry's On the Mat Interview!
Gracie Sports Smoker March 2007
KAE OS XII: Girls Only FEB 2007
We look forward to seeing them in action again. Thank you to Fairtex for their effort. A special thank you to the hard working cornermen, Michael Mananquil, Vishnu Gulati and Fernando Paez. (Click picture for larger image)
STRIKEFORCE: YOUNG GUNS FEB 2007
Congratulations to Nik Theotikos for his first round TKO victory tonight at Strikeforce Young Guns! Nik faced a tough opponent from the Fairtex MMA team. Within seconds into the first round, Nik landed a well timed strike that sent his opponent to the mat. He finished off the fight on the ground when the ref called it. Congratulations to Kru Sam, Jerry and Michael for impeccable training. Thank you to the monster fans who came in droves to support Nik. Thank you to Savage Inc. for its sponsorship and thank you to Scott Coker and West Coast Productions for its professional show.
Oakland Karate and Conditioning &
 |
Congratulations to Nik Theotikos for his first round TKO victory at Gladiator Challenge. Nik came out strong and didn't let off on the offensive. After a few minutes of striking Nik took the game to the ground and ended the fight there. 
Congratulations to Mitch Chilson on his win in the undercard of Contender Asia. Winning the fight by KO in the second round, Mitch showed he is constantly improving his game. Mitch is currently fighting out of Singapore. 
While Team USA submitted 20 or so fighters to this always exciting smoker, only eight were able to fight. All eight fighters, however, did a fantastic job taking on tough challenges. Congratulations to the team for their class in and out of the ring. Congratulations to Coach Rudi Ott on his two year anniversary. 
Congratulations to 
Congratulations to Eric Sorenson and Yoshi Yamaguchi for their first place finishes in their respective divisions at Batte of the Bay, a No Gi BJJ tournament hosted by Gracie Jiu Jitsu of Santa Cruz. Great job to Jerry as their trainer and Nik Theotikos for his hard work in their corner. 
