Gangs of Manila

Ten years ago, they were practically unheard of. Underground matches were held discreetly in a village in the south of Manila. The few who knew were charged one hundred pesos to get in and witness the fights while engaging in a drink-all-you-can beerfest.

It showcased the different martial arts groups, the gangs - - - Gracie Jiu Jitsu, Yaw-Yan (Sayaw ng Kamatayan), Sari-An, Boxing (all represented by DEFTAC Fighters), Submission Fighting, Suntokaran Todo Bakbakan (Filipino Freestyle Fighting), Pentjak Silat, Judo Freestyle Wrestling, Taekwondo, Kyukushinkai Karate, PMA Karate Away Kalye, Pancrase, Dumog, TRACMA (Trovador Ramos Consolidated Martial Arts). It was simple. It was fun.

Nonetheless the inevitable always happened - - - street fights almost always ensued. Then it became freestyle fighting, no-holds-barred. Miserable. But ultimate fighting went on this way until the priest spoke out. "It was bad. We had to go mainstream to establish a sort of system. With this we could get the best athletes and eventually form an RP team that could compete abroad," began Alvin Aguilar, martial arts practitioner.

He started learning martial arts as a kid simply because he wanted to become a ninja. He started with Karate, Arnis, and Greco-Roman wrestling. As he went on to fulfill his childhood dream, he started to discover the benefits of combat sports. Aside from self-defense, Aguilar says it teaches a person discipline. A serious fighter always gets enough rest, watches his diet, and trains hard everyday.

The high he gets from being able to compete pushed him to embark on a pursuit of martial arts excellence. "I want to be proficient in all ranges of combat. I want to be able to strike well. If I’m on the floor, I want to be able to grapple well. And if I pick up a knife or stick, I want to be able to use it," says Aguilar who is now skilled in a lot of combat sports.

This 28-year old graduate of De La Salle University has mastered several styles. He is a first degree instructor of Pekiti-Tirsia Filipino Weaponry Fighting. For this he participated in the Balikatan exercises, teaching US marines Filipino knife-fighting techniques, which he says are the best in the world. He also teaches Sari-An Filipino Martial Arts, a style that is basically like street fighting. He is currently the three-time undefeated Sari-an Sparring Meet participant. Aguilar is also the NCR Sports and Youth Director of Yawyan or Sayaw ng Kamatayan, another style that gives emphasis on kicking. And finally, he heads the Team Raw Fury of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Training Association of the Philippines. He has so far brought home three gold medals from international Jiu-Jitsu competitions.

And with these credentials, it was only fitting for Aguilar to be the priest and lead the gangs in taking combat sports to greater heights.

Gone are the days of no-holds-barred striking. It has now evolved into a competition for the conglomeration of the different styles of martial arts. There are rules, of course. Among the no-no’s are: biting, strikes to the back of the head, grabbing the throat, grabbing the collarbone, striking the spine and striking the person down to the mat on his head. A system is in place.

Gone are the days of underground matches. Last November 23, 2002, the Universal Reality Combat Championship staged its debut at the Ampitheater of the Casino Filipino. Despite difficulties encountered at the start - "People didn’t want to buy tickets. I had to force my friends to buy tickets. Sponsors weren’t interested. The only help we got was from Casino Filipino." - URCC turned out to be a huge hit! Members of the audience squirmed in their seats as they followed every fight closely, blow-by-blow, until either a party was knocked out, or a player submitted, or the referee ruled that the player cannot intelligently defend himself.

At the end of the night, there was clamor for more!

Clearly, everyone wants to see a fight. And URCC is the closest thing to a real fight. We Filipinos basically have the urge to see combat. Actually, not only do Filipinos want to watch a fight, they also want to engage in one. And this combative impulse can be traced in our culture. According to Aguilar, "Being colonized and abused by the Spaniards, Americans, and the Japanese has somehow taught our ancestors the merit of fighting to survive."

Right now, Aguilar claims to have about 200 fighters on stand-by, waiting to fight. To compete, everyone must submit his bio-data. All applicants go through a qualified bout that’s 10 minutes long, to see if he can really fight. Then qualifiers are sent to the Games and Amusement Board (GAB) office to undergo medical check up — ECG, drug-test, the works. Next stop is a rules orientation meeting. And finally, successful applicants submit themselves to a weigh-in for classification.

Indeed, the priest has done it. He has taken the sport to a bigger venue, has developed public awareness, and stirred the curiosity and interest of many. Now there is a clear demand for ultimate fighting! Tickets to the April 12, 2003 URCC II — Night Of Champions are selling fast. As early as last week, only the P250 passes are available. But fans are not biting. They want to be as close to the ring as possible.

Everybody knows that this is going to be an exciting follow up to the first URCC. Richard Lasprilla, a big winner from the first URCC will be competing again. The others who will see action are SEA Games medallist Marcus Valda, 18-year old Raffy Garcia, the youngest ever to win a gold medal in the States at 16, and Jerome Lapiten who remains undefeated in mixed martial arts competition. He is putting this on the line at the Philsports Arena this coming Saturday.

Also putting their clean records on the line are the Brazilian protagonists in Fight 18: Andre "Jacao" Bispo, blackbelt and Tony Torres, also a blackbelt under kazeka muniz.

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