Fight Night in Manila

Somehow these chumps got it in their head that they were the Thrillas in Manila. Fortunately for them they didn’t accept challengers from the crowd. My martial arts training from age 6-8 had me well prepared for these guys. Except maybe for the dude who trains NAVY Seals on his free time, or the active duty Philippine Special Forces fighter, maybe not the 6 ‘5 Iranian Kickboxer, or for that matter the guy who was an undefeated 50-0 in unsanctioned street fights.

These guys were fierce. And true to the ticket woman’s word all but two of the fights didn’t make it past the first 10 minute round. Maybe the strangest/best part was that each fight was clearly better than the previous.

The first real highlight was the Thai Kickboxing Iranian. He was one tall mean looking dude. And pitted up against a Filipino he was a marked man as far as the crowd was concerned. They cheered nationality first then for the favorite. But if the favorite took a beating from the underdog they certainly appreciated the effort. In this case as an unknown challenger from Iran he was the underdog. And early on it appeared he would be on a flight back to Tehran bruised and battered. Pinned down taking shots to the head he managed to toss his opponent aside, lurched up and gave him a crushing sidekick to the head. The guy was literally in tears. I thought he was about to get strung up when he circled the ring waving an Iranian flag.

Next up a legendary fighter out of Tokyo. Unlike the other fighters who chose invigorating rock and roll songs such as Chili Peppers or Rage Against the Machine to enter the ring, this guy chose a very feminine Japanese pop song. It didn’t stop there. He proceeded to dance around like a Spice Girl, who I hear are about to announce a reunion tour, singing and dancing around the entire arena. At some point just about anyone in the crowd was close enough to reach out and touch him. He then hopped into the ring at the exact moment the song went into the climatic crescendo and he joined in with his hands outstretched belting everything he had. Not too long after the only belting going on was to his head via the fist of the Filipino Special Forces fighter. If this particular fight couldn’t get any stranger, post-fight these two guys couldn’t stop hugging and bowing to one another. I’ve never seen anything like it. You’ll see a pic of the two of them bowing from their knees and holding each other’s hands.

The last fight, while it had no flashy showmanship or hated foreigners, was an epic. The favorite was a champion in Filipino mixed martial arts. Crowd response to his entrance was deafening. I thought it would be a rout but the challenger came strong. He was pummeling him time and again. At the end of the first round the champion was bloodied and the challenger exhausted, sprawled almost lifeless in the corner. Somehow they managed to make it through round 2 as well. Again the challenger pounded the champion but he refused to give up and I must admit seemed energetic given his face was stained red with blood. At this point they decided to change the rules mid-match and allow a 3rd five minute round. I was in the crowd going crazy “what are they doing? The guy is finished”. Only blank stares from my fellow fight patrons. The URCC founder came to his senses at the last moment. Literally as the bell was being rung he sent in the announcer to say that it was over. In a 2-1 decision, you’ve got to be kidding me, the challenger was awarded the upset. Corruption can be the only explanation for that lone vote.

A $2 cab ride across town later and I was at the local bar Absinthe near my hotel. One absinthe shot later I was having a discussion with Jeff and a few of his friends who took an hour bus ride from their village just to visit this bar. Over a round of beers I pumped them for information on traveling in the Philippines. My friend Carrie is coming to visit this Friday and I want to make sure we see the most beautiful sites, have the most fun and stay safe along the way. It’s much harder to get a straight answer from people in or around the hotel. All I usually get is a lot of nodding and yeses. People are very hesitant it seems to make recommendations or simply state ‘no’ that’s not a fun place to go. So it was nice get some honest feedback. I’m excited for her visit. It seems our destination next weekend will be the island of Boracay.