1ST NEG. OCC. MMA SEMINAR BY AMERICANS BIG HIT

Dr. Ronald A. Harris (black shirt, center) and Christian Werner Adam Seifert (4th from right) with participants of the 1st Negros Occidental Mixed Martial Arts Seminar “Cage Fighting Fundamentals” after the training last June 3, 2006 at the PIMAA-FTSDA Gym, Group K Complex, Brgy. Tangub, Bacolod City.


Dr. Ronald A. Harris (black shirt) demonstrates the neutral clinch with Nelson Armamento as Fight Club Combat and Streetfighting Center Founder/Chief Instructor Edwin J. Tusil looks on and follows.


Christian Werner Adam Seifert (top) controls the mobility of Dr. Ronald A. Harris with a side mount.

This article appeared in the Western Visayas Journal June 5-11, 2006 issue.

American regional level heavyweight MMA fighter Christian Werner Adam Seifert of Gladiator Academy and Muay Thai Trainor Dr. Ronald A. Harris of Russell Jones Fight Club, both of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA, made history when they successfully conducted the 1st Negros Occidental Mixed Martial Arts Seminar “Cage Fighting Fundamentals” with the sponsorship of the Conceptual Martial Arts Society (CMAS), Inc. of Founders James U. Sy Jr. and Narciso “Hansy” L. Alojado, Philippine Integrated Martial Arts Academy-Filipino Tang Soo Do Association (PIMAA-FTSDA) of Founder/President Master Elmer V. Montoyo and Asst. Chief Instructor Elmer “Don-Don” P. Montoyo Jr., and Original Filipino Tapado Long Stick Fighting Association (OFTLSFA) of President/Inheritor Grandmaster Benefredo “Bebing” M. Lobrido under the banner of the Intercontinental Federation of Martial Arts Schools (IFMAS) last June 3, 2006 at the PIMAA-FTSDA Gym, Group K Complex, Brgy. Tangub, Bacolod City.

The seminar attracted 40 participants and guests (20 were instructors/black belts) representing 6 martial arts organizations from Bacolod, Bago, Iloilo, and Silay Cities. 4 of the organizations represented were members of the Brotherhood of Mixed Martial Artists of Bacolod (BOMB), the first MMA alliance in the Visayas (founded December 6, 2003).

The participating organizations were CMAS, Fight Club Combat and Streetfighting Center of Founder/Chief Instructor Edwin J. Tusil, Negros United Fighting Arts Academy of Grandmaster Jose “Joe” Mancesa, OFTLSFA, PIMAA-FTSDA, and Tapondo International Federation Inc.-Negros Chapter of Chief Instructor Roy R. Flores Sr.

Seifert holds a record of 20-6-4. He did 6 years of Hapkido and another 2 years with Han Mu Do before taking up Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (BJJ) under Brazilian Roney Salles, who was a student of BJJ legend Carlson Gracie Sr. He currently holds a purple belt in BJJ. He started Muay Thai with Dr. Harris in 2004. He stands 6 feet 2 inches and weighs 225 lbs. Seifert is currently a doctorate fellow at the Southern University in Louisiana.

Dr. Harris has 34 years martial arts experience. He is a and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu trainor and is certified/graded in several other arts including San Miguel Eskrima (10th degree, Doce Pares), Arnis (master, Negros Occidental Arnis Federation), Ricarte en Cruzada (master, Chavez Arnis Group), Original Filipino Tapado (master instructor, Original Filipino Tapado Long Stick Fighting Association), Kajukenbo (6th degree), Taekwondo (4th degree, WTF and Jidokwan), Doce Pares Combat Judo (3rd degree), Shotokan Karate (1st degree, Vasquez Martial Arts Center), Pekiti Tirsia (Lakan Guro), and Firearms (Instructor, National Rifle Association). Dr. Harris had also trained in Boxe Francaise Savate, Hapkido, Jeet Kune Do, Historical Western Fencing, Modern Fencing, Nihon Jujutsu, and Western Boxing.

Dr. Harris is the Chair of Public Policy at the Southern University. He is a writer/author, his work having been published in several national level materials in the US including inside Kung Fu.

The seminar was historic in that it was the first seminar in Bacolod City, Negros Island, Visayas, and the Philippines to be conducted by an active American MMA fighter, the first one to be conducted by two Americans, and the first to feature both BJJ and Muay Thai together in one seminar. Although 3 times Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champion Royce Gracie of Brazil conducted a seminar in Manila sometime in 2001, it can be better defined as the first BJJ seminar in the Philippines and the first such to be conducted by a Brazilian. Later, another Brazilian, BJJ champion Kazeka Muniz, did another BJJ seminar.

The Philippines’ premier propagator of Gracie Jiu-jitsu and the founder of the Universal Reality Combat Championship (URCC), Alvin Aguilar, did a seminar in Bacolod and a demonstration in Victorias in October 2003 which focused on BJJ/Grappling. BOMB held 2 seminars in 2004 in Bacolod but those two were primarily rules orientation for its upcoming tournaments. Early this year, the Doce Pares held an MMA seminar in Cebu City with Judo Grandmaster Philip Porter of the United States Martial Arts Association (USMAA) as guest instructor.

Dr. Harris contacted GM Lobrido for the sponsorship of the seminar. GM Lobrido tapped CMAS to organize the seminar due to its founders’ extensive experience in organizing/sponsoring and conducting seminars. Sy and Alojado, singly or in unison, had previously organized a total of not less than 15 seminars which covered topics like Aikido, Filipino Martial Arts, Muay Thai, and Pencak Silat Olahraga. This figure is above the average number of seminars organized/sponsored by an individual or organization in Negros. Furthermore, Sy had previously taught &/or assisted in 20 seminars/special trainings for students, women, professionals, CAT cadet officers, barangay tanods, security guards, and the police. Alojado had taught a number seminars/special trainings most of which were on tai chi chuan.

GM Lobrido tapped PIMAA-FTSDA to be the venue because of its world class facilities and ambiance. The PIMAA-FTSDA Group K Gym had previously made its mark as “a center of martial arts renaissance in Negros,” playing host to various martial arts seminars, trainings, examinations, meetings, and special events involving Conceptual Martial Arts, Dumog, Filipino Tang Soo Do, Lapu-Lapu Viñas Arnis, Long Quan, Muay Thai, Original Filipino Tapado, and Tai Chi Chuan among others. Master Montoyo, himself a veteran of martial arts for 44 years, brings in his own expertise into the organizing of the seminar.

The seminar was composed of 4 1-hour segments: Stand up skills, ground fundamentals, transition from stand up to groundfighting, and finishing maneuvers. The stand up material was primarily Muay Thai with some elements taken from other stand up arts such as Savate while the clinches/tie ups, takedowns and submissions were from Freestyle Wrestling, Greco Roman Wrestling, Russian Sambo, and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu.

Material taught include fundamental stance footwork, punches, elbows, kicks, and knees; stand up clinching, outbalancing, takedowns and takedown defenses; ground positions including mount, side mount, guard, and half guard; escapes from the mount, guard, half guard, etc.; and ground submissions including arm bar, Kimura, Americana, face lock, knee bar, and ankle lock.