By Jason Cruz Northwest Asian Weekly Welcome to another edition of The Layup Drill. In the year-ending column, we say goodbye to ’Kuma, hello to Nori, MMA news, and Doug Baldwin is on fire! ’Kuma out, Nori in for Mariners The Seattle Mariners have undergone a huge amount of changes with a new manager and […]
Not boxed in — Ki Chong Tran can take a punch
By Dipika Kohli Northwest Asian Weekly “DON’T BOX,” said Ki Chong Tran’s grandmother, worried what would happen when he moved to his mother’s native Phnom Penh. “Boxing is for peasants.” She needn’t worry. After winning a professional mixed martial arts, or MMA, fight in Phuket in August 2013 against Thailand’s Kritsada “Dream Man” Konsrichai, the […]
The Layup Drill — Pacquiao loses; Munoz retires and UFC in the Philippines
By Jason Cruz Northwest Asian Weekly Pacquiao loses “Fight of the Century” to Mayweather Manny Pacquiao dropped a unanimous decision to Floyd Mayweather on May 2nd in Las Vegas in the biggest money fight in the history of boxing. An estimated 4.4 million people purchased the inflated $100 pay-per-view event ($90 if you did not […]
NFL pass-rushers turn to mixed martial arts tactics
By Arnie Stapleton AP Pro Football Writer DENVER (AP) — Denver defensive end DeMarcus Ware considers himself a mixed martial artist on the football field. Ever since his rookie year in 2005, he’s spent as much time in the offseason working on his handwork with a second generation Bruce Lee student as he has working […]
The Layup Drill — Asians represent in the ring, on the screen, and abroad
By Jason Cruz Northwest Asian Weekly Welcome to another edition of The Layup Drill. It’s the dog days of summer, and we’re going to take a look at the return of Michelle Kwan, the Korean Zombie, a female MMA’s YouTube KO and the ups and downs of women golfers.
West Coast Muay Thai tournament premieres at Seattle Center
Muay Thai, a combat sport from Thailand, has gained ground in the United States and is now arriving on the West Coast. Friday Night Fights, a Muay Thai production company, produced the longest-running Muay Thai series in North America, and sold out stadiums in many cities. Owner Justin Blair hoped to debut the fight in […]
A survivor’s story (plus, cute kids!)
The Layup Drill — a NEW monthly column about APIs in sports By Jason Cruz Northwest Asian Weekly Welcome to the third edition of The Layup Drill! This month, we have a survivor, kid champs, and the NBA celebrating Chinese New Year.
Marathon finish for Ohno; Yao Ming’s wine; Football in India?
The Layup Drill — a NEW monthly sports column about APIs By Jason Cruz Northwest Asian Weekly Welcome to the inaugural edition of my API sports column, The Layup Drill. The column will run down all the happenings in the world of sports in the Asian Pacific Islander community.
Korean American seeks to retain MMA title
Being the world champion has not changed life for Benson Henderson. “Everything’s pretty much the same, although I get spotted at the mall a little more,” said Henderson. The World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) Lightweight champion Henderson defends his first title against Donald Cerrone on April 24 in Sacramento, Calif.
Smooth Operator: Korean American wins WEC Title
Henderson’s message is a familiar chant from his Federal Way alma mater. A former Decatur High School wrestling standout, Korean American Henderson won the World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) interim light heavyweight title on Oct. 10 in San Antonio, Texas. WEC is owned by the Ultimate Fight Championship (UFC). With only three years of experience in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), the 25-year-old is heading to the top.