Sweep the leg, Jackie

So apparently Jackie Chan is slated to be the new Mr Miyagi in the upcoming completely unnecessary remake of The Karate Kid. (And before you say anything, yes, I love the original Karate Kid, so shut up, it is important.) I’m not really sold on this; for a start, Chan is a high-energy comedy, character actor. As cheesy (in an awesome way) as the film is, Mr Miyagi is a fairly nuanced role — a former PoW whose son and wife have died — for which Pat Morita was nominated for an Academy Award. I can’t really see Chan pulling it off with any subtlty.

And secondly, HE’S FREAKING CHINESE. Not that it’s inconceivable for him to know karate, I suppose — although it’s not a big style there –  but it warps the plot somewhat. Or they’ll change it to kung fu, and then… rename the film?

It BETTER still contain the line “STRIKE FIRST. STRIKE HARD. NO MERCY. SIR!”

MMA fans g’n'p News Corp’s shitty journalism

American readers will know News Corp. as the media empire behind Fox News, while Aussies know it as the media empire who own just about the entire country’s press, crowned with a cornucopia of increasingly awful tabloid newspapers.

Anyhoo, never ones to pass up opportunities to rile up the “someone think of the children”-brigade, they love nothing better than an ignorant anti-MMA rant, where a “journalist” even-handedly reports on the “brutal sport” of “human cock fighting”.

Their latest is probably the most impressive I’ve seen — both in the level of hysteria reached, the truth distortion and the absolute lack of research.

CAGE fighting – a brutal martial art in which opponents are fenced into a ring so they cannot escape – has been legalised in NSW, outraging doctors who say it should be banned.

But the best bit is when they beg to be let out of the cage and they’re forced to fight on!

The original version of this article also had YouTube footage of bare-fist Brazilian Vale Tudo matches as an “example” of MMA, but seem to have taken it down (as well as the multiple comments pointing out the error).

I was really happy, however, to see a bunch well-written, well-argued comments from MMA fans in the comments section (which is usually pretty rare on the News.com.au site). Sometimes I worry that lugheads writing shit like “SHUT UP, MMA RULZ” will just make things worse, so it’s refreshing to see multiple coherent posts that systematically address and refute the crap in the original article.

How to be embarrassed by your BJJ rank

This may be the worst martial arts related product ever:

All I want for Christmas…

My Muay Thai have done a great Buyers’ Guide for Chistmas (or whatever celebration you’re purchashing gifts for this time of year). I especially dig The Stick, as I have to rub the shit out of my legs after training every night. Here a couple of extra things I like (if only my family read this blog, but buy them for the fighter in your life):

Love is like a bomb

Killer — check out this YouTube video of Phil Collen from Def Leppard hitting pads (and no, he wasn’t the drummer, harhar). The dude is 51:

The Seagal Life

Well this seems like a ridiculous enough story to kick this stupidity off with:

Fat Aikidoka, alleged reincarnated Buddhist monk and all around douche, Steven Seagal, has been signed to do a TV show about his life. Ugh.

“Steven Seagal: Lawman will follow Seagal and a team of deputies as they respond to crimes in progress and also focus on Seagal’s off-duty ventures, including musical performances and philanthropic efforts in Jefferson Parish and New Orleans.”

Cops in magic pants? Dog the Bounty Hunter with wrist-locks?