Sunday, September 30, 2012

PXC BRINGS BEST MMA ACTION IN THE REGION TO THE BIG DOME ON NOVEMBER 17th!

Pacific X-treme Combat (PXC), the premier MMA organization in the Philippines and Asia-Pacific region, has announced its biggest show to date to take place on November 17th at the famous Araneta Coliseum (aka “The Big Dome”) in Manila, Philippines. Headlining the star-studded international fight card will be some of the top rising stars of MMA from the Philippines, as well as Hawaii, Guam, Japan & Korea. The event is expected to draw thousands of MMA fans from all corners of the Philippines, and along with being broadcast live nation-wide on AKTV via IBC-13, the event will stream online for the world to experience as well!



PXC produced 2 events at Resorts World Manila’s Newport Performing Arts Theater in 2011 before relocating the show to The Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City to produce 4 stellar events. On September 1st, PXC-33 broke new ground for MMA in the Philippines with almost 500,000 viewers of the live broadcast on AKTV and a sold-out Ynares Arena.
According to PXC’s CEO, E.J. Calvo, “We are extremely excited about the move to Araneta. Our fighters have worked hard and performed well, and deserve the exposure this event will bring. PXC, as an organization, has grown leaps and bounds over a decade, and there is no doubt PXC can stand up against any MMA promotion in the region right now.”
Calvo added, “Our goal is to continue to grow PXC for the benefit of MMA fans in the Philippines, as well as for the long-term growth of the sport in the entire region.”

In less than 2 years since PXC arrived in the Philippines, the promotion has clearly been established as the premier MMA organization in the country. Along with media co-production partner, AKTV, the sports channel of TV5, PXC has successfully built a mainstream viewing audience for the first time, attracting hundreds of thousands of viewers during nation-wide broadcasts of the MMA events. PXC is also one of the only MMA leagues outside of Japan sending fighters to The UFC, and continuously signing the best up and coming talent in Asia.

Over the last 3 months, PXC has released 2 of their top fighters to The UFC, and anticipates that several more will get the same opportunity over the next year or so. PXC Welterweight Champ, Hyun Gyu Lim, and Lightweight standout, Jon Tuck, were signed by The UFC to compete in their upcoming event in Macau on November 10th. PXC prides themselves on recruiting and showcasing the best up and coming MMA talent in the Asia-Pacific region, but also has been known to feature elite fighters from Brazil, Europe, Canada, and various areas of the US.

PXC has also treated fans by flying in Filipino-American stars of the sport, including Brandon Vera and Mark Munoz, to coach their gym mates from California, as well as “Big John” McCarthy to referee bouts and hold seminars with officials, meet fans, and promote MMA in the Philippines.

PXC-34 will be the 7th show in the Philippines for the Guam-based organization, and it is expected to elevate MMA in the Philippines to yet another level. Headlining the event will be the Philippines’ own, Ale “The Young Gun” Cali, the current Flyweight Champ, and prominent fighter and coach, Erwin Tagle.
PXC VP/Matchmaker, Eli Monge, stated, “We anticipate that several fighters on the card will be top prospects for The UFC in the near future, so it will be exciting to see them compete on their way up! PXC fighters to look out for include the Harris Sarmiento, Eugene Toquero, Russell Doane and Mark Striegl.”

PXC is presented by San Mig Strong Ice and Sports 5. With special thanks to E-Games, Fitness First, FHM Philippines, FHM.com.ph, Premiere Condoms, Healthway Agility Phil, Beer Below Zero, Real Sports Radio, and Loqal.ph.

For more information on PXC, check out www.pxc.com.ph or www.facebook.com/pxcmma.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

MMA growth in Asia led by regional promotions



www.mixedmartialarts.com Regional promotions like Pacific X-treme Combat are setting the stage for a resurgence of mixed martial arts in Asia.  Instead of focusing solely on Japan, as was the case with past promotions like PrideFC and DREAMFC, today the most forward-looking companies are developing the sport in the Pacific Rim and China. 

 “If you look at the entire area, originally Japan was the only Asian country that was into MMA and then it kind of died out,” said legendary referee “Big” John McCarthy after officiating PXC 33 in Manila, which took place on September 1st 2012. McCarthy was referring to the serial demise of the two dominant Japanese promotions of the last 15 years, Pride FC, which shut down in 2007, and Fighting Entertainment Group, which produced DREAMFC and ceased operations in February 2012.  Despite the troubles of MMA in Japan, McCarthy sees opportunities for MMA in other parts of Asia because of the existing culture of martial arts and the increasing popularity of the lighter weight classes. “Now all the other countries in Asia are becoming involved and have so many good young lighter weight fighters that its just a matter of time before you see a lot of the top guys coming out of Asia again.”
McCarthy said he was surprised at how enthusiastic the fans in Manila were in the days leading up to PXC 33. “They are nuts about MMA, I’ve never been to a country where I was mobbed by more people everywhere I went than the Philippines, cooks coming out of the kitchen at the restaurants I'm eating at to meet me and things like that. It was amazing. They’re a fighting culture.”
The Philippines have long had a record of excellence with Boxing and the biggest boxing star in the world, six time World Champion, Manny Pacquiao hails from the island nation and is even a member of the Filipino congress.

PXC promoter EJ Calvo has high hopes for the roster of fighters his promotion is helping to develop in the Philippines.  PXC has prides itself as an incubator for the next generation of talent and as the place for fans to watch future superstars in the early stages of their careers before they break out in the UFC. “Our Flyweight, Bantamweight, Lightweight and Featherweight divisions are all full of young talent from the Philippines and with more experience against elite fighters from the region, we expect that the Philippines will produce some of the world's toughest, as it has in Boxing."   One name that stood out from PXC 33 was undefeated Filipino featherweight Mark Striegel.  Striegel submitted his opponent early in the first round and McCarthy predicted that fans would see him in the UFC within the year.

Calvo notes his promotions record of developing talent, instead of signing aging stars on the downside of their careers, a practice he criticizes in some of PXC’s competitors in the region.   PXC, he says, is where to see young hungry fighters on their way up. "We've released 2 of our top fighters to The UFC within the last three months including John Tuck who is competing in the UFC’s huge show in Macau on Nov 10th.  We fully anticipate that others will be getting similar opportunities soon. PXC focuses on match-ups between the Asia-Pacific region's elite fighters, and our fans love to see rising talent climbing the rankings! There's so much talent in the Asia-Pacific that PXC will always have a stacked card with future stars on the rise."
About PXC: Since is debut in 2004 Pacific X-treme Combat has produced over 50 professional and amateur events and is one of the longest running promotions in mixed martial arts.  Based on the island of Guam, PXC recently signed a major TV deal with TV5 for the Philippines, airing free-to-air nationwide. The most recent broadcast, PXC-33 in September, recorded almost 500,000 viewers in the Philippines during live broadcast.  PXC 34 will take place live in Manila in November and is planned to be PXC’s biggest event to date.

The post was from   http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/news/423167/MMA-growth-in-Asia-led-by-regional-promotions/ by The Ratel | source: pacificxtremecombat.com