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Why Brooklyn-bred BJJ fighter Rasheed Perez is one to watch

The tri-state is home to some of the world’s most notorious fighters — Jon Jones, Frankie Edgar, Rashad Evans, you name em.

Since MMA has become legal in New York, the state has seen a rise in gyms, promotions and especially young talent.

The Kulture Hub squad pulled up to the famous Renzo Gracie Academy to chop it up with Abdul Rasheed Perez, a young fighter out of Bed-Stuy with a work ethic like no other. He told me,

“I don’t run from hard work because I know it’s gonna get me the end result.”

One of six children, Perez grew up spending time in both Brooklyn and Queens. Despite being a natural athlete, Perez didn’t fully tap into his sports gene until 2014 after he watched his friends take Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) classes and decided to give it a try.

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He quickly fell in love with jiu-jitsu, martial art, and sport composed of grappling and ground fighting that is built on the mastery of technique rather than pure strength. There’s always more to learn in jiu-jitsu, and for Perez, finding jiu-jitsu has taught him humility and discipline both on and off the mats.

“You have to be confident in your moves, but don’t underestimate anyone.”

Perez had his first submission-only BJJ competition in November of 2015, just one year after he started training and recalls rolling with his opponent for over an hour and a half, leaving the mat with bruises on his ribs.

 

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what an experience

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The young gun had a hell of a year in 2018, earning his purple belt in BJJ and making his amateur fighting debut at FNT Vol. II back in September. Perez took his fight against Eyad Ibrahim at FNT’s NYFW fight night on just two weeks notice and had a lot to prove in his first bout going up against the wrestler from Egypt’s National Team.

“I’m nerve-wrecked because I know I’ve trained maybe 6-8 months of stand-up throughout my four years fighting so my hands are not the freshest, my jiu-jitsu is strong though. I had to use my competition mentality going into that fight, you don’t know what’s gonna happen, you can’t be too tunnel-visioned, you can’t be too relaxed, you just have to adapt and go with it.”

Perez won the fight via T.K.O. and held his own against Ibrahim’s strong slams, a skill he attributes to constantly training with fighters from all different backgrounds, whenever, wherever he can.

“I love that the most about jiu-jitsu. Learning the moves, being humble in the gym and all that stuff is nice, but it’s something about competing for that makes me feel like a gladiator, especially the ones where they call your name, he chuckles. ‘Rasheed Perez to mat 5!’ is like my call to battle. To me, that’s the best way to get stronger at jiu-jitsu, you have to throw yourself in there against somebody you never rolled with before so you take away the ability to expect their next move and it’s purely jiu-jitsu.”

For many fighters, the hardest part of fighting are the moments that lead up to the fight-balancing work and training along with the typical shit that comes up in everyday life.

Perez’s has a warrior mindset in training and genuinely likes to put his body and mind to the test on the daily so that he’s always prepared to throw down. He’s known to carry a gi with him, even while on vacation because you never know when you can get a chance to roll to learn some more.

“I’m always shooting to be better so I always try to train with the guys who I know will beat me up. Some people, if they know someone is gonna win, they’ll run away, but I like to take the ego out of training. If this guy is beating me, there’s obviously something I’m doing wrong so I’m gonna go with him so at least I can get an understanding.”

Perez trains at the world-renowned Renzo Gracie Academy gym in midtown New York, where you can find UFC greats and some of the most elite practitioners of BJJ and Muay Thai taking classes or sparring with the homies — hell, Jake Shields was literally hitting the bag in the back while we did this very interview.

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Probably the only drawback to training at such a high level is injury, which is always a tough pill to swallow for a fighter’s heart and ego.

“I’ve had bad injuries, I went for a flying armbar once and I dislocated my collarbone, it was horrible. They said I had to take 6 weeks off-I took 5 weeks and 6 days. My arm hurt horribly, so I was using it a lot less, I competed maybe about 2-3 months after when the kid did a cartwheel over me and attacked that arm so I had to tap. It made me better. I was relying a lot on pure strength and strength will work against guys who are just as good as you or a bit better, but the guy who’s been doing it for 20 years will nullify that. You gotta have the technique.”

Training with an injured arm forced Perez to learn how to take the ego out of his fighting and really hone in on the core principles of his ground game that can supersede strength.

It’s that repetition training that helps for certain moves to become second nature so that when the big moment comes, you know how to defend yourself against another fighter no matter what the circumstances are.

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Fighting all day is an eventual dream for Perez, who balances training while working full time at T-Mobile. On a typical day, the fighter will work over eight hours and head up to Renzo’s to pack in a workout or two, just to come home to Brooklyn and do it all again the next day.

He’s hungry and seizes every opportunity he has to train. Fighting isn’t just a sport, but it’s been a true staple of knowledge and strength for Perez.

“I don’t even know how I do it, I just have a headache all the time. On a typical day, I’ll go to work at 9:00 am, get off by 5:30 pm, get right on the train and come here (Renzo Gracie Academy). If I know I’m not gonna train the next day, sometimes I’ll double-up on the classes which are an hour and a half, which I like. Or if it’s my off day and I really wanna be crazy, I’ll come and do the 12-2:30 class, go home, relax, and sometimes I’ll do something else like play basketball or I’ll just come right back [to Renzo’s]. I train twice a day a lot. It helps your pressure increase and you’re just learning what you do wrong, more and more times.”

Perez has competed in over 20 jiu-jitsu competitions, scoring gold against some of the toughest competitors around and hopes to pay it forward.

 

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WON MY SUPER FIGHT ⚡️⚡️ @sagc_official @renzogracieacademy @ebiofficial #perserverance #brazilianjiujitsu #superfight #jits

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Eventually, Perez wants to open up a martial arts gym in Brooklyn to give young kids an outlet to express themselves and learn the same values that fighting has brought to his life. He also seeks to get into the real estate game and spends much of his off-time watching various talks and going to seminars on how to invest capital.

After a solid year of competing in the local ranks, Perez is hungrier than ever to get his weight up even more for 2019. Keep an eye out for homie.

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FNT made its LA debut and it was too damn lit (Photo Recap)

Times three, so retreat or suffer defeat, FNT is back, 3-peat.

When Weezy dropped the masterpiece that is C3, it solidified him as one of the most innovative minds in the game. The third installation in the Carter series was a smash, but it was birthed from years of grinding on mixtapes and features that connected to spoke to hip-hop heads in a different way.

Similarly, FNT has been speaking to fight fans and creatives in a different way for years and just hit it’s 3-peat with Vol. III of their sanctioned fight series, NY vs LA.

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After back-to-back sold out shows in New York, the fight night party mob with its roots embedded in the city’s downtown scene jet-setted to the west coast to answer the age-old question. Who wants smoke: NYC or LA?

Founder/Evil Genius behind the brand, Bekim Trenova first debuted the state team concept back at SXSW in 2014 with NY vs TX. Trenova is taking FNT global, with LA and Miami being the first stops, which only makes sense.

See, FNT is more than just a fight or a party, it’s an event that captures the vibe of intersecting communities, communities that span state lines and borders.

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Alongside MATTE Projects and Matchmakers Mike Washington (NYFE) and Ed Rivas (USKO), Trenova geared up hit squads on both coasts including Harveer Singh and Najeeb Jones who made appearances at Vol. I and II.

The third installment of the event this year held no bars with collabs from brands like Under Armour Sportstyle, Chinatown Market and Packwoods for merch and fighter gear.

Dead Cat clothing and Authentic Muay Thai Supply running booths as well and Boris Bidjan Saberi outfitting Trenova in one of their signature leather Jackets.

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On paper, the night saw three disciplines of martial arts mixed in with music, dance, and art performances, but in person, it was much more.

Walking into the Avalon on November 16 almost felt like the opening sequence of Belly. Bodies surrounded the boxing ring in the Hollywood staple, filled with strobe lights and large displays playing FNT b-roll with the signature blood-red logo shining.

Listening to DJ Mess Kid bump Sheck Wes while baddies passed out Packwoods pre-rolls ahead of the bouts gave the room an enigmatic buzz of anticipation that you just had to be there to feel.

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For a show with such high production value, Vol. III still maintained FNT’s unique, intimate feel. While there was some seating, the majority of the crowd is immersed around the ring watching the exhibition of multiple arts come together.

The fight card started off with Cali on Cali matchups that highlighted local guns from LA’s local fight scene and then transitioned to east coast vs west coast bouts later in the night followed by a set from DJ Ruckus and performance from west coast legend, Warren G.

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What’s truly magical about FNT is how included you feel when you’re there. There’s something for everyone and while that something may be different, everyone is living in the moment together.

Next year, FNT will be forming a national league for fighters to knuckle up for a strap. Peep flicks from vol. III below from our homie @pictureperfectproductions_ and keep an eye out for FNT at NYFW, Miami Music Week and another stand alone in LA in 2019

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Susy Oludele connects Black women to their natural selves at The Lady Exhibit

For centuries, we as Black women have used our hair not just for simple aesthetics, but as a canvas. Our tresses are arms of creativity and voices for our culture we can use each and every single day.

While the 80’s and 90’s were definitelyyyyyy heavy creamy crack years, there has been more appreciation for and education on natural hairstyles these days not to mention, more creatives emerging in the space.

One of the most inspiring creatives in natural hair is Susy Oludele or as she goes by on IG, AfricanCreature. Susy’s signature, enigmatic styles have graced the tresses of Beyonce (yes, the Lemonade braids), Solange, Justine Skye, and more. Despite the famous clientele, anyone can make an appointment at HairyBySusy.

Photo Credit: @justindjohnson_

Students, nurses, and artists all alike go to the shop in East New York to not just get their hair done but to get an experience. See, for Susy, hairstylists are more than just beauticians, they’re healers of the community. In an interview with Kulture Hub, she told me,

“When someone sits in my chair, I like to open the energy, introduce myself, I wanna know who they are, what they do, what their lifestyle is because all of that comes into play on how to do their hairstyle. If someone is an athlete, you would wanna do a style that fits them for their everyday wear but still different at the same time. I try to cultivate each style according to their lifestyle, their swag, where they’re from. I love when it’s collaborative because if you have something that you like, and I have something that I like and we put it together, it’s just something amazing.”

Susy recently released her first book, Lady, filled with portraits that tell the stories behind her favorite styles. To celebrate the launch of Lady, Susy teamed up with Okay Africa for the Lady Exhibit — an exhibition embracing the strength and beauty of black women and our hair.

Photo Credit: @justindjohnson_

To put together the looks in the book, Susy partnered with several creatives who she felt are inspiring Black women within the beauty/lifestyle industries including; Kiitan A., Nneoma, Ronke Raji and Chizi Duru who she also honored during opening night.

Opening night also included a live painting by Ike Slimster, spins from Odalys, dance performances, suya bites and a full-on fashion show with models sporting the latest from Eldior Sodeck. The event kicked off a lady empowerment week with events centered around living your best damn life.

Throughout the week, attendees learned about health and wellness, financial literacy, and even got a hair tutorial from Susy herself. The week capped off with a good ol’ paint and sip because drinking with your girls while learning how to a sunset just soothes the soul.

“The Lady Exhibit was just an idea I had in my head about two years ago. All of my clients that came into my salon kept talking about their hairstyles not being allowed in the workplace. ‘I can’t do box braids, I can’t do color, I can’t do afros’. Those hairstyles are just too cultured.”

Photo Credit: @justindjohnson_

The racial bias in what’s considered “professional” at work has been an issue for too got damn long now. Y’all remember a couple years ago when it was discovered a Google search for “unprofessional hairstyles for work,” will show numerous photos of Black women sporting naturals like fro’s while a search for “professional hairstyles” only showed images of white women?

This is a problem that has suffocated many women of color in the office, making them feel compelled that straight hair is the way to go if they want to be successful.

This association and stigmatization of hairstyles and conduct is just disrespectful to the culture and inspired Susy to create an exhibit to show how multifaceted natural hairstyles are, and how multifaceted we as Black women can be.

“This is a problem. If everyone keeps saying the same thing and everyone has a problem, I have to do something about it because this is something that is coming to the salon. Once again, we’re healers, we’re not just doing hair, we’re speaking to the culture at the end of the day. From that, I was like ‘I gotta have a hair exhibit, I gotta show people you can still be swaggy at work, you can have any type of colors, you can have any type of vibe that you want and still have that professional attitude.”

Photo Credit: @justindjohnson_

Nothing should come between a girl and her swag and you shouldn’t have to hold back your creativity to get a bag. Growing up, Susy was teased for rocking braids.

Hairstyles that made her feel good, that reflected her culture and her relationship with her mother was counter-culture to the then-popular straight, permed hairstyles that sometimes were pressured on young girls.

“My mom used to braid my hair, she used to braid my hair when I was little, she used to braid my hair in tribal hairstyles, I was always inspired because it was so creative. Kids used to make fun of me, but I didn’t care. I was about 16-years-old when my mom said ‘ I can’t do your hair anymore, you have to figure something out.’ so I started doing my own hair. I started doing hair for people in my community, people from school, family, friends and after a while it was just like I was doing hair for every single person in New York City.”

Susy’s confidence in her creativity shines through her styles. She truly gets to know everyone who steps into her chair and every hairstyle is a true collaboration.

Photo Credit: @justindjohnson_

Susy is notorious for using bright splashes of color in braids and playing with colorways and different braiding patterns to create one-of-a-kind styles.

“If I’m doing cornrows it just has to speak for itself, it can’t be regular. If I’m doing a ponytail, it has to be a different type of ponytail, any hairstyle it is, I try to put my own spin on it, something that says Susy.”

When speaking at the opening of the Lady Exhibit, Susy stressed the impact creatives have can have on society. There’s a power that comes with having a strong influence on others and for Susy, that power should be used to speak up for what’s right.

A lot of times traditional Black hairstyles appropriated by white women are considered to be trendy without giving credit to its origins in Black culture, so it’s important that we as black women embrace these styles in all aspects of life.

“As leaders, we were created to kinda protect the world and when there’s injustice going on, we gotta speak against it. Creatives are the most powerful beings ever because we actually shift the culture. We are the culture. The Lady Exhibit is that all in one.”

Photo Credit: @justindjohnson_

Lady shows various natural hairstyles that are sleek, but daring, hairstyles that push the boundaries of what many consider to be “professional.” Braids, twists, locs, styles that play with the complex and simple patterns and show the depths of techniques when it comes to Black hair.

Along with staying true to your creativity, Susy attributes consistency as a strong factor to her success. We all know that being on the come-up as a creative is tough, a lot of times we’re balancing multiples jobs, getting no sleep, and not getting paid to do what we love. Being consistent is hard, but it’s important to success according to Susy, who’s consistency helped her build her empire from being in her apartment to her own storefront.

“Definitely be consistent, work hard. When I started to do hair I was always consistent, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, I worked from 9:00 am – 2:00 am. I eat breathe and sleep here. If you’re creative or if you’re trying to birth something, you have to really love it, embrace it, all in one. Have passion, keep God first and always give customer service. Every person that comes into my salon, whether they’re a blogger, a doctor or a student, I always try to give them the best service ever because you just never know who’s sitting in your chair.”

Photo Credit: @justindjohnson_

The Lady Exhibit was a moving event, a room filled with women and men celebrating and embracing so many facets of the special relationship between Black women and our hair.

It was beautiful to see such eccentric expressions of creativity on canvases that aren’t always given the platform to do so. Susy Oludele is one hell of an advocate and provider of that platform that is inspiring women on a daily to flaunt their natural self.

How Dan Newman turned his photo and film hustle into a career

Nowadays in the age of Instagram, it may seem hard to not stumble across a dope creative. Truth be told, the grind for up and coming photographers and filmmakers ain’t easy — just ask Dan Newman.

“Generally with the creative field, you’re in it because you’re passionate about it. Very often, it is not a rewarding thing. Do free jobs because that will open doors for other things and take risks. I know I’ve taken a handful of risks early on where I would do jobs for free or nearly nothing, knowing that if I did this now, there’s potential that it will open the door for something bigger down the road.”

Kulture Hub had the chance to chop it up with him recently and while Newman is now the Head of Digital Content at Matchroom Boxing, the world’s leading boxing promoter, it wasn’t too long ago when he was getting ghosted for freelance jobs. Newman grew up in the suburbs of Allentown, PA where he first fell in love with film and video around the age of seven.

Photo Credit: Stephanie Trapp

His pops and grandpops both had cameras around the house that Newman eventually got his hands on and started making his very first films using claymation characters to create 20-second home videos. He continued to pursue video production in college at Kutztown University where he studied electronic media and fine arts.

“I was at Kutztown University in Pennsylvania which is kind of like the middle of cornfields — it was OUT there. I was in the electronic media and fine arts program, so I was studying TV, broadcast, radio as well as fine arts, which was more focused on photography and filmmaking. It wasn’t a designated film school, but it got my hands on the technology.”

While most of his classmates were more focused on news channel-esque work, Newman stayed true to his love for the arts and made moves to expand his network and align himself with someone who had a voice online that he could help elevate with a collab.

He reached out to Dustin Tavella, a YouTube personality who had a strong following of 10-15K subscribers which is a lot now but was a HELL of a lot circa 2010.

Newman began filming all of Tavella’s content, which caught the eye of his manager, who was also a film director who made Newman an offer too sweet to pass up. He offered the senior in college to shoot a documentary for a feature film In Dallas, TX that promised him a $15,000 bag for a month on set.

“This documentary was slated for April 2011 and that’s exactly when finals were scheduled, so it was either stick through the semester for my finals or shoot this documentary for a feature film. I brought it to my professors and they were like ‘you’re stupid if you don’t go do this.’ So I got the offer from the director and took my professor’s word and to go on a leave of absence from school. To this day, I still have 12 credits left to graduate, and to be honest I still haven’t done it because I’m not really inspired to go pay a bajillion dollars to graduate for a piece of paper.”

Newman doesn’t knock getting a degree, but for him, it isn’t really necessary for what he has planned out. As a creator, Newman wanted to widen the scope of film and the documentary in Dallas would’ve been the perfect start… or so he thought.

“I took a leave of absence and the producer just full-on ghosted me. We had meetings weekly and then they started slowing down and he would duck my calls. The feature film and documentary never happened.”

While getting caspered was devastating, Newman wasn’t about to go back to school. He decided to take a risk and grind it out as a freelancer, by any means necessary.

Photo Credit: Seth Davis

Homie was heated and wanted to prove to anyone who ever doubted him that they were wrong. Coming from Allentown, Newman didn’t really have a creative circle to bounce ideas off of ever, so his time as a freelancer truly helped him discover himself and hone into his individuality as a creative.

“I didn’t really have a creative circle, definitely nowhere near what I have now. It was kind of me just stumbling around and trying to find my voice and how I wanted to shoot and do things. I had to navigate it solo but wish I had a community to start.”

Photo Credit: Justin Bettman

Staying in Pennsylvania wasn’t an option either. With a lack of like-minded peeps, Newman knew he had to expand his horizons and be open to any and everything as long as it was in line with his passions.

“The area I grew up in — it’s not a very advantageous or creative community. It’s very much blue-collar. You get a job at a grocery store, factory or plant and you’re gonna do your work and come home your family. It was very uninspiring, which is also why I left.”

Newman spent the year after the botched gig hitting up Craigslist, sending cold emails on a daily, taking low budgets and doing a lot of work for free. It wasn’t glamorous, but it got his weight up with experience and taught him life lessons that would come in handy with or without a camera in his hand.

Dustin Tavella

“A lot of wedding filmmaking, just whatever I could take. I would do photo and video, whether that was architectural, real estate, industrial or hospital settings, literally whatever would pay my bills and allow me to be creative. I was very much hemorrhaging and it was so, so stressful, but it taught me a lot of things about how to operate a business when times are tough.”

“The things you need to do, the things you shouldn’t do, how to handle clients, and how to handle your money. You gotta figure out how to spread it out and make sure that as soon as you get paid, it’s not gone. You never know when the next job is gonna pop up-it could not. There’s gonna be a dry couple weeks, it could be a dry month or two, it happens in the freelance world. I did everything I could to find work or make work. I hated the idea of failure or losing and I wanted to prove to my family that me leaving school was the right choice and that I could make it.”

All that hard work paid off, almost a year after he got dubbed from the documentary gig, a close relative connected him to the VP of an agency that pinned Newman as the perfect guy to shoot insane documentary content for MARS Chocolate (M&M’s, Snickers, Twix).

After chopping it up at a PF Chang’s in New Jersey, Newman was asked to shoot a documentary on MARS’s cocoa farmers in Indonesia, highlighting their stories to show the origins of the fire chocolate that we all know and love.

“They’ve already done all their research on me and I had no idea who these people are. They were like ‘how soon can you get your vaccinations and how soon can you get your passport? How would you like to go to Indonesia?’ That was the start of it all and the start of my professional career.”

Shooting in Indonesia was an unmatched experience for Newman, one that made all of the blood, sweat, and tears he shed as a freelancer worthwhile.

“The whole kick of it was that the documentary I was supposed to shoot for that feature film was gonna be a 30-day shoot, I was supposed to get paid $15,000 and that was ridiculous money to me as a college student. That didn’t happen, but a year later, MARS Chocolate happened. It was a three-day job, same amount of pay and far more valuable experience. I continued to work for MARS Chocolate for another year or two on a freelance basis in and outside of the U.S.”

Newman spent some time freelancing in St. Petersburg, FL, when he got a random email from Matchroom UK to shoot a promo video for Brooklyn boxer, Daniel Jacobs ahead of his matchup against Luis Arias in 2017.

“I’ve never done boxing before, so it was foreign territory, but it all started there on a freelance level and within a day and a half after shooting, I had the [promo] video done and made a couple of videos out of it.”

After bodying the Jacobs video, Newman got thrown more opportunities left and right, shooting promos for some of the highest ranked fighters in the game all across the country.

From filming with Katie Taylor in Connecticut to Amir Khan in San Fran and Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller back in Brooklyn, Newman captured them all while mastering the technique of shooting, editing and producing fight week videos with a quick turnaround.

Prior to getting thrown to the wolves of the fight world, Newman spent a lot of time working with bands on tour and used the similarities between music and boxing to master his craft in the new territory.

“There’s a rhythm to it. I felt like I had an edge or advantage with that and a lot of my camera movement, my style and technique comes from my music background and I bring that into boxing and the energy and the pacing. Whether that’s low camera angles, low rotation, shaky, high intensity, or fast shutter speed, it’s very much intentional and just flowed right in.”

 

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Thanks for having us Springfield! 🙏 #nofixtour #underoath #eraseme 📹: @DanNewmandp

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Shooting fighters was much more different than shooting musicians. Capturing their stories was a learning experience.

“The challenges were understanding what workouts looked like and the extent of what I could ask of a fighter during filming. Figuring out what their training looked like, what their day-to-day looked like; because on a strength and conditioning day, they’re not gonna put gloves on, they’re not gonna hit a bag, that’s not a thing. There was a pretty steep learning curve for me because I didn’t know a thing about boxing.”

While he had an advantage with shooting, Newman was a noob when it came to interviewing, a skill he needed to learn in order to capture the essential voiceover and cut-away soundbites to supplement the film he shot.

Photo Credit: Justin Bettman

He recalls his first interview with Jacobs as being “cringeworthy” on his part, going through questions fed to him by Matchroom, Newman knew no context behind what he was asking and while he got what he needed, it came across as a disingenuous interview from his perspective.

During his time as a freelancer for Matchroom Boxing, he shot a studio documentary for one of his favorite bands, this is what helped him finetune his interview skills.

He shot 16 hours worth of interviews with the band members over the course of two months, which helped him understand interviews were just conversations. It set expectations for what interviews should be, rather than what they were to him previously.

“That really opened my eyes to that whole idea and gave me clarity when shooting my next set of promo videos for Matchroom. These guys are champions, they’re champions of the world, but right now, right here, we’re just having a conversation human-to-human. I respect them and I admire their talent, but I’m just here to share their story.”

 

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The Miracle Man | @danieljacobstko #jacobsderevyanchenko #themiracleman

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Matchroom Boxing soon moved their headquarters to New York and asked Newman to be their Head of Digital Content and run the ship of all of their digital media.

The road to being a leader in the digital space wasn’t an easy one, but Newman got there through years of hard work, finesse and staying true to himself as a creative, even when stepping into a world he wasn’t used to like boxing. Instead of trying to assimilate to the standards set by other shooters in the fight world, Newman stuck to his style and simply put it in a new setting.

“As a creative, you have to be extremely malleable, you have to be willing to do anything and everything to work and better your craft. With hard work, your time will come.”

Newman is flexin’ at Matchroom Boxing but still sees himself as a youngin in the industry with plenty of room for growth. His incredible combo of humility and hunger is effervescent and he urges young creatives to learn the art of taking a chance.

Photo Credit: Justin Bettman

Dan Newman took a hell of a risk hustling as a freelancer and not going back to school but that shit paid off not only in his work but in his growth as a person. He’s a great example of keeping a future mindset and staying true to yourself and how to move in a room full of no’s.

“It’s the calculated risk mentality. You may take a loss up front, but at the end of the day, it’ll pay you back tenfold and that goes across the board with a lot of things in life.”

5 reasons why GLORY 61 had Hammerstein Ballroom shook

Last Friday, November 2nd, premier kick boxing promotion, GLORY Kickboxing returned to the famed Hammerstein Ballroom in New York for another night of knockouts and stand-up wars.

If you’re up on game, you know how braze a GLORY fight night gets. The European organization has been putting on matches across the world since 2012 with a distinct rule set that ensures the most stand-up action.

@gunnerphoto & @joeyabreu

Unlike an MMA bout, GLORY Kickboxing standard bouts are usually held to three 3-minute rounds and their title bouts are five three-minute rounds.  All fighters get scored on their clean punches, kicks, and knee strikes.

Fighters are penalized for any clinching or holding actions that aren’t followed up with an immediate attack and will be separated or asked to “break” by the referee after 5 seconds.

@gunnerphoto & @joeyabreu

Now that we got the rules out of the way, peep our 5 reasons why GLORY 61 had the whole room shook at Hammerstein Ballroom. Pics are from our homies, Grayson Gunner (@gunnerphoto) and Joey Abreu (@joeyabreu).

#1 Anissa Meksen Regains the Super-Bantamweight Title

Back at GLORY 56 in Denver, French badass Anissa Meksen lost the super-bantamweight title in a split-decision against Jady Menezes in what many saw as an upset.

The co-main event rematch at GLORY 61 had the crowd on their feet as the fighters exchanged multiple punches and kicks.

In the second round, Meksen unleashed a wash clinic on Menezes, starting with a left hook, followed by a series of punches that forced the ref to call it. Meksen damn sure proved that she deserved to get her strap back and some respeck on her name.

Oh, and she made sure to send a clear message to any fighters who may want next in her post-fight interview. Meksen said, “All I have to say is that anyone who wants to come after me, I’m going to kill them!”


#2 Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong Retains the Strap against Josh Jauncey

Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong is GLORY’s lightweight champ with 122 wins under his belt, 32 of them being from knockouts. Yes, you read those numbers correctly.

Sitthichai was the fan favorite and has been on a washing spree since GLORY 25.

 

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The เกรียนท่าไม้ตาย👍👍

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“The Killer Kid” and Jauncey brawled back in the day at GLORY 22 in 2015, with Sitthichai getting the W via unanimous decision. In their bout at GLORY 61, Sitthichai dominated Jauncey with combinations of punches, kicks, and flying knees.

Jauncey answered with a lot of low kicks but ultimately fell to Sitthichai’s dominant defense, fueled by his boxing power with a unanimous decision from the judges for the Thai fighter.


#3 Asa Ten Pow Hits Niko Tsigaras with everything but the Kitchen Sink

GLORY’s Superfight Series is never one to miss and the match-up against Ten Pow and Niko Tsigaras damn sure proved why.

In what was the perfect example of a “don’t blink” fight, the two started off exchanging “the hands” early as they traded quick strikes and body shots early in the first round.

 

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Spinning heel kick!

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Ten Pow hit a flying knee, spinning-back kick, and a jumping switch kick. Plus, the heavy punches in the close-distance fight earned him the unanimous decision and his 12th career win.


#4 Charles Rodriguez Brings Backstreet Back in an Epic Walkout

Charles “The Rockstar” Rodriguez is known for being the life of the party. Homie sported American flag speedos and stunna shades to the weigh-ins where he and his knockout artist opponent, Malik Watson-Smith had a pose off.

When Rodriguez came out to “I Want it That Way” by The Backstreet Boys, you already knew it was party time. The walkout got a crazy pop and hella laughs from the crowd.

@gunnerphoto & @joeyabreu

Rodriguez and Watson-Smith matched up nicely, with Rodriguez putting pressure in much of the first round.

The bout was called early when doctors deemed Watson-Smith’s eye not fit to see out of after an accidental headbutt by Rodriguez.

@gunnerphoto & @joeyabreu

The fighters demanded to keep the fight going, but the fight was held to two rounds, with Rodriguez winning by technical decision.

In a beautiful example of professionalism, athleticism, and brotherhood, Watson-Smith and Rodriguez dapped it up after the bout and embraced in the emotion-filled moment. They both showed that at the end of the day, it’s all love and respect for fellow fighters.


#5 Nate Richardson Bodies Justin Greskiewicz in Round 1

Prelims aren’t anything to sleep on, especially at a GLORY fight. Nate Richardson and Justin Greskiewicz squared up for the headline bout on the preliminary card in a battle of the vets.

Richardson, who is known for his stamina, landed multiple jabs out the gate, putting pressure on Greskiewicz with a left hook that rocked him early in the round.

 

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I was told if they’re not on your level get them out of their 🤷🏾‍♂️🇱🇷

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Richardson dominated the round, landing a body shot followed by a combination of punches and knees to Greskiewicz in the corner of the ring that led him to win the bout with 28 seconds to spare in the first round.

Homie was hands, case closed.

Peep the rest of the flicks from Glory 61 below

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GLORY Fighter Charles Rodriguez on being a Muay Thai rockstar

For most martial artists, fight week can be one of the most stressful times, but for Charles “The Rockstar” Rodriguez, it’s honestly just a prelude to his party, a lit one.

Coming off of his ninth straight win at GLORY 61 in New York City, the undefeated fighter is even more geeked to throw down. It’s his second nature. The Bay native has always oozed charisma and energy, which drew him to athletics at an early age.

“I grew up in Vallejo and didnt have a lot of outlets for the energy I had. So, anything athletic I just kinda geared [myself] toward and anything in competition gave me something to chase after. Once I got into martial arts and wrestling, it gave me something I could never attain and something I could just chase my whole life, so I’m chasing that.”

@gunnerphoto and @joeyabreu

Rodriguez took up running, seeing how hard and fast he could run until lifting eventually caught his eye. He then got into wrestling which got him addicted to constantly competing but didn’t quite fulfill his athletic itch.

“I never fell in love with wrestling, I liked the competition of it I was addicted to that part, but you gotta have a cooler head to be a wrestler and I fight kinda crazy.”

The Rockstar got into Muay Thai from one of his wrestling homies, Ryan Tsutsui Jr., who is the nephew to George Tsutsui, a world champion Muay Thai fighter who is now Rodriguez’s coach.

“He was like ‘my uncle is the best fighter in the world’ and I was like ‘well I’m gonna learn how to be like that’. That’s how I met my coach.”

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From his first class, he was hooked, the grueling training and never-ending ways to improve as a fighter proved to be the perfect combo. Little did Rodriguez know that fighting ran in his blood. His father was a boxer and participated in Golden Gloves boxing competitions before his passing.

“He died when I was a month old and it was a tragic and really hurt the family. So, any information I got of him was always painstaken, no one was openly talking about him. I went up until I was an adult before I found out he was a fighter. Once I started showing a little interest in martial arts, they [family] was like ‘oh yeah, your dad fought!’. It was one of the coolest revelations I’ve had. I knew he was a Bruce Lee fan like everyone in the 70s but it was like wow he actually boxed. At the end of my wrestling career I found out he wrestled too.”

Fighting truly seems to be the destined path for Rodriguez, who has been making moves to make fighting his full-time job. Rodriguez is a trained massage therapist and has been running his own practice for 10 years while training and fighting all over the county.

@gunnerphoto and @joeyabreu

Running his own business gives him flexibility and allows him to master a craft that directly ties into the health of his team.

“Massage is actually one of the perfect downtimes from martial arts, because I’m not like sedentary or doing something strenuous, and I’m very aware of my body mechanics while I’m working, which is very similar to what I’m doing when I’m training.”

The fighter is taking steps to rebrand his business to hopefully work out of his training gym, where he can treat clients and train all in one place.

“2019 is gonna be a lot more training, getting better, and staying on top of things. Even during the downtime between fights, sometimes I have to work more and be away from training. I want to make it so even if I don’t have a fight coming up, I’m just sharper and sharper. If GLORY calls me on a three-day notice, I want to get a knockout win.”

Don’t get it twisted-Rodriguez is no stranger to taking fights on short notice, he got the call to fight at GLORY 56 in Denver on two-weeks notice……after bodying a food tour of NYC’s best bites.

“It was my first time experiencing New York, I was pizza drunk. I came back at 200 lbs with no fight in sight. I went to New York with my cousins who are all foodies, thinking we’d just carb it up and then it was like ‘you wanna fight in two weeks?”

@gunnerphoto and @joeyabreu

The welterweight bossed it up in the gym; not only make weight but to pull out a huge win in Denver, which also has a higher altitude than most states and is a true test of adaptability for any athlete.

“Rockstar to me is excessive and reckless. Or a reckless amount of excess. I feel like Denver kind of embodied that. I didn’t talk about it too much at the time, but I lost 30 pounds in two weeks.”

Rodriguez’s had a four-week notice for his last bout up against Malik Watson-Smith, who was a tough opponent that he’s had his eyes on since he was an amateur.

“I’ve seen him fight a good amount of times. The cool thing about this fight for me is that I was watching him fight before I was professional.”

Rodriguez took home the W at GLORY 61 via technical decision, making him 3-0 in the promotion. Wherever he goes, Rodriguez has an aura that exudes positivity and naturally draws all eyes in the room.

 

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Almost time to shine | Inside #GLORY61 New York Fight Week | Part 4 | LINK IN BIO

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For such an excellent executor in a serious sport like combat, he’s genuinely a light-hearted jokester who can most often be found singing Elton John karaoke. Fun fact -“The Rockstar” moniker didn’t come from music but, more so, his work ethic as an athlete and teammate.

“The first time I got called ‘The Rockstar’ was during conditioning. My conditioning coach was making up excuses for giving me an excessive amount of things to do. He was like alright your gonna do 20 of these and Charles will do 40 of these, he’s a rockstar.’”

Rodriguez bodied 2018 with multiple wins for the world’s premier kickboxing league and has hella moves on deck for the year ahead and then some.

“This is insane and I’m kinda gravitating towards insane, so let’s do it. Rockstar.”

Meet the creative hit-squad that doubles as AP Cafe’s staff

In a city with thousands of coffee shops, lies a living, breathing, creative sanctuary that doubles down as an ill coffee and bites spot. We’ve already put you on game about the story of AP Cafe, but honestly, the cafe is truly an anthology of the creative minds that makes up the staff.

The Troutman St. kickback is home to artists of all forms, who have formed a family and community for the shared love of all things creative and dank ass food.

We chopped it up with some of the AP crew you might see behind the counter, taking your order, or greeting you as you walk in. Peep the stories of the squad and fire flicks taken by our homie, Setor Tsikudo.

”I definitely didn’t expect myself to be working at a cafe, but all the opportunities I’ve been acquiring here have been amazing.”

Israel McCloud has been making music since he was 14 and even though making lattes wasn’t always the plan, the AP Barista and Events Coordinator has been flexing in the New York creative scene ever since walking into AP cafe. Homie just recorded and produced 80% of his last EP.

He found his way to AP from his bloodline.

“My cousin used to paint in the back and he owns this spot. He pretty much flipped it from his studio to this cafe. 5 years later, I moved out here and he pretty much was like ‘Yo you wanna work at my cafe?’ I was super reluctant, but he told me that I could turn this into a platform for all of the creative things I wanted to do and its been working out very well.”

The minimalism provided a sense of comfort, a new home for McCloud to explore the creative bounds in his mind on a daily. AP is all about helping their staff and community showcase their art and hosted McCloud’s first release party in New York.

While mastering his arts, McCloud wants to continue piecing together the network of creatives all around whether it be a poppin’ party or a daily chop up while brewing coffee behind the counter.

“The opportunities that you get here-it’s great. Working here alone, I meet all of these dope people. I wouldn’t know all of the event planners, managers, artists, all of the creative people I know today without working here. This is a sanctuary in a sense, a realm where people can come and work on their thing and feel completely focused. I still come here and work and I feel really at home.”


“I love that I’m able to work here in my neighborhood.”

Stephanie Ferrer has done it all from working in offices to being an EMT, but cooking has been a lifelong passion. She heard about AP from a friend of a friend and has been cheffing it up ever since.

“I’ve just always been a natural cook, I was raised in a family of women chefs so it just came naturally.”

On a typical day, Ferrer comes in at the crack of dawn, puts on some tunes and starts making her signature yellow rice. As a lead cook, AP gives Ferrer the ability to prep meals from scratch and to play in a lab with the freshest and ever-rotating ingredients.

“The seasonality of the ingredients we get, it’s never boring because we have to change it up with the seasons. Everything’s always fresh, crisp, and that I can play with these ingredients to make different things.“

For Ferrer, the vibes and people are what makes AP so genuine and truly a neighborhood gem. Being alongside so many creatives allows for merging energies to build something special.

“It’s a learning experience every day, we have to always be ready to put something new on the table. You can go up to anybody here and ask ‘Hey what do you think we should do with this?’ Brainstorming here is AMAZING. When we sit as a group, there’s so many ideas, such a flow. We can give you a meal, an outfit, a scene, a photographer, music. There’s something here for everybody.”


“I have this mix of hot blood in me”

Half-Mexican, half-Italian, Michele Lorusso kept having dreams of moving to New York so he took a chance and jet-setted to NYC.

”Instead of choosing a life in Mexico or California or as a nomad, I chose to come to the nomad mecca.”

Lorusso is a Barista at AP but also does gallery work at Kurimanzutto New York, not to mention doing his own work as an artist.

“I see myself as a bridge, a bridge connecting Mexico with the U.S. By doing so, I can venture and appropriate the different creative notions and ways both locations and cultures embed into my artistry in order to put them forth and aid the social symbiosis. I’ve experienced one part of the world (southwest) and right now I’m experiencing another (northeast); I want to merge both and become a bridge. I’m a translator, I’m a photographer, I’m a poet; I am nothing in particular, really. I’m also trying to become a curator in the industry. I think I’m in the right place and that dream was the right decision.”

Lorusso was a regular at AP, a creative vessel expressing himself in the signature minimal backdrop until one day he decided to shoot his shot at a collab with the cafe.

“This back area at the café is where I felt more comfortable writing, the walls are empty and that takes away the distraction that maybe other coffee shops or venues have for a proper creative focus. I would come here often and write articles on art and artists. One day I went to Nellie, our manager, an overall entity of love, our mother in a way, our AP mother. I told her that I am an experienced barista and would love to work with her. She was up for the journey.”

Lorusso has been behind the counter and collaborating with the rest of the squad every since. For him, AP is a consistent source of inspiration for everyone that walks in.

“Come in on your worst day or your best day and we will always try to give what we know best to give, which is inspiration.”


Another member of the cooking and baking squad, Essined Perez is a local of Jefferson Street but was raised back and forth from Puerto Rico and The states.

Fellow chef and close friend Stephanie brought Perez to AP which makes sense since they both share a love for making bites.

”I love the environment here. There are times I leave my house just to come here and relax. This is my home away from home… I was nervous, but I felt very welcomed.”

Perez has the hands with sponge cakes when it comes to sweets and loves to make dishes from other cultures.

Nellie has been pushing me to put myself out there more and being here, I am trying to gain more confidence and put stuff out there more. I definitely want to expand my baking skills.”

”We all work as a team, we all help each other and at a lot of jobs you don’t get that. As soon as you walk in you feel the environment. Everybody is chill and always smiling. Even if you come her on a bad day, you’ll feel relieved”

Oh and the Cake Master herself, fully co-signs Stephanie’s cheesecake skills.


What doesn’t Gabriel Tinoco do? The Chicago-bred creative has been in NYC for 2 years and found his way to AP from a quick yelp search.

”When I got here I had about maybe 6 months of money saved up and half of that went to my rent. My little sister came here and of course, I didn’t make her pay for anything, so I shot through that money really quickly. I literally typed in ‘cool cafe that has wifi.”AP was the second listing from my search and I really liked the vibe. I’m very minimal and clean-cut when it comes to design and love airy spaces so I gave it a shot.”

Blown away by the design and energy, Tinoco knew he could help take it to the next level and asked the manager at the time to hop on aboard with his prior experience at cafes.

Fast forward two years later, Tinoco has his hands in creative direction, events, social media and more both in and outside of the cafe.

“Its kinda like what don’t I do, which is the same for a lot of people that work here. They’re all artists in their own right and bring this energy here which is absolutely crazy. Working here and having a space, a creative hub, you kinda just do everything. I do a bunch of stuff which gives me the ability to use what I work on here in my personal work.”

Trust, dude’s personal work is ill. After multiple internships and networking with folk in fashion and advertising, Tinoco has gained a rapport with brands that has led him to live in Paris and working with Collette Fashion House and the Tom Brown Installation. On the day-to-day, between freelancing and building campaigns in Havas Media’s creative department and bouncing ideas off of the AP squad, Tinoco has his hands in all things creative.

“We just all work together for our independence creativity and piggyback off each other for the greater good. I consider these to be my brother and sisters. We’re all super young and POC in a neighborhood that is ever-changing and always has something being torn down and built up.”

If you’ve never walked into AP, FYI…

“You don’t have to be creative. There’s no judgment, just come in as you are and we will embrace and accept.”


Brooklyn boy, Joshua Martinez first pulled up the AP for a homie’s show and found his new home.

“The space is amazing, for some reason it feels like my home. When I first came here, I was so comfortable, I was like ight this my living room bro.”

Like the typical AP member, Martinez has multiple hustles. He has been at AP for about three months as a lead cook while he goes to culinary school.

“Everybody here is talented. I’ve never been in a space where its like ‘holy shit, this person does this and that person does that’.

The cook has also been skateboarding for 12 years and oh yeah, homie takes ill flicks on top of skyscrapers on the daily.

“It’s a mental thing and it’s a lot of defeating the odds.”

Martinez scouts the dopest buildings around the city and finesses his way to the roof whether it be making friends at the elevator or showing his IG to put them on game. For him, AP has given him the opportunity to have a safe place to collaborate with other creatives and venture into new things like curating events.

”The past three months has just been exactly what I need. I got evicted 6 months ago because my landlord was stealing money from me. I spoke to Nellie and she gave me a shot and then I had a show here in September and from there a lot of people hit me up and bought all if my prints. We call it AP Creative but we’re all family and bleed the same, so come through.”


Emmanuel Ortiz is a coffee lover from right up the block on Green Ave. Ortiz found himself depressed from working at this last, non-POC spot so he said eff-it. He quit and dyed his hair and one day, he stumbled upon Nellie getting her hair braided by “Mama” or Bertha as the Bushwick locals know her. He got the scoop on the cafe, got a call from Nellie a couple days later and has been the Floor Manager at AP for about a month now.

”I just love coffee in general.”

Ortiz helps run day-to-day operations and overall just makes sure the team is ight at the cafe. On top of being the in-house coffee expert, you can find him practicing on Fruity Loops daily.

”I’ve been in talks with this group called the NCA (National Coffee Association), who wants to make instructional videos on coffee. When I’m not focused that, it’s all music related.”

Ortiz may be the newest person on the team, but the depths to how driven everyone is has been clear from the jump.

“Everyone here has a passion for something that goes beyond. Everybody is like a local star. People come in and they always recognize each other, I’m always charging someone that I think I shouldn’t haha”

Being around so many creatives has motivated Ortiz to develop a portfolio and finish up a musician he’s been crafting.

“It’s more motivation to finish and show people stuff whereas before I was just too shy or nervous.”

His advice for newcomers?

“Get ready to let the ideas flow”


Miami native, Fernando Ruiz was raised and built his life in Venezuela where he was a pilot. He came back to New York five years ago and recently stumbled upon AP as he was applying for jobs online. After a call from Nellie, he has been a part of the middle of house team at the cafe, serving on the floor, bussing tables and making deliveries.

“The people that I met here are wild in the best way possible you can imagine. It’s like a dream team, you feel each person supporting you. We’re like a real family. When we are here, we don’t feel like we’re working because we are family.”

The family vibes aren’t forced, it comes naturally in AP’s sleek space. Ruiz describes the space as the “perfect environment,” where he can not only express himself but meet new people as well.

Currently, Ruiz is working on reevaluating his pilot license in the U.S. which will be a brolic task, but he’s up for the challenge with the support of his team turned real friends at AP. A place different.

“You don’t feel like you are in New York when you’re here. It feels like an indescribable place. At the end of the day, it’s food for your soul.”


“The synchronicity of everyone is wild”

Last but damn sure not least, we have the AP Mama herself. As every AP homie has a different story, they all have the same love and respect for AP’s Chief Operating Officer, Nellie.

“I had no expectation of any form of recognition when entering this job.”

The 25-year-old Brooklynite was hustling as a Soho-House waitress and consultant for multiple restaurants. She stumbled upon AP’s owners Hugo and Nectic as guests at Soho House one night and found herself coming through the doors as a customer one day after a bike ride.

Walking in, she found herself mystified by a physical creation that she had envisioned and made blueprints of. AP was what Nellie always wanted to be a part of. After chopping it up with the owners, she started as the General Manager of the cafe and just celebrated her one year anniversary.

“My team is incredible and as much as they love me, I love them 10x more. Sometimes I sit on the floor because I love to watch them flow, it’s such a beautiful thing”

The magic of AP and the hub of creativity it draws in feels almost too fly to be real. The passion and finesse of each person was never forced, it came natural.

“All of it is by chance. I feel so incredibly grateful to have the team that I have with the knowledge they’re equipped with, the skills they’re equipped with. It’s so much more than making coffee and food, even though we’re great at that, we bring so much more to the table and you can’t submit a Craigslist ad for that.”

Navigating a business and keeping vibrations at an all-time high has been an adulting experience, to say the least, but Nellie knows that it will put everyone on the team on a platform for success.

“It’s really hard as 25-year-olds to run a business and keep it afloat, you learn as you go in terms of taxes, liability, insurance. You’re doing that so you can fund this platform to do your projects. When the place is flooded, we snake the drain, when the electricity is not working, we’re the ones who have to figure it out or call someone to hire. There’s no adults to come and figure it out for us.”

On paper, the cafe is AP Creative, which will be an investor in everyone’s personal projects.

“Working here is paying dues for your aspirations and once those dreams come to life and you need the funding, we’ll feed you that.”

The creative rat-pack is learning as they go to continue building the creative safe haven for the community. Nellie used the AP stage as her own for the first time on October 14, as she launched a women’s collective, #ApplaudingPower alongside her girl hit-squad.

“There’s an epidemic against black and brown women of sterilizing us. At 19 they tried to take my uterus out and I was like ‘fuck that! I went on this voyage, learning all of this information from hormones to history and kept being told to bring people together and share this information.”

#ApplaudingPower is a space to highlight and build up fellow women creators while learning from each other’s experiences. The AP Mama is destined to grow the space to be a destination for inspiration for all that come it’s way.

“AP can mean anything. It starts with “A Place” and then it is used to define whatever the moment entails.”

Bekim Trenova’s FNT Vol. II straight bodied NYFW (Photo Recap)

The attitude era of combat sports is here — and FNT is at the center of it.

FNT (formerly, Friday Night Throwdown) alongside MATTE Projects, Mike Washington and NYFE held vol. II of their fight series this past Friday, September 14 at the historic venue, Capitale in Bowery, New York. It was just steps away from the corners of Mott and Broome where founder Bekim Trenova held FNT’s inaugural event back in 2009. If you were lucky enough to attend vol. I, chu already know this is no average fight night.

Fight fans, creatives, and models galore entered the once savings bank-turned fight lair for an enigmatic night filled with majestic performances from the fight game’s rising martial artists.

“The X-Games of Fighting” followed up their sold-out event at the Williamsburg hotel by packing The Capitale with over 2,000 people with plenty of peeps lined up around the block.

Whether it was watching the first-ever female FNT bout or the surprise performance by OG’s, Jadakiss and Lil’ Cease, every soul in the audience experienced the magic that could only be felt by being there.

Don’t worry, the braze fight circus is hitting the road and pulling up to a city near you, starting with L.A. and Miami to close out 2018. Follow the story at @FNTXWORLD and peep shots via the homie @tsikudo_ from FNT Vol. II below:

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Girl Gang: How Juliana Cardona flipped the script on combat sports gear

While women in combat sports are finally starting to get their well-deserved props, the industry still has ladies fucked up in many aspects. One of which being their swag-but Juliana Cardona is putting an end to that.

“There’s all of these misconceptions and stereotypes on what you have to be as a woman in combat sports and I just wanted to erase all of that.”

From an early age, Cardona was inspired by her mom’s passion for fashion. The Colombiana moved to Miami with dreams of taking over the legal game and got her associate’s degree in criminal law. When working as a legal assistant wasn’t fulfilling Cardona’s creative steez, she started her own fashion blog highlighting her style posted up on the streets of Wynwood.

After getting married to a martial artist, Cardona found herself spending more and more time at the Muay Thai gym her husband opened, sparking an itch that led her to collab a love of fighting and fashion.

“I’ve been with my husband since 2001 and he’s always been into Muay Thai and opened up a Muay Thai gym a couple of years ago. Once he opened it up, I had to be involved as a supportive wife, so I would go and help him out and do all of the billing, etc. I had a little health problem, but once I got out of that I was able to start training.”

After a bad car accident and several jaw surgeries, Cardona has to be careful while training but it hasn’t stopped her from training day in and out while working a 9-5. Becoming a student of the sport felt less like work and more like fate.

“Honestly, I just fell in love with Muay Thai. I fell in love with the whole gym feel, it’s not like your regular gym, it’s a family. You build this bond and I guess punching and kicking each other makes you love each other more.”

Let’s face it, feeling comfortable and stylish in your workout clothes is important, especially when you’re spending two plus hours training a day. When Cardona noticed that more and more women were signing up for classes and the lack of gear for women in combat sports, she knew it was time.

“Once I started to go more, I started to kinda feel like ‘man there’s really not a lot for girls in Muay Thai?’ In Muay-Thai there are so many cool shorts but I didn’t want to wear skulls or have everything in black and red or have a cage in the middle of my shirt. I kept complaining to my husband that there was nothing cool for girls and one day he told me to do something about it.”

Cardona spent over eight months doing her homework on various brands and learning more about the industry. While the representation of women fighters in major combat sports promotions has increased, industry-dominating brands like Tapout and Affliction still cater to the male market.

“I kept researching other apparel and fight gear companies and thought they all had the same feel. I kept thinking in my head that there had to be girls out there like me that love combat sports but probably can’t fight, are girly, wear heels and weren’t willing to dress like boys at the gym. Fashion is such a huge expression everywhere, why not bring it to the gym? Not all girls want to wear the same shirts as the guys or black hand wraps.”

“Girl Gang Hit Squad” on girlgangwraps.com 👭👭👭👭

A post shared by Girl Gang Wraps (@girlgangwraps) on

Similar to other industries, women in combat sports are often placed into patriarchal categories and not given the same elasticity as their male peers.

In MMA for example, the light shined solely on Ronda Rousey for years, insinuating that every other woman was inferior and that there wasn’t room for other successful female athletes to stand next to her.

“At the time, I had a lot of girls at our gym and we’re all really close. A lot of combat sports gyms have girls but they’re not close and I even had a girl tell me ‘This is this first time I’ve come to a gym and didn’t feel like I had to compete against other girls straight off the bat’. I’ve always wanted that feel in the gym.

She continued,

I wanted girls to get here and feel like we can all help each other, not that they had to strive to be the top queen of the gym. That’s how we got the ‘Girl Gang’ concept. When a new girl would come in, I would introduce them to everyone, so everyone felt like it was a family. I really wanted that girl gang feel, it’s all of us together. If one of us makes it, all of us make it.”

A girly-girl at heart, Cardona took inspiration from the eclectic walls of Wynwood and her girl gang at her dojo to cook up dope pieces inspiring a brand that went live online in May of 2017.

Punch Monday in the face 👊🏽💖

A post shared by Juliana Cardona (@afashionsoiree) on

Hand-wraps used to protect tender hand muscles are at the core of the online shop alongside tees, tanks, sweaters, patches, and buttons. Girl Gang Wraps drip with neon colors and images of rainbows, cookies, unicorns, or the good ol’ finger telling you to “fuck bad vibes.”

”I just thought that it needs to be colorful, it needs to be girly, and unapologetically feminine but with a twist of I’m still a fucking badass.

Building a brand while having a 9-5 and helping run a Muay Thai gym ain’t easy, and with the help and empowerment of her girl gang, putting in the extra hours just seems right.

“My brand is so new, I need to grind. I have to be up at 2:00/3:00 in the morning writing down ideas.”

As the sports industry and society continue to make strives for equal representation, us ladies will always have to grind. In just little over a year, Cardona has established a slick brand motivating girls inside and outside the gym, teaching femmes all over the world to love, support, and empower each other. It’s imperative that we know how to curve the sexist standards society may throw our way.

Whether it’s in a cage or an office, women don’t have to stay in any boxes made for them. We can be smart, sexy and still knock a busta out.

“As cute as I wanna be, at the end of the day, I still wanna kick ass!”

Meet the 3 women champions shakin’ shit up in the UFC

Let’s be real — women haven’t always been accepted in sports, let alone fighting.

As we embark on what now appears to be the beginning of a golden age in women’s martial arts, more and more women are changing the narrative of femininity in MMA.

Women can fight. They can beat ass just like any male fighter and their authenticity as athletes should not be determined by their appearance or sexuality.

Cris Justino, Rose Namajunas, and Amanda Nunes are just a few of the UFC’s queens bossin’ up 2018. Not only are all these women of color reigning champs, but they each unapologetically challenge the stigmas women face in athletics.

Recognizing female talent in the MMA business wasn’t always the move. In 2011, TMZ asked UFC President Dana White when we would see women fight in the UFC.

His reply, “Women will never fight in The UFC.”

Look at ’em now-peep the three ladies who flipped the script in the UFC.

Cristane “Cyborg” Justino

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5Ioi55Wy8s

Her rise in popularity upon signing to the UFC may make you think she’s an overnight sensation, but trust “Cyborg” is a vet in the game.

She made history in 2009 when she faced Gina “Crush” Carano in the first MMA event headlined by two women, ever. Justino came out on top despite being the underdog against Carano, who was the face of women’s MMA at the time, in a bout that solidified Justino as a major threat to every and anyone.

Even though the knockout artist only has one blemish on her record, her talents have often gone overlooked.

Justino has been highly criticized in the media for her muscular figure, leading to her to fall victim to performance enhancing drug allegations and cyberbullying. In a 2011 interview with Yahoo, Ronda Rousey referred to Justino as an “it”.

Back at UFC 219, Justino successfully defended her Featherweight Title against Holly Holm, only to be denounced by a photographer who described Justino as a “he” and “dude” in an Instagram post that has since been removed.

Justino wasn’t having it and called the fool out on Instagram and demanded an apology. “Cyborg” continues to dominate every fight she has and owns her muscles despite what the haters think. Put some respek on her name.


Rose “Thug” Namajunas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upPsnZgZpbM

Rose Namajunas vs. Paige VanZant was one of the most highly anticipated fights of 2015. Both women were at the top of the strawweight division and set to be a show-stealer at UFC Fight Night 80.

Just weeks before the fight, the “Thug” decided to go G.I. Jane and chop off her locks. She later explained the motivation for the cut in an Instagram post,

“It’s a fight, not a beauty pageant,” Namajunas wrote. “S–t’s in my way at practice. Cut it off!”

Namajunas’s haircut wasn’t just a statement to her competitors, it was a statement to the members of the public and media who constantly sexualized women in fighting.

Ever since the buzzcut, Namajumas has continued to show and prove, upsetting long-time Featherweight Champion, Joanna Jedrzejczyk and winning gold at UFC 217.
Thug Life.


Amanda Nunes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7L69Rl3idE

In 2016, Nunes made history, becoming the first openly-gay fighter to win a championship after her epic win over Miesha Tate at UFC 200.

Nunes’s courage in being open with her sexuality is paving the way for other women and men to not let queer stigmas in sports hold them back, but instead be an empowering voice to others.

With sick wins over UFC veterans like Ronda Rousey, Nunes has repeatedly shown her talents as an athlete and maintains the top rank in the Women’s Bantamweight division.

Remember these names. These dope ladies are set to make even more noise in 2018. Take that patriarchy.