Mixed Martial Arts hopeful Arnold Allen could lose licence after drunken brawl at Christmas party

One of the world’s leading Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) prospects has been spared jail after he ‘ran amok’ at a Christmas party, assaulting the venue’s owner and six women.

 

The incident happened when a number of parties – including one for Specsavers’ staff and another with people dressed as Oompa Loompas – took place at All Manor of Events in Henley, near Ipswich, on the night of December 23 and 24.

The burgeoning career of professional fighter Arnold Allen, of Old Kirton Road, Trimley St Martin, now hangs in the balance after he pleaded guilty to affray, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

Allen is facing the possibility of having his licence taken away by his sport’s governing body.

He may also have a problem travelling to fight in the US due to his conviction, which could also cause issues with his training camps in Canada where he spends a number of months each year.

Arnold Allen in the ring. Picture: DOLLY CLEW/CAGE WARRIORS

Sentencing the 23-year-old, Recorder Richard Christie QC acknowledged Allen, who was drunk, had originally stepped in to protect his girlfriend after she had been in an altercation with another woman.

However, the judge said: “After that you went wild.”

Allen was said by one witness to have been ‘windmilling’ his left arm about while having his right arm around his girlfriend.

While imposing a five-month prison term, suspended for 12 months, on Allen Recorder Christie told him: “You essentially ran amok.

                                                     Arnold Allen celebrating a win in Berlin in 2015.

“Part of your training is self-control and knowing when not to exert more force than is necessary, and that’s plainly something you have done on this occasion.

“Your whole career has been [put] on a knife-edge as a result of this.”

Previously prosecutor Michael Crimp said a series of parties were taking place at the venue, including an Oompa Lumpa party with some people dressed in character.

At around midnight a fight broke out. The origin of it was not clear.

Allen’s girlfriend had become involved. People intervened and Allen’s partner was taken to one side by a wall.

Mr Crimp said Allen later told police he believed his girlfriend was being manhandled and he went across due to his concern for her.

Andrew Hayward-Farmer, the owner of All Manor of Events, had been attempting to break up the original melee.

The court was told he already had occasion to speak to Allen earlier in the evening because of his poor behaviour.

After Mr Hayward-Farmer took Allen’s girlfriend to one side, the MMA fighter came up and punched him to the left-hand side of his face, causing him to fall to the floor.

Mr Hayward-Farmer got up and went towards a gate intending to close it, but Allen chased after him kicking his legs from under him.

Mr Hayward-Farmer landed on his back. Allen bent over him and delivered at least two punches to the owner.

As others came over to intervene Allen assaulted six women by punching and lashing out as he flailed away, the court heard.

Part of Mr Hayward-Farmer’s victim personal statement was read out in court.

In it he stated the incident had ruined Christmas for him as it happened on Christmas Eve.

It had also made Mr Hayward-Farmer uneasy about leaving his home, as well as having an impact on his wife – who was also present at the time.

Richard Conley, representing Allen, handed three references to the judge on his client’s behalf – including a ‘glowing’ one from a female Metropolitan Police inspector who trains with Allen.

Mr Conley said Allen was not used to alcohol as he abstains as part of his training regime.

Referring to his client’s consumption of alcohol that evening, the barrister told the court: “It had a marked affect on his behaviour, but more importantly a marked affect on his perceptions. It’s a matter of very deep regret that he’s before this court today.”

It was said Allen, who had no previous convictions, was genuinely remorseful and deeply ashamed.

Mr Conley added: “He’s gone into complete protection mode. He’s abandoned all other considerations. His only consideration was to come to the aid of his girlfriend.”

In addition to his suspended jail term Allen was ordered to pay a total of £3,250 compensation to his victims. He must also undertake 150 hours’ unpaid work and was made subject to a one-month home curfew from 9pm to 7am.

EDWARD R GARCIA

 

Watch: Keanu Reeves’s hardcore gun and martial arts training for ‘John Wick 2’

KEANU REEVES REALLY GOT INTO CHARACTER TO PLAY AN EXPERT ASSASSIN IN JOHN WICK 2. 

The former Men’s Fitness cover star went through an extensive training period for the film, working on a tactical gun range with actual weapons, doing fight choreography with the stunt coordinator, and even getting behind the wheel to get comfortable with the film’s (many) driving stunts.

Reeves is not stranger to working hard on his training for film roles: Back when Reeves portrayed Neo in the Matrix trilogy, he went through months of martial arts training to prepare for that film’s extensive stunt work.

Reeves likely will be getting ready to do it all over again soon, as John Wick 3 appears to be on the fast track to production. Chad Stahelski, director of the second film, told Collider that the story is in the works, and The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Derek Kolstad, who wrote the first two films, is back for the third installment.

MOVIES AND TV‘John Wick 3’ is already on the horizon

Keanu Reeves is ready.

Stahelski later gave another update to the Independent, saying that the third film could be a “completion” of Wick’s story and that the story will dive more into Wick’s backstory: “We are going to put in something about the High Table, how that all works,” Stahelski said. “We’re going to put in something about where John comes from, and where he wants to go. I don’t want to say too much more, but it will be a nice completion to Mr. Wick’s journey.” (Could that mean thatJohn Wick 3 will be the final film in the series? Time will tell, but it’s not likely as long as the reviews and box office scores are so good.)

Here’s a look at Reeves working on fight training for the film:

Keanu Reeves: Hollywood’s iconic badass

The iconic, eternally fit actor isn’t stopping anytime soon.

Reeves takes on tactical training for the movie in these two videos:

 

Want to get ripped and ready for battle like

 

Get moving with ancient Chinese martial art classes in Diggle

DISCOVER THE secrets of an ancient Chinese Martial Art right here in Saddleworth.

Tai Chi and Qigong classes are now open in Diggle and are held every Tuesday from 7.30pm to 8.30pm and on Fridays from 10.45am to 11.45am at Kilngreen Hall.

Katja Londa, a qualified Level 3 instructor, who runs the classes, first started Tai Chi 15 years ago after her first son was born.

A friend took her along to a class and she immediately took to the sport and has never looked back since.

Katja explained her favourite part of the classes is the calming effect it has on her and others in the midst of everyone’s stressful lives.

She added: “Everyone should give Tai Chi a chance as it is a sport for everyone, old and young. It’s a great way to get moving and unwind at the same time.

“The graceful, slow, circular movements require you to focus solely on what the body is doing in the present moment.

“Your mind slows down. You forget the stress you’ve just had at work or elsewhere.

“Tai Chi has been called ‘meditation in motion’ and that is exactly what it is for me. Switching off, while doing beautiful, flowing movements that have been done by generations of people for centuries.

“My classes have a friendly and relaxed atmosphere where I focus on each individual.”

The ancient Chinese Martial Art is used to help relax the mind and body, relieve stress, and improve posture, balance and coordination.

Tai Chi is also known to strengthen your immune system and is recommended by doctors to prevent falls.

Katja added: “It has been shown to be beneficial as an adjunct therapy for many, many health conditions including: arthritis, fall prevention, stress, cardiovascular disease, problems with the digestive system and impaired immune system.

“For this reason Tai Chi is now also being called ‘medication in motion’!”

New people are always welcome to Katja’s sessions and are encouraged to just turn up wearing comfortable clothes and shoes, with classes costing £4.50 each, and just £2.50 for your first class.

EDWARD R GARCIA

Amazing unseen footage reveals martial arts legend Bruce Lee’s only one ‘real’ fight in history caught on camera

Incredible footage restored by an avid Bruce Lee fan claims to show the legendary martial artist’s only competitive fight in history.

The clip – published for the first time yesterday – shows Lee dressed in black combat attire stood opposite his rival as they prepare to battle in front of a huge crowd.

“This is the only recording of Bruce Lee in a real MMA fight,” the video’s YouTube description reads.

“He’s fighting Ted Wong here, one of his top students.

“They are wearing protective gear because they were NOT ALLOWED to fight without them. Those were the state rules at the time.

“If not for those rules I can guarantee you that Bruce would have fought bare-knuckled. Footage is restored to 4K resolution. Enjoy.”

Spectators eagerly look on armed with cameras

Punches are thrown in the exciting face-off

Lee’s opponent hits the deck during the clip

Ted Wong was a martial arts practitioner who was best known for studying under Lee. He was born in Hong Kong in 1937 and died in 2010 aged 73.

In the video, Lee manages to keep his opponent just out of range with some nimble footwork before suddenly striking with a punch to the body.

Later in the clip, he counters another right-hook with a devastating two-punch combo to the chin.

Viewers were captivated by the rare clip, which has already racked up more than three million views since it was uploaded to YouTube on Sunday.

“Bruce is so calm in this fight but still wins – what a legend,” one user wrote.

EDWARD R GARCIA

 

Martial arts for PTSD

At least 15 percent of U.S. military servicemen and women suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.  Intense psychotherapy and medication are the traditional therapies. Now, researchers are studying the impact of one form of martial arts on veterans.

Jiu Jitsu is more than just combative martial arts for Army veteran Jacob King.

Jacob detailed, “I lost some friends oversees. That was really difficult for me to cope with.”

Jiu Jitsu is helping him battle PTSD.

 “Feeling in my chest, I’d get a headache, get a little dizzy. This is not normal. This isn’t right,” he said.

About 15 percent who served in Operation Iraqi freedom and Enduring Freedom have PTSD. Gulf War veterans: 12 percent and the Vietnam War: 15 percent.

“There really are no good therapies out there right now,” said Alison Willing, Ph.D, a professor at the University of South Florida’s Center of Aging and Brain Repair in Tampa, Florida.

Willing said costly intense therapy and medication has a low success rate. This is why she’s studying the effects of Jiu Jitsu on PTSD.

“The effects of this first study were so dramatic. The PTSD scores on all of the valid scales were getting so much better to the point where you don’t usually see with traditional PTSD therapies,” Willing said.

Jacob’s headaches and sleepless nights have pretty much gone away.

He said, “I feel good. I haven’t felt this way since before the military before Afghanistan, before everything. I feel okay.”

“The fact that we’re still engaged in these actions overseas means it’s only going to get worse,” said Willings.

A combative sport that may be Jacob’s best defense against the symptoms of PTSD.

“This is what’s holding me together right now,” he said.

Professor Willing said as the study continues they’ll have a better idea of how often the Jiu Jitsu will need to be done for veterans to feel the continued effects.

EDWARD R GARCIA

 

 

Small-town martial artist makes national team, has eye on Tokyo Olympics

Olympic gold is on the mind of a 23-year-old martial arts instructor.

With the 2020 Summer Olympics including karate for the first time, Ian Turner has the opportunity to join the first U.S. karate team, along with four of his students.

Ian, from the small town of Bailey, was selected to compete at the World Martial Arts Games for the United States Martial Arts Team in September. Participants at the competition will be chosen to represent the U.S. at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Ian, who graduated from William Carey University majoring in speech and social science, began training in karate at seven years old.

Martial arts inundated the pop culture of the ’80s and ’90s, with films like “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” “Karate Kid” and movies featuring Jackie Chan and Chuck Norris. Ian laughed as he admitted that such movies made him interested in martial arts, and that he initially “just wanted to beat somebody up.”

His mentality quickly changed when he realized the intensity and beauty of martial arts at his first lesson. For the first seven years of his career, Ian trained for four to six hours a day for five days a week, taking four different classes a day.

As Ian’s love for martial arts grew, his family quickly joined him. His father, Kenneth, and younger sister, Brittany, began taking lessons. The two other Turner sisters, Kenna, 12, and Elise, 6, also take martial arts. Their mother, Sheila, does not practice but supports her husband and children at events and encourages them to master their forms.

Kenneth said martial arts became a “centerpiece” to the Turner family. They went to competitions together, trained together and Ian said they are each other’s “biggest competition.”

Brittany, 19, who started training at age 3, said she had never known anything other than martial arts.

“It’s the normal thing for our family; we are all close today because of it,” Brittany said.

At the age of 16, what Ian intended to be a small seminar to instruct other children in martial arts turned into him opening his own dojo. Turner Shotokan, in Collinsville, is run by the family with Kenneth, Ian and Brittany instructing.

“We do everything as a family,” Ian said.

At Turner Shotokan, Ian said they concentrate on teaching martial arts in an applicable way to students ranging from 6 to 40.

“I want to make sure my students get a good workout and are actually learning and are using what they learn so that they can defend themselves if needed,” Ian said.

On Feb. 25, wearing jeans and flip-flops, Ian and Brittany went to coach and encourage their trainees competing in U.S. Martial Arts Team tryouts. Next thing they knew, Ian and Brittany were given gis and convinced to try out.

“The game had changed,” Ian said.

Ten hours later, the duo were informed they had made the team, along with their trainees Thad and Logan Davis and Aaron Rhodes. Neither Turner sibling had trained for the tryouts because they were concentrating on helping their students make the team.

As part of the U.S. Martial Arts Team, Ian will participate in the World Martial Arts Games in September, along with his sisters and trainees. Ian spoke with humility and awe as he expressed the honor he felt as an athlete representing the U.S.

“It hits me every time I think about it like it’s the first time I heard the news. I am a United States athlete. I will be wearing the flag. Holy crap.”

Ian’s training for the World Martial Arts Games in Orlando consists of a strict diet and daily workouts lasting about five hours. He said this competition was the “biggest thing” he has ever done and he wants to be the best he can be.

Ian was chosen to participate in traditional kata, sparring, point fighting and continuous fighting at the games. Brittany will participate in Chinese weapons, point sparring, continuous sparring, jiu-jitsu and grapple strike.

“Martial arts isn’t just something physical, it is something mental as well,” Ian said. “Your body is only as strong as your mind will let it be. If you stop the second your body tells you, ‘This hurts,’ you will never get stronger physically.”

In the midst of his rigorous training, Ian holds on to what his father, Kenneth, has told him since he was a child: “Sacrifice a little now for a lot later.”

Ian is focused on winning gold at the World Martial Arts Games in the hopes of proceeding to Tokyo for the 2020 Olympics.

To compete in the World Martial Arts Games, the five Mississippi athletes are raising $4,000 for tournament and travel expenses. Those interested in sponsoring may contact Ian at ianturner15@yahoo.com.

 

EDWARD R GARCIA

 

 

HOW THE U.S. TRIGGERED A MASSACRE IN MEXICO

The inside story of a cartel’s deadly assault on a Mexican town near the Texas border — and the U.S. drug operation that sparked it.

We have testimony from people who say they participated in the crime. They described some 50 trucks arriving in Allende, carrying people connected to the cartel. They broke into houses, they looted them and burned them. Afterward, they kidnapped the people who lived in those houses and took them to a ranch just outside of Allende.

First they killed them. They put them inside a storage shed filled with hay. They doused them with fuel and lit them on fire, feeding the flames for hours and hours.

José Juan MoralesInvestigative director for the disappeared in the Coahuila State Prosecutor’s Office

THERE’S NO MISSING the signs that something unspeakable happened in Allende, a quiet ranching town of about 23,000, just a 40-minute drive from Eagle Pass, Texas. Entire blocks of some of the town’s busiest streets lie in ruins. Once garish mansions are now crumbling shells, with gaping holes in the walls, charred ceilings, cracked marble countertops and toppled columns. Strewn among the rubble are tattered, mud-covered remnants of lives torn apart: shoes, wedding invitations, medications, television sets, toys.

In March 2011 gunmen from the Zetas cartel, one of the most violent drug trafficking organizations in the world, swept through Allende and nearby towns like a flash flood, demolishing homes and businesses and kidnapping and killing dozens, possibly hundreds, of men, women and children.

The destruction and disappearances went on in fits and starts for weeks. Only a few of the victims’ relatives — mostly those who didn’t live in Allende or had fled — dared to seek help. “I would like to make clear that Allende looks like a war zone,” reads one missing person report. “Most people who I questioned about my relatives responded that I shouldn’t go on looking for them because outsiders were not wanted, and were disappeared.”

But unlike most places in Mexico that have been ravaged by the drug war, what happened in Allende didn’t have its origins in Mexico. It began in the United States, when the Drug Enforcement Administration scored an unexpected coup. An agent persuaded a high-level Zetas operative to hand over the trackable cellphone identification numbers for two of the cartel’s most wanted kingpins, Miguel Ángel Treviño and his ​brother Omar.

Then the DEA took a gamble. It shared the intelligence with a Mexican federal police unit that has long had problems with leaks — even though its members had been trained and vetted by the DEA. Almost immediately, the Treviños learned they’d been betrayed. The brothers set out to exact vengeance against the presumed snitches, their families and anyone remotely connected to them.

Their savagery in Allende was particularly surprising because the Treviños not only did business there — moving tens of millions of dollars in drugs and guns through the area each month — they’d also made it their home.

For years after the massacre, Mexican authorities made only desultory efforts to investigate. They erected a monument in Allende to honor the victims without fully determining their fates or punishing those responsible. American authorities eventually helped Mexico capture the Treviños but never acknowledged the devastating cost. In Allende, people suffered mostly in silence, too afraid to talk publicly.

A year ago ProPublica and National Geographic set out to piece together what happened in this town in the state of Coahuila — to let those who bore the brunt of the attack, and those who played roles in triggering it, tell the story in their own words. They did so often at great personal risk. Voices like these have rarely been heard during the drug war: Local officials who abandoned their posts; families preyed upon by both the cartel and their own neighbors; cartel operatives who cooperated with the DEA and saw their friends and families slaughtered; the U.S. prosecutor who oversaw the case; and the DEA agent who led the investigation and who, like most people in this story, has family ties on both sides of the border.

When pressed about his role, the agent, Richard Martinez slumped in his chair, his eyes welling with tears. “How did I feel about the information being compromised? I’d rather not say, to be honest with you. I’d kind of like to leave it at that. I’d rather not say.”

EDWARD R GARCIA

 

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Russia investigation: Trump ‘considers firing’ Robert Mueller

US President Donald Trump is considering whether to fire the special counsel overseeing the investigation into alleged Russian interference in last year’s election, a friend says.

Some conservatives have recently attacked Robert Mueller’s credibility, urging Mr Trump to review his role.

Christopher Ruddy, a long-time friend of Mr Trump, said he was considering “terminating the special counsel”.

But the White House said Mr Trump never discussed the issue with Mr Ruddy.

Mr Mueller, who was tasked by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein with overseeing the justice department’s investigation, has started selecting members of his team, many of them criminal law experts.

If confirmed, his dismissal could have explosive implications and renew criticism of Mr Trump, who has been under intense pressure following his firing of James Comey as FBI director, and accusations that he might have tried to obstruct the investigation.

The very appointment of Mr Mueller only happened after calls for such a move sparked by Mr Comey’s firing.

• Trump-Russia scandal: How did we get here?
• Who is Robert Mueller?
• The work of the special counsel

The latest announcements from Robert Mueller’s special counsel investigation could be a more ominous indication of trouble on the horizon for the Trump administration.

The hires could be an indication of the direction of the probe and the seriousness with which Mr Mueller is taking the enterprise.

Donald Trump has called the ongoing investigation a “witch hunt”, a “hoax” and an excuse by Democrats for why they lost the presidential race. Mr Mueller’s moves, however, indicate he does not share Mr Trump’s view. He’s assembling a team built for the long haul, with the talent and experience to take cases to trial and, if necessary, send people to prison.

So far, Mr Trump has only directed his criticism at former FBI Director James Comey. It may only be a matter of time before some of that attention is directed at Mr Mueller, however.

 

EDWARD R GARCIA

 

 

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Creekwalk Village shopping center in Plano sold and other top real estate transactions

Sales

Creekwalk Village, a 174,484-square-foot shopping center in Plano, has been purchased by an East Coast Investor for $24.5 million. The retail center on 15^th Street near U.S. Highway 75 is anchored by Bed Bath & Beyond, Old Navy and Barnes & Noble. SRS Investment Properties Group’s Chris Tramontano and John Redfield brokered the sale.

Rosebriar Properties sold 4.3 acres in Stemmons Crossroads on Interstate 35E in Dallas for a future home of a Marriott brand hotel. Rob Adams and Bill Hanks from Rosebriar brokered the sale.

NoPiers.com has purchased a 14,000-square-foot office building for its headquarters at 13748 Neutron Road in Dallas’ Northwest Business District. NoPiers.com will occupy a vacant 5,000 square foot space in the building, which has two other tenants. Addison-based Biel Partners brokered the sale with LJ Erickson of Duggan Realty.

Collin College has assembled several parcels totaling 101 acres for the project at State Highway 78 and FM 544 in Wylie, including 44 acres donated by the City of Wylie to the college. Younger Partners’ Tom Grunnah helped the college district in buying much of the property.

A Dallas-based partnership purchased Sienna Creek, a 152-unit apartment property built in 1980 and located at 11601 Audelia Road in North Dallas. Al Silva and Mark McCoy with Marcus & Millichap brokered the sale.

Mojo Realty LLC bought a 22,244-square-foot industrial building at 8305 Sovereign Row in Dallas. Stephen Williamson at Lee & Associates brokered the sale with Jeremy Mercer at Mercer Co.

Leases

Horizon Forest Products L.P. has leased 36,800 square feet of office-warehouse space located at 2800 E. Plano Pkwy. in Plano. Dave Peterson and Stephen Cooper of NAI Robert Lynn negotiated the lease with Ryan Boozer of Stream Realty.

MC Communications Inc. has leased 12,763 square feet of office space in Lakeside Square, 12377 Merit Dr., Dallas. Melanie Hughes, Bret Cooper and Richmond Collinsworth of Bradford Commercial Real Estate Services negotiated the lease with John Beach and Garrison Efird of Jackson Cooksey.

PrimeTime Lighting Systems has leased 8,744 square feet of office-warehouse space located at 4124 Billy Mitchell Dr. in Addison. Chad Albert and Cole Horowitz of NAI Robert Lynn negotiated the lease.

Carolyn Nussbaum Music Co. has leased 8,094 square feet of office-warehouse space located at 625 Digital Dr. in Plano. Dave Peterson of NAI Robert Lynn negotiated the lease.

 

 

EDWARD GARCIA

 

‘Clock boy’ discrimination case thrown out by Texas judge

A US judge has thrown out a discrimination case brought by the family of a Muslim student whose homemade clock was mistaken for a bomb.

In 2015 Ahmed Mohamed was arrested in a suburb of Dallas, Texas, after his teacher said the clock looked like an explosive device.

Photos of the 14-year-old’s arrest sparked a public outcry.

But on Thursday a Texas judge ruled there was no evidence of racial or religious discrimination.

“Plaintiff does not allege any facts from which this court can reasonably infer” that Irving Independent School District employees “intentionally discriminated” against Ahmed Mohamed, wrote US District Judge Sam Lindsay in his ruling.

Image copyrightREUTERS

Image captionAhmed’s homemade clock was mistaken for a bomb

He also dismissed a complaint against the school principal saying it was “factually deficient” to allege that Ahmed was treated “differently than other similarly situated students, and that the unequal treatment was based on religion or race”.

Ahmed, whom US media dubbed “clock boy”, was originally charged with having a “hoax bomb” after he brought the digital clock display in a small briefcase to the classroom at MacArthur High School in Irving.

But those charged were later dropped.

EDWARD R GARCIA