Team BAD fighter this SAT: Paris

This weekend, DEC 20th, our club's own Luke Forelle (savatefighter02) will be fighting in the World Savate Championships of Ille-de-France in a huge gala event in Paris. He will be kickboxing one of France's top young fighters (from Savate Club Clichy, one of the toughest in the country).



He is the first American to ever fight in this championship and at this level. Working his corner will be my close friend Jose Rossete, of Savate Club Choisy-le-Roi (our sister club in Paris) who was also my coach when I fought in France.



We know we have prepared him for this night and when he enters the ring he'll have everyone from our club in the corner with him.



Armando


BASULTO ACADEMY OF DEFENSE


New Jersey Savate Federation
www.wayofnoway.com

ttt for savatefighter2

Very cool! I look forward to hearing the results.

It's a great oppurtunity, and a big honor just to be there.

-Matt Thornton
www.straightblastgym.com

Best of luck to Team BAD!

Lost a majority decision. Pretty disappointed that I lost, but it was one of the coolest experiences of my life!

The fights were between selected international champions(Beligium, Tunisia, Italy, and US)and the champions from Ile de France which is the region surrounding Paris. I was the only US fighter and definently the least seasoned fighter with only 1 previous combat in Boxe Francaise.

It was a very nice event complete with all sorts of pomp and signs of international goodwill (we got to do a flag presentation with each national anthem). Big crowd too. Made me a bit sad to have lost representing my country.

To the fight: my opponent was typically rangy and tall and had SICK kicks. Overwhelmed me with push kicks (chasses) and roundkicks (fouettes) to my head and front leg. The first two rounds were all him and I didn't think I was going to survive because I was having difficulty getting past the legs. At the end of the second round I started to find the low kick, though and got inside to work my hands.

By the fourth round I had him against the ropes and was throwing everything I had into my hooks and low kicks because I knew I had to make up some points. Last round was all me: walked through his kicks and punches and landed hooks to head and body. I took a shitload of punishment (face and leg are pretty swollen up, headaches right now) but gave a lot back and came to fight. I think by the end the whole place really wanted me to win (even booed the ref when he stopped the fight in the middle one of my combinations to seperate us).

It was such a rare oppurtunity: the French really want to get more notoriety for their sport, especially over here. They have an incredible national system for producing fighters and treat their competitors very well. Treated me well too, gave me a bunch of stuff (warmups, shorts, shirts, gloves) and paid my airfare plus a couple hundred dollars.

Invited me back for next June. Going to train really hard and hopefully we'll have the first US champion!

That sounds intense!!

Dude, I can't congratulate you enough! Great job. Getting a split decision loss on an opponent who had more experience than you in their home turf isn't too shabby, my friend.

On to Kentucky for you!!

Armando - Its great to hear that u are sending ur boyz over to fight! If u are ever in Thailand, look me up, I would love to see u again!

Luke - Sounds like a good one man. I know what its like. They are world class fighters. And yes the Clichy Gym produces some great fighters.

I fought in the Semi Finals of the World Championships in Nante 1991. My "pseudo-muay thai" took me agressively through the first 2 rounds and then in the 3rd round Sebastian Farina timed one of my low line kicks (I dropped my right arm to add some oomph - mistake) and clocked me with a right cross. It was just like the cartoons (I saw stars and I had a huge smile on my face) "Duh, which way do I go, which way do I go" Keep up the good work...

Happy Holidays!
Mark Stewart
Thai_JKD@hotmail.com

Hey Mark:

you fought Farina!? That guy is one tough cookie! I'm really impressed.

I second that, from the tapes I've seen of Farina he looks like a little devil. Must have been awesome just to get in the ring with him.

By the way, there is a fighter who is beating the shit out of everyone right now at middleweight. His name is Frederick Bellonie (started out with Clichy, Bobigny now I think) and I am giving everyone the heads up that this guy is going to blow up internationally. I got to watch some more tapes of him over there and the only guy who gave him a fight was the top guy M'hamed Abdeloui from our associated club Choisy le Roi.

You heard it here first, the guy is insane. When he starts fighting in other styles that have more notoriety he is going to be huge.

Bellonie is a DEMON. sf2, did you bring back tapes of his new fights?

thats awesome! congrats!

Hey guys the next time your guys fight in France , give me the heads up on here and I will try to meet up with you.

Sounds like a great time and fight.

Congratulations to you savatefighter and markjkd!!!
I'm french and live in Ile de France, I'm glad that Savate spread to the USA and over the world!!!
I know Sebastien Farina and got him on the phone several times. He has a Thai/French Boxing school near where I live. He seem to be a tough guy, I agree and a good fighter!!!

JKDFreak:

that's cool that you know Farina. From what I understand, he's also competed in muay thai, and did extremely well. In fact, there's a clip that my instructor posted on here not too long ago of him confusing his muay thai opponent with the savate deplacement and angling.

Do you know if he's fought in any other format like MMA? I know Panza, another savateur, has had a few mma fights. Of course, there's also the notorious Gordeau, but he's not very skilled in mma.

JKDFreak: What is his club called? I'd love to check it out the next time I go over there in June. I would love to go early enough to train, mainly at Choisy le Roi, but also at the other famous clubs: Bobigny, Clichy, Thias....

I don't know how it would be possible, but there really needs to be a way to get BF tapes out to people in the states. There are so many sick fights that people miss. When I was trying to explain the fight between Frederic Bellonie and M'Hamed Abdeloui (Choisy le Roi) I felt like Cartman talking about cake. "I'm seriously guys...Oh my god...must see these fights."

"I felt like Cartman talking about cake. "I'm seriously guys...Oh my god...must see these fights.""

LOL!! I'm laughing because I'm the guy he tried to explain it to, and he DID sound like Cartman trying to describe cake!

"Oh meh gehd!...guys, seriously, this fight mhyah..."

It's hard to appreciate a savate fight unless you've actually sparred with a savateur. It's like watching bjj for the first time, and thinking "what are those guys doing rolling between each others legs??" Then, of course, you actually ROLL with someone who knows bjj, and you just about have 8 heart attacks before you're done.

Same thing with savate. Hard to appreciate until you eat a shoe in the liver, and you try to hit back, but the skinny frenchman is on the other side of the ring bouncing on his toes, smoking a cigarette.

Outstanding job bro. That is great news. Sounds like one hell of a fight and an even better experience.