Why I’ll be rooting for Dominick Reyes on September 27th
From near-champion to knockout losses, Dominick Reyes has lived MMA’s highs and lows. Now, against Carlos Ulberg, he fights to prove his comeback is real and reclaim a path to UFC gold.
Mas Oyama
Bio
Masutatsu Oyama (大山 倍達), commonly known as Mas Oyama, was a Korean-born martial artist who founded Kyokushin Karate, a full-contact style renowned for its emphasis on physical toughness and discipline. Born Choi Yeong-eui (최영의) on July 27, 1923, in North Jeolla Province, Korea, he later adopted the Japanese name Masutatsu Oyama upon moving to Japan in 1938.
At the age of nine, Oyama began studying Southern Chinese Kempo, known as "Eighteen Hands," under a Chinese instructor named Yi while living on his sister's farm in Manchuria. Upon returning to Korea at age 12, he continued his martial arts training in Korean Kempo.
In 1938, Oyama moved to Japan and enrolled in Takushoku University, where he studied judo and began training in Shotokan Karate under Gichin Funakoshi, the founder of Shotokan Karate. He achieved his black belt in 1940 and later studied kosen judo.
Dissatisfied with the limitations of traditional martial arts, Oyama sought a more practical and effective system. In 1964, he founded Kyokushin Karate, emphasizing full-contact sparring, rigorous physical conditioning, and a philosophy of "maximum efficiency, minimum effort." The style gained international recognition for its intensity and discipline.
Each of us has his cowardice. Each of us is afraid to lose, afraid to die. But hanging back is the way to remain a coward for life. The Way to find courage is to seek it on the field of conflict. And the sure way to victory is willingness to risk one's own life.
True courage is born only when it is accompanied by justice.
Until the day I die, I never want to be separated from my dogi; I never want to cease my training efforts in the dojo.
I realized that perseverence and step-by-step progress are the only ways to reach a goal along a chosen path.
Personal greed and egoism are things that cause human beings to forget respect for others and to violate rules that have been established for the sake of peace and friendship.
Although it is important to study and train for skill in techniques, for the man who wishes to truly accomplish the way of budo, it is important to make his whole life in training and therefore not aiming for skill and strength alone, but also for spiritual attainment.
Behind each triumph are new peaks to be conquered.
The heart of our karate is real fighting.There can be no proof without real fighting. Without proof there is no trust. Without trust there is no respect. This is a definition in the world of martial arts.
Subjecting yourself to vigourous training is more for the sake of forging a resolute spirit that can vanquish the self than it is for developing a strong body.
If you do not overcome your tendency to give up easily, your life leads to nothing.
In the martial arts, introspection begets wisdom. Always see contemplation on your actions as an opportunity to improve.
One becomes a beginner after 1000 days of training. One becomes a master after 10,000 days of practice.
My Way is the Way of Karate, which is also the Way of humanity, and which is consequently related to the Way of Heaven.
The most important are the eyes. In a fight if you look down out of fear you'll certainly be defeated
Karate is not a game. It is not a sport. It is not even a system of self-defense. Karate is half physical exercise and half spiritual. The karateist who has given the necessary years of exercise and meditation is a tranquil person. He is unafraid. He can even be calm in a burning building.
Always remember that the true meaning of Budo is that soft overcomes hard, small overcomes large.
The path of Martial Arts begins and ends with courtesy. So be genuinely polite on every occasion.
Human beings are capable of virtually limitless degradation; they are also capable of virtually limitless improvement and achievement. Success depends on goals and on diligence in pursuing them.
The most significant life is the one lived on the basis of a personal sense of justice and the desire to see justice realized everywhere.
I have not permitted myself to be ignorant of any martial art that exists. Why? Such ignorance is a disgrace to someone who follows the path of the martial arts.
Aspirations must be pure and free of selfishness. Arising from the depths of the soul, aspirations are spiritual demands penetrating all of a human life and making it possible for a person to die for their sake. A person without aspirations is like a ship without a rudder or a horse without a bridle. Aspirations give consistent order to life.
Courtesy should be apparent in all our actions and words and in all aspects of daily life. But be courtesy, I do not mean rigid, cold formality. Courtesy in the truest sense is selfless concern for the welfare and physical and mental comfort of the other person.
One must try, everyday, to expand one's limits.
If someone asked me what a human being ought to devote the maximum of his life to, I would answer: training. Train more than you sleep.