Tag: John Lewis

Star wars: MMA pioneer John Lewis promises zero-gravity madness with ‘Galactic Combat’

It may sound like a questionable plot pitch for a sci-fi film, but John Lewis says “MMA-Zero G: Galactic Combat” is a very real concept.

It may sound like a questionable plot pitch for a sci-fi flick, but MMA pioneer [autotag]John Lewis[/autotag] says “MMA-Zero G: Galactic Combat” is a very real concept.

Space 11 officials, who describe their organization as “a company specifically dedicated to servicing film and TV projects in outer space,” recently announced their intentions to produce a reality competition series that will “follow fighters through a 12-month competition for the opportunity to be the first combatants to fight beyond Earth’s atmosphere.”

Lewis knows it might seem a bit crazy, but it’s a concept he said is very much going to come to fruition.

“It’s crazy, and it’s amazing, and it’s really cool,” Lewis told MMA Junkie.

In MMA circles, Lewis is known for a history that dates back to the early days of the sport. An Andre Pederneiras black belt, Lewis debuted in the UFC in 1999 after already boasting clashes with the likes of Rumina Sato, Kenny Monday and Carlson Gracie Jr. His influence in the sport rose when he opened the legendary Academy J-Sect in Las Vegas, where he introduced UFC president Dana White, along with former owners Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, to Brazilian jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts.

However, in recent years, Lewis has been involved in television and film production, and he said bringing his two careers together in one concept became a very intriguing possibility following a meeting with Space 11 founder Andrea Iervolino.

“We met together, and we started talking about it, and it was just perfect,” Lewis said. “I was already working in the space sector with some other films that I’m doing through Wonderfilm media, and also, at the same time, my history.

“When we first met, (Iervolino) didn’t even know that part about my MMA history. It was more about the space side of things I was working on. So when that happened, it was just like, ‘Oh my God, this is so perfect.'”

Galactic Combat’s logo.

Space 11’s overall vision is “to move entertainment beyond Earth’s borders, similar to companies designing accommodation and recreational facilities for outer space.” While that may sound like a very wild concept, Lewis said it’s much closer to happening than you might think.

“If you follow the press of some of these things in the film industry, you know that Tom Cruise is already working with something on SpaceX and going in space to shoot segments in a film coming up that he’s working on. It’s still something in process, but those are real conversations. … Right now, Virgin Galactic and SpaceX and other companies – Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos’ company – they’re already setting up situations where consumers can buy tickets and go to space and enjoy that situation, and they’re already selling tickets for that as their technology is coming together, coming to fruition, so that’s a real thing.

“It’s not some crazy idea that has some technology they need to achieve. It’s about finding the right partners for the concept that we have and making it a reality, but it can be done already.”

Lewis, who now serves as vice president and promoter of MMA Zero-G, said the team hopes to start shooting “Galactic Combat” in 2022. Space 11’s announcement revealed the plan is to begin by searching the globe for fighters who will then be “training and learning to fight in the absence of gravity with programs and conditioning mirroring programs used in astronaut training.”

“We want guys that are really hungry and that want to be a pioneer in something and have a chance to do something very special,” Lewis said. “We’re going to find those guys, and we’re going to bring them together, and we’re going to have them train and compete.”

The initial competitions will take place on the ground, but eventually the field will be whittled down to two participants, who will “fight aboard a custom retrofitted rocket as it orbits Earth for 90 minutes, which is the time it takes a rocket to circle the Earth. Inside the rocket will exist a specially designed fighting capsule.”

“It will not just be a thing that we do, it will change the game,” Lewis said. “We had the first man to walk on the moon. These will be the first people to do a sporting event in space. This is historic. Someone will be able to say, ‘I was the first guy or the first two guys to do a sporting event in space.’ That will be a historical moment.”

As one can imagine, the project will have a hefty price tag attached. Lewis joked, “Whatever number you’re thinking of, it’s probably much more.” But the company already has the funding in place to execute the concept.

“It will be very expensive, like you’re imagining, and that is part of it all, but it’s something we want to do and are prepared to do,” Lewis said. “I think something groundbreaking like this is where you want to invest that kind money and make that kind of change and be part of this.”

The finale fight is expected to take place in 2023 as a pay-per-view event, following a 12-episode TV series documenting the entire competition. And while it may all seem like a bit much to comprehend right now, Lewis insists it’s going to happen.

“You can think what you want to think right now, and you can either be part of it, or you can watch it on TV,” Lewis said. “I don’t care what they want to say. We’re going to do what we want to do, and we’re going to make it happen, and the people that are smart enough to see the future like we have done in history for so long, those guys are going to be the ones that benefit from it.

“The audience is going to love it and just have a great time watching the show, and we’re going to expand on the concept of mixed martial arts – not change it, just expand on it and have a lot of fun with it at the same time, so I invite all of my mixed martial arts friends and fans to stay tuned.”

To watch the full interview with Lewis, check out the video below.

https://youtu.be/a16rsb9VjNs

The MMA Road Show with John Morgan, No. 319: MMA Zero-G’s John Lewis

Episode No. 319 of “The MMA Road Show with John Morgan” podcast is now available for streaming and download.

Episode No. 319 of “The MMA Road Show with John Morgan” podcast is now available for streaming and download.

MMA Junkie lead staff reporter John Morgan hosts the show while traveling the world to cover the sport.

With the UFC, Bellator and PFL all in action this week, it’s clear what’s most important to discuss: Floyd Mayweather vs. Logan Paul. If that’s not crazy enough of a story, how about fights in space? The legendary [autotag]John Lewis[/autotag] joins the show to talk MMA-Zero G and “Galactic Combat.”

Check it out on iTunes or at themmaroadshow.com. You can also subscribe via RSS.

 

Falcons will honor civil rights icon John Lewis in Week 1

Atlanta announced it would be celebrating the life of John Lewis, the former Georgia congressman and civil rights icon, by making him an honorary captain in Week 1.

The Atlanta Falcons are focused on football but will not ignore the bigger social issues in our country when they take the field for their season-opening matchup against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

On Friday, the team announced it would be celebrating the life of John Lewis, the former Georgia congressman and civil rights icon, by making him an honorary captain in Week 1.

The man once known as “the conscience of the Congress” by his peers passed away in July at the age of 80. Lewis’ role in the country passing the 1965 Voting Rights Act is as relevant today as ever.

Falcons defensive end Steven Means and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett were among the players to show support for Lewis on social media after the team announced him as its honorary captain.

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Inside the Nuggets’ team meal room in …

Inside the Nuggets’ team meal room in the Orlando bubble, team officials had banners made depicting all 17 players that have now made it safely to the NBA’s re-start. Outside of it, in a public space where opposing teams walk on their way to practice, the Nuggets projected a much different message. The team created two separate banners that illustrate the social justice messages the organization has been amplifying for more than a month. One celebrates former congressman John Lewis, the late civil rights icon who spent his life fighting for equal voting rights.

The other banner reads “Don’t shut up …

The other banner reads “Don’t shut up and dribble,” and features 11 black-and-white photos taken from protests that Nuggets players participated in. Veterans Gary Harris and Jerami Grant both contributed to the collection. “I think it speaks volumes when you walk by our food room and you don’t necessarily see world championship banners,” Malone said. “You see banners reflecting the current mood across our country, which is terrific.”

Brad Stevens posts support of John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act

Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens posted his support of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act on Twitter Thursday.

Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens posted a message on Twitter in support of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act on the 50th anniversary of the original Voting Rights Advance Act of 1965 that became law due to the effort of John Lewis and other prominent civil rights activists.

Named for the man — who recently passed away — who created the bill that eliminated many of the Jim Crow-era restriction in place to limit Black Americans’ ability to vote in the the US including literacy tests, poll taxes, violence and threats.

The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act — H.R. 4 for short — is being put forward according to the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights because:

“[I]t responds to the urgent need to stop the abuses by state and local governments in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s infamous 2013 decision in Shelby County v. Holder, when five justices of the Supreme Court invalidated the VRA’s preclearance provision. In its decision, the Court stated: “Our country has changed, and while any racial discrimination in voting is too much, Congress must ensure that the legislation it passes to remedy that problem speaks to current conditions.”

Since Shelby County, discriminatory policies have proliferated nationwide and continued in areas formerly covered by the preclearance requirement. In states, counties, and cities across the country, public officials have pushed through laws and policies designed to make it harder for many communities to vote. While we have celebrated successful legal challenges to discriminatory voter ID laws in Texas and North Carolina, such victories occurred only after elections in those states were tainted by discrimination. Lost votes cannot be reclaimed and discriminatory elections cannot be undone.”

Stevens’ tweet in support calls on politicians to pick up the mantle of Lewis’ life work in ensuring an equal right to vote for all Americans.

Said the Celtics head coach:

“In 1965, this passed with an overwhelming, bipartisan vote. John Lewis’s Voting Rights Advancement Act was written to reinforce this and eliminate any barriers or obstacles to vote. Voter suppression is real and unjust. The senate needs to honor John, and simply do what’s right.”

In their commitment to racial justice, Brad Stevens, the Celtics and NBA have sworn themselves to supporting both symbolic and structural interventions to fight racial inequity, and to date, they have done an outstanding job in both arenas.

The pro-racial justice jersey slogans, commercials, and Black Lives Matter murals have raised awareness and encouraged others to join the fight.

At the same time, a $300 million commitment to a foundation controlled by players to help the Black community in the way it sees itself to most need that help coupled with initiatives like this one can create lasting, policy-based change symbolic gestures alone could not.

All U.S. citizens should have an equitable opportunity to vote, and it is through this sort of advocacy Boston, the league, and the United States more generally can work to achieve it.

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“This movement has grown in such a way …

“This movement has grown in such a way where frankly, it’s irresistible,” Alicia Garza, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter, said in a telephone interview. She added that seeing those words on NBA courts, in Major League Baseball stadiums and on T-shirts worn by athletes near and far, including those in European soccer leagues, “blows me away. It’s incredibly amazing. “I think that this moment reflects the ongoing organizing and activism of people who have been toiling for so long in the shadows,” she said. “This movement is not new. The fight for racial equality. The fight for human rights and civil rights is as old as the history of enslavement in this country, and every generation – as John Lewis would say – is responsible for carrying that torch forward to make sure that we achieve the goal of making Black Lives Matter in our democracy, in our economy and in our society. I think what this moment represents is a real reckoning.”

Harrison Faigen: Frank Vogel, wearing a …

Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni uses his platform to back voting rights

Hours after the funeral for civil rights icon John Lewis, Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni made an impassioned plea for voting rights.

Leading into Thursday’s practice at the NBA “bubble” in Florida, Houston Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni wore yet another shirt with a clear statement of his support for voting rights.

At 69 years old, D’Antoni is one of the NBA’s most veteran and respected coaches. With dress code requirements less formal for coaches at the bubble, he’s continually used that opportunity to promote the cause.

In particular, Thursday was a day of significance on that front, since Houston’s team practice came only a few hours after the funeral for U.S. civil rights icon John Lewis. As a Congressman, one of Lewis’ signature issues was his push to protect voting rights, and D’Antoni explained Thursday that Lewis was part of his motivation to speak out.

Regarding the importance of voting, D’Antoni said:

It’s fundamental to our democracy. One thing that’s not talked about, we don’t vote en masse enough. The percentage is way too low. There are too many obstacles put in front of people to deny them their Constitutional right to vote. We have to strive to do better. His whole life was dedicated to that, and it would be a great tribute to him to pass the voter act in his name (Voting Rights Act) that’s on the Senate’s desk, and get it right.

D’Antoni offered a few suggestions to make the process of voting easier for all Americans, along with a plea for everyone to do better. He said:

Why are we even squabbling? Why are we even having this discussion in this democracy, where everybody has the right to vote? Vote freely, whatever it takes. If it’s expanded days to make it easier for people, whether it’s a national holiday. Whatever it takes to get every citizen the right to vote, shouldn’t be a discussion. It should already be done.

When somebody has to dedicate their whole life’s work to that, there’s something wrong with what’s going on. This is what we’re talking about. Hopefully we’re all striving to get a more perfect union, and you can’t do that when there is racial injustice, or against the poor.

Whatever it is, we’ve got to strive to do better. We’re not doing real well right now, with how we’re running things. Voting is the only answer. If everybody has the right to vote, I think that’s how things change, and that’s how things get better. That’s how we get to a better place.

With the 2020 U.S. elections set for Tuesday, Nov. 3, including a battle for the presidency, D’Antoni called on all Americans to take action.

“We’re in a time where you need to start doing your part,” D’Antoni said on Thursday evening. “The part that everybody can do is vote. Not everybody can do everything, either financially or whatever the problem is. But everybody can vote. So get out and register, take a friend, take a family, just do it. And let’s form a better union.”

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