SCMA Convention

SCMA Convention, October 11th and 12th, 2008.

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At long last, Southern California martial artists and MMA enthusiast will have a convention of their own. This weekend, October 11th and 12th, the Skizm Entertainment Group will coordinate with iGrap to hold a martial arts and MMA convention, as well as a submission grappling tournament at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. This two day, jam-packed event is designed for martial arts enthusiast from all disciplines. Whether you are involved in MMA, kung-fu, kempo, jiu-jitsu, or any other martial art, this event will host vendors, events, and activities for you.

This convention has potential to be a big hit here in Socal. Southern California MMA and martial arts has exploded in recent years, increasing from an already high popularity. Orange County and San Diego County, in particular, host many of Socal's MMA and martial arts schools, so there is bound to be plenty of interest in this event for both sponsors and attendees. As a special treat, there are plans for attendees to be able to meet famous MMA stars from the WEC, Elite XC, and the UFC.

Recently, I had an opportunity to speak with Jimmy Syamphone, part of Skizm's operations and the SCMA convention's planning group, about the upcoming event. You can read the Q and A with Jimmy about the event below.

Socalmartialarts.com will help provide media coverage for this event, so please check back with us following the event to find out how it all went down. We will be taking photos and random interviews as well, so you may get an opportunity to share your opinion, right here on our site. We hope to see you there!

Socalmartialarts.com: We?ve all waited a long time to have a large event here in Southern California for all types of martial artist. I can tell you that I am personally excited to attend. What types of attractions can we expect to see there?

JS: We are very excited to be able to bring an event like this to life. People can expect to have an experience when they walk through the doors. There?s going to be plenty of activities going on from the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Submission Grappling Championships to the Martial Arts demonstrations on the main stage to the free seminars that people can take advantage of. If you?re a martial artist or a person who is interested in martial arts and/or MMA, you will enjoy this event very much. We?re helping to open the eyes of the public to show them that there is more to martial arts than just crane kicks and cages. Also a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Save the Children foundation.

Socalmartialarts.com: Who is organizing the event? How are they involved with martial arts and MMA?

JS: The organization is Skizm Kreations. Skizm Kreations is a network of individuals who make things happen. We are composed of and supported by many different factions of Movers and Shakers in several industries. We believe in the forward progress of society and are always contributing to the greater good. Most of us are involved with martial arts and MMA in one way or another. Coaches, instructors, fighters, practitioners, etc.

Socalmartialarts.com: What made (you) them decide to host this event, how did it all come together? How was the location determined?

JS: This event has been in the works for at least a couple of years. Martial arts is a passion of mine and when I realized that I was going to have a hand in putting together and event like this I almost freaked out. We feel that Southern California especially San Diego needed an event like this. To have a venue where fans, practitioners, and professionals can connect and share their passion for all Martial Arts. We want to educate the public on the different kinds of martial arts but yet show the love and unity in the culture. Not to take away from what other organizations are doing but there isn?t anything like this around the area. We wanted it to be a pretty good sized event and the Del Mar Fairgrounds was a good fit because it has enough hall space for us to expand year after year if we needed to. That?s a problem I?ll be more than happy to take on.

Socalmartialarts.com: Will you have any celebrities at the event? Will there be opportunities for guest to meet the stars and perhaps take some photos?

JS: A lot of our exhibitors will have MMA fighters from organizations such as UFC, WEC, EliteXC doing appearances, photo sessions, and signings. Mr. Ed Parker Jr. along with many other martial arts legends will also be making appearances and also doing some demonstrations. If Bruce Lee were still around he would be at this event. Or at least I would like to think so.

Socalmartialarts.com: How many people are you anticipating will to attend the show?

JS: Well it is a two day event and we are expecting about 8,000 people. People tell me that it?s quite an ambitious number. Haha.

Socalmartialarts.com: I?m sure there will be plenty of opportunities for people to shop and find some good MMA gear and apparel. Name some of the Companies you will feature at the event, who are your sponsors?

JS: There are so many awesome ones. The nice part is that even though there will be some big ones we will also be able to showcase some of the smaller and independent companies as well. The list of companies includes Bloody Knuckles, iFight, Dojogirl, Extreme Pain Gear, Sinister Brand, Forged, Sanbon, Truth wear, Throwdown, and many more. Oh and I?m sure someone will be selling TapouT shirts as well.

Socalmartialarts.com: What about prices? Are any of the sponsors planning on giving the fans any deals?

JS: A lot of vendors will be selling gear at special show prices so if anyone wants quality stuff at awesome prices this is the place to be!

Socalmartialarts.com: What about prizes and giveaways, are you planning on running any sort of contest or games for the attendees?

JS: There are so many awesome giveaways planned for the event. I wish I could just win them all myself. There?s just too many to list but included in that list are free private Kajukenbo and MMA lessons with Sifu Alex Palma, memberships to certain gyms, and a fully custom professional Guard Ya Grill mouthguard from Dental Guardz. That is huge! MMA gym memberships are not cheap and anyone who is educated about mouthguards will tell you that Guard Ya Grill is the Lamborghini of mouthguards.

Socalmartialarts.com: You are also holding a submission grappling tournament as well. Will the convention/tradeshow attendees also be able to watch the matches?

JS: Yes. Admission includes both the convention and the tournament. We make it easy for everyone to have a good time. That is why everyone needs to attend the event!

Socalmartialarts.com: For any fighters out there interested in signing up, where should they go?

JS: There is tournament information at SCMAconvention.com and also iGrap.com iGrap is the organization that is holding the tournament.

Socalmartialarts.com: We hope this show will be a success. Are there any plans for a second show?

JS: We appreciate the support. This is all for the people. We are already in talks with sponsors and partners for next year?s event. Our goal is to make this a yearly event that everyone looks forward to attending. We don?t plan to go anywhere anytime soon.

Socalmartialarts.com: If you do have a second show, will it be in Del Mar again, or are you planning on moving it up north next time?

JS: The SCMA Convention will definitely be in San Diego. However, we are in talks with other organizations about doing other events in California and possibly other states.

Socalmartialarts.com: Great, thank you for your time. Is there anything else you would like to add? What else would you like readers to know?

JS: I would like to thank Socalmartialarts.com for this opportunity to talk about our event. Thank you to everyone who is supporting us and making this event happen. I am so thankful for being able to meet so many wonderful people while working on this event. Please come out and join us on October 11th and 12th and help us make history.

Want more? Read more interviews from Socalmartialarts.com.