Like a lot of martial arts fans, 21-year-old Eben "The Big O" Oroz grew up idolizing legendary actor Bruce Lee in movies like Enter The Dragon and Fists of Fury. So much so, he set out to become a professional fighter himself.
"My goal was to try and apply Lee's Jeet Kune Do system to mixed martial arts fighting," says the Floridian featherweight (4-1). "But first, I had to learn Jeet Kune Do," (which translates to "the way of the intercepting fist").
Enter Sifu (instructor) Richie Carrion, founder of JKD-Extreme Martial Arts Academy, in West Palm Beach, Fla.
"He started by teaching me one of Lee's most important combat principles," says Oroz. "Namely, that simple done right has no counter."
However, with no prior martial arts training, Oroz found this difficult to digest at first.
"He kept telling me to have an empty mind, or as Lee once said an 'empty cup.' The thinking is that if your cup of knowledge is empty you can always fill it back up, but if your cup is always full you cannot add to it. So, one should keep his cup or circle empty in order to keep learning."
To remind himself of this philosophy, Oroz took the unusual step of having an enormous circle tattooed on his torso.
"It serves as a reminder to me, plus fans love chanting 'O' whenever I land a punch or kick in the ring," laughs Oroz.
This Tuesday, March 25, log on to bodoglife.net/fight to see Oroz take on fellow Floridian Mike Brown (14-4) on Bodog Fight's ground-breaking online mixed martial arts series The Vault.
Then, Saturday, March 29, don't miss an all-new webisode of The Vault featuring a never-before-seen brawl between undefeated Besiki Gerenava (2-0) and newcomer Ivan Anikanov.
Both Russians were keen to put on a show in front of their comrades at a recent Bodog-sponsored event in Moscow.
Which would prevail? Open The Vault to find out.
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This exclusive Bodog TV footage is only available online at bodoglife.net/fight, twice honored at the 2007 Digital Marketing Awards.
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About Bodog Fight
Since its inception in 2006, Bodog Fight has become one of the heavy-hitters in the world of mixed martial arts. Created by billionaire entertainment mogul and longtime MMA enthusiast Calvin Ayre, Bodog Television's Bodog Fight series offers viewers a unique combination of action and allure from exotic locations throughout the world. Bodog Fight can be viewed online at bodoglife.net, along with other Bodog Television programs including: a poker lifestyle and reality show, Calvin Ayre Wild Card Poker, and an international million-dollar band search competition, Bodog Battle . For more information, contact Media Relations at 1-866-892-3371, or fightpr@bodoglife.net. BODOG is a registered trademark.
