CECIL PEOPLES
UFC Referee & Judge
AN EXCERPT FROM A LETTER FROM CECIL PEOPLES TO BOB CHANEY
"...I want you to know how much I admire and respect you. All the things you have accomplished in the martial arts and in your personal life. You are a true warrior, I'm very proud to call you my friend.
I don't know how you do it, you went from bring a world class karate competitor, to training world champion kick- boxers to training world champion MMA fighters. How do you do it?
The thing you have done with the 155lb MMA fighter is incredible. You saved his career. Just the fact that you got him to make weight and be mentally and emotionally ready is incredible.
I remember watching you before you had the hip surgery; it hurt my heart watching you go up and down the steps of the ring for your fighters. But, like the champion you are you beat that down like you did so many of your opponents. To see you walk and train now you would never know you had a problem.
If I could start all over again I would with out a doubt have you train me for kickboxing or MMA. If any fighter ever asks me to recommend a serious trainer I won't hesitate to recommend you.
You may wonder why I'm telling you this. Well, when I grew up in Alabama we had a program in church called "Give me my flower while I live," well that's what I'm doing; you are getting your flower now.
I hope we can meet sometime soon, maybe just to sit down and have a bite to eat or just have a cup of coffee. It will be great to hang out with you.
Be well my friend and let's keep in touch.
Respectfully your,
Cecil Peoples"
"...I want you to know how much I admire and respect you. All the things you have accomplished in the martial arts and in your personal life. You are a true warrior, I'm very proud to call you my friend.
I don't know how you do it, you went from bring a world class karate competitor, to training world champion kick- boxers to training world champion MMA fighters. How do you do it?
The thing you have done with the 155lb MMA fighter is incredible. You saved his career. Just the fact that you got him to make weight and be mentally and emotionally ready is incredible.
I remember watching you before you had the hip surgery; it hurt my heart watching you go up and down the steps of the ring for your fighters. But, like the champion you are you beat that down like you did so many of your opponents. To see you walk and train now you would never know you had a problem.
If I could start all over again I would with out a doubt have you train me for kickboxing or MMA. If any fighter ever asks me to recommend a serious trainer I won't hesitate to recommend you.
You may wonder why I'm telling you this. Well, when I grew up in Alabama we had a program in church called "Give me my flower while I live," well that's what I'm doing; you are getting your flower now.
I hope we can meet sometime soon, maybe just to sit down and have a bite to eat or just have a cup of coffee. It will be great to hang out with you.
Be well my friend and let's keep in touch.
Respectfully your,
Cecil Peoples"
"Bob Chaney - An outstanding martial artist!"
CHUCK NORRIS
TERRY WILSON
2011 Martial Arts Writer of the Year & 5-time Emmy Award winning television producer, director, writer and on camera host/reporter
For decades I’ve written hundreds of articles for just about every martial arts magazine in the world and covered nearly every well known and legendary martial arts personality in the world as well as having produced and directed many TV shows on the arts. During that time Bob Chaney has been the topic for many of my stories. His knowledge of numerous fighting styles is most impressive but what really stands out is Bob’s ability to put his words into action.
I’ve traveled around the world to places like Thailand, China, Burma and Jamaica with Bob on a handful of occasions covering his unique travels. I have seen first hand how he applies his training skills and techniques with an array of seasoned professional fighters in their prime. I have watched Bob take on seasoned Thai Fighters one after another like the Energizer Bunny taking on and putting down opponent after opponent without taking a breather. He is one person that definitely talks the talk and walks the walk. Bob’s knowledge of how to control your enemy in the ring is amazing; it’s all about technique and Bob has it down to a science. This combined with his unprecedented teaching skill is but one reason why the Thai’s hold Bob in such high esteem as a trainer. There is a whole lot more to learning Thai than just throwing kicks at a heavy bag, the science behind the techniques is paramount as is the strategy when it comes to neck wrestling or using knees and I’ve never seen anyone teach those elements better than Bob Chaney.
Bob was himself a Tae Kwon Do champion in his younger days and has over the years continued to develop and grow as a martial artist, teacher and trainer. His schools are absolutely first rate from state-of-the-art equipment to show room entry ways that at a glance detail his achievements with rows of trophies and photographs of his many famous friends and fighters that are among the elite in their respective fields. Over the years Bob and I have become good friends and I know him to be honest and an astute and an all around good guy that will go the distance to help his students and friends.
I’ve traveled around the world to places like Thailand, China, Burma and Jamaica with Bob on a handful of occasions covering his unique travels. I have seen first hand how he applies his training skills and techniques with an array of seasoned professional fighters in their prime. I have watched Bob take on seasoned Thai Fighters one after another like the Energizer Bunny taking on and putting down opponent after opponent without taking a breather. He is one person that definitely talks the talk and walks the walk. Bob’s knowledge of how to control your enemy in the ring is amazing; it’s all about technique and Bob has it down to a science. This combined with his unprecedented teaching skill is but one reason why the Thai’s hold Bob in such high esteem as a trainer. There is a whole lot more to learning Thai than just throwing kicks at a heavy bag, the science behind the techniques is paramount as is the strategy when it comes to neck wrestling or using knees and I’ve never seen anyone teach those elements better than Bob Chaney.
Bob was himself a Tae Kwon Do champion in his younger days and has over the years continued to develop and grow as a martial artist, teacher and trainer. His schools are absolutely first rate from state-of-the-art equipment to show room entry ways that at a glance detail his achievements with rows of trophies and photographs of his many famous friends and fighters that are among the elite in their respective fields. Over the years Bob and I have become good friends and I know him to be honest and an astute and an all around good guy that will go the distance to help his students and friends.
"Bob Chaney [is] a great friend and master teacher"
JERRY DEVINE
GARY MATTEVI
Inductee International Karate & Kickboxing Hall of Fame & Martial Arts Museum of America
If you want to stack up grand championships, titles, rank and accomplishments to measure the quality and character of a person, Master Chaney measures up to the best of the best. If technical precision and high powered motivation from a master instructor is important, again, Master Chaney excels. If you are drawn to a quality facility with state of the art equipment and beautiful esthetics, Master Chaney has no equal. However, if you want to find a person who honorably and humbly wears the title of "Master", then look no further.
Not until 1994 did I realize the profound impact that Master Chaney has had on my life. When I made the decision to go full-time in professional martial arts Master Chaney was there to advise me on critical decisions that would ultimately lead to the successful gym my wife, and I now own.
When I started training with Master Chaney in 1974 I knew that the martial arts would be part of my life for as long as I could foresee. Twenty years, two careers and lots of hard knocks later, the dust settled and martial arts remained the constant in my life. I knew then I would make martial arts my profession. That's when the true substance of my relationship with Master Chaney was revealed. He made himself available to me by phone and made several trips to Duluth, Minnesota where I opened my first studio. From the design of the facility to the development of the curriculum, he walked me through the process of not only building the business but developing an academy that produces high quality martial artists.
I have learned it is rare for a martial artist to have a life-long relationship with his teacher without some sort of major quarrel, but I can say that Master Chaney has been a loyal teacher, mentor and friend.
If you're looking for a martial arts instructor, turn to the Yellow Pages; close your eyes and point. If you're looking for a teacher who will invest himself into your life and draw out potential you didn't know you had, turn to Master Chaney.
Not until 1994 did I realize the profound impact that Master Chaney has had on my life. When I made the decision to go full-time in professional martial arts Master Chaney was there to advise me on critical decisions that would ultimately lead to the successful gym my wife, and I now own.
When I started training with Master Chaney in 1974 I knew that the martial arts would be part of my life for as long as I could foresee. Twenty years, two careers and lots of hard knocks later, the dust settled and martial arts remained the constant in my life. I knew then I would make martial arts my profession. That's when the true substance of my relationship with Master Chaney was revealed. He made himself available to me by phone and made several trips to Duluth, Minnesota where I opened my first studio. From the design of the facility to the development of the curriculum, he walked me through the process of not only building the business but developing an academy that produces high quality martial artists.
I have learned it is rare for a martial artist to have a life-long relationship with his teacher without some sort of major quarrel, but I can say that Master Chaney has been a loyal teacher, mentor and friend.
If you're looking for a martial arts instructor, turn to the Yellow Pages; close your eyes and point. If you're looking for a teacher who will invest himself into your life and draw out potential you didn't know you had, turn to Master Chaney.
Steve Mazzargatti
World renowned UFC and MuayThai Referee.
Growing up in Las Vegas I had heard about Bob Chaney for a long time. He was considered the pioneer of the martial arts in Las Vegas and even back then was deemed a legend. He had been training world champion karate fighters and kick boxing champions as far back as the early 1970’s. He was partners with Howard Hanson the founder and president of the WKA (World Kickboxing Association) during the early and mid 1980’s promoting televised Kick Boxing events from Ceasars Palace, the Dunn’s, the Rivera, the Sands and the Flamingo Hilton. I knew that many of the world’s top Kickboxing Champions of that era often came to Las Vegas to train with Maser Chaney.
In the mid 1980’s I was training several Lumpini Stadium fighters that came to the US for a series of fights when suddenly the gym we were training at closed down. Now we had no place to train and we had fights lined up. I didn't know what I was going to do. Out of the blue I decided to stop by Bob Chaney's studio and explain our dilemma. He looked at me and said; “you know I'm done with class at 8:00pm” and handed me a set of keys, no questions asked. He truly saved us as we were desperate. It turned into a friendship that has lasted close to 30 years.
In the late 1980’s the World Kickboxing, Muay Thai champion and promoter from Tulsa, Oklahoma Dale “Apollo” Cook told me he wanted to start promoting Kick Boxing in Las Vegas. I introduced him to Bob Chaney and together they began promoting quarterly televised kickboxing events from the Union Plaza. It was at this time I began assisting Master Chaney to teach Muay Thai and Kickboxing at his gyms on East Decatur, and West Charleston Boulevards.
At those early Union Plaza events Cecil Peoples and I were the referees and it was there that I cut my teeth refereeing Muay Thai and Kick Boxing. The 1080’s were the early years of Muay Thai in the US and we were extremely successful. Mike “The Cobra” Cole, Levelle Robinson, Eddie “The Flash” Newman, PKA World Champion William Roy, Holly Holms from Arizona, World Champion Howard Jackson from Los Angeles, and many other legendary fighters like Don “The Dragon” Wilson, Peter Arts and many celebrities that visited and attended the events he promoted or co-promoted like Chuck Norris, Jean Claude Van Dam and others to numerous to mention while I trained at Master Bob Chaney’s. All of the serious students of Kick Boxing and Muay Thai migrated to Bob Chaney’s studio at that time earning Bob Chaney the title of the father of Muay Thai for the state of Nevada. I remember many times him and I would spar 15 and 20 rounds several evenings per week getting the fighters ready for their fights.
In late 1993 Master Chaney brought Master Toddy over from Thailand and moved him into his home at the Lakes where Toddy lived with him for over one year. Master Chaney gave Toddy his start in Las Vegas by giving Toddy one of several of his gyms that was located on the East side of Las Vegas just before Master Chaney moved to Bangkok, Thailand to work for a company that manufactured Muay Thai and Boxing equipment. I had been teaching out of my Garage but after being introduced to Master Toddy I began helping Toddy to train his students. I have been truly blessed in martial arts and Master Chaney played a major part in it. He has been a great friend a mentor and a great ambassador to our sport and is considered the true legend thru-out the entire martial arts community. He remains a major contributing factor in the overall growth of the Martial Arts and in particular the sport of Muay Thai both here in the US as well as abroad.
Steve Mazzargatti