September News Part 2
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Quote
of the Day
"These
acts were intended to frighten us, but they have failed. Terrorist
acts can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings but cannot
touch the foundation of America."
President George W. Bush, address to the nation |
Countdown
NOTICE:
There is only one day left till my bachelor party. Get hydrated.
Bachelor's Party web page updated. If
you are invited and do not know the web address, email me. |
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Matyushenko
now to face Ortiz in UFC
Although
it was originally or supposed to be Kevin Randleman, the UFC
has now changed to Vladimir "The Janitor" Matyushenko.
Matyushenko showed some major passing the guard skills in his
last fight against Yuki Kondo who he destroyed. He is probably
the best wrestler utilizing BJJ that I have seen. He is very
smooth with his passes and with his world class wrestling skills
and Russian toughness, this fight should be incredible. Either
fighter would be a great fight for Ortiz and I look forward to
Belfort or Randleman to face the winner. Check back in case there
is yet another change. |
Pride
16 Analysis
MaxPreview:
Pride 16
by Jake Rossen
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another day, another few million yen. Fourteen fighters will
converge in Osaka, Japan this coming Monday, September 24, for
Dream Stage Entertainment's Pride 16: Beasts From the East. Some
16,000 fans will pack Osaka Castle Hall to witness a card highlighted
by tournament champ Mark Coleman taking on the dangerous Rodrigo
"Minotauro" Nogueira. Act now and get the return of
Don "The Predator" Frye at no additional charge.
Of particular note
here is the absence of DSE's true heavy hitters: Kazushi Sakuraba,
Nobuhiko Takada, and Kazuyuki Fujita. Sakuraba is presumably
resting for his anticipated rematch with Vanderlei Silva in November's
Pride 17, while other reports have the Takada Dojo upset with
DSE over a perceived lack of attention. (Daijiro Matsui's presence
on the card seems to refute that.) Takada himself has been less
active as of late, and Fujita is still reeling from a surprise
defeat at the hands of K-1's Mirko Cro Cop in August. This will
mark the first time since June 2000's Pride 9 that two gaijin
(foreigners) have headlined a card, a debatable practice when
you're in the business of pleasing native fans.
Igor Vovchanchin
was scheduled to take on Semmy Schilt, but Vovchanchin has withdrawn
due to an elbow injury. Brad Kohler, expected to face Akira Shoji,
is also out with a bad ankle. On the heels of Vitor Belfort withdrawing
from the September 28th UFC mega-event, we implore every remaining
athlete to remain in bed with the shutters drawn.
In reverse order:
Rodrigo "Minotauro"
Nogueira vs. Mark "The Hammer" Coleman
This bout was originally
scheduled for July's Pride 15 event, until an injury prevented
Coleman from competing. Nogueira remained on the card, his Pride
debut, and made quick work of last-minute replacement Gary Goodridge,
submitting him via a triangle choke. Said to be one of the most
effective jiu-jitsu Heavyweights, Minotauro comes in with a healthy
track record and the RINGS King of Kings 2001 crown to his credit.
His one loss, a decision, was to Dan Henderson at the KOK tournament
in February 2000. His guard work is well-regarded, and he'll
need it, as Coleman is sure to overpower him almost immediately.
Coleman brings
to the ring his reputation as a wrestler reborn, paying careful
attention to his cardiovascular conditioning and stand-up ability.
His dominating victories over Igor Vovchanchin, Akira Shoji,
and Allan Goes have many calling him the #1 Heavyweight. Coleman
will have to be wary of Nogueira's submission skills as he looks
to pound on the Brazilian. Many feel that Coleman's mettle has
yet to be tested since his tournament win over Vovchanchin, as
his only fight since has been against the smaller Goes in March
2001.
At Stake: Coleman's
ranking. A loss to a submission artist who has yet to claim a
substantial victory over a Top 10 fighter will drop him a few
notches. Likewise, Nogueira needs to impress here in order to
advance.
Edge To: Coleman,
who has perfected the brutal art of ground and pound like no
wrestler before him.
Don "The
Predator" Frye vs. Gilbert "The Hurricane" Yvel
After a five year
absence from the sport, Don Frye returns to recapture a place
in the spotlight. Rumors swirled that his return bout would be
against Brad Kohler, but Frye will instead have to contend with
Gilbert Yvel. After making a powerful statement in Pride 10 with
a lightning-fast KO kick to Gary Goodridge's temple, Yvel has
gone on a considerable losing streak. While there's no question
his opposition has been fierce (Vitor Belfort, Igor Vovchanchin),
Yvel is in danger of being disregarded as a viable opponent.
Further complicating
matters is Yvel's apparent lack of comfort on the ground, as
he seems to be unable to advance while there. The biggest threat
the Dutch fighter poses is on the feet, as evidenced by his KO
wins over Goodridge and Carlos Barreto. If a ring-rusty Frye
attempts to trade blows standing, as he has been known to do
with even the most dangerous strikers, there could be trouble.
His best bet will be to ground Yvel and work from there.
At Stake: Frye
appears ready to give MMA fighting another go-round after several
successful years spent wrestling in Japan. A good-looking win
will do a lot for future main event bouts, while a loss will
have some questioning his place in a sport that has changed considerably
in his half-decade long absence.
The Edge: To Frye,
who had an impressive career in the UFC and seems capable of
grounding the fight and ending it there.
Akira Shoji
vs. Semmy Schilt
With apologies
to Travis Fulton, Akira Shoji is the other "Iron Man"
of MMA, competing regularly against some of the biggest and baddest
combat athletes in the world. He is very rarely finished off,
forcing many top-shelf fighters to be content with a decision
victory. Shoji personifies the heart of the Japanese warrior,
and like Igor Vovchanchin, only rarely misses a Pride show. He
comes off a defeat at the hands of Dan Henderson in Pride 14.
Semmy Schilt comes
in as a former King of Pancrase and with a 1-1 record in the
UFC. He defeated Pete Williams in UFC 31, only to lose to Josh
Barnett at the following show. His freakish height (6'10")
poses a problem for anyone, and will almost certainly frustrate
the much shorter (5'8") Shoji. Schilt had originally prepared
for the now-injured Igor Vovchanchin.
At Stake: With
the fight being made on such short notice, not much. Schilt will
look to peck at Shoji and keep the fight standing.
The Edge: To Schilt,
who consistently makes good use of his reach advantage.
Guy Mezger vs.
Ricardo Arona
Guy Mezger, a Pride
favorite, returns after a devastating loss to Chuck Liddell in
what some billed as a "UFC vs. Pride" match at Pride
14. Mezger is always seemingly prepared to throw leather, but
with that risk doesn't always come reward.
Ricardo Arona comes
from Brazil's Top Team and boasts a newly minted RINGS King of
Kings Middleweight championship belt. His record includes two
decision wins over Jeremy Horn. Like Nogueira, Arona looks to
cement jiu-jitsu's place in modern MMA against a well-rounded
striker/grappler. It's unlikely that Arona can trade blows with
the seasoned Mezger with any effectiveness, and will instead
resort to takedowns.
At Stake: Arona
needs to make a splash in his Pride debut, whereas Mezger needs
to get back on course for potential title shots down the road.
The Edge: To Mezger,
who is far more confident on the feet and possesses sufficient
wrestling skills to keep Arona at bay.
Daijiro Matsui
vs. Murilo Ninja
Matsui is another
Pride regular, having appeared in numerous shows. Unlike his
training partner Sakuraba, Matsui seems incapable of pulling
his game together enough to score any considerable victories.
That changed, at least temporarily, when he defeated the unorthodox
striker Pele in Pride 14. Matsui countered Pele's attacks by
being equally unpredictable, going so far as to ram his opponent's
head into the turnbuckles and mat.
Not much is known
about Murilo Ninja, other than that he has possibly the coolest
name yet to appear on a MMA card. Hailing from the Chute Boxe
training camp in Brazil, the Meca Vale Tudo veteran will certainly
be prepared to throw heavy strikes. Whether they will be of any
effectiveness against Matsui, who has taken beatings from the
best of them, remains to be seen.
At Stake: Once
again, Pride newbie Ninja seeks to make an impact. Matsui's win/loss
record seems irrelevant at this point in time.
The Edge: To Ninja,
based purely on Matsui's terrible performances in the past.
Assuerio Silva
vs. Norihisa Yamamoto
The Silva name
seems to have a fair amount of success in Japan. While no relation
to Vanderlei, Assuerio comes off a victory over Valentijn Overeem
in Pride 15, and looks to further a career as a dangerous contender.
He shares the mat with the other Silva at the Chute Boxe Academy
in Brazil.
Yamamoto is notable
for having met up with Rickson Gracie in a 1995 Vale Tudo event,
a fight which started a considerable losing streak. His only
significant victory of late has been a win over Chris Haseman
in the December 2000 RINGS tournament.".
At Stake: Yamamoto's
reputation. As is, his record is not at all enviable.
The Edge: To Silva,
whose submission and striking skills appear to be sound.
Gary Goodridge
vs. Yoshiaki Yatsu
This is quite possibly
Pride's most irresponsible match-up to date. While Mixed Martial
Arts events normally seek out the best, most fit combatants,
Yoshiaki Yatsu exemplifies only one thing: an over-the-hill masochist.
Goodridge and Yatsu
first met at Pride 11, where the veteran Goodridge laid down
jackhammers on novice fighter/popular pro wrestler Yatsu. The
beating Yatsu took is legendary, and while his refusal to go
down might be looked upon with admiration, we prefer to think
of the wise prizefighters who chant, "I'd prefer not to
be known as the guy who could take a real good beating."
Yatsu has no real experience in freestyle fighting, and the bout
was an example of how conditioned the MMA athlete must be in
order to thrive in the sport.
Still, the Japanese
applaud heart and courage, and despite the 46 year old Yatsu's
extended hospital stay, they seem ready and willing to throw
him back in. What he could possibly do to mount an offense against
Goodridge is a mystery.
At Stake: Yatsu's
sight and hearing.
The Edge: To Goodridge,
who can come out of this looking good only by doing the humane
thing and submitting Yatsu quickly and relatively painlessly.
Source: Maxfighting |
Randleman/Ortiz
Set for UFC
After
the huge disappointment of Belfort pulling out of the UFC set
for next Friday, Zuffa was scrambling to find someone for Tito.
Tito told me while in Hawaii that after this fight, he was going
to take about six months to rest so I can see why the UFC has
to use him for this event. Here is a story from the FCF website
showing how hard Zuffa is working to replace Vitor. Who says
that fighters are not making good money now?
Randleman
to Replace Belfort in UFC 33
Zuffa Fails to Reach Agreement with Frank or Ken Shamrock
By Aaron Crecy
FCF
Website
According
to sources close to the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Frank
Shamrock was Zuffa's first choice to replace Vitor Belfort against
Tito Ortiz in UFC 33. However, the offer was withdrawn when Shamrock
insisted that Ortiz make the 185 lb. weight class. Next, Zuffa
approached Ken Shamrock with an offer of $180,000, but Shamrock
declined, countering instead with a price tag of $500,000. Then,
the UFC offered Vladimir Matyushenko $40,000 to fight Ortiz and
an additional $40,000 for the victory -- he declined. Now, UFC
insiders have confirmed that Kevin Randleman will face Tito Ortiz
for the UFC light heavyweight belt on September 28. The financial
terms were not disclosed, but they are believed to be in the
same range as Matyushenko's offer. Randleman brings a record
of 9 - 5 into the Octagon and looks to redeem TKO losses in his
last two fights versus Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture. As a
result, Matyushenko may not compete in UFC 33.
|
Quote
of the Day
"You
can be sure that the American spirit will prevail over this tragedy."
US Secretary of State Colin Powell
"We
will stand together to make sure that those who have brought
forth this evil deed will pay the price."
House Speaker Dennis Hastert (Illinois)
"I
hurry to express to you and your fellow citizens my profound
sorrow and my closeness in prayer for the nation at this dark
and tragic moment."
Pope John Paul II, in a telegram sent to President George W.
Bush
|
|
Countdown
NOTICE:
There is only two days left till my bachelor party. Start stretching
out. |
A
SAD DAY IN RIO; VITOR BELFORT SIDELINED AFTER MAJOR CUT TO ARM
IN TRAINING
There are many
interesting items in this article written by Eddie Goldman. One
being U.S. wrestler Darrell Gholar is living in Brazil and helping
Vitor prepare and improve his wrestling. Two, Al Stankie, boxing
trainer extradoraire, is back in Vitor's corner and he says that
Vitor is ready to start throwing some major leather. Once again,
Stankie brings up the goal of Vitor boxing in the 2004 Olympics.
Vitor's game plan seems very simple, keep the fight standing
by honing is sprawlling technique and finish the fight by working
heavily on his hands. Teammate, Paulo Filho, in another interview
also eludes to the reunion of the Brazilian Top Team once some
issues are worked out, which I feel is the amount of money that
is paid to the guys who help train the fighters. The Top Team
left Carlson Gracie because Carlson was asking for too big a
cut from his fighters. Now, I believe the same thing is happening,
but within the teammates and co-trainers. I feel that they need
to get back together to keep a strong Jiu-Jitsu based valetudo
team on top of the fight game and stay competitive.
September 19 --
It was not a tragedy, no, certainly not in today's world. But
the misfortune that struck Vitor Belfort Tuesday in Brazil, and
has had him scratched from next Friday's title fight with UFC
light-heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz, was the kind of thing
that tests men's spirits.
It happened while
Vitor was training in Rio de Janeiro in the jiu-jitsu room at
a gym in the home of his sponsor Carlos Azevedo, himself a former
jiu-jitsu practitioner trained by Marcus Vinicius of the Beverly
Hills Jiu-Jitsu Club. Many fighters, including Ze Mario Sperry,
Murilo Bustamante, and Ricardo Arona, also use this gym. At this
compound there is a boxing room, a jiu-jitsu room with mats,
and a weight room.
Vitor was practicing
what his wrestling and jiu-jitsu trainer, former U.S. Greco-Roman
wrestling national champion and UFC fighter Darrell Gholar, called
"pushing drills." This means, Darrell said, "We
don't necessarily try to take the guy down, but you're with a
guy and you push, and you try to push him to the cage and hold
him there. And we're going 30-second go's."
The scene was a
room with jiu-jitsu mats, but no cage or ring. "The whole
room is padded," Darrell said. "But one area, there's
a sliding window for ventilation." He added, "It's
a very nice gym. Only thing is, there's a window there. And we've
been training here for two months. And the one window, it's a
high window." Although it is winter in Brazil, with temperatures
ranging between 80 and 85 degrees F, according to Darrell, Tuesday,
"It was cold as hell." To this Californian that meant,
"Yesterday it's 68 or something," but nonetheless,
"in this instance the window was closed because it's been
cold here. Usually it's open."
Vitor, speaking
by telephone quite calmly but as confidently as I've heard him
in years, described what happened next as "very sad over
here." He explained, "I was training and they had the
window. And I was pushing and wrestling. I was fighting a taller
guy." Darrell also called it "cage training. You hit
the cage, you spin off the cage, and hold him against the cage."
Vitor tried to do exactly this.
"I HIT
THE GLASS, MAN, I HIT THE GLASS."
"I went to
take my arm under," Vitor said, "and when I pulled
my arm to the back to take my arm under, I hit the glass, man.
I hit the glass. Fuck. And then, man, everybody was screaming
because the cut was deep and it was large." Darrell, using
wrestling terminology, said, "When he tried to pummel in,
his elbow went back through
that window."
Amidst the screaming,
Vitor said, "Everybody could see the bone. It was very scary."
Darrell, who heard the commotion and rushed into the jiu-jitsu
room, said, "I went over and l Iooked at it and I saw his
bone." So they grabbed a towel, wrapped it around the wound,
and jumped in the car to rush him to the emergency room. "It's
a freak accident, weird thing, at the wrong time and the wrong
place," Darrell said.
But the first doctor
to examine this injury simply said, "No big deal."
He called "a minor slice," even though Darrell said,
"I knew I saw the bone." This doctor stitched it up
and told Vitor, amazingly, he could fight in the nine days between
the injury and the scheduled Tito Ortiz fight on September 28.
At this point Vitor
said, "I'm going to go to my sports medicine doctor."
He couldn't move his arm, and it was cut literally to the bone.
40 STITCHES,
AND THE TRICEPS REATTACHED
"They stitched
it inside and outside quick, to stop bleeding," he said
of the emergency treatment. "And then last night, I went
to the hospital, and I get my very specific doctor who is on
my team. And he went over there and he redid the whole thing.
He did 20 inside and 20 outside, 40 stitches."
Vitor describes
the injury matter-of-factly as affecting "just the half
of the triceps." Just. "Nothing really happened seriously.
He said in 30 days I'll be fine to fight again."
Darrell said that
after what he called this "freak accident," at the
sports medicine doctor, "they had to reattach the muscle."
The old stitches had to be removed, and the wound restitched.
"It was the ugliest thing I've ever seen," Darrell
said. "He's casted up and all of that." And, he lamented,
"We've been here training for two months straight. Hard."
Yet Vitor is taking
this latest setback as much in stride as is possible. "No
problem," he said. "I just got to stay in two weeks
with nothing, just let heal inside the triceps and the skin.
And then after two weeks I can get back in training again. So
the sad part, I was training so hard for the fight. I'm in the
best shape of my life. And this shit happens." And Darrell
added, "Vitor's gone through it. We've all been going through
it. Two months of hard training, twice a day. For two months,
six days a week."
VITOR: "I
JUST GOT TO MOVE ON"
Vitor observed,
"I just got to move on. I cannot complain to anybody. It's
not anybody's fault. The only fault I can put up is the gym.
The window is not supposed to be there. You cannot blame anything
now." And Darrell pointed out, "They're going to take
all the glass out before we start training in there again. And
he'll definitely be ready for Tito."
"I'm very
sad because all the fans all over the world, they were waiting
to see me fighting back in the UFC, back on pay-per-view, in
Las Vegas," Vitor said. "I just want to think I'm going
to be ready for the next fight. I want to put up a show for my
fans."
When that will
be is unclear, but if it were up to Vitor, it would be as soon
as possible. "I want to fight the next one. I want to fight
it so bad." And he predicted he will be ready for the UFC
34 and its proposed November 2 date. "I'm able to go November
and do it again," he said. Darrell seconded that, "We'll
be OK by then. November 2 is good, very good."
As for this show,
Vitor had this advice. "If I was the promoter, I would pull
up the fight. Why put Tito to fight somebody else if they spend
a lot of money, a lot of time for this fight to happen?"
He predicted when they do fight, it will be "the fight of
the century, for sure."
But he still plans
to be in Las Vegas for UFC 33. "I'm going to go to the fight.
They asked me to go. I don't want people to say stuff,"
he said. "The guys are going to see the stitches."
"LIKE THE
VITOR OF OLD, THROWING BOMBS"
So, amidst all
this sadness, what could we have expected had this injury not
sidelined Vitor? "Not to give away too may training secrets,"
Darrell revealed, this fight would have been "like the Vitor
Belfort of old, just basically going after people. Just coming
in and throwing bombs basically. Throwing bombs and sprawling."
Darrell said that
he regards Tito Ortiz as "being an OK wrestler" and
"a tough fighter." But, he analyzed, "With Vitor,
I think he has too many other weapons, too many other tools."
While he stated the obvious that "I can't teach Vitor how
to be a Division 1 wrestler in two months," he said the
emphasis "was mostly defense, how to stay out of this and
out of that. More preventive stuff."
In his last Pride
fight, "With Heath Herring he couldn't" have that same
strategy. "Heath Herring was too big. All we worked on was
shooting double-legs inside."
AL STANKIE SPEAKS
Vitor's boxing
trainer, the crusty veteran Al Stankie, laid out the strategy
against Tito Ortiz more bluntly, as is his usual style. "Vitor
is going to kick the shit out of him," he predicted. "Upstairs
he's dead, he's dead."
He went on, "When
they reschedule this, if they should and they would, you'll see
his hand speed. And when he goes down, Darrell Gholar is the
best guy I've seen yet."
Stankie not only
is training Vitor for mixed martial arts, but for another goal
as well -- a gold medal in boxing in the 2004 Athens Olympics
"You mark my words, he's going to do it!"
He sees Vitor's
future as really being in the sweet science. "Fuck this
Ultimate Fighting shit," he said. "There isn't going
to be any big money in this stuff." He recalled how two
years ago he saw a list of top ten money-making athletes. "Tyson
was one. Holyfield was the other. Tyson made 54 million in one
year, and Holyfield made 53, or whatever. They're one and two."
And he thinks he can guide him there. "But Vitor Belfort
will break all the records."
In the past few
years, of course, Vitor's relentless barrage of punches that
often opened his fights has been mainly replaced by a much more
cautious ground game. "He's wanted to do ground work. He's
wanted to some stuff on the bottom," Al explained. "We've
been together five years," he went on. "I said, 'Vitor,
practice your ground work for a while. You need the work. Work.
Practice it.'" That period appears to be over, if Vitor's
team has their way.
Also shot down
was a story circulating in boxing circles a few months ago that
Vitor was going to make his pro boxing debut on one of Cedric
Kushner's "Heavyweight Explosion" cards (even though
Kushner said he knew nothing about it). "That's bullshit,"
Al confirmed. "It's not going to happen."
But he promised
again, "Vitor's goal is to go to Athens, Greece, in 2004,
where it all started, and win a gold medal. Mark it down. Write
it down. Remember we said it." And just in case you don't
remember who said all of this, he reminded us, with a chuckle,
"Stankie's the name, fighting's my game. I wasn't a very
good fighter, but I can TRAIN fighters."
MORE CAUSE FOR
SADNESS
Of course, while
immersed in training, Vitor and his team, like just about everyone
else in the world, have been following the news of the terrorist
attacks on the United States. "I'm very sad about that,"
he said. "These people can attack anywhere in the world,
but they just want to attack the United States because that's
the powerful country all over the world. And they want to show
the world they're capable to do that."
He spoke bluntly
about these terrorists. "They're cowards. They are killing
innocent people just to show the world they are capable, they
have power. But they don't have shit. They're cowards.
"I'm more
sad now because of my arm. I'm more sad than anybody else. But
I think a lot of people in the United States are much more sad
than me because they lost parents, they lost friends, they lost
people's lives. Not just one, but thousands of people. That's
the thing that's the worst thing out of all. For no reasons."
But emotions have
seemed to have calmed down somewhat the day after this injury.
"I freaked out enough yesterday," Darrell said. "Right
now we're cool." He did say, "We are deeply, deeply,
deeply apologetic. We do apologize. But there was nothing you
can do, though."
Darrell Gholar
and Al Stankie are going home to the U.S. tonight, but plan to
go back to Brazil in two weeks when Vitor resumes training. "I'm
very sad right now," Vitor admitted, "but I gotta do
what's the best, for the UFC owners and the people that work
in these events. I want to help. I just want people to back me
up, too, because it's not my fault. Just a very bad thing happened
in my life now. Nothing very really bad. But I'm able to go
November and do it again. Just shit happens."
Submitted By: Eddie
Goldman, ADCC NEWS |
Pride
16 Update
Igor
Vovchanchyn and Brad Kohler out of PRIDE 16 on September 24.
Today,
DSE announced Igor Vovchanchyn and Brad Kohler are out of the
next PRIDE due to injury.
Semmy
Schilt and Akira Shoji's new opponents have not yet been determined.
It will be announced soon about the new match ups.
And
DSE announced match up for PRIDE 17 at Tokyo Dome on November
3rd as follows:
PRIDE
Middle-Weight World Championship:
Vanderlei Silva vs Kazushi Sakuraba
Submitted
By: Koichi "Booker K" Kawasaki |
Quote
of the Day
"We
will stand together to make sure that those who have brought
forth this evil deed will pay the price."
House Speaker Dennis Hastert (Illinois)
"I
hurry to express to you and your fellow citizens my profound
sorrow and my closeness in prayer for the nation at this dark
and tragic moment."
Pope John Paul II, in a telegram sent to President George W.
Bush
"We
have been reminded very powerfully of the existence of evil in
our world and of the power that evil can seem to have... We are
praying from our hearts for those who have been killed and injured
and for the heroic people who are involved in the rescue efforts.
May God bless us with courage and strength"
Bishop George J. Lucas, of the Catholic Diocese of Springfield,
Illinois
|
|
Countdown
NOTICE:
There is only three days left till my bachelor party. Get some
sleep. |
Vitor
Belfort Out of UFC
Today,
Vitor Belfort suffered an injury to his right arm during training,
which will prevent him from competing against Tito Ortiz for
the UFC light heavyweight title at UFC 33: Victory in Vegas.
In
a very unfortunate accident, Belfort suffered a deep laceration
of his arm. There was a partial tear of the triceps muscle and
some tendon damage, which required surgery. “It is impossible
for him to fight,” said Belfort’s doctor. “This
is a very unfortunate situation,” said UFC President Dana
White. “We hope that Vitor can make a speedy recovery and
return to challenge for the light heavyweight belt very soon.”
Ortiz’s new opponent has not yet been determined. --
"Apparently, Belfort's arm inadvertently went through a
window next to the ring in his gym when he threw a punch, opening
a cut on the triceps and upper arm that required 30 stitches
to close," explained beleaguered UFC president Dana White.
"I spoke with his doctor, and he will be unable to train
for at least 40 days."
Submitted
by Josh Hedges jhedges@ufc.tv |
|
NAGA
Update
Anthony
Torres of Grappling Unlimited is out of the 4-man invitational
tournament. He sprained his ankle and tried to continue on, but
re-injured it and cannot compete. His replacement has yet to
be named. Make sure you pre-register for the NAGA which is due
September 20 and is this Saturday, September 22, 2001 at Farrington
High School starting at 11:00 am. |
World
Fighting Alliance
John Lewis is one of the true
fighting superstars of mixed martial arts. His thrilling bouts
in Extreme Fighting, Vale Tudo Japan, and The Ultimate Fighting
Championship have earned him fans around the world.He now enters
the promoter game from a new perspective, the fighters' perspective.
He has earned the trust and loyalty of fighters, promoters, as
well as many others.
John Lewis has created a show,
The World Fighting Alliance (WFA), destined to be the future
in mixed martial arts excitement. He has assembled a highly creative
group of individuals including the undisputed "King of Clubs";
John Huntington who is known for his incredible 21 and over Pimp
'n' Ho costume ball and Club Rubber parties. John Huntington
has repeatedly sold out the Mandalay Bay's 10,000 capacity event
center with the world's hottest women and coolest crowd.
WFA features some of the world's
best martial arts fighters, all handpicked by John Lewis combined
with the most amazing fight club production ever witnessed. What
do you get when you combine the world's best martial artists
and the West Coast's hottest club promoter? You get the best
new bet for a television franchise this year: The World Fighting
Alliance. And where better enjoy beautiful women, incredible
fighters, and a cast of star DJ's but in Las Vegas, Nevada at
the one and only HardRock Hotel and Casino. The WFA Fight Club
will truly be the place to be in 2001.
All of this along with eight
world class martial arts bouts guarantee the WFA to be the place
to be at the HardRock Hotel in Las Vegas on November 10th 2001.
The World Fighting Alliance truly "The Future of Mixed Martial
Arts".
To learn more about John Lewis
visit www.lewisjiujitsu.com
To learn more about John Huntington visit www.spiritworld.com
WFA Inc.
8665 W. Flamingo
#131-368
Las Vegas, NV 89102
Phone 702-206-5400
For Details, Contact:
John Lewis
WFA Inc.
Phone (702) 206-5400
John
Lewis Interview
Below is an interview
with BJJ black belt John Lewis which he states that Hawaii's
Ron "The Machine Gun" Jhun will be fighting the always
tough and UFC Veteran Jermaine Andre. Again, Ron always fights
the best he can get his hands on and so far has been mowing down
the competition.
John has taken a small break from
fighting to run his hot new promotion called the 'World Fighting
Alliance.' His show will debut November 10th, 2001 in Las Vegas.
With MMA now legalized in Nevada, John has some big plans for
the WFA. John also runs one of the most talented fight teams
in all the land.
Q: How did you get involved
with Jiu Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts?
JL: I've been doing Martial Arts for a very long time, studying
and studying, trying to get as good as I can in as many different
arts as possible. I got involved with Mixed Martial Arts when
a friend of mine introduced me to John Perretti, who wasn't even
doing the UFC at the time. We started training together and became
good friends, and then I got in the first Extreme Fighting. I
had fought before that in some other shows too. which he was
in my corner for. But I really came out and got my name in the
circuit when he became the match maker for Extreme Fighting.
Q: I understand you have a fight
promotion that you have started called the 'World Fighting Alliance,'
with the debut show to take place November 10th, 2001 at the
HardRock hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada?
JL: Yes sir.
Q: Talk a little bit about that....
JL: World Fighting Alliance is going to be a great new contest
with great fighters, world class fighters. It's gonna be great.
Q: What influenced you to start
this event?
JL: I've been working on this for about 5 years now. It's something
I have been wanting to do for a long time, but it has not been
legal in Nevada until now. I have been working on this for a
quite a long time though.
Q: So this is going to be a
milestone for you to see the first event take place?
JL: Yeah. I think about 4 years, not 5 years. A lot of years
I've been working on this.
Q: Who do you have scheduled
for the card for the first World Fight Alliance?
JL: Pretty much the card is almost full. Marvin Eastman vs. Rich
Franklin, Ronald Jhun vs. Jermaine Andre - Middleweight
title, Gary Goodridge vs. Mario Neto,
Antonio McKee vs. Jason Black, Tiki vs. Paul Rodriguez and many
more awesome fights. I'm really proud of this card. I made a
lot of friends over the years and everyone wants to help me do
this thing and I really appreciate it.
Q: You've fought spectacular
fighters like Jens Pulver and Rumina Sato, who has been your
toughest opponent throughout your career?
JL: My toughest opponent, my favorite fight, would have to be
the Rumina Sato fight. I think he's a great fighter, and he's
one of my favorite fighters. I also had a hard fight against
Kenny Monday. It was a hard fight because I took a lot of punches
in that fight. But I caught him in the very beginning of the
fight and everything I planned on doing was working perfectly.
Then I got caught somewhere in that first round before the bell,
and I got a concussion. When I went back to my corner I was really
dizzy. I went back into the fight for about 8 minutes after that,
but at that point I wasn't myself anymore, so it was hard for
me to execute my plan. I've had a lot of great fights and I usually
fight for the purpose of challenging myself. I use fighting to
help me better myself as a Martial Artist.
Q: Who's your favorite fighter
to watch?
JL: Probably Rumina. Rumina, Sakurai. Rumina is really one of
my favorites. I love his free style of fighting, he lets himself
go, he doesn't try to hold back, he gives everything he's got.
I like Frank Shamrock a lot too, for the same kind of reason.
Frank, he just gives everything he's got.
Q: Do you have any fights coming
up for yourself?
JL: Well, you know I can hardly get time to go on the mat and
train myself. I'm working on this show right now, it's occupying
a lot of my time. I can't even think about scheduling a fight
right now.
Q: What does your daily training
routine consist of?
JL: When I'm training for a fight it's about 5 hours a day of
really serious training. Cardio in the morning, Submission, Wrestling,
Jiu Jitsu at about 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM, and then Boxing until
about 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM, and it's a good long day. I do swimming
other days for Cardio as well, and different kind of drills like
that, all kinds of stuff. I'm really focused in my training.
Q: When you are training for
a fight what is your eating routine like?
JL: When I am training for a fight my eating routine gets a lot
cleaner, normally I do not worry about my eating. When I'm training
for a fight, I try to eat clean foods. Chicken, vegetables, nothing
specific that I have just basically healthy foods. A lot of protein
and a lot of carbohydrates to help me push myself through the
day.
Q: You've trained under people
like Rickson Gracie and Gene LeBell, how does it feel to have
trained under legends such as them?
JL: Well, Gene LeBell has been an incredible inspiration for
me, he taught me a lot of stuff. Also, Andre Pederneiras has
been an incredible inspiration for me. Those people are where
I grew from. Rickson Gracie really exposed me to the art of Jiu
Jitsu, I learned some cool stuff at his school but pretty much
I learned the rule of the game as opposed to a lot of the techniques.
All my Jiu Jitsu credit goes to Andre Pederneiras for sure. That's
really where I sprouted and shot up really quickly.
Q: You and Andre are partners
right now, you guys run a school?
JL: Yes, We are partners when it comes down to Nova Uniao, but
not financially.
Q: How did you get started with
Rickson?
JL: I was training Martial Arts and studying whatever I could
and I was with Gene Lebell. Someone told me I should check out
this Jiu Jitsu school, which at the time I knew nothing about.
They said I should take it from this guy named Rickson Gracie,
and I happened to live 2 blocks away from Rickson's school. So
I went over there, and ever since then I have been training Jiu
Jitsu.
Q: How often do you see Tito
Ortiz these days?
JL: I see him a lot. He's a very close friend of mine and a partner
of mine. As well as Chuck Lidell, Chuck was just here last week
training for his fight here. We are all team mates. We are all
very close friends and we see each other as much as possible.
Q: How do you see the fight
with Tito Ortiz and Vitor Belfort going at UFC 33?
JL: Vitor Belfort is a great guy, I like him a lot. I think he's
a great fighter. I'm not sure if he has the capability of staying
on his feet with Tito. Even though his hands are awesome and
dangerous. Tito is very good on the ground and he's very good
at defending against submissions. I have to say I'm not sure
if Vitor can stay up with Tito. I think Tito will take him down
and it will be very similar to the Vanderlei fight.
Q: Who are you picking for a
winner?
JL: Probably Tito Ortiz. I mean, I wish the best for Vitor, I
love him very much, he's a good kid.
Q: Will you be at UFC 33?
JL: Definitely. I'm cornering for Chuck Lidell and Tony Desouza.
Q: Tito right now is being said
to be the most dominant fighter in the sport and the best in
the sport, What are your thoughts on Tito as a fighter?
JL: I think Tito is devastating. He keeps getting better and
better. He's got a fire in him when it comes time to fight. He's
a hard trainer with a hard work ethic. I think sky's the limit
for him. He keeps getting better and better everyday.
Q: How hard has Tito been training
for this fight with Vitor?
JL: He's training very hard for this fight. Right now he's up
in Big Bear getting that elevation training. He trains hard for
every fight. He's serious when it comes down to a title. He doesn't
want to lose it to anybody and he's willing to do whatever he's
gotta do to keep that title.
Q: You have an amazing fight
team. What are your thoughts on your team as people and as fighters?
JL: First of all, as people, they're all awesome. I don't involve
myself with anybody who I don't feel is a good person. It's not
just about heavy tough fighters on my team, it's about having
talented fighters, talented individuals, just tough guys. I have
guys call me who want to join the team and I am very picky about
who will be on the team. You have to be a good person, you have
to represent the team, you have to have good athletic ability,
you have to have very strong techniques. I'm very proud of the
people I have that I can call my team. Everybody is awesome.
Everybody helps everybody, it's a good family. Definitely one
of the best teams out there, if not the best.
Q: Do you learn something new
everyday?
JL: Oh definitely. The guys on my team teach me things everyday.
I always learn everyday. I try to always be open to learning.
I'm not the type of person where I have to be a leader and not
a learner.
Q: What do you like to do in
your free time?
JL: I pretty much am always working. I'm always training. There's
never a time where I am just sitting around. I love to sit around
when I get time to. I'm the kind of guy that always takes on
so many different things at once. Sometimes I need to learn to
just say no. I have all different endeavors that I am always
working on. My day goes from early in the morning to late in
the evening. But sometimes I do go out and hit Vegas. Strip Clubs,
I have a ball. But overall I am a working guy.
Q: Anything else you would like
to say?
JL: Thanks to everybody for supporting the show coming up, you
will not be disappointed, it's gonna be something to see. So
if you can make it to Vegas, come out to the show.
Thanks bro. Anytime man.
Source: WTR911@aol.com from
the Abu Dhabi Site |
UFC
Commercials
Oceanic
Cablevision and InDemand have been airing commercials for the
upcoming UFC on September 28, live from the Mandalay Bay in Las
Vegas.
Again, if you don't want to eat the entire cost for the pay-per-view
event, go to Gussie's, drop $5 to get in and enjoy the show. |
Quote
of the Day
"We
have been reminded very powerfully of the existence of evil in
our world and of the power that evil can seem to have... We are
praying from our hearts for those who have been killed and injured
and for the heroic people who are involved in the rescue efforts.
May God bless us with courage and strength"
Bishop George J. Lucas, of the Catholic Diocese of Springfield,
Illinois
"This
is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in
our resolve for justice and peace...America has stood down enemies
before, and we will do so this time."
President George W. Bush, address to the nation
"This
conflict was begun on the timing and terms of others; it will
end in a way and at an hour of our choosing."
President George W. Bush |
|
Countdown
NOTICE:
There is only four days left till my bachelor party. Got ones? |
UFC
Commercials
Oceanic
Cablevision and InDemand have been airing commercials for the
upcoming UFC on September 28, live from the Mandalay Bay in Las
Vegas.
Again, if you don't want to eat the entire cost for the pay-per-view
event, go to Gussie's, drop $5 to get in and enjoy the show. |
|
Margarida
May be Coming to Hawaii
Margarida
has expressed interest in coming to Hawaii to teach a seminar.
If he comes, it will be right after the UFC on September 28 and
he will probably stay for about a week. |
Ken
Chertow Wrestling Seminar in Hilo
Olympic wealth
of knowledge
By John Burnett/
For the Tribune-Herald
It's not often
that an athlete of Ken Chertow's accomplishment comes to Hilo
to share his knowledge. The 1988 U.S. Olympic wrestler wraps
up a three - day camp today at the University of Hawaii at Hilo
gym.
The camp is the
culmination of a dream of Hilo High School wrestling coach Bill
Crawford.
"About August
of last year I came up with a crazy idea that I was going to
get coach Chertow to come to Hilo, so I sent him an e-mail and
asked him if he would be interested," Crawford said. "About
2,000 e-mails later and a lot of planning, a lot of organization
and a lot of help from various people and organizations, we got
him here."
About 50 high school
and youth wrestlers plus coaches from around the island are participating
in the camp. They are being instructed by perhaps the premier
wrestling clinician in the country, if not the world. Chertow,
who coached at Penn State after a stellar career, which included
three-time All-American and Academic All-American honors, is
clearly a man who loves his work, spreading the gospel of grappling
to the youth of America.
"I enjoyed
coaching college, but it wasn't as fulfilling as running camps,"
he said. "When I graduated from college, I took a job coaching
college (as an assistant at PSU) and built my camp up. I basically
spent my whole summer running camps and my whole school year
coaching and found myself enjoying summers more.
"I like working
with kids. I didn't know what the financial rewards would be
at the time, but it's proven to be a nice opportunity for my
family and me, as well. That's a bonus. The real payoff is the
satisfaction of working with young kids."
Chertow and wife,
Laurie, are the proud parents of daughter and son, Emily, 5,
and Alex, 3. The entire family has been enjoying a working vacation
of sorts on the island, and spent a couple of days in Kona before
coming to Hilo.
"The hospitality
of the people in Hawaii has been amazing," he said. "We've
really enjoyed ourselves here."
Chertow also had
a chance to check out some youth wrestling at the Waiakea Settlement
YMCA club.
"They're doing
a good job with the program there," he said. "I saw
kids from about 8 to 18 there and they are getting good instruction
from adult coaches."
Crawford, who is
more familiar with the YMCA's program, said it is a good place
for young people interested in wrestling to start and a great
deal for parents, as well.
"They are
the best deal in town," he said. "Two nights a week
the parents can go out and have dinner or whatever and it only
costs $10 a year for the youngsters to come and participate,
Wednesday and Sunday from 4 to 6."
Crawford is equally
enthusiastic about the youngsters' opportunity to spend some
quality time with Chertow.
"He's a wealth
of knowledge," Crawford said. "The thing that I find
most amazing and what a lot of kids here can relate to is that
he comes from a small town and small state where wrestling was
not very popular and he was able to go all the way."
Chertow echoed
Crawford's sentiments and said that he feels an affinity to one
Hawaii wrestler in particular, former St. Louis High grappler
Travis Lee of Honolulu.
"Ironically,
I come from a small state, too, West Virginia," he said.
"Not much wrestling tradition, similar to Hawaii. I won
the junior nationals in both Greco - Roman and freestyle at the
same weight that Travis did. That led to me getting some national
recognition and making the U.S. Olympic team four years later."
Chertow, who won
his two West Virginia state prep championships at Huntington
High at 123 pounds, wrestled at 126 and 118 at Penn State and
114 in the Seoul Olympics. That weight loss brings up the image
of the sweatsuit clad wrestlers jumping rope and spitting in
a 100 degree room and taking diuretics, if necessary, to make
weight for matches.
"Fortunately,
we've gotten rid of that part of the sport," Chertow said.
"Wrestling is supposed to teach participants to eat healthy
and control your weight over a period of time. That's how it
was always supposed to have been. Now it's even more that way.
There's less and less water loss and more focus on healthy eating
habits."
Of all his memories
as a highly decorated wrestler, Chertow said the Olympics were
the ultimate.
"It was the
culmination of a career of preparation to try to make the big
time," he said. "Just making the Olympic team was an
awesome experience, to know that I was going to represent our
country. When I went, it was exciting to see all the different
cultures and meet the people and take place in elite competition."
Chertow said that
to be an effective wrestler, one need not be a physical specimen
such as American gold medallist superheavyweight Rulon Gardner
or his celebrated Siberian nemesis, Alexander Karelin.
"I got a whole
lot out of my athletic ability," he said. "I'm not
a really great athlete. I was never the strongest or fastest
guy on the block or in the community, let alone the wrestling
team. I just worked really hard and long to learn the sport and
understand the tactics and the techniques. I was able to put
some pretty good skills to work on the mat for me. I think that's
really helped me as a coach because as an athlete I couldn't
rely on my speed or my strength.
"I did work
hard to get stronger, but I relied on knowing and understanding
the game and executing good technique. That knowledge of the
game has helped me as a coach."
Chertow stays as
close to the sport as possible on every level. He's scheduled
to be at the World Wrestling Championships Sept. 26 - 29 in New
York City and to hold a camp the day after at Hofstra University
on Long Island. But he emphasizes that his first love is teaching
the sport at the most elementary level.
"Youth wrestling
is booming now, especially in the Northeast and the Midwest,"
he said. "Every community has youth wrestling clubs and
the sport is growing in leaps and bounds," he said. "It's
still steadily growing at the high school level, as well."
One reason for
wrestling's growing popularity is the relatively new phenomenon
of distaff competition.
"I think wrestling
is great for girls," Chertow said. "I was at (Hilo
High School's) banquet and I saw a lot of highly motivated young
girl wrestlers. I think wrestling teaches girls the same attributes
as far as discipline and physical training that it teaches the
boys."
Although wrestling
in Hawaii has not achieved the popularity that it has in places
such as Iowa, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania, Chertow sees a promising
future for the sport here.
"Wrestling
on the mainland just comes in geographic pockets," he said.
"You don't need 300 high schools to have a good wrestling
program, you just need a handful of schools who take it seriously
and make a commitment to train throughout the year. There a lot
of kids in Hawaii with strength and agility and if they get the
proper coaching and decide to take the skills and work on them
throughout the year, they can succeed. Hopefully coaches will
take advantage of my clinic and other clinics available to them.
"Just because
of numbers, it's not likely that Hawaii will turn out 10 college
prospects every year, but there's no reason that two, three,
maybe four kids a year can't go to school on the mainland on
wrestling scholarships. They've just got to make a commitment
to getting better."
- - -
The final day of
instruction and competition at Chertow's clinic is in two sessions,
9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. today. Spectators are welcome.
There is a $3 admission charge. Chertow also has a Web site at
www.kenchertow.com.
Source: Hilo Tribune
Herald |
Quote
of the Day
"This
is one of those few days in life that one can actually say will
change everything."
EU Relations Commissioner Chris Patten
"The
resolve of our great nation is being tested. But make no mistake:
We will show the world that we will pass this test."
President George W. Bush, address to the nation
"Today
our nation saw evil, the very worst of human nature, and we responded
with the best of America."
President George W. Bush, address to the nation
|
|
Countdown
NOTICE:
There is only five days left till my bachelor party. Be prepared. |
|
Relson
is Back in Hawaii
With
all the delays and added security, we were not sure when Relson
was going to return. He came back yesterday so he should be teaching
class at the academy tonight unless he is too tired from his
trip. |
|
Super
Brawl XXII Postponed to Nov. 3
There
is a God! I was bummed for a while because as some of you know,
I'm getting married on September 29 and going on my honeymoon
a little after and was going to miss the October 13 Super Brawl.
Just to make that clear and save my marriage that hasn't occurred
yet, I WAS BUMMED TO MISS SUPER BRAWL, NOT TO GET MARRIED. Ok,
now that's out of the way, I got a great email from the Super
Brawl promoter, T. Jay Thompson informing me that the Super Brawl
has been moved to November 3rd. The venue is still the Blaidell
arena as always. The tentative fight card should be coming up
in the upcoming weeks. A little birdy tells me that the main
event is something that everyone will definitely NOT want to
miss. There will also be a very interesting "revenge"
type of match if it comes through so as you can tell, I am really
looking forward to this event.
If
you have any questions or would like to see if you fight for
this professional event, contact T. Jay Thompson at 808.524.6062
or e-mail superbrawl@hawaii.rr.com. Remember as stated
below, if you are new to the fight game, maybe the trials would
be more up your alley. |
Super
Brawl Trials
Media
Release
For Immediate Release:
September
14, 2001
Super
Brawl
Trials
September 25.
With
the recent tragedy in NYC and Washington D.C., many sporting
events are being postponed or cancelled. The September 25 event
at Gussie L’Mours will proceed as scheduled. “We have
spent the last days glued to CNN and mourning the victims of
this despicable act.” says T. Jay Thompson “Although
in the last couple of days, things at the office have come to
a stand still, we will go on with the show.”
Thompson,
promoter of the successful Super Brawl series of events, will
however drastically drop the price of tickets for this event.
All tickets will cost just $5. Including ringside. “We hope
the fans will take this opportunity to do something more important
with their money, donate to the September 11 relief fund,”
Thompson said.
There
is still a need for fighters for this event. Interested fighters
can contact T. Jay Thompson at 808.524.6062 or e-mail superbrawl@hawaii.rr.com. Standout fighters will
be invited to compete in future professional Super Brawl events.
As
well as the amateur fights, there will be special “tag-team”
submission wrestling matches. Professional and amateur fighters
are welcome. Three teams have already signed up, Falaniko Vitale
and Anthony Torres, John Crisostomo and Abe Rodrigues as well
as Super Brawl promoter T. Jay Thompson and Super Brawl referee
and World Champion Arm wrestler, Steve English, will also be
competing. Any two-man team will be welcome. Contact T. Jay for
information.
A
professional bout will also be announced in the coming week as
well as the possibility of muay-thai kickboxing matches.
Tickets
are expected to go fast with seating capacity of under 500. For
ticket information contact Gussie L’Mours at 836-7883. |
Quote
of the Day
"We
have been reminded very powerfully of the existence of evil in
our world and of the power that evil can seem to have... We are
praying from our hearts for those who have been killed and injured
and for the heroic people who are involved in the rescue efforts.
May God bless us with courage and strength"
Bishop George J. Lucas, of the Catholic Diocese of Springfield,
Illinois
"This
is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in
our resolve for justice and peace...America has stood down enemies
before, and we will do so this time."
President George W. Bush, address to the nation
"This
conflict was begun on the timing and terms of others; it will
end in a way and at an hour of our choosing."
President George W. Bush
|
Don
Frye Interview in the works
I
just finished doing an interview with Don "The Predator"
Frye about his return to NHB in Pride 16 on September 24th. I
caught up with him at a hotel in Japan via telephone (obviously).
He will be facing Gilbert Yvel. A lot is expected of Frye and
I believe he will produce. He says he is ready and once I transcribe
and submit the interview to Full Contact Fighter, I will post
it here.
Royler Gracie's
Training Routine
I will also post what training tips that I could pull out of
Royler when I finish compiling and organizing them. That was
a struggle, but I will give you as much details as I could squeeze
out of him.
Now, I will spend some quality time with my tape recorder and
computer, if you don't mind. Man, I gotta get a life! - Chris
|
