"When defeat comes, accept it as a signal that your plans
are not sound, rebuild those plans, and set sail once more toward
your coveted goal."
Napoleon Hill
"For
every disciplined effort there is a multiple reward."
Jim Rohn
1st
Annual Whoop-Ass Tekken Tournament Results
At
the annual Casca Grossa Jiu-Jitsu party, everyone had a lot of
fun. We expanded the Joe Dirt fan club by a few members, ate
a ton of great food and started the annual PS2 tournament. We
had an 8-man Tekken tournament. It was a heated battle with more
than half of the field never playing Tekken before. The tournament
was organized by Nitta-Shiraki Promotions who, get this, provided
trophies for 1st and 2nd place and a medal for 3rd. In addition
to that, there were cash prizes. There was a couple allegations
of sandbagging, which will be adjusted for in the next tournament.
The semi-finalist had Rex Barnum vs. Brandon Bernardino and Ross
Takada vs. Onzuka.com's own Chris Onzuka. Rex "The Sandbagger"
Barnum edged out Kotaka, who in reality just won the Karate World
Championships. And I am sorry to say Ross beat the crap out of
me (I have to learn more than one move on that damn game). The
match for 3rd place was on the line as Chris took on Brandon.
It was a close match with Brandon destroying me in the first
match, but Chris' jab's were too fast (it is the only technique
I know) and squeezed him out the victory. Rex's Capoeirista's
long range strikes took out Ross for the title.
UFC
versus Pride: Which is better?
Day 3 Results: UFC Makes a Comeback
UFC
- 13
Pride - 31
We are
up to 44 people who have voted. Keep them coming by emailing
me
your pick and your name. That is all I need. I will report the
results daily.
Pacific
Design Company Wins An Award
You
may be wondering what does this have to do with Hawaii Martial
Arts. Well, Marc Ebalaroza is the web design wizard behind the
Onzuka.com's redesign. It may not mean much to you now, but when
we release Onzuka.com's new site, you will want to tell your
friends about Marc.
Once again Pacific Design Company has just received another award!!
This time the award comes from a European source, the AWA 4Star
Award at Aljapaco,com
We received a 97% point range with the max being 100%. We are
now generating world wide recognition and I have found my link
in French, German and UK forums. I also been offered to help
on "Site Development" on a popular French Forum http://www.noemie-production.com/phpBB2/ .
With all the visitors our bandwidth usage been over the top however
with the help of Joey Ching at http://www.hawaii411.com everything's running
smooth. Thanks Joey!!
SHOOTO
Champs Retain Titles; Shields Shocks Sakurai
Last night in Tokyo SHOOTO held its year-end event featuring
some of the best lower-weight class fighters in mixed martial
arts. SHOOTO 154-lb. champion Takanori Gomi retained his title
by stopping Dokonjonosuke Mishima by TKO fifty-two seconds of
round two. Gomi dropped Mishima with a right punch in the opening
moments of the second frame and was able to finish the fight,
his first non-decision in seven fights.
Alexandre
Franca "Pequeno" Nogueira needed less than one round
to erase the bad memories of his knock out loss to Hiroyuki Abe
earlier this year. Saturday's rematch saw Nogueira survive an
early knock down and come back to score a rear naked choke victory
3:53 of the first round.
In
a shocker, Hayato "Mach" Sakurai dropped his second
fight in a row (his first in SHOOTO this year), falling to American
Jake Shields by unanimous decision (30-28 on all three judges
score cards). The loss raises serious questions about Sakurai
and where he belongs amongst other top 170-pounders. All of a
sudden Shields is in position to be a player in the welterweight
division.
In
other action, Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro needed three
full rounds to earn a unanimous decision victory over Tatsuya
Kawajiri. The win caps an excellent 2002 for Ribeiro. Masato
Shiozawa mauled Hisao Ikeda to win by TKO 4:14 of the third round.
Amazingly, Shiozawa dropped Ikeda with punches six times during
the bout. Joachim Hansen scored a majority decision victory (28-27,
28-26, 28-28) over Takumi to pull off the upset. In the night's
opening contest, Kuniyoshi Hironaka defeated Nick Diaz by split
decision after three rounds (29-28 twice and 27-28).
SHOOTO
Tokyo Bay NK Hall , Japan
December 14th, 2002
UFC
response to Miller allegations
by: Josh Hedges
For Immediate Release From Zuffa, LLC
December 13, 2002
Las Vegas, Nevada
Zuffa,
LLC, owner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (“Zuffa”),
is aware that an individual or entity hiding behind the pen name
“Camp of Phillip Miller” distributed an email earlier
today that makes false accusations regarding Mr. Miller’s
promotional contract with Zuffa. In particular, the email falsely
states that Mr. Miller’s contract provides that each of
his purses will not be less than half of what his opponents earn
for the same fights. However, like any professional business,
Zuffa maintains files of all its contractual agreements. Consequently,
Zuffa possesses the original agreement with Mr. Miller, and nowhere
in the document is there a provision as falsely alleged in the
defamatory email communication.
Zuffa
has demanded an immediate and full retraction from the individual
or individuals who sent the email earlier today. If a plain and
unequivocal retraction satisfactory to Zuffa’s lawful demands
is not timely distributed to each of the third parties who received
the original email, Zuffa will proceed with all legal and equitable
measures against those involved with the false statements. Such
measures will include demand for recovery of any and all damages
to Zuffa’s business reputation. Additionally, Zuffa is politely
reminding anyone who may consider further disseminating the false
statements that the knowing re-publication of libelous material
may subject the re-publishing individual or entities to separate
damages.
Zuffa
is proud of its business reputation and its dealings with every
UFC fighter. Therefore, whenever someone makes defamatory statements
about the company, Zuffa is committed to using all legal means
available to protect the reputation of the company, and its owners,
officers and employees.
Source: ADCC
UWFI
Returns To Japan - Strong Style Works?
What was considered a monster PPV product in the U.S. back in
the mid-1990's has resurfaced.
When
UWFI's version of 'shootfighting' aired on U.S. PPV back in 1992
it did an astounding 250,000 buys. With zero 'live production'
cost, it was almost all profit and started turning heads.
Eventually
people caught on that their slogan 'It's Real' wasn't really
legit and things started slipping. Even though it wasn't 100%
real, it was very entertaining for those who had never witnessed
the product before.
When
RINGS and UWFI dissolved, it's 'stars' were grossly exposed as
below average fighters in PRIDE shows. Now Kiyoshi Tamura is
wanting to restart the 'entertainment' aspect of fighting once
again.
Tamura
announced that UWF-Japan would officially reopen under his guidance.
Tamura gained moderate success as a Mixed Martial Artist but
fell short of gaining the stardom he once received in RINGS and
UWFI.
Nobuhiko
Takada was once a mainstream star in Japan but was proven to
be a failure in MMA. The reopening could provide a major opportunity
for him to showcase his students in pro wrestling/strong style
fighting to save face.
One
of his students, Kazushi Sakuraba, who was only a preliminary
athlete at the time, has been the only pro wrestler to break
away from UWFI and become a major MMA star.
Josh
Barnett is another fan of the old UWFI and in past interviews,
he's made it clear that he'd love to do that style of pro wrestling.
Tamura
stated that the group would book six shows and start in a small
venue (smart thing).
Source:
ADCC
Henderson
Steps Up For a Rematch
Literally,
Dan Henderson will be stepping up 2 weight classes to take on
the current Pride Heavyweight Champ, Minotauro. February of 2000,
Hendo bested Nogueira in the RINGS KOK tournament in a split
decision. Controversial, Henderson always seems to eke out a
win over the toughest opponents. In that fight and that tournament,
judges were instructed to not give an advantage to fighters that
were able to mount their opposition, and this is exactly what
happened to Henderson in that fight. Despite being caught in
that position, Minotauro was unable to submit the much smaller
man. Under Pride rules, there will obviously be striking to the
face, unavailable as a weapon under RINGS rules. This might further
impact the second meeting as Nogueria might be able to resort
to these tactics in the, up to this point, never before submitted,
Henderson proves to be as wily as ever. This is also a huge part
of Henderson's game as he his a highly underrated right hand,
both on the ground and standing.
Also
scheduled to make his debut in the next Pride is Bazigit Atajev.
Atajev may be the best heavyweight fighter nobody has ever heard
of. He is definitely the best stand up fighter in the sport of
MMA. A former Sanda Champion (kickboxing with throws) he was
10-0 with all ten wins coming via KO. He has a lethal left hook
and favors the rarely seen spinning hook kick. He also has the
ability to finish a fight with submissions as 3 of his 7 MMA
wins have been by submission. He trains under Volk Han, a Russian
Sambo expert and RINGS veteran. Volk was never known for his
striking prowess, however his submission ability, especially
his leglocking ability is dangerous. Atajev has been able to
blend his striking with Volk's submissions into a scary combination.
He
running straight into Emelianenko Fedor, who is on the Pride
fast track by beating up highly rated Heath Herring at Pride
23. This will be a huge test for Atajev to get past the takedown
and ground and pound ability of Fedor.
Pride
23 looks solid with the normal contingent of Japanese tomato
cans finally taking less than stellar skills on each other, rather
than getting smacked around by the Silvas, Sapps, and Minotauro's
of the organization.
The
card is as follows, so far:
Antonio
Rodorigo Nogueira vs. Dan Henderson (Non-title match)
Murilo "Ninja" Rua vs. Kevin Randleman
Norihisa Yamamoto vs. Alexander Otsuka
Yuki Sasaki vs
Daijiro Matsui vs Kazuki Okubo
Source: MMA Ring Report
Ricco's
UFC 41 Opponent
Word out of the Miletich camp is that Tim Sylvia will be challenging
Rodriguez for the Heavyweight Title February 28th. No mention
of contract signings were made, but an agreement was apparently
made. Tim Sylvia sports an impressive 16-0 record. He is a legit
challenger for the crown with a perfect fight history, but he
UFC will undoubtedly take some flak for not "building"
a challenger from within the organization. Ian Freeman was on
track with one more win, but ran into Arlouski at UFC 40. Arlouski
would have been a bad choise with his recent loss to Rizzo and
he has already lost to Rodriguez at UFC 32. The only other logical
choice would be Gan McGee. McGee has the greatest chance of besting
the current champ and only has one loss on his record. Gan is
argueably a bigger threat than Sylvia with a stronger wrestling
background. The UFC will need to court big names in other arenas,
have to put lighter weight classes on the back burner for a while,
or have more than 6 shows per year to build up the class. Until
then, Guys like Sylvia, guys you've rarely had the chance to
see, will get the nod.
Source: MMA Ring Report
12/14/02
Quote
of the Day
"I think the one lesson I have learned is that there
is no substitute for paying attention."
Diane Sawyer
"Every
man dies. Not every man truly lives."
Braveheart
UFC
versus Pride: Which is better?
Day 2 Results: UFC Makes a Comeback
UFC
- 10
Pride - 22
I know
there are more than 32 people who read this page daily, so stop
being lazy and email
me
your pick and your name. That is all I need. I will report the
results daily.
Official
Response to UFC allegations
that Phil will not fight Baroni
From Phil Miller Camp:
To whom it may concern,
Today
on 12-11-02 the U.F.C has made claim that Phil Miller declined
to fight Phil Baroni, this is only partially true. What they
decline to mention is that under Phil's contract with them his
first three fights would not put him in a bout where his opponent's
fight purse would exceed his by double (which means he only asks
for half of what his opponent would get for the same fight).
In the case of his fight with Phil Baroni the U.F.C refused to
meet their contractual agreement by assuring us that Baroni would
not make double Miller's fight purse. When we offered to take
the fight outside of the contract agreement if they would at
least increase the fight purse, they became furious, and refused
to make this fight happen. If the U.F.C would have only honored
their commitments in writing as they expect their fighters to
do, this would not be an issue. When we countered their offer
with Menne or Miletich they declined.
Phil
would like his fans to know he has honored his side of the contract
that he signed, but will not give into the bulling tactics (like
their recent press releases) to make him take a fight that is
not in the guidelines of his contract. Phil will continue to
fight the best in the world, which at this time we are not convinced
are even with the U.F.C. After listening to Tito after the Shamrock
fight express his feeling on their disloyalty, we're starting
to get a better understanding of the real picture. Phil is not
one to air his personal business in public, but this is the forum
that they are choosing.
Thank
you,
Camp of Phillip Miller
ALEXANDRE
'PEQUENO' FRANCA NOGUEIRA
PEQUENO
defends his belt against Hiroyuki Abe, a rematch against the
man who KO'd him!
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: How're you feeling mentally about your title shot against
Abe since you got knocked out last time? 'Pequeno': Actually
I'm training very hard and mentally I'm ok, I'm fighting to keep
my title. I plan to hold on to this title for the next year.
And, I intend to knock Abe down.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: You're a guillotine choke man, will you change your fight
game? 'Pequeno': I will do what it takes to win, because I want
to get revenge for what he did me.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: What didn't you accomplish in the last match that you'll
try to achieve in this fight? 'Pequeno': Last time I trained
a lot just as I'm doing this time. But, what people don't know
is, the day before the last fight I was injured. I ripped my
ligaments and this limited my movements severely. That's why
Abe was able to get that right cross that knocked me out.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Were you limited in your movement? 'Pequeno': I couldn't
bend my right knee. So, I couldn't shoot to take Abe down. My
game had to be to trade blows with him on my feet. I've to admit,
I fought for a draw or if possible a good lucky punch. But, he's
the one that got lucky. He landed a good punch.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: During the fight he kicked your hurt knee. What do you
think about this sportsmanship? 'Pequeno': I was hurt and limping.
He noticed it and he wasn't honorable. That was his way to beat
me. I never would do this to my opponents.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Some people said that you were not prepared for this
fight. Is that true? 'Pequeno': I was very well trained! Absolutely.
The problem was my injury not the training.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: How did you rip your ligaments? 'Pequeno': I was training
with Dudu Guimaraes, and he was on the bottom while I was on
top trying to pass his guard. With his left he kicked my right
knee. This is what ripped my ligaments.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Don't you train more with BTT? 'Pequeno': I'm no longer
training there. Nowadays I'm only training in my own academy
WFC and in UA Fight Team.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Why did you stop training with BTT? 'Pequeno': They issued
a statement, on the internet, about Marcio 'Cromado' and myself.
Afterwards I resolved not to train there, nothing personal about
it. I'm still friends with everybody who trains at BTT.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Would you have been better prepared if you had trained
with BTT?consideration to SHOOTO because they always support
me.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Did you think about not fighting? 'Pequeno': I thought
about it. Then, Mr. Joao Alberto Barreto said me: -'Don't fight'.
But I
decided to fight without any conditions and that was a bad decision.
When I went to weigh-ins there at SHOOTO, the promoters asked
me what happened because I was limping.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: When I interviewed you before that fight you had told
me that Abe was tough on the feet, so why did you try to fight
him on the feet? 'Pequeno': I knew that he had KO'd some good
fighters in Japan and he has good sprawls, added to my lack of
movements I didn't get to take him down to the ground.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Also, about who's the tougher opponent for you? You mentioned
several opponents before, but not Abe. You didn't see him as
such a tough one? 'Pequeno': I didn't pay much attention to him
before our last
fight, so I didn't see him as a tough fighter.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Two of your fighters, Toniko Junior and Dudu, fought
in this event too. What did you think about their performances?
'Pequeno': I was worried, mainly about Dudu, who was debuting.
But, he got a draw. Toniko Junior suffered a TKO and then I stepped
in the ring to fight Abe a bit sad that day.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: You said before that you are training at UA Fight Team
but tell us again about training at UA Fight Team? 'Pequeno':
Before I was only training Wrestling with their instructor, Jefferson.
However now I've trained with whole team because they're tought
NHB fighters. Guys like the lightweight M-1 champion, Luis 'Buscape'
Junior, and Milton Vieira.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Since you said that you're going to KO him, tell us about
your stand up training. 'Pequeno': I train Muay Thai and Boxing
in WFC, so
I'm prepared and confident.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Hey man, I watched you and Ebenezer 'PitBull' Fontes
Braga on a TV Show, how did that happen? 'Pequeno': That was
a good opportunity and since we're Christians, we got to explain
on TV how the relationship between fighters and religion. Of
course we wanted to show them that fighters aren't all brawlers.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: I noticed that was bit hard to explain to the interviewer
about NHB. Was it hard? 'Pequeno': It was, but after some good
explanations he got the picture. We're professional fighters
and NHB is a sport. Now they get it.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: What do you promise for this re-match and what do you
have to say to the Brazilians? Mainly to the Luta-Livre community
which only has you to represent them in this great show? 'Pequeno':
I'm relaxed and I learned a lot with my last defeat. I changed
my mind about 'I'm a champion, I cannot lose', every fighter
loses one day. The only one that never looses is Jesus Christ.
Trust me Brazilians.
Source: ADCC
A
Few Stories, A Few Questions for Everyone
Part One
Between Rounds by Joe Hall
Ever
wondered what Frank Shamrock wanted to be growing up? The hardest
Don Frye has ever been hit? What Dan Henderson thought of Vanderlei
Silva's staredown? What it's like trying out for the revered
Miletich Fighting Systems?
I've
been on staff at MaxFighting for nearly a year now, and those
are just a few of the questions I've asked various MMA personalities.
For every interview I've done, there have been several responses
that don't make it into a story. Regardless, they are recorded,
transcribed and filed away for a rainy day.
Most
of the questions I ask a fighter are related to an upcoming fight
or a current issue, unless they're an up-and-comer, in which
case I typically focus on background information. Other inquiries
I make, though, are for selfish reasons. I ask each fighter I
interview a series of the same questions -- for example, what
is the best thing about MMA? -- for the sole purpose of collecting
their intriguing answers and comparing them.
Just
the other day I was able to peruse my compilation of quotes,
and now it's time to share. Here are just a few of the compelling
statements and stories I've been told in 2002, some of which
have been incorporated into articles, and others I guarantee
are new to your eyes.
One
question I frequently ask is the following: What is your most
memorable moment in MMA? Frank Shamrock answered with one of
the best, and most disgusting, stories I've ever heard:
"That's
a tough one because when I fight, everything slows down for me.
I see everything, for the most part. I'll tell you this:
"The
toughest instance I remember was when I was fighting in Pancrase.
I was fighting [Osami] Shibuya, and he was just all muscle. I
hadn't trained properly, wasn't in that good of shape. It was
before I got serious. About seven minutes in, I realize I'm completely
exhausted. So exhausted, so dehydrated that my mouth was all
dried out and my lips were sticking on my teeth.
"Midway
during this match, I'm so dried out and we're all hugged up in
the ropes, I reach over and lick the sweat off my arm so I can
have moisture in my mouth.
"Just
imagine the thought that has to go through your head when you're
like, 'There's water on my arm. I can get to that. I may take
a shot or two, but …'"
At
that point, I mentioned to Frank that it could have been worse.
He could have licked the sweat off Shibuya's arm, I said. "Oh
my god, that was next," he responded.
***
What is the best thing about being a mixed martial artist? is
another question I've asked numerous fighters.
"Everything
bro," Matt Serra told me just days before his fight against
Kelly Dullanty. "Some people love to train; some people
love to fight. I love to do both, man. I love the training coming
up to it. The sacrifice. Especially now, I can't eat nothing.
It's brutal, man. I'm looking forward to right after, when I
can hang out and eat and go to a nice Italian restaurant. But
seriously, when you're in there, it's a very emotional, almost
spiritual feeling. It's very hard to explain. It's like the most
ultimate high. It's something that I think really has to be in
you."
"Just
the challenge," Don Frye says. "The hand-to-hand, man-to-man
combat. Testing your own limits, whether you can do it or not.
You get to look inside yourself and see what you're made out
of."
"The
camaraderie that comes with the training," says steel-chinned
welterweight Aaron Riley. "What I really like is the fitness
side of it, getting in shape, the friendship you develop among
the fighters and among your training partners. It's just how
I choose to spend my days, I guess."
Carlos
Newton says the best thing is "being able to let yourself
go."
Of
all the responses I've received, Jens Pulver put it best: "When
you get out there and go against another guy who has just taken
the last two months to prepare for you. I think the best part
about fighting is the preparation. The nervousness and the anxiety
and the ups and downs that you experience in practice leading
up to the minute that you walk out to that ring has got to be
the best and the craziest feeling that anybody could ever experience.
Basically, you go out there and you're naked to the world. They
get to see everything about you, from your heart to your soul,
to your drive, to your desire, to your fire, to whether you're
a quitter or you're a go-getter."
Of
course, you can't ask about the best aspect of being a mixed
martial artist unless you inquire about the worst as well.
"The
worst thing is defeat," Don Frye says.
"The
next day," Riley says.
Dave
Menne says it's "all the people who talk about it. All the
stuff I hear about he said, she said. All the people who want
to attempt to be an expert without really taking the time to
really become a fighter, to live that life."
***
Everyone has a variety of heroic, ambitious professional desires
when they're young, and mixed martial artists are no different.
Growing
up, Frank Shamrock says he wanted to be "an action star."
That's not all, though. "I've always wanted to be a professional
athlete," he adds. "And I've done them both."
"I'm
sure I wanted to be a firefighter or a policeman," says
Pride star Dan Henderson. "Something like that, like every
other kid. I wanted to make the Olympic team. I went and watched
the Olympics; my dad took me when I was fourteen (84 Games in
Los Angeles). That was pretty much my first experience with the
Olympics, and I wanted to make the Olympic team. So, I did that
two Olympics later."
"I
just wanted to be the best at whatever I did," Don Frye
says. "Of course, I grew up watching Mohammed Ali, Joe Frazier,
Terry Funk, Ric Flair. I wanted to be a fireman; I did that.
I wanted to be a cowboy; I did that. I wanted to have a world
championship belt; I did that. I wanted to be a good husband
and a good father; I hope I can pull that off."
Dave
Menne, who I put into a select group with Frank Shamrock and
Matt Hume as three people who talk about fighting on a different
level than the rest of us, wanted to be a brain surgeon as a
small child. When he moved on to junior and senior high school,
Menne wanted to be a writer. (Both Menne's mother and grandmother
have been published, and as a youngster, he wrote a play that
garnered awards on the state level for creative expression.)
***
I've spoken to several fighters training at Miletich Fighting
Systems in Iowa, but no one has painted a better picture of what
it takes to train there daily than Tony Fryklund. Best known
until recently for his performance at UFC 14, Fryklund left his
home outside Boston for a torturous tryout in Iowa. Here is his
story of how he ran the gauntlet and became one of Miletich's
fighters:
"In
all the years that I spent doing martial arts, 99-percent of
it was useless. I wanted to put a couple of years into grappling
and real submission fighting. Then I said, 'Okay, now I think
I'm ready to start training with the people that really do it.'
That's when I finally went back to the UFC. I didn't know who
any of these guys were. Very rarely did I touch on it. Then finally
I went, and it was when Jens Pulver was fighting Caol Uno. That's
when I just happened to be standing there, and I met Pat Miletich
and these guys. I don't know why, but I happened to have a résumé
with me. That night at the after party, I slipped it to him.
A few days later we were speaking on the phone, and he invited
me out to come to the camp and train for a couple of weeks.
"When
I got off the plane the first time visiting, Pat picked me up
at the airport, and we went down to Stars and Stripes, which
is the local sportsbar. In the middle of the afternoon they were
having bar room boxing and extreme fighting! Right in a ring
in the center of the bar! And girls were fighting as well! I
looked at Pat and said, 'Does everyone fight in this town?' He
said, 'Yeah, pretty much. You either wrestle or you do ultimate
fighting.'
"Basically,
I got beat up the whole time I was there. I had trash bags full
of ice on each leg in the hotel room talking to my father back
in Boston, going, 'Oh my God, I can't even walk, but man, I love
it out here.' My legs were beaten up, and I spent the whole two
weeks looking up at the ceiling because everyone in Iowa is a
wrestler. Then we did standup. Pat has so many pro boxers come
to the camp. That was when Pat said, 'Wow, this kid is pretty
hard-nosed.' That's when he said, with my face bleeding but not
quitting and giving these guys a run for their money, 'Your standup
is real good; your submissions are decent; your grappling is
what we need to work on, but I'd love to have you come back and
fight at 185 pounds on the team.'
"I
moved out here in May (2001), and June 23 I fought in Jamie Levine's
show, Reality Superfighting. I was out here for five weeks, and
all I did was get beaten up. I went [into the fight] with a deviated
septum, a broken nose and a huge cauliflower ear. I was a mess
going into the fight. I couldn't breath through my nose; I was
draining my ear with a syringe."
Tony
won the fight, by the way, and has not lost since moving to Iowa.
***
Vanderlei Silva's ominous staredown first became famous at Pride
12. While the menacing glare surged a chill down the collective
spines of MMA fans watching at home, Dan Henderson had a much
different perspective: He was in the ring, and Silva's piercing
gaze was focused on him.
Fortunately
for Dan, he lived to tell about it. Did it intimidate you? I
asked him.
"The
stare?" Henderson said. "No. I had a tough time keeping
a straight face. Next time I'll probably kiss him or something."
***
Don Frye is widely recognized as one of the toughest fighters
in the sport. He has stood toe-to-toe with Tank Abbot and absorbed
a series of brain-rattling blows for it, refused to submit while
Ken Shamrock cranked on his ankles and knees, and even stepped
into the ring to face Jerome Le Banner under K-1 rules. Before
he fought the French kickboxer, which very well could have changed
his answer, I asked Don what was the hardest he had ever been
hit. We shared a laugh as he described the incident.
"That
was when my training partner, Sam Sotello, hit me," he said.
"Kick
or a punch?" I asked.
"It
was a punch," he answered. "He raddled me from the
top of my hair all the way down to my heels. Knocked my toenails
off."
"Did
you go down?" I asked, once I had finished laughing at his
eloquent description.
"No,
I didn't go down. I thought about it. I called a time out, that's
for sure."
***
More to come in Part Two.
Source: Maxfighting
12/13/02
Quote
of the Day
Don't smother each other. No one can grow in the shade.
Leo Buscaglia.
[about the
past] ...the way I see it, you can either run from it, or learn
from it.
Rafikki to Simba in Disney's The Lion King
UFC
versus Pride: Which is better?
Day 1 Results
UFC
- 2
Pride - 13
I know
there are more than 15 people who read this page daily, so stop
being lazy and email
me
your pick and your name. That is all I need. I will report the
results daily. Looks like Pride is killing the UFC.
Alright
my opinionated compadres, which organization do you like better.
Our young lion, Kyle Olivares is writing a paper and needs 50,
that's right 50 votes. This page gets read by a lot more than
50 guys, so please drop me an email letting me know which organization
do you like better.
All I need
in the email is your name and your pick UFC or Pride. Don't give
me a dissertation, just pick 'em.
Don't
let me down by thinking that everyone else is going to vote.
I want to see if every reader of this page submits their vote.
We will post the results of it after a few days.
Nogueira
to Rematch Henderson,
Ninja vs Randleman PRIDE 24
Dream Stage Entertainment has released 5 matchups for PRIDE 24,
taking place December 23 in Japan.
Antonio
Rodorigo Nogueira vs. Dan Henderson
Murilo "Ninja" Rua vs. Kevin Randleman
Norihisa Yamamoto vs. Alexander Otsuka
Yuki Sasaki vs. Rodrigo Gracie
Daijiro Matsui vs. Kazuki Okubo
Discuss
the new PRIDE 24 Matchups in the MMA Forums with 9,300+ other
MMA fans.
PRIDE
FC 24: COLD FURY III DETAILS
EVENT
NAME: PRIDE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS: COLD FURY III
DATE: December 23, 2002
Source: Sherdog
Big
News On Big Shooto Match-ups!!!
Japan's
first professional Shooto card for the new year is already coming
together. On January 24th at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
- Joao Roque has signed to fight the 6th ranked Shooto Lightweight
- Naoya Uematsu. This is an incredible addition to Shooto's already
talented pool of top fighters in the 143 lbs weight division.
Uematsu is currently in the process of climbing back on the horse,
a process that is taking a little longer than most would have
expected, regarding the fact that he has drawn and lost in his
first two bouts after the return from his illness. Now Roque
will most certainly prove to be a true test of Uematsu's capability
to reacheive his former status... perhaps too tough.
This
will be the Brazilian's Shooto debut. He fought in Vale Tudo
Japan 97, 98, and 99 which were organized and promoted by members
of the Shooto Association, but were not Shooto bouts themselves.
While those performances were phenomenal in there own right,
they all ended in draws because there were no decisions under
those rules. Now he is coming in to really shake things up after
having won his last four, three by submission - including against
Takehiro Murahama who went the distance with both Royler Gracie
and Jens Pulver. This will be a big bout indeed...
Also,
on that same card is rising female star Erica Montoya. She is
set to face Naoko Torashima of WK network - the producers of
GCM Contenders. Furthermore, her teammate and trainer Chris Brennan
is making his return where he is pitted against the number 2
ranked Shooto Welterweight, Ryan Bow. Brennan lost his last Shooto
bout against Champion Takanori Gomi, but he made his mark on
the Shooto scene with that performance and this will be a big
bout for both men. Ryan has been hovering in the upper rankings
for some time now and a win here should solidify his place as
the top contender (pending the result of the Gomi/Mishima title
bout).
Look
for Katsuya Toida back in action as well after taking some time
off to recover from injuries. And
lastly, the 2003 rookie tornament will kick off on the 24th as
well. Last years tournament produced some of the biggest up-and-comers
in the business such as Tatsuya Kawajiri and Yasuhiro Urushitani.
Who will rise above the crowd this time around???
Source: Richard Santoro, SHOOTO USA
Promises,
Promises
By Josh Gross
The
ink on the contracts, which set into motion a February 28, 2003
rematch between Matt Lindland and Phil Baroni, barely had enough
time to dry yesterday before the bad blood that’s been brewing
since the middleweights’ first fought November 2, 2001 exploded
into a firestorm of insults and threats.
Up
to this point it was primarily Baroni (he lost the decision in
their first contest) doing the trash talking. Lindland, mild-mannered
to the point of being vanilla in the past, wasted little time
to fire a cutting salvo of remarks in the direction of the self-proclaimed
“New York Bad Ass” when contacted regarding the rematch.
“I’m
the antithesis of Baroni,” Lindland told MaxFighting via
phone from Gresham, Oregon. “I’m the real bad ass,
you know. Baroni is the wannabe-wish-he-was bad ass…. He’s
a knucklehead that guy. ‘Steroni’ is a juiced up welterweight
is what he is.”
Baroni
had been begging for a rematch as soon as their first bout ended,
and it was scheduled to happen, just not this soon. Trying to
find an opponent for Baroni on their upcoming Atlantic City card,
the UFC found itself dead in the water after Phillip Miller declined
to face either Baroni or Lindland.
Unsure
where to turn and with middleweight champion Murilo Bustamante
in limbo because of contractual issues, the brass at the UFC
decided that they had nothing to lose by setting up the early
rematch.
Lindland,
who just signed a three-fight deal to continue fighting for the
UFC, didn’t hesitate to accept a chance at beating Baroni
a second time. “My motivation to fight this loudmouth is
to shut him up once and for all,” he boisterously explained.
“I mean I didn’t finish him the first time I fought
him. He’s a juiced up welterweight that needs to get shut
up and get sent back down to 170.
“I
owned him that entire fight, so I’m ready for another fight.
It’s only going to be worse for him.”
Besides
their fifteen-minute battle in the Octagon, the top-five ranked
middleweights trained together for nearly two weeks earlier this
year when Lindland was in the midst of preparing for his March
fight versus Pat Miletich. The 2000 Olympic Greco-Roman silver
medallist isn’t quite sure how or why his former opponent
ended up in his gym.
“I
don’t know how he ended up here,” Lindland started.
“I don’t know where he went after he left here. The
only part of that story that I ever understood was that he did
something to Tito’s (Ortiz) knee and he had to get out of
that town. And he ended up showing up here. I don’t know
who invited him or why. I don’t even know if he was invited.”
“I’m
not going to turn away a punching bag that wanted to get beat
on,” he remembered thinking when Baroni showed up on the
Team Quest doorstep. “He came in the room and wanted to
get beat on. I let him come in. It wasn’t like I was scared
to workout with him because all that did was put into his mind
that he really can’t beat me. The time he spent up here
all he did was get beat on.
“He’s
got no respect for anybody. He comes to our gym, trains with
us, leaves and then gets on the Internet and badmouths us. People
like (UFC president) Dana White and other people in the UFC read
that Internet like it’s real. These people that are on the
Internet reading the forums and stuff, those guys are in a bubble.
That isn’t the real world. The world is a lot bigger than
the Underground Forum in case Phil Baroni didn’t know. Dana
White gets on there reading that stuff too, thinking that’s
what people really think. Well, who are these people? Probably
30 of those screen names are Baroni himself, you know.”
Regardless
of what the New Yorker says in interviews and on Internet forums,
Lindland, 8-1, is convinced that the February training sessions
resulted in a confidence-shaken Baroni. “I’m inside
his head,” Lindland said. “He knows deep down there’s
nothing he can do to beat me, so he’s trying to talk himself
into it.”
There’s
little doubt that Lindland dominated the majority of the first
contest, however both fighters are markedly improved from the
versions that previously went to war. Since that time Lindland
has two wins over Pat Miletich and Ivan Salaverry. His only blemish
-- the only loss of his career -- came against Bustamante, arguably
the best fighter in the world.
Baroni,
meanwhile, has two huge victories over Amar Suloev and former
middleweight champion Dave Menne, a fighter Lindland still feels
is “a lot better” than Baroni. Despite obvious growth
as a fighter during the past year, Lindland refuses to credit
Baroni for any of his in-ring accomplishments. “He’s
got no respect for anybody,” stated Lindland. “I got
no respect for that. I mean, I don’t think he’s that
tough as far as respecting him as a fighter; I don’t think
he’s that good.”
Lindland
will tell you that he’s a much-improved fighter and that
the chances of the rematch going the distance are not great.
In fact, he said, had it not been for the referee stepping in
and standing up the two fighters after “a bullshit knee
on the ground,” Baroni would have not have made it the distance
the first time around.
“That
knee on the ground that stood us up was the only time Baroni
got any momentum, and those punches he was hitting me with didn’t
hurt,” he recalled.
Said
the fighter, who once used a pair of pliers to perform a bit
of oral surgery on himself so he could compete in a wrestling
tournament, about Baroni’s punches: “They were just
annoying me.”
Lindland
is convinced that newfound stand up skills, which he worked heavily
on while preparing for Miletich, should make things relatively
easy for him the second time around. Punching and kicking aren’t
the only things he’s learned since jumping head first into
mixed martial arts after his medal-winning performance of the
2000 Sydney games.
“I’m
having fun with this sport,” he said. “I’m learning.
It’s a lot different than wrestling. I can only make small
improvements in wrestling. In this sport I can make huge improvements
daily. I can learn. I can grow daily. The more time I spend on
the mat the better I get at this.”
Don’t
look now, but it appears like can he give Baroni a run for his
money in the interview department, too.
Source: Maxfighting
12/12/02
Quote
of the Day
"There are two ways to live your life. One is as though
nothing is a miracle.
The other is as though everything is a miracle."
Albert Einstein.
"Character
cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience
of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition
inspired, and success achieved."
Helen Keller
UFC
versus Pride
Which is better?
Alright
my opinionated compadres, which organization do you like better.
Our young lion, Kyle Olivares is writing a paper and needs 50,
that's right 50 votes. This page gets read by a lot more than
50 guys, so please drop me an email letting me know which organization
do you like better.
All I need
in the email is your name and your pick UFC or Pride. Don't give
me a dissertation, just pick 'em.
Don't
let me down by thinking that everyone else is going to vote.
I want to see if every reader of this page submits their vote.
We will post the results of it after a few days.
Fighters
Club New Episode Coming Soon
Episode 6 is finally
finished. This is our best episode to date. No this is not another
Star Wars movie, this is the latest episode of the hottest martial
arts show on TV. Fighters Club.
It features:
"Jesus Is Lord
Gym"
including interviews with:
Ray "Braddah" Cooper, Stephen "Bozo" Pauling,
and Bob "Bob-O" Ostovich.
Including some of their favorite highlights from "Warrior's
Quest."
Mike Onzuka's Technique
of the Week
Features Egan Inoue demostrating 2 leg locks.
This episode will
run every Tuesday night.
Channel 52
8:00pm
Starting Tuesday, December 17th and continuing until February
(or until the next episode is cut).
Source: Mark Kurano
"Minotauro"
and Henderson to Rematch
by Josh Gross
PRIDE heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro"
Nogueira will have an opportunity to redeem the only loss on
his impressive resume as he'll face Dan Henderson (12-2) December
23 at Pride 24, MaxFighting has learned. On his way towards claiming
the RINGS King of Kings 2000 tournament, Henderson won a controversial
split decision over Nogueira (18-1-1) in February of that year.
Since that time Nogueira has 12 wins and one draw, and became
the Pride heavyweight champion in November 2001 with a win over
Heath Herring.
Meanwhile,
Henderson has made a name for himself as one of the toughest
pound-for-pound fighters in the world. He'll have his work cut
out for him on Dec. 23, as the natural middleweight will face
the best heavyweight in the world.
Source: Maxfighting
Tank
Abbott TALKS....
TANK ABBOTT - READY TO TAKE THE UFC SPOTLIGHT AGAIN?
Tank
Abbott's interview on Jeff Marek's LIVE AUDIO WRESTLING on Sunday
was interesting, to say the least.
When
asked about Tito vs. Ken, Tank responded: 'I don't look at it
as Tito being a great fighter....I look at it as Shamrock showing
up not ready to fight.'
Tank
went on to say that he would fight Ortiz if it came to it. 'I
think he's a heavyweight who cuts down so he doesn't have to
hang with the big boys' said Tank. 'My differences and falling
out with Tito has nothing to do with fighting but the match is
always possible.'
Abbott
also says he is training full time in boxing, BJJ, wrestling
and running. His training regimen has cut over 50lbs off his
weight (from 297lbs down to 246lbs).
Tank
also spoke of facing Rico Rodriguez for the title down the road
but NOT at UFC 41. He also said if a Shamrock fight was on the
table he'd have no problems taking that one either.
When
asked about his WCW experience: 'I was just along for the ride....as
long as those paychecks kept coming every two weeks, that's all
that mattered' said Abbott.
Marek
questioned the Pride vs. UFC offers but Tank said he felt the
UFC was the place for him and the money didn't matter (easy to
say when you make $30,000 a month from WCW).
Abbott
says when he comes back, he'll be better than anyone can remember
and boys will hit the floor. It's starting to get interesting.
Source: ADCC
PRIDE's
December 23rd card - STATE OF FLUX!
The match between PRIDE Champion Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira
and new contender Emilianenko Fedor is off for the next Pride
scheduled for the 23rd of December in Fukuoka - Japan. Fedor
had stated that he would prefer more time to prepare himself
to fight for the Pride Heavyweight belt. Earlier this week, Fedor
reportedly suffered a training injury and the match is off. DSE
is scrambling, but they are in a MAJOR bind looking for a replacement.
There
will be no title matches at Pride 24, since middleweight champion
Vanderlei Silva is recovering from a small knee injury suffered
against Hiromitsu Kanehara at PRIDE 23. Minotauro's Nogueira
next title defense must be Fedor, so only a non title bout is
possible for the Heavyweight Champion.
Early
rumors regarding Minotaur's opponent is that Russian Top Team
member Iouri Kotchkine may take the fight to represent his team.
Kotchkine is a Rings and Pride veteran, who lost his last fight
to Heath Hearring at Pride 22.
Source: ADCC
Latest
Official PANCRASE Rankings
Latest Official PANCRASE Rankings (as of 12/10/2002)
Heavyweight
(199lbs. under 221lbs.)
the 1st Heavyweight K.O.P. Yoshiki Takahashi (PANCRASEism)
#1 Katsuhisa Fujii (UFO)
#2 Jason Godsey (U.S.A./I.F. Academy)
#3 vacant
Light
heavyweight (181lbs. under 199lbs.)
the 2nd Light heavyweight K.O.P. Sanae Kikuta (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#1 Yuki Kondo (PANCRASEism)
#2 KEI Yamamiya (PANCRASEism)
#3 Ikuhisa Minowa (PANCRASEism) *UP from #6
#4 Yuki Sasaki (Pancrase GRABAKA) *DOWN from #3
#5 Ricardo Almeida (Renzo Gracie Jiu Jitsu Academy) *IN!
#6 Osami Shibuya (PANCRASEism) *DOWN from #4
#7 Mitsuyoshi Sato (Pancrase GRABAKA) *DOWN from #5
#8 Eiji Ishikawa (Pancrase GRABAKA) *DOWN from #7
#9 Daisuke Ishii (PANCRASEism) *DOWN from #8
#10 Akihiro Gono (Pancrase GRABAKA) *DOWN from #9
Middleweight
(165.7lbs.~ under 181lbs.)
the 2nd Middleweight K.O.P. Kiuma Kunioku (PANCRASEism)
#1 Chris Lytle (U.S.A./I.F. Academy)
#2 Izuru Takeuchi (SK Absolute)
#3 Nathan Marquardt (U.S.A./Colorado Stars)
#4 Kazuo Misaki (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#5 Yuji Hoshino (RJW/CENTRAL)
#6 Shonie Carter (U.S.A./AIKI Training Hall)
#7 Daiju Takase (Wajutsu Keishukai Tokyo Hombu)
#8 Takafumi Ito (PANCRASEism)
#9 Kosei Kubota (PANCRASEism)
Welterweight
(152.5lbs.~ under 165.7lbs.)
the 1st Welterweight K.O.P. Kiuma Kunioku (PANCRASEism)
#1 Takafumi Ito (PANCRASEism)
#2 Koji Oishi (PANCRASEism)
#3 Hiroki Nagaoka (Rodeo Style)
#4 Kenichi Serizawa (RJW/CENTRAL)
Lightweight
(141.4lbs.~ under 152.5lbs.) VACANT
Featherweight
(under 141.4lbs.) VACANT
Source: Mr Oitate
BTT:
A Hard Road to Japan!
by: Marcello Tetel
For unknown reasons, the Brazilian Top Team has been having problems
at the General Consulate of Japan, in Rio de Janeiro.
After
dozens of high profile trips by it's members, with many this
year alone, Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira, Mario Sperry, Luiz
Alves and Bebeo Duarte are having an extremely difficult time
getting visas issued prior to the December 23rd PRIDE.
Apparently,
each time a visa has been issued, the Consulate asks for more
and more paperwork, delaying the issuing of the visas, and consequently
the trip to Japan.
On
the other hand, DSE is taking too long in delivering the work
visa documentation called the 'Certificate' delaying things further.
As
it stands now, 'Minotauro' Nogueira and Company will depart from
Rio de Janeiro on December 18th and will arrive in Japan on 20th
of December.
It
is possible that 'Minotauro' will consider the possibility of
pulling out of this next fight in Pride, and for the future,
request a new policy from DSE regarding the fight confirmation.
He may decline fights arriving in Japan 3 days before the show.
Source: ADCC
Bobby
Hoffman and Patty Hoffman
By Arnold "The Sushiboy" Lim
Patricia
Hoffman #2
From
Part 1
MMARR:
When you said that when you ran away from Hoffman and the only
thing that saved your life was that Hoffman fell do you feel
that if you didn’t fall that you wouldn’t be alive
today?
Patty Hoffman: Yeah I really in all honesty I feel that I would
be dead ….
…..Sometimes I feel like I should…
***Her
voice starts to crackle ***
Patty
Hoffman: I feel like it is my fault that he is where he is at,
but in all honesty I do feel like I would be dead I really do….
MMARR:
Do you still wear that Wedding ring around your finger?
Patty Hoffman: Yes I do.
MMARR:
Why?
Start
of part 2
Patty
Hoffman: Because when I talk to him from West Valley detention
center all he wanted to know was how I was, How I was, Are you
OK? Are you OK? I am so sorry Patricia I never meant to do that
to you and I know normally a guy is going to say anything he
can you know to try and get out of where he is at but I know
that he meant it when he said it, I know that he wouldn’t
have been on those pain killers he never would have done that
he has never been like that to me before.
MMARR:
Previous to that did he ever strike you, hit you choke you or
hurt you in any way physically?
Patty Hoffman: Never. All he has ever done is show me unconditional
love. He has been there for me and in times where I have not
had anybody, I don’t have a good family relationship with
my mom and dad. He has actually made me feel that somebody actually
loves me and his family has taken me in, his family is my family
and even before we were married I considered him my husband for
the last year and a half he has been my husband he has always
been there for me
MMARR:
How long had you been dating Mr. Hoffman for?
Patty Hoffman: I started dating him November 17th of 1999, no
it was 2000 I was 18 years old when I met him.
MMARR:
How old are you now?
Patty Hoffman: I am 20. There is a really big age difference
(Bobby Hoffman is 35)
MMARR:
Age difference doesn’t mean anything my fiancé is
actually quite a bit older then me, just don’t tell her
I told you that!!
Patty Hoffman: That is ok I wont say anything!!
***Laughs***
MMARR:
If she ever finds out then I am going to be in a lot of trouble
so …
***Laughs***
MMARR:
I can you tell me about Bobby’s training?
Patty Hoffman: Yeah... Trainin’ lacked. Um, I know Bobby’s
a great fighter, and I know necessarily he doesn’t need
somebody to train him, but I know, fighting comes naturally to
him. He thinks it comes so natural that he doesn’t need
all the trainin’. And I mean, with Obake, (Tim “Obake”
Catalfo ) he got really bad bump on his shin, you know, like
right above his foot a little bit. It was a horrible… like
bump, it would not go away. It was huge and everything and he
couldn’t walk on it and he iced it all the time. You know,
that was part of the reason why he didn’t train too. But
I know he lacks in his trainin’ with Josh, I know that.
MMARR:
Yeah, I think that you know as far as talent, like you said,
his talent is sky high, but you know the things as far as not
training and not taking care of his body…
Patty Hoffman: Well...to be quite honest as long as I’ve
been with Bobby, he’s always smoked pot.
MMARR:
Uh-huh.
Patty Hoffman: And I’ve always tried to get him to stop.
But it was so natural to him, that it couldn’t be stopped.
You know, it was just so natural; it was an everyday habit. You
know, just some’m that you couldn’t get rid of. You
know,-
MMARR:
So, did he smoke pot every single day?
Patty Hoffman: Pretty much, yeah. Unless he didn’t have
it, but he had friends that contributed it to him. You know,
with his fight with Josh, he had a friend who contributed it
to him, he had a friend who took it to the fight, you know. And
I don’t think that that friend was a good friend because
that friend was doin’ nothin’ but encouragin’
him saying, “Yeah, do it all the way,” and everythin’.
You know, “You’re gonna kick Josh’s ass.”
And then, yeah, here he brought…pot for them to smoke.
MMARR:
Yeah.
Patty Hoffman: You know?
MMARR:
Can you name who that friend was?
Patty Hoffman: Mmm, I don’t know if I necessarily want to
give the name out.
MMARR:
Okay.
Patty Hoffman: I mean, I just, I don’t want to like offend
that person. You know, I mean…
MMARR:
M-hmm, umm…
Patty Hoffman: I guess, you know what? I’ll give it to you
because you know what? I really don’t care…. It’s
“Barney”.
MMARR:
“Barney” gave it to him? “Barney” the one?
Patty Hoffman: Yeah, he’s the one that contributed all the
drugs to my husband.
MMARR:
Aw, man.
Patty Hoffman: Thanks to him he was my husband’s biggest
supplier. You know. And I couldn’t get my husband to stop
because every time I would get him, you know, to where he had
nothing, he would have to break down and go and see “Barney”.
You know. He couldn’t stop it because Marcos just kept on
bringin’ more and more and more. You know.
MMARR:
Yeah.
Patty Hoffman: “Barney” was a horrible friend. Horrible
friend of Bobby. I mean, if he had really wanted Bobby to succeed,
he never would had done that.
MMARR: No, because that was not the first time that he was banned
from the UFC because of pot. That was his second time. He had
a fight with Mark Robinson. Were you with him during that time?
Patty Hoffman: Yeah, actually I was, but I wasn’t presently
at the fight.
MMARR:
Yeah.
Patty Hoffman: I was at home um, in Iowa.
MMARR:
M-hmm. But he fought Mark Robinson. As you know, he won by KO,-
Patty Hoffman: M-hmm
MMARR:
He had a nice victory. He was well on his way to um, making a
name for himself again in the UFC. That was his second fight
at the UFC I think.
Patty Hoffman: M-hmm.
MMARR:
And he got banned. And then he went in against the top contender,
Josh Barnett, who’s someone that you can’t take lightly,
anyone. And, smoking pot that day, I don’t know, if that
was a smart thing for…
Patty Hoffman: I mean, you know, like I said, I wasn’t actually
at the UFC.
MMARR:
Yeah.
Patty Hoffman: But I will admit to him that he gassed out.
MMARR:
M-hmm.
Patty Hoffman: You know, I’ll give him my personal opinion
and you know what. When we would wake up in the morning, you
know, he would tell me that he was goin’ to train, and I
mean, he didn’t trained as hard as he should’ve. I
mean, he just didn’t really do anything. I mean, it’s
like he thought… he was gonna win and it was gonna be no
other way. You know, I mean, spirits were really high but I just,
I know in order to have beat Josh, he needed to train.
MMARR:
Talent can only take you so far, as you know and the difference
that sets people apart such as Bobby Hoffman, is training.
Patty Hoffman: But I also think, what might of lacked of the
training was that Bobby didn’t have a reliable trainer.
He had Nelson, the Mui-Thai guy.
MMARR:
Yeah.
Patty Hoffman: Remember Nelson? He had Nelson, but then I don’t
know what happened there. Just, you know, they kept calling us
and calling us and just getting’ really annoying to us.
And I mean (breathes in) he didn’t have somebody that he
really could learn from. Now, when he was training up at Shark
Tank, Eddie Millis is training him, but you know what? Who was
Eddie Millis to be telling him, how to NHB fight, when Eddie
Millis has not even had one NHB.
MMARR:
….
Patty Hoffman: And, you know, Bobby knows more about NHB than
Eddie does. You know, so I really think, a good trainer was lacked
there.
MMARR:
What happened, there was one time that I know that
Bobby had a trainer and that was Pat Miletich. Pat Miletich is
a very experienced fighter that was in Iowa.
Patty Hoffman: M-hmm.
MMARR:
Um, what happened there?
Patty Hoffman: Pretty much the relationship with his teammates
was not good. You know, I mean um…Bobby was very different
from all those guys. I mean, you know Bobby liked to do things
his way, and I mean, he would correct things and he would be
told to correct them, but he just didn’t get along with
his teammates and that’s why he got sucked to California.
MMARR:
...
Patty Hoffman: Right, because Monte (Cox) said that he was gonna
have him with a new trainer and everything. Because Bobby just
was not getting along with his team.
MMARR:
Uh-huh.
Patty Hoffman: As far as I can remember that was it, you know.
MMARR:
So, are you originally from Iowa?
Patty Hoffman: I was originally from Mulin, Illinois (laughs
a little). But I lived in Iowa for um almost my whole entire
life.
MMARR:
Oh, so Bobby’s the only reason that you went out to California?
Patty Hoffman: M-hmm.
MMARR:
Um…
Patty Hoffman: I work a factory job from 3 to 11 and um, I go
to school too.
MMARR:
What kind of a job do you have in the factory?
Patty Hoffman: Mmm, well, I go under a temp agency. We make like
$6.50 an hour and um, it’s uh, it’s just like an air
vent, you know, I stand on an assembly line and like it’s
not Styrofoam, it’s molded objects like egg cartons
MMARR:
Uh-huh.
Patty Hoffman: You know, like the paper egg cartons? It’s
different, like, it’s different little parts and all it
is, I stack em. Stack em and Pack em.
MMARR:
“Stack em and Pack em.”
Patty Hoffman: “Stack em and Pack em.” Yeah, that’s
what I do. I was doin’ telemarketing for four months. …
Source: MMA Ring Report
12/11/02
Quote
of the Day
"Do not go where the path may lead,
go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
"The
man who has no imagination has no wings."
Muhammad Ali
PRIDE
24 Coming Together
By Josh Gross
Though injuries to Emelianenko Fedor will prevent him from participating
in his scheduled December 23 title fight versus PRIDE heavyweight
champion Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira in Fukuoka, Japan,
several of PRIDE 24's other contests are shaping up nicely. Top-ten
ranked light heavyweights Kevin Randleman and Murilo "Ninja"
Rua will face each other in a fight that promises to push both
men. Also, Guy Mezger will take on Rogerio Noguiera, the twin
brother of champion Rodrigo. As for Fedor and "Minotauro,"
it appears as if they and the rest of the fight world will have
to wait until March before that highly-anticipated bout can happen.
The champion's PRIDE 24 opponent is yet to be determined.
Source: Maxfighting
PRIDE
Grand Prix to Return in 2003
By Josh Gross
Dream Stage Entertainment is planning on promoting two separate
eight-man PRIDE Grand Prix tournaments in 2003, MaxFighting has
learned. Final participants for the middleweight (205 pounds
and under) and heavyweight (205 pounds and over) tournaments
should be finalized early next year.
The
first rounds of both the heavyweight and middleweight mega-events
could take place sometime next August, and both tournaments will
culminate in either October or November. It's been two-and-a-half
years since American Mark Coleman made history by winning the
first and only PRIDE Grand Prix tournament. Fans have been clamoring
for another tournament ever since. The first event is also famous
for playing host to the 90-minute classic between Royce Gracie
and Kazushi Sakuraba.
Source: Maxfighting
MaxFighting's
Pound for Pound MMA Rankings
1a. Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira (18-1-1)
What
a wild ride the past four months have been for the best heavyweight
in the world. His amazing showcase versus Bob Sapp in August
left little question that “Minotauro” belonged atop
the pound-for-pound rankings. Known for having the best guard
of any heavyweight in mixed martial arts as well as always-improving
striking skills, only six of Nogueira’s 20 fights have gone
to the judges. Nogueira has a fight on December 23rd in his future
as well as a PRIDE heavyweight title defense versus Emelianenko
Fedor in March.
1b.
Murilo Bustamante (9-1-1)
Until
further notice, Bustamante, the best middleweight in the world,
is the UFC 185-pound champion. Much like former UFC lightweight
champion Jens Pulver, contractual disputes with Zuffa may be
the only thing that could relieve him of the belt anytime soon.
Dominant wins over Dave Menne and Matt Lindland in 2002 showed
the Brazilian could finish a fight anywhere in the ring. The
victories also propelled him to the top of the P4P list alongside
Brazilian Top Team member “Minotauro.”
3.
Matt Hughes (29-3-0)
Hughes
continued his demolition of the welterweight class with a first-round
TKO victory of Gil Castillo in late-November. That win coupled
with his other 2002 dominations of Hayato “Mach” Sakurai
and Carlos Newton punctuated a very impressive year for the undisputed
top 170-pounder in the world. His scary strength is quickly being
accented by scary skills and it seems highly unlikely that anyone
in the welterweight division that can compete with him right
now.
4.
Chuck Liddell (11-1-0)
Four
months ago light heavyweights Liddell, Ortiz and Vanderlei Silva
were tied at number 10 in the Max P4P rankings. Liddell has separated
himself as the best light heavyweight in the world over that
same time by decisioning Vitor Belfort and most recently KO’ing
Renato “Babalu” Sobral, a first for the tough Brazilian,
at UFC 40. Liddell has fought the best the sport has to offer
and unquestionably deserves a chance at either Ortiz or Silva.
5.Tito
Ortiz (11-2-0)
Ortiz,
the UFC 205-pound champ, has only one fight in 2002 -- a three-round
domination of veteran Ken Shamrock -- but he moves up to the
fifth spot because it’s quite clear that despite the limited
action he’s absolutely dominant when he steps in the ring.
Improved striking to go along with his unequaled cardio and brutal
ground-and-pound means he’s one hell of a good fighter.
An anticipated April showdown between Liddell and Ortiz should
settle any questions regarding which fighter is best.
6.
Jens Pulver (26-2-1)
He may not be flashy, but he sure knows how to get those W’s.
Pulver’s fight in August versus Takehiro Murahama was a
stand-up war and he’s scheduled to face Muay Thai standout
Duane Ludwig in January. The best lightweight in the world will
surely be watching when BJ Penn and Caol Uno -- two fighters
he’s beaten -- compete in February for his vacant UFC 155-pound
title.
7.
Anderson Silva (8-1-0)
Chute
Boxe-trained Silva has confounded opponents with his lanky six-foot
frame from day one. Wins over Hayato Sakurai and Alex Steibling
highlight his resume. His last win came via decision over Alexander
Otsuka in September. Sporting one of the best jabs in MMA, the
former SHOOTO 167-pound champ has fought recent bouts closer
to185 pounds -- defeating heavier opponents each time.
8.
Vanderlei Silva (21-3-1)
Silva
has the talent and ferocity to hang with fellow light heavies
Liddell and Ortiz. Through no fault of his own, however, he’s
been relegated to beating primarily b-level fighters since winning
the PRIDE 205-pound title in November 2001. Save a special rules
K-1/Pride bout between Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic that
resulted in a draw, Silva’s wins versus Alexander Otsuka,
Kiyoshi Tamura (the best out of the bunch), Tatsuya Iwasaki and
an overmatched Hiromitsu Kanehara have done little to elevate
him in the minds of most of the sport’s close observers.
9.
Takanori Gomi (11-0)
If
decisions are not your thing then Gomi is not going to be atop
your list as fighters you’d most like to watch fight. With
eight decisions in 11 fights (all wins), his style makes him
the most serious threat to Pulver at 155. The SHOOTO 154-pound
champ is the best ground-and-pounder in the lightweight division.
Recently, he had a close call with veteran American fighter Chris
Brennan. On December 14 he steps into the ring to defend his
title in a highly anticipated showdown versus top contender Dokonjonsuke
Mishima.
10.
Hayato Sakurai (16-2-2)
Before
his loss to Matt Hughes at UFC 36, he was considered top-three
P4P. The loss and time off to heal an injured back drops him
to tenth in the Max rankings, but that’s not to say he’s
any less skilled or exciting. “Mach” has the potential
to be the best welterweight in the world; he’s competitive
and young enough to rebound from the Hughes’ loss to get
there. He steps into the ring for the first time since his March
loss to Hughes on December 14 when he faces American Jake Shields.
Source: Maxfighting
Shooto
Preview
Here is comes... Shooto's year end mega-card. Shooto promoter,
Sustain, always finishes out the year strong with a huge and
exciting event line-up. While this one is not quite as blockbuster
as some others in preceding years, it certainly promises to be
a memorable one featuring titles bouts and hot up-and-comers.
Shooto
middleweight rookie tournament Champion, Kuniyoshi Hironaka,
is taking on 18 year old Cesar Gracie student and newly 'crowned'
BJJ purple belt Nick Diaz. Both men are young, skilled and ready
to make their mark.
Next
is the fighter formerly known as Takumi Nakayama (now just Takumi)
taking on Norwegian Shootor Joachim Hansen. Takumi is coming
is coming off of a draw with Rumina Sato after breaking his two
fight losing streak by defeating respected fighter Takeshi Yamazaki.
Hansen who is 2-1 in the Finnfight promotion also won his Shooto
debut in Scandinavia's first ever professional Shooto event.
Will this be enough experience to put down Takumi???
Next
up is Shooto Featherweight rankers Hisao Ikeda and Masato Shiozawa.
Ikeda has a win and a draw this year, is now looking to cement
his place as the top contender at this weight despite the tournament
that is running to establish that very spot. Shiozawa has two
wins this year and wants to make his mark. He is ranked 9th and
was left out of that Featherweight tournament so a win here could
be for him.
Another
Shooto rookie tournament winner is on the card ready too not
only prove that he is a major player in the Shooto circuit, but
on the world stage as well. After winning the Shooto Welterweight
tourney and climbing up the Shooto rankings, Tetsuya Kawajiri
is stepping up to face the very dangerous Vitor Ribeiro. Ribeiro,
who has already dispatched two Shooto rankers in the past, sees
this a big step toward vying for the belt. You can bet the winner
of this one will be very close to obtaining that goal.
Shooto
veteran and stalwart competitor Jake Shields will be laying it
down against one of Shooto's hottest commodities Hayato Sakurai.
Shields lost his Shooto debut against Ray Cooper by a very close
majority decision, but he has had a good measure of success in
other venues. He is looking to translate those victories over
into Shooto, where a win would really shake things up. Sakurai
is getting back into the ring after quite a lay-off. He has been
nursing and injured back and bruised ego after his disappointing
loss to Matt Hughes in the UFC. This is the first step for him
to get back on track and work towards reclaiming his status as
the top fighter in this weight class, not to mention reaqcuiring
the Shooto Middleweight crown which was vacated by Anderson Silva
(who defeated Sakurai for the belt in the first place).
Then
there is the highly anticipated rematch between Alexandre Nogueira
and Hiroyki Abe. Abe defeated the champion by KO in a non-title
fight and now this is his chance to take the belt once and for
all. However, Nogueira will be twice as dangerous because this
is not only a title bout, but also a chance at redemption. This
scenario played itself out before when the Champ soundly defeated
Tetsuo Katsuta in a rematch after Katsuta had also won a non-title
bout. Even if Nogueira does win, he won't be able to relax because
the Shooto lightweight division is quickly becoming one of the
toughest in the business. Number two ranked Stephan Paling dispatched
another opponent
this past weekend and is primed and ready for his chance at the
champ. There is also Norifumi Yamamoto the bruiser who decimated
Katsuta, the ever dangerous Naoya Uematsu, and the new kid on
the block Bao Quach. The possibilities at this weight are very
interesting.
Finally,
closing out the card is the long awaited match-up between Dokonjonosuke
Mishima and Takanori Gomi. Gomi is still the only undefeated
fighter at this level and he is the proud owner of the Shooto
Welterweight Championship belt. Mishima has his work cut out
for him, but he has the size and grappling expertise to truly
challenge the champion. However, it is Gomi's aggression and
striking that could be the main factor in determining the outcome
for this one.
The
entire card is listed below:
Official
Shooto
Promoter: Sustain
Location: Chiba, Japan
Date: December, 14 2002
Bout
#1: Middleweight [76 Kg] 167.5 lbs
Kuniyoshi Hironaka vs. Nick Diaz
Bout
#2: Welterweight [70 Kg] 154.3 lbs
Takumi vs. Joachim Hansen
"The real price of everything, what everything really costs
to the man who wants to acquire it, is the toil and trouble of
acquiring it."
Adam Smith
"I discovered
a long time ago that if I helped people get what they wanted,
I would always get what I wanted and I would never have to worry."
Anthony Robbins
February
PRIDE Rumors...
There appears to be serious talk among PRIDE's management about
the main event slot for PRIDE 25, scheduled for February.
Vanderlei
Silva holds the PRIDE championship at 205 lbs and is calling
out Hidehiko Yoshida. Yoshida is fresh off a victory against
Don Frye in a controversial match that ended when Frye's arm
was dislocated.
Silva
has pounded Sakuraba (two times) and delivered memorable beatings
to many of the PRIDE stars. With Sakuraba out due to injuries,
DSE PRIDE will have to come up with marketable main event. The
talk is starting that Yoshida vs. Silva could be 'the' main event
for the February show.
One
problem is the weight difference. Yoshida will be much smaller
than Silva and he is reporedly not too keen on the weight mismatch.
Silva has apparently asked that Yoshida fight without the Judo
gi in the match, which also leads to conflicts in signing the
match.
There
is a lot of time for DSE to develop the February event, so look
for more information coming out.
Source: ADCC
Eugenio
Tadeau competes, Cacareco vs. Filho in a Luta Livre Match
SUPERCAMPEONATO CYCLONE DE LUTA-LIVRE 'n' SUBMISSION
Three
Superfights reviewed:
-
CACARECO v. PAULO FILHO
- Eugenio Tadeau v. Fabiano Bernardes
- Fabricio 'Morango' Camoes v. Marcus Vinicius
Place:
Vasco da Gama Gymnasium
Date: Sunday, December 1st, 2002
SuperCampeonato
Cyclone de Luta-Livre'n'Submission came to mark one more huge
chapter in the classic Luta-Livre versus Jiu Jitsu rivalry. The
event had three super fights, and several great tournaments in
different categories. But without a doubt, everyone's attention
was centered on the 3 superfights.
The
super fights started around 3:40 pm and the heat was 40ºC
when the first fighters stepped on the mat for a 10 minute fight.
Fabricio 'Morango' Camoes (GRACIE Tijuca) and Marcus Vinicius
(Team Mario Miglioli) squared off in a super fight where 'Morango'
dominated the action but he did not get a submission. This fight
was a sequence of good moments for 'Morango', who caught Vinicius's
back in the first minute, though without the hooks or the rrear
naked choke. Vinicus had a reversal and several escapes from
Morango's submission attempts, final score 6-1 in Morango's favor.
The
second super fight was a challenge between the old school and
the new generation of Luta-Livre.
Eugenio
Tadeu (Tadeu's Luta-Livre Team) faced Fabiano Bernardes(Team
Mario Miglioli). Tadeu is 39 years old and he hasn't competed
since 1996, while Bernardes was training in the USA during 2001
and he had took part in the last Copa Stone (2002/5/26), where
he defeated his opponent by verbal tapout. Both started the fight
with shirts on. The crowds seemed evenly divided 50% 50% for
each fighter. The people who were rooting for Tadeu seemed more
lively, and Tadeu got the first score by taking Bernardes down
very close to the edge of the mat. Bernardes almost reversed
him, but he couldn't. Still very close to the edge of the mat,
Tadeu tried an ankle lock, but they were off the mat and the
fight was re-started in the center on the feet.
So
they began with several neck clinches. Tadeu tried to take Bernardes
down and he was successful once , making it 4-0 over Bernardes.
Bernardes had 2 advantages from reversals. With only 1:33 until
the end of the match, Bernardes took Tadeu down and passed his
guard, tying the score at 4-4, on his advantages he'd be the
winner. However Tadeu summoned one last rush of strength and
in the last 10 seconds got a saving takedown which provided for
him more two points. This was a good return from Tadeu who won
by 6-4 against a tough new Luta-Livre fighter.
Alexandre
'Cacareco' Ferreira (Ruas VT System) against Paulo Filho (Brazilian
Top Team) was the most anticipated fight of the event and it
turned out to be one of the most evenly matched Submission matches
held this year on Brazilian soil.
Jiu
Jitsu and Luta-Livre's rivalry was so high in the 80's and 90's
that brawls and street fights were very common in Rio de Janeiro.
Well, that aggressive rivalry almost came back in this Submission
match! When the names of 'Cacareco' and Filho were announced,
the fighters walked to the center of the mat and then the stare
down began. Both fighters are known as excellent takedown fighters,
'Cacareco' with his Luta-Livre and Wrestling background and Filho
with his Judo and Wrestling expertise, and the staredown alone
let you know this was to be a war!
They
started the fight coming right at each other looking for a takedown.
This ram-like charge was repeated three times. Then Filho quickly
pulled 'Cacareco'
to his half-guard, On the mat and on the bottom, Filho semmed
comfortable and he spoke to 'Cacareco', telling him he was stalling.
'Cacareco' almost passed Filho's guard, but Filho stayed composed
and established the full guard. Filho complained to the referee
that 'Cacareco', once again, was stalling. Filho then put his
foot on Cacareco's groin to sweep him. When Filho tried it, 'Cacareco'
almost passed his guard, causing Filho to turn on all fours.
'Cacareco' was very smart and suplexed him, scoring 2-0. 'Cacareco'
kept himself in good position while on Filho's back, but then
Filho shook him off and began to try take 'Cacareco' down. 'Cacareco'
wound up taking Filho down and passing his guard, but he was
not able to hold these positions long enough to score any points
and after this 'Cacareco' sprawled on Filho twice near the edges
of the mat and the referee interpreted it as Cacareco leaving
the mat. The referee took away two points (-2) from 'Cacareco'.
So
the score was now 2 to 2, a draw. In the end, Filho tried to
get a takedown. Again this also was very close to the edge of
the mat so the referee didn't give him any points. This drew
a lot of complaints by Ruas VT System and BTT men. The fight
had to be stopped for 10 minutes to settle things down. When
the fight was re-started, there were only 10 seconds left and
that didn't give either fighter a chance to do anything.
The
final result was a draw and this again prompted both camps to
complain.
Source: ADCC
Rodriguez'
February Opponent Determined
By Josh Gross
Following his one and only UFC win (a TKO of Wesley Correira at UFC 39) it appears as if Tim Sylvia
has claimed the heavyweight championship sweepstakes versus titleholder
Ricco Rodriguez, according to Sylvia's manager Monte Cox. Rodriguez,
who earned the belt by TKO'ing Randy Couture in late September,
is set to defend his crown for the first time. The bout is scheduled
for Feb. 28 in Atlantic City, NJ.
Source: Maxfighting
Ambriz
Retains Title; Hallman-Jhun Draw
By Josh Gross
SAN
JACINTO, Calif. -- Organizers for Saturday’s post-King of
the Cage autograph session inside the Soboba Casino must have
known something. Time after time it was announced that KOTC middleweight
champ Dean Lister and super-heavyweight titleholder Jimmy Ambriz
would give all the signatures fans desired following the night’s
fights. One interesting caveat, though: Ambriz still had a title
bout to get through.
Yeah,
well, so much for surprises. Following an explosive double-leg
takedown that dropped Ambriz’ challenger Vince Lucero to
his back, the KOTC champion grinded his way towards the eventual
verbal submission victory 4:32 of round one.
Without
much problem, Ambriz methodically and powerfully punched and
elbowed Lucero’s nose and face until they poured blood.
It was an appropriate ending to one of the bloodier KOTC cards
in recent memory.
Replacing
Fernando Vasconcelos on one week’s notice, Dennis Hallman
returned to action for the third time in five weeks. Ron Jhun, desperately in need
of a win or at the very least a good performance, appeared to
be outclassed during the first five minutes of the two-round
contest.
Hallman
worked his stellar ground game after landing an early takedown.
Consistently working to pass Jhun’s guard, Hallman neutralized his much stronger-looking
foe.
Cut
underneath his right eye halfway through round one, Jhun survived Hallman’s impressive
groundwork. In the final moments of the opening round, Hallman
went for kneebar and came extremely close to finishing the fight
with it.
Jhun, no stranger to submissions,
fended off the knee submission until the bell rang to the end
round one.
Round
two was entirely different. Jhun
opened with a barrage of strikes that baffled Hallman back to
the cage. At best, the Washington State resident survived by
covering up for most of the punches and knees. With little resistance,
Hallman looked like a done fighter.
The
two men went to the mat and instantly Hallman had another chance
at victory via a triangle choke. Jhun, in his second fight at 170 pounds, refused
to give in and survived until the bell.
Judges
at ringside had no choice but to score the bout even. (MaxFighting
agreed 19-19.) Clearly, a two-round fights are not an answer,
particularly when there are no limitations that come with live
television broadcasts.
In
other action on the small house show, Shad Smith caused enough
damage on Mike Bertuccini to force the physician at ringside
to stop the contest at the four-minute mark of round one.
Wade
Shipp needed just thirty-nine seconds to tapout Raul Delgado
by rear naked choke.
Returning
to action for the first time since going the distance versus
Jens Pulver this summer, Robert Emerson fell the unfortunate
victim of poor matchmaking on the part of his handlers as he
lost a decision to competent grappler Jamal Perkins.
In
the brief moments he enjoyed, Emerson impressed with his stand
up skills. Perkins, however, was too
good for Emerson on the mat and continually put the 155-pound
kickboxer on his back several times.
Brazilian
jiu-jitsu stylist Joe Camacho came out swinging on Matt Stansell
and bloodied him up until any further damage would have been
difficult to watch. Officials twice called timeout so Stansell’s
cuts could be worked on; however after the first-round period
ended he could not continue and the contest was stopped.
Joe
Crilly outlasted John Cole in a messy back-and-forth clash. Crilly
finally stopped Cole 4:50 of round two.
Despite
a badly battered nose that spewed blood most of the night, Reggie
Cardiel had enough to get by Rudy Duran via guillotine choke
submission 4:30 of round one.
Thomas
Kenny stopped Steve White via unanimous decision.
Matt
McPherson decisioned Asher King after two full rounds.
Mansour
Hidari stopped Louis Jablonski 4:20 of round one.
Louie
Vaith showed vast improvement over previous performances to defeat
Danny Briket by tapout from strikes 3:27 into the fight.
Timothy
Mendoza defeated “Lobo” by tapout 2:35 into his two-round
contest.
Frankie
Bollinger TKO’d Cesar Moreno 1:42 of round two.
Source: Maxfighting
12/9/02
Quote
of the Day
"The time is always right to do what is right."
Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Nothing
happens unless first a dream."
Carl Sandburg
Shooto
Hawaii: Alpha Results
Lahaina Civic Center
Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii
December 7, 2002
Fight Results and Descriptions by Michael Onzuka
Pictures by Lisa Onzuka (yup, Lisa took these, pretty good eh?) Mike@onzuka.com
Sorry
for the delay with the results, Lisa and I stayed in Maui to
sight see and came back late last night.
Main
Event Shooto Class A 76 kb 167.5 lbs
Ray "Bradda" Cooper (Jesus Is Lord) vs. Jay Buck (Team
Hell House)
Cooper wins by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) over
Buck after three rounds.
Semi-Event
Shooto Class A 65 kg 143.3 lbs
Stephen "Bozo" Paling III (Jesus Is Lord) vs. Ryan
Ackerman (Grappling Works)
Paling wins by kimura (reverse key lock) while triangling Ackerman
late in round one.
Shooto
Class B 76 kb 167.5 lbs
Sean Taylor (Freelance) vs. Tyson Coloma-Nahooikaika (Wailuku
Kickboxing)
Coloma-Naho'oikaika by referee stop because of punches from the
back mount at 3:51 minutes in round one.
Shooto
Class B 70 kg 154.5 lbs
David Padilla (Gamebred) vs. Derek Matsumoto (HMC)
Padilla wins by doctor's stop after round one over Matsumoto
due to excessive swelling of Matsumoto's eye.
Shooto
Class B 56 kg Constructed Weight Class
Antonio Rodriguez (Team Big Dog) vs. Will Armstrong (808 Fight
Factory)
Rodriguez wins by knock out at 0:12 seconds in the second round
with a left kick to the head of Armstrong.
Shooto
Class B 65 kg 143.3 lbs
Neal Andres (HMC) vs. Josh Corlione (Kodenkan HI)
Andres wins by unanimous decision after two rounds.
Shooto
Class B 60 kg 132.2 lbs
Kyle Takao (HMC) vs. Thin Nguyen (Wailuku Kickboxing)
Takao wins by armbar from the mount at 3:25 min in the first
round.
Fight Descriptions
and Summary with some pictures
Ray
and Monica Cooper once again wear the hat of promoters after
a couple of Amateur Fighting Championship shows, which were tough
man type of competitions with some modifications. They now turned
their attention to their first MMA card. As they say, behind
every strong man stands a strong woman and this is the case once
again. Not only has Ray "Bradda" Cooper promoted his
first official Shooto card, he also headlined it. Without the
help of his very organized and detailed oriented wife, I am sure
he would agree that all this would not be possible. The Coopers
were contacted by the Shooto organization to start building amateur
Shooto fighter in Hawaii. Since they are a fighting family and
have fought in numerous events, they feel that the fighters come
first and it showed in their first MMA event. Travel arrangements,
great hotel accommodations, and a very professional venue welcomed
Maui fans. Maui fans have already had a taste of MMA events and
showed up in force for this event. The Coopers pulled out all
the stops, including inviting Frank Shamrock to enjoy the night
of fights, entrance lights, and ring ramp to give the Maui fans
a taste of a big time show in a very small city.
Shooto
Class B 60 kg 132.2 lbs
Kyle Takao (HMC) vs. Thin Nguyen (Wailuku Kickboxing)
Takao wins by armbar from the mount at 3:25 min in the first
round.
Both
fighters came out throwing some big punches in their first exchange.
Takao circled and shot in for a double leg and took the fight
to the ground. After a guard pass, Takao mounted his opponent
in textbook fashion and controlled his position. After some punches
to soften his opponent up, Takao finished Nguyen with an armbar
from the mount. Takao showed impressive stand up and polished
ground game in only his second fight. Keep your eyes on him.
He may be the next great Hawaiian fighter, if promoters can find
other 132 pound fighters to sharpen this diamond in the rough.
Shooto
Class B 65 kg 143.3 lbs
Neal Andres (HMC) vs. Josh Corlione (Kodenkan HI)
Andres wins by unanimous decision after two rounds.
After
a win against up and comer Jim Kikuchi in a controversial stop,
Andres returned to the ring to show his skills. Both fighters
traded blows from the start with Corlione getting the better
of the stand up in the beginning. Corlione took Andres down,
but did not advance his position. After a scramble, Andres recovered
his feet and took down Corlione twice and punished him with vicious
leg kicks while Corlione was on his back in the open guard. The
second round almost mirrored the first with Andres taking down
Corlione and controlling his opponent from inside the guard and
scoring enough to win the unanimous decision. I'll end it here
and skip the Godfather references. I do not want to go against
the family. Ok, it slipped.
Shooto
Class B 56 kg Constructed Weight Class
Antonio Rodriguez (Team Big Dog) vs. Will Armstrong (808 Fight
Factory)
Rodriguez wins by knock out at 0:12 seconds in the second round
with a left kick to the head of Armstrong.
Armstrong
who was very impressive in his last fight in Warriors Quest took
on local kickboxing powerhouse Tony "the Tiger" Rodriguez
who is know for his aggression and hard hitting style while kickboxing.
Rodriguez made his MMA debut in this fight and Armstrong seemed
to have a good strategy against the kickboxer. Armstrong took
Rodriguez down with a double leg and ended up in Rodriguez's
guard, but did not utilize this advantageous position and only
sparingly hit the Tiger. Rodriguez on the other hand was busy
from the bottom with a lot of punches, but could not generate
much power from the bottom position. Round two ended quickly.
As Armstrong set up another take down, Rodriguez threw out a
blindingly fast left roundhouse head kick that put Armstrong
in never-never land. Armstrong never went down, but his corner
wisely saw that the cash register was empty and stopped the fight.
Shooto
Class B 70 kg 154.5 lbs
David Padilla (Gamebred) vs. Derek Matsumoto (HMC)
Padilla wins by doctor's stop after round one over Matsumoto
due to excessive swelling of Matsumoto's eye.
Padilla
took down Matsumoto early in the bout and just held his position.
Matsumoto jumped at this stagnant opportunity to go for a knee
bar which he locked and obtained a catch for both a knee bar
and a toe hold. Padilla defended the numerous leg attempts very
calmly and threw some heavy blows which caused some excessive
swelling in the eye of Matsumoto as the round ended. After round
one ended, the ringside doctor halted the fight and David Padilla
was declared the winner by TKO.
Shooto
Class B 76 kb 167.5 lbs
Sean Taylor (Freelance) vs. Tyson Coloma-Naho'oikaika (Wailuku
Kickboxing)
Coloma-Naho'oikaika by referee stop because of punches from the
back mount at 3:51 minutes in round one.
Coloma
took down Taylor after both fighters exchange of kicks and knees
from the clinch. Coloma, an experienced Jiu-Jitsu competitor,
controlled the ground game and after an attempted mount, ended
up on the back of Taylor and starts to deliver punishment and
gets a deep rear naked choke in. Taylor defended and his mouthpiece
fell out of his mouth. Taylor, while still being choked, puts
in his own mouthpiece and continues to fight. After giving up
on the choke, Tyson puts some leather to the head of Sean Taylor
and causes referee Haru Shimanishi to stop the fight at 3:51
minutes in the first round.
Semi-Event
Shooto Class A
Stephen "Bozo" Paling III (Jesus Is Lord) vs. Ryan
Ackerman (Grappling Works)
Paling wins by kimura (reverse key lock) while triangling Ackerman
late in round one. The third is a bad shot because of the flash, but I inserted
it so everyone can see the submission.
Bozo
starts this match with a takedown after obtaining a body lock
and rains his usual big blows from the guard. Paling let Ackerman
stand to deliver more punishment, but Ackerman takes Paling down
and passed his guard. Paling recovered full guard and slapped
a triangle on Ackerman. Since Ackerman was protecting his arm
from going across his body, Paling switched to a kimura (reverse
key lock) while holding his triangle to finish Ackerman at 4:21
minutes in round one and continue his quest to be Shooto's next
champion. Shooto is literally running out of opponents for Paling
who has time and time again proven that he not only beats everyone
in his path, he takes on all comers and is probably the most
active fighter in his weight class. Paling will be watching the
Noguiera/Abe fight very closely because he should be the next
in line for the championship.
Main
Event Shooto Class A
Ray "Bradda" Cooper (Jesus Is Lord) vs. Jay Buck (Team
Hell House)
Cooper wins by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) over
Buck after three rounds.
This
three round fight saw Ray Cooper trying to hold on to his top
5 ranking in Shooto while ducking no one and staying busy himself.
Buck has been on a tear in the Midwest and making a huge name
for himself culminating in the Ironheart Crown. Buck showed a
good mix of stand up and ground while trading blows with the
very patient Cooper throughout the fight. The first two round
saw "Bradda" Cooper taking down Buck and punishing
him in Ray "Bradda" Cooper style. Buck attempted a
couple of triangles, but was unsuccessful. Round three was to
be Buck's round as he took down Ray after taking a hard shot
standing that caused his eye to bleed. Cooper recovered guard,
but Buck held his position well and rained down some blows in
Cooper's open guard. Unfortunately, it was a little too late
and Ray Cooper continues in his quest for a Shooto title shot
by winning a unanimous decision after three tough rounds. With
Anderson Silva vacating the title, Ray Cooper's name has to be
mentioned when the Shooto committee plans the crowning of their
next champion.
The
Shooto Hawaii show seemed to be blessed to avoid the production
problems that normally plague beginning promotions. Maybe it's
from their strong religious beliefs and maybe due to a whole
lot of planning and preparation. Everything went very smoothly
and the Maui crowd seems very educated about MMA and enjoyed
the action packed fights, including the technical ground work.
Excellent sportsmanship by not only the fighters, but the crowd
really made a good impression on the mainland based fighters.
There is a place for mixed martial arts in Maui. There is no
question about that.
Frank
Shamrock Seminar Today at HMC Frank Shamrock World "Beatdown" Tour
Oahu - Monday, December 10, 2002, 2-5PM
OAHU SEMINAR AND
APPEARANCE
Monday, Dec. 9th
Monday,
December 9th, 4PM - 6PM:
Frank Shamrock will be signing autographs at Hawaii's premiere
MMA store SOLID HAWAII (I & I Sports) in Kailua, HI, where
you will be able to speak with the un-defeated champion first-hand.
He will be available for autographs as Official Frank Shamrock
merchandise will be made available for purchase. Time to own
a piece of greatness !
Monday,
December 9th, 7PM - 10PM:
Frank holds his Beatdown tour stop with a visit and training
session to be held at famed school Hawaii Martial Arts Center
run by Haru Shimanishi in Oahu, Hawaii. Here, surrounded by great
fighters with the world's respect, Frank will teach the techniques
on the "art of submission fighting". Not only have
these techniques groomed great champions, they've carved an incredible
impression on Mixed Martial Arts and "Cagefighting"
as we know it today. Shamrocks career is testament to the effectiveness
of the fighting style he helped to create. Come train like a
champion!
- TO PRE-REGISTER
FOR THE SEMINARS IN MAUI OR OAHU CONTACT -
Solid Hawaii / I & I Sports
131 Hekili St., Ste. 107
Kailua, HI 96734
(808) 230-2326
- or -
Manic Sports Media
c/o Frank Shamrock World Beatdown Tour shamrockpr@manicsports.com
Mezger
vs. ?
In
the ever-changing world of matchmaking... The latest word from
the Mezger camp is that Pride wants Guy Mezger to take on Rodrigo
Gracie and not Rogerio "Minotoro" Nogueira as previous
stated. Stay tuned kiddies.
Source: FCF
UFC
Rumors From Brazil?
In the past, at UFC Brazil, the UFC had several fights between
Brazilians, but that event happened on Brazilian soil. Japan's
PRIDE event has had several incredible, high profile matches
pitting Brazilians against Brazilians, leading to a rumor that
is gaining size and veracity in Rio de Janeiro!
Word
is that Pedro 'The Rock' Rizzo, who has fights left on his UFC
contrat, will take on fellow Brazilian Alexandre 'Cafe' Dantas
(Gracie Barra), a JJ and PanAm JJ champion at the UFC 41 ONSLAUGHT
event.
While
Rizzo is known as one of the most feared heavyweight fighters
due to his striking, 'Cafe' has focused mainly on BJJ and Submission,
where he almost went to ADCC in 2000, losing to Rodrigo 'Minotauro'
Nogueira in the finals of ADCC2000 US Trials. 'Cafe' only MMA
experience is at lighter weights - he gave Yuki Kondo some hard
moments at UFC 27 - Ultimate Bad Boyz, but a lack of experience
and gas saw him tire and suffer a TKO in the end.
Source: ADCC
OntheMat.Com
Grappler of the Year Vote
www.onthemat.com, one of the hotest BJJ Sites on the
web is looking for the Grappler of the Year. Check it out:
Alright,
like many other sites out there, Onthemat.com will be doing an
end of the year retrospective and have our own awards for fighter
of the year and such. One thing that I think will be and is unique
to us is our coverage of the grappling world, and as such we
will be concentrating heavily on submission grappling and jiu-jitsu.
Gawd,
I've criscrossed the United States more times than I can count
this year and have been to numerous tournaments. Scotty has been
in Brazil for a year now and covering the scene heavily there
as well. However try as we might, there is no way the two of
us could fully have personally attended and witnessed all of
the great grappling matches that occurred this year both in our
respecive countries and around the world (In the coming year
we fully intend to expand our coverage of the grappling and jiu-jitsu
scene around the world). While we have our own ideas on who the
Grappler of the Year and the
Jiu-Jitsu fighter of the year should be, we'd like to have a
Reader's Choice
award as well, in which our audience selects whom they feel has
accomplished the most in the year 2002.
I'd
like to narrow the field down to about five or so worthy entries
for the category of Reader's Choice for OntheMat.com Grappler
of the Year and Jiu-Jitsu fighter of the year. These nominations
should be based on the accomplishments of a competitor THIS YEAR
in the field of Submission Grappling and Sports Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
specifically. Once we have five solid reader nominated competitors
we will open a poll on the site to start an official tally of
who who will be our Reader's Choice award recipients.
E-mail
your suggestions and comments to me at Gumby@onthemat.com, then look on our
website Onthemat.com for both our reader's choice polls, and
later in the month our 2002 review and Onthemat awards recognizing
what we felt were the highlights of the past year. I can promise
you that it will definitely be a unique look back on the past
year and will be in the same fun spirit that (I hope) Onthemat.com is known for. Thanks
much! -Gumby and Scotty
Source: ADCC
Jhun
Drew with Hallman & Perkins wins at KOTC
KOTC 19
Soboba Casino, San Jacinto, CA
December 7, 2002
Winner Loser
Results Time Round
Frankie Bollinger Caesar Moreno TKO (Strikes) 1:47 1
Timothy Mendoza Lobo Lobo Submission (Strikes) 2:35 2
Louie Vaith Danny Byrket TKO (Strikes) 3:35 1
Mansour Heidari Louis Jablowski TKO (Strikes) 4:20 1
Matt McPherson Asher King Decision (Unanimous) 5:00 2
Thomas Kenny Steve White Decision 5:00 2
Reggie Cardial Freddie Duran Submission (Guillotine Choke) 2:02
1
Joe Crilly John Cole TKO (Strikes) 4:30 1
Joe Camacho Matt Stansell TKO 5:00 1
Jamal Perkins
Robert
Emerson Decision (Unanimous) 5:00 2
Wade Shipp Raul Delgado Submission (Rear Naked Choke) 0:39 1
Shad Smith Mike Bertuccini TKO (Cuts) 4:00 1
Dennis Hallman Ronald
Jhun Draw
5:00 2
Jimmy Ambriz Vince Lucero Submission (Choke) 4:33 1
Source: Sherdog
Bas
Rutten Interview
By Arnold "The Sushiboy" Lim
MMARR
met up with Bas Rutten at an MFC event in Edmonton. Former UFC
Heavyweight Champion of the world, Three time King of Pancrase,
Pride commentator, all around fan favorite and nice guy Bas Rutten
has been there and done that. In this interview he talks about
fighting with big weight differences, the chances of seeing him
coming back to fight again, Pride, and why he wants what no one
else wants…Vanderlei Silva.
MMARR:
Why are you here at the MFC today?
Bas:
Because they invited me! The first time they were in Calgary
and I saw that Mark Pavelich does a real good job of promoting
things, and when I compare things like the big shows in America,
and I look at this show I really think that this show is a really
good show.
MMARR:
A lot of people have been talking about Bas Rutten coming out
of retirement, is there any truth to that Rumor?
Bas
: Yes there is. Right now we are negotiating. I want to fight
Vanderlei Silva… obviously. I gotta say that I love Vanderlei
Silva. He is one of my favorite fighters and he is the guy to
beat right now. If I want to fight somebody, I want to fight
him, because I think he is the strongest guy right now at the
light heavyweight division.
MMARR:
What do you think about Tito Ortiz or Chuck Liddell, do you think
they would stand a chance against Vanderlei Silva?
Bas
: It depends on what rules. I think that Tito won that fight
( Their Previous fight where he won by decision) But that was
UFC rules. If that fight happened under Pride Rules it could
be a different outcome.
MMARR:
Is there anyone other then Vanderlei Silva that you would fight?
Bas
: No, Nobody I don’t hate anybody…++ Laughs ++
Bas
: Oh maybe ( I would fight ) Frank…Frank Shamrock.
MMARR:
There were rumors about you fighting Frank Shamrock after he
beat Tito Ortiz, is there anything in the works with that?
Bas
: Frank used to be a really good friend of mine in the Pancrase
days. Then he became the UFC champion, after he became the 2
and 3 time UFC champion suddenly he started talking bad about
me. That I didn’t like. I think “Wow man you were always
my friend, we used to hang out after the fight in Japan we used
to hand out and drink together.”, that’s why it is
just not right. You are a friend, or you are not a friend.
MMARR:
What do you think about fighters fighting out of their weight
division, such as a lightweight fighter fighting a middleweight
fighter, or a middleweight fighter fighting a heavyweight fighter?
Bas
: I think it is Bullshit. I think way back in the UFC with Royce
Gracie, nobody knew what grappling was, right now everybody knows.
So size and strength does matter, and that is why we have weight
classes. If a guy says “I am 180 pounds ok I can beat that
guy who is 300 pounds”, that is Bullshit. Because that one
hundred and twenty pounds… Look at Nogueira, Nogueira fights
against Bob Sapp, Bob Sapp trains for maybe 6 months and he gave
Nogueira a hell of a fight !!! And Nogueira after that fight,
he is my favorite fighter, he is unbelievable.
MMARR:
Your weight is pretty similar, would you ever fight Nogueira?
Bas
: If they would match me up against him and they would pay me
the amount of money that I want I would fight anybody. But the
thing is, I really like Nogueira, all the people from the Top
Team Brazil, are the nicest guys, and I gotta say that all the
people form Chute Boxe are also the nicest guys. So they always
say “Oh you want to fight Vanderlei” I say yeah I want
to fight Vanderlei. They say “Why” and I say Vanderlei
likes me, and I like Vanderlei, but he is the best and I want
to fight the best, but I like all the guys.
MMARR:
So what do you think is a better team the Chute Boxe team or
the Top Team?
Cause they hate each other.
Bas
: He He He….I Know and we ask those people “Do you
guys hate each other?” And both of the teams say “NO”
We don’t hate each other it is just about fighting. I think
one of the best fighters coming up right now is “Ninja”
(Murilo Rua) I think that guy, with his conditioning and his
skills, he is going to be unstoppable. And he is a really good
personality, he is a nice guy.
MMARR:
Josh Barnet got stripped of his title for steroid use, what are
your thoughts on Steroid use in MMA?
Bas
: MMA, I don’t care about anything, I always say steroid
use is a weakness, if he used steroids to become a better fighter
or to try to become somebody better it is a Bullshit thing. I
don’t believe in Steroids. I also think that Steroid use
is a bad thing, if you have a little cancer and you use steroids,
maybe it will enhance the cancer. I am proud to say I have never
fought with Steroids, Never!
MMARR:
You have trained Duane “Bang” Ludwig, he is fighting
in another Canadian Promotion the UCC. Will you be cornering
for Duane in that fight?
Bas
: No, I am so sorry I cannot. I am doing Pro Wrestling in Japan
and I fight one day later in Japan in a Pro Wrestling show. So
No, I cannot be there. ( Note: the fight with Duane Ludwig Vs
Jens Pulver was rescheduled for a later date so it is unknown
whether he will corner for him or not at that time.)
MMARR:
What do you think is going to happen with Duane “Bang”
Ludwig Vs Jens Pulver? Who do you pick to win that fight?
Bas
: Laughs…What do you think? Laughs…. I pick Duane...
I wish this fight was five rounds instead of three rounds. Duane
has unbelievable stamina. Jens has unbelievable stamina, but
nobody in the world…. I train with Duane…. nobody got
better stamina then Duane Ludwig. He has the best, so if it would
have been a five round fight, it would have been better for Duane.
The only way for Jens, is for him to take him down and try to
ground and pound and win by submission. But NOT by K.O. Because
Duane is NEVER going to be K.O’d.
MMARR:
So you think that there is 0% chance that Jens Pulver can beat
up Duane Ludwig by stand up?
Bas
: in my book there is a 95% chance that Jens CANNOT do it. Jens
gots an incredible right hand, the right straight. If he can
throw that right hand, it is going to be a lucky shot. But if
it is a stand up fight, if they would fight each other in Thai
Boxing rules, Duane would always win.
MMARR:
Who will you be “Fighting” or Pro Wrestling fighting?
Bas
: I don’t know. They always tell me like two days before.
MMARR:
What do you think about Pride telling the fighter (their opponent)
one or two days before the fight. Like Daijiro Matsui fighting
Jerrell Venetiaan on one days notice. What do you think about
things like that?
Bas
: I think it is not good. They try their best. Not because I
am with Pride but I really think that Pride is the biggest show
in the world. They have the biggest show, not the UFC, they have
the biggest show in the world. Sometimes you face problems like
this, somebody doesn’t come up and then they need to fight
another fighter. Like Don Frye, Don Frye was supposed to fight
Mark Hunt. Two days before the fight they changed it to Jarome
Lebanner, who is a totally different fighter then Mike Hunt.
He is a southpaw, he has reach that Mark Hunt does not have,
who can kick, I mean totally different. It Happens.
MMARR:
I see you have a tattoo on your hand, what does that symbolize?
Does that symbolize anything special to you? What does it mean?
Bas
: The one on my right hand means “Ki” that means energy,
life energy. Force. The one on my other hand means “Shao”
that means a long life. I put the first one on my hand, after
this tattoo I never lost a fight anymore in my life. So I think,
“Wait a minute This tattoo works”, so I was always
really afraid to die, I think maybe a plane is going to crash
or something, so lets give myself a long life, so I put this
tattoo on, which means a long life.
MMARR:
So far so good?
Bas
: Oh yeah…So far so good! ++ Laughs ++
I
do things that nobody else in the world can do. And I am still
alive so that is good.
MMARR:
You like the “Liver shot”, what is it about the “Liver
shot” that you like so much, what is it about the “Liver
shot” that you advocate so much?
Bas
: A lot of people don’t realize how much and what you can
do to the body. I always like to go to the body. When I spar
with my students, I don’t want to knock people out to the
head because it looks bad because I am the teacher and they are
the student. So I always try to knock them out to the body. That’s
the kind of way that I developed my “Liver shot”. People
don’t realize how strong a body shot is. But people start
to realize in the “Ground and Pound”, when somebody
is down, You get side mount, don’t knee him on the head,
knee him on the body, you will win the fight.
MMARR:
What is left for you in MMA or what do you want to do in your
future after you retire from MMA?
Bas
: Well I kind of retired already, but then they want me to fight
Vanderlei Silva, then I said if there is a guy that I want to
fight, I want of fight Vanderlei Silva. Because he is the best.
And I came to America to do acting so I hope I am going to do
some good acting.
MMARR:
Do you have any movies coming up or anything interesting coming
up?
Bas
: Yeah in January I have a movie, in February I am going to have
another movie with a big young kid actor that is going to be
a good one.
MMARR:
Can you talk about that what is the name of the movie?
Bas
: We don’t know the name, it is going to be a story like
the champ and the costar, he is probably going to be the star
not me, he he …even though it is going to be Jonathan Lipnicki,
Jonathan is the guy from the little Vampire, this kid is the
biggest guy, I am so happy that I know his mother, He and his
mother are really in love with the UFC and they really like me,
that is why right now they are writing a script, so if the script
is good I wanna do a movie with him.
MMARR:
Tell me who is the best looking fighter in MMA?
Bas
: Me
MMARR:
Laughs.. He He, I had to ask… What do you think of Sushi
do you eat a lot of Sushi?
Bas
: Oh man I love sushi, I eat two times a week average. I went
to this place where I live now in west lake Village, and the
place is called “Takahashi” and one time I fought this
guy named Takahashi, I beat him with a leg lock and I broke his
shin bone. So when I walked in there, these people are looking
at me and there was silence. And then they said excuse me are
you what is your name, “Bas, Bas Rutten”, and they
Said “Ohh Bas Rutten” and they gave me free beer, and
everything and it is good. I love Sushi.
MMARR:
Is there anything you would like to say to your fans out there?
Bas
: Yeah I want to say this. If you see me in real life….
buy me a Heineken or a Drink he he he… That is everything..Laughs
MMARR:
Thank you very much.
Bas
: Thank YOU !!!
Source: MMA Ring Report
12/8/02
Quote
of the Day
"When in doubt, make a fool of yourself. There is a microscopically
thin line between being brilliantly creative and acting like
the most gigantic idiot on earth. So, what the hell, leap."
Cynthia Heimel
"I am
beginning to learn that it is the sweet,
simple things of life which are the real ones after all."
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Killer
Shooto Card:
Shaolin, Mach, Pequeno vs. Abe, Gomi vs Mishima
Tokyo Bay
NK Hall, Chiba, Japan
December 14th
Class
'B' (2 x 5 minutes rounds)
Kuniyoshi Hironaka (SSS Academy) x Nick Diaz (Cesar Gracie JJ)
All
fights below Class 'A' (3 x 5 minutes rounds)
Welterweight [-70.0Kg]: TAKUMI (PARAESTRA TOKYO) x Joachim Hansen
(SBJJA)
Lightweight
[-65.0Kg] Championship
Alexandre 'Pequeno' Franca Nogueira (WFC) x Hiroyuki Abe (AACC)
Welterweight
[-70.0Kg] Championship
Takanori Gomi (Kiguchi Wrestling School) x Dokonjonosuke Mishima
(Cobra Kai)
Source: ADCC
ZUFFA
PLANNING 2003 - Don't Fall Asleep On These Guys!
Lately, a lot of the UFC focus has been put on 'old vs. new.'
Many fighters and MMA professionals have been able to make the
transition from spectacle to sport, and Tank Abbott's appearance
at the last UFC has people talking he may be next.
While
many have scoffed at the idea (and there may be good reason),
word is that UFC's recent meeting with Abbott opened some eyes.
Many things said by Abbott were logical and optimistic about
MMA.
Abbott
reportedly received $7,500 per week from WCW, who folded almost
two years ago. Long after the company had gone caput, Abbott
was able to collect his pay for nearly two years. Many questioned
if Abbott just wanted a 'quick payday.' Given the fact that Tank
was making a VERY attractive six-figure salary from Time Warner,
most don't think he needs the money.
One
memory of Tank Abbott was back in 1997 when he literally got
the call from SEG to fight on a weeks notice. 'I hopped off the
bar stool and came here' said Tank in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
From
what insiders are saying, Abbott was offered a fight at UFC 41
on 2/28/02 and turned it down! Abbott told Zuffa he wanted to
have enough time to get into shape and make a new impact. This
was a shock to many who thought Abbott was just 'along for the
ride.'
It's
not secret that PRIDE was hot after Tank Abbott and had plans
to use him on their Vegas show next year. Abbott was so serious
about coming back that he immediately dropped from 300lbs down
to 250lbs.
By
the time Abbott fights, it will have been four years and six
months since his last fight in UFC (a KO loss to Pedro Rizzo).
As
of press time, there is rumor of a potential match for UFC 42:
Tank Abbott vs. Kimo. While many current fans will put this down,
it is sure to get a higher-than-average buy rate.
There
was Internet talk of Tank vs. Ken or Tito (this would more than
likely be a major success live and on PPV).
In
the next few days, we'll review the monumental success of the
Shamrock vs. Ortiz. You'll be surprised at the numbers and where
the show ranks among sports entertainment in North America.
Source: ADCC
'WRESTLE-1'
- Bob Sapp Stock Continues to Rise!
Bob Sapp is acheiving mainstream celebrity status in Japan.More
information is coming over from Japan about the show where Sapp
had a match with the Great Muta, bringing the Fuji TV rating
up 120%.
Word
is that Sapp spent the day odf the event at the Fuji Network
TV studios filming a variety of 'entertainment' skits. Sapp arrived
at the studio at 5:00AM to film. The event appeared in programming
schedules (like TV Guide style listings) as 'BOB SAPP BATTLE
ENTERTAINMENT W-1' instead of the title 'WRESTLE-1.'
The
event broadcast featured some of the strangest antics a MMA fighter
has ever done. Throughout the entire show, the production would
cut backstage, showing Sapp doing crazy things like rehearsing
his big dance ring entrance. He had a semi-choreographed entrance
with several Japanese girls dancing along with him. Yes, Sapp
was dancing!
Bob
Sapp's face appeared on almost ALL major networks in Japan on
their news programs.
Dave
Meltzer of the WRESTLING OBSERVER NEWSLETTER put it best. 'You
can't understand, in the U.S., how big (famous) Sapp is' said
Meltzer.
In
Japan 'even people who know absolutely nothing about pro wrestling,
MMA or K-1 know exactly who Sapp is. Every person in the country
knows his name. ONLY the biggest name celebrities in the Japanese
culture are know by everyone' continued Meltzer in his recent
12/2/02 edition.
For
the record, Sapp entered the ring to Madonna's 'Holiday' and
proceeded to dance with his female entourage.
Source: ADCC
Lady
Luck Smiles on Mr Perfect at K-1 GP Final
By Monty DiPietro
A
record 74,500 K-1 fans in the Tokyo Dome.
Ernesto Hoost of the Netherlands repeatedly battled back from
the brink of elimination -- and caught a few lucky breaks along
the way -- to win the World Grand Prix 2002 Final and become
the fighting sport's first four-time Grand Champion.
Time
out for a sardonic Bob Dylan lyric:
"They
say I shot a man named Gray
and took his wife to Italy
She inherited a million bucks
and when she died it came to me
I can't help it if I'm lucky"
-Bob
Dylan, "Idiot Wind," 1975
Of course, Ernesto Hoost didn't shoot a man named Gray, or anyone
for that matter, but the point here is that one man's misfortune,
especially grievous misfortune, should not be lightly referred
to as another man's good luck. And so it is with all due respect
for the unfortunate fighters involved, and with all due respect
for the remarkable talents of Ernest Hoost, that we chronicle
the preternatural and painful set of circumstances which resulted
in Hoost's victory.
The
man fans call 'Mr Perfect' wasn't even supposed to be at the
Tokyo Dome this year --as he lost to American Bob Sapp in the
October 5 Saitama Semifinals -- but he was named as a late replacement
after a November training injury forced German fighter Semmy
Schilt to withdraw. This was the first of many breaks for Hoost.
On
to the Final. The opening bout featured a couple of K-1 veterans:
Dapper Kiwi Ray Sefo and three-time World GP Champion Peter Aerts
of the Netherlands. Like Hoost, Aerts has competed in every Final
since K-1's inception in 1993, and both he and Sefo are wildly
popular in Japan.
Ray Sefo vs Peter Aerts
Sefo got the crowd going with the more aggressive start, and
brought a roar of approval up in the second round when, as is
his style, he dropped his guard and, smilingly taunted Aerts.
Midway through the second, Sefo seemed to stun his opponent with
a rapid series of punches from in close, but Aerts was able to
recover after a break and launch some effective punch and kick
counterstrike combinations. Sefo repeatedly played possum late
in the second and into the third, either hanging back or moving
in and then remaining deceptively motionless before exploding
with quick attacks, which were usually punch combinations. Aerts,
on the other hand, threw more low kicks into the mix, and used
his height advantage to also launch high kicks. It was a close
fight with an unusual decision -- the first judge gave the fight
to Aerts by a point, the second scored Sefo ahead by two. As
the crowd held its breath, the third judge's card put Sefo up
by a point, settling the matter.
This
was the second consecutive year that Aerts was put out of the
Final in his first fight (he lost to Francisco Filho in 2001),
and there was a deep look of frustration etched on the Dutch
Lumberjack's face as he left the ring.
Bob
Sapp vs Ernesto Hoost
Upstart American Bob "The Beast" Sapp, who started
fighting in K-1 less than a year ago, has already defeated a
couple of the sport's leading combatants in Cyril Abidi and Hoost.
There is a great deal of disagreement about Sapp among K-1 fans
-- put simply, it seems they either love the Beast, or hate him.
One
thing is certain, over the last six months here in Japan, Bob
Sapp has been by far the most discussed, parodied and spotlighted
of all K-1 fighters. There are Sapp key fobs, dolls and t-shirts;
there have been countless front-page magazine stories and amusing
television appearances; and now there is even a snack food featuring
his cartooned likeness on the box: "The Beast Apple Crunch."
Men gasp and girls giggle at the sight of him. For the Japanese,
Sapp is, quite literally, bigger than life.
But
judging from some of the posts on international fan sites, there
are also many who regard Sapp's brawn-over-technique approach
as an unwelcome affront to the refined skills other fighters
bring to the ring. (A reverse parallel might be the backlash
seen among Japanese purists, some ten years ago, to the Sumo
wrestling success of the gigantic Samoan Konishiki -- who, incidentally
was ringside at the Tokyo Dome on this night.) But it is worth
remembering that K-1 is a fighting sport which encompasses a
wide range of styles -- and in defense of Sapp's legions of Japanese
followers, it would only be fair to note that many are simply
be curious to see which of the more traditional K-1 fighters
will finally find a way to beat him.
And
that might explain why a roar of approval went up in the Tokyo
Dome when Hoost of the, got in with a left punch to the midsection
and downed Sapp in the first round of their contest. In the wake
of their Saitama bout, Hoost seemed to relish the opportunity
for revenge.
Hoost
began the fight by peppering Sapp's leading leg with hard low
kicks, and with Sapp's already limited mobility further compromised,
Hoost then moved in with punches. He quickly found Sapp's Achilles
heel (which is located somewhere between the behemoth's kidney
and his navel -- an area about the size of an extra-large pizza)
to score the crowd-pleasing down. A limping, sluggish, grimacing
Sapp was lucky to get out of the round.
But,
inexplicitly, Hoost then made pretty much the same mistake that
cost him the Saitama fight. Sapp appeared somewhat revitalized
in the second, and started from the bell with his one-and-only,
march-in-swinging attack. Instead of sticking with the kicks,
Hoost answered with punches, just like he did in Saitama, and
Sapp was able to outslug him, just like he did in Saitama. Sapp
scored a down -- actually it was more like an 'up,' as the roundhouse
right launched Hoost into the air. Just like in Saitama, Hoost
couldn't fully recompose, and Sapp boxed him into the corner,
got the fists going -- left, right, left, right -- and, with
a stunned Hoost not defending himself, the referee stepped in
to stop the fight -- just like in Saitama. But for lady luck's
intervention (we'll get to that), this would have been the end
of Hoost.
Ernesto Hoost vs Jerome LeBanner
When LeBanner and Hoost stepped into the ring for their $400,000
dance, it was Hoost who looked slower. The two veterans traded
mostly punches in the early going, with LeBanner looking to be
getting the better of the exchanges. A solid LeBanner left put
Hoost off balance, and might have resulted in a down had Hoost
not fallen back into the ropes, which allowed him to recover.
A
cut over Hoost's left eye, suffered in his fight with Sapp, reopened
in the second round and was examined by a ring doctor, who cleared
him to continue. But Hoost definitely looked off his game, uncharacteristically
missing with kicks, leaving himself open to attacks. LeBanner
stayed in a low, closed stance, and the two fighters were dead
even on judges' cards after the round.
And
then, the third, again, Hoost caught a break. A kick struck LeBanner
on the elbow, and the French fighter immediately turned away
in pain. After taking a standing count, LeBanner put himself
back in the fight, but, after the first Hoost blow connected,
once again turned away for another count. Again, LeBanner valiantly
attempted to get back into the fight, and again, after the first
blow, had to withdraw. Under K-1 rules, a fighter who takes three
counts in a single round in a tournament final is assessed a
loss by KO, and that is what happened, and that is how it ended.
Said
a bushed but happy Hoost in the winner's circle: "I was
lucky to get into the Final, and I got lucky again when Bob was
unable to continue. I was very tired and it was tough, but I
think I showed the K-1 spirit by never giving up."
Hoost said the dream of becoming the first ever four-time Champion
is what kept him going, and, not surprisingly, said his toughest
fight on the night was with Sapp, who, technically, remained
the only undefeated fighter in the tournament. For those in the
"I hate Sapp" camp, Hoost had this to say: "While
I think maybe Bob should change his attitude, I respect any fighter
who makes it to the K-1 Final, and Bob did that."
In
the quick and technical reserve fight, Sweden's Martin Holm squeaked
out a majority decision over Canadian Michael McDonald.
The
Final attracted a record crowd of 74,500 to the Tokyo Dome, and
was same-day broadcast nationwide by the Fuji Television network.
Congratulations
to the Ernesto Hoost, who plans to spend his prize money to build
a better future for his two children, and promises to return
next year to see if he can't become the first five-time K-1 World
Grand Prix Champion.
Source: Sherdog
Bobby
Hoffman and Patty Hoffman
By Arnold "The Sushiboy" Lim
In
November of 2001 Robert "Bobby" Hoffman was sent to
prison for the brutal beating of his newly wed wife, Patricia
Hoffman. He had been married to Patty for a total of two weeks
before the incident that would change both their lives forever.
Bobby Hoffman has spent the past year in a maximum security Prison
in Shafter California, making One dollar and ninety two cents
Per DAY, for a full days work. That is $1.92 per day not per
hour, One dollar and 92 cents per day, without the ability to
receive any mail without it being screened, or any phone calls
whatsoever. For all intents and purposes, he is cutoff from the
outside world. Any, and all mail he sends out is checked and
rechecked, perused by officers of the Prison and photocopied
for possible future evidence. He is without the ability to send
any mail with out it being read by officers of the prison and
does not have the ability to see anyone of his friends or family,
not even his wife.
When
I first set out to look into getting an interview with Bobby
Hoffman, finding him was difficult, but with the help of his
new manager, Michael Van Vliet, I was able to set up a contact
with Mr. Hoffman. Even Mr. Hoffman's manager admits to a certain
amount of skepticism in taking on the position of being the manager
of a fighter that is a convicted wife beater. Mr. Hoffman is
not eligible to take any phone calls of any kind from anyone,
but he is allowed to call out of the prison at certain times
in the day in 10 minute increments in screened and taped conversations.
Mr. Van Vliet was able to pass on my phone number to Mr. Hoffman
so he in turn, could then call me collect from the Prison, to
my home in Canada. During this time, I began preparing my questions
for Mr. Hoffman, but meanwhile, unbeknownst to me, Mr. Hoffman's
wife Patty Hoffman got wind of our future interview, contacted
Mr. Hoffman's manger and contacted me asking to give her side
of the events. She explained that no publication or journalist
had bothered to give her an opportunity to voice her side of
the events that are now famous in MMA circles. She contacted
me from a woman's shelter in Iowa where she had been staying
while she awaited the release of her husband, and I was able
to conduct a 2 hour interview with her via phone.
Life
has been simple for Mr. Hoffman since his incarceration; he is
constantly supervised, is not allowed to receive calls from anyone
at anytime, and is permitted only ten minute collect phone calls
at any given time. Each time he called I would first have to
listen to a taped recording of a subdued man telling me in a
monotone voice,
"This
is the MCI operator I have a Collect call from "Bobby Hoffman"
Would you like to accept the charges?
This recorded call is from an inmate at a California state correctional
facility Please hold to here the maximum cost of this call
Your call is being connected thank you for using MCI."
After
about eight minutes the same monotone man says,
"Your
call will be terminated in two minutes"
and
a minute later,
"Your
call will be terminated in one minute"
then
after one minute the call would be cut off with out further warning.
Before
long I had memorized this very intro having listened to it an
unholy amount of times, so often if fact, that after a while
I even began reciting it and following along while the recording
took place every ten minutes to help pass the time while it was
on. To this day I can recite the whole Jargen off the top of
my head.
This
interview was conducted with Mr. Hoffman over several days due
to the limitations on his time on the phone, the Interruptions
of the prison lockdowns, and head count, that took place at certain
regimented times everyday. The interviews with Bobby Hoffman
and Patty Hoffman were conducted TOTALLY SEPARATELY. I interviewed
Patty Hoffman first, she called me collect from a women's shelter
in Iowa, then next, Bobby Hoffman over the course of the next
three days, all in all, one week had been spent before all the
information came together. Neither of them had any idea what
the other had said on their respective interviews and knew nothing
other then the fact that I had conducted both interviews. Both
Mr and Mrs Hoffman were professional and gave me 100% free reign
to ask any and all questions that I wanted to ask, whether or
not, under normal circumstances questions of that nature would
be deemed rude, nosy, too personal, private or secret. These
were not normal circumstances, the information I collected was
among the most interesting, honest, revealing and harrowing information,
I have ever laid ears on. Robert "Bobby" Hoffman is
set to get out of Jail on December 15th 2002, and looking to
resume a career in MMA that many people figured had died, the
minute he laid his hands on his wife. Those many people thought
they had seen the last of Bobby Hoffman the fighter, It is looking
like they were very, very, wrong.
Beginning
of Recorded Message
"This
is the MCI operator I have a Collect call from "Bobby Hoffman"
Would you like to accept the charges? "Beep"
This recorded call is from an inmate at a California state correctional
facility Please hold to here the maximum cost of this call. Beep.
Thank you. Your call is being connected, thank you for using
MCI."
End
of Recorded Message
MMARR:
For the fans that are new to the sport, or haven’t followed
it lately, can you tell us where you are, and why you are there?
Bobby
Hoffman: I’m in California’s department of corrections
custody. I was arrested for spousal abuse, for laying hands on
my wife.
MMARR:
Could you run us through what was going on and what happened
that night in your own words?
Bobby
Hoffman: (Exhales) basically this is what I can tell you. I had
suffered quite amount of damage with my fight against Mr. Barnett.
After the “Obake” fight ( ***Note*** Mr. Hoffman had
fought Tim “Obake” Catalfo one month before his fight
with Barnett) I suffered some head trauma. I’m not making
excuses, I’m just telling you what led up to this. There
are no excuses for what I did. I take full responsibility, obviously,
because I’m paying my time. But, I had taken some hits.
Around, the 16th of October; I was notified that they wanted
me to fight Josh Barnett. I had a couple injuries that I probably
shouldn’t have taken a fight but I did anyway.( ***Note***
he fought Barnett on Nov 2nd) Obviously during the Barnett fight,
we saw...
Beep-Beep
(An
intrusive Beep and the stale sound of a recorded Message bellows
it's monotonous message inturrupting us for the first time in
our conversation, unofortunately it is the first of many, many
times.)
Recorded
Message: "This recorded call is from an inmate at a California
State Correctional Facility."
(Mr.
Hoffman continues talking as if nothing has happened, while it
takes me a few seconds to adjust myself from listening to the
message back to listening to Mr. Hoffman. )
Well,
you know, I suffered some blows and bangs in the Barnett fight
and I was at that point given a six month suspension by the doctors
in the UFC right after the fight because of a Cut above the eye.
They told me no fighting in Nevada for six months. I showed up
and they prescribed some Vicadin. I didn’t take them. I
didn’t like it at all to take pain killers anyway. I smoked
weed obviously, you all know that. And got married the next day;
went home; blah, blah, blah. I went back to training about two
weeks afterwards. I was told not to, I was just training, everything
was going well. I felt good. I was wrestling in the mat room.
I cracked my head a couple times. Started to get really severe
headaches. Me and Patty decided to go for our honeymoon that
night at the Double Tree Motel. She took off, went to work. I
had taken a few of the painkillers. I hadn’t taken any today.
These are prescribed painkillers. I should’ve taken them
more wisely. They were serving alcohol in the lobby for free.
I started drinking on top of the painkillers. I had 5 or 6 of
them. Patty wasn’t there.
MMARR:
That’s 5 or 6 drinks or 5 or 6 painkillers?
Bobby
Hoffman: 5 or 6 painkillers during the course of the day. On
top of probably 10 or 15 Budweiser’s.
MMARR:
Okay.
Bobby
Hoffman: So the combination of the beer obviously proved to be
a very bad thing because (short pause) I don’t remember
too much of the day, in and out. I remember going to sleep (short
pause) and Patricia came home; woke me up; the bullshit happened.
I honestly to this day, I tried and tried, Patty said, “Talk
to me about it.” I do not recall what happened immediately.
I blacked out. I never blacked out before like this, quite possibly
I want to block it off because of the way it was. I got up, I
hit her a couple times- three times? I don’t know for sure.
We ended up in the bathroom (exhales) I came to, she was laying
in the bathtub and I said, “Patty, what are you doing in
the bathtub?” She gets up and runs out of the hallway. I
walk right back down and fall back asleep. The next thing I know
there’s 15 San Berdino policemen beating at my door and
had me at gunpoint. Then I went to prison after that and I actually
had slept for four days straight. They had come and woken me
up when I was at West Valley Detention Centre, woke me up to
see if I was okay ‘cause I hadn’t eaten for three days
or moved out of my bunk; they had me at a high power unit. So,
it’s a pretty scary situation. I mean scary for her because,
you know, that’s never happened. Nothing like that has ever
happened before and I just can’t explain it. I don’t
know if it’s something- I’m not blaming anything: I’m
not blaming the fighting, I’m not blaming the dope, the
painkillers, I’m not blaming the alcohol. I’m blaming....
at least I must’ve just been out of control of myself, Um
I was just totally.... I shouldn’t have used alcohol. But,
one thing I must say is, because of that night, Bobby Hoffman
will never ever use drugs or alcohol again, because regardless
of what the fight world thinks, I hurt something that I love
more than anything else in the world, and that hurts me more
than anything and so, you know, that’s what goes with that.
MMARR:
Do you consider yourself an alcoholic?
Bobby
Hoffman: No, I’ve never considered myself in the aspect
that, if I don’t drink everyday all day. I guess when I
do drink, I do drink too much. You know, I think that was probably
like the third or fourth time I drank in the year 2002 was that
night. I don’t drink that much alcohol. You know my problem
was smoking weed obviously.
MMARR:
Do you consider yourself a drug addict?
Bobby
Hoffman: I don’t consider myself a drug addict, but I consider
myself having a (short pause) compulsive personality. I always
do everything in excess. But to answer that question, while I’m
incarceration, I am actively seeking NA meetings, AA meetings,
and also-
"Beep,
Beep"
Recorded
Message : "This recorded call is from an inmate at a California
State Correctional Facility."
(I
am getting increasingly annoyed with the rude manner that the
Man invades our privacy, but then I remember it is just a recorded
message. Mr. Hoffman meanwhile does not even seem to notice it
is there!)
So,
you know, I’m doing anything to prepare and gain knowledge
on the subject so there’s never a repeat of it ever again.
MMARR:
As, you and many other people know, drugs are not impossible
to find in jails as well. Have you been offered drugs while you
were in jail?
Bobby
Hoffman: Prison? In prison yes. You can get anything from homemade
alcohol, to heroine, to speed, to marijuana- I’ve seen every
drug inside I’ve seen on the outside I’ve seen on the
inside. Yes, I see it just as much in here as I see out.
MMARR:
Have you ever taken any drugs since the time of your arrest?
Bobby
Hoffman: I have maintained sober as of the 15th of this month,
exactly five months. That’s when I’ve been arrested.
I have not touched, I get random drug testing in prison. Not
only have I made a conscience choice not to because I need to
make a change in my life, but also it’s a five year sentence
if you get caught using that stuff. So, no I have not, I ignore
it. I keep to myself. I’m pretty much a loner. I work out,
I weigh 235 pounds, so no. The answer to the question is no.
Absolutely, positively not have I not in prison, nor will I when
I get back out. I got no desire to ever use again because I wanna
live my life full.
MMARR:
So, from what you’re telling me, you are still together
with your wife, Patricia Hoffman?
Bobby
Hoffman: I’m telling you that my wife and I have worked
through this and I’d like to thank God for giving her the
strength to stay strong out there, yes my wife and I plan on
being together from the very first day that I get outta here.
MMARR:
Has your wife forgiven you for what you have done?
Bobby
Hoffman: My wife says she’s forgiven me because…I don’t
know why. She loves me, she understands that it was a freak deal,
it was something that just occurred. I can’t explain why
it happened. I have no idea why it happened. It’s not like
we fought and argued and I cursed her and threatened her and
controlled her. It was nothing like that it was never anything
like that. It was just she woke me up and within a 5 minute period,
I would say from the time I woke up ‘till I was arrested,
but then 10 or 15 minutes both our lives changed very “dramastically”
(***Note*** Bobby is introducing new words into the English vocabulary
? ) and we’re both gonna become stronger people this.
MMARR:
Have you..
Bobby
Hoffman: And I’m sure sick kinda way, I owe Patty a lot,
a great-great amount of thanks because of it, I’m gonna
change my life.
MMARR:
Have you forgiven yourself for what you’ve done?
Bobby
Hoffman: (Short pause) You know, Arnold, I don’t know how
I can forgive myself. No, I haven’t forgiven myself. I mean,
I have to live with that every single day of my life when I get
up. If not that I have to live with being in prison, which is
bad enough but I have to live with the aspect that, because of
fucking drugs, I get something to someone who still is standing
behind me, who loves me that much, and that strongly. I knew
she loved me that much. And because of the lack of discipline
in my life, not to take 2 or 3 like it said on a bottle (of Vicotin),
I’m thinking I’m 280 pounds, I can take 5 or 6. I can
handle this and I can drink. It said no alcohol on the bottle,
and I can go and drink on top of it. You know, because of my
poor choices, both our lives have been changed dramatically and
I’m away from her so, I will not forgive myself until I
can get back out and take over as the role that I told her that
I was gonna be a husband to provide and care for her. And then,
maybe in 4 or 5 years from now, when I have accomplished my goals,
I can look at Patty and say, “You know, Patty I beg that
you forgive me, but now I can forgive myself you know, for what
I’ve done.
MMARR:
Your wife asked to speak to me so she can tell me and the fans
her side of the story.
Bobby
Hoffman: Yes.
MMARR:
She went out of her way from a transition house in Iowa to call
me collect. Why do you think that she went out of her way to
extensive trouble to herself to call and tell me her side of
the story?
Bobby
Hoffman: Well, I’ve written her about Max Muscle’s
article and how they-they called me a monster and I blackened
her head and all this. You know, people write about me because
I’m crazy in the octagon, but that’s the role I take,
that’s my side. I fight hard and give anything I got. I
think Patricia took it as a personal attack on her for being
with me because you know she’s says to me, “Well, Bobby,
that’s just not who you are.” She says, “That
night was something that I never seen you act like that.”
We have barely have ever argued in our time being together. And
she, I don’t know why. You should ask her that. She just
loves me, she knows that it was something that just wasn’t
normal behavior. Like I said, you know it was a freak deal dude.
I just snapped. Woke up, I don’t remember doing it. And
I know people say that I am lying but I honestly, still to this
day, I cannot recall what happened in that point in time. I don’t
have no recollection.
MMARR:
so after that incident you were asleep for four days straight?
Bobby
Hoffman: Yeah when I was in West Valley.
“Beep
Beep”
Recorded
Message : “Your call will be terminated in two minutes”
(The
incessant beeping is now infuiating me. I am ready to tell it
to "go to hell" but the fact that it is nothing more
then a message is all that saves if from the wrath of the Sushiboy/
again Hoffman still doesnt seem to notice it is there.)
MMARR:
how about you call me back.
Bobby
Hoffman: I gotta jump on my bunk because of mandatory count it
will be like 5 minutes before I can call you back…
End
of Part 1
Tune
in for the second part of the interview with Bobby Hoffman and
Patty Hoffman. Where Mr. Hoffman talks about life in Prison,
Life without friends, and the fighters that he is calling out,
for when he steps out of jail and into the fight world once again.
An
excerpt of Part 2 of the Bobby and Patricia Hoffman interview
MMARR:
Can you imagine your wife Patricia Hoffman, who in my estimation
must weigh one hundred pounds, against yourself, Mr.Hoffman,
who weighed in at about 260 pounds for the Barnett fight. You
are a Professional fighter who fights for a living, a former
Heavyweight champion, beating and choking a hundred pound lady.
When I say that to you, What does that mean to you?
Bobby
Hoffman: ………………….(Long Pause)……………………
Part
one of an interview with Bobby Hoffman's wife, Patricia Hoffman
is coming next. Stay Tuned.
Source: MMA Ring Report
UFC
41 Heating Up - Tank will Fight!
Dana
White, in a Tampa radio interview today, announced that Tank
will be facing Kimo! It was assumed that Tank would not make
his splash back in the Octagon until April in Vegas, but Atlantic
City will get him first. Genki Sudo will also be making his return
against the highly touted Josh Thomson, who just recently had
a relatively easy win in the WFA, but was signed because of his
fight with Kid Yamamoto in Shogun. Other fighters making it into
the ring will be Matt Serra to face Din Thomas and it also looks
like there will be a major middleweight war with Phil Baroni
taking on Phil Miller. Now add to this the already known Uno/Penn
fight and a Ricco/TBA match and you have one hell of a card!
Source: MMA Ring Report
Top
Ten Pound for Pound Fighters
by Arnold "Sushi Boy" Lim
I am back
with a new Top Ten Pound for Pound list for the month of December
2002. I would like to thank everyone who emailed me these past
few months With kind words, constructive criticism, questions
and even the occasional all out tirade. I have been licking my
wounds for the attacks that I received from a few uneducated
Sushi haters and I am back with renewed vigor and a new list
to give the MMA fans more ammo to fire my way. With out further
ado lets get firing!!!
#10
– Takanori Gomi (New)
Another member of the Shooto organization has climbed into the
Pound for Pound Top Ten on the failures of former number two
Pound for Pound fighter Alexandre “Pequeno” Nogueira.
The unholy fall of the formerly highly regarded little Noguiera
made room for the toughest ground and pounder under Matt Hughes.
He recently defeated Chris Brennan in a very close match and
does not look like he will lose anytime soon. His next challenge
will be in the form of another tough Shooto Star in Dokonjonosuke
Mishima, the winner of that bout will surely be in the next installment
of the Top Ten Pound for Pound, while the loser will fall. Gomi
has a Chin as solid as most mountainous masses and Cardio so
good it would make Richard Simmons Blush. One thing that has
been a bone of contention with many of the fans of Shooto is
his boring methodical ground and pound likings. Boring tendancies
aside, there are few and far between at 155 and under who can
beat this juggernaut that has been likened as the Tito Ortiz
of the 155 division. Say what you will, Gomi is one tough MoFo.
#
9 - Emelianenko Fedor (New)
Surprise, Surprise, The Minotauro will have a contender in the
Pride Heavyweight Division. Fedor did what few in the know thought
he could do dismantling the highly touted Heath “The Texas
Crazy Horse” Herring. He did what not even Noguiera could
do, and that was finish the much larger Herring, dispatching
of him in a relatively easy manner, in 1 round no less. Will
Fedor finally push the uber talented Brazilian to the brink in
their fight in the next Pride? That question will be answered
soon enough and based on what we saw at Pride 23, he could be
Nogueira’s toughest challenge to date. Fedor defeated two
much bigger opponents in a row, first off discarding of the MUCH
taller and heavier Semmy Schilt via unanimous decision, and more
impressively driving his knuckles into the face of the also much
taller and heavier Herring at the past Pride event. The Clint
Eastwood of theMMA world has the same game face on rain, wind
or shine. It will take all the power of the elements to dethrone
the Minotaur off the top of the Pound for Pound Kingdom but at
this point he has as good a chance as any..
#8–
Hayato “Mach” Sakurai (8)
Before his fight with Matt Hughes a car accident robbed Sakurai
of the health and strength he needed to compete at his best,
against one of the best. Insiders have told MMARR that his back
was 75% at best coming into the biggest fight of his career and
yet he fought on. Never having trained in a cage before, he used
the corner of his gym to practice climbing out of cage like conditions
because he didn’t have a cage to train in. Sakurai has the
heart and talent of a true champ, but will this be the end for
one of the most exciting fighters to ever compete? Scheduled
to fight on the December Shooto card and still contractually
obliged to the UFC we may see him fight a few more times but
sources say his back will never be the same again. Let’s
hope the doctors are wrong.
#7-
Anderson Silva (5)
His mediocre performance against Alexander Otsuka actually disappointed
me and although he won the fight, it was too close for comfort.
He gets props for fighting a bigger guy yet again, but Otsuka
does not have the talent to move Silva up the ranks. In fact
it almost moved him down, as many people including myself felt
that fight was much closer then it should have beenl. Some even
felt that "Other" Silva lost that fight. A very disappointing
performance for a very talented fighter. One fight could put
him back into the mix and a higher spot on the list for the next
time the poll comes to town.
#
6 - Chuck Liddell (New)
It is time “The Iceman” gets his due. People all over
the world talk about how much he deserves a title shot for what
he has accomplished. He deserves a shot now. Based on who he
has defeated in the past year and a half, it can be argued that
he has faced the best competition of any fighter in any division
with apologies to Matt Hughes and Rodrigo Nogueira. His two biggest
competitors in the division are Vanderlei Silva and Tito Ortiz.
Who has Vanderlei beaten lately? He has defeated an average Kanehara,
Iwasaki who?, Cro Cop in a K-1 slash Pride fight, and a smallish
Tamura. Who has Tito beaten lately? He beat a game Shamrock,
an overmatched Elvis Sinosic, and a much smaller Evan Tanner.
Chuck Liddell has defeated Kevin Randleman, Bustamante ( Close
bout), Suloev, Belfort, Babalu, and Mezger. There is literally
no one else in the division left for him to fight in the UFC.
Except Tito. If this fight happens, the fans will find out why
no one wants to fight the Iceman.
#5
–Murilo Bustamante (6)
In terms of lankiness he is the Brazilian version of Semmy Schilt
but unlike Schilt Bustamante is a talent like no other. He has
been inactive of late and that is a product of contractual problems
as much as anything else but there is no doubting that he has
what it takes to defeat anyone in the division on most days.
He lost a controversial decision to fellow Pound for Pound member
Chuck Liddell and some people felt he won that Fight (I had it
as a draw), it just proves how really exceptional his talents
are.
#4
– Matt Hughes (9)
His last three fights before Gil Castillo have been against the
cream of the welterweight crop. He defeated Carlos Newton twice,
Hayato Sakurai and recently Gil Castillo. There is no doubting
that he is the best guy at 170 bar none. He proves it again and
again, who will be the next one to challenge the Wrestler/Farmer
from Iowa? How about another wrestler from Minnesota? Sean Sherk
will soon find out why Matt Hughes is considered the best fighter
at the welterweight mark.
#3
– Kazushi Sakuraba (3)
Another fight against another bigger opponent means another injury
for the most exciting Japanese fighter to grace the Pride arena.
You would think his popularity and status in Japan coupled with
his unparallelled fighting skills would get him a reprieve from
fighting the monsters of the division. No such luck, for all
we know he could be taking on Bob Sapp and Semmy Schilt at once,
in a Handicapped match at the next Pride. Let's hope he heals
up before he takes on any behemoths in the near future. No matter
how good this guy is, People still bag on him for his performance
against Gilles Arsene. Give him a break, he was coming off serious
Eye and shoulder injuries and he blew his knee out the week before!
Sakuraba is still Tops in the 185 division in my opinion and
high on the P4P list.
#2
– Jens “Little Evil” Pulver (4)
For the best 155 fighter in the world, a decision win over Murahama
and another decision win over Robert Emerson, are not exactly
the opponents he should be fighting, but how does Duane Ludwig
sound? He is scheduled to fight the K-1 standout in the UCC on
January 25th and if the fight comes about it could be one of
the most interesting bouts in a long time. Will he Pound, or
will he ground, no one knows for sure. Not known for having the
most exciting fights in the world but always known as a winner,
Jens is credited for beating the excitement out of BJ Penn and
making B.J a more careful fighter. A rematch with B.J will solidify
who the best fighter at 155 really is. Last time around Pulver
was the underdog, this time it will be different.
#1-
Rodrigo Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira (1)
For the 5th time in a row this Nogueira stands atop the Pound
for Pound heap. He went head to head with a man that is at least
two heads taller and 150 pounds heavier. Although he was a little
battered and bruised, the Minotaur came to fight and did what
he set out to do. He put on an unforgettable performance that
set him head and shoulders above the rest in the heavyweight
heap. At the past Pride he defeated another monster in Semmy
Schilt, he seems to attract the freaks and he would not have
it any other way. The only other guy doesn’t believe the
hype about Nogueira is Number 9 on the List Emelianenko Fedor,
so finally he will be in against someone his own size. Fedor
could be he toughest challenge yet. But if the Minotaur is on
his game, "Forget the rest Nogueira’s the best."
Fallen
off the list
Falling
off the Top Ten pound for pound list does not a bad fighter make.
But with so many fighters that are so good cracking the top is
a tough test indeed. These fighters were on the list last time
out but have fallen off this time in.
Vanderlei
“The Axe Murderer” Silva (10)
BJ. "The Prodigy" Penn
Alexander “Pequeno” Nogueira (3)
Honorable
Mention
Many
fighters deserved to be on the list, but there is only 10 spots
on a top ten list so these deserving fighters were left off this
month. These fighters are on the cusp and could very well be
on the list next month.
Josh
“ The baby faced Assassin” Barnett (New)
Tito “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Ortiz (HM)
“Dangerous” Dan Henderson (HM)
This
is how the list shakes down for the month of Dec 2002. The dust
has settled on another installment of the best Pound for Pound
fighter list and change has been the word of the day Some of
you may not agree with the way the list came down, and if you
are one of those people let me know! Everyone has their own opinions
and I am ready to back up my picks. If you have any questions,
Comments or criticism, I would love to hear about it. For those
of you who emailed me with critiques and friendly fire, I would
like to Thank you for all the emails on the previous months picks
and I look forward to hearing from you again. Thanks and see
you Next Year~
Source: MMA Ring Report
INTERVIEW:
Matt Hume
by: Joseph Cunliffe
When and
where were you born and raised? Kirkland, Washington.
You
have an extensive background in martial arts going back to your
early youth. How did it all start for you? My father gave me
boxing gloves and a reflex bag for Christmas when I was 4 years
old, he taught me some Judo throws and from then on I trained
in everything and anything that had to do with martial arts and
combat sports.
What
are your disciplines? I have played with many martial arts, but
the main aspects of my style are Boxing, Muay Thai, Collegiate/freestyle
wrestling and Submission wrestling.
In
this sport, you’re a fighter, trainer, promoter, lecturer
and commentator. Which has been most fulfilling? Why? As a fighter
you get a personal sense of accomplishment and pride when you
overcome obstacles and have success, when you can pass that on
to someone else and see them develop confidence and a sense of
satisfaction with themselves, then it makes your work feel more
complete. To me, the two go together and it is hard to say one
is more fulfilling than the other. I would say those two combined
give me the greatest satisfaction.
If
you weren’t doing all that you do in this sport, what would
you be doing? I graduated from college with a degree in Finance
and went to work in the financial industry before leaving it
to pursue my goals as a fighter and teacher. I would probably
be a financial analyst right now if I didn’t have this.
What
do you do on a day away from this sport? Around my house, throw
things for my dog and play games on my playstation.
What
is one part of your career you’d look to change if possible?
I think both the good and bad things are valuable life lessons
that help you develop your character, I’m thankful for everything,
so I can’t say I would change anything.
When
& where was your last fight? For NHB it was Extreme fighting
4 against Pat Militech, for Submission wrestling it was Abu Dhabi
1998 against Louis Britto.
Why
was it your last fight at that point? During my match against
Britto in Abu Dhabi, I completely tore my ACL. I won the match
but after I cooled down, I realized that it was pretty bad and
followed the doctors advice to pull out of the tournament. I
rehabbed it for almost 2 years and began thinking about fighting
again, but then tore my mcl while helping Dennis Hallman cut
weight for a match that I was promoting. I had to have acl replacement
surgery and ended up with a bad staff infection from the hospital
that required another surgery. The healing and rehab process
took a long time after that, but I finally feel ready to try
it again.
Why
a return to competition now? I just want to have fun doing what
I enjoy. The events have grown and I have had a great time with
all the fighters and fans and some of the promoters. It will
be fun to fight along side the guys I have trained, also to have
them in my corner for a change while I get to have fun in the
ring.
Why
at HOOKnSHOOT? There are good promoters and bad promoters, ethical
and un-ethical promoters. Meguel and Jeff are good guys that
I can say have the fighters best interest at heart, Dan Lambert
has had some involvement as well and I have seen him do some
kind things for fighters without asking anything in return, it
is an honor to fight in their show because of the type of people
they are.
If
I recall, you had planned a return to competition in early 2002.
What happened? I never had a specific date, I just want to do
it while I still can. Hook and Shoot had to postpone this show
previously, so that moved the date back a bit.
What
do you prefer, a quick match or an exciting fight? I don’t
have a preference where that is concerned, I think quick can
also be exciting, but my goal is to fight with high level technique
in all aspects of the game and hopefully please the fans and
provide something exciting for them.
How
do you see your match against Shawn “Pain” Peters going?
Mentally I play out all angles of how it could go and what I
want to do, but I show up as a professional ready for anything,
without any specific expectations except to impose my will in
all aspects of the fight.
Among
other things, Peters referred to you saying “just like most
legends, he’s old and probably not real.” What are
your thoughts on Peters and his comments? Peters comments have
no affect on what I will do in the ring. The reality will be
when the bell rings.
Are
you one that wants to know everything about your opponent, or
are you more comfortable just fighting your fight? I don’t
put much emphasis on my opponent. My philosophy is, I train to
be better than my opponents in all aspects so I let them worry
about what I will do rather than the other way around.
I
believe your opponents have often been bigger then you. I’m
not sure if that was by luck or lack of weight divisions in the
past. Do you think having weight divisions now is a good thing?
The old school was good, but I suppose it is better with weight
classes now. I train with Josh Barnett, Maurice Smith, even Bob
Saap, so weight doesn’t really matter to me but fighting
someone closer to my size might be nice for a change.
You’ve
won several hundred martial arts competitions. Is there any 1
that stands out to you? The Contenders against Kenny Monday was
a great moment for me, he was a hero to me in wrestling and had
been the Extreme fighting champion as well, so when I beat him
in the main event with the fastest time it was a great feeling.
You
train professional fighters like Josh Barnett, Aaron Riley, Ivan
Salaverry and Kim Messer. Who is training the trainer? Maurice
and Josh are kind of heading it up, but all of the fighters help
each other at AMC.
What
is one of the funniest times in training these guys?Everyday
at the end of practice when Maurice starts picking on people.
How
did you come to train the Abu Dhabi Combat Team in 1997? Sheik
Tahnoun saw me defeat Kenny Monday in the Contenders and got
in contact with me to invite me to train him and his combat club.
How
can a perspective student get in touch with you? Come to AMC,
or through our website, www.pankration.com.
Do
you have a single formatted seminar or do you develop them based
on your clients needs and wants? I give them what they want.
Tell
me about the art of AMC Pankration. AMC Pankration is an art
that in a modern way reflects the late Bruce Lee’s philosophy
of incorporating what works and doing away with what doesn’t.
We emphasize boxing and Muay Thai for standing, Freestyle/collegiate/Greco
wrestling for takedowns and defense, submission wrestling and
our own version of ground Muay Thai for ground fighting. We will
also steal anything that we can from anywhere we can get it if
it is valuable. For instance, I have never specifically trained
in Brazillian Jiu Jitsu, however, I have learned valuable things
from watching and getting advice from BJJ practitioners such
as John Lewis which I have put in my mind and found ways to incorporate
and add those things into my own style. AMC Pankration is an
evolving art which I hope will continue to evolve beyond my own
skills and concepts with my current and future students.
What
is one thing about Matt Hume that would people saying, “Hmmmm...
I didn’t know that?” My mom said she dropped me on
my head when I was a baby, but I guess they might have figured
that one out already.
What
is the UFCF? The United Full Contact Federation. It’s a
world wide sanctioning body that sanctions Pankration, Kickboxing,
boxing at amateur and professional levels. It is based in Washington
state.
Are
you part on the UFCF?. I am the founder and former president,
now I serve as an advisorYou’ve seen vast changes in the
sport of MMA during your career. Please touch on 1 pro and 1
con.The con is the inevitable entry of the “bad apples”
in the promoting side, the professional boxing promoter types.
The pro is the respect and friendships that have formed with
so many fighters, good promoters, fans and people involved in
MMA.
How
can we properly educate the public to bring our sport to the
front lines? The reality is that we don’t have a sport.
We have events. The rules are different from event to event,
there is no connection between the events, there are no real
rankings and no networking. It is going to take an effort from
the conglomerate of the small people and promoters that care
about truly forming a sport. The fans and fighters have to be
ready to accept and support it rather than just go watch or try
to be in a big event that lead to nowhere in hopes of a future
sport.
Is
there anything you’d like to say... anything you’d
like to touch on? This is your forum, Matt... where anything
goes. We are fighters and fight fans. Our hopes are to fight
and to be entertained by fights. But we need to remember that
before MMA we were martial artists and sports men who value respect
and dignity. If we see those things fading from MMA, then we
need to remember where we came from. Thank you to all of the
supporters and people who care about the future of MMA.
Source: ADCC
12/7/02
Quote
of the Day
"What we see depends mainly on what we look for."
John Lubbock
"You
can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in
other people than you can in two years by trying to get other
people interested in you."
Dale Carnegie
Shooto
Hawaii Today in Maui!
Lahaina Civic Center, Lahaina, Maui
Saturday, December 7, 2002
Tentative Fight Card
Main Event Shooto Class A - Middleweight 76KG 167.5
Ray "Bradda" Cooper (Jesus Is Lord) VS. Jay Buck (Team
Hell House)
Semi-Event
Shooto Class A - Welterweight 65kg 143.3
Stephen "Bozo" Paling III (Jesus Is Lord) VS. Ryan
Ackerman (Grappling Works)
Shooto
Class B 65KG 143.3
Neal Andres (HMC) VS. Josh Corlione (Kodenkan HI)
Shooto
Class B Constructed 56KG 125
Antonio Rodriguez (Team Big Dog) VS. Will Armstrong (808 Fight
Factory)
Shooto
Class B 60KG 132.3
Kyle Takao (HMC) VS. Thin Nguyen (Wailuku Kickboxing)
Shooto
Class B 70KG 154.5
David Padilla (Gamebred) VS. Derek Matsumoto (HMC)
Shooto
Class B 76KG 167.5
Sean Taylor (Freelance) VS. Tyson Coloma-Nahooikaika (Wailuku
Kickboxing)
Shooto
Class B 65KG 143.3
Tommy Lee (Team Hell House) VS TBA
CARD
SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Source: Event Promoter
Frank
Shamrock Takes the Mike on Tito, Gracie, and Baroni
Frank Shamrock,
former undefeated UFC light-heavyweight champion, responds to
some recent interviews and rumors that we (and apparently he
also) have heard. Without further adieu:
"Aloha!
Maui is so beautiful and peaceful right now. Before I go on my
morning run here’s the update on Tito, Gracie and Baloni:
Tito
Ortiz' only unrevenged loss is against Frank Shamrock.
"No plans to fight Tito again anytime soon. I haven’t
been asked by anyone for some time. Tito would be hard fight
and I would need a fight or two and about 4 months prep for that
one. I would also need to find a hole is his current style and
capitalize on that. At the moment it appears to be his stand
up. But that is changing pretty quickly. Fighting Tito would
suck, as we are friends, and even though last time I won - I
got busted up pretty good. I say show me the money and away we
go.
"No
plans to fight Ryan Gracie as announced at UC 3 in England. I
think that he might be a little light for me but I would fight
him just because he has the Gracie ($) name. I will ask around
maybe someone wants to promote that one. Any interest from the
Gracie camp can be directed to my office.
"Phil
Baloni? How did he get on this list? That’s right, I did
an interview for shownopity.com. When I give interviews, I speak
the truth about what I believe in and I was asked about Baloni.
I spoke the truth and now Baloni has sounded off and called me
out. How exciting! It appears that he is one of tougher ‘internet
fighters’ in our sport.
"Here are some more truths for Phil: You seemed like a nice
guy when you were hanging around the shows asking me about training
advice like a puppy dog.
"When
I was doing media research, I saw your spread in the gay magazine
Flaunt and I thought you looked real tough and sexy. Other than
that I don’t know you and neither does any one else in the
real world. You are on this list by accident because you got
butt hurt and made an ass of yourself. The truth is that we all
know why you said all that; you would love to build a career
from a fight with me.
"More
truth: I never even liked you and now I don’t care at all.
I think you are a total idiot with some genetic blessings. You
think that you are someone in this world. Funny I have never
heard your name at my meetings with Direct TV, In Demand, MTV,
Showtime and the like. Maybe they didn’t get your internet
post.
"Phil
I have some advice for you: Quit playing tough on the internet
and go become a real champion and then you can play with the
big boys. Once you have achieved that, then call my office and
we’ll talk about giving you a shot.
Source: Sherdog
The
UFO: April Plans Under Development?
Rumors in Japan are beginning to gather force regarding an intriguing
promotional attempt by Mr. Kawamura and Mr. Antonio Inoki, in
conjunction with their UFO event. There is word that the event
will make an effort to promote the fight between Chuck Liddel
and Tito Ortiz on their March-April show. There are stateside
rumors that Ortiz may have broken a hand, but it is not clear
yet.
The UFO event
being planned for this time frame is rumored to feature the return
of Rickson Gracie. UFC Middleweight Champion Murilo Bustamante
is said to be in advanced negotiations.
What remains
to be seen is if Zuffa is willing to consider the possibilities...
Source: ADCC
12/6/02
Quote
of the Day
"It takes but one positive thought when given a chance to
survive and thrive to overpower an entire army of negative thoughts."
Robert H. Schuller
"We can
chart our future clearly and wisely only when we know the path
which has led to the present."
Adlai E. Stevenson
Vasconcellos
is out and Hallman is in
Ron "The Machine
Gun" Jhun was
scheduled to fight BJJ black belt Fernando Vasconcellos at King
of the Cage, but Vasconcellos has pulled out and they brought
in Dennis "Superman" Hallman to replace him. Hallman
is best known as the only man to have ever beaten UFC Lightweight
Champion, Matt Hughes twice. Both by a quick submission. This
will be a huge stepping stone if Jhun can beat Hallman. Good
luck to Ron Jhun and Jamal Perkins, who is also fighting on the
same card.
Congratulations for your win over Ninja this last PRIDE event!
Thanks! I feel that I deserved the win. I faced a lot hurdles
to be in shape for this fight and thank God everything went well.
What
do you think about Ninja? I think he's a fighter, and a very
good one, but he talks too much.
Do
you think this rivalry between BTT and Chute Boxe will keep going?
The fact is, they talk too much during their interviews. They
are far from being humble and now they will pay the price for
being arrogant. During the Meca show Ninja was interviewed and
stated that they would send me to the hospital after the fight.
He does not know how this motivated me! I was ready to kill and
to die in the ring. I was praying to not meet him in the elevators
at the Hilton Hotel or at breakfast, because the worst could
happen, and the audience would not be able to attend (Laughs)
But
you guys are professionals... I am professional and you don't
see me talking smack about my opponents. Saying I was arrogant
because I want to fight for the belt? Tell me who doesn't want
to fight for the belt.
So,
are you fighting for the belt? Well I am ready for it, It's not
something I control, It's something I pray will happen.
How
would you see a fight against Vanderlei? I want to clarify that
I want the belt and Vanderlei is holding it now so I want to
fight him. If Kanehara had won I would have wanted to fight him.
But as for the fight, if it happens, I think I'll be even more
prepared than now and more ready to kill and die in there.
Source: ADCC
Ricardo
Almeida... he’s back!
by: Joseph Cunliffe
POST
FIGHT INTERVEW: After PANCRASE and Osami Shibuya
On
Saturday, November 30, 2002, Renzo Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
black belt Ricardo “Cachorrao” Almeida made his return
to the ring after a near 1-year lay off to compete in the 'Pancrase
2002 Spirit Tour' at the Yokohama Culture Gymnasium in Kanagawa,
Japan.
With
luck on his side, Almeida took the opportunity last weekend to
show how proper preparation works when he met 4th ranked Pancrase
light heavyweight Osami Shibuya in his return to competition
in Japan. With 65 recorded fights in Pancrase alone, Almeida
expected a tough fight with Shibuya.
After
landing an unexpected kick to the leg of his opponent, the Pride
and UFC veteran went back to his basics and defeated Shibuya
by rear naked choke.
I
caught up with Almeida upon his return to the United States for
his post fight interview.
JC:
You’ve been wanting to go back to Japan where you started.
You did over the weekend and earned a victory. How are you feeling?
RA: I feel good, I am just happy I had a nice performance, and
that the public liked it.
JC:
Please give me a play-by-play of the match.
RA: I started off trying to get the distance, but he was lefty
so it was throwing me of a little. I kicked him twice, and actually
the second kick really hurt him. Then I took him down and passed
the guard, I knew he would turn to all fours so I just went to
his back. As he stood up I got my hooks in, and he jumped trying
to knock me out, but I just held tight. I stayed on him and controlled
as he spent lots of energy trying to escape. My knee popped out
during this struggle so I knew I couldn’t let him stand
back up so when I saw the opening I used a head and arm choke,
I am not sure if he went out but he just collapsed over my legs
after he tapped.
JC:
You thought this would be a tough match. Was it for you?
RA: It made me think a lot. My knee hurt pretty bad when I was
on his back, but I just kept my cool and took my time. Had the
fight gone back to our feet I don’t know what the outcome
would be. I had to focus hard and make sure I didn’t lose
the position.
JC:
You went back to the basics... your ground game, in defeating
Osami Shibuya by rear naked choke. Is it all about the basics?
RA: I actually kicked him pretty hard, or at least he looked
hurt, that’s what threw him off, he wasn’t expecting
that, so yeah I tapped him and most of the fight was on the ground
but I think I started to win the fight when I kicked him and
he just stepped back with a limp.
JC:
Please elaborate on “luck is when opportunity meets preparation.”
RA: My trainer Martin Rooney, from the Parisi Speed School says
that. After the fight some of the press people in Japan felt
it was a lucky move, I told them “luck is when opportunity
meets preparation” that we fight at professional level,
had I made the same mistake, I feel Shibuya could have capitalized
on it as well.
JC:
How will you be ranked in Pancrase with this win?
RA: I am not sure. I loved the atmosphere there, I just want
to be back. I want to keep fighting and improving myself. I know
I can get a lot better. I am not really worried about rankings
right now.
JC:
How did your hand hold up under full intensity fighting?
RA: My hand feels 100%, I think it will always bother me some
and be in the back of my head, I guess it will be one more thing
to adapt to.
JC:
What are your thoughts in Fightworld.com reporting “Almeida
was said to have looked great in his debut.”
RA: It feels good when you put so much effort like I do with
my training and some one recognizes. I just wish more people
had access to the Pancrase tapes they really have great talent
there. I am just happy to be out there, fighting, improving.
I feel like a shark, if iam not, moving forward I’m dying.
JC:
With the recent changes in Pancrase, moving toward MMA with their
rules, what are your thoughts on Pancrase and New Japan Pro Wrestling
teaming up and exchanging fighters?
RA: It should be great for the sport, Pro Wrestling is huge in
Japan and they really have some tough guys that will give most
fighters a really hard time. They should be able to draw the
Pro Wrestling fans when they start bringing in some of the stars
into MMA.
JC:
What’s next for you?
RA: Heal my knee, and back to training. I should be back in the
ring sometime early next year, but nothing set yet. I want to
take time and enjoy my family, my wife and newborn son. Try to
catch some waves in this NYC winter, I must be out of my mind
to get in to a 5mm rubber suit and go catch waves on 40 degrees
water, but the again I fight vale tudo, what can be crazier that
that.
The
UFC, WFA and Pride on the same weekend. King of the Cage, Shooto,
Pancrase, Super Brawl and a host of other shows spread over 30
days. Another whirlwind month of mixed martial arts is ready
for the books, but before we file it away, join me as I take
a look at how November 2002 unfolded in the sport.
KING
OF THE CAGE … LIVE (Nov. 1)
Typically
relegated to surfing the Net for day-after results, I was happy
to see that King of the Cage forged a deal with DirecTV to air
"Sudden Impact." The card was less than stellar, however,
as it was mostly comprised of fighters only the most devoted
MMA fans would recognize.
Maybe
it was the dark hair (instead of his previously bleached-blonde),
or more likely because he returned to the weight class in which
he belongs. Either way, Dennis Hallman was the most impressive
fighter of the night. Betiss Mansouri is no slouch on the ground,
but he was three steps behind Hallman for the duration of their
welterweight bout, until Hallman ended it with a triangle choke.
Paul
Buentello closed the show by crumbling Mike Kyle to end a slugfest.
It was another big finish among a string of wins for the re-dedicated
Buentello, though he looked out of sync for much of the fight.
The AKA-trained fighter was hesitant to cut loose on Kyle, who
was unafraid to launch his own assault, and by the end of the
first round, I had joined Buentello's corner in goading their
fighter forward. Crazy Bob Cook finally convinced his charge
to fire away early in the second, and a left hook collided with
Kyle's jaw soon after.
Hats
off to Buentello. Whether he was struggling with Kyle's reach
or having one of those performances when a fighter just can't
let go of his hands, Buentello leaped out of the funk in grand
fashion.
Also
at KOTC "Sudden Impact," the venerable Dan Severn submitted
Mark Smith.
VENDETTA
(Nov. 22)
Like
Christmas, the days, hours and minutes leading up to Ortiz-Shamrock
stretched without end. Then the Friday finally came, fifteen
thrilling minutes followed and the Vendetta had suddenly passed.
The
monumental match was tellingly one-sided, as Tito Ortiz cemented
his legacy in the Octagon. Not only was the Champ's nearly unstoppable
ground-and-pound game running at full throttle, Ortiz also displayed
unbridled confidence in his standup. Even though he was rocked
early in the first, he was content with trading on the feet for
much of the fight. Sure, Ortiz was swinging with a dilapidated
opponent for the most part, but he looked great, and it was his
willingness to exchange that was most impressive.
All
was not lost for the aged Shamrock, who proved his mettle. He
was stunned early and overwhelmed throughout, but he hung in
there for as long as we could have asked. Here's to seeing him
back in the Octagon.
Some
said Babalu-Liddell had upset written all over it. Not me, thankfully.
With a title shot looming in the balance (let's hope) and facing
the last line of defense (let's hope), Liddell looked better
than ever. In reality, regardless of smashing his shin into Babalu's
face, Liddell penetrated title shot territory long ago. Now it's
up to the Champ: Will Ortiz retreat or will he fight?
In
other bouts at UFC 40, Matt Hughes looked unbeatable en route
to stopping Gil Castillo; Carlos Newton dismantled Pete Spratt,
submitting him with a kimura; Robbie Lawler ate a few kicks to
his thigh before savagely knocking out Tiki; Andrei Arlovski
beat Ian Freeman; Vladimir Matyushenko debuted as a heavyweight
with a win over Travis Wiuff; and Phillip Miller once again found
a way to win, choking Mark Weir late in the second round.
ABANDONMENT?
WHAT? (Nov. 23)
What
a terrible ending. Of course, Frank Trigg's bout against Dennis
Hallman was a WFA main event, and it's becoming clear that such
matches are forever damned to end controversially or by freak
occurrences. Trigg may get the win on a technicality following
a couple shots below the belt, but I'd bet he's willing to do
it again. It's an intriguing matchup, and a rematch should declare
a legitimate winner.
Although
Jason Black was temporarily lost in the shuffle of Miletich-produced
welterweights, his emergence at 170 pounds can no longer be overlooked.
Still undefeated, Black stopped talented submission artist Chad
Saunders at WFA 3. With a couple more fights against quality
competition -- like John Alessio -- Black could become yet another
Iowan to crack the 170-pound top-10.
In
other action at WFA 3, Marvin Eastman knocked out Alex Stiebling;
Mike Van Arsdale returned to MMA with a win over Chris Haseman;
Shaolin beat Eddie Yagin, but had a tougher time than expected;
up-and-comer Josh Thomson won a decision over Rob McCullough;
and one of the top featherweights in the U.S., Jeff Curran, triangle
choked Todd Lally.
FEDOR
FOR REAL (Nov. 24)
No
need to toot Emelianenko Fedor's horn for his thrashing of Heath
Herring at Pride 23; my colleagues have taken care of that. Just
let me say, guys, that Josh Gross wasn't the only one backing
the stone-faced Russian. Check those picks. There are plenty
of Fedor-believers out there, and I'm wondering just how many
will take him in the upcoming heavyweight fight of the year:
Fedor vs. Nogueira.
Ricardo
Arona is going to be a very difficult opponent for Vanderlei
Silva, if the match is made. Although Ninja may not yet be at
the level of his Chute Boxe teammate, Arona easily negated his
dangerous striking attack with a series of overpowering takedowns
at Pride 23. (Arona also negated my interest in the match, which
his cautious approach on the ground has a habit of doing.) Ninja
didn't suffer much damage stranded on his back, but certainly
couldn't unload either and that cost him the fight.
Kevin
Randleman surprisingly chose to work from the half guard in his
bout against Kenichi Yamamoto; though, he fumbled over numerous
technically-flawed key lock attempts for much of his time in
the position. Determined to finish, Randleman eventually exited
the confusing world of submission holds for a couple good ole
fashioned feet-to-the-sky, double knee drops from hell. If anyone
fell asleep during the bout, I hope they caught the replay of
that brutal ending.
Other
matches at Pride 23 included Rodrigo Nogueira's submission victory
against Semmy Schilt; another beating delivered by Vanderlei
Silva with Hiromitsu Kanehara as the unfortunate victim; a submission
win for Hirotaka Yokoi over Jerrel Venetiaan; a knockout victory
for Kiyoshi Tamura against Nobuhiko Takada; a match no one should
have to watch twice that finally ended when Kazushi Sakuraba
submitted Gilles Arsene; and a controversial triumph for Hidehiko
Yoshida over Don Frye.
WINS,
LOSSES AND FIGHTS OF NOTE
Ronald
Jhun dropped down to 170 pounds to meet Shonie Carter at Super
Brawl 27 on November 9. The entertaining bout ended as a draw.
In the main event, Wesley "Cabbage" Correira knocked
out Jason Lambert to win the Super Brawl heavyweight title. Jutaro
Nakao, Falaniko Vitale and Akira Kikuchi also scored wins.
Chute
Boxe's Nilson de Castro finished Lucas Lopes with strikes in
the main event at Meca Vale Tudo 7 on November 8. Although it's
difficult to standout on a team full of aggressive brawlers,
especially if your name is not Silva, de Castro is ready for
a big bout outside of Brazil.
Mauricio
"Shogun" Rua, brother of the "Ninja" Rua
who has stomped a few heads in Pride, was also victorious at
Meca, knocking out Rafael Capoeira. Looks like he may be the
newest product from the Chute Boxe factory.
Jimmy
Terrel, a talented lightweight from Tito Ortiz's Team Punishment,
submitted Kenneth Alexander with an armbar at the second Hitman
Fighting Productions show on November 9. His win avenged the
loss of teammate "Razor" Rob McCullough to Alexander
at the first HFP.
Also
at HFP 2, Antonio McKee won a decision over Heath Sims in a meeting
of skilled wrestlers. McKee may be boring, but he's also tough
to beat. Fabiano Iha and Aaron Brink also won at the event.
Andrei
Semenov ended a two-fight losing streak by finishing UFC veteran
Curtis Stout with a rear naked choke on November 15. In other
bouts at the Russian M-1 event, Amar Suloev choked Julian Gonzales;
tough Russian heavyweight Ibragim Magomedov defeated American
Ben Rothwell; and underrated welterweight Dave Strasser drew
with Islam Karimov.
Ricardo
Almeida ended his sabbatical from MMA competition on November
30 with a submission victory over Osami Shibuya in Pancrase.
Two of Japan's top middleweights, Ikuhisa Minowa and Yuki Sasaki,
also met at the event. Minowa narrowly won a decision, marking
his second triumph over Sasaki.
Shooto
legend Rumina Sato drew with Takumi (Nakayama) on November 15.
Mark
Colangelo, of Team Renzo Gracie, submitted John Weidler at the
inaugural Sportfighting on November 9.
Ryan
Stout, a touted up-and-comer, was submitted by Carlson Gracie
Jr. purple belt Mike O'Donnell via triangle choke at the Extreme
Combat Challenge on November 23.
AND
THE AWARDS
FIGHT
OF THE MONTH: Tito Ortiz-Ken Shamrock. It wasn't the typical
back-and-forth affair that often garners fight of the month status,
but this one had all the trimmings and supplied plenty of drama.
BUMMER
OF THE MONTH: The Abandonment. Let's just leave it at that, OK?
KNOCKOUT
OF THE MONTH: Chuck Liddell drops Babalu with a kick to the face.
Honorable mention goes to Marvin Eastman for flooring Alex Stiebling.
BREAKTHROUGH
PERFORMANCE OF THE MONTH: Emelianenko Fedor's destruction of
Heath Herring.
Source: Maxfighting
12/5/02
Quote
of the Day
"Time is the wisest counsellor."
Pericles
"You
have powers you never dreamed of. You can do things you never
thought you could do. There are no limitations in what you can
do except the limitations of your own mind."
Darwin P. Kingsley
KOTC
Preview
By Keith Mills
San Jacinto, CA -- This Saturday December 7th, the next installment
of King Of The Cage takes place at the Soboba Casino in San Jacinto,
California. This show will be followed one week later by another
KOTC to be held in Bernalillo, New Mexico on December 15 at the
Santa Ana Star Hotel/Casino. Neither of these two shows will
be broadcast on PPV, the next one to air will be in February
from Albuquerque, NM. For the Dec. 7 KOTC show, gates open at
4:00pm PST and preliminary matches begin at 5:00 pm PST.
Jimmy
Ambriz makes his return to KOTC in his first fight since beating
Daniel Bobish for the Heavyweight belt back in August. This 307
lb fighter's opponent hasn't been announced yet but looks to
be set to be the main event.
One
of the more interesting fights on the card is Ron Jhun of Jesus Is Lord (actually 808
Fight Factory) taking on Fernando Vasconcelos, the man who
made such an impression when he beat Marcos Santos in KOTC at
Soboba this past October. Jhun
has been on a bit of a slide since losing to Jermaine Andre in
WFA 1 a year ago only picking up one win against Shannon Ritch
in Warriors Quest a month after the WFA before going on a three
fight losing streak in SHOOTO and UCC and finally a draw against
Shonie Carter in Super Brawl 27 last month. This fight will determine
if Jhun can get back to his
peak streak from '99-'01 or if Vasconcelos will step further
into the spotlight of rising stars.
Possibly rivaling Jhun/Vasconcelos for potential
is John Cole vs. Joe Crilly. Crilly pulled off a decision win
in the fight of the night at KOTC this past October when he took
on Adam Brooks but this time his opponent will have more than
two days to prepare as KOTC: Bad Intentions vet Cole returns
to the cage.
Robert
Emerson also makes his return to MMA, his first since losing
a decision to Jens Pulver in Ultimate Minnesota this summer.
He takes on Warriors Quest and Gladiator Challenge vet Jamal Perkins who most recently
beat JR Palmer back in October.
At
fourteen total fights this card is bound to have some hits. Tickets
are still on sale.
Jimmy Ambriz Vs. TBA
Ron Jhun Vs. Fernando Vasconcelos
Mansure Hedari Vs. T.B.A.
Raul Delgado Vs. Brent Stevens
Robert Emerson Vs. Jamal
Perkins
John Cole Vs. Joe Crilly
Matt Stansell Vs. Joe Camacho
Jessie Contreras Vs. Reggie Cardiel
Steve White Vs. Thomas Kenny
Louie Vaith Vs. Danny Brket
Justin Masley Vs. Asher King
Mike Bertuccini Vs. Shad Smith
Lobo Vs. Timothy Mendoza
Frankie Bollinger Vs. Cesar Moreno
Source: FCF
Rumina
Sato Highlight Video
Sherdog
has always been a leader in placing video clips on his site and
this is another killer one. Check it out by clicking the link
to get to Sherdog's
site.
Rumina Sato has made his career in Japan, fighting out of K'z
Factory. This fierce 154 pounder shows off his dizzying speed
and full-throttle grappling combined with deadly accurate striking
in Sherdog's 28th Highlight Video
Source: Sherdog
WRESTLE-1
- Big Japanese Ratings Grabber
Word is circulating in the Japanese press that the WRESTLE-1
show did a sizable TV rating in Japan. This was the promotion
who debuted Mark Coleman and Kevin Randelman as a tag team last
month (Randelman's first shot at pro wrestling).
A
television research company (does the same as our Neilsen Ratings)
announced that the debut of WRESTLE-1 did an overall 8.4 rating
on 11/26 for Fuji TV. In the same time slot, the average rating
for Fuji had been around a 5.0 so the bizarre blend of MMA and
pro wrestling (all matches were works) proves to be a successful
formula again in Japan.
How's
this for ratings. SURVIVOR (also airing in Japan) did a modest
5.0 rating against the WRESTLE-1 show, which proves that the
company is a definite ratings maker. This insures them future
programming with almost no hassles.
More
praise going to Bob Sapp for his match against Great Muta (yes,
the same Muta who blew green mist in WCW in the 80's and 90's).
On the same show, the ratings peaked for Sapp vs. Muta, with
an astonishing 12.0 rating (a 140% increase from the average).
Source: ADCC
Black
Belt Challenge Rocks!
The
Black Belt Challenge has just finish with some BIG surprises.
The event was held in the prestigious and elegant Music Hall
in Sao Paulo, Brazil with 2000 spectators including VIP Table
seating, a top notch production! The matches were also super
hot with some unexpected results.
The
first big upset came in the Rooster match in which Bibiano Fernandez
submitted Ricardinho Vieira with a 'cow hoof' (wrist lock)at
2 minutes. A dejected Ricardinho stated: 'I don't know what happened,
but somehow I wasn't in the fight at all. By we learn from our
defeats and I will be back!'
Demian
Maia continued to show that he is a force to be ecogned with
as he defeated Eric Vanderlei by a score of 8 x 0 with 2 sweeps
and a mount
Current
World Champion Gabriel Vella defeated Fernandinho 'Terere' by
a 2 x 0 score while another current World Champion, Fabio Leopoldo
submitted Macaco by arm-lock. Macaco is a solid competitor and
the fact that he was submitted has to be considered an upset.
Rodrigo
Comprido beat Godoi by 4 x 0 with two takedowns. Comprido complained
about the heat and said: 'Kid, it was so hot it was hell. It
is amazing that everyone could finish the matches!'
Six-time
World Champion Saulo Ribeiro once again proved that he is one
of the top fighters in the business with a 7 x 0 win over the
ever tough Tozi. An elated Saulo commented: 'Kid, it was a top
event, the place was sold out with over 2000 spectators, VIP
table seating, the works. The promoters scored BIG in everyone's
eyes. The match was great and I felt great, but the heat was
too much and I tired in the end. They had these huge spotlights
that added to the already intense atmosphere. But I am very happy
with my performance and I want to send a big thanks to all my
students and friends in America!'
Congratulations
to all and lets hope the promoters have more events like this!
Source: ADCC/Kid Peligro
12/4/02
Quote
of the Day
"Too much of a good thing is just right."
Mae West.
"Whoever
renders service to many puts himself in line for greatness --
great wealth, great return, great satisfaction, great reputation,
and great joy."
Jim Rohn
Shooto
Hawaii Fight Card
Event This Saturday in Maui!
Lahaina Civic Center, Lahaina, Maui
Saturday, December 7, 2002
Tentative Fight Card
Main Event Shooto Class A - Middleweight 76KG 167.5
Ray "Bradda" Cooper (Jesus Is Lord) VS. Jay Buck (Team
Hell House)
Semi-Event
Shooto Class A - Welterweight 65kg 143.3
Stephen "Bozo" Paling III (Jesus Is Lord) VS. Ryan
Ackerman (Grappling Works)
Shooto
Class B 65KG 143.3
Neal Andres (HMC) VS. Josh Corlione (Kodenkan HI)
Shooto
Class B Constructed 56KG 125
Antonio Rodriguez (Team Big Dog) VS. Will Armstrong (808 Fight
Factory)
Shooto
Class B 60KG 132.3
Kyle Takao (HMC) VS. Thin Nguyen (Wailuku Kickboxing)
Shooto
Class B 70KG 154.5
David Padilla (Gamebred) VS. Derek Matsumoto (HMC)
Shooto
Class B 76KG 167.5
Sean Taylor (Freelance) VS. Tyson Coloma-Nahooikaika (Wailuku
Kickboxing)
Shooto
Class B 65KG 143.3
Tommy Lee (Team Hell House) VS TBA
CARD
SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Source: Event Promoter
Bringing
Back Old Life - Tank Abbott Returns
by Jeff Sherwood
As
I sat here listening to Paul McCarthy (ahh, the good ole days),
the hamster in my head began cranking on his three legs. I realized
what the UFC was doing! Like the shiny new VW bugs and the bell
bottoms that your girlfriends wear --- the UFC is bringing the
cool things back.
Tell
me that you do not remember seeing Tank Abbott walk into the
cage and dismantle a Samoan giant in a mere 18 seconds, complete
with the KO dance over the corpse.
Tell
me you did not jump out of your chair and say "holy sheet!"
If you deny it, you are lying. Tank was excitement! Tank quickly
became one of the most recognized fighters in the UFC. Everyone
wanted to see Tank fight - half want to see him win, half want
to see him clobbered --- A winning situation for the UFC.
The
UFC realized that bringing another icon of the sport back that
is not such a bad idea. Tito Ortiz/K. Shamrock was the biggest
fight in UFC history. There has not been anything else as hyped
and talked about as this fight. So, the UFC quickly realized
this ("pulled their heads out of their asses," as Tank
puts it) and went back to take a look at what they could do next.
It
was about two months ago when I first heard "what is Tank
up to?" To tell them the truth, I did not know. So I made
a call. Tank and I had a good long chit chat. "You need
some of the old fire back in there." Then went on a thirty
minute rant about how all the fighters these days are posers,
and not real fighters. As we ended the conversation, I flat out
asked him: "Are you ever going to fight again?" (You
have to be careful what you ask for with Tank).
"Yes
I am, and will start training in a month. Come see for yourself."
"What
are you weighing these days?" I asked, curious to see if
the 360 pound rumors were true.
"293"
was his reply.
"Riiiiiiiiight,"
I thought, then hung up, never expecting him to call back (rule
number one, don't call Tank too much).
Well,
a month and a half went by, and the phone rings again. "Dog,
this is Tank. I'm training, come to the gym."
I
showed up pretty early, and checked the place out. Nice gym,
had an old-school feel to it. Then he walked up looking to be
in pretty good shape. "I weigh 253 now," said Tank
with a smile. "That's the same weight when I kicked the
shit out of Hugo Duarte". He stepped on a scale on the spot.
Sure enough, 253.
So
now time for the workout. His boxing coach put his armor while
Tank was talking about MMA. Not just UFC, but Pride as well.
His comments about covered the entire spectrum: funny, insulting,
insane -- in that order.
Then
the workout starts, it's 45 minutes straight of boxing. He had
a repetition sheet, and he made me keep time. He would go 3 minutes
of balls out punching. Then go lightly for a minute. Then hard
again for 2 minutes, then slow for a minute for 45 minutes.
After
that it was some Mauy Thai training. I felt sorry for his coach.
He was a little guy (170 lbs) and Tank was knocking him all over
the ring. This went on for 30 minutes straight.
Finally,
he wound it down by kicking the heavy bag and telling me how
the new UFC rules are perfect for him. "These guys do not
realize I can hold my breath for 5 minutes, drink a bottle of
stole in the minute break and still kick all their asses!"
Then
he told me to talk to Dana White (Zuffa President), and tell
him what kind of money he was wanted to sign. When I spoke with
Dana, he seemed interested. The next weekend Tank was in Vegas,
and "talking business" with Dana (yikes). Afterwords,
Tank and I spoke - Tank said they offered him beans and the deal
fell through. Dana confirmed the next day.
Those
Trickers!
The
next weekend (on the Vendetta PPV), Tank strolls down between
one of the matches and announces his return. I cried and cried.
The betrayal, the trust, the rep sheets - all gone.
Shortly
after Tank left the cage, he came up to me. "Sorry I lied,
but they wanted to keep it a secret." "No problems"
I said.. Later in the night I also got a "Thank you, and
sorry" from Dana White.
There
you go. Lengthy Tank Abbott interview coming soon.
Jeff
Sherwood has a Tank and UFC President to verify his story.
Source: Sherdog
A
Fine Mess:
WFA Promoters Lewis and Huntington Speak Out Regarding Recent
Media Woes
By Loretta Hunt
It's usually
a good thing when fans and press are still talking about a mixed
martial arts show a week later, but in case of the World Fighting
Alliance: Level 3 event held last week in Las Vegas, the less
gab the better. With rumors still running rampant regarding a
media mishap that took place just prior to the second to last
fight of the night, promoters John Lewis and John Huntington
are hoping to set the record straight as to just what went down.
Sadly, the truth remains that key photographers for the sport
were asked to leave their designated spots alongside the cage
by the Aladdin's Theatre of the Performing Art's in-house security
team, seemingly at the time, under the direction of WFA promoter
John Huntington. Despite providing the appropriate cage-side
credentials and with fellow promoter John Lewis nowhere to be
found, the journalists had no choice but to oblige the orders
and cease their work. Not surprisingly, the results of this have
caused a media backlash of sorts for the fledgling promotion.
For starters, virtually no pictures from the last two championship
fights for that night made it out in coverage. Some media outlets
opted to not release ANY coverage of the show at all -- be it
pictorial, written or otherwise. Above all, prestigious figures
of the MMA media -- who have supported the sport since its inception
-- walked away with a bad taste in their mouths and more poignantly,
have had the opportunity to voice their sour opinions to the
public.
Among those asked to leave the stage was the photographer for
Full Contact Fighter, the oldest running MMA publication out
there. Alongside "the Mouth of NHB", representatives
from numerous media outlets were also affected, including MMAWeekly.com,
Sherdog.com, Maxfighting.com, and FightSport magazine. World-renowned
Japanese photographer Susumu Nagao also received the cold shoulder
from the venue's security team; while Josh Gross, there to supervise
the coverage of the event for Maxfighting.com and FightSport
magazine, spent the rest of his evening retrieving his photographer
Peter Lockley, who'd been removed from the building all together.
With someone having to take the blame for this media mess, all
fingers pointed to Huntington, the "non-MMA" half of
the WFA promotion team and the one who supposedly gave the orders
in question. Huntington is the owner of "Club Rubber,"
a string of successful touring club events that have spanned
the country. Teaming up with UFC and Extreme Fighting veteran
Lewis, Huntington brings all the "night club" aspects
to the mix. Just where was Huntington during all the commotion?
For the entire run of the show, Huntington says he was in a control
booth located at the back of the house, a substantial distance
from the stage. Running the lighting, video track and clips,
DJ and fighters' entrance cues via headset, Huntington says he
was first approached by the venue's technical director Nick Cavazas
regarding not the media, but the fighters' entourages loitering
onstage. Huntington recalls Cavazas expressing concern over safety
issues regarding wiring and equipment in the area and asked Huntington
to address the onstage overflow. At this point, between split-second
cues, Huntington told Cavazas to find John Lewis to deal with
the situation.
But
Lewis says he was fighting his own battle downstairs with the
Aladdin box office that had shut down for the night and was turning
customers away (including those trying to pick up will-call tickets).
Lewis entered the box office only to be told by the female supervisor
on-duty that standard Aladdin protocol had them close the box
office thirty minutes after a show is in progress. "I was
very upset and I got loud with her and told her she needed to
open the box office back up. Needless, to say she was upset that
I was in there in the first place and she asked me to leave the
room. I walked out and they opened the box office again and everything
was fine -- fine except for the people that were turned away
and left -- but at least the matter was dealt with."
If that were not the least of his problems, about thirty minutes
following the box office altercation, Lewis says he was approached
by five Aladdin security personnel and two uniformed police officers,
who escorted the promoter up to his room to pack his belongings
and then proceeded to kick him out of the casino… forever!
Back up in the control booth, Huntington recalls being approached
by Nick Cavazas again, urging him to clear any unauthorized persons
off the stage. With Lewis gone, Huntington knew he would have
to deal with the situation on some level. "I told him that
anyone with the proper credentials could stay onstage and those
without would have to leave." Huntington also says that
Cavazas did not cite any names or publications, but took these
orders and exited the control booth.
So, if Huntington didn't give the nod to remove the media photographers
along the cage, just who did? Perhaps the answer to this lies
with Nick Cavazas and his security crew. Despite messages left
on his cell phone, Cavazas did not return the calls to comment
on what transpired. In the meantime, Huntington and Lewis have
both come to their own realizations regarding what happened.
"Someone must have used my name to clear that area,"
rationalizes Huntington. "It makes no sense for me to kick
photographers or even writers out of the show. Why would I do
that? That's who builds my show!" Lewis has come to the
same reasoning as well. "What I'm thinking is the guy just
went back and said 'Everybody off. John [Huntington] says everybody
off.'" Added Lewis, "Why would we go to the trouble
of making credentials for the media, if we didn't want them there?
We had over fifty media representatives there and we gave all
of them credentials. We let certain media go up on the cage,
and then for the last two fights we decided to screw the press
over? It doesn't make sense. It's kind of silly to even go there.
That wouldn't hurt anybody but us, so I'd appreciate it if they
[certain members of the press] would let that go."
"I have nothing but love for the MMA media," commented
Huntington, who says he cut short a vacation in Cabo to come
back and address the situation. Although Huntington admitted
that he does not know every single media member by face, he stressed
that he understands the value of their work immensely. "Of
course I know Full Contact Fighter and I know that John has a
great relationship with them, as well as other members of the
MMA media. I would never in any way jeopardize any of these relationships."
It seems the MMA media were not the only ones spurned at the
event. Lewis also points out that coverage for the event suffered
on other avenues as a result of the Aladdin's security blitz.
"The more people I talk to, the more people I hear had trouble
with security overall," he lamented. "Wild On E! [popular
show on the E! Channel cable network] and NBC were both turned
away at the door because they didn't have their credentials yet.
Even when they asked to send one person in to claim their credentials
waiting inside, they were still denied access." Lewis says
that despite the rude way in which they were handled by security,
they have pledged to return and cover the next show for an upcoming
Wild On episode.
And speaking of ambushes, did booted promoter Lewis ever get
back into his own show? "I was on my way home when I got
a call from my lawyer who was able to talk to the security team
while I was gone. He got them to let me come back to pay everybody
and make sure the end of the fights went okay. John Huntington
had to leave the control booth to give Marvin Eastman his belt
[in the second to last fight] because I wasn't there then. I
was rushing back as fast as I could and made it there just in
time for the Trigg-Hallman fight. I was escorted for the rest
of the evening -- three hours of settling up with the hotel and
everything else I had to do."
But as the plot thickens, Lewis says he has made one interesting
discovery following the fights. "I watched the video yesterday
and I took notice of who was on the stage. There were only six
cage-side credentials handed out, including the two "Staff"
ones [given to FCF's photog and Susumu Nagao that allowed them
stage access as well], but I did notice a cluster of people up
on that stage. Maybe people were going up and taking photos anyways.
If that be the case, then certain members of the press took advantage
of the situation, and they might have messed it up for the guys
that were meant to be there. That might be the reason why everyone
was asked to clear the stage. I hope the press that's upset with
me remembers that." Had Lewis been in the area (or even
the building) at the time of the wrongdoing, he says he "would
have known who had credentials and who didn't and would have
cleared the stage accordingly to accommodate the security's safety
issues."
With plans for WFA: Level 4, scheduled for late February to early
March, now underway, Lewis says he is already working to ensure
that this type of occurrence doesn't happen again at any of his
future shows. Besides paying closer attention to communications
between security and his own staff next time, Lewis also hopes
to accommodate more photographers along the cage at future shows
by providing alternate areas for them to work in. "I'm learning
as I go along. I realized the last time [at WFA 2] that we had
a lot of people on the stage. I was really overwhelmed by this
and it didn't look good on video, but on the flip side I had
great coverage. I've got to find a way to keep the stage clear
but still keep my great coverage and I'm willing to do what I
have to do to make that happen."
Bottom-line, Lewis says he and his staff take responsibility
for what has happened, but hopes that the full story will paint
a more honest picture of what really went down on that night.
"I'd like people to understand that a lot of stuff was going
on that was security-related and that part of it was bad for
everybody. The show was beautiful -- I was very happy with it
and it seems like nobody knew what was going on except, unfortunately
the press. I apologize to everybody that was inconvenienced by
it all and I hope that the press knows me enough to know that
that's not my nature. The people that are covering me and supporting
the show are top priorities for me. There's a lot of people that
have been there for me, like Full Contact Fighter, and I will
do everything in my power to make sure nothing like this ever
happens to them again."
Source: FCF
12/3/02
Quote
of the Day
"To succeed you need to find something to hold on to,
something to motivate you, something to inspire you."
Tony Dorsett
"Vision
without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare."
Japanese Proverb
Tigre
is back in town?
There is a rumor floating around that Marcelo Tigre is back in
Hawaii. He went back to Brazil after his Pancrase match with
Takahashi that he ended up getting disqualified due to an eye
gouge. While in Brazil, Tigre got in trouble for beating up a
girl and her boyfriend. Now he is rumored to be on Oahu.
Former
UFC Champion PAT MILETICH
by: Keith Mills
For fans
of the legendary Pat Miletich the past eight months since Pat
stepped foot in the UFC octagon perhaps for the last time have
been spent waiting to see where Pat will emerge next. The question
was thought to be answered when Pat versus Frank Trigg was the
first fight announced for the recent WFA 3 show in Las Vegas
but in early November Pat suffered according to a WFA press release
two bulged disks and a herniated one, forcing Pat to cancel the
fight with Dennis Hallman taking his place.
KM:
How are the injuries healing? PM: They’re getting a lot
better. Just my neck was the main thing, otherwise I was feeling
awesome: I was in great shape, getting very strong, I was lean…but
a bulged disc pushing on your spinal cord just tends to make
your arms not work as well as they should. My left arm shut down:
I was having a lot of problems with that.
KM:
It’s back up and running now? PM: Yeah. Inflammation has
gone down quite a bit and I think the disc is starting to pull
out. They’re going to do another MRI in another 6-8 weeks
and tell me whether the disc is pulled back in or not.
KM:
So we won’t know until that in 6-8 weeks how long to expect
before you recover? PM: Yeah, hopefully it’ll only take
a couple months to be back in training again. I’m still
lifting, running, and beating on the heavy bag but no sparring:
I don’t want to get hit in the head and damaged any more.
No grappling where people are wrenching on my head. Just have
to protect it for a little while. I’m doing a lot of neck
strengthening exercises, shrugs and things like that to surround
it with an awful lot of strong muscle and protect it.
KM:
I’m glad to hear you in reasonably good spirits. When you
got injured right around the time the UCC postponed their show
until January some of us started to wonder that’s like your
team missing four or five paychecks in December. I was asking
some of the others if you guys are ok. Thinks have got to be
kind of tight for you guys right now. How is Miletich Martial
Arts doing? PM: Oh, we’re fine. That doesn’t cause
us problems at all: everybody takes care of each other. I own
a Gold’s Gym and everything so I’m fine, I don’t
depend on fight money anymore. It’s nice to have the extra
money but…the other guys some of them probably get tight
on money but if they need money everybody helps and pitches in
and stuff like that. I drove cars with rusted out floorboards
and missing hubcaps for my whole life so really to us it’s
not that big a del every now and then to miss a fight.
KM:
It’s not going to be a lump of coal Christmas for Miletich
Martial Arts, you guys are doing ok. PM: We’re fine.
KM:
Then in January you guys come back with four or five fights just
in UCC… PM: Yeah.
KM:
Since we won’t know about your MRI for 6-8 weeks then you’re
not going to be training with them for the UCC show? PM: I’ll
train all the fighters for it. I’ll be working on my mits
and running practices and things like that. The one good thing
about my injury is now I get to spend more time really concentrating
on it. When I’m training for a fight I can’t run practice.
When I’m not training for a fight I can stand around and
yell at people and run practice and work a stop watch and coach
people and things like that and be a little bit more like a general.
That helps a lot. To have a structured practice of that sort
it makes a big difference with the guys I think.
KM:
With Matt in UFC and then Black in WFA the next night that’s
not all that much different I guess from a training perspective
than having two fighters on one show… PM: Yeah. As you’re
coming up through shows anyway…we used to travel and corner
each other. Hell, Jeremy Horn would go corner me or me vice versa
corner him and I’m fighting in the very next match or he’s
fighting in the very next match. When you are doing small shows
and coming up through the ranks that’s a norm so it really
doesn’t bother us so much. It really would have been tough
to take care of the managerial skills for Robbie Lawler and weigh
in for my fight the day of the UFC, go to the show, corner the
fighters, and then wake up the next day and fight Frank Trigg.
It would have been tough. Real tough.
KM:
From a training perspective it seems like you really stand out
for the work you are doing with the 170s, not only yourself but
Hughes, Lawler, Black…How do you train them differently?
PM: You don’t train them differently, you take each guy
and judge what their God given attributes are individually and
try to build on that, whether they are a Heavyweight or a 155
lb fighter. What their style is, what they are capable of, things
like that. It’s not a matter of 170 lb or 155 lber. There
are Heavyweights that move like a 155 lbers and you just have
to take it and run with it. Other Heavyweights just kind of lumber
along and you have to teach them how to cut angles a little better
and things like that. Take advantage of being smart instead of
fast.
KM:
Any final words on where we are with Miletich Martial Arts? PM:
A lot of our guys are fighting in Montreal, Jens has huge fights
coming up in Japan, we’d like to get Jeremy back in the
UFC…we believe he can win a title in the UFC and hopefully
the UFC will allow that to happen. We’re just enjoying our
success but understanding that it often disappears real quick
so you got to keep outworking your opponents and got to continue
with that.
Fans
can watch Team Extreme members outwork their opponents next at
UCC in Montreal in mid to late January. Although the exact date
hasn’t yet been confirmed it is most likely either January
18th or 24th. What is more predictable at this point is the card
is pretty much the intact second half of the card originally
held in October with Jens Pulver still scheduled to take on Duane
Ludwig, Jason Black fighting John Alessio, and Tony Fryklund
now scheduled to fight David Loiseau. Jeremy Horn’s fight
has not yet been signed but the opponent rumored would be a serious
challenge possibly worth the ticket price by itself. To say the
least Pat is going to have his hands full training for this night
as he heals.
Source: ADCC
Newton
Confident for Hughes vs Newton III
Post-UFC 40 interview with Carlos Newton
By Mike Sloan
At
the post-fight press conference for UFC 40: Vendetta, I was able
to briefly chat with Carlos Newton about a few things. For starters,
Carlos was back to his normal, jovial self, not the depressed
slug I ran into at a boxing card a few months back. He was beaming
from ear to ear, laughing, cracking jokes and after virtually
every question he'd answer, Carlos either patted me on the back,
shadow kicked or pretended to punch me in the gut. He was having
such a blast, it's too bad I didn't get to interview him longer.
Mike
Sloan: Hey Carlos, congratulations, man.
Carlos
Newton: Thanks buddy!
Mike
Sloan: Were you surprised at how easy the fight (against Spratt)
was, or how quickly it ended?
Carlos
Newton: I don't think it was easy. Either it was going to end
really quickly or Pete would really have a gameplan together
and it was going to be a tough battle. I think my gameplan was
really solid. He's a very strong guy, but I've been currently
fighting some tough opponents, so it kind of helped me swim at
that depth. He wasn't too fast. At the same time, though, with
his stand up, I was really quite cautious going into this fight,
you know? I was really worried when I was in the dressing room.
But after I sat back and thought about it, I thought, 'How strong
could he be?'
Mike
Sloan: When the two of you squared off to start the fight, you
two sized each other for a few moments then you shot in. Were
you thinking about possibly engaging with him or just waiting
for that perfect time to shoot in?
Carlos
Newton: No, I wanted to intercept him right when he was ready
to make his move. Because if I would have gone after him, he
would have just ran away. (laughs) I would have had to chase
him across the room. I let him have a few jabs, let him feel
me out and then right there, I saw in his eyes and he goes, 'I
know what I'm going to do!' and I was like, (tapping his eye)
'I see-ee you!' (laughs again) And then I went in.
Mike
Sloan: When you brought Pete down and got into position, were
you thinking kimura all the way, or did that just happen to fall
into place?
Carlos
Newton: I wasn't worried about the kimura too much; I was more
worried about establishing my position. Because from my position,
I'll get the kimura. I wanted to make sure I got the bullets
in the barrell (he does a two-handed shooting motion).
Mike Sloan: Ok, you lost that one fight to Hughes, came back
and beat Pele, then lost again to Hughes. Now you beat Spratt.
What's next?
Carlos
Newton: Uh (asks his buddy) Straight for a vacation or go into
next fight? Um, we're going to build from this stuff. We learned
a lot. Miletich's camp taught me a lot about myself. Those guys
seem to know what I eat, sleep, everything. But that's awesome,
you know? They're going to make me a great fighter and at the
same time, take this sport to another level. Me and Matt (Hughes),
we know in our hearts that we're going to be fighting one another
again. He knows that. There are other welterweights out there
and anything can happen, but one thing that will happen for sure
is that we'll be fighting each other again. That day will come
when it comes, but for now, I'm looking to fight Sakurai next.
That's who I want to fight. He's a top guy out there right now.
Mike
Sloan: What about Frank Trigg?
Carlos
Newton: Trigg? I'll fight Trigg. No problem.
Mike
Sloan: Going back to Hughes. In the second fight, what went wrong?
You almost had that armbar right off the bat, but once that missed,
you seemed to fall kind of flat. You didn't look like your normal
self out there. Did you lose confidence when you missed the armbar?
What happened?
Carlos
Newton: No, no, no. I didn't lose confidence. The problem with
that fight was more preparation. I had a gameplan where I thought
they wanted to keep it standup and they want to ground-and-pound.
I worked a lot on my boxing and everything. It was more the preparation
for that fight, really. I was a failure at that point. But my
confidence? No, I didn't lose my confidence. If I had no confidence,
I would have tapped out a long time ago (chuckles and then mock-punches
me in the stomach again).
Mike
Sloan: If Zuffa put together a fight between you and Hughes for
the next UFC card, would you take it or do you feel you need
more time to prepare?
Carlos
Newton: Hmmm. (thinks for a while). I will go for it. I will
because I've learned so much from the last fight. I really felt
that after my last fight - I honestly feel also that I am the
one person out there who is capable of beating him. It's just
a matter that they had their stuff together and I didn't. That
was the factor. That was just the ultimate and deciding factor.
Mike Sloan: Do you have a signed contract with Zuffa right now,
or are you a free agent?
Carlos
Newton: I'm semi-signed. I'm a bit of both. I'm a bachelor with
a pre-nuptial (laughs).
Mike
Sloan: (Laughing) Good way to put it! Well, Carlos, I know you
gotta run. Thanks for taking the time to do the interview.
Carlos
Newton: Noooo problem!
Source: Sherdog
Out
of the Frying Pan, In Front of the Bus
Mr. International on Frank Trigg
By James Hirth
James Hirth:
You were very angry the other day and really unloaded on Trigg
verbally. Do you have anything to add?
Shonie
Carter: Yes. I want to recant one statement I made when we spoke
last time. I didn't mean to say Ken Shamrock is washed up. He
isn't washed up. I was angry and was watching the fight at the
time so I spoke poorly. I like him and I like his attitude. So
Lion's Den, I am sorry. I feel if you make a mistake, you should
be a man and apologize for it. But as far as the Peter Pan that
paints his toes, I'm not sorry. What, he wins a title by kicking
someone in the balls and everybody thinks he's great?
James
Hirth: Well actually I've seen a lot more respect for you on
this matter. What really happened with the WFA 2 event? Was there
more to the story than just failing the eye exam?
Shonie
Carter: There is more to it. Yes, there was money advanced to
me. It started when I received the medical forms I was supposed
to fill out two days before I got on the plane for Vegas. Everything
was done in an orderly fashion and I had my AIDS test, additional
blood work and physical finished before I left. All of my other
tests were taken but, due to the time constraints, I didn't have
time to get the eye exam and was assured it would be ok to have
it done in Vegas.
I
didn't pass it. It happens. But for this guy to think I was afraid
to fight him or something is ludicrous. I have faced too many
world champions in MMA, wrestling, judo, Muay Thai and Pankration
for me to be afraid of a guy who hasn't done anything. And as
far as that title goes, I hear Hallman was winning the bout before
he hit him in the nuts. The guy has no respect.
I
hear he was talking crap about Matt Hughes too. I have a lot
of respect for Matt, his game is always improving. I really hope
the RAW Team is mad at me because I'm going to show that egotistical
bubble head what this business is all about. When he was shooting
double legs in wrestling I was winning world titles. And at least
my fights are verifiable.
James
Hirth: Do you still have a contract to fight with the WFA?
Shonie
Carter: No. I saw someone on the Internet asked Dana White about
bringing me back and he responded "Shonie fights for the
WFA." Well, I don't. The contract was terminated and I'm
not seeking a contract with them at this time.
James
Hirth: Many fans feel Trigg ran off at the mouth in his interview
and a date between you two is inevitable but the rumors are Pat
Miletich already had an agreement to fight the winner of Trigg/Hallman.
Do you think you will have to wait until after that bout to face
him, or do you think you could persuade another promotion to
host the bout?
Shonie
Carter: I don't know. I have to say I wouldn't mind if Pat spanks
his ass. After all my years of competing, this is the first time
I've had to take something to a personal level. I hope to God
Pat beats the hell out of him. If he doesn't, Trigg better be
ready for me.
Now
Frank is on my "Gotta Get Hit List". Painted toenails
(Shonie laughs). I'll tell you why the call me "Mr. International".
The "Mr." part is out of respect, I've been in the
game a while and I don't turn down a fight. The "International"
part is because I've fought in almost every event in every country.
Who
has he beaten? A bunch of "Urban Cowboy" wannabes in
local Texas bars? He has some muscles and tattoos and he's going
to kick my ass? They said the same thing about Matt Serra before
we fought. I've fought bigger, stronger and better athletes than
him and I fight way more often. His claim to fame is he beat
Jean Jaques Machado.
That
was when jiu jitsu still had the mystique. Newsflash! That was
the old days, big deal. Let's see, I've KO'd number one ranked
Manson Gibson in kickboxing, KO'd ADCC champ Serra and fought
UFC champions Pat Miletich and Dave Menne twice. I've fought
in the UFC, Shooto, Pancrase, Superbrawl, King of the Cage and
all over the world.
From
the Pankration Games in Greece to the Shidokan here in Chicago.
Hell, why doesn't he try and go 9 rounds with me here in the
Shidokan! And I love these rankings on the Internet. He's like
8-1 in MMA bouts that you can verify and they rank him above
me? There are so many better fighters than him that don't get
ranked.
Like
Jim Theobald, another really experienced Midwest fighter. He's
like 89-12 in MMA and he's nowhere but Trigg beats JJ Machado
and he's ranked top 5? Jeff Curran is a better fighter than him.
Henry Matamoros is too. Those rankings make me laugh.
James
Hirth: I know what you mean. The common rankings are often based
on the "name" fighters and not really who is the best
in the sport. You've fought more than 90 NHB bouts, sometimes
defeating four opponents in one night and unlike some guys, you
have the video to prove it. You've also fought some well known
fighters including Pat Miletich, Dave Menne, Cung Le, Nathan
Marquardt, Ronald Jhun, Steve Berger, Matt Serra, Chris Lytle,
Adrian Serrano, Phil Johns and LaVerne Clark. From your vast
experience, knowing Trigg is a wrestler who ground and pounds,
who do you feel you've fought that has comparable skills to those
he will bring to the fight.
Shonie
Carter: I fought Kiuma Kunioku in Pancrase and he was a good
wrestler. I knocked him down but it was in Japan so that was
a "home cooking" bout and I took a draw. Jesse Jones
in Extreme Challenge was another good one. Dave Menne has comparable
ability and he's a lot more experienced than Trigg. Ronald Jhun
was a good wrestler too and strong as hell. I fought so many
damn wrestlers it is ridiculous. I've fought better than him.
James
Hirth: Since your stunning KO of Matt Serra at UFC 31 in May,
you've fought nearly every month in top promotions including
Superbrawl and King of the Cage. And I know you have bouts planned
for December and February. Is that your plan, to fight 8-10 times
a year or are you just "in demand" right now and don't
want to turn down good bouts?
Shonie
Carter: That's basically what it is. People are asking me ight
because I'm entertaining. I always bring a good show.
James
Hirth: Tell me about your involvement in the Shidokan and your
bout in December.
Shonie
Carter: I was brought in as an independent contractor to teach
NHB style at Shidokan facility in Chicago. I've taught their
students wrestling, judo and jiu jitsu at the Shidokan since
1999. The event has been around since 1991 but at that time it
was all bare knuckle fighting. The triathlon style event that
it has become didn't come about until 1994. I first fought in
the event myself in 1999 after right after my debut in Pancrase.
I actually fought in Japan on Sunday, flew home Monday night
and then fought that Friday night in the Shidokan. My bout went
the distance and I lost in semi finals on points. My fight there
this year is a 3x5 min round Superfight.
James
Hirth: Fans may not know you did a bit of promoting yourself
with the Shidokan Submission Team Challenge show here in Chicago.
It was a smaller "b-level" event under the same organization
right?
Shonie
Carter: Yes, it was an amateur event. We're having another one
in April. There will also be a kickboxing-only event in February.
We want to do more pro MMA style events next year too. With all
of these events we are building a bridge to get everyone in martial
arts to cross train. The traditional Shidokan event is more main
stream than the others and we're trying to get everyone to understand
it's not just karate. I've used basic karate against wrestlers
in MMA and it helps in the Shidokan but I'd never go in there
using just karate. It's funny, a guy named Joe Stevenson, who
is ranked ahead of me in the KOTC, said to me after a bout "Wow,
you really are a black belt in karate". He had never seen
anybody throw sidekicks in MMA and really use those techniques.
Go figure.
James
Hirth: Back to UFC for a moment, are we going to see the "back
alley pimp smack" in the UFC again any time soon? I mean
you are 3-1 in the Octagon. We've seen them bring back guys that
are 0-2 or even 0-3.
Shonie
Carter: (Laughs) Maybe you'll see that technique in the upcoming
Shidokan. What happened was Dana was pissed off I fought Cung
Le and then signed to fight in the WFA. I'm not making Tito money.
I have two kids and one of them is in private school. I'll just
throw a number out there. If you pay me $10,000 a month, that's
great, but if I only fight once every few months what do you
want me to do?
I
need to keep busy and I'm not a spring chicken anymore. I still
work in two health clubs teaching classes all the time. I don't
own casinos and a private jet like these guys do. If they could
pay me $20,000 and I don't have to work all the time, ok cool.
And how come Chuck (Liddell) and Carlos (Newton) fight Pride
and it's OK but I go fight KOTC or WFA and they have a problem
with it?
I'm
not marketed like the guys out of Huntington Beach or Iowa. I
have to take care of my family. I'm not getting training fees
or movie rolls through this and I'm not with a big successful
camp either. I guess they'd rather I be part of Carlson Gracie's
camp here in Chicago or something?
James
Hirth: Well, yeah probably. The Gracie name is always a draw
and Carlson doesn't have a fighter in the major shows. Did you
watch any of the fights over the weekend? What did you think
of Lawler and Hughes?
Shonie
Carter: I saw the UFC but not PRIDE. Lawler looked good but Tiki
had a bad strategy against him. He was hitting him with nice
kicks but he didn't follow up afterwards. When Lawler dropped
him, I kind of saw it coming and was like "Oh that's sick".
Matt
is getting a lot better standing and is developing more of a
fighter posture and less of a wrestling stance. The bout should
have been a No Contest. Matt admitted he head butted him and
it was obviously accidental. He was kicking Gil's ass, but give
the man credit. It wasn't intentional but it happened.
Conversely,
Trigg kicks his opponent in the nuts and walks away with a belt.
Then he talks about Hughes like he hasn't done anything. And
then Miletich and then me. This guy picks all the wrong people
to talk shit about. His mouth put him between a rock and a hard
place…and another hard place. He's not just out of the frying
pan and into the fire, he's out of the skillet running down the
street yelling "I'm on fire" and gets hit by a fucking
bus.
The
welterweight division is stacked with versatile guys; Newton
is so athletic, Hughes is learning to box, Miletich is a tough
veteran, Sherk is an up'n'comer, Sakurai, Nakao, DeSouza etc.
And look, he hasn't fought any of them. Oh I forgot, the one
he did fight knocked his ass out. He calls himself a professional
fighter and he doesn't even fight a lot.
He's
got cowboy looks and tattoos and thinks he can walk around talking
shit. I can't wait. I'd even give his ass a rematch after I knock
him out. That's after he gets my footprint out of his head. And
we can go at it again in kickboxing after that. Who is he? Saying
he can "run through division," he's just running his
mouth.
We're
going to have it out and he's going to be picking up his teeth
with broken fingers. I've earned respect. I've done bare knuckle
karate, judo, Muay Thai, you name it. And I can wrestle too.
I've wrestled in the Big Ten and won medals in Austria. I do
it all. I've even been learning stick fighting with the Dog Brothers
and I want to study Capoeira when I get the time. (Laughing)
I want to learn wild kick in the street fighting games, the one
where you jump up with both legs? I'm gonna learn it too. And
on the street, sh-t. James, if it's me and him in a dark alley
who comes out?
James
Hirth: You do?
Shonie
Carter: Damn right. And I wouldn't just f-ck him up. I'd take
his wallet, his shoes and leave him face down, with my business
card on his ass. He'd wake up say "how many of them were
there?"
James
Hirth: What about your involvement with King of the Cage? I saw
them hyping your return on the last KOTC PPV.
Shonie
Carter: They were showing me huh? Cool I'm supposed to fight
John Allessio in February for the title.
James
Hirth: What can you tell me about the upcoming "Battleship"
event? I haven't heard a lot about it other than some big name
fighters are preparing for it.
Shonie
Carter: I'm still scratching my head about this one as well.
I've heard Renzo Gracie, Pat Miletich, Anderson Silva, Pele Landi,
Dave Menne and Frank Shamrock are all planning to participate.
I think it's going to take place on the East Coast or maybe Vegas.
I hear the money is there and this thing is definitely going
to happen.
James
Hirth: I also heard Gustavo "Ximu" Machado's name linked
to this event too. Are you still competing in judo, Pankration
or any other martial arts sport fighting events other than MMA?
Shonie
Carter: Yeah. Lately I've had back to back fights so I do nothing
but MMA. That other stuff is a lot of fun. I love to compete.
Some guys think it is detrimental to their career if they lose
but I enjoy all the different rules. I think it's good to brush
up your skills. When I see guys who compete in MMA and then in
other events I tell them to fight me the same way. Keep your
edge and don't let up. Some of these guys that only fight are
just egomaniacs. I'll retire someday but I still just love to
compete. I still want to win a world title in Pankration.
James
Hirth: On a lighter note, did you realize that if you fought
your Superbrawl 25 opponent in Japan (since they often announce
the fighter's last name first), his name could've easily sounded
like "Coca, Cola"? I know, I know. I've had too much
time to prepare for this.
Shonie
Carter: Yeah, Kolo Koka! Man, I remember thinking about that
guy's name when I fought him and thought to myself "Now
why doesn't THIS guy have a sponsor?" I mean that's a cool
name man, he should be able to get big time sponsorship easy.
James
Hirth: Anything else you want the fans to know?
Shonie
Carter: Well don't forget the Shidokan December 14th at the Park
West Theater in Chicago. You can check it out on the web at www.shidokan.com
or call the Park West at 773 549-8181. I'm also doing a seminar
a grappling seminar at Richard Trammel's Trammel Martial Arts
and Fitness Inc in Marietta Georgia on December 6th. And I'll
leave you with a special proverb; "The higher the monkey
climbs the tree the more he has to show his ass. Therefore, the
more careful he should be about what trees he climbs." Pay
attention people. I'm giving that one out to the "Texas
martial arts legend". Consider it a Public Service Announcement.
James
Hirth: Well thanks for taking the time before the holiday Shonie
.
Shonie
Carter: Thank you James and I'll see you in a few weeks at the
Shidokan.
James
Hirth only used clear-coat nail polish on his nails before visiting
Shonie for this interview.
Source: Sherdog
12/2/02
Quote
of the Day
"What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the
fight-it's the size of the fight in the dog."
Dwight D. Eisenhower
"All
labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should
be undertaken with painstaking excellence."
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Rorion
Gracie's IGJJF Tournament
Rorion
Gracie, the man who brought us the U.F.C., is now working on
a BIG Jiu-Jitsu tournament to launch his new project. The International
Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Federation will host its first ever tournament
on February 1 & 2, 2002, at the Cal State Domingues Hills,
in So. California.
The
Tournament is going to be open to all participants and will feature
a new set of rules, that as Rorion puts it: 'Will take the boredom
out of the Jiu-Jitsu matches! Rorion(shown r.with Helio, Chuck
Norris and Ralek) consulted with many of the top Black Belt instructors
around and has come up with a set of rules whose main objective
is to encourage going for it! The word is 'Submit your opponent!'
The
event will have 3 weight categories with white and Blue Belts
competing together, while the other belt will compete in their
own division. Winners of the white/blue, purple and brown divisions
will receive an ALL EXPENSE PAID trip to Brazil to train and
stay at Grandmaster Helio Gracie's home!
There
will also be a Black Belt Pro-Division with two weight categories:
Under 175 and over 175 lbs. with over $2,000.00 in prize money
for EACH weight! More news as they are released! So keep checking
back at ADCC and Kid Peligro's column for the latest on this
HOT tournament!
Source: ADCC/Kid Peligro
Vitor
'Shaolin' Ribeiro, man on the move
A
quick talk with Vitor 'Shaolin', found him in good spirits and
looking forward to more action. Vitor, who has just returned
to Brazil after his succesful fight in WFA against Ed Yagin,
is ready to return to the rings in Shooto in Japan at the end
of the month. Vitor confided to Kid that he almost didn't make
it to the last WFa as he had some problems getting the proper
Visa. Shaolin left at the last minute and as he puts it: 'Arrived
the day of the weigh in!' Vitor continued: 'The guy had a very
good punch and a great sprawl. He is a student of Egan Inoue
so you have to respect those guys. But later in the second round,
I was able to bring the fight to my game. I took him down near
the fence and rained elbows to the face and then sunk in the
katagatame!'
Vitor
is going to fight in Japan against the #5 Ranked Shooto fighter
in his weight 'Tetsui Kawajiri' and is also looking forward to
a Title shot at the next WFA event: 'I have three wins and John
Lewis told me it is time for a title shot!'
So
there you have it Shaolin, man on the move and ready to rock!
Source: ADCC/Kid Peligro
First
Annual Casca Grossa Grappling Tournament
No,
not our Casca Grossa. Great name though huh?
The First Annual Casca Grossa Grappling Tournament is to be held
in Atlanta on December 15, 2002. Headed up by Jacare and Alliance
- the tournament will have divisions for women and children,
gi and no-gi, and divisions for seniors & masters. T-shirts
will be given to all participants and medals for 1st, 2nd, and
3rd place. One of Jacare's goals is to bring attention to the
sport of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu throughout the Carolinas and Georgia
and bring together a Federation of sorts that will work together
to promote the art and standardize the tournaments and legitimize
the instructors who are teaching bjj which in turn will help
the sport grow. Jacare's goals are to develop the art so that
Jiu Jitsu players will have more opportunities in this area to
test their skills at legitimate Jiu Jitsu tournaments and to
gain the respect and level of competition at those tournaments
to equal that of the Pan Ams. To do that we need the support
of the grappling community, so all you fighters out there, be
sure to support the tournament in December.
Source: ADCC/Kid Peligro
Ratinho
Interview:
Speaking Out on former Alliance Members
by: Marcello Tetel
One of the fighters behind the new group, formed after the ALLIANCE
JJ split, called Extreme Jiu-Jitsu, speaks out!
What
was the problem that led to the breakup of ALLIANCE from your
point of view? Before the championship we had ameeting and it
was decided, by vote, that if the two competitions (the Brazilian
Teams of CBJJO and the CBJJ) were accomplished on the same date,
Alliance would just participate in Carlinhos Gracie's tournament
(president of CBJJ). But the Schedule of CBJJO changed at the
last moment and the competitions had different dates. In other
words, by the mandate we made as the Alliance team, the athletes
were authorized to participate. Alliance is a big team, with
many values, and the conclusion was if it didn't overlap the
dates, we should participate in the two. Alexandre Paiva (Gigi)
and Fábio (Gurgel) didn't like decision.
And
the punishment that the fighters received? It is necessary to
clarify that Fábio only expelled his students from his
academy. They will still Alliance members. The World Championship
was coming we had a meeting. In the meeting participated me,
Traven, Fábio, Vinícius (Vinny) and Jacare ampng
others, and it was decided that Demian Maia, Fernando Tererê
and Eduardo Telles would pay a fine (R$1,2 thousand for athlete).
This was for disrespect towards the master, but that they could
choose which event they wanted to fight. Fábio didn't
like the idea, but it was a democratic decision. The fine proposal
came from Jacare and it was resolved that he would receive it
and he would decide what to do with the money.
Was
the fine paid? I filled out the check and I gave it to Jacare
before the Worlds. But Jacare got the money from the fine and
he decided to return it to the athletes. The only person that
could decide that was him, especially because, the three athletes
didn't belong to Fábio's academy anymore, but they were
still part of Alliance. Closed case.
You
mean you wanted a closed case! Yeah, Fábio ended up being
hurt and in the Brazilian CBJJ, when I went to enroll Demian
(Maia) the Confederation did not allow it because Fábio
said that the athlete could not be enrolled. I tried to speak
with Fábio and with Jacare and I ended up enrolling Demian
as Jacaré Jiu-jitsu. A lot of people on the team complained
that that was not exactly fair then Jacare came to me and gave
the idea to set up a new team.
Does
the new team have a name yet?
Everybody is speaking about calling it Extreme Jiu-jitsu, but
surel it!won't be that name.
Source: ADCC
12/1/02
Quote
of the Day
"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow.
It's what sunflowers do."
Helen Keller
"Hold
fast to dreams, for if dreams die,
life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly."
Langston Hughes
Inoki's
BOM BAYE NEW YEAR'S Event Announces Matches
Kazuyoshi
Ishi (K-1), Naoto Morishita (Pride) and Antonio Inoki held a
press conference this past Thursday. Each spoke and made official
statements about upcoming events.
First
was the announcement of Bob Sapp facing Yoshihiro Takayama as
the first main event on Inoki's 'Bom-ba-Ye 3' show. This has
got to be considered a deathwish by Takayama (still recovering
from his horrible eye-socket injury).
The
second announcement was the return of Kazuyuki Fujita. He will
have the difficult task of facing Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic in
a rematch. Their first meeting resulted in Fujita desperately
trying to get the takedown and getting hammered in the eye before
anything really happened. Fujita lost their first meeting. A
possible factor is that Mirko had a bad hernia recently, which
has kept him out of training.
The
Nogueira vs. Fedor fight was also announced and scheduled for
PRIDE 24 on 12/23/02 to close out the year. Many feel that Fedor
is the man to beat Nogueira after his win over Heath Herring
(who is rumored to have received a fractured eye socket from
the bout).
Source: ADCC
This
Month in Mixed Martial Arts History: November
By Joe Hall
Forty-four
events and nine years before Tito Ortiz clashed with Ken Shamrock,
the Ultimate Fighting Championship began in mid-November 1993.
Shamrock fought on that night as well, losing in the semifinals
to a skinny Brazilian who mesmerized fans with an uncanny ability
to defeat his bigger opponents. A live audience in Denver, Colorado,
and viewers across the country who had little idea of what to
expect from the evening, also witnessed Gerard Gordeau smash
a kick into Teila Tuli's mouth. The strike sent one of Tuli's
teeth projecting out of the Octagon, ending the fight. A spectacle
was born.
Extreme
Fighting, an early rival of the UFC, debuted in November 1995.
Igor Zinoviev scored a surprising victory over Mario Sperry,
who had been listed on the pay-per-view as 273-0. In other bouts,
Conan Silveira submitted both of his opponents; Ralph Gracie
easily submitted Makoto Muraoko; and John Lewis fought Carlson
Gracie Jr. to a draw.
Brazil
hosted one of the sport's classic meetings in November 96. Jose
"Pele" Landi-Jons was a burgeoning star who held nothing
back when it came to fighting or taunting when he first encountered
Jorge "Macaco" Patino. Macaco was of the same ilk,
a talented fighter ripe with confidence. Further fueling the
rivalry was a packed Brazilian audience, spiked with intensity
and eager to hail a winner.
The
fight featured a variety of action and mockery, some gestures
humorous, others just plain gross, like booger flicking. A rare
mid-match staredown also took place, as the fighters dropped
their hands in the heat of battle, came nose-to-nose, then backed
up and resumed their brawl. In the end, Pele finished Macaco
and also won the rematch four months later.
Renzo
Gracie headlined the first and last Martial Arts Reality Superfighting
event in November 96. From his back, Gracie launched a kick that
landed flush to the face of Oleg Taktarov, knocking him out.
A "Brazil versus Russia" format was used for the show's
three superfights, which were swept by the Brazilians. (Other
than Taktarov, the Russian fighters were severely overmatched.)
The show also hosted an eight-man tournament, and in the finals,
Tom Erikson and Murilo Bustamante made little contact with each
other en route to a lackluster draw.
Frank
Shamrock's triumph over Enson Inoue, one of the best fights in
MMA history, took place at Japan Vale Tudo in November 97. In
other action, an explosive Rumina Sato submitted John Lewis;
Carlos Newton began his rise in the sport by armbarring Erik
Paulson; and an angered Tom Erikson (because he was forced to
fight shoeless) destroyed Ed de Kruijf.
A
controversial ending concluded Kazushi Sakuraba's first match
against a Gracie in November 99. Even though Royler Gracie had
not tapped to the Kimura lock he was caught in, the referee stopped
the bout and a fierce debate ensued. Sakuraba would go on to
beat three more Gracies: Royce, Renzo and Ryan.
Also
at Pride 8, Igor Vovchanchyn violently knocked out Francisco
Bueno, who dropped to the mat like a tree slowly crashing to
the forest floor; Frank Trigg finished Fabiano Iha; Tom Erikson
beat Gary Goodridge; and Mark Coleman won a decision over Ricardo
Morais.
Kevin
Randleman was stunned early by Pete Williams in their bout for
the vacant UFC heavyweight title, but rallied to win a five-round
decision in November 99. Pedro Rizzo earned his first title shot
at the same event (UFC 23) by finishing Tsuyoshi Kosaka.
Atlantic
City hosted its first UFC in November 2000. In the main event,
Randy Couture returned to the Octagon to take the heavyweight
title from Kevin Randleman. Future champion Josh Barnett debuted
on the undercard, defeating Gan McGee. In other action, Jens
Pulver drilled John Lewis with a left hand that crumbled him,
and Babalu won a decision over Maurice Smith.
Vanderlei
Silva won the Pride middleweight title November of last year
at Pride 17, when Kazushi Sakuraba was unable to continue after
suffering a slam in the first round of their rematch. Rodrigo
Nogueira and Heath Herring put on a show for the heavyweight
title, which Nogueira won via unanimous decision. Also at the
event, Mario Sperry choked Igor Vovchanchyn with surprising ease,
and Dan Henderson defeated Murilo "Ninja" Rua.
Randy
Couture staved off a second challenge by Pedro Rizzo at UFC 34
in November 2001. The welterweight title was also on the line,
and it changed hands when Matt Hughes slammed Carlos Newton to
the mat. Newton lost consciousness from the maneuver and Hughes
also appeared significantly dazed, making the bout's conclusion
one of the wildest in the sport's history.
Also
in November 2001, Alex Steibling won a 16-man tournament at IVC
14. He finished all four of his opponents.
Source: ADCC
WFA
3: A Look Back!!!
by: Keith Mills
Las
Vegas, NV-The weekend of November 22-23 in Las Vegas was full
of entertainment for the mixed martial arts fans in town for
the UFC, not the least of which was WFA3 on Saturday night. Although
Dennis Hallman’s inability to recover from a kick to the
groin forced him to abandon his fight against Frank Trigg shortly
into the first round the performances by Black and Ribeiro among
others made up for it as the “night club meets the fight
club” showcased many of the up-and-comers we have heard
about for months.
For
the most part the card looked good with representation in all
but the Middleweight categories and names most fans have heard
of, not just one main event and a lot of local fighters. Even
the replacements for the injured Chris Brennan and Pat Miletich
in two of the top draws on the card had good credentials and
came prepared to fight. Although not many people seemed to respond
to the dj and dancers as one might expect the added entertainment
gave even more value to the ticket, making WFA stand out above
most promotions. Once fans outside Vegas can see the fights WFA
is likely to be a major player.
Starting
out the night were the lightest fighters, Curran and Lally, who
both weighed in at 143. Jeff Curran’s career turned around
this year since his days in HOOKnSHOOT and Extreme Challenge
not only by having many more fights than he normally has in a
year but also by now riding a 4 win streak in larger events like
WEC and UCC. Lally was a bit of an unknown and didn’t pose
too much of a problem for Curran once they hit the ground for
a triangle choke :11 before the round ended.
With
six wins in WEF/RSF and IFC, all by submission, Chad Sanders
looked like a good opponent for the unstoppable Jason Black fighting
out of Team Extreme. Black is not as familiar to most fans outside
the Midwest as the other Team Extreme members partly due to fighting
at 170, a class in which Team Extreme also fields the legendary
Pat Miletich and UFC champion Matt Hughes as well as Robbie Lawler.
Black, making his return to WFA after a draw in WFA 1, kept the
top position and picked his shots for the first two rounds until
the fight was halted by the ref.
Eddie
Yagin,
the last-minute replacement for an injured Chris Brennan, stepped
up to the plate in the Lightweight division against the man making
the waves in the division Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro.
Yagin did well in the first
round avoiding Saholin’s attempts to take him to the ground
and pleased the crowd with several Sakuraba style cartwheel guard
passes against the fence but the round ended without major scoring.
Yagin no less deserves much
credit for managing to take the fight longer than all but one
of Vitor’s opponents in his undefeated career but eventually
fell to the same choke Vitor used to defeat Takumi Nakayama in
HOOKnSHOOT earlier this year. The only fighter to take Shaolin
further was a decision win over Hiroshi Tsuruya in Shooto whose
only other loss was to champion Gomi.
In
a surprising and much appreciated move next up were the Heavyweights,
usually the class with which a show is ended or at least near
the top of the card. Also surprising considering Haseman, like
Black, had most of the top ranks of Team Extreme in his corner
which meant they had both of their fighters fight back-to-back.
On paper this one looked heavy towards Chris Haseman since Mike
Van Arsdale has been absent from the sport for about four years
since his loss to Vanderlei Silva in IVC in which time Haseman
has been raking in the experience in Rings and finally UFC38.
For
the second Lightweight bout of the night Team Punishment’s
Rob McCullough and AKA’s Thompson was billed as a striker
vs. grappler. McCullough had his moments standing but seemed
unsure on the ground, surviving a series of submission attempts
and later ground and pound in somewhat unorthodox style as Thompson
took McCullough out of his game. Thompson won the unsurprising
judges decision.
Light-Heavyweights
Marvin Eastman and Alex Stiebling fought for the belt in the
co-main event where Eastman scored a right cross that dropped
Stiebling followed up by a flurry on punches for the KO in just
over 1 minute.
It
was back to the Welterweights for the main event as rAw’s
Frank Trigg, originally scheduled to fight Pat Miletich until
Pat’s unfortunate injury, took on Dennis Hallman. Dennis
is one of the most under-rated fighters out there today with
his only two losses in the last two years coming at weight classes
one up and one down from where he is most effective as well as
owning both of Matt Hughes’ only losses. Dennis came out
pressing the attack standing as he did recently in King Of The
Cage in Reno but Trigg’s standing game was equally as effective
even when Dennis threw a kick which Trigg countered with one
of his own which seemed to rack Hallman hard. Hallman back peddled
and eventually crumpled against the far side of the cage where
he was given 5 minutes to recuperate. After 5 minutes during
which Hallman couldn’t recover the bout was halted and Hallman
was handed a loss for “abandonment”.
COMPLETE
RESULTS:
-
Jeff Curran def Todd Lally by triangle choke 4:49 r1
- Jason Black def Chad Saunders by TKO 5:00 r2
- Vitor Ribeiro def Eddie Yagin 2:23 r2 by Referee stoppage due
to side choke
- Mike Van Arsdale def Chris Haseman by TKO (Strikes) 3:10 r2
- Josh Thompson def Rob McCullough by Decision (Unanimous) 5:00
r3
- Marvin Eastman def Alex Stiebling by KO 1:07 r1
- Frank Trigg def Dennis Hallman by TKO (Abandonment) r1
