"You will never find time for anything. If you want time
you must make it."
Charles Buxton
"I
am always willing to learn, however I do not always like to be
taught."
Winston Churchill
Former
St. Louis Champ, Travis Lee
Dominating on the college circuit
With this win,
Travis Lee may be ranked #1 or #2 at his weight in the nation!
Live Coverage of Midlands Championship Finals
12/29/2002
John Fuller/TheMat.com
125:
Travis Lee (Cornell) dec. Luke Eustice (Iowa), 9-3
Lee scored midway through the first period on an inside trip
at the edge of the mat. While trying to arch for an escape, Lee
sucked Eustice back to the mat and scored two nearfall points
in the process, extending his lead to 4-0. In the second period,
Eustice chose bottom and earned his second escape of the match
to cut the lead to 4-2. Eustice was able to get in deep on a
double-leg, but Lee wrapped his legs around Eustice to force
a stalemate. Later in the period, Eustice got in deep on a single-leg,
but was unable to gain control as Lee fought off the takedown
attempt for the final 30 seconds of the period. In the third,
Lee chose bottom and scored an escape to extend his lead to 5-2.
30 seconds into the period, Lee finished a low double-leg at
the edge of the mat for a 7-2 lead. Lee added another takedown
at the end of the period.
133:
Foley Dowd (Michigan) dec. Zach Roberson (Iowa St.), 6-4
With 15 seconds remaining in the first period, Dowd finished
a single-leg with a trip to take a 2-0 lead over Roberson heading
into the second period. In the second, Roberson chose bottom
and quickly earned an escape to cut the lead to 2-1. Midway through
the period, Roberson finished a single-leg to take his first
lead of the match, 3-2. Dowd added an escape of his own to tie
the match at 3-3. In the third, Dowd chose bottom and earned
another escape to take a 4-3 lead. Roberson then overshot a double-leg
and Dowd was able to sprawl away and lock up a cradle, but the
official called a stalemate before he could turn him.
141:
Dylan Long (N. Iowa) dec. Dana Holland (Ariz. St.), 3-1
Long got deep on a single-leg in the first period to take a 2-0
lead. In the third, Holland chose bottom and earned an escape
to cut the lead to 2-1. Neither wrestler was able to score the
rest of the period despite a couple of good flurries. In the
third, Long chose bottom and scored an escape to extend his lead
to 3-1. He was able to hold off Holland's attack the rest of
the match.
149:
Dustin Manotti (Cornell) dec. John Fisher (Sunkist Kids), 5-3
After holding off a couple of deep shots by Manotti, Fisher finally
got in deep on a single-leg, but the two went off the mat before
he could score. In the second period, Fisher chose bottom and
quickly earned an escape for a 1-0 lead. Manotti continue to
be the aggressor, getting deep on another double-leg and then
finishing a single-leg by putting Fisher to his back midway through
the period. After the smoke cleared, Manotti led 5-1 going into
the third period. In the third period, Manotti chose neutral.
With 20 seconds remaining, Fisher was able to finish a single-leg,
but could not turn Manotti for back points.
157:
Keaton Anderson (Ohio St.) dec. Gray Maynard (Michigan St.),
9-6
Anderson started the match with a takedown for a 2-0 lead. Maynard
then earned an escape to cut the lead to 2-1. Countering an Anderson
shot, Maynard was able to spin around Anderson for a takedown
and his first lead of the match, 3-2. Maynard then used a tilt
for two nearfall points and a 5-2 advantage. In the second period,
Anderson chose bottom and after Maynard rode him for the first
40 seconds of the period, he scored an escape to cut the lead
to 5-3. With three seconds left in the period, Anderson got deep
on a double-leg and finished it at the edge of the mat to tie
the score at 5-5 going into the third period. In the third, Maynard
chose bottom and quickly earned an escape to retake the lead
at 6-5. With 25 seconds left in the match, Anderson shot a double-leg.
Maynard attempted to use an underhook to throw him to his back,
but Anderson rolled through and put Maynard on his back for a
takedown and two nearfall points.
165:
Matt Lackey (Illinois) dec. Joe Heskett (Sunkist Kids), 9-5
After a scoreless first period that saw a serious chess match
from these two adversaries, Heskett chose bottom in the second
period and quickly earned an escape for a 1-0 lead. Lackey was
then able to lift a single-leg and trip Heskett near the edge
of the mat, taking a 2-1 lead. Heskett quickly earned an escape
to tie the match at 2-2. In the third, Lackey chose bottom and
earned an escape to take a 3-2 lead. Lackey then got deep on
a double-leg and finished by putting Heskett to his back, scoring
two nearfall points in the process. The flurry gave Lackey a
7-3 lead. Heskett got back into the match, scoring a reversal
to cut the lead to 7-5 with 32 seconds remaining. Lackey earned
an escape with 14 seconds remaining for an 8-5 lad, and on the
ensuing whistle, Heskett was given his third caution, awarding
another point to Lackey.
174:
Joe Williams (Sunkist Kids) dec. Tyler Nixt (Iowa), 6-3
Williams, with stitches under his eye after getting accidentally
kicked in the face in the semifinals, scored twice on double-legs
for a 4-1 lead after the first period. In the second, Nixt chose
bottom and earned an escape to cut the lead to 4-2. Williams
added another takedown to extend his lead to 6-3 going into the
final period. Williams becomes the first wrestler in Midlands
history to win nine straight titles.
184:
Jessman Smith (Iowa) dec. Clint Wattenberg (Cornell), 6-5
Wattenberg finished a single-leg at the edge of the mat with
45 seconds remaining in the first period for a 2-0 lead. Smith
earned an escape to cut the lead to 2-1 heading into the second
period. In the second, Smith chose bottom and earned another
escape to tie the match at 2-2. Midway through the second, Smith
was able to lift a single-leg and finish for a 4-2 lead. Wattenberg
scored an escape to cut the lead to 4-3. In the third period,
Wattenberg chose bottom and earned an escape to tie the match
at 4-4. With one minute remaining, Smith got deep on a single
leg, and after Wattenberg used a whizzer to battle off the first
attack, Smith tripped Wattenberg to finish the takedown for a
6-4 lead.
197:
Jon Trenge (Lehigh) dec. Lee Fullhart (Gator WC), 4-1
In the second period of a scoreless match, Fullhart chose bottom.
Trenge locked up a cradle and turned Fullhart for three nearfall
points and a 3-0 lead. Trenge rode Fullhart out for the remainder
of the period. In the third, Trenge chose bottom and earned an
escape midway through the period.
285:
Steve Mocco (Iowa) dec. Tommy Rowlands (Ohio St.), 4-2
Twice in the first period, Rowlands was able to get deep on shots,
but both times Mocco sprawled and his strength stopped Rowlands
in his tracks. In the second, Rowlands chose bottom. After 30
seconds, Mocco let Rowlands up, giving Rowlands a 1-0 lead. A
second warning against Rowlands for backing out of bounds tied
the match at 1-1. In the third, Mocco chose bottom and earned
an escape to take a 2-1 lead. With 15 seconds remaining, Mocco
spun behind a Rowlands shot and took a 4-1 lead with the takedown.
The match ended with the two trading shoves and Rowlands taking
an extra shot towards Mocco.
Source: TheMat.com
Inoki
Bom Ba Ye - December 31, 2002
Inoki Bom Ba Ye - Saitama Super Arena, Japan (Saitama-Pref ,
Japan) December 31, 2002
Tonite
is the night in Japan, when the 3rd annual New Year's Eve special
hosted by Antonio Inoki takes place. The press conference was
held on December 29, with all fighters in attendance with Mr.Antonio
Inoki, the producer of this show. Mr. Inoki did a lot of promotion
for 'INOKI BOM-BA-YE 2002' throughout all of the big cities in
Japan! For example, at one stop, he gave away 2000 noodles to
the homeless, with Gary Goodridge accompanying him!
Daniel
Gracie just arrive Japan on the 28th, and prepared with Marcelo
Giudici. Renzo Gracie is very busy! Renzo was Japan for Pancrase
on November 30th with Ricardo Almeida, then on December 23rd
he was with Rodrigo Gracie at PRIDE, and he is back today to
corner his cousin Daniel Gracie.
The
card is headlined by American Bob Sapp. The popularity that Sapp
has achieved in just a short period of time in Japan and MMA
is incomprehensible to most, but Sapp is expected to carry trhe
show in both box office and TV draw.
PRIDE's
latest charge, Hidehiko Yoshida squares off against Masaaki Satake
in a match that is expected to raise Yoshida's stock in Japan.
Kazuyuki Fujita, PRIDE's Golden Boy from two years ago when he
defeated Mark Kerr and Ken Shamrock gets his rematch, taking
in Mirco 'Cro Cop', who defeated him in a K-1 show in August
of 2001.
The
rest of the card features K-1 stars Mike Bernardo and Cyril Abadi
among others, while PRIDE is represented by Quinton Jackson,
Gary Goodridge and Wallid Ismael, who is heavily connected to
Inoki. Of interest is also the 2nd appearance of Daniel Gracie,
another standard bearer for the Gracie clan from the Renzo camp.
COMPLETE
LINEUP:
-
Tadao Yasuda vs Jan Nortje
- Shinsuke Nakamura vs Daniel Gracie
- Yasuhito Namekawa vs Wallid Ismail
- Gary Goodridge vs Mike Bernardo
- Quinton Jackson vs Cyril Abidi
- Kazuyuki Fujita vs Mirco Filipovic
- Hidehiko Yoshida vs Masaaki Satake
- Bob Sapp vs Yoshihiro Takayama
Source: BOOKER K
12/30/02
Quote
of the Day
"I always remember an epitaph which is in the cemetery at
Tombstone, Arizona. It says: 'Here lies Jack Williams. He done
his damnedest.' I think that is the greatest epitaph a man can
have."
Harry S Truman
"A
'No' uttered from deepest conviction is better and greater than
a 'Yes' merely uttered to please, or what is worse, to avoid
trouble."
Mahatma Gandhi
Sorry
for the delay
I apologize for the delay in posting the news, we had a long
night in Hilo, then flew back, showered, ate and we were off
to the Kaos Full Contact Challenge. Kaos results will follow
shortly.
Rumble
On The Rock Results
Edith Kanaka Ole Tennis Stadium, Hilo, Hawaii
December 28, 2002
By Chris Onzuka - Chris@Onzuka.com
Just
like when he is fighting, when BJ "The Prodigy" Penn
and his family decide to do something, they concentrate all their
efforts to be successful at it. This is BJ's first MMA event
and what better place to host it than in his own hometown of
Hilo on the big island of Hawaii. They billed it as a "World
Class Event" and it was just that with a custom built 24-foot
octagon, stage lighting, entrance ramp and two 20-foot screens.
They chose the same venue that the world renown, Merry Monarch
Hula Festival is held. The fighters from the big island, Oahu
and the continental US performed to a sold out house of MMA fans.
The matches were action packed with good matchmaking, coupled
with the fact that every fighter came out to fight. The crowd
even got treated to a BJJ demonstration by three BJJ black belts,
which included BJ Penn. They even included some eye candy by
bringing out the ladies who made the final round of bikini contest.
The event was very well run and enjoyed by the fans and the fighters
alike. Their next event is tentatively scheduled for February
and I, for one cannot wait for it.
All Matches were 2 Rounds - 5 minutes
Des
Minor (808 Fight Factory, 6'0", 200lbs.) def. Kepono Spencer
(Waimo Warrior, 215lbs.) via TKO by way of referee stoppage at
4:00 minutes in Round 2.
Augie
Padekan (Hard Knocks, 6'0", 205lbs.) def. Jason Walker (Universal
Roughhousing) via rear naked choke submission at 45 seconds in
Round 1.
Kyle
Takao (HMC, 135lbs.) vs. Jerome Kekumu (Hard Knocks, 5'6",
150lbs.) Draw after 2 Rounds - 5 minutes.
Kaynan
"Da Monsta" Kaku (Nova Uniao, 5,9", 155lbs.) def.
Ed Newalu (Kodenkan, 5'8", 155lbs.) via unanimous decision
[(20-18), (20-18), (20-18)] after 2 rounds.
Harris
Sariento (808 Fight Factory, 5'7", 155lbs.) def. Eric "The
Animal" Beach (Nova Uniao, 5'9", 160lbs.) via unanimous
decision [(20-17), (20-17), (20-17)] after 2 rounds.
William
"Strictly Business" Clifford (Nova Uniao, 5'10",
152lbs.) def. William Armstrong (808 Fight Factory, 5'11",
135lbs.) via unanimous decision [(20-18), (20-18), (20-18)] after
2 rounds.
Steven
"Iwi" Okano (Nova Uniao, 5'9", 145lbs.) def. Josh
Viera via TKO by way of referee stoppage due to strikes from
the mount at 15 seconds of Round 1.
Vai
Togia (Hard Knocks, 6'1", 260lbs.) def. Kona Bear via majority
decision [(19-19), (20-18), (20-18)] after 2 rounds.
Jay
R. Palmer (Universal Roughhousing, 170lbs.) def. Brennan Kamaka
(808 Fight Factory, 5'7", 175lbs.) via tap out due to strikes
at 39 seconds in Round 1.
Nassor
Lewis (808 Fight Factory, 5'8", 165lbs.) def. Ross "Da
Boss" Ebanez (Nova Uniao, 5'9", 170lbs.) via unanimous
decision [(20-18), (20-18), (20-18)] after 2 rounds.
Shannon
"The Canon" Ritch def. Kaleo Padilla (Kona Boxing Club)
via arm bar submission at 4:20 minutes of Round 1.
Wesley
"Cabbage" Correira (Grappling Unlimited, 265lbs.) def.
Joseph Riggs via KO at 2:07 minutes in Round 2.
K-1
& Bob Sapp - Great Together?
There
continues to be swirls of controversy surrounding K-1. Mr. Ishii's
on again, off again tax evasion case has been in the headlines
recently, and things may be more serious than in the past. Additionally,
K-1 has canceled several shows from their schedule. there are
other weird things are happening.
It
appears that Bob Sapp will be given a role as an advisor, with
input to what direction K-1 will take in the future. Sapp is
currently the HOTTEST commodity in Japan's fight industry, with
massive crossover appeal to the mainstream Tokyo 'street'.
Sapp
captured the prestigious 'Outstanding Performer' award at the
Nikkan Sports Awards for 2002. The awards ceremony were held
on 12/28 in Tokyo, Japan. Yet another milestone in his VERY short
career as an in-ring performer.
Sapp
will continue to have matches in K-1, and he will also continue
his ventures into pro wrestling. It's easy for an athlete of
Sapp's stature to do pro wrestling well into his 40's and in
many cases 50's.
Many
wouldn't doubt that Sapp could run for political office in Japan
and win! But in the meantime, dreams of President Sapp will be
on hold. There is serious talk of a Sapp vs. Hoost 3 in K-1.
Many in Japan want to see Sapp vs. Nogueira 2 in PRIDE, however
this may be harder for them to do.
Source:
ADCC
NEWS
FROM PANCRASE JAPAN
Japan's
PANCRASE organization is beginning to plan their 2003 event tour.
The shows will be marketed as PANCRASE HYBRID.
Pancrase
is focusing on the February show to highlight some of their top
fighters in their lightheavyweight division. Big stars Yuki Kondo
and Sanae Kikuta will be fighting on the February event. These
two fighters are possibly the top names that Pancrase has, with
Kondo staying very active in Pancrase, returning to his winning
form in 2002. Kikuta remains PANCRASE top star, with his only
losses since 1998 being at the hands of PRIDE Champion Minotauro
Noguiera and his TOP TEAM teammate, UFC Champion Murilo Bustamante.
It
appears that another match we will be seeing on the Hybrid tour
February 16th features Renzo Gracie student and rising MMA star
in his own right, Ricardo 'Big Dog' Almeida taking on Ikuhisa
'The Punk' Minowa.
The
Punk is becoming a PANCRASE star, after a 2002 year that saw
him step up. His only loss in 2002 was against Kiyoshi Tamura,
and he is 4-1-1 since December of 2001.
Almeida
just won his debut in Pancrase, defeating veteran Osami Shibuya.
Almeida took time off this year to heal injuries. Minowa is currently
ranked #4 in the lightheavyweight Pancrase rankings, while Ricardo
earned a #6 ranking after his debut in November.
Source:
ADCC
Brazilian
Beat
By Eduardo Alonso
Rizzo getting ready for Vladdy,
Mino to Become an Action Figure
and Chute Boxe Coming Strong in 2003!
Well folks,
2002 is coming to a close and even with the holidays there are
still plenty of things going on in the Brazilian NHB scene. With
UFC 41 rapidly approaching, the Ruas Vale Tudo camp is working
hard to prepare Pedro Rizzo for yet another battle. Also, camps
like Chute Boxe and the Brazilian Top Team never really stop
and as our beloved sport of NHB is always growing and gaining
in popularity, Rodrigo Minotauro Nogueira and Vanderlei Silva
are both working on new ventures, meanwhile their teammates continue
to train hard and prepare for a tough and action-packed year
of 2003. Fans can expect to see a lot more action coming out
of both camps in the next year and as always "The Beat"
will continue to cover it all for you.
2002 was surely a year full of happenings, both happy and sad
for all of us. For the sport of NHB it was a year of great victories,
with the UFC breaking new ground in America, getting on TV and
finishing the year in impressive fashion with UFC 40, with PRIDE
and K-1 holding the biggest event ever in Japan with Shockwave,
with the stars of our sport gaining popularity and expanding
their products, such as Tito Ortiz, Vanderlei Silva and Minotauro,
and with the smaller events growing at an amazing pace due to
the great work of promoters, fighters, press and the fans. For
our personal lives 2002 was a tough year, full of uncertainties,
doubts and never ending struggles, but it was also a year full
of great memories both with and without our sport. In 2002 I
went through tough times, but managed to grow and learn more
about life itself and all in all it was great to have this space
and to see it develop. For me, 2002, despite all the problems
will be remembered as the year when "The Brazilian Beat"
began, and hopefully we will share this space for lots of years
to come, since 2003 will be an important year for FCF. As the
year ends, I want to take this chance to thank all the fighters,
promoters, friends, writers, editors and most importantly all
the fans and readers for sharing all we went through in 2002
with us! In the last "Brazilian Beat" of the year I
apologize for the long text, and want to leave you all with a
big thank you for the support, and with the hopes of meeting
you all in 2003 for more Brazilian NHB coverage. I take my time
to dedicate this last piece of the year to my late Grandfather
Jose Alonso Filho, who couldn't live to see this space grow,
but will always be remembered in my heart. But as "The Beat"
never stops, Full Contact Fighter manages to turn up the volume
and provide one last bit of Brazilian groove in 2002! Enjoy the
news and happy New Year everyone!
Ruas
Vale Tudo star Pedro Rizzo is already fully recovered from the
nose surgery that took place after his bout against Dan McGee,
and is already back in training! "The Rock" is signed
to face rAw team member Vladimir Matyushenko at UFC 41 in February
2003, and is getting himself ready to once again pursue the UFC
Heavyweight title. Pedro told FCF he is finally getting back
to the best shape of his life and will try to give his best against
Vladdy to then earn a shot at Ricco Rodriguez' belt as soon as
possible. Rizzo is taking this fight so seriously that he is
training even now during the holidays, and is eager to step in
the Octagon again.
Speaking
of the main Brazilian UFC Heavyweight contender, Rizzo joined
his long time friend and K-1 superstar Peter Aerts on his trips
to Thailand and Japan, where the Dutch fighter prepared himself
and competed in the K-1 Grand Prix. This was Pedro's first time
in Thailand, and being a Muay Thai fighter, he enjoyed the experience
and told FCF he saw some very interesting elbow techniques there.
After all those trips around the globe, "The Rock"
is anxious to get on his trip to Atlantic City to fight at UFC
41.
PRIDE
Heavyweight champion Rodrigo Minotauro Nogueira was in terrible
condition right before his non-title bout against Dan Henderson
in PRIDE 24! Minotauro had high fever the day before the fight,
as well as on the actual day of the fight! Doctors and even his
friend Mario Sperry were reluctant about his participation, but
being the professional he is, Nogueira insisted on fighting and
had to take serum just before the fight to be able to compete,
and after the bout he needed immediate medical attention once
again. Regardless, both Minotauro and Dan Henderson put on a
great performance to finish the year strong, in a very exciting
match.
As
Minotauro is also literally everywhere, he is going to be the
next NHB star to become an action figure in Japan! After the
recent release of Vanderlei Silva and Don Frye's action figures
by PRIDE, Minotauro just signed a deal and will be the next Brazilian
fighter to become an action figure that will surely sell a lot
in Japan. His twin brother, Rogerio Minotoro Nogueira decided
to stay in Japan after PRIDE 24 for a few days to take care of
some personal business.
Still
speaking of the Brazilian Top Team, "The Zen Machine"
Mario Sperry is now slowly and safely resuming his Muay Thai
training after he had his hand broken on his PRIDE 22 win over
Kopylov. Sperry was already doing physical and ground training
once again, and now he is doing some light Muay Thai practices
again and expects to resume the sparring soon. Mario told FCF
he will be ready for the March 2003 PRIDE event and is very willing
to compete in it.
PRIDE
Middleweight champion Vanderlei Silva is still recovering from
his knee surgery and doing very well. "The Axe Murderer"
is already walking without crutches and is having great progress
with the physical therapy. Silva is very excited about his recovery
and he is taking this time to take care of other personal projects
that his fighting career doesn't allow him to do. Right now the
Chute Boxe superstar is working on the details of a mini USA
seminar tour, as well as expanding his new brand of products
called WAND. Silva told FCF that his clothes will be available
in Japan and the USA very soon. Europe is also in the plans for
the future.
Getting
back on the Ruas Vale Tudo team subject, MECA and DEEP veteran
Gustavo Ximu Machado is reported to be training harder than ever
in the academy and is expecting another opportunity to fight
abroad as soon as possible. Ximu, who submitted Jorge Macaco
Patino at MECA 6 early this year, has the potential to be one
of the top guys in the 185lb division and now it's up to the
promoters to give the guy a chance at the bigger shows. In the
meantime he is continuing to train a lot and help his teammate
Pedro Rizzo for his upcoming fight at UFC 41.
Gustavo
Ximu's teammate Renato Babalu Sobral is still training hard and
is not really considering retirement like as was rumored. After
his loss at the hands (and feet) of "The Iceman" Chuck
Liddell in the last UFC, rumors began circulating that this could
have been Renato's last NHB fight, however FCF was told that
he is training and wants to come back better than ever.
The
year of 2003 promises to be an intense year for the Chute Boxe
team. Master Rudimar Fedrigo, who is expecting the birth of his
son Rigan in April 2003, told FCF that in 2003 the team wants
to fight a lot! Not only the stars of the team such as Vanderlei
and Anderson Silva, and Murilo Ninja Rua, but the other tough
fighters from the Chute Boxe camp such as K-1 winner Nilson de
Castro, IVC veteran Silvio Urutum, NHB's future superstar Mauricio
Shogun Rua, K-1 veteran Julio Jamanta, among others are looking
to compete a lot in 2003, and the team wants to have a good relationship
with all promoters and events, having Chute Boxe fighters competing
all over the globe, starting with heavyweight Assuerio Silva
fighting in Switzerland in January.
Master
Rudimar Fedrigo is already organizing the first-ever Chute Boxe
training week in Curitiba, likely to be held in February of 2003,
where fans, fighters and students from all over the world will
have a chance to train and gather with the likes of Vanderlei
Silva, Murilo Ninja Rua, Anderson Silva, Master Rafael Cordeiro
and Master Rudimar Fedrigo himself for an entire week right in
the Chute Boxe team's hometown. Details of this breakthrough
event will be released soon and FCF will surely be there getting
a taste of the experience.
See
you all in 2003 at FCF! Now go and party!
Source:
FCF
Minotauro
& Minotoro Post Fight Interviews
Post Fight PRIDE Interview: RODRIGO MINOTAURO - The Champion!
by: Marcello Tetel
Rodrigo
Noguiera speaks about the recent bout with Dan Henderson...
You
were dominant in this fight! Talk about your strategy... People
should be getting to know this by now - my strategy is to always
go for the finish. Sometimes I lose a safe position in order
to go for finish, but this is the way I like to play.
How
do you feel now, getting your revenge against Dan? Since I came
top PRIDE, I have lobbied to get this match. I asked to have
a rematch because I really believe I did not lose our first fight
in RINGS. Now I think it is clear. I don't like to complain about
results, so that's why I like to finish opponents, so there's
no doubts. A little something I learned in RINGS.
What
do you think about Henderson? Don't get me wrong, Dan proved
again to everybody what I already knew: He is 'casca grossa'
(Brazilian for tough guy). It is clear to see what I'm saying
- he showed it in our last fight. Tons of heart, and great flexibility
to escape from submissions.
Describe
the submission? Both arms were trapped and he had no choice.
He had to quit verbally otherwise his arm would be in trouble.
So
it wasn't a referee stoppage? No he verbally submitted.
Did
you see him trying to resist beyond the limits? I mean do you
think he would let his arm break? No, he's a professional fighter
and he knows that a serious injury wouldn't be a smart move for
his career.
Would
you break it? Look, my job is to take the arm. Everyone knows
their own limits and I go until my opponent quits. I would never
do something intentionally to an opponent because we are in the
same boat and I have to respect him as a professional. As I told
you an injury can keep you away for a long time sometimes.
And
now, what's next? Rest up. In March I will probably fight Fedor
for my belt.
Thanks
for the interview. No problem.
Post
Fight PRIDE Interview: ROGERIO MINOTORO
Rogerio MINOTORO Noguiera took on Guy Mezger at the latest PRIDE
event, winning a split decision. One of ADCC's Brazilian correspondents
spoke to Rogerio about his latest battle...
Talk
a little bit about this latest match in Pride, against Guy Mezger?
I tried to test both my stand up and ground game. I want to show
that I'm looking forward to being a complete fighter, and I am
beginning to be able to do anything in the ring.
Do
you think the match went well? Honestly, I really feel I have
to get more experience. I still don't pace myself well, I take
risks all the time. This is because I want to get the submission,
but experience will help me work my submissions in the course
of the match.
So
are you planning to be more conservative in the future? The best
defense will always be to be on the attack, so I hope I wil lnot
change like that. I just need to be more efficient.
But
how? Look at my brother. I think he is constantly looking for
the finish, but he knows how to limit the risks in his risks!
So
despite being twins, you are following on your brother's example?
Oh yeah, for sure, he is very advanced rigt now, the best fighter
in the world. He does not give time or opportunity for his opponents
to attack, he's always attacking and staying safe.
You
stated that your goal right now is the belt right? In a sport,
you always set goals to be on top. In our sport this means to
hold a belt. Nohting personal against anyone who is wearing the
belt, I just have my goals and they are not only keep fighting.
Any
timeframe for a shot at a title? I don't know, this can take
long a long time, but my time will come sooner or later.
Your
contract with PRIDE is up as well, as your brother's, right?
That's correct.
Do
you see the possibility of leaving Pride to fight UFC or anywhere
else? No, my wish is to stay here and fight for Pride but I'm
a professional and I will always be looking to fight.
Thank
you Rogerio. No Problem.
Source: ADCC
12/28/02
Quote
of the Day
"The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put
up with the rain.
Dolly Parton
"Yesterday's
the past and tomorrow's the future.
Today is a gift-which is why they call it the present."
Bill Keane
This
Saturday Night
BJ Penn's Rumble On The Rock
Rumble On The Rock
Edith Kanaka Ole Tennis Stadium, Hilo, Hawaii
December 28, 2002
Doors Open: 5:00PM
Prelims 6:00PM
Fighters competing:
Cabbage
Kaleo Padilla
William Clifford
Ross Ibanez
Kaynan Kaku
Palmer Fuga
Iwi Okano
KAOS will be held
on Sunday, December 29, 2002 at World Cafe. The gates open at
7:00 pm and the fights starts at 8:00 pm. Contact 585-2877 for
more information.
Tentative Fight Card
Mark Mareno
vs. Sean Taylor
Three on Three event:
808 Fight Factory vs. Grappling Unlimited
Des Minor vs. Bill Hall
Brennan Kamaka vs. Brandon
Harris vs. Cliff Camet
Wayne Parrin vs. Josh Urbano
Kelii Newalo vs. Jamie Galapia
Source: Promoter
MMA
Stars to PRO WRESTLE in Japan early January?
The
Inoki Bom Ba Ye show has invited BTT star Mario Sperry to serve
as special guest commentator for the Japanese TV.
It
seems that Sperry will also participate in a Pro Wrestling match
on a show scheduled for the Tokyo Dome on January 4th. This is
the same show that features former UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh
Barnett in a title bout. The word is that DSE is not happy with
Ze Mario entertaining this offer, so we shall see how this plays
out.
Source: ADCC
The
IGJJF & Rorion Gracie Interview
The
IGJJF will be holding a referee's clinic for their upcoming First
I.G.J.J.F. Open Championship. The event is going to take place
on February 1 & 2 on the Cal State Domingues Hills Campus
in So. California under the new IGJJF Rules. The referee's clinic
is open to all referee's, coaches and competitors. IT will take
place at the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy at 1951 West Carson Street,
Torrance, CA 90501. For information call (310) 782-1309.
This
is a great chance for competitors and coaches to not only learn
about the rules but also check out the Gracie Museum with all
its historical pictures etc. and even get a change to meet Grandmaster
Professor Helio Gracie in person! Don't miss out this opportunity!
Speaking
of IGJJF, our friend Andreh Anderson interview the Head of the
Federation Rorion Gracie himself for ADCC News readers. Here
is the informative piece!
Rorion
Gracie Interview
By Andreh Anderson
In
February of 2003, Rorion Gracie will attempt to do to the Brazilian
jiu-jitsu world what he did to the martial arts world in 1993—revolutionize
it. With a bold new set of rules and the most enviable first
prizes in the sport, Rorion is bound to make a huge difference
in the direction the sport has taken.
The
tournament is called the I.G.J.J.F. Open Championship, and it
will take place in Carson, California, on February 1st and 2nd.
The
rules are quite controversial. Points are only awarded for obtaining
positions that demonstrate total control, not for actions such
as takedowns or sweeps. There is no time limit, and no advantage
points. The winner is the first one to twelve points, or to make
his opponent submit. Stalling for any length of time will be
penalized with a reverse in position. Competitors will be encouraged
to look for an end to the fight, and will not be able to ride
out the clock for a win.
I
met with Rorion at the world famous Gracie Academy in Torrance,
California, to discuss the tournament, his critics, and the unique
rewards he is awarding for first place.
Andreh
Anderson: You are credited with bringing jiu-jitsu to America,
and subsequently, the world. There are now thousands of people
training in the art your family developed. Are you pleased with
the way jiu-jitsu has grown worldwide?
Rorion
Gracie: I am very happy with the way the world has embraced Gracie
jiu-jitsu. That was my goal. Unfortunately, I find that jiu-jitsu,
at this time, has turned away from the original objectives for
which it was intended.
AA:
How so?
RG:
Jiu-jitsu tournaments today encourage stalling. The rules teach
a person to score a point then to hold on until time runs out.
That’s not the reason people started training, nor is it
the reason that the art is appreciated. The reason people admire
and respect jiu-jitsu is because they saw one competitor demonstrate
clear superiority over his opponent by submitting him. Jiu-jitsu
tournaments today don’t offer that. This is why I created
this tournament. I want to return jiu-jitsu to the ideals it
was developed for.
AA:
What are those ideals?
RG:
Everyone who practices today wants to copy the effectiveness
they saw when Royce was initially in the U.F.C. Every small person
who saw Royce, and other jiu-jitsu fighters, defeat the big guy
said to himself, “I can do that too!” But that is only
true if they step into the fight with the same objective Royce
has—to submit the other guy. So the public wanted to have
the effectiveness displayed in those early U.F.C.’s. But
that effect only comes from jiu-jitsu being applied objectively.
Current jiu-jitsu tournament rules do not allow the display of
that effectiveness because they encourage the fighters to use
the rules, not their techniques to submission, to win the fight.
AA:
Can you take us back to the days before tournament jiu-jitsu
was created? Was the training and emphasis different?
RG:
The old days the fighters thought differently. In those days,
anyone who competed did so with the intent to submit his or her
opponent. Every jiu-jitsu instructor that grew up in Brazil knows
how it used to be. It wasn’t to score points; it was to
make the other person tap. Unfortunately, the approach of using
points has distorted the way people train. Now they think about
making some points and holding them. It has backfired against
them.
AA:
Who created “sport jiu-jitsu”? Have the rules changed
much since its original inception?
RG:
The foundation is the same as it was since my father was the
president of the first Brazilian jiu-jitsu federation back in
Brazil, but over the years people kept coming up with “what-ifs”.
Those questions led to small changes here and there, until we
now have a completely different animal.
AA:
What do you think about the level of today’s top tournament
jiu-jitsu players? Are there any that stand out in your opinion?
RG:
I don’t watch much of the sport today, but of course Cumprido,
Margarida, Saulo, Roleta, and all of the others at the top are
exceptional. I really hope they make an appearance at the tournament
because it is another chance for them to really establish credibility
for themselves as world champions.
AA:
Have any of them confirmed their entrance into the tournament?
The prize for first place in the black belt division is substantial.
RG:
A few have expressed interest, but we haven’t confirmed
them yet.
AA:
Can you explain the differences between your rules and the current
rules in jiu-jitsu?
RG:
First, there are no points for the takedown because we want to
discourage someone from repeatedly taking the person down and
letting them up over and over until time runs out. Let the wrestler
or judo player enter their own competitions. Jiu-jitsu is won
by submission on the ground. The only positions that count for
points are the ones that demonstrate a clear superiority of one
fighter over the other. A sweep is completely irrelevant unless
you can land in a superior position. Those positions are: mount,
cross-mount, and the back mount. There are no advantages given
because they are subject to the referee’s interpretation,
and anyone who has competed knows that the interpretation will
change from ref to ref. Also, there are many referees who are
influenced by the coaches on the sidelines. You cannot have a
world-class event with that kind of uncertainty. We also do not
have a time limit. This is so that one competitor doesn’t
use the clock to win after scoring a couple of points. The first
person to twelve points, in our competition, is the winner. Let
the guy who has better technique win the fight. For those who
think the fight might be too long, it won’t happen. Different
positions will be timed to prevent stalling. If someone wants
to stall, let them stay home and watch T.V. instead.
AA:
You also have a rule about grabbing both sleeves at the same
time. Some people have complained about that because they feel
it eliminates some techniques.
RG:
Usually when people grab the sleeves, they are trying to hold
the guy on top from passing his open guard. It shouldn’t
be used for stalling. If you want to go for a sweep or submission
and you need to grab both sleeves, that’s allowed. But you
can’t hold them for long. You make your move and if it doesn’t
work, you can’t just stall in that position.
AA:
Do you feel that jiu-jitsu tournaments help prepare someone for
a real fight?
RG:
Jiu-jitsu is ultimately a method of self-defense. A tournament
should be a safe environment to practice your self-defense skills.
Your performance in the tournament should reflect your effectiveness
in a street fight without having the violence of a street fight.
AA:
What about the gi? Do you feel that training with the gi helps
prepare you for a real fight? When should one train without the
gi?
RG:
I think one should train with the gi, and without it. It is at
the instructor’s discretion when he thinks the student is
ready to train without the gi. You can’t always expect your
opponent to be wearing something thick like a gi, but we train
with it for hygienic reasons and because it allows for a wider
variety of techniques. Training without the gi, once in awhile
is good too.
AA:
Your sons, Ryron, Rener, and Ralek, have performed very well
under the current rules, and your new tournament rules. Do you
have any plans to send them to the World Championships in Brazil
next year?
RG:
My idea is to change things over to these new rules, so no plans
to send them to Brazil to compete yet. We are hoping for a grassroots
movement that will change the way tournaments are run. My dream
is to make Gracie Jiu-jitsu an Olympic sport. The only way we
are going to be able to accomplish that is to have a large number
of people abiding by the same rules. I don’t think we will
ever reach that goal (of having the sport in the Olympics) under
the way the rules are now.
AA:
This seems to be a huge undertaking. How can people help?
RG:
Everyone can help by bringing their teams to compete. I want
to hear back from the competitors, as in, “yeah! We like
it!” or, “No. We don’t.” One thing for sure,
there are people who don’t like the way things are currently.
AA:
You came up with the best prize I can imagine for the winner
of each division: An all expense paid trip to Brazil to train
with the Grandmaster, Helio Gracie. How did you come up with
that?
RG:
More than anything, I wanted to encourage those guys who want
to step up and support what we are trying to do. I want to show
my appreciation to them. Because I am Helio’s son, I can
arrange this type of prize that money can’t buy. It’s
as if I am the son of George W. Bush, and I invite the winners
for a tour of the White House with the President. I really believe
that this tournament will change things; the way the UFC changed
martial arts. I did the UFC, so I know what I can do with this.
My father is also very excited to have these winners there. He
is looking forward to it.
AA:
Some people feel that a $100 entry fee is too much for a tournament.
What do you say to them?
RG:
Well, if you take your girlfriend out for a nice dinner and buy
a bottle of wine, it’s about $100. Since you shouldn’t
be drinking anyway, this is a better investment! (Laughs) What
you have here is a chance to spend one week in Brazil with the
last of the great grandmasters in martial arts; this is the man
who has actually created a style that has revolutionized the
martial arts world. A trip like this is worth $100,000, so I
think $100 is a bargain.
This
Month in Mixed Martial Arts History: December
By Joe Hall
Royce
Gracie bounced back from withdrawing in the third UFC to run
the table at UFC 4 in December 94. In the finals of the eight-man
tournament, he used a triangle choke to submit wrestler Dan Severn,
who went 2-1 on the night of his first foray into MMA.
The
same month and year, Ken Shamrock won a grueling King of Pancrase
tournament in Japan. Over the course of two days, he won four
fights, finishing his opponent in three of the bouts and winning
a decision in the final.
The
Ultimate Ultimate summoned a stellar field in December 95. Tank
Abbott smashed UFC 3 champion Steve Jennum into the fence to
win their first round match; UFC 5 champion Dan Severn choked
Paul Varelans; UFC 7 champ Marco Ruas choked Keith Hackney; and
UFC 6 champ Oleg Taktarov submitted Dave Beneteau to complete
the opening round of the eight-man tournament. Severn then dominated
Abbott in the semifinals, and Taktarov claimed a decision over
Ruas in a snoozer. In the championship bout, Severn battered
Taktarov for the second time of their career and won the judges'
decision.
Tank
Abbott snapped a jab into Don Frye's chin in the finals of the
Ultimate Ultimate in December 96, sending "The Predator"
stumbling to his back and into the cage. Although Abbott consistently
beat Frye to the punch in their championship fight and had him
badly cut, victory slipped away when he tripped to the mat. Frye
jumped on his back, bloodied face and all, and dramatically choked
Abbott into submission. Following the bout, Frye left MMA for
professional wrestling. Also at the Ultimate Ultimate 96, Ken
Shamrock withdrew after winning his opening round bout, and soon
after exited the sport for the WWF.
Frank
Shamrock burst into the UFC in December 97 at Ultimate Japan,
submitting the previously unbeaten Kevin Jackson in a mere 16
seconds. In other bouts, Randy Couture defeated Maurice Smith
to win the UFC heavyweight title; Vitor Belfort armbarred Joe
Charles; and Kazushi Sakuraba won the heavyweight tournament
in bizarre fashion.
Hayato
Sakurai finished Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Haroldo Bunn
in the final round of their match at the Japan Vale Tudo in December
99. Rumina Sato kneebarred Chute Boxe's Rafael Cordeiro, and
Caol Uno and Andre Pederneiras fought to a draw on the undercard.
Also
in December 99, Renzo Gracie was one of four fighters to advance
in the King of Kings 32-man tournament. He submitted Wataru Sakata
in his first fight of the night, then quickly armbarred former
UFC heavyweight champion Maurice Smith in his second bout. Other
fighters who progressed out of the Block B part of the tournament
were Kiyoshi Tamura, who beat Dave Menne in the opening round;
Andrei Kopylov, who shockingly defeated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black
belt Leo Castello Branco with a rolling kneebar; and Gilbert
Yvel, who stopped Tsuyoshi Kosaka on a cut in the second round.
Caol
Uno did it again in December 2000. Facing Shooto legend Rumina
Sato, Uno defeated his rival a second time, knocking him out
in the first round. On the same card, Hayato Sakurai rallied
to stop Frank Trigg in one of the best fights of the year; Alexandre
"Pequeño" Nogueira slapped his patented guillotine
choke on Stephen Palling; Dokonjonosuke Mishima kneebarred Marcio
Barbosa; and Mamoru gained a decision over Jin Akimoto.
Emelianenko
Fedor became the first, and to-date only, fighter to beat Ricardo
Arona in December 2000. Fedor did not advance out of Block B
of the King of Kings, however, because Tsuyoshi Kosaka stopped
him on a cut in the next round. Other fighters advancing in the
32-man tournament were Hiromitsu Kanehara, Norihisa Yamamoto
and Volk Han.
Also
in December 2000, Tito Ortiz ate a flying knee from Yuki Kondo
at UFC 29, but quickly and impressively shook off the cobwebs
and submitted his opponent. On the undercard, Dennis Hallman
stunned the MMA world by submitting Matt Hughes for a second
time; Pat Miletich easily defended his 170-pound UFC title against
Kenichi Yamamoto; Evan Tanner returned to the UFC with a win
over Lance Gibson; and Matt Lindland debuted in the Octagon by
triumphing over Yoji Anjo.
Kazushi
Sakuraba beat his fourth Gracie in December 2000 at Pride 12.
Ryan Gracie, covered in bandages, dropped a decision to "The
Gracie Hunter" after one 10-minute round. In other action,
Vanderlei Silva was stunned early, but recovered to pound on
Dan Henderson for the remainder of their fight to win the decision;
Igor Vovchanchyn won a decision against Mark Kerr; Heath Herring
dismantled Enson Inoue; in his last fight in Pride, Ricco Rodriguez
defeated John Marsh; and Carlos Newton beat Johil de Oliveira.
Takanori
Gomi made the most of his long awaited shot at Rumina Sato in
December 2001. Using superior takedown skills and a stiff ground-and-pound
game, Gomi won a unanimous decision. Alexandre "Pequeño"
Nogueira held onto his Shooto title on the undercard by triumphing
over an uncharacteristically lethargic Katsuya Toita. Also, Dokonjonosuke
Mishima scored a win over Ryan Bow.
Also
in December 2001, Semmy Schilt knocked out Yoshihiro Takayama
in the Pride 18 main event. Igor Vovchanchyn pulled off a shocking
submission on the undercard, heel hooking Valentijn Overeem.
Outdoing Vovchanchyn, Alex Stiebling escaped peril numerous times
en route to upsetting Allan Goes.
Source:
Maxfighting
12/27/02
Quote
of the Day
"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders
of giants."
Isaac Newton
"Men
occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves
up and hurry off as if nothing had happened."
Winston Churchill
KAOS
This Sunday at World Cafe!
KAOS will be held
on Sunday, December 29, 2002 at World Cafe. The gates open at
7:00 pm and the fights starts at 8:00 pm. Contact 585-2877 for
more information.
Tentative Fight Card
Mark Mareno
vs. Sean Taylor
Three on Three event:
808 Fight Factory vs. Grappling Unlimited
Des Minor vs. Bill Hall
Brennan Kamaka vs. Brandon
Harris vs. Cliff Camet
Wayne Parrin vs. Josh Urbano
Kelii Newalo vs. Jamie Galapia
Source: Promoter
The
International Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Federation Open Championship
PRESS
RELEASE
From the creator of the U. F. C.
The International Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Federation Open Championship
February 1-2, 2003
10:00AM (Gates open at 9:00AM)
Categories:White/Blue, Purple, Brown
will compete separately on three weight classes
(White and Blue will compete together)
Up to 170.9 lb.
171 lb. - 200.9 lb.
201 lb. and up
Black Belt:
Up to 175.9 lb.
176 lb. and up
This is destined to become the biggest grappling tournament of
all times. The simple and objective rules leave no room for interpretation
by judges and will make competing fair for everyone. Tournaments
should be a way to prepare the individual for a real combat by
encouraging submission. Many tournaments today after a point
or advantage is scored encourage the use of stalling tactics
until time expires.Those are not convincing victories!
GRAND PRIZES: THE FIRST PLACE WINNERS OF THE LIGHT, MIDDLE, AND
HEAVY WEIGHT CLASSES OF EACH BELT WILL RECEIVE AN ALL EXPENSES
PAID TRIP TO STAY AT GRAND MASTER HELIO GRACIE'S RANCH FOR SEVEN
DAYS IN RIO DE JANEIRO-BRAZIL.
BLACK BELT TOTAL CASH PRIZE: US 5,000.00
California State University - Dominguez Hills
Main Gym - Torodome
1000 East Victoria Street
Carson, California 90747
TOURNAMENT
RULES
TIME LIMIT: There are no time limits or advantage points.
CROSS SIDE MOUNT ...3 Points
· Must have control of opponent for 3 seconds
MOUNT FROM THE FRONT...4 Points
· Both knees and feet must be on the ground for 3 seconds
MOUNT FROM THE BACK... 4 Points
· Both knees and feet must be on the ground for 3 seconds,
or
· Both hooks must be hooked inside of legs for 3 seconds
STALLING: A competitor may not hold both sleeves at any time
with the intent of stalling. The referee reserves the right to
give TWO warnings for stalling which will count as 2 faults.
The competitor then has 5 seconds to release the sleeve after
each warning. The third occurrence will lead to immediate disqualification.
REVERSAL: A competitor, when inside the opponents guard, must
be trying to pass the guard and the competitor on the bottoms
must be attacking. After 3 minutes, if the competitor on top
cannot pass the guard, the referee will reverse the position.
If at the three minute mark, the top competitor is at the half
guard the fight will not be interrupted. He has 60 seconds to
complete passing the guard. If he cant or if he is placed back
in the guard, the position will be reversed immediately.
POSITION CHANGE: If a competitor is on top of a cross mount and
stops attacking or holds still for more than 30 seconds, the
referee reserves the right to give TWO warnings for stalling.
On the third warning, the match will be interrupted and the competitor
on top will have to choose one of the two options: to pass or
to defend the guard.If a competitor is on the top mount position
and stops attacking or holds still for more than 30 seconds,
the referee reserves the right to give TWO warnings for stalling.
On the third warning, the match will be interrupted and the competitor
on top will have to choose one of the three options: the top
cross mount, to pass or defend the guard.
FOOT LOCKS: Foot locks are permitted. Knee locks are permitted
for brown belts and up only. Ankle locks are not allowed at any
level.
IMMEDIATE DISQUALIFICATION: will result from any of the following:
Deliberate bending of the fingers or toes, hair pulling, striking,
biting, pressure points, eye gouging, or groin shots. Disrespect
through gestures or verbal abuse toward a referee, a competitor
or a spectator will also result in disqualification.
MATCHES WILL END: with a tap out; when 12 points are accumulated
or by referee intervention (disqualification).
Source: Rorion Gracie
'INOKI
BOM-BA-YE 2002'
Sapp to Main Event, All Matches Announced!
'INOKI BOM-BA-YE 2002'
DATE: December 31st, 2002
OPEN: 3:00 PM START 5:00 PM
PLACE: Saitama Super Arena, Japan (Saitama-Pref , Japan)
PIC:
Bob Sapp enters the PRIDE Rinfg at PRIDE 21, before facing Tamura.
Pic courtesy of PRIDE FC.
COMPLETE
CARD - Subject To Change:
8th
Match: 5 min 3 R / MMA rule
Bob Sapp (USA/ Team Beast) vs Yoshihiro Takayama (Japan / Free)
7th
Match: 5 min 3 R / MMA rule
Hidehiko Yoshida (Japan / Yoshida Dojo) vs Masaaki Satake (Japan
/ Momster Kingdom)
6th
Match: 5 min 3 R / MMA rule
Kazuyuki Fujita (Japan / Inoki Office) vs Mirco Cro Cop (Croatia
/ Cro Cop Squad Gym)
5th
Match: 3min 3R / K-1 rule
Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson (USA / Team Punishment) vs Cyril Abidi
(France / Challenge Boxing)
4th
Match: 3min 3R / K-1 rule
Gary Goodridge (Canada / Free) vs Mike Bernardo (South Africa
/ Leonaldo Boxing Gym)
3rd
Match: 5 min 3 R / MMA rule
Yasuhito Namekawa (Japan / Free) vs Wallid Ismail (Brazil / Carlson
Gracie Jiu-Jitsu)
2nd
Match: 5 min 3 R / MMA rule
Shinsuke Nakamura (New Japan Pro-wrestling) vs Daniel Gracie
(Brazil / Team Renzo Gracie)
1st
Match: 5 min 3 R / MMA rule
Tadao Yasuda (Japan / Free) vs Jan 'THE GIANT' Nortje (South
Africa / Steve's Gym)
Source: Booker K
DENNIS
HALL, ON HIS OWN
He
has just won another Greco tournament, this time at the annual
New York Athletic Club (NYAC) Christmas International Wrestling
Championships, Dec. 21-22. As the sweat dripped still dripped
from his body, he began packing and changing his clothes while
still in the doorway outside the NYAC gym in front of the elevators.
He had a plane to catch in about two hours, and had to rush out
minutes after his 3-2 win in the 60 kg/132 lbs. finals over Joe
Warren.
And
Dennis Hall was mad, plenty mad.
Hall
and Warren had gotten into a heated argument right after their
match, exchanging words, but not blows. Hall extended his hand
to Warren while indicating he would accept whatever challenge
might come his way. (Hall, you may also recall, was once a member
of the RAW Team, and once fought in Shooto in Japan.) But cooler
heads prevailed -- for now.
'Yeah,
close match,' he admitted. 'But at the end, he got into my body,
and I ended up throwing out of it. And he hooked my leg. That's
when I went to my back.'
Attacking
the legs is not allowed in Greco. The rapid sequence of events
in the match's second period that so pissed off Hall, a 1995
world champion and 1996 Olympic silver medalist, seemingly ended
up with Warren sticking Hall on his back.
'It
was plain and simple,' he insisted. 'You could see it. And he's
bitching that he didn't. Fuckin' admit it. If you hook my leg,
you hooked it.'
The
referee and matside observers agreed with Hall. After the officials
conferred, Hall, who was then behind by a 2-1 score, now went
up 3-2. 'Yeah, which was good. Which was the way it was supposed
to be called,' commented Hall.
'If
I would have been in the same situation, I might have tried hooking
just to prevent, to try winning. So I don't blame him for hooking,'
he confessed.
'But
he's bitching about the call at the end of the match. And I'm
plain and simple. On that, I don't go to my back unless I'm tripped,'
he reiterated.
The
first two points Warren scored against Hall, from a first period
throw, were without controversy. In fact, if anything, Hall seemed
mad at himself for getting caught that way.
'I
took a lot of chances,' he explained. 'I'm a thrower. I go out
there and throw. And I got caught that one time. I got in deep,
which surprised me that I got caught. Because I was in deep,
I'd have to watch the tape and figure out where I made the mistake.
In the beginning I had him dead to rights. But then something
-- I must have thrown the wrong way or something.' Watching the
tape, he said, is 'so I can make those little changes, because
I felt I had it, and then I'm on my back for two.'
Those
two points were the only ones Warren scored the whole match.
But the postmatch confrontation still stuck in hall's craw.
'I
just lost all respect for him after that match,' said Hall. 'I
know he's a warrior, but I'll be fuckin', I'll be battling back
with him. I ain't going to take him calling it a cheap win, and
shit. Right after the match, he's, 'I'm going to get you next
time.' Bring it on, bring it on. I'm just sick of people. Until
they beat me, shut the fuck up.'
He
added, 'It's ridiculous. I go out there, I wrestle, and I let
it out on the mat. If I would have lost, I would have lost because
it was my own fault, because I made that two-point mistake. I
don't blame other people.'
And
then he philosophized, smiling a bit while gazing at my whitened
beard, 'This shit gets more frustrating the older you get.'
This
latest frustration will no doubt be a mere bump on Hall's attempted
ride back to the top of the Greco world. He is now ranked just
third in Greco in the U.S. at 60 kg/132 lbs., behind top-ranked
lifelong rival Jim Gruenwald, whom he pinned at the RealProWrestling
pilot in October, and second-ranked Glenn Nieradka of the U.S.
Army (Warren is ranked fifth).
His
goal? 'Hopefully just trying to get back on the World Team, going
through Nationals,' he said, not surprisingly. But what he may
have to go through to get there was somewhat of a shocker.
'I'm
trying to get training partners in from overseas. I got to do
some fundraising because nobody pays for it,' he stated. 'So
I got a Russian that's really tough that wants to come over.
And if I can get him, it will be a big plus. And I got a Cuban
that wants to come over. And we'll try cycling them in and out
for the next year and a half. Right now I'm just wrestling with
Division III college wrestlers. They don't have the mental capacity
the guys that I'm competing against [have], so I don't get tired
in practice.' Hall is an assistant coach at the University of
Wisconsin-Stevens Point, a Division III school.
'I
need the competition, and that's why I got to bring guys over
in order to be ready,' he continued. 'The last few years I've
been on my own. And that's the toughest part about being a Greco
wrestler in the United States. They don't help you out, unless
you're out at the [Olympic] Training Center. Everybody else fends
for themselves. You got to get your own partners, or you got
to move.'
But
Hall bristled at the suggestion that maybe he too should move
out to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. 'Nah,'
he scoffed. 'I'm 31 years old. My wife's got a teaching job in
the city I live in. And to me, I wrestle because it's fun still.
Not because I have to, but because it's fun.'
And
he added, with a laugh, just before he scooted downstairs to
race to LaGuardia Airport, 'I enjoy competition -- some days
more than others, though.'
Source: ADCC
12/25/02 Merry
Christmas
Quote
of the Day
"You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him
find it within himself."
Galileo
"Would
you like me to give you a formula for... success? It's quite
simply, really. Double your rate of failure... You're thinking
of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn't at all... You
can be discouraged by failure -- or you can learn from it. So
go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because, remember
that's where you'll find success. On the far side of failure."
Thomas J. Watson
Onzuka.com
Wishes You & Yours A Merry Christmas
We want to
take the time to wish you and your family all the best. We hope
that you have a great Christmas and, for you good boys and girls
out there, that Santa brings you everything that you wished for.
(Santa hasn't been by either of the Onzuka households for quite
some time, but that's another story).
Since Hawaii Martial Arts news is flat today, with only one piece
of info, I thought that I would include some touching Holiday
stories to help everyone take a step back from the hustle of
running around doing your usual day to day grind and remind us
what is really important. If you have kids you will have a special
place for these stories, if you don't have kids and are a Grinch/Ebenezer
Scrooge type, the last piece is for you. Enjoy!
Merry Christmas and God Bless you!
Former
Pro Wrestling Champion Inducted Into Martial Arts Hall Of Fame
December
19, 2002, It was announced today that former UCW Heavyweight
Wrestling Champion "Falcon Coperis" aka Louis Velazquez
is soon to be inducted into the Martial Arts Hall of Fame. This
is all going to take place at the Martial Arts Extravaganza suitably
nicknamed ‘The Academy Awards of Martial Arts,’ will
host its third internationally recognized annual event at the
world famous Tropicana Casino & Resort in Atlantic city,
New Jersey.
The
Action Martial Arts Magazine’s Hall of Fame Banquet is a
well-respected institution in the martial arts community. To
its credit, the Event has the support and participation from
the worlds most renowned and respected Martial Artists, and has
participation by all facets of the arts such as film industry,
all styles of the world, and business leaders in all related
resources.
Louis
Velazquez has been involved in Martial Arts for the past twenty
years. He is a member of the Hawaii Martial Arts International
Society , World Jeet Kune Do Federation, United States Martial
Arts Association, Okinawan Karate-Do Union, Chief Instructor
Abregana Self Defense Institute, Certified Full Intructor Jeet
Kune Do, Master Instructor RMA Martial Arts and an Honorary Ambassador
of the Kids Hall Of Fame. He was also the UCW heavyweight wrestling
champion in the mid to late 90's.He was ranked in the top 500
in the pro wrestling ranks in 1997 and was forced to step down
due to a back injury.
He
is the founder of Karate Kidz Online, an organization dedicated
to young martial artist worldwide. His future plans are to continue
to train and help the KKO grow which will allow him to help more
children. Now Master Velazquez looks forward to increasing his
knowledge in all martial arts and helping young martial artist
worldwide do the same. He will be honored at this gala event
taking place in Atlantic City, NJ at the Tropicana Hotel on January
17 and 18, 2003.
"THE
GOLD WRAPPING PAPER STORY"
or "KISSES of LOVE"
Author Unknown
Some
time ago, a man punished his 5-year-old daughter for wasting
a roll of expensive gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and
he became even more upset when the child pasted the gold paper
so as to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree.
Nevertheless,
the little girl brought the gift box to her Father the next morning
and said, "This is for you, Daddy."
The
father was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his anger
flared again when he found the box was empty. He spoke to her
in a harsh manner: "Don't you know, young Lady, when you
give someone a present there's supposed to be something inside
the package?
The
little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and said:
"Daddy, it's not empty. I blew kisses into it until it was
full."
The
father was crushed. He fell on his knees and put his arms around
his little girl, and he begged her to forgive him for his unnecessary
anger.
An
accident took the life of the child only a short time later and
it is told that the father kept that gold box by his bed for
all the years of his life. And whenever he was discouraged or
faced difficult problems he would open the box and take out an
imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put
it there.
In
a very real sense, each of us as human beings have been given
a golden box filled with unconditional love and kisses from our
children, family, friends and God.
There
is no more precious possession anyone could hold.
Thought
for the day:
Find a kid that needs some help and make Christmas brighter for
both of you.
In
1994, two Americans answered an invitation from the Russian Department
of Education to teach morals and ethics (based on biblical principles)
in the public schools. They were invited to teach in prisons,
at businesses, the fire and police departments and at one large
orphanage. About 100 boys and girls who had been abandoned, abused,
and left in the care of a government-run program were in the
orphanage. The two Americans relate this story in their own words:
“It
was nearing the holiday season in 1994, time for the orphans
to hear, many for the first time, the traditional story of Christmas.
We told them about Mary and Joseph arriving in Bethlehem. Finding
no room in the inn, the couple went to a stable, where the baby
Jesus was born and placed in a manger. Throughout the story,
the children and orphanage staff sat in amazement as they listened.
Some sat on the edges of their stools, trying to grasp every
word.
Completing
the story, we gave the children three small pieces of cardboard
to make a crude manger. Each child was given a small paper square,
cut from yellow napkins one of the Americans had brought with
her. No colored paper was available in the city. Following instructions,
the children tore the paper and carefully laid strips in the
manger for straw. Small squares of flannel (cut from a worn-out
nightgown an American lady was throwing away as she left Russia)
were used for the baby’s blanket. A doll-like baby was cut
from some tan felt they had brought from the United States.
The
orphans were busy assembling their manger as one of the ladies
walked among them to see if they needed any help. All went well
until she got to one particular table. The little boy there appeared
to be about 6-years old and had just finished his project. As
she looked at the little boy’s manger she was startled to
see not one, but two babies in the manger.
Quickly
she called for the translator to ask the lad why there were two
babies in the manger. Crossing his arms in front of him and looking
at his completed manger scene, the child began to repeat the
story very seriously. For such a young child who had only heard
the Christmas story once, he related the happenings accurately—until
he came to the part where Mary put the baby Jesus in the manger.
Then he started to ad-lib.
“And
when Mary laid the baby in the manger, Jesus looked at me and
asked me if I had a place to stay. I told him I have no mamma
and I have no papa, so I don’t have any place to stay. Then
Jesus told me I could stay with Him. But I told him I couldn’t
because I didn’t have a gift to give Him like everybody
else did. But I wanted to stay with Jesus so much, so I thought
about what I had that maybe I could use for a gift. I thought
maybe if I kept Him warm, that would be a good gift.”
So
I asked Jesus, ‘If I keep You warm, will that be a good
enough gift?’ And Jesus told me, ‘If you keep Me warm,
that will be the best gift anybody ever gave Me.’ So I got
into the manger, and then Jesus looked at me and He told me I
could stay with Him—for always.”
As
the little boy finished his story, he began to cry. The little
orphan had finally found someone who would never abandon nor
abuse him, someone who would stay with him – for always.”
The
two Americans had just learned the lesson they had come there
to teach – that it is not what you have in your life, but
Who you have in your life that really counts. We all should give
thanks for the people that “keep us” in life, and for
all of God’s blessings to us: life, love, togetherness,
freedom from want, and for His enduring love. He keeps us warm
and safe for always.
Author
Unknown
SANTA
CLAUS
AN ENGINEER’S PERSPECTIVE
I.
There are approximately two billion children (persons under 18)
in the world, however since Santa does not visit children of
Muslim, Hindu, Jewish or Buddhist religions, this reduces the
workload for Christmas night to 15% of the total, or 378 million
(according to the population reference bureau). At an average
(census) rate of 3.5 children per household, that comes to 108
million homes, presuming that there is at least one good child
in each.
II.
Santa has 31 hours of Christmas to work with, thanks to the different
time zones and the rotation of the earth, assuming he travels
east to west (which seems logical). This works out to 967.7 visits
per second. This is to say, that for every Christian household
with a good child, Santa has around 1/1000 of a second to park
the sleigh, hop out, jump down the chimney, fill the stockings,
distribute the remaining presents under the tree, eat whatever
snacks have been left for him, get back up the chimney, jump
into the sleigh and get on to the next house. Assuming that each
of these 108 million stops is evenly distributed around the earth
(which of course, we know to be false, but will accept for the
purpose of our calculations). We are talking about 1.25 Km per
household, a total of 120.8 million Km, not counting bathroom
stops or breaks. This means Santa’s sleigh is moving at
1040 Km per second........3,000 times the speed of sound. For
purposes of comparison, the fastest man-made vehicle, the Ulysses
space probe, moves at a poky 43.8 Km per second, and a conventional
reindeer can run (at best) 25 Km per hour.
III.
The pay load of the sleigh adds another interesting element.
Assuming that each child gets nothing more than a medium Lego
set (two pounds), the sleigh is carrying over 500 thousand tons,
not counting Santa himself. On land, a conventional reindeer
can pull no more than 300 pounds, even granting that the “flying”
reindeer could pull ten times the normal amount, the job can’t
be done with eight or even nine of them......Santa would need
360,000 of them. This increases the payload, not counting the
weight of the sleigh, another 54,000 tons, or roughly seven times
the weight of the Queen Elizabeth (the ship, not the monarch).
IV.
600,000 tons traveling at 1040 Km per second creates enormous
air resistance....this would heat up the lead reindeer in the
same fashion as a space shuttle re-entering the earth’s
atmosphere. The lead pair of reindeer would absorb 14.3 quintillion
joules of energy per second each. In short, they would burst
into flames almost instantaneously, exposing the reindeer behind
them and creating deafening sonic booms in their wake. The entire
reindeer team would be vaporized within 4.26 thousandths of a
second, or right about the time Santa reached the fifth house
on his trip. Not that it matters, however, since Santa, as a
result of accelerating from a dead stop to 1040 k p s in .001
seconds, would be subjected to centrifugal forces of 17,500 G’s.
A 250 pound Santa (which seems ludicrously slim) would be pinned
to the back of the sleigh by 4,315,015 pounds of force, instantly
crushing his bones and organs and reducing him to a quivering
blob of pink goo.
V.
Therefore, if Santa did exist, he’s dead now.
*Thanks
to Rob Moss for this.
12/24/02
Quote
of the Day
"Even on the most exalted throne in the world we are only
sitting on our own bottom."
Michel de Montaigne
"You will never do anything in this world without courage.
It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor."
James Allen
Global
Martial Arts Championship
G-3 Tournament
ARE YOU LOOKING
FOR SOMETHING FUN TO DO? BORED WITH THE SAME OLD SPECTATOR SPORTS?
ARE YOU LOOKING TO STEP INTO THE ARENA TO TEST YOUR SKILLS BUT
AFRAID OF WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN? STOP THINKING ABOUT IT AND CHALLENGE
YOURSELF!
SIGH UP FOR GLOBAL MARTIAL ARTS CHAMPIONSHIP G-3 COMPETITION-THE
VERY FIRST STRIKING EVENT OF ITS KIND BROUGHT TO FROM OSAKA JAPAN.
THIS NEW TOURNAMENT WELCOMES ALL STRIKING MARTIAL ARTS STYLES,
IT IS REGULATED, PARTICIPANTS WEAR SAFETY GEARS AND IT'S BASED
ON FUN AND APPLYING SKILL IN A NON-INTIMIDATING ENVIRONMENT.
ANYONE WITH STRIKING EXPERIENCE CAN JOIN.
IF YOU'RE READY TO TEST YOUR SKILLS, IF YOU'RE READY TO HAVE
SOME FUN, AND IF YOU'RE READY SEE AND EXPERIENCE REAL ACTION-FIGHTER
STYLE, THEN SIGN UP FOR THE HOTTEST NEW EVENT IN HONOLULU. ITS
TIME TO STEP INTO THE ARENA IN NEW YEAR AND SEE JUST HOW FAR
YOUR SKILLS WOULD TAKE YOU IN A REAL FIGHT.
FOR MORE INFORMATION GO TO www.hmckickboxing.com
CLICK ON GMC TOURNAMENT FOR RULES & REGULATIONS.
DETAILS
WHAT: GLOBAL MARTIAL ARTS CHAMPIONSHIP
G - 3 TOURNAMENT
WHERE: KAMEHAMEHA HIGH SCHOOL
WHEN: FEBRUARY 16TH, 2003
WHY: BECAUSE HONOLULU IS BORED AND WE WANT SOMETHING NEW!!!
COME CHECK IT OUT!!!
Source: Event Promoter
Kyle
Olivares Takes 2nd Place at Tourney
Casca
Grossa JJ's Cereal Killer, Kyle Olivares took 2nd place at the
Andrew Delos Reyes Wrestling Tournament yesterday. Last year's
OIA champ squeezed out a victory thanks to some faulty scoring
by the stats guy. That would be Kyle's only loss as he went on
to rip through his other opponents. Congrats killer and keep
eating those Wheaties!
*For you slow folks out there, "cereal" was used
because he is still a kid.
Pride
24 Results
PRIDE
24 'Cold Fury III'
December 23rd, 2002
Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira def Dan Henderson via Submission - R3
Kevin Randleman def Murilo Ninja Rua via TKO (Cut) - R3
Alistair Overeem def Bazigit Atajev via TKO - R2
Norihisa Yamamoto def Alexander Otsuka via TKO (Injury) - End
of R1
Rodrigo Gracie def Yuki Sasaki via Unanimous Decision
Ron Waterman def Valentijn Overeem via Submission R1
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira def Guy Mezger via Split Decision
Daijiro Matsui def Kazuki Okubo via Unanimous Decision
Source: Maxfighting
Interview
with Sakuraba
a true Japanese warrior
By: Jeroen Winters
Sakuraba;
who does not open his eyes and ears by hearing this name. Sakuraba
one of the legendary figthers in Japan. Saku, as the Japanese
fans like to call their idol, a man with a flashing style of
figthing and ringsport have never been the same since this superfigther
came in the ring. Sakuraba; an interview with short, straight
answers brought to you by MAN-Magazine:
There
are many who a see a samurai spirit in your way of fighting.
Fearless and honors. Do you come from a samurai family?
No I’m not from samurai family.
Do
you have injuries that will have heal properly again?
Yes, I have but I won`t say a word about it...
What
will you do when you end your career? Write a book, become a
coach, become a movie star?
I have no idea as so far. I don’t think what I will do in
future, I didn`t make any plans yet.
How
do you prepare to endure the pain of a fight?
I think having enough training is the only way.
Do
you meditate?
No, I don’t. I don`t see any reason to do so.
If
people think of Japanese food, Sushi and Sukiyaki. What kind
of traditional dishes do you eat as a Japanese top athlete?
I eat “Chanko-nabe” a stew-like dish traditionally
served to sumo wrestlers and I sometimes eat Yakiniku (Korean
barbeque) after a fight, but I also adore Sushi and Sukiyaki
as well.
There
are many repetitions in training in BUDO and Jujutsu like KIHON.
Do you train in a similar way?
Yes I do.
Do
you have a single word as a device like MUGAMUSHIN or KOKORO
or something else?
I like this proverb. Where there is a will, there is a way.
Why
is it that we never see you outside of Japan?
I don’t like traveling by airplane. It’s tiresome for
me. I cannot stand any more three hours in airplane.
Who
is on your `list` right now? Who would you like to face?
There is some fighters I want to fight, but I keep this in my
mind.
Why
are Japanese fighters so well skilled in wrestling?
I think many fighters come from wrestling and Judo. This makes
Japanese fighters be good at wrestling.
You are always wearing a mask when you entering the ring, Is
there a special meaning for it?
I want to feel how mask-faced fighter felt.
(“Tiger-Mask”, which is the famous and popular masked
pro-wrestler in Japanese cartoon, had been his idol for long
time.)
Do
you practice also ancient Japanese Martial Arts?
Ninjutsu and Aikido.
When
was your best fight and versus whom?
All of the fights have been good memory for me, so I cannot choose
one.
Do
you think that you already reached the absolute `top`, or can
we expect more to come?
I think in any field, nobody can reach the absolute top, and
so do I.
Is
it difficult to you to remain this high standard?
I think it is possible to have good and enough training.
Do
you have a Xmas message for your fans all over the world?
Merry Christmas and have a happy new year!
Sakuraba,
Sakuraba, Sakuraba.....
The
name will always be attached to a giant in freefight and a rolemodel
for many.
If
you ever see this man fight you will hear the crowd shout, you
will certainly join the crowd yelling Saku...Saku...
Source: MAN Magazine
Power
Shift in MMA?
By Armando Alvarez
Since
its beginnings, the sport of mixed martial arts has been a sport
for the most complete, and most skillful to dominate. Its most
memorable stars seem to be the fighters who possess these skills,
such as Ken Shamrock, Royce Gracie, and possibly the best mixed
martial arts fighter today Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera. Lately though
we have seen something that was yet to be seen in the sport.
That is pure, raw, and incredible power in the form of fighters
Quinton Jackson and Bob Sapp.
Jackson,
the man they call Rampage, has a combined MMA record of 13-3-0.
His only losses have been to Marvin Eastman by decision in KOTC
4, to Kazushi Sakuraba by submission in Pride 15, and to Daijiro
Matsui by disqualification in Pride 18. He is a man who does
possesses very polished wrestling skills, but his greatest asset
has been his power.
That
power was more than visible in his loss to Sakuraba. More than
once we saw the 24 year-old Jackson slam the Japanese crowd favorite
to the mat. One time he attempted to throw him clean out of the
ring. Try an armbar on him, and he'll pick you up, slam you,
and just like that he breaks the hold.
After
that loss to Sakuraba in his pride debut, the 6'1", 207
pound Jackson has been near perfect. His loss to Matsui was his
own doing, and his four wins since have all been impressive.
He destroyed Masaaki Satake with a hard slam that caused injury,
and in Pride 22 be annahilated the always tough Igor Vovchanchyn,
twice slamming the Russian to the ground, and later breaking
his rib with a punch, while on the ground mind you.
Jackson's
future seems bright. With his rough upbringing, barking, and
chain and lock around his neck, he is a very intimidating fighter
just by appearance. Add what he's done in the ring to that intimidating
apperance, and Jackson is just plain scary. "Rampage"
is hoping to lock a fight with middleweight champion Vanderlai
Silva, but Silva will probably take a couple of fights before
he even thinks of defending against Jackson.
If
Jackson already strikes fears to hearts of MMA fighters and fans,
then heavyweight, or should I say Super Heavyweight, Bob Sapp
might just have them all migrate to another planet, or universe.
At
6'3", 350 pounds, this former NFL player is the most amazing
physical specimen to ever participate in MMA. He first participated
in professional wrestling, and was introduced to the world of
MMA by Tank Abbott and Maurice Smith. He started participating
and still participates in Japan Pro Wrestling and K-1 events.
He finally burst unto the MMA scene in Pride 20 as he defeated
Norihisa Yamamoto by strikes. He appeared once again in the Pride
21 event titled Demolition and demolished Kiyoshi Tamura. His
last fight, and only loss in his three fight career, was against
Noguiera, the Pride heavyweight champion, who not only is the
best MMA fighter in the planet today, but arguably of all time.
His
fight against Nogueira was one of the best fights in MMA history.
The fight started off with Nogueira attempting a take down, and
Sapp picking him up and literally piledriving him to the ground.
I thought Nogueira was either knocked out, or paralyzed from
the force of the landing, but like the true warrior he is the
Brazilian was alright. The 30 year-old Sapp brought out his full
aresenal though, landing hard shots, using some slams, and his
size against the champ. One thing he could've used were knees,
which he didn't. Had he used his knees to strike, or would've
been able to use them, he probably would've been the victor in
this fight.
It
was an almost impossible task for Nogueira to defeat the big
man, as every armbar attempt was countered with power. Stamina
finally did the big man in, as he didn't have any gas left in
the tank to get out of anymore armbars, but "The Beast"
made his presence felt, and has earned the respect of those among
the MMA circles.
Sapp
has been rumored to be joining WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment)
in early 2003, and discussions with Vince McMahon have begun,
but should he remain in Pride he may be a champion by the time
2003 ends. Aside from Nogueira, there may not be another MMA
fighter that can defeat Sapp. His power doesn't allow the common
fighter to put locks or holds on him.
Both
Jackson and Sapp may revolutionize the world of MMA. There are
fighters more skillful than these two, but the power they possess
is equaled by none. Will power be enough to get these two over
the hump and into superstardom? The year 2003 may tell, should
other fighters give these two monsters the chance to prove themselves.
Source: Maxfighting
Legendary
Thai Fighter
Arjarn Apidej
by Rodney King
I
have been traveling to Thailand to train in Muay Thai since 1990.
In 1998 at the Fairtex Muay Thai Camp just outside Bangkok I
had the honor and the privilege to train with the legendary Arjarn
Apidej in Muay Thai. I have been going back ever since. For a
man with such vast experience and legendary status in Muay Thai
what amazes me every time I go and train with him is how humble
and down to earth he is. He is always smiling and gives you encouraging
words whenever possible.
During
a training session with Arjarn Apidej he always explains the
importance of been an intelligent fighter, I really like that.
I always walk away from every training session feeling excited
for the next day.
Arjarn
Apidej first started training in Muay Thai at the age of 12,
motivated by his friends who where training in Muay Thai as well.
He had his first fight at the age of 12 and won with a knockout.
At this point he was self-taught and never received any formal
Muay Thai training. After this experience he began to practice
Muay Thai with his uncle and with his school teacher.
Throughout
his career he was noted as the best Muay Thai kicker. Everyone
knew him for his powerful kicks, when asked what made his kicks
different he answered, "Powerful kicks were the result of
hard practice. I kicked like a footballer. The most important
thing was to kick at the right time when the opponent is most
vulnerable. Don't kick at the same target all the time. Try to
make the opponent confused in your kick. Try to deceive your
opponent". I really like the idea of kicking your round
kick like a footballer that is how I explain and coach it to
my students.
Arjarn
Apidej retired at the age of 39, with an amazing record few can
match with 290 wins, 1 draw and 9 losses. His fighting career
spanned almost three decades and he now continues to give his
knowledge to those who are humble enough to learn. On any day
at the Fairtex camp he can be found helping out beginners and
advanced fighters alike in improving their game. It is a wonderful
experience.
During
a recent trip to Thailand (2002) I had the privilege to interview
Arjarn Apidej. I asked him questions that I felt where important
to me; he was gracious enough to set some time aside to answer
them (Thanks to the staff at Fairtex for the translation).
Rodney:
Arjarn Apidej I was wondering if you feel Muay Thai has changed
at all
Since you first began training, if so how has it changed, is
it for good or bad……
Apidej:
Bad change. Modern day fighters rarely respect their trainer.
They do not care. This will affect their life and what they learn
in Muay Thai. You won't believe It.!! In the past, Muay Thai
fighters really worshiped the persons who trained them. The gratitude
is important in Thai culture, especially in Muay Thai. When I
Train someone, I feel comfortable to train the person who has
to start everything From scratch cause it's easy for me to teach
them the right thing and easy for them Also to accept.
Rodney:
In your experience which would you say is the best Muay Thai
techniques and the most effective?
Apidej:
There is no one best techniques for all situations. Every technique
is harmful, when used effectively. Again, use the right techniques
at the right time to get the effective result.
Rodney:
What is your view on Muay Thai as self-defense and what would
be the
Difference between Muay Thai for the ring and street?
Apidej:
As self-defense, Muay Thai could be very effective and dangerous
because you can use every part of your body to attack the opponent
to protect yourself. You
Can even kill him if you want. There is no rule. This is Muay
Thai for
The street. However, the person who can do that is the person
who is trained for it only.
Rodney:
Many people say that Muay Thai's weakest aspect in stand-up is
it's boxing,
In comparison to western boxing, what is your view on this comment?
Apidej:
Western boxing punches fast but Muay Thai does not. We punch
when it's a suitable time to punch because Muay Thai can use
other parts of it's body to attack. Muay Thai focus on hard punching,
explosive punching. It is the one punch that would produce the
deadliest result. Every punch mainly aims to knock the opponent
out.
Rodney:
What would the benefits be for a person learning Muay Thai other
than just learning how to fight?
Apidej:
Learning Muay Thai make you to be a real fighter both in the
ring and your life. Muay Thai will improve you mentality. Muay
Thai will teach you to fight with the best technique and trick
to win the opponent but don't use all this technique to annoy
other. That's not the purpose of Muay Thai. If you break the
rule, what you learn will harm yourself one day.
Rodney:
Do you think it would be good for Muay Thai fighters in Thailand
to learn Mixed Martial Arts (NHB)?
Apidej:
That's good. It can help when you fight. You can apply what you
learn when you fight. Muay Thai can be incorporated with other
martial arts for the most effective use of its eight weapons
(fist, knee, elbow and leg/feet). Muay Thai is an evolving sport...in
its own way.
Rodney:
Thanks for taking the time out to answer these questions and
I will see you in a few months Arjarn Apidej.
-Rodney
"Chico" King
Source: MMA Ring Report
12/23/02
Quote
of the Day
"The
mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior
teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires."
William A. Ward
"Leadership
is not magnetic personality--that can just as well be a glib
tongue. It is not "making friends and influencing people"--that
is flattery. Leadership is lifting a person's vision to higher
sights, the raising of a person's performance to a higher standard,
the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations."
Peter Drucker
Partial
Pride 24 Results
Rodrigo
Gracie def. Yuki Sasaki via unanimous decision
Ron Waterman def. Valentijn Overeem via key lock submission
Rogerio
"Minotoro" Nogueira def. Guy Mezger via split decision
Daijiro
Matsui def. Kazuki Okubo via unanimous decision
Source: Pride web site
UFC
41 To Define The Heavyweight Picture?
It appears that the UFC may be planning to reinvigorate the heavyweight
scene at UFC 41. The potential exists for 3-4 heavyweight matches
on the next show.
Zuffa
is working on the development of heavyweight stars. and a big
rush of matches on the next card makes sense. The champion Rico
Rodriguez is reportedly close to facing Tim Sylvia in the next
heavyweight title match. Pedro Rizzo wil lrturn to face 'The
Janitor' Matyushenko. David 'Tank' Abbott is reported to be working
on fight ing at ONSLUAGHT, though his opponent is still to be
announced.
It
is possible that Andrey Arlovski will come back in the next show
as well, to face the former lightheavyweight Alexandre 'Cafe'
Dantas, who faced Yuki Kondo in his UFC debut.
Source: ADCC
Inoki
Bom Ba Ye Developments
Word from Juji's contact in Brazil are saying that Daniel Gracie
is heading to Japan to participate in the Inoki Bom Ba Ye.
The
only time Daniel has competed is at PRIDE 21 - DEMOLITION, where
he won a split decision over Takashi Sugiura. Cousin to Renzo,
Ralph and Ryan, Daniel is 6'2 and 220 lbs., one of the biggest
in the Gracie family. The word is that he will compete against
a Japanese star, though exactly who is unclear.
Daniel
has left Sao Paulo for the fight and is confirmed on the show.
Source: ADCC
For
Immediate Release: AggressionTV.com to launch free online MMA
TV Station
Promoters and fighters - Put your event on the Internet for free!AggressionTV.com,
the first site to stream entire MMA events over the Internet
for free, is now getting ready to launch an online TV station
focusing on combat sports. Eventually AggressionTV.com will broadcast
around the clock fighting shows, interviews, techniques and more!
We will start out with a 6 hour block of shows and expand to
24 hour programming. Finally, we will have our own TV Station
and it will be FREE! Our success depends on you - the promoters,
fighters and fans - and could help give our sport more of the
coverage it needs.
If
you would like to broadcast your event over the Internet, please
contact me ASAP. Your show will be shown using the latest in
streaming technology. Users watching the video will not be able
to record or save the broadcast. And although the video will
look good, it will not be shown at such a high quality that they
wouldn't want to purchase the video. Both low speed (dial-up)
and high speed users (cable modem, T-1, etc.) will be able to
enjoy the channel with nothing more than the free RealPlayer.
AggressionTV.com will allow you to let the masses know
about your show. Fighters - send me techniques, tapes of your
fights, etc. and then have promoters considering you for a fight
watch it over the Internet. Schools - Tape some techniques or
training sessions and then send it to me. Potential students
could just be one video stream away. Freelance reporters - looking
to get a job with a MMA company? Do a report from a show and
then send me the tape. I'll stream it for free and you can point
interested parties to the website so that they can see your talent.
Event promoters - What better way to get people interested in
your event than to show it on the Internet. I'll include a link
to purchase the video from you and also any info on upcoming
shows that you may be putting on.
I've
had people contact me about PPV or having people pay to watch
their event. I am NOT interested in doing that at this time.
I am only looking for promoters, etc that want to broadcast their
show for FREE to MMA fans around the world. AggressionTV.com
will pay for the bandwidth and all expenses and encode the show
for you for free. This could be HUGE exposure for your event.
I'm
interested in all Combat related sports - MMA, Submission Grappling,
and Kickboxing, San Shou, etc.
Want
to send your tape in now? It's really easy on your end. All I
need from you is a video tape or DVD of your event. I will take
care of encoding it and then broadcasting it. Also, please provide
any contact info you want to make available on the website, such
as a link, banner, and email or physical address.
My
mailing address is:
AggressionTV.com
ATTN: Johnny Walls
PO Box 11911
Charleston WV 25339-1911
We
currently have 3 compete shows available for viewing on-demand
at AggressionTV.com and we will launch our first block of live
programming next month! Coming soon - Live video broadcasting
from Ringside at MMA events!!
Source: Johnny Walls
BTT
- The 'MONSTER' is Back?
by: Marcello Tetel
After more than 1 year away from Brazilian Top Team headquarters,
PRIDE and ADCC star Ricardo Arona appears to be slowly coming
back to BTT.
The
financial aspects of the situation appear to be resolved, and
now the time has come to heal the bruised egos. Both parties
exchanged a LOT of word in the past.
Arona
is definitely willing to come back and have the support of everybody
on BTT. This past weekend, during the traditional end of the
year BTT Barbecue, Arona showed up and was very welcomed by everybody!
When
asked about his return, Arona stated that there's nothing he
wants more at this moment than to comeback and join BTT again.
'My heart always has been here, the friendships we have is very
deep. I look forward to be back with BTT to prepare myself for
ADCC Superfight against Mark Kerr.'
Source: ADCC
12/22/02
Quote
of the Day
"Formal
education will make you a living, self education will make you
a fortune."
Jim Rohn
"The
foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it
under his feet."
James Oppenheim
Please
vote for our Web master!
The whirling,
the swirling, the blood curdling antics of Onzuka.com's web master
extraordinaire, Marc Ebalaroza are getting recognized worldwide.
We received the following email and ask that you visit these
sites, seach for Pacific Design Company and vote for Marc's site. This will
help him out tremendously and we would really appreciate it.
Please help those who help Onzuka.com!
Hey everyone:
My site's been showing up in forums and news sections of different
countries. It's also been featured along side many talented designers.
However, some of these sites require a voting system, and if
you have a minute or so please take some time to vote for my
site.
Veteran
mixed martial arts promoters T.Jay Thompson (Super Brawl) and
Monte Cox (Extreme Challenge) will combine to host a pair of
middleweight (185 pounds) tourneys early next year.
The first 8-man event, Extreme Challenge 49, is scheduled for
Salt Lake City on Feb. 23. The second 8-man event, Super Brawl
30, will be held in Honolulu, Hawaii, in April.
"We're hoping this tourney helps discover middleweight talent
in a similar fashion to the last two heavyweight events we held,"
Thompson said. "We had six fighters advance to the UFC or
Pride from the first show, and we've already got three in UFC
from the last one. We hope the trend continues."
The tourneys are set up similar to the past events. The first
event in Salt Lake City will serve as a qualifier for the main
event in Honolulu. The top two finishers in the qualifier are
guaranteed spots in Hawaii. And, depending on performance, more
fighters could advance to either the main draw or alternate bouts.
The day prior to Extreme Challenge 49, UFC welterweight champion
Matt Hughes will host a seminar at the Bayless Combat Jiu-Jitsu
school. Hughes will then serve as referee for the event.
"We're looking for middleweights who have the talent to
fight in the big shows, but haven't had the opportunity to get
the necessary exposure," Cox said. "This will be a
tough tourney... just like before. But it is a perfect way to
prove yourself and show the world what you can do."
Fighters interested in competing should email Cox at Fiteiowa@aol.com. A bio and photo would
be most appreciated.
Source: Event Promoter
Pride
News
Excerpts
from: Informe do Pride 24 Por J.P.Tinoco, direto de Tóquio,
Japão (Pride 24 News from Tokyo, Japan, By J.P.Tinoco)
Available at Gracie Magazine Website
The
Brazilian fighters once again suffered to get to Japan. The long
flight across the globe takes about 24 hours and only Friday,
Dec. 20th, the twins Rodrigo Minotauro & Rogério Minotouro
descended on Narita Airport in Tokyo and imeddiately were surrounded
by reporters for interviews and pictures. They will have 3 nights
only to rest and adapt to the jet lag and time zone change (12hours)
Accompanying
the two were Zé Mario Sperry, Luis Alves, Gavião
& Pega-Leve . An exhausted Sperry stated: 'I am getting tired
of this, this is my seventh time in Japan this year!' Along with
them arrived Kevin Randleman and partner Mark Coleman, and Ricardo
Cachorrão who is cornering Rodrigo Gracie. On the way
to the hotel another delay as the three and half hours of chaotic
traffic separated them from the Tokyo, Hilton in Shinjuku.
Later
in the day Rodrigo did his last training session with cousin
Renzo in preparation for his fight with Sasaki. Rodrigo quipped:
'I know my choreography already but I wanted to make sure that
Renzo and Cachorrao (who are entering the ring with him) had
the steps down for the Red and Blue Changeman!'
Inside
a restaurant near the Hotel, the Chute Boxe Team consisting of
Murilo Ninja (who is facing Randleman) along with trainers Rudimar
Fedrigo & Rafael Cordeiro, already used to the cold weather
from their native Curitiba, had dinner on a window table. The
temperature in Tokyo is 10C (50F) and the sun sets around 4:00PM
On
Saturday they will all be at the rules meeting and on Sunday
the entire Pride Staff heads to Fukuoka City located in an Island
where the event is going to take Place.
Source: ADCC/Kid Peligro
MaxPreview:
Pride 24: Revenge or Repeat?
By Joe Hall
You
know the story. Unbeatable fighter sitting on top of the world,
stomping each and every challenger. Can't find anyone to beat
him. Then an obscure loss on his amateur record is uncovered
and, suddenly, that's the guy, that's the challenger. Probably
can't do it again, but he's done it before. Maybe he just has
the Champ's number? An elaborate search for "the guy"
ensues, and he's lured away from a casual lifestyle and back
into the ring.
Well,
something like that. A number of heavyweights who could challenge
Rodrigo Nogueira remain, and no one had to hunt down Dan Henderson
and cajole him to fight. "Minotauro" has looked nearly
invincible while mowing down two year's worth of competition,
and at Pride 24, he'll have the chance to avenge his only defeat
when he meets Henderson a second time.
Regardless
of the past, the undersized Henderson is an unlikely opponent
for the top fighter in the game. He's an elite light heavyweight,
but Nogueira is an elite heavyweight.
However,
is it possible, as overmatched as Henderson should be, that he
simply has Nogueira's number?
How
does that story end, anyway?
The
Pride 24 undercard is an evenly matched batch of interesting
fights. Without further ado, let's take a look at the evening's
clashes:
Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Dan Henderson
For
all the dominating triumphs Rodrigo Nogueira tallies in the win
column, he can't erase the solitary defeat that stands under
the "loss" heading. Controversial or not, Dan Henderson's
split-decision victory over Nogueira in early 2000 is the only
bout the Brazilian fighter has ever lost. Though he can't remove
the blemish from his record, Nogueira will have the opportunity
to extract revenge on the culprit in a rematch with Henderson
at Pride 24.
Plenty
has changed since that encounter nearly two years ago. Henderson
still has the heart of a lion and has advanced his game to maintain
his position among the best. Nogueira, however, has exploded.
Following his meeting with Henderson and a subsequent draw with
T.K., Nogueira has gone on a torrid streak of one-sided victories
en route to establishing himself as the top fighter in the world.
No one has been able to stop him -- not Coleman, not Herring,
not Sapp, nor any other -- and only two fighters have taken him
the distance.
It's
a gutsy move by an out-sized Henderson to take the fight, but
don't expect any mercy from Nogueira. The Pride heavyweight champ
will be chasing a finish with the same vigor he displays in all
of his performances. If Henderson, who has never been finished,
can somehow find a way to endure a 20-minute battle with "Minotauro"
and leave the fight in the judges' hands, he may be able to pull
off the upset of the year.
Keep
an eye on: Henderson's submission defense.
Here's
why: Nogueira is going to attack; that's inevitable. It's vital
that Henderson be ready to defend, to escape, and to do it all
night long.
My
bold prediction: Henderson leaves his heart in the ring, but
Minotauro is simply too good. The lighter fighter stays on the
defensive all night, and Nogueira gets the decision.
Murilo
"Ninja" Rua vs. Kevin Randleman
After
feeding on fish in his first two Pride performances, Kevin Randleman
will face the top 10-ranked Murilo "Ninja" Rua at Pride
24. The step-up in competition for Randleman, who is undefeated
in 2002, will reveal whether he has successfully rejuvenated
his career after back-to-back losses in the UFC or whether his
reemergence has been built on soft ground.
A
win is also important to Rua, who dropped a decision to Ricardo
Arona less than a month ago. The Chute Boxe-trained fighter will
strive to keep the match on the feet and avoid losing another
decision while stuck under his opponent. Though historically
Randleman struggles to venture beyond a lackluster ground-and-pound
game, he has proven very difficult to beat.
Keep
an eye on: Randleman's takedowns and control.
Here's
why: Rua is skilled at escaping to his feet, but Ricardo Arona
proved that he can be taken down and kept there (long enough,
anyway). If Randleman strands Rua on his back for the majority
of the bout, "Ninja" will be looking at back-to-back
losses. If Rua forces a fight on the feet by takedown defense
or consistent escapes, he'll win.
My
bold prediction: Even when Ninja is on his back, he outworks
Randleman. "The Monster" scores a few takedowns, but
eventually Ninja lands on the feet for a victory via TKO.
Yuki
Sasaki vs. Rodrigo Gracie
Merely
glancing at this matchup and writing off Sasaki as a tomato can
is a mistake. Although his name is hardly as recognizable as
his counterpart's, Sasaki is one of Japan's top middleweights.
He's had fruitful tours in both Shooto and Pancrase, where he's
shown an incredible ability to submit his opponent's rather than
go the distance. Sasaki defeated Pride veteran Alex Stiebling
in September, but recently dropped a decision to Ikuhisa Minowa.
Despite
Sasaki's skill on the mat, don't plan on him catching Rodrigo
Gracie at Pride 24. The 27-year-old Gracie, whose Pride debut
was in February, is one of the elite grapplers in the world.
How his submission prowess translates to success in the ring
is a question waiting to be answered, and Sasaki will undoubtedly
test him.
Keep
an eye on: Who takes the top position on the ground.
Here's
why: Sasaki will be more comfortable than Gracie standing, and
he'll want to keep the fight there. He's not going to beat Gracie
on the feet, however. The ground is unavoidable in a battle between
two submission artists, and that's where this fight will be won.
While it's conceivable that Gracie could catch Sasaki, it's unlikely.
If neither fighter can sub the other, then whoever works from
the top will score vital points and sway the judges.
My
bold prediction: An exciting fight goes to the judges, who award
the decision to Gracie.
Guy
Mezger vs. Rogerio "Minotoro" Nogueira
Following
in your brother's footsteps is never easy. Especially when your
older twin has conquered the MMA world and many expect you to
do the same. After momentarily straying from his older brother
Rodrigo's path by losing a decision to Vladimir Matyushenko in
August, Rogerio Nogueira jumped back on course in September with
a victory over Tsuyoshi Kosaka. "Minotoro" will face
another obstacle at Pride 24 when he clashes with Guy Mezger.
Mezger
has pushed each of the top-notch opponents he's fought, but other
than a knockout win over Egan Inoue he's still struggling to
get over the hump against the sport's elite. Even though the
younger Nogueira doesn't belong in the top-10 just yet, the potential
is certainly present. Mezger will look to use his experience,
which will be his strongest asset against his still-green adversary,
to snag a quality win rather than become a stepping-stone on
Nogueira's path to the top.
Keep
an eye on: The fight on the feet.
Here's
why: Mezger is the better striker. If he's landing and thwarting
Nogueira's takedowns, he'll get the win. Even if Nogueira can't
sub Mezger, which if he did would be an eye-opening finish, he'll
get the decision if he consistently puts Mezger on his back.
My
bold prediction: Nogueira gets the takedowns and controls the
fight on the ground. Mezger escapes Nogueira's submission attempts,
but he can't avoid losing another close decision to a quality
opponent.
Ron
Waterman vs. Valentijn Overeem
After
a lengthy endeavor in the world of professional wrestling, Ron
Waterman has refocused his athletic exploits on MMA. He returned
to the sport in September, after a two and a half year layoff,
and submitted Kengo Watanabe in Pancrase. Although Waterman maintains
an intimidating build, he remains unproven against better than
average competition. His meeting with Valentijn Overeem is an
opportunity to prove himself against a talented, yet enigmatic
opponent.
Valentijn
Overeem left RINGS on the heels of a victory over then-UFC champion
Randy Couture and a solid showing in the King of Kings. He stopped
briefly in his homeland of Holland to finish Ian Freeman via
knees at Too Hot to Handle before moving on to Pride. Then his
career fell apart. A series of apathetic defeats followed in
which Overeem's heart was noticeably absent. A year and a half
after making his debut in Pride, he is still waiting on his first
win in the organization.
Keep
an eye on: Overeem's heart.
Here's
why: Waterman hits hard and will be throwing heavy leather should
the fight hit the ground. If Overeem attempts a submission, he
may have to eat a few shots for his effort. The Dutch fighter
is capable of subbing Waterman, but he's been unwilling to take
any punishment in recent bouts. That will have to change. Otherwise,
we'll see another hollow performance by Overeem and a victorious
Pride debut for Waterman.
My
bold prediction: The conundrum that is Valentijn Overeem only
becomes more puzzling as he looks surprisingly good on the feet
and on the ground. He ends the bout with a lower-body submission
in the opening round.
Alistair
Overeem vs. Volk Atajev
Brother
of Valentijn, Alistair Overeem will enter the ring at Pride 24
on a much better streak than his sibling. He has amassed a solid
string of victories in Europe; however, the level of his opposition
is questionable. In each of his fights, Overeem has shown a willingness
to trade strikes on the feet as well as submissions on the ground.
Also of note, Overeem has twice lost to Iouri Kotchkine, the
fighter who was easily disposed of by Heath Herring at Pride
22.
Bazigit
"Volk" Atajev is a promising Russian heavyweight with
knockout potential in both hands and legs. He emerged as a talented,
entertaining fighter in RINGS, where his most notable wins were
a knockout victory over Aaron Brink and a decision over Tsuyoshi
Kosaka. Atajev's bout against Overeem could be a breakthrough
performance for either fighter.
Keep
an eye on: The standup exchanges.
Here's
why: Both fighters are in prime situations to let it all hang
out on the sport's grand Japanese stage. Both are making their
Pride debuts, and an enthralling showing is more likely to bring
them back than a boring win. They're young, talented, and let's
hope they're ready to cut loose on the feet.
My
bold prediction: Atajev wins a barnburner via TKO in the first
round.
Norihisa
Yamamoto vs. Alexander Otsuka
Somebody
has to win. Triumphs are a rarity for both Norihisa Yamamoto
and Alexander Otsuka, but their all-Japanese meeting is bound
to intrigue some of the home fans. Yamamoto will have a size
advantage, though Otsuka holds a win over Marco Ruas and has
turned in a couple courageous performances. If this classic makes
it to the North American pay-per-view, it will provide ample
opportunity to run to the john without missing an otherwise entertaining
card.
Keep
an eye on: The rest of the show.
Here's
why: Double-digit losses for both fighters somehow saps the interest
out of this matchup.
My
bold prediction: Otsuka is the tougher of the two and wins a
decision.
Daijiro
Matsui vs. Kazuki Okubo
Merry
Christmas, Daijiro Matsui. You've earned it. He's felt the power
of Vovchanchyn, tangled with the speed of Belfort, survived the
ruthlessness of Silva, and that says nothing of his fights against
Pele, Ninja, Braga or Newton. Matsui would probably jump in the
ring with Bob Sapp if Pride had asked, but luckily for all us,
he'll face Kazuki Okubo instead. A product of the U-File camp,
Okubo has yet to beat an opponent who has won a fight.
Keep
an eye on: Matsui's control on the ground.
Here's
why: Matsui has never finished a fight. Although this may be
his best opportunity, the judges will likely be called on after
Matsui scores with takedowns and controls from the top.
My
bold prediction: Matsui doesn't put Okubo away, but most importantly,
he wins.
Source:
Maxfighting
12/21/02
Quote
of the Day
"How far you go in life depends on you being tender with
the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the
striving and tolerant of the weak and the strong. Because someday
in life you will have been all of these."
George Washington Carver
"Life
is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint you
can on it."
Danny Kaye
Kaos
Full Contact Fighting
World Cafe, Honolulu, Hawaii
December 29, 2002
Doors open 7:00PM
Fights start 8:00PM
Niko Vitale is helping out his friend with this event and we
hope to get more details on the event shortly. We do know that
there will be an Arm-wrestling competition in addition to MMA
bouts.
For more information: 599-4450
UFC
Goes RUSSIA v. BRAZIL at 41?
by: Marcello Tetel
Right now, the only thing on Pedro Rizzo's mind is regathering
his focus. When you speak to him, this is the only thing the
man talks about - he is obsessed!
Pedro
will return to the UFC as if it were his debut. He tells us he
has been training even more than for his title matches, and he
promises to be back to his winning fashion.
Rizzo
was first rumoured to fight Alexandre 'Cafe' Dantas, but things
went in another direction! Pedro stated that he is getting ready
to face Vladimir Matyushenko at the UFC 41 next February 28th
in Atlantic City.
Pedro
said that he always respects his opponents but this time he is
more motivated than ever. 'Someone will pay for my training sacrifices,
I will skip the end of the year holidays' states Rizzo. The nose
is 100% recovered and The Rock is looking to step in the Octagon
in the best shape of his life.
Get
ready for action because 'the Rock' will be back!
Source: ADCC
Bob
Sapp wins Prestigious Japanese Press MVP award
Just
a few short days ago, Bob Sapp again made national headlines
in Japan. Annually, the Japanese sportswriters from the various
publications meet once a year to issue awards for combat sports
including MMA and pro wrestling's best athletes.
This
year's ceremony took place on 12/16 at the Prince Hotel in Tokyo,
where the Japanese press announced their picks for the best of
2002.
Many
pro wrestlers have won the Most Valuable Player award in the
past but only one recipient has been MMA related, the exception
being Kazushi Sakuraba in 2000. Many have learned to expect the
unexpected, but what happened boggled the minds of many.
Bob
Sapp won the coveted MVP award hands down, making history by
becoming the first foreigner in the history of the awards to
win.
The
award is based on many aspects (live draw, fan appeal, in ring
performance and more nebulous factors) and Sapp clearly dominated
in all aspects of EVERY combat sport and pro wrestling in Japan.
Sapp
dedicated his award to the memory of Andre The Giant and also
cited Hulk Hogan as an inspiration.
Source: ADCC
Can
Henderson do it Again?
By Josh Gross
For
all we knew back then, Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro”
Nogueira wasn’t anything more than your run of the mill
heavyweight. For that matter, Dan Henderson was just a wrestler
who squeaked by Allan Goes and Carlos Newton for the UFC 17 middleweight
tournament victory.
They
weren’t supposed to face each other in the 1999 RINGS King
of Kings 32-man tournament -- at least that’s what the consensus
coming in was. Nogueira and Henderson defied odds makers to square
off in the semi-finals of the February competition.
It
was a boring fight; neither guy did much. Many say Nogueira won.
A few tabbed Henderson as the victor. The only people that mattered
were the ringside judges and they scored the overtime decision
in Henderson’s favor. “I thought that it could have
went either way when I was waiting for the decision,” Henderson,
12-2, admitted to MaxFighting.
As
it turned out, the judges’ ruling propelled Henderson past
Renato “Babalu” Sobral in the finals on his way to
a $200,000 payday, the largest of his career. Perhaps more important
to the grand scheme of things, it marked the only time in the
future Pride champion’s stellar career that he tasted defeat.
In
the thirty-six months that have passed since their first meeting,
Nogueira, 18-1-1, is undefeated with ten finishes in thirteen
fights, and is unanimously recognized as the top heavyweight
in the sport. The lone blemish stands out more and more as each
fight -- and win -- passes.
Henderson,
meanwhile, hasn’t faded since his impressive KOK tournament.
Racking up a list of quality victories, he is frequently lauded
as one of the best and toughest fighters to come out of the United
States.
From
the time when the two first met in the ring, they’ve thrived
in their respective weight divisions. It seemed likely that Nogueira
would have to endure the remainder of his career without getting
a chance at redemption.
Inactive
since April, Henderson’s constant requests for fights went
unanswered. Pride, contractually obligated to get him in the
ring twice before March, could no longer ignore his pleas to
compete.
Because
of injury to Emelianenko Fedor (Nogueira’s original December
opponent) as well as the fact that Alistair Overeem declined
a chance to step on the ring with Henderson, Pride asked if he’d
be willing to give Nogueira a second shot.
“It
kind of took me by surprise, especially since I’m not even
a light heavyweight champ and he’s the heavyweight champ,”
said Henderson, who’d been pining for a fight since April.
“This
is the first time I asked for somebody a little easier, and they
give me the toughest guy they got. So, I won’t ask for someone
easy again,” he joked.
Others
in his position may not have been so accommodating. In light
of having little to gain (other than a needed pay check), Henderson
says it’s simply about competition. “I’m always
willing to test myself to the max I guess,” he said. “I
think this is a test of my abilities right here, and I definitely
think I’m going to beat him.
“I’ve
got a good chance of knocking him out.”
No
one has been able to do it yet, including some of the best heavyweights
in the world. So why would a natural middleweight feel like he’s
got the answer when fighters like Heath Herring, Bob Sapp and
Semmy Schilt did not?
“I’m
definitely the underdog going in and I think a lot of the reason
is the size difference,” the American confessed. “He’s
definitely got submissions on me; I think I’m better standing
up and I think I control the tempo of the fight better. I have
to concentrate on not getting taken down.”
In
their first clash takedowns were a serious concern for the smaller
Henderson. “He was just pretty big, got me in the clinch
and tripped me down a couple of times,” he remembered. RINGS
rules, which prohibited strikes to the head when both fighters
were on the mat, allowed Henderson to survive from his back,
particularly when mounted.
He
doesn’t have that luxury this time around.
“He’s
definitely capable of taking me down,” acknowledged Henderson.
“That’s why I need to be careful not to go nuts on
the feet with my strikes. I need to pick and choose my shots
on my feet.”
To
beat Nogueira a second time Henderson says he must keep the fight
standing and use his powerful right hand that’s dazed and
dropped several opponents to be effective. Like Nogueira, who’s
improved in all facets of the game over the past three years,
Henderson has grown as a fighter too.
Looking
back on the RINGS bout, Henderson feels he has a blue print on
how to beat “Minotauro” -- executing it a second time
is the real issue. “I’d like for him to kind of play
my game, just stand up and bang with me,” he said. “I
need to avoid the takedown, and if I do get taken down I need
to get up from off the bottom. Don’t settle for pulling
guard, scramble and get up right away.”
Even
then the taller Nogueira will have a significant reach advantage.
And his crisp punches have made it difficult for quality heavyweight
strikers to force themselves upon the Brazilian.
“He’s
definitely got a reach on me, but he tends to not stand outside
and use his length,” analyzed Henderson. “He throws
one or two punches coming in and goes right into the clinch usually.
I haven’t watched any tapes yet, so this is all about my
memory of watching him fight. It seems to me that he tries not
to stay out. He wants to get in tight to the guy and either take
him down or pull him down to the ground. His hands have definitely
improved a lot. But if I look at it from his point of view he
probably thinks the only way I’m going to win is for him
to stand up with me. So, he’s probably not going to stay
with me there for that long. He might try it out a little, though.”
If
he’s correct and Nogueira successfully forces him to the
mat, Henderson has shown several times that he’s more than
capable from his back. Versus the likes of “Minotauro,”
however, even so-called submission fighters have looked like
beginners. Henderson has never tapped in mixed martial arts competition
and he’d like to keep it that way, but he’s fully aware
that there’s a chance he might get caught.
“I’ve
always been pretty good at not being submitted,” said the
fighter whose two losses to Brazilian natives Vanderlei Silva
and Ricardo Arona, came via decision. “Hopefully that stays
that way.”
Said
Henderson: “I don’t remember him being strong. He moved
pretty well on the ground. He was pretty slick.”
No
matter what happens on December 23, Henderson will be back in
the States in time for Christmas. Unfortunately for him and his
family they won’t be spending it in a house that he poured
the foundation on all the way back in April. The long layoff
between fights (and paychecks) prevented any further construction
on the home -- “This is the first contract that I signed
with them (Pride) that I was exclusive. I could have fought other
places and made a little bit of money. I had to go work a little
bit in between. I got pretty broke there for a little bit, but
I’m doing okay now,” he said -- yet he expects this
fight, coupled with another in a few months to allow construction
to get underway soon.
In
the ring a win over Nogueira would once again position him to
take several lucrative fights. Since joining Pride in December
2000, Henderson has wanted to take on Kazushi Sakuraba. A rematch
versus Silva is also something he’s yearned for. It’s
apparent he needs to force his way into those bouts and a win
versus the Pride heavyweight champ could do just that.
“I’d
like to fight whoever has the belt at that weight (205 lbs.),”
he expressed. “I think I deserve a title shot somewhere
in there. I wouldn’t mind coming back to the UFC either.
I kind of miss fighting in the U.S. It just all depends on the
money. I’d like to fight (Murilo) Bustamante, but if he’s
not with the UFC anymore I may get a chance to fight him. Who
knows?”
Half
kidding, Henderson noted there could be another option: “Maybe
I’ll retire after I beat Nogueira.” Regardless of what
happens in Japan on Sunday, you’d hate to think that he’d
deprive fight fans of seeing him compete anymore. “It’s
a matter of how long I want to do it,” he said. “My
body, I think, can handle two more years if I wanted it to but
I’m thinking no more than a couple of more years. I’m
just taking it year by year and fight by fight.”
Source: Maxfighting
HnS
Star AARON RILEY
by: Keith Mills
On December
13th in Ft. Lauderdale, FL Aaron Riley returned to HOOKnSHOOT
to fight on the year-end card. This was his first fight since
losing his UFC debut to Team Extreme’s seemingly unstoppable
Robbie Lawler back in May and his first in HOOKnSHOOT in over
a year. Out of his now 16-4 record his only losses were to Lawler,
two to Yves Edwards, and one back in ’97 in the second round
of a HOOKnSHOOT tournament. This preview was conducted before
his win over Barros, a fight many thought was the fight of the
night. It has also recently been revealed that Riley was released
by UFC, despite a critically acclaimed losing effort.
KM:
Can you tell us first what are your thoughts on returning to
HOOKnSHOOT?
AR:
Well, it’s always good to go back to the organization I
started with. I enjoy fighting for HOOKnSHOOT; it’s a great
organization, a great group of people. We won’t be going
back to Indiana this time, we’ll be going to Florida, so
that should be cool to tap into a new fan base there. It’ll
be fun to return to the organization.
KM:
My only concern with HOOKnSHOOT in Florida is that you are one
of the biggest names in the Midwest and they’ve done an
excellent job on pumping you up and you living up to the hype
in the Midwest. Moving to Florida the fans may have seen you
in UFC but it’s not a hometown crowd. How much of an advantage
is that hometown crowd?
AR:
It doesn’t really make that much of a difference. You can
use it as motivation either way, you can use the motivation as
being an underdog just to come out and do well. I’ve been
the underdog and the favorite so either way it works.
KM:
Who is your opponent?
AR:
Alexander Barros.
KM:
What are your thoughts on him?
AR:
I’ve not really seen a lot of Alexander Barros’s fights.
I know he competed in the earlier IVCs and haven’t really
seen his competition as of late. I know he matched Matt Hughes
in WEF 9 in Evansville and then he also fought in HOOKnSHOOT
last march. I got to get the tape on that just to find out a
little more about him but I’m just approaching it like any
other fight: just go out and perform my best and just preparing
like normal.
KM:
When I think of you it’s more for the you vs. Yves Edwards
fights than Lawler. Yves now fights at 155. When you first fought
him what weight were you?
AR:
That was at 170 both times.
KM:
Seeing Yves drop to 155 is there any thought of you changing
weight classes up or down?
AR:
Yeah, it’s been a consideration. Maybe after this fight
it may be something I’ll look into but right now I’m
going to be fighting this fight at 170 so I’m going to be
concentrating on just maintaining my weight at 170 for this fight
right now.
KM:
170 seems to be one of the divisions that is really exploding
this year. Tonight (UFC40) we have three 170 fights. How do you
feel about being in the middle of so much talent?
AR:
It’s good to be in the weight class because it’s one
of the most competitive out there. I think that and 155 are two
of the most competitive weight classes in the sport right now.
I’m happy to be in either spot.
KM:
Even if Jeff wasn’t standing right here I’d say that
HOOKnSHOOT tends to be under rated sometimes. Maybe not one of
the flashiest shows but we see a lot of great fighters coming
out and some fantastic fights. To me it’s a great stepping
stone in someone’s career but it’s not as flashy as
KOTC or WEC or something like that. Now you are going back to
HOOKnSHOOT. In my opinion that’s going back to the talent
pool but there is the perspective that this show doesn’t
look as good. How do you feel about the perception of ‘stepping
down’?
AR:
They are respected by the fighters. HOOKnSHOOT is a very respected
promotion so it’s not a step down to be competing in that
at all. I love the organization.
KM:
You are sharing the card with the return of Matt Hume, with Pain
Peter’s first continental US, 5 American Top Team players,
it was originally going to be the women’s 135 belt until
that was recently cancelled…This is one hell of a card.
Are you going to be headlining?
AR:
I don’t know for sure what the situation is yet. I don’t
know what the fight order is going to be.
KM:
What is your perception of the rest of the card?
AR:
I think it’s going to be a great card. I’m happy to
be there to take it all in. If I’m put in the main event
or co-main event I guess I won’t get to check it out but
it’ll be fun just to be there and be part of the show.
KM:
Who has the 170 belt in HOOKnSHOOT right now?
AR:
It’s vacant.
KM:
Didn’t Yves give it up when he dropped to 155?
Jeff
Osborne: He hasn’t officially.
KM:
So this one isn’t for the belt or anything like that.
JO:
No.
KM:
Wasn’t “Kings” the last HOOKnSHOOT you fought
in?
AR:
Yeah.
KM:
How did you feel about that win? With “Kings” being
the most recent out on video besides the all-women’s “Revolution”
if somebody is going to check out your pre-UFC fights they’ll
probably start with “Kings”. Would you want that to
be indicative of your performance?
AR:
I think I’ve had stronger showings in HOOKnSHOOT but I felt
it was a solid performance.
KM:
I wasn’t sure if you’d rather be remembered for the
Yves fights.
AR:
I just want to have a good fight. Anything that excites the fans,
I just want them to enjoy the competition and enjoy the match.
To me if I fight a more exciting fight and lose as opposed to
just fighting someone of a lower caliber and win to me it’s
just about entertaining the fans. That’s what makes it a
sport, that’s what is important. I’d rather be remembered
for an epic fight that ended in a loss than a complete blowout
where I fight a chump.
KM:
You’ve been training with AMC for how long?
AR:
Two years.
KM:
Do you live out in Washington now?
AR:
Yeah.
KM:
Since you joined AMC we’ve seen you in larger events…
AR:
Well, the larger events were already calling for me before I
went to AMC.
KM:
Who were you training with before AMC?
AR:
I trained off and on with the Miletich camp but that was not
a set in stone thing, I would just go there when I could. I was
pretty much just training out of Indiana. I was looking for a
training base and the Iowa thing didn’t really work out
and I ended up in Washington so that’s where I stayed.
KM:
How long ago was “Kings”?
AR:
November 17th, 2001.
KM:
So you were training at AMC before the “Kings” fight?
AR:
Right. Before the Edwards fight too.
KM:
That blows that perception. I remember someone making a comment
that they thought AMC changed your style to the point you went
down hill but if anything you trained with them before the Yves
fights and before “Kings”: a great epic and then a
solid showing. So that’s an inaccurate perception that AMC
had a detrimental effect on your style or you had a struggle
transitioning to AMC.
AR:
As far as training I think that the training at AMC should have
been more focused on my strengths instead of we’re all trained
to be a mirror image of Matt’s fighting style. I don’t
think that is the answer because not everybody’s body types
are the same. It’s like a fight factory that turns out fighters
that have the exact same style. It shouldn’t be that way.
That’s the way it’s set up a little but I think that
maybe some more time should have been spent on my strengths and
trying to develop that a little bit as opposed to going the other
direction.
KM:
Are you going to make any changes to your training?
AR:
Yeah, I have. Just getting back to some of my strengths. Some
of the things I’ve discovered are my strengths after going
to AMC, working on those as well. You have to cover all your
areas but there are some areas where you are naturally more adept,
that’s where I’m trying to develop my style a little
bit more.
KM:
Would you seek that training within AMC or go outside AMC?
AR:
I train at other places just to change it up, to vary up my training
because I think that’s important. Different sparring partners
and different outlooks and so on. I train outside AMC a little
but at the same time most of the core training goes on there.
Riley
was the HOOKnSHOOT 170 lb. Champ from the time he beat Steve
Berger until he lost it to Yves Edwards. Now that Edwards dropped
to 155 lbs. and is more than likely going to relinquish the HOOKnSHOOT
170 lb. belt look for Riley to be first in line to reclaim it
in 2003. Regardless, watch out for Riley as he makes his way
up the ladder of Welterweights in the years to come.
Source: ADCC
12/20/02
Quote
of the Day
"Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the
chance to work hard at work worth doing."
Theodore Roosevelt
"Real
knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance."
Confucius
BJ
Penn's Rumble On The Rock
Rumble On The Rock
Edith Kanaka Ole Tennis Stadium, Hilo, Hawaii
December 28, 2002
Doors Open: 5:00PM
Prelims 6:00PM
Fighters competing:
Cabbage
Kaleo Padilla
William Clifford
Ross Ibanez
Kaynan Kaku
Palmer Fuga
Iwi Okano
On January
25th in Montreal Jason Black takes on John Alessio. Alessio is
the KOTC Superfight Champion and UCC Welterweight Champion while
Black most recently won in WFA 3 against Chad Saunders. This
update was caught as the Miletich camp were showing up just before
UCC 11 where Jason was originally scheduled to fight Alessio
until the card was split.
KM:
You were supposed to fight on this show (UCC 11) but the match
was postponed until the next UCC? JB: Next show, unless John
backs out again.
KM:
What are your thoughts on him? JB: I had a lot of respect until
our car ride over here and he said after he knocks me out he
wants a shot at Miletich. No respect, doesn’t deserve any,
and he’s going to get throttled.
KM:
I haven’t seen you fight since Extreme Challenge in February
(note: this took place before WFA in November). What have you
been doing since then? JB: I fought up here since then and then
waiting on Alessio. I was supposed to fight him the last show
and then I was supposed to fight him in this one. Now it’s
next show.
KM:
This seems to be a big step for you. JB: This is my show: this
is make or break. If I lose this I start all over. Fortunately
I won’t so I’ll be taking that step up.
KM:
What’s your record now? JB: 16-0-1 (now 17-0-1).
KM:
Most of your shows aren’t out on video. JB: WFA is, unfortunately
the one I don’t want out.
KM:
What are your thoughts on that? JB: Pitiful. The worst fight
of my life and I was lucky to get out with a draw because I fought
like shit.
KM:
If there were videos available what one fight would you want
to recommend? JB: Probably my fight against John Cronk. I actually
did a little stand-up in that fight. I haven’t been able
to put everything together in a show yet, so if they are going
to study me they’re screwed because I haven’t been
pushed to where they are going to see everything. I think John’s
going to have to where he’s going to push me they’ll
see more stand-up if I don’t knock him out too quick.
KM:
That one against Meals you were standing up for a while and then
you took Meals down… JB: I haven’t been pushed to where
I gotta stand up with anybody yet. I’ve been working on
it a lot since I was supposed to get the fight with John but
nobody’s really got the opportunity to see it yet. Unless
someone can stop me from taking them down they’re not going
to see it because I’m not going to go somewhere where I
don’t know if I can win for sure. I know if I can take somebody
down I’m going to kill them so why not go there? I’m
here for the money, I’m not here to impress people. If John’s
good enough to keep me on my feet then they’ll see some
of it. I’d like to but I’m here to win and hopefully
put on a good show.
KM:
As far as the Miletich fighters fighting at 170, does that reduce
the amount of opportunities for you? JB: Just a little bit. Matt
is number one in the world and I wouldn’t be fighting the
people he’s going to be fighting anyway, at least not right
now, so that doesn’t really take away from it. Pat hasn’t
fought in a while and he’s kind of bouncing back between
170 and 185 and he’s kind of in the same boat as Matt so
I’m not really going to be fighting those guys anyway. He’s
got in the huge shows I wouldn’t be able to get into because
I don’t have the name.
KM:
Yet. JB: Robbie Lawler, a little bit. Fortunately when Robbie
exploded onto the scene I got in this show so we’re really
not battling for people to fight or money to take home. He’s
getting treated good in the UFC where I don’t think they
would take me because I’m more of a ground and pound right
now killing people and they want the stand-up a little bit. Not
that I can’t do that but I think they would be too afraid
to take me and put the time into it.
KM:
Any final words on what to expect? JB: It’s going to be
bloody. John is going to get everything he deserves. Like I said
I had a lot of respect coming in to this fight until he said
a bunch of shit that he’s more than welcome to feel but
he should have respect for people and not say that stuff, and
unfortunately for him he’s going to pay for it. If he really
is hurt like he says he’s going to be a month behind me
and he can’t afford to be behind me, he needs to be two
months, six months ahead of me. I’m going to throttle him.
KM:
Is this the first time somebody has disrespected you like that?
JB: Yeah, it is. It didn’t go over well because if I let
up these guys (Team Extreme) are there to remind me everyday
of what he said. He’s screwed.
Source: ADCC
Bustamante
- Easy Come, Easy Go!
There
have been fast developments regarding Antonio Inoki's Bom Ba
Ye show, whose 3rd edition is scheduled for New Year's Eve.
Though
we reported that UFC Champion Murillo Bustamante would take on
K-1 fighter Cyril Abadi, it is now apparent that Bustamante was
replaced in the match by Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson.
It
appears that Bustamante had issues with Japanese authorities
in Brazil, delaying the issuance of a travel visa, causing Bustamante
to miss his flight to Tokyo. The Japanese negotiators are also
stating that wanted to know his opponents with certainty further
in advance, which is unusual in Japan.
So
Bustamante continues to sit....
Source: ADCC
W.I.N.'s
NCAA Division 1 Team Wrestling Rankings
Below
are W.I.N. Magazine’s NCAA Division I team wrestling rankings.
The rankings are formulated on input from coaches across the
country and by analyzing past results. Teams are ranked according
to placement potential at the NCAAs. To follow the weekly rankings
during the season, go to our website at WIN-magazine.com.
W.I.N.’s
Top Twenty-five
1.
Oklahoma State (1st)
2. Iowa (2nd)
3. Minnesota (3rd)
4. Oklahoma (4th)
5. Ohio State (5th)
6. Illinois (6th)
7. Michigan (7th)
8. Lehigh (8th)
9. West Virginia (10th)
10. Nebraska (9th)
11. Arizona State (11th)
12. Missouri (12th)
13. Iowa State (13th)
14. Cornell (14th)
15. Central Michigan (20th)
16. Purdue (15th)
17. Michigan State (16th)
18. Boise State (17th)
19. Northern Iowa (18th)
20. Penn State (22nd)
21. Wisconsin (19th)
22. Hofstra (21st)
23. Pennsylvania (23rd)
24. Cleveland State (25th)
25. Edinboro (24th)
Source: W.I.N. Magazine
Seminar
Review: FRANK SHAMROCK
by: Keith Mills
Frank
Shamrock recently held two seminars in Las Vegas, the day before
and the day after the UFC. In the first one he went over more
technical aspects of his martial arts system while the second
was more on practical applications in mixed martial arts. His
next seminar on the “Beatdown World Tour” was on his
birthday on Sunday, December 8th in Maui, Hawaii.
Of
the Vegas seminars the second seminar was held at John Lewis’
J-Sect Academy on November 23rd. Large enough that trainees covered
the mat but small that they had room to move, Frank started out
with warming up while additional fans just watching had a podium
on which to view. Frank asked many questions of the crowd trying
to get an idea of what they wanted to learn including what they
thought of the UFC the night before and if they understood what
they saw. The participants showed willingness to follow his instructions
but seemed too timid to ask the legend much so Frank showed some
of the basics that are on his new tape series, the first five
of which are available now from www.centuryfitness.com while the sixth and
final volume is due out early next year. Frank’s first video
series is still available from his own website www.frankshamrock.com
After
demonstrating the kinetics of standing up without getting hit
in the face and the standing clinch with a hooked hand and lead
arm at 90 degrees ala Randy Couture one of the crowd finally
had a question regarding Carlos Newton’s fight the night
before and Frank demonstrated a shoulder lock into armbar technique.
Frank was asking for more questions to show even more techniques
but after the crowd didn’t respond he moved on to wrestling
the participants starting with the largest and making it through
four or five students before becoming exhausted and ending the
seminar with autographs and pictures.
If
the rest of the Beatdown World Tour is anything like this it
is a good opportunity not only for the fighters but for the fans
that just want to understand more of what they are seeing like
the standing clinch demonstrated on this day. For more information
check out Frank’s site and keep an eye out for the tape
of the WFA from 11/23 that Frank Shamrock commentated ringside.
Source: ADCC
IGJJF
Calls For Referees
By
now, everyone knows the IGJJF is holding their First I.G.J.J.F.
Open Championship. The event is going to take place on February
1 & 2 on the Cal State Domingues Hills Campus in So. California
will feature the new IGJJF rules. Everyone also knows that great
events have great referess so the Federation announced that it
is now accepting applications from qualified Referees to participate
in their event. Since the IGJJF has its own set of rules, the
Federation is having a referee clinic prior to the event to assure
that everyone is up on their new and revolutionary Rules. All
interested in the refereeing openings should email igjjf@aol.com with their curriculum
and other pertinent information and inquiries.
Participants can get rules and registration info at the IGJJF
website.
Source: ADCC/Kid Peligro
II
Copa Invitational
Arizona's
premier Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Submission grappling tournament
has returned to defend its title. The Copa Invitational is back
in Phoenix on January 18, 2003. The event that raised the bar
for grappling tournaments in Arizona will once again showcase
the best grapplers in the state going head to head against grapplers
from California, New Mexico, Nevada, and Texas.
There
will be also a professional 8-men no-gi tournament (for 175 lbs.
and under). The winner gets $750.And a super-fight that will
be announced soon. I f you're interested in competing at the
pro-division, send your credentials to copainvitational@hotmail.com or contact Darrel
Parrish at 623-204-7419
Here
are the names confirmed for the pro division so far. We're still
looking for 5 more competitors.
Javier
Vasquez (Milenia Jiu-Jitsu)
Brenden Richardson (AZ Combat Sports/Nova Uniao)
Phil Cardela
(Relson Gracie/Texas)
"Destiny is not a matter of chance, but of choice.
Not something to wish for, but to attain."
William Jennings Bryan
"The
desire of knowledge, like the thirst for riches,
increases ever with the acquisition of it."
Laurence Sterne
Silva
Recovering Well from Knee Surgery;
Belfort Almost Ready Again;
Assuerio Going to Switzerland!
The
Brazilian Beat:
By Eduardo Alonso
The year
of 2002 is almost at an end, but there's still plenty of NHB
action about to go on, therefore training is continuing strong
in Brazil! PRIDE 24 is coming soon and the two most successful
NHB teams in the country will be involved in it. With the participation
of Murilo Ninja in PRIDE 24 and the likely fight of Assuerio
Silva at Antonio Inoki's event, things were heated at the Chute
Boxe camp this week, and concentration was so high that even
the team's biggest star having a knee surgery on the same week
didn't distract the team's focus at all. In the Brazilian Top
Team, with both Nogueira brothers looking to finish the year
continuing with the team's success achieved in 2002, and Minotauro
finally getting a chance to answer all questions in regards to
whether his decision loss to Dan Henderson was fair or not. With
all that at stake and some of the sports biggest stars recovering
from surgeries, FCF kicks off the holiday celebrations by providing
"The Beat" right out of Brazil, before Santa comes
to town!
PRIDE Middleweight champion Vanderlei Silva is recovering well
from his knee surgery. The "Axe Murderer" had surgery
on both knees this past Wednesday in Curitiba and his recovery
process has been surprisingly fast. Silva had been living with
a knee problem since before his PRIDE 10 fight against Guy Mezger,
but chose not to make it public, and while training for his PRIDE
23 bout against Hiromitsu Kanehara he aggravated the problem,
but opted to compete anyway. After the fight surgery was demanded
and it was finally done on December 11 of 2002 on both the left
and the right knee, with the left one being the most serious
due to ligament problems. Now Vanderlei Silva is recovering from
the procedures and is expected to be back in the PRIDE ring in
mid-2003. FCF did an exclusive interview with the champion, so
stay tuned!
Speaking of knee injuries, Vitor Belfort is also recovering well
from his own knee surgery around two months ago. "The Phenom"
is already doing a lot of weight training and physical therapy,
and is expected to resume his full fighting training routine
in around a month. Talks are going on for Belfort to be back
in the Octagon at UFC 42 in 2003, and Vitor told Full Contact
Fighter that he is very willing to get back to action.
PRIDE contender Murilo Rua "Ninja" departed to Japan
this Monday to compete at PRIDE 24 against "The Monster"
Kevin Randleman. Alongside Ninja went master Rudimar Fedrigo
and Rafael Cordeiro, and they are all very confident in Ninja's
chances. Despite losing to Ricardo Arona less than a month ago,
the young Chute Boxe fighter trained very hard for this fight
and is willing to show against Randleman that he is game for
anyone in his weight division, as he told FCF just before boarding
the plane.
Another Chute Boxe fighter that may still compete in Japan in
2002 is heavyweight Assuerio Silva. Assuerio, who was away from
the game recovering from knee surgery, has been training very
hard at the Chute Boxe academy and still has a chance to compete
at the Inoki New Year's event. He was told by the promoters to
stay ready and will probably know whether he is fighting or not
in the next couple of days.
Still speaking of Assuerio, even if he does not compete in Inoki's
event, he is already confirmed as a participant in Europe's newest
NHB competition, The Ultimate Free Style Switzerland. Switzerland
will have an NHB event in mid-January, and Assuerio will be competing
there in an 8-man tournament, just like in the old UFC days.
Another fighter invited to compete was MECA veteran David Phillips,
who may also accept the invitation. We hope that Europe will
have more events in 2003 and will continue to follow the developments.
As NHB is growing in Europe and Switzerland is about to hold
an event, talks are already going on for the first international
edition of MECA World Vale Tudo in Switzerland! Although nothing
is confirmed or decided, promoters are willing to take Brazil's
biggest NHB show to the country formerly known for chocolate,
clocks and interesting bank accounts and there's a good chance
that this may happen in the first half of 2003.
UFC middleweight champion Murilo Bustamante is still unsigned
with the UFC. Despite some rumors that he was definitely out
of the picture for Zuffa, Bustamante told FCF he is still negotiating
and willing to perform again in the Octagon, however things have
been difficult up to now. Murilo also told Full Contact Fighter
he is keeping himself in great shape and ready to fight as soon
as the right opportunity appears.
2003 was a year of great success for the Brazilian Top Team,
with Minotauro winning all of his fights as the PRIDE heavyweight
champion, Murilo Bustamante becoming UFC's middleweight champion,
and countless wins by members such as Mario Sperry, Rogerio Nogueira,
Paulo Filho, Fabio Mello among others. To celebrate the year
and keep a friendly atmosphere among the training partners the
BTT celebrated the end of the year with a huge barbecue party
this Tuesday, December 17, where all the top names of the academy
gathered with the youngsters in a typical Brazilian celebration.
Still on the subject of the BTT, PRIDE 24 is just around the
corner and brothers Rodrigo Minotauro Nogueira and Rogerio Minotoro
Nogueira are just leaving today, December 18 of 2002, to Japan
to compete in the PRIDE ring, due to visa problems. Despite the
problems with the departure, both twin brothers are feeling great
to compete in their respective fights, against Dan Henderson
and Guy Mezger. Alongside with the fighters will be Mario Sperry
and Bebeo Duarte, among others.
The NHB world will gain two new lawyers very soon! Chute Boxe
team coach and founder Master Rudimar Fedrigo, and Master Rafael
Cordeiro just entered the law school in Curitiba to get their
degree in college. Rudimar already studied law for four years
in the past, and with just one more year of study he will become
NHB's newest lawyer! Famous for being strict and disciplined,
one can only wonder how he will work in the courtroom in the
future! FCF wishes the best of luck for both Chute Boxe masters
in this new venture.
The smaller events deserve support and exposure as well... the
city of Rio de Janeiro will hold another edition of the Submission
Grappling event Duelo de Titãs. There will be a 10-fight
card, including the participation of MECA veterans Aritano Silva
and Leopoldo Serão. Hopefully 2003 will be a year full
of events so all the new talents out of Brazil can compete.
Source: FCF
Inoki
Bom Ba Ye NEWS
by: Sensei Juji
Rumors
are flying around the land of the Rising Sun regarding Antonio
Inoki's New Year's extravaganza, the 3rd Inoki Bom Ba Ye.
One
of the show's themes will pit an MMA team representing Inoki's
flag taking on fighters from K-1, in another sign of the corroboration
existing among Japan's MMA organizations.
Rumors
are flying, with stars from both PRIDE and K-1 rumored to appear,
including the now legendary Bob Sapp. The first match that is
close to becoming a reality pits UFC middleweight Champion Murilo
Bustamante representing Inoki, against Cyril Abi of France representing
K-1.
Stay
tuned regarding the rules and other developments regarding this
matchup and the rest of the card.
Source: ADCC
Is
BOB SAPP Taking Over the World?
It's official, Bob Sapp has to defeat Godzilla to reign supreme
in Japan.
While
the average American wouldn't have a clue as to who Bob Sapp
is, a Japanese citizen recognizes him as one of the biggest celebrities
in Japan.
There
is even talk of him going to WWE but don't count on it. Sapp
will EASILY earn an estimated $1.5-3 Million this year from K-1,
PRIDE, pro wrestling and countless appearances and endorsements.
Sapp
takes the cake as the highest paid combat athlete in the world
(aside from boxing). This takes the WWE rumor down a notch as
Sapp would clearly not be able to earn that much in the States.
More
than likely, the WWE would expose Sapp as an average pro wrestler
and wouldn't be able to capitalize on his character and international
stardom. Sapp wouldn't be able to fight in WWE and American's
would be left dumbfounded.
Come
to think of it, sooner or later, someone is going to have to
design his action figure. How do you fit a toy that size in a
package!
Even
many hard-core NFL fans wouldn't even remember Bob Sapp but it's
apparent that his popularity is now gaining coverage in the U.S.
Yahoo!
has one of the largest news services in the world. The Bob Sapp
craze has resulted in a recent article stemming from his mainstream
stardom in Japan that has reached the U.S.
Din
was interviewed in Ft. Lauderdale at the year-end HOOKnSHOOT
show, where seven American Top Team members competed, going 6-1
with the only loss being Conan Silveira in the main event. For
those who aren’t familiar with the American Top Team they
are an offshoot of the Brazilian Top Team made up mostly of what
MMA fans would consider up-and-comers. Tearing up some of the
mid-level promotions all year they have proven themselves a hurricane
below the radar ready to make a much greater impact in 2003.
Now that Din Thomas is training with them expect his ground game
to vastly improve as he makes his way back up the MMA rankings,
gearing up for a return to UFC.
KM:
Your next fight is against Matt Serra in the UFC on February
28th, so you have about two months. Where are you in your training?
DT:
Right now I’m doing a lot of training. I’m going to
take a couple weeks off and then I’m going to start my training
over. If I just keep going now I’ll be burned out and won’t
want to train any more. I’m doing really hard training now
then I’ll take a couple weeks off after the holidays then
get right back into it and kick some serious ass.
KM:
Your last one was Uno, the second time you fight him. How did
you feel about that? What is your perspective on that?
DT:
I felt like I was ready mentally, I was actually a little too
ready physically. Like I said it had been about nine months since
I fought and I just trained too long, about four months. I didn’t
take any time off and by the time the fight started I was a little
over trained. I got tired. My scheduling was a little bad so
now I’m trying to really monitor how I train so I’ll
be ready this time.
KM:
You still own the gym?
DT:
Yeah.
KM:
How is that going?
DT:
It’s going pretty good. I got my partner Mike Black running
things while I’m gone and we’re doing alright.
KM:
That’s here in Ft. Lauderdale?
DT:
Orlando.
KM:
I keep losing track of the fighters down here and where they’re
from even since sanctioning. We finally have had sanctioning
for six months or so.
DT:
Thank God.
KM:
(laughing) Getting back to the second loss to Uno, how does that
jeopardize your chances in the UFC?
DT:
There’s a couple ways I look at it. If they really wanted
to get rid of me I don’t know why they’d put me against
Matt Serra because that puts both of us in a position where we
both have to win or if we don’t win we’re going to
be kicked out. If they want both of us I don’t know. If
my involvement in the UFC was in jeopardy they’d put me
against a newer fighter to see if I could really hang. So I don’t
think it does as long as I put up a good fight against Matt but
I plan on winning regardless so it doesn’t really matter
if I’m in jeopardy or not.
KM:
Are you still training with American Top Team?
DT:
Absolutely.
KM:
Are you considered part of American Top Team?
DT:
Absolutely.
KM:
How is that going?
DT:
It’s great. The whole team and atmosphere is supportive
of everybody. You couldn’t ask for a better team. I think
we have the best team in the country and we’re going to
prove it tonight and for years to come. We’re really starting
out pretty fresh now: we have a lot of new fighters, some guys
that will develop in the future, a whole boxing program that
Shannon Briggs and his coach run and that’s been helping
me on my boxing. Everything is great right now.
KM:
How does it feel being part of American Top Team and we have
seven ATT people fighting tonight but you are on the sidelines,
not part of the show tonight?
DT:
It’s alright. I have a lot of faith in the guys so I think
they are going to all do well. I’m just behind them like
they are always behind me so I think everything will go good
tonight. We expect to be 7-0 tonight. (Note: ATT actually went
6-1)
KM:
Most people have seen Dustin “Clean” Denes in HOOKnSHOOT
and WEF and Hermes Franca in HOOKnSHOOT and Conan Silveira of
course but as far as the other ATT people you have the best perspective…who
should we be watching out for?
DT:
Boca. This guy is a complete animal. Boca. (note: Moacyr “Boca”
DeOliveira beat Harri Niva later this night)
KM:
Regarding Serra, I don’t think he’s going to be able
to out-strike you and you’ve faced BJJ before but he has
the speed…
DT:
It’s nothing that I’m not working with now. He’s
not going to be able to surprise me with anything. I think it’s
going to be a good fight; Matt’s a good fighter. The thing
with this fight is both of us, we’re strong in one area.
So strong in that one area that it’s probably not going
to go to a decision because of that. In my opinion it’s
going to be easier for me to beat him than for him to beat me
because of the striking. All it takes is one shot. Submission
are kind of hard to get, we all know that. I think I’m going
to win. I got the best team working with me now: Ricardo Liborio,
American Top Team, all the guys…we’re all professionals,
this is what we do all day long. I don’t see me losing this.
I lost my last one and I think that’s the last one I’ll
ever lose.
KM:
You know I’ve been following you for a couple years now
and it’s not my perspective but I feel I have to ask the
question as far as the fans out there that may not be as familiar
with you or your fights in RSF and WEF and against Pulver for
instance, after seeing you lose the second time to Uno they don’t
hold you in the respect you deserve is there any point you want
to get across as far as what you learned from that fight?
DT:
I know what you’re saying and I’m glad you asked that
because one thing I can say is that a lot of fans are fickle.
The ones who haven’t followed my career, I haven’t
had the best luck in the UFC. I’m 1-2 in the UFC but I have
3 losses overall and 16 wins. I have more wins than probably
most of the fighters have combined (wins and losses). Of course
I’ve had some easy fights but if you take a look at the
record I’ve fought 5 guys that are in the top 10.
KM:
Exactly. We’ve been talking for a year and a half or so
now of you should be in the top 5. Your first loss to Uno was
in what, your second fight?
DT:
Yeah. He beat me then and he beat me again for some reason, I
don’t know what it is. He’s a really good smart fighter.
Penn beat me fair and square as well. But I’ve beaten Pulver,
Mishima…Pulver is undefeated, Mishima is undefeated except
for the fact I’ve beaten them both. Stephen Palling is a monster, I beat him. Fabiano
Iha, a great fighter, I beat him. It’s not like I’m
a chump and I think a lot of people because they’ve seen
me in the UFC and I haven’t had the best luck so far that
they might write me off when you talk about the top Lightweights
in the world but I’m still right up there with them. Once
I beat Matt I’m going to put myself back at the top.
KM:
Anything else you want to get across to the fans? Visit dinthomas.com?
DT:
Visit dinthimas.com and I’ll be out in 2003. I really want
to do big things. I was hurt all last year…
KM:
That’s one thing I forgot to ask. We haven’t seen you
fight in a while because of the leg injury. Did that play any
factor in the Uno fight?
DT:
I think it did as far as my training because being I was on crutches
for two months and as soon as I got off I had to start training
really hard that I didn’t really have time to sit back and
relax. I had to work through some of the pain some days and when
I was working through I actually over-worked myself. Now I feel
a lot better and I’m going to make big things happen.
Source: ADCC
12/18/02
Quote
of the Day
"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang
on."
Franklin D. Roosevelt
"Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid
torch which I have got a hold of for the moment, and I want to
make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to
future generations."
George Bernard Shaw
UFC
versus Pride: Which is better?
If you
haven't voted yet, please vote by emailing me your pick and your name. It has been
slowing down and I may hold off posting this until the last day
which is Friday.
The
3rd Annual Arnold Schwarzenegger
World Gracie Submission Championships
Press Release
The 3rd annual Arnold Schwarzenegger World Gracie Submission
Championships is one of the premier Professional/Amateur Submission
Grappling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournaments in the World! Year
after Year, the "Top Grapplers" in the World have come
out to showcase their talents, and this year will be no different!
We
would also like to announce the addition of the FIRST EVER Professional
Women's No-Gi Division held in the U.S.! The addition of an Professional
Women's division will finally allow the Female Grapplers the
chance to earn a "Big Pay Day" if they are victorious!
We have already been contacted by some of the most technical
and dominate Female grapplers in the World, so we encourage that
you or any high level Female grapplers you know to get involved
in this event!
As
in years past, the 2003 event will offer Prize Money to the top
Professional Male & Female athletes in our World Class Submission
tournament, with prizes/awards going to the top Amateur competitors
in both the Gracie World Championship Gi Tournament and the Submission
Grappling
tournament.
This
World-Class event will take place at the Greater Columbus Convention
Center between February 28th - March 2nd!
I
know you are wondering were you are going to find out weight
classes, times for weigh-ins, and so on! So please go to http://gracieworlds.com for all the information
& updates you will need about the event.
Please
know that the pre-registration date for this event is February
10th. If you are interested in registration for the Male or Female
Professional No-Gi divisions, please submit your "Grappling
Resume" to gracieworlds@aol.com As Soon As Possible!
For
further information please call 1-800-765-6999 or email us at
gracieworlds@aol.com
Source: Sherdog
12/17/02
Quote
of the Day
"No army can withstand the strength of an idea whose time
has come."
Victor Hugo
"It is
funny about life: if you refuse to accept anything but the very
best you will very often get it."
W. Somerset Maugham
UFC
versus Pride: Which is better?
Day 4 Results: Pride Still Dominates
UFC
- 16
Pride - 33
Can't Decide - 1
We are
up to 50 people who have voted. I can't believe that it would
take 4 days to get 50 people to vote. Sheesh. Either our readers
are lazy or just don't care. OR you guys are screwing up our
web page hit number by checking the page multiple times a day.
Our aim was 50 votes, but keep them coming by emailing me your pick and your
name. I will keep this going until next Friday and call an end
to the pain and suffering that everyone is putting me through.
Rodrigo
Gracie Pre-Pride Interview
By Kid Peligro
Rodrigo
Gracie burst in the international scene in 1998 when he won the
77-87 KG division of the first ADCC World Submission Wrestling
Championship. In that year, the 24 year old Brown Belt opened
his journey to the title by choking Adrian Serrano in the first
round, then defeating former U.F.C. Champion Carlos Newton by
points in the second round. He then faced the fearsome and experienced
Kareem Barklaev in a 30-minute overtime final decision.
After
winning the title Rodrigo had to sit out the following two years
while recuperating from various injuries. All thru that time
Rodrigo kept training and learning, with tow objectives in mind,
return to ADCC and defend his title and fight in NHB. Rodrigo
got his NHB debut in 2000 in New York against Kyle De Melo. Rodrigo
made quick work of his opponent and won with a head and arm choke
(katagatame) at 34 seconds of the first round. Rodrigo then returned
to ADCC in 2001 and secured a solid 4th place finish in the 67-76
division, but his big test was on February 2002 in Pride 19 against
Daijiru Matsui.
In
his Pride debut Rodrigo entered the Arena dancing and singing
a choreography to the “Changeman” a Japanese cartoon
character that was famous in Brazil, Rodrigo explains: “Growing
up in Brazil I loved the Changeman! They showed that on TV all
the time when I was a kid, so when I had the chance to fight
in Japan, I knew I had to enter as the Changeman”. You have
to back such a flamboyant entrance with serious action and Rodrigo
did just that as he won his international debut in the third
round by choking Matsui out with a guillotine at 34 seconds into
the third round. At that point it seemed his NHB career had taken
off, as an offer to return to Pride would be considered a sure
thing, but once again life had different plans for Rodrigo.
Having
virtually assured himself of a return to the next Pride event
Rodrigo started training and preparing for his next fight, but
the opportunity never happened for one reason or another. Then
he thought he would fight in the
Finally
tired of waiting for the call Rodrigo went about his business,
he opened his Academy in New York and put all his efforts into
it. Just then he received “the call” but
We
contacted Rodrigo to find out what is going through his mind
having just accepted to fight in Pride Cold Fury III with just
two weeks notice to fight against Yuki Sasaki. Sasaki has extensive
Shooto and Pancrase experience with a 13-5-1 record that includes
a victory over Alex Steibling.
KP-
So Rodrigo, how did this come about? Accepting to fight on two
weeks notice?
RG- Yes, Renzo told me last Monday (12/9/02) that there was this
opportunity and I took it. He asked me if I wanted to fight in
two weeks and I said yes (laughs hard!)
KP-
Had you been training preparing for a match?
RG- I had been doing my normal training but nothing specific.
Just maintaining in shape, but now I am training like a madman.
KP-
How is the training, with just two weeks to make up?
RG- I am trying to sharpen what I can without overdoing but it
is difficult, but we are here to fight!
KP-
What do you know about your opponent?
RG- I hear he is a very good fighter ranked high in Pancrase
and he defeated Alex Steibling before so he has a lot of experience.
He is tall and thin.
KP-
You fought in Pride in February against Matsui, why the long
layover?
RG- Because my schedule and Pride’s didn’t match up.
I thought I was going to fight in May against Kikuta and Pancrase
took him away, then I was supposed to fight Kanehara in the same
event but things didn’t work out. Then I opened my Academy
in August and had to dedicate a lot of time and energy to it,
and just about then they asked me if I wanted to fight in the
September show, but I was too busy with the Academy then. I told
him that I would love to fight in the November show, so I trained
hard for that that show, but again it didn’t pan so I started
to get a little discouraged, and slowed down my training. Because
when you train with a date, an objective, you have a lot of motivation
and are very focused, but you can only stay in that frame of
mind for so long. When things didn’t work out for the November
show I lost that edge.
KP-
But then you accept to fight with a very short notice?
RG- I wanted to get back in the ring badly and was happy that
Pride gave me the opportunity.
KP-
Who is helping you train?
RG- Of course is Renzo, but Ricardo “Cachorrao” and
Mark Colangelo are helping me out a lot as well especially with
the sparring!
KP-
What are your future plans?
RG- First, my main objective is to beat this Sasaki of course
and I can’t look beyond that. But I am sure, if I come out
victorious that the next fight will be against an extremely tough
opponent, because you see, these guys all have 15 fights or more
experience and I don’t. I have been training and teaching
all my life but in NHB this is only my third fight. I don’t
have a lot of fighting experience, but that also works in my
favor as people don’t know my game.
KP-
But are you ready for that?
RC- I am looking forward to whatever comes my way. You know,
if Michael Jordan’s brother shows up to play basketball,
everyone expects him to be great. The same gose for us, when
you have the last name Gracie, things are expected of you. They
expect you to be a great fighter and to put on a show.
KP-
Are you going to enter again as the “Changeman”?
RG- Of course, that is how I get fired up and ready to fight.
I see and hear the crowd getting excited and that gets me excited
as well and it gets me ready for the fight! Pride is a great
show and I want to add to the event!
Rodrigo
leaves Tuesday for Japan accompanied by cousins Renzo and Charles
Gracie!
