February News Part 2
Please take some time and sign our guestbook!
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Quote
of the Day
"Don't wish it was easier; wish you were better. Don't wish
for less problems; wish for more skills. Don't wish for less
challenges; wish for more wisdom."
Jim Rohn American Businessman, Author, Speaker, Philosopher
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Din
Thomas out of UFC!
It
was made official today that Din Thomas, scheduled to face Matt
Serra on 3/22 for UFC, has been forced out due to a knee injury.
Din
was reportedly trying to ride the injury out but a second opinion
confirmed is injury to be serious enough to take him out of the
match with Serra.
With
the show just three weeks out, this puts Zuffa in another difficult
position in finding an opponent at 155lbs who's willing to step
up and take on 'The Terror' on a few weeks notice.
The
UFC is working hard at finding a replacement. Lion's Den fighter
Joe Hurley was a possibility, but he is committed to Ultimate
Athlete's show on 3/16.
There
was also talk amongst fans about Caol Uno and BJ Penn but nothing
as of yet, is official.
A
speedy recovery to Din 'The Dominator' Thomas!
Source: Abu
Dhabi
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SHOOTO
'GIG East 8' Update
SHOOTO
'GIG EAST 8' / February 28th / Tokyo Kitazawa Town Hall
Cancelled
Fight:
MAMORU vs. ABKZ *due to ABKZ's injury (knee).
Added
Fight - BJJ Match:
Kenichirou Togashi (Paraestra Hiroshima) vs. Takumi Nakayama
(Paraestra Tokyo)
Exhibition
Match
Yuki Nakai vs. TBA
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PRIDE
VIDEO GAME!
Didn't get enough of PRIDE this weekend?
MMA
and video game fans alike are pumped about the release of PRIDE
FC, and it's getting rave reviews from video game insiders as
well.
The
game will include 25 characters, including Kazushi Sakuraba,
Carlos Newton, Vanderlei Silva, Igor Vovchanchyn, Dan Henderson
and Heath Herring among many others!
Judging
from the pictures, you can see that THQ went all out with production
values (as does DSE for their live shows). From ringside photographers
to the ring entrances, each character is modified to make them
look as much like their real-life counterparts as possible.
In
addition, all the fighters will have move sets that are specific
to their style of fighting. Pride will feature six modes: exhibition,
grand prix, survival, training, tournament, and create a fighter.
Whether
it's Sak's flying stomp, Silva's flying knee or Newtons 'Dragonball'
celebration this game is going to be incredible!
Pride
will be exclusive to PlayStation 2 and will be available in late
June or early July!
Source: Abu
Dhabi
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Quote
of the Day
"You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed
if you don't try."
Beverly Sills
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Super
Brawl 23
Official Fight Card Released
Saturday,
March 9, 2002
Neil Blaisdell Arena
Fights start at 7:30 PM
Official
Shooto Card
1. 240+lbs 2x5 minute rounds
Nick Bradley 210 lbs
(Shark Tank) 0-0
v
Lyndon 240 lbs
(Grappling Unlimited) 1-0
Bradley 3-2 Favorite
2. 167lbs 2x5
minute rounds
Zack Light 167.5 lbs
(Shark Tank) 1-0
v
Jason Dacquel 167.5 lbs
(808 Fight Factory) 1-0
Pick em' Even Odds
3. 167lbs 2x5
minute rounds
Nasser Lewis 167.5 lbs
(808 Fight Factory) 1-0
v
Kolo Koka 167.5 lbs
(Grappling Unlimited) 2-1
Pick'em Even Odds
4. 154lbs 3x5
minute rounds
Hiroshi Tsuruya 154 lbs
(Paraestra, Tokyo) 4-1-3
v
Andy Wang 153.8 lbs
(GU) #6 Ranked 2-2
Tsuruya 3-2 favorite
5. 154lbs 2x5
minute rounds
Atticus Lish 154 lbs
(Inosanto/Paulson) 1-0
v
Abe Rodrigues 154 lbs
(GU) #5 Ranked 2-2
Rodrigues 3-2 favorite
5. 143.3lbs
3x5 minute rounds
Jay R. Palmer 145 lbs
(Freelance, Waianae)
v
Eddie Yagin 145 lbs
(GU) #6 Ranked
6. 198lbs 3x5 minute rounds
Jason Drexel 198 lbs
(Inosanto/Paulson Academy, California)
v
Falaniko Vitale 198 lbs
(GU) #1 Ranked
7. Super Heavyweight 240+lbs 2x5 minute rounds
Renato Bruzzi 225lbs
(Fransisco Bueno, Brazil)
v
"Cabbage" 265 lbs
(GU) #1 Ranked 9-3
"Cabbage" 3-2 favorite
8. Super Brawl
Middleweight Championship 3x5 minute rounds
Marcos De Silva 182.6 lbs
(Fransisco Bueno, Brazil) #2 Ranked
v
Egan Inoue 182.6 lbs
(GU) Champion 12-3
Inoue 3-2 favorite
Note: Hawaii
fighters shown in red. |
HnS:
MINOTORO NOGUEIRA
Taking on ILLINOIS' JIM THEOBALD
The
twin brother of PRIDE's Heavyweight Titleholder makes mainland
USA MMA Debut March 9th in Evansville, Indiana's HOOKnSHOOT OVERDRIVE
'Signing
Rogerio Nogueira against Jim Theobald is the match that put this
show over the top' starts promoter Jeff Osborne. 'We had several
Brazilian Top Team guys on the card, and MINOTORO's brother,
the big Minotaur, had competed here at HnS before (the world
champ won the 1999 ADCC Qualifier in the 99+KG Class), so he
knew who we were at HnS' continues Osborne.
'We
heard rumors that Rogerio was returning for the next DEEP card
in Japan in March, where he had his debut fight last year. When
that fell through, we had a chance to sign Rogerio, a small window,
and we got lucky' continues Osborne. 'We told him 'this is HnS,
we will make the best fight we can' and he was totally game and
wanted to do it! Like Minotauro, his brother, we think Rogerio
is on his way to the elite of the sport - we are really psyched
to have him!'
'And
Jim Theobald is the perfect guy to give him a tough fight here.'
starts Osborne about the opposition. 'At HnS, we have watched
what Jim has done for a long time - he is a main event fighter
in Chicago and has been looking for opportunities. He has dozens
of fights under Illinois rules (no face punching on the ground),
and he has fought tough guys, so he is experienced' describes
Osborne. 'What I like best is his mindset - he is not affected
by his opponent's reputation. Jim has been looking for a step
up in competition, so from his perspective, he wants it badly
too!'.
'Both
men are motivated, both are hungry and see this as a steppingstone,
a proving ground' concludes Osborne. 'Those make for the best
matches too, where the talent level is high and the hunger hasn't
worn off and been turned into cautiousness! We are hoping for
a highlight match'.
Interested
in tickets? E-mail HOOKnSHOOT@aol.com or ORDER TICKETS AT FIGHTWORLD.COM
- Check the HOOKnSHOOT SECTION! or ORDER SECURELY RIGHT AWAY!
COMPLETE
CARD – OFFICIAL SHOOTO (Subject to Change):
2 RD: B CLASS
<185 lbs>:
Jim DeSouza (Massachusetts Submission Academy, Amherst, MA)
v.
Angelo Popofski (Caique JJ, Detroit, MI.)
2 RD: B CLASS
<155 lbs>: H
ermes Franca (Silveira Brothers, Fortaleza, Brazil) v. Mike Willus
(Pittsburgh TOP, Pittsburgh, PA.)
2 RD: B CLASS
<135 lbs>:
Matee Jedeetipak (Integrated Fighting, Indianapolis, IN.)
v.
Dan ‘Pennsylvania Hit Man’ Swift (Kyle Saunders BJJ,
Erie, PA.)
2 RD: B CLASS
<185 lbs>:
Manuel Garcia (Independente, Asturias, Spain)
v.
Jason Rigsby (Ottawa Nautilus, Ottawa, IL.)
2 RD: B CLASS
<265 lbs>:
Roger Neff (Team Idaho, Couer D’lane, ID.)
v.
Alejandro Aspas (Academia SHOOT, Valencia, Spain)
3 RD: A CLASS
<170 lbs>:
Alexandre Barros (Ruas Vale Tudo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) v.
Dave Strasser (TEAM EXTREME, Kenosha, WI.)
3 RD: A CLASS
<185 lbs>:
Cris Brown (Extreme Jiu-Jitsu & Grappling, Melbourne, Australia)
v.
Moacyr ‘Boca’ Oliveira (Brazilian TOP TEAM, Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil)
3 RD: A CLASS
<215 lbs>:
Rogerio ‘Minotoro’ Nogueira (Brazilian TOP TEAM, Bahia,
Brazil)
v.
Jim Theobold (TEAM ROJAS, Chicago, IL.)
3 RD: A CLASS
<205 lbs>:
Dustin 'CLEAN' Denes (Brazilian TOP TEAM, Orlando, FL.)
v.
Dan ‘The Wolfman’ Theodore (Self Focus Dojo, Lansing,
MI.)
3 RD: A CLASS
/ HnS NONTITLE MATCH <135 lbs>:
Hudson Rocha (TOP TEAM, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
v.
(Champion) Ichaku Murata (HnS, Osaka, Japan)
3 RD: A CLASS
/ HOOKnSHOOT TITLE MATCH <185 lbs>:
(Challenger) Ivan Salaverry (AMC Pankration, Seattle, WA.)
v.
(Champion) John Renken (EXTREME CF, Ft Campbell, KY.)
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SUSUMU
Has PRIDE 19 Pics!
Hello,
We
have added 25 pictures from Pride 19 held on February 24th. Please
enjoy!
Susumu's
Gallery: http://come.to/susumu
|
Quote
of the Day
"True friendship is like sound health;
the value of it is seldom known until it be lost."
Charles Caleb Colton
|
Sorry
about yesterday's post
It seems
we had some technical difficulties. I uploaded the page late
Sunday night and it looked good, but for some reason on Monday,
the page reverted back to 2/22's post.
Must be those damn Afganies. |
Baret
Yoshida in Shooto's March 15th Show
SHOOTO's March 15th
Show Shaping Up!
Official SHOOTO
Promoted by E-FORCE
Tokyo, Japan March 15th, 2002
This up-coming
SHOOTO event features fighters from the lighter weight classes.
This is has become a trademark for the SHOOTO organization. As
a matter of fact, most respected Mixed Martial Arts rankings
list many SHOOTO fighters in the lower weight class rankings.
The small guys are fast and dynamic and always make for an exciting
show. No where is this more true than in SHOOTO.
To high-light
the card is a triad of rankings bouts. Marcio Cromado is coming
off of a choke-out victory over Takumi Nakayama in his last performance
and has secured the position as the number 2 ranked fighter in
the SHOOTO 154 lbs weight class. A win here will no-doubt make
him next in line for a chance at the belt, after Mishima gets
his shot against Takanori Gomi (the current champ). But standing
in his way is a very hungry Ryan Bow. Bow lost to Mishima in
his last outing out and now maintains a ranking of 4th. If he
wants to get a crack at the title, which I am sure he does, he
needs this win bad.
Also there is
Hiroyuki Abe against Baret
Yoshida. After over
a year off from SHOOTO competition Abe made his return by winning
over Kazihiro Inoue by TKO from a cut. He is looking to lay claim
to the 143 lbs title and a win here will send him in the right
direction. Baret, on the other hand, has had a
pair of losses in his last two SHOOTO performances that were
against the number 1 and 2 ranked fighters in his weight class.
While Yoshida has extablished a reputation as
a finisher, he has also established a trend of losing to ranked
fighters. He needs this win to break that streak and make his
own move toward the 143 lbs belt which is currently held by long
time SHOOTO Champion, Alexandre Nogueira.
For the main
event there is an international bout. Norifumi 'Kid' Yamamoto
makes his Class-A debut at 143 lbs where he is now ranked 9th.
He has been on a tear lately, absolutely decimating his the opposition
with potent striking. He is a fighter that everyone has there
eye on and he is ready to make his mark. He is going up against
a crafty veteran in Mike Cardoso. Mike lost in his only other
SHOOTO appearance but it was by decision to Naoya Uematsu. That
is nothing to be ashamed of considering he went the distance
with the highly touted SHOOTO competitor. Cardoso is a slick
submission fighter having won a number of matches by choke and
scored a kneebar victory in the last Abu Dhabi Submission Wresling
World Championships. This will be an exciting bout to cap of
an exciting card.
Now here is
the full line-up:
Bout #1: Class-B
(132 lbs):
Seiji Otsuka [Purbred Omiya] v. Noriyuki Yokoyama [STF]
Bout #2: Class-B
(123 lbs):
Tomohiro Hashi [Purbred Omiya] v. Shinichi Hanawa [Wajyutsu Keisyukai]
Bout #3: Class-B
(143 lbs):
Makoto Ishikawa [Purbred Omiya] v. Yohei Nanbu [STG Yokohama]
Bout #4: Class-B
(183 lbs):
Shikou Yamashita [Paraestra Sapporo] v. Jun Kitagawa [Chokushin
Kai]
Bout #5: Class-A
(143 lbs):
Hiroyuki Abe [AACC] v. Baret
Yoshida [Grappling Unlimited]
Bout #6: Class-A
(154 lbs):
Marcio Cromado [Renovação Fight Team] v. Ryan Bow
[Freelance]
Bout #7: Class-A
(143 lbs):
Norifumi Yamamoto [Purbred Omiya] v. Mike Cardoso [Chicago Fight
Team]
Additional note:
Bouts #1 and #2 are a part of the on-going SHOOTO rookie tournaments
that will be going on over several SHOOTO events. The winners
will advance into the second round in their respective weight
classes. The fighter that ultimately wins the tournament will
receive a monetary prize and will be up-graded to Class-A status.
Souce: ADCC |
Quote
of the Day
"A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the
world walks out."
Unknown
|
Pride
19: Bad Blood Results
Saitama Super Arena,
Saitama Prefecture, Tokyo, Japan
February 24, 2002
It sounds like it was an unreal show. Check out FCF's Aaron Crecy's
fight descriptions at: http://www.fcfighter.com/pride19r.htm.
Fight One
Tom Erikson def. Tim Catalfo
by submission (rear naked choke), 2:35 R1
Fight Two
Alex Stiebling def. Wallid Ismail
by unanimous judges' decision
Fight Three
Rodrigo Gracie def. Daijiro Matsui
by submission (guillotine choke), 2:10 R3
Fight Four
Carlos Newton def. Jose "Pele" Landi-Jons
by submission (arm bar), 7:17 R1
Fight Five
Heath Herring def. Igor Vovchanchyn
by unanimous judges' decision
Fight Six
Don Frye def. Ken Shamrock
by split judges' decision (2 - 1)
Fight Seven
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira def. Enson Inoue
by TKO (choked out with triangle), 6:17 R1
Fight Eight
- Pride Middleweight Championship
Vanderlei Silva def. Kiyoshi Tamura
by KO (overhand right), 2:28 R2
Souce: FCF |
Arnold-Gracie
Results
No word
on how Steve or our other guys from Hawaii did. Hopefully there
will be some details at the Academy Monday night.
Arnold-Gracie Rocks the House !
Arnold-Gracie Tournament
is a huge Success
The Arnold-Gracie
Worlds went of in Columbus, Ohio this past weekend with a huge
BANG!
There were over
350 competitors and over 3000 spectators. The Gracie Brothers
Seminar was spilling at the seams with over 60 participants absorbing
all the instruction of 4 Gracies: Royler, Relson, Rolker &
Robin.
Relson &
Rolker Gracie performed an BJJ exhibition for the 'Terminator'
himself and got pictures with the man prior to working their
asses of as Referees etc. The pictures were taken with Relson's
camera and the inside rumor is that he is asking Rolker for top
$$$ in order to get copies of the prints :) .
Quick Results
from the Pro event:
Lightweight
Division:
Repeat Champion
'Shaolin'Ribeiro defeated Wander Braga in the finals. Robin Gracie
won his first match but withdrew due to illness.
Middleweight
Division:
Alexandre Ribeiro
closed out the bracket with brother Saulo and they 'fought' a
brotherly final with 'Xande' taking the title.
Heavyweight
Division:
Jeff Monson
took the division! Leo Dalla withdrew due to illness.
Source: ADCC |
Repercussions
for Enson
Enson Tyson?
Enson Inoue is feeling the reprecussions from an incident nearly
a year ago where he allegedly attacked a reporter/photographer.
Word from Japan is apparent Inoue has been found guilty of the
crime and will serve a suspended sentence.
According
to those close to the Inoue family, the reporter was borderline
stalking Enson, taking numerous unwelcome pictures of Inoue and
his fiance.
Allegedly,
Inoue asked the reporter to stop taking the pictures and threw
him to the mat in his dojo, causing several injuries including
a neck injury that supposedly kept the reporter bedridden for
aprroximately 10 days.
Inoue
was sentenced to six months, suspended sentence on assault charges
for the incident, and he will get probation for a two-year period
as well.
Many
may recall that this incident cost Enson his SHOOTO championship
(he was stripped of the belt) as well.
Source: ADCC |
Grapplers
Quest West Results
Grapplers
Quest West Is a Success
Grapplers Quest
West Tournament
Kid Peligro
in conjunction with our friend 'Gumby' from Onthemat.com brings
you almost instant results from the Grapplers Quest tournament
held this Saturday in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The event was
a major success with almost 600 competitors and aproximately
100 spectators. U.F.C. pulled their Champion Matt Hughes from
the Absolute Division and had him compete on the regular event
(Kid's Observation: 'Smart decision, no reason to risk injury
with an upcoming title match against Hyiato Sakurai in one month').
The absolute
rocked, Ralph Gracie Team sensation Cameron Earle opened up with
a last second submission via foot-lock over'Judo' Mark, The match
was 16 x 0 for Cameron prior to the submission. Next Javier Vasquez
beat Ahmad by points. Cesar Gracie Team's David Terrel beat Bobby
Southworth by points and Todd Margolis advanced on points over
Justin Ellison.
The Semi's saw
Cameron submit Javier via rear-naked choke in 4 minutes and David
Terrel tapped out Margolis in about 1 minute via foot-lock setting
up the final Cameron v Terrel.
The third place
is Javier Vasquez v (alternate) Eddie Rollon
U.F.C. Champion
Matt Hughes made the semi-finals in the advanced division against
Luke Stewart from Ralph Gracie Team. Matt won the match in overtime
and then taps out his opponent in the final to win the division.
David Terrel
wins the absolute division. Terel caught Earle in a choke for
the tapout.
Javier Vasquez
got 3rd after tapping Rolon.
Congratulations
to all the fighters and the organization.
Source: ADCC |
Joe
Son Loses
I know all of you will need some time to reflect on this loss
and that it hit home for most of us... Check out the pictures
of Joe Son's thong on Maxfighting.com
THE BEST: Full Results
DATE: February 22nd, 2002
PLACE: Korakuen Hall, Tokyo- JAPAN
COMPLETE RESULTS:
1st Match: SOUICHI
NISHIDA (FREE) VS GIANT OCHIAI (TEAM SATAKE) – result: OCHIAI
by KO at 2:00 1R
2nd Match: EIJI
MITSUOKA (RJW) VS ANTHONY 'MAD DOG' MACIAS (USA) – result:
MITSUOKA by decision (3-0)
3rd Match: 'MAMMOTH'
SASAKI (FWM) VS KIM JONG WANG (MAKOTO GYM) – result: WANG
by guillotine choke at :25 1R
4th Match: DAIJYU
TAKASE (WAJYUTSU KEISYUKAI) VS JOHIL DE OLIVEIRA (BUDOKAN) –
result: TAKASE by decision (3-0)
5th Match: KOH
SOUKUN (WAJYUTSU KEISYUKAI) VS AMIR RAHNAVARDI (BHJJC) –
SOUKUN by KO at 1:19 2R
6th Match: YUSUKE
IMAMURA (TAKADA DOJO) VS JOE SON (USA) – result: IMAMURA
by armlock at 1:22 1R
|
Quote
of the Day
"All results no matter how magnificent are infinitesimal
when compared to future possibility."
James A. Ray
|
1st
Virginia Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Federation Tournaments:
Congratulations
to Steve Maxwell and his Team Maxercise!
Official
results:
SUPER FIGHTS:
Jared Weiner
(brown belt under Steve Maxell)
v
Marcelo Cavalcanti (brown belt under Bob Bass)
JARED WON BY
ADVANTAGE.
-----------------------------------------------
Ivan Fanton
(brown belt under Gustavo Machado)
v
Todd Margolis (brown belt under Linxx)
TODD WON BY
2 POINTS.
------------------------------------------------
Paulo Castro
(black belt under Carlos Gracie Jr.)
v
Lloyd Irvin (black belt under Leo Dalla)
THE FIGHT WAS
STOPPED AND WAS A DOUBLE-DQ.
----------------------------------------------------------
Mauricio Mariano
(TINGUINHA)
v
Yasushi Miyake
TINGUINHA WON
BY 2 ADVANTAGES. (NO GI FIGHT)
----------------------------------------------------------
Team
Results:
1-
GUSTAVO MACHADO ACADEMY - 49 POINTS.
2- YAMASAKI ACADEMY - 31 points.
3- LINXX - 20 points.
4- MAXERCISE
ACADEMY - 13 points.
5- LLOYD IRVIN ACADEMY - 9 points.
6- SAUER ACADEMY - 6 points. RELSON GRACIE ACADEMY - 6 points.
8- MOD/SOS - 4 points.
|
The
MINOTAUR: PRIDE BOUND!
Over this past
weekend, Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira, the PRIDE Heavyweight
Champion, left Brazil for his upcoming battle in the PRIDE 19
against Enson Inoue. After several weeks of intensive training,
the FULL CONTACT FIGHTER magazine's FIGHTER of the YEAR left
with victory in mind.
Many remember
the rumors involving 'Minotauro' participating in the New Year's
Inoki Bom Ba Ye. An injury to his knee sustained in the fight
against Heath Hearing in Pride 17 kept him out. Upon leaving,
Minotauro commented his knee now had sufficient time to heal,
and he feels he's ready to take on Enson. 'I had to turn down
the offer to fight in the K1 X Inoki Team event since I had a
problem in my knee but my doctors are very good and I feel like
I have a brand new knee! For those who have had a chance to see
my training sessions know that I'm ready!!!' The knee was also
tender back in Abu Dhabi 2000, when he lost to Rico Rodriguez
via knee bar. Afterwards, Minotauro said 'I had no strength in
my knee to defend'.
About his opponent
Minotauro said 'Enson is a tough guy, who gave a hard time to
everybody he fought, because he has the soul of warrior. I'm
looking forward to a war against him. Especially in the beginning
of the fight, when he comes at you 200%. But I'm ready and I
hope to try to finish the fight with submissions, which is still
my favorite plan'.
Minotauro is
not defending his Pride Heavyweight belt at this time, and this
is due to the schedule. 'It seems the promoters don't want 2
belts defended on the same card and once Vanderlei Silva signed
to put his belt on the line against Tamura, I have to wait for
a defense, but I wanted a match! For me there's no difference
in a title match or a non title match, basically I train in the
same way and the pressure is the same for me. I'll probably defend
my belt for my next fight.' concludes the Tokyo bound Minotauro.
ADCC Brazil
wishes the best of luck to Minotauro next Sunday, February 24th.
|
Heating
up for PRIDE 19:
The "Axe Murderer" is looking for another victim!
By Eduardo Alonso
Vanderlei Silva
has fought his way into becoming the first ever PRIDE Middleweight
Champion with wins against the likes of Dan Henderson, Guy Mezger
and Kazushi Sakuraba. Undefeated in PRIDE and with a record of
more than 20 NHB fights, Vanderlei is already one of the stars
of the sport and he is always willing to fight, no matter when
and against whom. With a vicious style and a lot of aggressiveness,
the "Axe Murderer" will now face he's first title defense
in Japan, against the local hero Kyoshi Tamura. Whether Tamura
will or won't be able to handle Silva's striking ferocity remains
to be seen, but one thing is for sure; whenever Vanderlei is
fighting, anything can happen but a boring fight! Tow days before
leaving for Japan Vanderlei Silva spoke with FCF about his views
on this fight, as FCF continues to bring the best PRIDE coverage,
and gets more heated than ever for PRIDE 19!
FCF: With a
few days left before the event, are you anxious to get in there
and fight?
VS: I'm training a lot, so I don't have time even to get anxious
now. Since I'm training a lot, all of my body is hurting, so
I'm training and resting more than I think about the fight. I'll
start to think about the fight a day before it.
FCF: You'll
be defending your PRIDE belt in this fight for the first time.
Does the fact that you'll be putting your title on the line on
this fight increase your responsibility?
VS: I think so. Since I'm the champion I have to try to stay
the champion for as much time as I can, so I think the responsibility
increased, but the training increased in the same proportion.
FCF: Inclusively
because in your last fight the belt wasn't on the line…
VS: This time the responsibility is a lot bigger.
FCF: What do
you know about your opponent, Kyoshi Tamura?
VS: Gee, I only know his name! (Laughs) I don't even know his
weight, or his height! I don't know a thing! But I like it better
this way!
FCF: A lot of
fighters like to develop a tactic and study their opponents.
But you don't! Do you like to fight only out of your instincts?
VS: For me it's better, because if a guy knows a lot from his
opponent he tends to neutralize his own game. He gets locked,
because there's no way for you to guess what the other is going
to do, and watching his fights you'll tend to only look at the
things that he does well! So I believe that this will hinder
you more than will help you.
FCF: How was
your training for this fight?
VS: In the past I wasn't doing much weight lifting, but now I
entered the best gym of Curitiba! The gym owner didn't want to
let me train there for free, so I ended up having to pay to be
able to train there! (Laughs) I'm doing a lot of weight lifting;
I'm running a lot and swimming a lot! And in this past weeks
I started to brawl in the academy once again. I have been brawling
a lot with the guys! I'm brawling with Pele, with Anderson! Inclusively
tomorrow morning the thing is going to get hot again!
FCF: So your
training rhythm continues the same until the date of your departure?
VS: For sure! It continues this way until Monday, when I left
for Japan. But in Japan things changes a bit. Because the day
before I was about to fight Guy Mezger at PRIDE 10, on a Saturday,
Pele and I started to do some training, and the thing got real
hard! So in the middle of our hardcore training I blew my knee!
I blew my knee and I couldn't walk! At the same night I was limping!
On the fighting day at the breakfast I was limping! And I had
to fight with my knee hurt, and thank God I was able to win!
So, nowadays once we get to Japan we ease the training a bit
in terms of intensity, but the running and swimming part of the
training stays the same.
FCF: How about
sparring with Anderson Vanderlei? How's the experience?
VS: Man, yesterday I did 16 minutes of Boxing with Anderson!
Gee, my chin is all scratched up because of the training helmet!
(Laughs)
FCF: Did you
eat a lot of his jabs? (Laughs)
VS: Gee man! (Laughs) The guys has the arm of a monkey, like
those monkey with long arms (Laughs) His arm goes beyond his
knee! (Laughs) His punches were connecting, and I threw mine
and they weren't getting even close! It's tough man! His jab
is horrible to deal with!
FCF: Tamura
said in a recent interview that he hasn't being able to get much
sleep lately, because of PRIDE's rules. He also went on to say
that he didn't like this rules very much. What do you think of
those statements?
VS: Man, I just got married and I'm sleeping like an angel! (Laughs)
My lady gives me a somniferous here that I'm sleeping a lot!
(Laughs) But as for the Tamura, this is just talk! No fighter
thinks like that. I don't buy that, this thing of the guy acting
like he's a poor-thing don't convince me. So for me there's no
such as thing as this. I'll face this with a lot of seriousness!
I'll face it like a brawl! It doesn't matter to me what the guy
says or doesn't says! Things are different with me.
FCF: How do
you believe this fight will unfold?
VS: I would like very much to really trade blows! I would like
to trade punches, hit him with knees, I don't know! I would like
to make him fall! The intension is to score a knockout! And most
of all do a good showing to my public! But I'm prepared to fight
all the 20 minutes if I need to.
FCF: You recently
got married. Your new life of a married man changed your training
routine for this fight?
VS: It changed that now I have my wife along with me, and she's
my allied. She takes care of me, and she's giving me all the
support in the world so I can only worry about training. When
I get home everything is ready, she's really a great companion.
So now I believe that I'm getting to a level, if not the maximum,
very close to the maximum of professionalism as a fighter.
FCF: So, can
we expect an even better Vanderlei as a fighter now?
VS: For sure! Now that I got married I'm with a lot more fuel
to burn!
FCF: Your long-time
teammate Pele Landi is also coming back to PRIDE, facing the
former UFC Champion Carlos Newton. How was Pele's preparation
for this fight?
VS: The same as I did! We train together, and he's really very
tough! I'm with two black eyes now since two days ago because
of him! The guy is an animal! He was weighting 92kg and he dropped
to 84kg now! He will drop one more kilo to fight at 83kg, because
they asked him to fight at 83kg.
FCF: What do
you believe will happen in this fight between Pele and Newton?
VS: Gee, I think it'll end with a kick to the face. Or maybe
with a knee, because his knee is also very strong! I believe
that Carlos Newton won't last three minutes. Gee, there's no
way he will last that much.
FCF: What are
your plans for the year of 2002, after PRIDE 19?
VS: This year we will have 7 PRIDE events. I would like to fight
them all! I want to fight in all of them! No matter where! It
can be in Hawaii, Japan, Sao Jose dos Pinhais [Where Vanderlei
lives in Curitiba] (Laughs) it doesn't matter, where PRIDE appears
I'll fight!
FCF: Man, what
about your honeymoon? (Laughs)
VS: Well, the honeymoon will be on our first anniversary! (Laughs)
I already told my baby (Laughs), no I'm kidding. To tell you
the truth if find it difficult to get a honeymoon better than
we're having! (Laughs)
FCF: Any final
message for your fans?
VS: I want to say that I'm training a lot, and I expect to do
what they expect me to do! I want to say that I'm a young fighter,
so I'm in touch with all the things that the guys that follow
my work are doing! I have the same life of all of my fans; I
do the same things that all my fans do! I want to say for the
guys to enjoy life, the nights and the girls! And most of all
to enjoy a lot of NHB and start to train in some fight, because
this is the way! Let's train something, and most of all let's
believe a lot in God! We're nothing without him, and I know how
much he helped in my life! There's no such thing as luck, nothing
happen out of the blue, you got to train hard and believe in
God.
FCF: Do you
have any message for those that are after your belt?
VS: Come in and try to get it. The more people that are after
my belt, the better for me! I want to tell anyone that wants
my title that it's there, and I'm welcoming challenges. If anyone
is weighting 205lbs, I'll fight anyone! And for the people that
are talking about me all the time, I hope they'll back up what
they're talking! Because I don't want anyone talking about me,
and then coming near me like a girl trying to kiss my ass. I
want the guy to be a man! Anyone that is talking about me will
have to back it up when they're in front of me! This thing of
talking about me from my back, and then coming in my face trying
to be all nice and acting like a poor-thing doesn't exists with
me! I'll punch their mouths on the spot!
FCF: Thanks
a lot for the interview! The best of luck on the 24th!
VS: Thanks a lot man!
Source:
FCF Website |
Quote
of the Day
"Every exit is an entry somewhere else."
Tom Stoppard
|
Super
Brawl 23 Fight Card
Saturday,
March 9, 2002
Neil Blaisdell Arena
Fights start at 7:30 PM
1. 240+lbs 2x5 minute rounds
Nick Bradley 210 lbs
(Shark Tank) 0-0
v
Lyndon 240 lbs
(Grappling Unlimited) 1-0
Bradley 3-2 Favorite
2. 167lbs 2x5
minute rounds
Zack Light 167.5 lbs
(Shark Tank) 1-0
v
Jason Dacquel 167.5 lbs
(808 Fight Factory) 1-0
Pick em' Even Odds
3. 167lbs 2x5
minute rounds
Nasser Lewis 167.5 lbs
(808 Fight Factory) 1-0
v
Kolo Koka 167.5 lbs
(Grappling Unlimited) 2-1
Pick'em Even Odds
4. 154lbs 3x5
minute rounds
Hiroshi Tsuruya 154 lbs
(Paraestra, Tokyo) 4-1-3
v
Andy Wang 153.8 lbs
(GU) #6 Ranked 2-2
Tsuruya 3-2 favorite
5. 154lbs 2x5
minute rounds
Atticus Lish 154 lbs
(Inosanto/Paulson) 1-0
v
Abe Rodrigues 154 lbs
(GU) #5 Ranked 2-2
Rodrigues 3-2 favorite
6. 132lbs 3x5
minute rounds
Ryota Matsune 132 lbs
(Paraestra, Tokyo) 8-1
v
Lincoln Tyler 135.6 lbs
(Freelance) #5 Ranked 3-2
Matsune 2-1 Favorite
7. Super Heavyweight
240+lbs 2x5 minute rounds
Dealy Ndiaye 225 lbs
(Fransisco Bueno, Brazil)
v
"Cabbage" 265 lbs
(GU) #1 Ranked 9-3
"Cabbage" 3-2 favorite
8. Super Brawl
Middleweight Championship 3x5 minute rounds
Marcos De Silva 182.6 lbs
(Fransisco Bueno, Brazil) #2 Ranked
v
Egan Inoue 182.6 lbs
(GU) Champion 12-3
Inoue 3-2 favorite |
UFC:
More Airwaves in JAPAN!
According to
the 20th edition of the sports newspaper Nikkan Sports, Japan's
largest private satellite broadcasting company WOWOW Inc. will
air UFC from coming April. WOWOW has more than 2.5 million subscribers
including me!
Nikkan reported
that following the termination of the contract with Rings on
February 15th, they have made a new official contract with the
UFC. The first program will air UFC 36 on April 14th, in 2 hours.
I guess the
participation of UNO Caol, SAKURAI 'Mach' Hayato or NAKAO Jutaro
in UFC made WOWOW air it! In order to keep the rating high and
to continue the contract, the appearance of the Japanese fighters
is essential.
In the program,
NAKAI Yuki, who fought Rickson Gracie in Vale Tudo Japan and
is a former SHOOTO welterweight champion, will appear as the
commentator. A spokesperson from WOWOW said, 'UFC is the only
content to oppose Pride.' There is also a strong rumor that Zuffa
will bring the show back to Japan in the spring of 2003.
|
Quick
Interview:
RODRIGO GRACIE
ADCC: Rodrigo,
tell ADCC readers a little bit about your background.
Rodrigo: I'm the 1998 Abu Dhabi champion. I took fourth place
last year. I won four superfights at N.A.G.A.
ADCC: Where
does your father fit into the legendary Gracie family?
Rodrigo: He is Carlos Gracie's son. He's been teaching jiu-jitsu
his all life.
ADCC: Where
did you grow up?
Rodrigo: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
ADCC: At what
age did you begin training?
Rodrigo: At five.
ADCC: Why did
you leave your fathers academy to go train with Renzo?
Rodrigo: My father was living in Vegas. For me Vegas is a place
to have fun for a couple days. But I didn't like living there.
So I went to New York for two weeks, I ended up liking it a lot.
I decided to go to New York and stay with Renzo.
ADCC: What has
Renzo taught you that has changed the way you think about Jiu-Jitsu?
About Fighting? About life?
Rodrigo: Renzo has been teaching me many things. He is a great
person. Always elated. Always smiling no matter what. It 'd be
a very long interview if i put the things he'd taught me.
ADCC: You have
competed at the ADCC tournament twice, The first year you placed
first and this past year fourth? How has the tournament evolved
since your first time competing?
Rodrigo: Evolved a lot. They have many good guys now competing.
but i had very tough matches in Abu Dhabi 98.
ADCC: Rodrigo,
how does your style compare to Renzo? To Ricardo? To Matt?
Rodrigo: I cannot compare myself with Renzo, he is much better
than all of us. I just wanna thank Ricardo Almeida and Matt Serra
for helping with my training. They are like brothers to me.
ADCC: Tell us
a little about your academy?
Rodrigo: I have an academy in Vallley Stream, Long Island, where
I teach 4 times a week. If anyone wants more info call :(917)
975-4449.
ADCC: Your fight
coming up, you are the favorite, but this is your first big time
MMA event, what do you think about your opponent?
Rodrigo: Very tough. There are no more easy opponents.
ADCC: Daijiro
Matsui is a tough first fight, how have you been training for
this fight?
Rodrigo: I've been training very hard. Renzo has been helping
a lot for this upcoming fight. I also have Martin my personal
trainer at Parisis, New Jersey. Can't forget also about Stan
Beck and General James.
ADCC: Have you
been working a lot of boxing and Thai or just Jiu-Jitsu?
Rodrigo: Everything!
ADCC: Do you
think Jiu-Jitsu alone can still defeat a good standup fighter
or does it depend on the athlete?
Rodrigo: Nowadays everyone is cross training. But everybody knows
that you only have a chance against a much bigger opponent with
jiu-Jitsu skills.
ADCC: You were
just recently married, how is married life?
Rodrigo: Very nice. I'm very happy!
ADCC: I know
you like to read a lot, what other interests are you pursuing?
Rodrigo: For me life is like a school. The more information you
get the better it is for you to evolve. I love this old saying
'when the fight begins within himself, a man's worth something'.
ADCC: Thanks
for your time and good luck in Japan!
Rodrigo: Thanks a lot Frank.
Source: Abu Dhabi |
RULON
GARDNER UPDATE
Olympic gold
medalist and World Champion Greco-Roman wrestler Rulon Gardner
is continuing his recovery from a snowmobiling accident and remains
as a patient in the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in
Idaho Falls, ID.
He was a guest
Tuesday morning on NBC's 'Today Show' and was interviewed by
host Katie Couric. Rulon said that he was doing well. He had
several family members with him during the live interview, but
he was seated in a wheelchair and had his legs covered with a
blanket.
An Associated
Press story Tuesday also revealed that doctors are battling to
save Rulon's toes. These were badly damaged by his exposure overnight
while stranded in the Bridger-Teton National Forest last week
to sub-zero temperatures and snow all around.
The 'Today Show'
interview can be viewed at: TODAY SHOW INTERVIEW
The latest Associated
Press story on Rulon can be found at: RULON's RECOVERY!
We also encourage
people to e-mail get-well messages to Rulon. This can be done
either at his own web site by signing the guestbook, or through
the web site of the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center. The
address for his web site is www.rulongardner.com. The address to send patient e-mail
to the hospital is http://www.eirmc.org/PatEmail.asp. |
Quote
of the Day
"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing
can be done without hope or confidence."
Helen Keller, 1880-1968, American Blind/Deaf Author, Lecturer,
Amorist
|
Heating
up for PRIDE 19:
Minotauro Ready To Prove It Once Again!
By Eduardo Alonso
PRIDE's heavyweight
champion Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira is one of the
few fighters in the NHB game that enjoys the position of unanimity.
No one questions Minotauro's technique. Despite that he is always
willing to prove what he believes inside the ring, and he will
never pick his opponents. The Brazilian Top Team member became
the PRIDE champion in November, after an impressive win against
Heath Herring, and this will be the first time he will fight
after he won his belt. With PRIDE 19 less than a week away, Minotauro
is leaving for Japan today, but he managed to share his views
about the fight with FCF before his departure, as FCF keeps heating
up for PRIDE 19!
FCF: This is your
first fight at PRIDE since you became the Heavyweight champion.
Are you feeling a bigger pressure now that you have the belt?
Minotauro: Look, I'm feeling a bit more pressure. I think it's
the responsibility of doing an exciting fight. But I'm tranquil,
my main concern is to try to do my best, try to put at least
50% of everything that I train here at the academy in the fight.
But no pressure is bigger than the pressure that I put on myself
to perform well and please the fans.
FCF: Speaking about
the pressure that you put on yourself, you are a fighter that
impresses everybody with the quickness that you improve your
game. You seem to pick-up techniques very fast, and your game
seems to be always evolving at an amazing speed. Do you believe
this is also due to the pressure that you put on yourself?
Minotauro: Of course, but ever since I came to the Brazilian
Top Team, and even before, I work a lot! There is days that I
train 6 or 7 hours per day, both the technical and tactical training,
in fact not only the technical training, but my fighting strategy
as well. And the technical condition that my team gives me helped
me to evolve a lot, not only in the Top Team, but also at Luis
Alves, where I train Muay Thai. We train Muay Thai and NHB there
too. At the Top Team I was able gather this two trainings, and
I believe this was the key for me.
FCF: Your opponent
at PRIDE 19 is Enson Inoue, who already beat names like Randy
Couture. What do you think of Enson as an opponent?
Minotauro: I respect him! He is a very technical fighter. He
dominates the ground technique, which I also do. He is a fighter
that likes to trade standing up, inclusively he is a guy that
goes to trade toe-to-toe and now he went to Thailand to train
Muay Thai. So, he dominates both techniques, on the ground and
standing up and I also do. So we're going to get in there and
test our techniques.
FCF: Do you believe
the fact that he is also a Jiu Jitsu fighter, like yourself,
will help or hinder your style in the fight?
Minotauro: Look, I like to fight against guys that are good ground
fighters, because the guy will get there and play the game with
me, play my game. He will not stall. If he wants to play with
me and open the game with me, the fight will turn in to a beautiful
fight! All of the sudden he could stall the game a bit since
he knows his ground game, and this is my concern, if the other
guy starts to stall or to slip all the time, and the fight becomes
an ugly fight for the public. So, if he is a smart fighter and
wants to do a good show for the public, we have the condition,
with his technique along with mine technique, to give a great
spectacle for the public.
FCF: What do you
think of Enson's ground technique?
Minotauro: In the NHB game he succeeded in applying his technique
very well. He likes to catch the arm, like I saw in some of his
fights. Like in his fight against Royce Alger in the UFC, and
of course his fight against Randy Couture, where he managed to
get a nice arm-lock. Even in his loss to Mark Kerr he managed
to hold on till the end thanks to his ground technique! You got
to keep in mind that when Mark Kerr was at the top a lot of people
failed to hold Mark Kerr. So I admire his technique, he has guts
and he has a lot of heart.
FCF: This is your
first fight as the PRIDE champion, but your belt won't be on
the line. Do you think that is takes off some of the pressure,
or even adds more pressure in to the fight?
Minotauro: Look, I understand PRIDE's situation. Vanderlei is
going to put his belt on the line now, against Tamura who is
a famous guy in Japan. So, maybe it wouldn't be good for them
to get two main events in the same night, two title fights. Because
you got to have one fight that will draw the entire event, and
this time it's Vanderlei's fight. It would even be bad for me
to share this with him, so I believe in the next time I'll even
be used to fight as the champion, and I will lose a bit of this
weight that was put in my back for this fight. So I believe the
next time will be the right time to put my belt on the line.
FCF: You have been
showing a very good Muay Thai in your last fights, even against
Heath Herring. Do you still emphasize on this part of the training?
How was your preparation for this fight?
Minotauro: I use to do the technical part on the mornings, but
I stop doing in on the last month because now I'm doing only
the specific fighting training. But usually I would do the technical
and physical part on the morning, training positions and doing
my physical preparation. In fact I did that last month, for about
a month or so. Then I started only doing the fighting part of
the training, and this consists of some ground positions that
I train on the morning, and after 6 pm I do only a lot of Muay
Thai! I leave my home close to 6 pm and I'll only get home after
9 pm. So for me one thing complements the other, and on the intervals
I also train Wrestling with Darrel Gohlar.
FCF: Who will be
on your corner for this fight?
Minotauro: I believe Mario Sperry and Luis Alves.
FCF: You have been
trading a lot of punches in your latest fights. Have you been
feeling more comfortable fighting standing up with all that Muay
Thai training you is doing?
Minotauro: Look, I trace a strategy before I get into the fight.
But the strategy will vary a lot according to the opponent's
answers for it. If I enter the fight looking to trade, and I
can even be better technically than him, but he manages to close
to distance and stuff and I don't feel comfortable to trade,
I'll go to Jiu Jitsu, where I also have the resources to do a
good fight. And If I'm not going anywhere on the ground, like
it happened with me before in a fight against Jeremy Horn…
I wasn't being able to get him, he was very slippery and the
ring was also very slippery. I know that I wasn't being able
to develop my game like I would like to do, so I started to look
for the standing up fight! I believe a fighter must have a lot
of resources in his game. I started to fight standing, to get
some takedowns, and to score points. Because in a fight there's
a time that you feel that you won't be able to get your opponent!
As I felt with Heath Herring! He was playing defense against
me! He entered my guard and didn't try to pass it. He didn't
open and kept his elbows closed all the time. While on the ground
he kept pushing and I felt his was resting to stand up again,
so I thought "Well, I'm going to rest too and I'm going
to trade now". So I try to feel my opponent! I can't tell
you how the fight is going to because sometimes things don't
go according to your game plan. But I'm prepared to trade! I'm
training it everyday the same way that I train the ground game.
FCF: Speaking about
your fight against Herring, did you hurt your knee during that
fight and kept going? What really happened?
Minotauro: No it wasn't my knee. When I entered on a punching
sequence while we were on the corner he managed to hit me with
a low kick on the posterior side of my thigh. And my muscle sort
of locked in a way that I wasn't being able to bend or strain
my leg! And this happened right in the first round, at around
8 minutes in to the fight I believe. There was even a time that
I got his back on the fight, and I couldn't develop my game very
well. When the round was over, between the first and the second
round, Luis Alves did a quick massage on the muscle, and he even
couldn't do much so Herring would not see what was happening!
Then in the middle of the fight it didn't get back to normal,
but it improved a lot and I could keep on fighting till the end.
But I complained a lot during the fight "Gee! Is hurting
a lot" and my corner would say "No, no! This is your
chance! you got to go till the end! C'mon!" I wouldn't say
that I thought about quitting during the fight, but it was very
tough.
FCF: You have been
winning a big number of fans in Japan with your victories there,
but this time you're facing a local hero. Do you believe the
crowd can be a factor in this fight?
Minotauro: I don't think so. The Japanese public enjoys technique,
and when I'm doing a good fight they're screaming and stuff,
so this motivates me to do my techniques. I feel that the Japanese
public respects the fighter a lot; not only the Japanese fighter,
but also they respect any fighter. If you get an arm-lock, or
a beautiful position he will cheer the same way. He is there
to see the techniques, not only to cheer for a fighter. And I
believe that there are a lot of people there that, despite liking
Enson Inoue, will cheer for me too!
FCF: How do you
think this fight will unfold?
Minotauro: I'll try to fight to get a finishing hold. I don't
know what he is planning, but he is also a guy that loves to
finish the fights with submissions. I believe this has a great
chance of happening.
FCF: Right now
you're focused on Enson, but what are your plans for the future?
Is there anyone that you would like to fight?
Minotauro: Look, I think that I would like to fight one day against
Randy Couture. The public demands this fight. Everyone keeps
asking me about it, if I would like to face him and stuff. He
is someone that I would like to face. He is the UFC champion
and is a great fighter, and I believe this would be a challenge
that would attract me a lot.
FCF: Do you believe
an interchange between the UFC and PRIDE would be good for the
sport?
Minotauro: I believe it would be good for the UFC and it would
be good for PRIDE if they could do two fights, one in America
and the oth er in Japan. It would be a great attraction and it
would only help the sport. It would get the American public more
used to PRIDE, and the Japanese public more used to the UFC.
It would make the UFC more popular in Japan and PRIDE more popular
in America. But I guess they are thinking about doing it, even
doing a PRIDE in the USA.
FCF: Any final
message for your fans?
Minotauro: All that technique that I have been showing in my
fights, and everything that I was able to accomplish so far comes
from the motivations that my fans give me. The Japanese fans,
the American fans, and even the fighting people here in Brazil
are already talking about my fights, and the fights in general,
so I think that NHB as a sport is already becoming more popular!
So the motivation is bigger! The fighters are training more and
becoming more professional! And the important thing is that all
that motivation comes from the public! So all that I can say
is thanks a lot!
FCF: And do you
have any message for those that are willing to take away your
belt?
Minotauro: I have been training a lot! And now that I have the
belt I want to keep it. My battle was to get to the top, and
now that I got there are still a lot of fighters that I have
to beat to try to prove my technique. To prove that I'm not there
by accident. So now I'm training a lot and it won't be easy to
take the belt from me! I want to be with the belt, or at least
fighting for him, at least in the next 10 years or so, because
I believe the belt's home is here in Brazil.
FCF: Thanks a lot
for the interview! And good luck in your fight.
Minotauro: It was my pleasure!
Source: FCF
Website
|
Yamato
Damashii:
Enson Inoue's Warrior Way
The fighter is
to be always single-minded with one object in view: to fight,
looking neither backward nor sidewise. To go straight forward
in order to crush the enemy is all that is necessary for him.
- Daisetz Suzuki
Sunday, Enson Inoue
steps into the ring for the first time since announcing his retirement
fourteen months ago. Returning against top-ranked heavyweight
Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira, Inoue is supposed
to lose handily -- at least that's what the oddsmakers and experts
are saying -- however, none of that matters to the 34-year-old
because his is not a career based on wins and losses. In and
out of the ring, Inoue lives by an ancient Japanese concept known
as Yamato Damashii, and it's the reason he fights again.
"It's actually
the samurai spirit, which is 'no fear and never give up,'"
Inoue said to MaxFighting about the code. "It's about doing
things you don't want to do no matter how much pain and suffering
you had to go through. If it's the right thing to do, you just
do it. My whole lifestyle is around that word, as close as I
can to it. I feel that in life there are all aspects of Yamato
Damashii. There is Yamato Damashii in the fight ring; there is
Yamato Damashii as a family man; there is Yamato Damashii as
a husband; there is Yamato Damashii in the business world. The
Igor (Vovchanchyn) fight showed me that as far as my Yamato Damashii
in the ring, it's okay already. I figured I wanted to move on
and test myself as a family man, and test myself as a businessman.
Everything I'm moving towards is getting Yamato Damashii in all
aspects of my life."
"If you really
want to compare it to a life-and-death situation," he continues,
"I'm in a foxhole and there are a dozen guys coming with
guns, and I only have two bullets left; I'm not going to go raise
my hands in the air, throw my gun, say 'don't kill me' and leave
as a coward. I'm going to shoot two bullets, make sure I kill
two guys, rush them and see if I can take out a guy with a punch
or something. I would admit the fact that I would die that night,
but I would die fighting. I would die with my heart not running
away, not even for one second. In the fight it's the same way.
Everyone says Nogueira is going to beat my ass and wipe me on
the mat. Maybe he will. If he does, hats off to him, but he's
going to have to beat me. He' s going to have to be better than
me. If he doesn't he's going to have to fight me to the very,
very end and he's going to have to do it to the end.
"I have a
t-shirt that says 'live as a man, die as a man and become a man.'
If you really look at the words, it fits my motive right now.
No matter what I do, no matter how hard work is, no matter how
much I suffer as a family man, I want to hold my head up and
fight everything head on like a man. Maybe it might be a bit
severe, but in the fight game it's the same thing. If Nogueira
has a choke on me and I don't tapout and pass out, I may not
wake up. I'm going to make sure I don't pass out by punching
him and hitting him and getting out, instead of tapping. I would
never want to take that easy road out."
If he gets his
wish, the road less traveled could lead him smack dab in the
middle of Kandahar or Tora Bora, Afghanistan. Inoue's warrior
spirit transcends the ring or cage of mixed martial arts, and
it's compelled him to pursue some sort of retaliation, be it
personal or nationalistic, for 9-11. "If there is anything
I can do," says Inoue, "I'd like to be a part of it."
While many Americans
have seen the images of that day fade into a mishmash of "reality"
television, Pepsi commercials and so many Star Spangled Banner
renditions that "the Flag was still there" produces
a shrug, Inoue has not forgotten. "I had a friend die in
the second tower of the World Trade Center," he said. "I
had a friend that I was really close with here (Japan) that got
called up (to duty in the military.) I'm healthy. If it's being
a volunteer somewhere, teaching the military what I know, or
if it has to go all the way to enlisting and going all the way
up there, whatever it is, I'm talking to a lot of people and
there are a lot of options."
The chances of
a man Inoue's age joining today's military and seeing any sort
of action on the front lines are slim to none, but that's not
the point. In his world, fighting every minute of every day of
his life is as normal as going to the bank or shopping for groceries.
His call to the military is just an extension of that.
"It's really
hard with my wife and stuff," says Inoue. "They tell
me 'why don't you be like everyone else?' But if you look at
Enson the way I am, that's just the way I am. I just react differently.
Who'd ever think I'd throw down blows with Igor? It's just me.
Certain incidents in the world affect me a little different.
That's what makes Enson Inoue, Enson Inoue. I told my wife that's
who you married, I'm sorry. I get in the ring and you want me
to be more relaxed. You don't want me to throw down with Igor,
but that's whom you married. She understands that now.
"It hit me
in my heart. I've been to the World Trade Center three times.
I' ve been to New York a dozen times. To me, New York is the
Empire State Building and the World Trade Center. I've been to
that building; I've touched that building; I've been in that
building. I just can't believe that building is gone. It's a
crazy thing that I feel like I have to be a part of. When I saw
the event happen after training at Gold's Gym I thought it was
a movie. When I realized it was real, something just hit me and
changed me."
As news first broke
of Inoue's wish to serve the U.S. in the aftermath of the terror
attacks upon America, some were puzzled by his patriotic pursuits,
curious if it was more stunt than substance. Not one to miss
a chance for publicity -- be it good or bad -- Dream Stage Entertainment
approached Inoue and his manager about the possibility of the
Hawaiian-born fighter participating in one final fling in the
ring before donning fatigues and firing munitions at al-Qaeda.
"They asked
me who I wanted to fight, and I said if I want to come off with
one last big bang the guy I want to bang it with is (Vanderlei)
Silva," he said. "He's my weight. I've lost to most
of the heavyweights recently. The past three fights I've lost.
'I don't think I deserve a shot at Nogueira,' I told them. And
I told them if anything, I'd drop weight, fight someone my own
weight and see what I can do with Silva. That was how everything
started. They told me I could get Silva and I got really excited
about it. That's how the talk started happening."
The rumor of Silva-Inoue
saw fans salivate in anticipation of an unheralded barrage of
punches and ferocity in the ring. "I think it would have
been a fireworks display that went bam-bam-bam," said Inoue.
"When the smoke clears, someone would have been on the ground.
That's how I thought it would be. He's definitely a very aggressive
fighter and I think he's definitely hittable. I'm very hittable
too. We're both the same kind of fighter. Win or lose I thought
it really be a fight everyone would remember and it would be
a great way to go out."
However, as DSE
is prone to do, they quickly changed their tune and told Inoue
that he'd be fighting Nogueira, not Silva. "I was like 'wait,
Nogueira? He's a heavyweight and I wanted to fight middleweight,'
Inoue said. "But they told me Nogueira was the one they
wanted me to fight; I wanted Silva. I insisted on Silva, but
they insisted that Silva didn't want to take the fight, which
I find very hard to believe."
"Instead of
talking about the opponent, they started talking to me about
money," continued the Hawaiian, who agreed to somewhere
in the neighborhood of low to mid six-figures for this fight.
"The money started getting crazy to the point where I saw
a good future for my family. I said 'hey, let's do it. Nogueira
it is.'"
The negotiations
proved much more cordial than the first time DSE tried to tempt
Inoue out of retirement. Pride officials coaxed Guy Mezger to
call Inoue out following his victory over Enson's brother, Egan,
at Pride 13. Uncomfortable in a pro-wrestling suit, Mezger clued
Inoue into what was about to go down in the ring, which turned
out to be the smartest thing he could have done.
"I thought
it kind of pulled me further away by doing it that way, playing
this pro-wrestling thing using Guy," he said. "Guy
really didn't know what was going on either. He was told something
else, and I wasn't told anything at all. It was really a bad
way to do it. I appreciated Guy coming and talking to me. Everything
didn't go out of hand because Guy really acted classy, so I kind
of thank Guy for that. He informed me of what was happening.
I had no clue. We hashed it out on the table with Pride about
how bad that was. They showed their apology in many different
ways and I forgave them."
Take arrows in
your forehead, but never in your back. - Samurai maxim
Currently the best
heavyweight in the sport, Nogueira will be Inoue's fourth consecutive
top-flight heavyweight opponent. Many point to the brutal pummeling
Inoue received at the hands of Vovchanchyn at Pride 10 as the
beginning of the end for him. Yet, even in defeat, Inoue exhibited
everything Yamato Damashii he carries inside him. Barely able
to stand after the 10-minute beating, Inoue refused assistance
while addressing the crowd. Observers may have called his response
stubborn, stupid or supremely tough, but Inoue has a much broader
view of what that fight meant to him.
"Mentally,
it didn't really hurt me but it made me aware that there was
nothing else in the fight game that would help me build myself
as a person," Inoue, who suffered swelling on the brain
and a perforated ear drum, which took almost three months to
fully recuperate, because of the pounding, said. "I don't
think there is a bigger beating I can take without dying. I don't
think there is a scarier moment of me being in the ring. I don't
think there is a scarier moment of what I went through there
and I didn't have one spot of fear in me. I realized that my
reason for fighting wasn't to become the best fighter and wasn't
to find the best strategy to win; it was hitting my fear straight
on and seeing what my heart does with it: if I run away or get
scared.
"That is what
my last couple of fights were all about. The Igor fight was good
for me. As far as developing strength in your heart, I don't
think there is more in a fight you can do. That's why I kind
of felt maybe I should go on and do other things -- run a gym,
make a business, raise a family -- and then there will be other
bigger obstacles that I need to overcome. As far as fighting,
I considered it a stepping stone to go on further and be a better
person."
A loss constitutes
defeat if one learns nothing from it, and it's clear that Inoue
applied lessons in the ring to other aspects of his life and
vice versa. "Being away from the fight game, raising a family,
getting more into the business aspect has showed me a lot more
weaknesses that I have, that I didn't think I had. When I got
in the ring I could fight anybody. I wasn't scared or I could
counter all my fears. The hard training and pain in the body
I could overcome the next day, but I realized when I started
in business that I have a lot more. So I think I have become
a lot stronger. Hopefully it will show in my next fight and I'll
be a lot more relaxed, more poised and more controlled."
Preparing at his
Purebred gym in Omiya, Japan as well as traveling to Thailand
to concentrate on Thai-boxing, the 5-foot-11 Inoue has dedicated
himself to returning at no-less-than 100-percent. He'll need
to be the best he's ever been if there is any hope of a victory
versus Nogueira.
"I'm trying
to cover all aspects of the game," he expressed. "I
admit, he's a better puncher than me; he's a better grappler
than me; he's bigger than me. He has everything on his side.
I got odds on my side. I have the odds any guy that gives everything
has. I don't have zero percent, that's all I can tell you. I
just have to make it a point to train hard enough and concentrate.
Hopefully the luck is there that I can walk my road. He might
have an 80-percent chance of beating me up, but I got that 20
(percent) and I'm going to walk that 20."
"There is
a lot less pressure on me to fight Nogueria because he doesn't
really have any glaring weak points," continued Inoue. "If
I take him down he's got an awesome guard. If I stand, he's good
standing. He's good everywhere, so I'm just going to fine tune
myself, smooth all the edges out and give it everything I got."
Most notably, the
lessons learned from a career that began in 1995, and the life
process that saw him leave and return to a profession that personifies
him, have resulted in an Enson Inoue that is prepared for whatever
is thrown his way. He says he'd "like to show that I have
some brains in my head" instead of "losing it and going
in straight into the fire" for the Pride fight on the 24th.
Would he change
the plan of attack, in a fight he swears is his last, which has
defined his warrior fighting campaign? We can't be sure, but
one thing we can take to the bank: Inoue will take the path his
Yamato Damashii guides him toward. "It's not something I'm
trying to do, it just comes out naturally," he says.
Source: Maxfighting |
Quote
of the Day
"Beware of little expenses. A small leak will sink a great
ship."
Benjamin Franklin, 1706-1790, American Scientist, Publisher,
Diplomat
|
SHOOTO:
Japanese Rankings
Official SHOOTO rankings as of February 12th:
Featherweight
[-60.0 Kg / 132.3 lbs]
Champ Masahiro Oishi K'z FACTORY
1st Hisao Ikeda PUREBRED Omiya
2nd Jin Akimoto K'z FACTORY
3rd Mamoru STG Yokohama
4th Hiroaki Yoshioka PARAESTRA Tokyo
5th Kentaro Imaizumi SK Absolute
6th Ryota Matsune PARAESTRA Matsudo
7th ABKZ PARAESTRA Tokyo
8th Kimihito Nonaka PUREBRED Omiya
9th Itchaku Murata Freelance
Lightweight
[- 65.0 Kg / 143.3 lbs]
Champ Alexandre Nogueira TOP TEAM
1st Tetsuo Katsuta K'z FACTORY
2nd Katsuya Toita KEISYU KAI
3rd Stephen
Palling JESUS IS LORD
4th Hiroyuki Abe RJW
5th Baret
Yoshida GRAPPLING UNLIMITED
6th Naoya Uematsu K'z FACTORY
7th Kazuhiro Inoue IMPRESS
8th Noboru Asahi YELLOW MANS
9th Norifumi Yamamoto PUREBRED Omiya
Welterweight
[-70.0 Kg / 154.3 lbs]
Champ Takanori Gomi KIGUCHI
1st Dokonjonosuke Mishima COBRA KAI
2nd Marcio Barbosa SPORT PHYSICAL
3rd Rumina Sato K'z FACTORY
4th Ryan Bow Freelance
5th Takumi Nakayama PARAESTRA Tokyo
6th Hiroshi Tsuruya PARAESTRA Matsudo
7th Kohei Yasumi PARAESTRA Tokyo
8th Ian J. Schaffa SPARTAN GYM
9th Takeshi Yamazaki GRABAKA
10th Daisuke Sugie ALIVE
Middleweight
[-76.0 Kg / 167.6 lbs]
Champ Anderson Silva CHUTE BOXE
1st Hayato Sakurai GUTSMAN
2nd Tetsuji Kato PUREBRED Omiya
3rd Jutaro Nakao STG Osaka
4th Ray "Bradda"
Cooper JESUS IS LORD
5th Steve Berger TEAM VAGHI
6th Dan Gilbert HELL-HOUSE
7th Frank Trigg RAW TEAM
8th Aaron Riley AMC PANKRATION
9th Takuya Wada K'z FACTORY
10th Seichi Ikemoto RI ROOTS CONAN
Lightheavyweight
[-83.0 Kg / 183.0 lbs]
Champ Masanori Suda CLUB J
1st Lance Gibson AMC PANKRATION
2nd Larry Papadopoulos SPARTAN GYM
3rd Izuru Takeuchi K'z FACTORY
4th Martijn de Jong MARTIJN DOJO
5th Shikou Yamashita PARAESTRA Sapporo
6th Ivan Salaverry AMC PANKRATION
7th Scott Henze Freelance
8th Ronald
Jhun Team Jhun
|
UFC
Rumors
SATURDAY - Despite
what some web sites are reporting, Vitor Belfort and Chuck Liddell
HAS NOT been signed. Sources close to the UFC said Vitor contacted
the UFC offices on Friday and said he couldn't sign any type
of contract to fight Chuck because of "carnival" the
big Brazilian celebration. So while many reports say he will
fight Chuck, nothing has been signed. He may have committed verbally,
but nothing has been signed, and some people close to the situation
aren't comfortable with just talk. They wanted this contract
signed two weeks ago. We will see if he signs on the dotted line
soon or not.
-If Vitor does
not fight Liddell, from all accounts the UFC will then turn all
attention to Vanderlai Silva. The UFC is very interested in sending
Chuck to Pride to fight Vanderlai. This seems to be the fight
more fans want to see anyway, so this could be a great fit. Speaking
of Vanderlai Silva.
-Dieusel Berto
is pleased to announce that Sunday March 3rd Vanderlei
Silva and Matt Hume will be conducting a seminar at Tiger's World
of
Martial Arts in Winter Haven, Fla. This is the day after the
fights. Also
in attendance will be Carl Malenko and Berto's son Micheal who
is last
year's Jr. Olympic boxing champion in his weight class. The cost
is
only $100. You can call Berto for more info at 863-299-3661 or
go to
tigersworld.net. This is a great deal especially for instructors
of this
caliber. They will also be in attendence March 2 for Tigers Worlds
"Rumble
in the Dome" MMA event in Winter Haven.
Source: MMA Weekly |
INTERVIEW:
DIN THOMAS
Din Thomas returns
to the UFC to take on Matt Serra in the upcoming UFC 36. This
is the first in a series of interviews with the man known as
THE DOMINATOR.
ADCC: You had
a tough loss to BJ and a big win over Fabiano, what did 2001
mean to Din Thomas as a fighter?
Din: I like to think of it as a big loss to BJ and tough win
over Fabiano. 2001 was just another year. I'd like to have gone
undefeated but oh well. I'll try again this year.
ADCC: How have
you been doing since your last fight, you are in Japan right
now is that right? What are you doing over there?
Din: My friend is fighting Mishima in Shooto.
ADCC: How did
your loss against BJ affect you mentally and did you change your
strategy going in to fight Iha?
Din: It just made me realize not to overestimate myself. It didn't
really change my strategy with Fabiano. I always know what I
have to do to win. I just have to execute it. I'm sure that if
I fought BJ 100 times, I could win 50 of them. I know how to
beat people; it's just a matter of doing it.
ADCC: Did you
under estimate BJ's stand up abilities?
Din: Nah. I just overestimated mine. I didn't think that he couldn't
punch and kick, or knee for that matter. I just didn't think
he would throw it when he did. After watching him fight Jens,
he throws that knee a lot instinctively.
ADCC: How would
you fight him differently?
Din: More patiently. The easiest way to get knocked out is to
TRY and knock somebody out. But hell, it makes for a good highlight
video. The UFC shows it in every commercial that happens to come
on every 4 or 5 minutes on ESPN.
ADCC: Tell us
about your fight with Fabiano?
Din: It was good. I just think I wasn't used to the air in Vegas.
If I was more prepared for it I could have made it a better fight.
I like to fight fast and somewhat spastically. I just couldn't
do it then. This time will be different. I will be ready to go.
ADCC: What do
you think of the fighters in your division?
Din: We have the most competitive division in the world. If you
don't believe me, go to shooto and check out their welterweight
division. Every division has a top 5 who can beat each other
on any given day. Our division has about 10 - 15 guys. There
are guys fighting class B in shooto that would come here to the
US and give us hell.
ADCC: Who is
the best in the division right now, besides you of course?
Din: I think based on accomplishments, Jens Pulver by far. The
toughest guy to beat will be Takanori Gomi. The most talented
and gifted are BJ Penn and Mishima Dokojonosuke.
ADCC: Do you
think the lightweights get the respect they deserve in MMA? Din:
Hell nah.
ADCC: The talk
of UFC lightweight division is your fight with Matt Serra, the
smack talk has begun, what do you have to say to Matt?
Din: I'm gonna send him back to Renzo's crying on Rodrigo's shoulder.
ADCC: Jamie
Levine says you will submit him, what do you think?
Din: There are many scenarios that could happen in a fight. Me
submitting Matt isn’t one of them.
ADCC: What do
you think of Matt as a fighter?
Din: He's a flashy fighter. He likes to play to the crowd. He
comes straight ahead. Throws a lot of submissions but hasn't
really been able to finish anybody. I'm sure he can. I will just
have to be careful because I know he feels he has something to
prove.
ADCC: How do
you compare his ground game to Fabiano's?
Din: Fabiano has a good arm bar. Matt has great everything on
the ground. Fabiano may be a little more confident on his feet.
He's more experienced too. As far as the ground goes, you should
ask me after the fight. Ill give you a better answer.
ADCC: How will
this fight play out?
Din: Lots of blood and body parts in the ring.
ADCC: You are
one of the few to have beaten Jens Pulver, when will you get
your shot at his belt?
Din: I'm in no hurry to fight him. I'll fight him whenever. I
just want to fight.
ADCC: What do
you think BJ did wrong that you did right in your match against
him?
Din: He didn't take enough chances. Jens is like a rock. You
ain't gonna move him and make him back up. You have to be sneakier
than him.
ADCC: Take care
Din and thanks for the interview.
Din: My pleasure. I'm also available for birthday parties, barbeques,
barmitzvas, wedding receptions, and octagons. |
UPDATE:
JAPAN'S DEEP
Japan's DEEP
organziation will host it's 4th event in Nagoya, Japan on March
30, 2002.
In what could
be one of the most bizarre moments in MMA history, DEEP will
do a theme show based around the pro wrestling stars of Mexico's
AAA federation against legitimate Japanese fighters. Members
of the Brazilian TOP TEAM will also take part, however their
participation is diminished from earlier rumors.
Sound ridiculous?
It looks that way when you see a masked pro wrestling (like Mil
Mascaras of pro wrestling fame) going against the likes of a
Yuki Kondo. This backfired on DEEP promoters as last time, Dos
Caras Jr. (complete with wrestling mask) defeated Kengo in what
has to be a major upset and one of the most odd looking matches
ever seen.
The format for
this upcomingshow will be a FIVE on FIVE tournament. There will
be five matches and a team will be crowned champions at the end
of the night.
Some of the
bouts include:
Kengo vs. Dos
Caras Jr. (rematch from their previous event)
Takehiro Murahama vs. Joao
Roque (BJJ Black Belt)
Yuki Sasaki vs. Gustavo 'Ximu' Machado
Other Japanese
fighters taking part in this event will be Minoru Suzuki
(Pancrase), Yuki Kondo (Pancrase) and others to be decided.
The Mexican
Luchadores to take part will be chosen from the following: Ultimo
Guerrero, El Kanek, Memo Diaz, El Solar, Kick Boxer, Principe
Maya, Toro Irison and Shu El Guerrero.
Source: Abu Dhabi |
Quote
of the Day
"It is a common experience that a problem difficult at night
is resolved in the morning after the committee of sleep has worked
on it."
John Steinbeck, 1902-1968, American Author
|
Another
Champ from Aiea
Malcolm Ahlo
has been steam rolling the competition in Jiu-Jitsu and submission
wrestling tournaments both in Hawaii and abroad. Malcolm is not
the only champion in the Ahlo family. "Little" brother,
Shane Ahlo, also a Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Aiea team member,
just won the Under 220 lb Heath and Fitness Expo Strong Man Competition
at Blaisdell Arena. This was a two day affair where powerlifters
must accomplish tasks such as over head presses, deadlifts, the
farmer's walk, bench press, and the truck pull. Shane ended the
first day in the lead and needed to place first in the last event
to secure the title. He came through big time and walked away
the champ. In fact, he was the only competitor to finish the
truck pull. Congratulations to Shane! Although there were no
Jiu-Jitsu tournaments, two of our boys came out of this weekend
champs!
|
Rothwell
Shocks the Field at
Extreme Challenge 46
20-year-old bests veterans in 'Return of the Heavyweights'
CLIVE, Iowa
-- Picking a favorite was no easy task when the 8-man heavyweight
tourney lineup was announced for Extreme Challenge 46.
After all, Kerry
'Meat Truck' Schall has been on a roll... huge Travis Wiuff looked
unstoppable... and Mike Radnov seemed like the complete package.
The odds of
20-year-old Ben Rothwell, a late addition to the tourney, coming
out on top would have been astronomical... and somebody would
have won a bundle!
Rothwell, who
trains under Dave Strasser at the Freestyle Academy in Kenosha,
Wis., got a couple breaks and made some of his own en route to
winning the title and the right to advance to the 16-man mega
tournament scheduled for April 25-26 in Honolulu, Hawaii.
When Seth Peters
failed to show (or call) at the event, Rothwell benefitted from
a first-round bye. Then, he held off a determined Schall in the
semifinals before stopping Radnov in the finals due to a large
cut (it took 24 stitches) under his left eye. It needs to be
noted that Schall elected to fight despite suffering a broken
right foot in the first round. He lasted almost eight minutes
before stopping when he was unable to stand on the foot.
Radnov fought
an excellent tourney, submitting a game Ron Faircloth (also from
Strasser's Freestyle Academy) at 7:04 in the first round, then
getting a TKO win at 5:00 over Wiuff in the semis in a bout that
ended following the bell due to a cut.
In the title
match, Rothwell and Radnov fought pretty evenly before the cut,
which opened where a large swelling had built up through the
tourney under Radnov's left eye.
In an alternate
match, Johnathan Ivey beat Jamie Schell with an ankle lock, but
broke his hand in the process, preventing him from entering the
tourney's main draw as a replacement for Peters.
In a feature
bout, Jason Black jumped all over James Meals and pounded out
a TKO victory in 1:44. Black, who trains at the Miletich Martial
Arts Academy, improved his record to 16-0-1.
Both Rothwell
and Radnov earned berths to the 16-man Hawaii event. Two more
will qualify on March 16 when Extreme Challenge 47, featuring
another 8-man heavyweight tourney, is held in Orem, Utah.
Official
Results:
Alternate bout:
Johnathan Ivey def. Jamie Schell, 1:20 ankle lock. (broken hand
prevents Ivey from entering main draw).
First round:
Mike Radnov def. Ron Faircloth, 7:04 forearm choke;
Travis Wiuff def. Keith Jardine, :06 KO;
Kerry Schall def. William Hill, 1:23 rear choke;
Ben Rothwell bye (thanks Seth).
Semifinals:
Radnov def. Wiuff, 5:00 TKO, ref stop due to cut (9 stitches);
Rothwell def. Schall, 7:29 verbal submission (Schall fought with
a broken foot from first bout).
Finals:
Rothwell def. Radnov, 5:54 TKO, ref stop due to cut (24 stitches).
Feature bout:
Jason Black def. James Meals, 1:44 TKO from punches.
|
GET
WELL, RULON GARDNER;
OLYMPIC AND
WORLD CHAMPION WRESTLER
HOSPITALIZED AND IN FAIR CONDITION FOR FROSTBITE AFTER GETTING
LOST ON
SNOWMOBILE TRIP
He may have
been the man who conquered the great Alexander Kareline, but
Olympic and world champion Greco-Roman wrestler Rulon Gardner
had a tougher battle with the elements Thursday night and Friday.
Rulon got lost from a group of friends while on a snowmobiling
trip in the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming and became
stranded in the frigid air and snow overnight. But while he has
been hospitalized in the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center
for frostbite after being rescued, it looks like he will also
emerge victorious in this battle as well.
As of Saturday,
Rulon was listed in fair condition, according to Amy Stevens,
director of community relations and the hospital spokesperson.
She explained that being listed in fair condition means, by definition,
that the patient is conscious, vital signs are stable, he may
be uncomfortable or have minor complications, and that indicators
are favorable. She confirmed that he 'is conscious,' a necessary
condition to be marked in fair condition.
'Rulon is talking
with family members and telling jokes,' she added. It is unclear
exactly how long he will be hospitalized, since recovery from
frostbite can take several days to weeks. This 'can be a waiting
game,' Ms. Stevens stated.
A press conference
was held Saturday by Rulon's family and business manager to provide
an update about his situation. A transcript of the press conference
will be posted on Rulon's own web site at http://www.rulongardner.com. There is also a guestbook there
which well-wishers are being encouraged to sign.
For those who
wish to send 'get well' messages, besides through his guestbook,
there are several ways. The hospital has its own e-mail delivery
system to patients on its web site. That can be accessed at http://www.eirmc.org/PatEmail.asp. Also, cards can be sent by regular
mail to the hospital at:
Eastern Idaho
Regional Medical Center
3100 Channing Way
Idaho Falls, ID 83404
'Cards and e-mails
will be great,' Ms. Stevens emphasized. But she also said that
his room was now 'overloaded with flowers,' so these should no
longer be sent.
When there is
new information on Rulon's condition, there will be updates posted
both on Rulon's own site and the hospital's site at http://www.eirmc.org.
It is also too
early to tell when Rulon will be able to return to wrestling.
He had said in an interview with me in late December, right before
the Midlands Wrestling Championships, that he definitely plans
to continue wrestling this year, even with the new reduced top
weight class of 264 lbs./120 kg. 'I guess it'll make me leaner
and meaner,' he said then. Right now his family is just focusing
on him and his recovery, and, according to Ms. Stevens, 'everything
else is not being addressed.'
Also, the link
to the first Associated Press story on Rulon's situation is:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=
/ap/20020215/ap_on_re_us/wrestler_stranded_3
Source: Abu
Dhabi/Eddie Goldman |
Pride
19 - 'Bad Blood' Match Order
Date:
February 24th, 2002
Opens: 14:00 START 16:00
Place: Saitama Super Arena (Saitama-Pref , Japan)
Tom
"Big Cat" Erikson vs Tim "Obake" Catalfo
Wallid Ismail vs Alex Steibling
Daijiro Matsui vs Rodrigo "Highlander" Gracie
Carlos "The Ronin" Newton vs Jose "Pele"
Landy
Heath Herring vs Igor Vovchanchyn
Don Frye vs Ken Shamrock
Enson Inoue vs Antonio "Minotauro" Nogueira
Vanderlei Silva vs Kiyoshi Tamura
|
Quote
of the Day
"Friendship is one mind in two bodies."
Mencius
|
Congratulations
Kyle!
Kyle Olivares is the
JV OIA Wrestling Champ!
Relson Gracie
Jiu-Jitsu Aiea Academy star, Kyle Olivares was the top seated
wrestler in the 160lbs division, even though he only weighs 150lbs.
Kyle wrestles out of Mililani high school and because of his
top seat, he had a bye to the semi-finals. After a slight slip
up, Kyle used one of his patented guard techniques to go to an
armbar and escape a bad position, reverse the position and pin
his opponent within a minute in the first round. He then came
back and totally dominated his Moanalua opponent in the finals
and pinned the kid in under two minutes to become the Junior
Varsity OIA wrestling champion. To top it off, he is a freshman
and this is his first year wrestling...if you don't count a couple
of times that we had to "lay the smack down" on him.
I just hope that he doesn't come back to class, now that the
wrestling season is over, and turn us into candy asses.
Who says Jiu-Jitsu guys can't wrestle? Next year watch out varsity
wrestlers, there's a new sheriff in town!
|
The
32 Man Heavyweight Tournament started yesterday in Des Moines,
Iowa
Extreme Challenge
46 Tonight
By Keith Mills
Des Moines,
IA -- The weigh-ins and rules meeting are finished here in IA
and the fighters are getting ready for the event tonight at the
7 Flags Event Center. Seth Peters is still in transit but all
the other fighters are present and seem in good health.
The winner
and runner-up of tonight's tournament will compete in the third
T. Jay Thompson/Monte Cox tournament held in Hawaii in April.
Hopes are high the winner of that tournament will be considered
for the UFC.
Tonight's
8-man tournament will also hold a feature bout between Jason
Black and James Meals, sure to be worth the admission by itself.
Jason is 15-0-1 in MMA fighting out of the Miletich Martial Arts
camp. Jason is 9-7 with experience in RITC, Rumble In The Rockies,
and Absolute Fighting Challenge. Jason seems calm and ready,
saying "it's an honor to fight someone from the Miletich
team."
Judges Andre
Roberts, Tom Sauer, and Jesse Jones are all fighters themselves.
UFC vet Brad Kohler is also on hand cornering for one of the
tournament fighters.
Tonight's
event will be held in the old four-sided cage with IA rules which
allow knees on the ground, open hand and forearm strikes but
no punches to the back of the head, and shoes if a fighter gives
up the option to kick. The cage is 8' high and measures 20x20.
Source:
FCF |
Heating
up for PRIDE 19:
Wallid is coming to Japan!
By Eduardo Alonso
Wallid Ismail
is without a doubt one of the most controversial and charismatic
fighters in the NHB game. Winning or losing Ismail is always
producing epic rivalries and entertaining fights for the audience,
and now he is about to face his toughest challenge in recent
years: a face-off with IVC champion Alex Stiebling. Wallid left
for Japan on Thursday, February 14th, but he managed to speak
with FCF in the cab on the way to the airport, as FCF heats up
for PRIDE 19!
FCF: Wallid, a good amount of time has passed after your win
over Shungo Oyama at PRIDE 15, and now you're finally going to
fight at PRIDE again. Have you been anxious to fight again during
this layoff?
Wallid: Look, what happened is that I had closed a deal to fight
against Daijiro Matsui in December. But I don't know what happened,
if Matsui didn't want to take the fight or what, but with around
10 days left for the fight, the fight was unfortunately cancelled.
So I kept training for this fight in February, and I'm tranquil.
I'm here for whatever may come.
FCF: But does
this layoff increase your will to fight?
Wallid: Without a doubt! I'm eager to fight!
FCF: Your opponent
will be Alex Stiebling, who won the recent 16-man IVC tournament
and also made his debut in PRIDE defeating Allan Goes. What do
you know about your opponent?
Wallid: Man, he is very good! He is a young kid that has been
standing out. In the last 3 months he beat five Brazilians, so
it's going to be a tough fight. But I'm ready. I'm ready for
the war!
FCF: Did you
watch his fight against Goes? What did you think of that fight?
Wallid: I watched it. The worst thing that exists is for you
to analyze another fighter's fight. I find it ridiculous when
people do that. It has already happened with me when I happened
to lose, or when other fighters lose... some guys that aren't
fighting start to say things like, "Gee, he didn't do that,
he should've done that, etc." I believe to say these kinds
of things is to act like a fool! Because a real fighter doesn't
need to keep commenting on the other fighter's fights. I believe
that only those who don't really fight comment on this kind of
stuff. I don't think that is right for a real fighter to keep
commenting on stuff like, "he made a mistake there, and
he made another mistake there," because anything can happen
inside the ring. I believe that those who criticize the fighters
are a bunch of fools! Because anyone that enters the ring to
fight is already a warrior in my book.
FCF: Well, to
lose you've got to enter the ring first...
Wallid: Exactly! Like something that always bothered me a lot;
some members of the Gracie family would never fight. Like Rickson
and some others, but he would always talk about the guys that
were fighting a lot! When the guy that was fighting a lot would
lose, they would badmouth the guy! "He should've done that,
or he shouldn't have done that," I think this is a dull
thing. It's easy for you not to fight and keep analyzing the
fights of those who fight. This is the role of a fool! Who must
analyze the fights are those who are paid to analyze fights.
A fighter that wants to be an analyst must get in there to brawl!
FCF: You have
focused a lot on your standing up training, and also on your
wrestling training lately. Do you feel more comfortable to trading
nowadays?
Wallid: A lot more! I'm fine man. Let's see what will happen
in this fight. I trained a lot for this fight, and I'm coming
to Japan a lot earlier than usual. Because in the two fights
that I lost, my condition was always a factor. You can see that
I never lacked in guts or will, and the few times that I happened
to suffer an adverse result, only two times during my whole career,
it was because of my conditioning and the time-zone thing. Because
I would get to Japan two days before the fight, but not now man!
Now I'm going ten days before the fight, and I trained a lot
for that.
FCF: Also you
have been showing an improved cardio condition in all of your
recent fights. Do you feel that Wallid is now a much better conditioned
athlete?
Wallid: Nowadays I'm without a doubt a professional athlete!
In the old days, I was a guy that didn't respect my opponents
a lot. For example, I would leave Brazil 10 days before a fight,
go to the USA and only get to Japan like 3 days before the fight!
I didn't respect my opponents. I thought that I was going to
beat the guys quickly, no matter what. And that was when I had
the adverse results. But nowadays I'm totally professional. I
train for that. To represent Brazil and my state of Amazonas.
So I'm ready for war! Those old days are over, you can even see
that I'm not doing any TV shows anymore and stuff like that,
because Wallid is now concentrated in training. The days that
I was on TV all the time were the days that I didn't train.
FCF: Who will
be in your corner for this fight?
Wallid: In my corner I'll have Darrel Gholar, Carlson Gracie,
Luis Alves, and of course the support of my managers, Sergio
Batarelli and Marcos Jara.
FCF: How do
you imagine this fight unfolding? How do you believe the fight
is going to be decided?
Wallid: I'll say something man, excuse the word that I'll use,
but now there are only 10 days for the fight, so I say fuck-off!
Now it's time to brawl! I don't have to be thinking if it's going
to be like this or like that, it's time to brawl! We'll go there
to brawl and let's see what will happen in the end! I'm prepared
to brawl! In any way he wants to! If he wants to brawl standing
and I can't take him to the ground, let's brawl standing! If
he wants to go to the ground, let's go to the ground! I'll go
everywhere he wants to! Fuck-off, you know?
FCF: You were
challenged at the last MECA event by Marcelo Giudice, a Ryan
Gracie student. What did you think of this challenge?
Wallid: [Laughs] This was nonsense. Poor guy, I pity him. He's
wanting to promote himself. Because let me tell you something
funny, at the hotel he was scared to death. He was walking with
his head down and stuff, but once he got to the event and he
knew that there were people to break up the fight, he got tough
again! He doesn't even have the condition to fight me. Man! Where
did this guy already fight? Who is this guy? This guy is nothing,
a nobody!
FCF: After your
fight at PRIDE 19, what can we expect from you in the near future?
Wallid: This fight aside, I'm ready for war! That's it; I'm ready
to continue, to keep training and fighting and give plenty of
joy to the ones that supports me, and plenty of sadness to my
opponents! Because there's no easy time. For how long have you
been hearing my name in the fight game? You can see that there's
always a bunch of young fighters coming, but Wallid is always
here! A warrior! For how many years have you been hearing about
me? A lot of years! The young guys will come and go and I'm always
here, with a lot of discipline and a lot of faith in God.
FCF: Is there
anyone that you would like to face? Like maybe a rematch against
Akira Shoji in PRIDE?
Wallid: This is what I want the most! This is what I ask [for]
the most in Japan. But man, those two guys that beat me, Takahashi
and Shoji, they run from me like the devil runs from the cross!
And a guy that I believe it would be a good fight is Rickson!
But gee, he only talks. But let it roll.
FCF: And what
about Ryan? Is there any chance of this fight finally happening?
Wallid: Man, he got spanked on his butt by Sakuraba. I don't
even like to analyze fights, but gee, he is a poor guy. He doesn't
exist. Then, gee, he lost to that Japanese fighter that weighs
10kg less than him! I only talk about him because he is nothing,
and because he talked about me first!
FCF: Any final
message for your fans?
Wallid: I'm here, a warrior as always! I'm ready for whatever
may come, and with the help of God I'll bring another victory
to Brazil. And let's keep going!
FCF: Thanks
a lot Wallid. The best of luck in your fight.
Wallid: Thanks man.
Source:
FCF |
|
2/14/02 Happy Valentine's Day |
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