"Always look at what you have left. Never look at what you
have lost."
Robert H. Schuller
Breaking
News: Eddie Yagin vs. Shaolin Ribeiro
Kazeta
& Eddie Yagin
Yagin punching Jay R. Palmer
An insider has just notified us that Hawaii's own Eddie Yagin
(Grappling Unlimited) will be facing Vitor "Shaolin"
Ribeiro in the WFA. Yagin has been on a tear in MMA with his
"go for broke" style and he will meet another freight
train in Shaolin. Shaolin is a Nova Uniao black belt with a 3-0
record. The two will meet due to Chris Brennan, Shaolin's former
opponent, pulling out of the fight due to injury.
PS - This is not the huge match up that is in the works. Stay
tuned for that one.
Margarita
Coming to Hawaii?
There is a rumor floating around that Fernando Pontes, better
known as Margarita is coming to Hawaii to do a seminar. Margarita
trains with the Brazilian Top Team and has won his weight class
and the absolute in the Pan Americans and the Mundial. He is
the only man to have beaten Saulo Ribeiro twice, in one tournament,
once by submission via a choke. Margarita leads the charge of
BJJ guys away from sweeping their opponents and winning on points
and getting back to submitting their opponents. When solid information
is gathered we will let everyone know about this.
Relson
Gracie International BJJ Tournament This Weekend!
Do not forget, the International tournament is set for this Saturday
at Kaiser High School. This will be the first Gracie tournament
to include a no-gi division to help grow the sport and allow
the no-gi guys more opportunties to compete. The gi portion of
the tournament will start promptly at 8:30AM and the no-gi is
expected around noon. The no-gi division is using standard BJJ
rules and has 4 weight classes (<155, 156-175, 176-200, 200+).
Volunteers are being sought to help judge (basically keep score),
time keepers and videographers (press the record & stop button
and zoom in and out). People from all schools are encouraged
and welcomed to help out!
Please call the Gracie Academy for more information @ (808) 589-2524.
News
From PRIDE
In a decision by DSE/PRIDE this week, the main event of Nobuhiko
Takada vs. Kiyoshi Tamura has been moved down.
Many
believe that this is due to the diminished 'drawing power' of
both Tamura and Takada.
Tamura,
who has just made horribly bad decisions in his opponents, was
mauled by Bob Sapp in his last outing in PRIDE, loss to Vanderlei
Silva before also due to TKO and is coming off a decision win
in DEEP over Ikuhisa Minowa eight weeks ago.
Takada,
who's overall 'record' is 3-5, was one referred to as the Hulk
Hogan of Japan and gained an enormous following back in the mid-1990's.
This was in the 'strong style' pro wrestling/fighting that was
UWFI.
He
eventually had his first legitimate fight on 10/11/97 in PRIDE
against Rickson Gracie where he was armbarred easily in the first
round. This was one of two losses to Rickson Gracie.
He
then ran up a few wins but many question the legitimacy of the
wins. Kyle Sturgeon, Alexander Otsuka and Mark Coleman. The latter
of the three looked incredibly bad for a 'real' fight.
If
the Tamura vs. Takada fight is legit, it will be interesting.
If they do it UWFI style, it will be entertaining but today's
MMA fan, it will be a slap in the face.
Who
is being elevated to 'main event' status? You guessed it, the
long awaited return of Kazushi Sakuraba.
Returning
from a serious eye injury sustained against Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic
in August, Sak is going against the advice of his doctors.
The
relatively unheard of, Gilles Arsene, is the next victim...um....opponent
for Sakuraba who achieved superstar status by defeating a long
list of Gracies (Royler, Royce, Renzo and Ryan).
Source: ADCC
AMERICAN
TOP TEAM WELCOMES...
Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt Edson Diniz to the team!
Edson
brings an impressive list of credentials with him. He is a multiple
Pan-American champion, Mundial Champion, & NAGA Champion.
He also has a few wins in MMA.
Edson
will be teaching Gi & No-Gi at the academy as well as continuing
his fight career.
We
look forward to great things from Edson in the future.
AMERICAN
TOP TEAM welcomes Edson to the family!
Source: The ATT
Mama
said Never Talk To Stranglers
Hawaii411 Interviews Chris Brennan
Breakfast with the Strangler - Chris Brennan AKA The Westside
Strangler
Chris puts
up his Dukes
This interview comes from our good friend Joey, the artist
formerly known as Joel Ching, and the Hawaii411 guys. If you
have not checked out Hawaii411.com, check it out. It
is a great web page on a variety of subjects all related to Hawaii.
It is kind of like this page except that it deals with a wider
scope of subjects and the guys who run the page have talent...but
we are much better looking than they are...and more modest. Enjoy...
The
Westside Strangler has been a visitor to the Islands as a competitor,
a coach, and now an instructor. He is the 2X King of the Cage
Middleweight World Champion, a UFC XVI finalist, UFC 35 vet,
Extreme Challenge 22 Superbout Champion, and the Reality Super
Fights tournament winner. He's training for an upcoming match
On November 23rd in Las Vegas Nevada at the Aladdin Hotel against
Vitor "Shaolin" Riberio, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World
Champion. The Hawaii411 crew took him to Duke's Breakfast Buffet,
which undoubtedly will put him a few pounds back in his quest
to make weight. Join us for breakfast with the Strangler as we
discuss Mixed Martial Arts, and his plan to open a school in
the islands.
Hawaii411:
How'd you get the name "Strangler?"
Chris Brennan: A lot of my fights ended with the Guillotine,
even in training I used to use the choke on a lot of guys. It
kind of changed now because I like to arm lock and kimura everybody,
but when I started it was because I choked everybody. I think
Mikey Burnett had the Eastside Assassin so one of my students
took that and called me the Westside Strangler.
H411:
How long have you been fighting?
Chris Brennan: This December it'll be 10 years training and I've
been fighting for 8.
H411:
What got you started?
Chris Brennan: Todd Medina, who fought in UFC, was my friend.
We were body-building together and he started to get into Jiu-jitsu.
We bounced at a club together and would always get into fights.
I'd do pretty good in the fights - I wasn't a trained fighter,
just a street-fighter, but I figured with some training, it might
be fun. The first UFC came on TV, and the owner of the bar we
bounced at had it on the big screen. I saw it and said, 'man
I want to do this.' By the 3rd UFC, I was training.
H411:
Did you ever do underground type fighting?
Chris Brennan: My first three fights were underground.
H411:
Was that just crazy?
Chris Brennan: Yeah, it was like IBC rules: elbows, headbutts,
even soccer kick in the ground - everything was legal
Fun Strangler
Fact:
His favorite Hawaiian food is Poi. "It must be what gives
you Hawaiians the punching power." Give him some Kalua Pig
too, and he's in heaven.
H411:
You used to be a surfer, did you ever catch any of Hawaii's waves?
Chris Brennan: No, the last time I went surfing was in '95 in
Brazil.
H411:
Tell us about Brazil
Chris Brennan: One of my friends from Torrence was teaching at
the academy. He set me up with a place to stay. I showed up with
four bags in my hand, no friends, showed up at the gym and stayed
for a year.
H411:
You got to train with some of the Gracie Family. How did it feel
to train with legends?
Chris Brennan: When I first started I was in awe of the whole
thing, but then I realized that my goal wasn't like every other
student who was there - they just wanted to be good in Jiu-Jitsu
while my goal was to have my own school and to fight professionally.
I started to get on a friendship level it Royce (Gracie) instead
of just being so 'oh-my-god, I'm talking to Roryce Gracie.' We
used to go to Magic Mountain together and hang out and stuff.
Anytime people in the class wanted to ask Royce a question, but
didn't have the balls to ask, they'd ask me to ask him.
H411:
What was training under Frank Shamrock like?
Chris Brennan: I didn't get to train under him. I trained with
him a couple of times and he's good. He's different than a regular
Jiu-Jitsu guy on the ground. He doesn't care what position you're
in, he never stops moving. He's always bouncing around and you
never feel secure with him, even if you're on top. I was excited
about training with him because he's my favorite fighter. I think
e was the first person to bring stand-up, ground and supreme
conditioning together.
H411:
You ever meet Ken Shamrock?
Chris Brennan: A couple of times.
H411:
Any predictions on his UFC match with Tito Ortiz?
Chris Brennan: I like Ken, but however much money I have at the
time, I'm gonna put in Tito. I think Ken is skilled, but he's
getting old and he's too angry at Tito. He fights with too much
emotion. He's going to be so angry that at the end of the first
round he's going to be tired. I think Tito's going to play the
same game that Frank played with him. He's gonna take his time
and then turn it on when Ken gets tired.
H411:
You want to be a champion, so you have a specific goal?
Chris Brennan: No I just like to fight. I've fought in just about
every event now besides Pride. I don't know if I'm big enough
to fight in Pride or if they have a weight class for me. I'd
like to fight there, but if I don't I'm pretty happy with what
I've done so far. I've had the opportunity to win a lot of belts...
as long as I put on a good performance and I train hard and do
my best, I'm happy. I think it's very hard to be a very good
teacher and a very good fighter, but I think I've succeeded pretty
well doing both. It's only going to be a bit longer that I'll
be fighting, then I'll be training and teaching my guys.
H411:
Who's been your toughest opponent so far?
Chris Brennan: You know even some of my losses weren't tough
fights, because I think I beat myself. I think the only person
who I had a hard time re-matching who I lost to, would be Pat
Miletich because he's so well rounded and so experience. We fought
three times- he can take you out of your game and make a good
guy seem really boring.
H411:
What is your strength?
Chris Brennan: Ground for sure. I think my ground and submissions
are underestimated by some people. I think my takedowns are underestimated.
I never wrestled, but I took Gomi (Takanori Gomi - last fight
for the Strangler, ending in a decision loss in Shooto Japan)
down five times, and he was never taken down once before. If
I go into a fight and my goal is to get you to the ground, I'll
get you to the ground.
H411:
Do you focus more on Stand-up to balance that out?
Chris Brennan: Not more, I still like to train stand-up, but
I try to consider myself a smart fighter. If a guy wants to stand
up then I'll try to take him down, if he want to go to the ground,
then it's an opportunity to work on my stand-up. I see a lot
of guys here in Hawaii, because they have heavy hands, they like
to stand in the middle of the ring and throw bombs. I'm not down
for that... I'm not going to trade bombs and see who's going
to win the fight.
H411:
Who catches your eye from Hawaii?
Chris Brennan: I think all they guys from Jesus is Lord, Ray
(Bradda Cooper), Ronald (Juhn) Bozo (Stephen Paling), Bob-O (Ostovich)
even, they got good hands and good chins and that's dangerous.
Egan Inouye, I think he's a stud. Another one of my favorite
fighters is BJ Penn. He's got phenomenal ground and his stand-up
is underestimated. I like his old-style better, where he was
aggressive and tried to kill the guy. Now he kind of paces himself.
I think his old style would suit him better.
H411:
Why do you think Hawaii puts out so many top fighters from a
small state?
Chris Brennan: I think they've been doing it since day one. They
were fighting before they were training to fight. I don't know,
maybe it's the way they were brought up. Like I said, they all
have heavy hands and they all can take a punch.
H411:
With only a few more bouts left in your fighting career, who
do you want to fight?
Chris Brennan: I would really like to fight Jens Pulver, because
he's like Pat ( Miletich). I think I could solve the Rubik's
cube this time. Even though BJ is one of my favorite fighters,
I'd love to fight him because it'll be a good test of my ground
skills. I want to fight Gomi again. The guys from Shooto are
all exciting. People thought my fight with Gomi would be boring,
but I promised none of my fights would ever be boring. Anybody
at my 155 weight class... I feel I can dominate at that weight.
I
was watching Matt Hughes' last few fights and he just crushed
everybody. He had great ground skills, but his wrestling wasn't
that good. Then all of a sudden his ground got better, he was
passing Carlos Newton's Guard and the same with Sakurai. I knew
my ground was already that good, so if I had the strength and
power to go with that and good conditioning, I knew I could fight
for a belt.
H411:
How has the weight loss helped you?
Chris Brennan: As started to get light, I was so much more flexible,
and my bottom game came alive. I'm a lot faster, plus I'm still
strong.
H411:
You're going to be doing a seminar in Hawaii. Why Hawaii?
Chris Brennan: This is the sixth time I've been here in a year,
and all of the people treat me great. I love it here. I enjoy
all of the guys over here, and I want to keep coming back. By
the middle of next year, I'd maybe like to open a Next Generation
fighting academy here in Hawaii. I've learned from a lot of different
people, so I have a lot to show to everybody.
H411:
Tell us about your Next Generation Academy.
Chris Brennan: Size-wise, it's one of the biggest in the US -
60' x 60' mat space, a full-sized 21 foot Octagon, plus two bedrooms
for my live-in guys, a front office that looks like an executive
suite in a building, a nice lobby with two bathrooms, and plus
it's very big and very nice and well kept. That's one of the
thing I learned from the Gracie Academy, people come in and see
a clean school and they're going to come back. It think student
enrollment-wise, it's gotta be one of the biggest too.
H411:
You do a lot of person hands-on training at Next Generation,
would you be in Hawaii teaching too?
Chris Brennan: At my school now, I teach all of grappling and
jiu-jitsu teaching unless I'm training for a fight. At my school
here, it would probably be Jeremy Williams teaching. His ground
is very good, and I would be here once a month. Still, I'd have
to be at my California school a lot. The school here will do
well, but I don't think it will be as big because I won't be
teaching here all the time. People come to my school because
of me, and if I'm not there, the enrollment goes down. That's
one of the reasons I'm going to stop fighting too. I need to
be at my school more.
H411:
People have been critical of Mixed Martial Arts being more offensive
rather than just self defense, and there is a lack of discipline.
How do you respond to that?
Chris Brennan: I definitely think you shouldn't teach people
to go out and beat people up. I've had problems with that in
the beginning when I was teaching. I was like that myself when
I was first learning from Royce - I felt I was invincible. I'd
go out and never start a fight, but if someone were to start
one with me, there was no talking - it was on. Now I try to keep
my guys as mellow as possible so they don't get into fights.
I also have a lot of police officers in my school, so if my guys
were to get arrested fighting, it wouldn't look good. I try to
keep everyone out of trouble, but I do agree that the discipline
is not there like regular martial arts.
H411:
What drives you to succeed?
Chris Brennan: As far as fighting goes, it's fear of failure.
I hate to lose. I had nothing going into starting this school,
but fear of failing kept me from failing. Now I'm married with
three children - and that will drive me to have a successful
school. Plus I love teaching. I want my fighters to succeed as
well.
H411:
You're one of six brothers - was there a lot of scrapping growing
up?
Chris Brennan: Not bad between us, but me and my older brother
used to get into a lot of fights together against other people.
He used to smack me around a little bit, but not anymore.
H411:
You have three boys now. Are you going to encourage them to step
in the ring?
Chris Brennan: Not into the ring - my wife would kill me. But
definitely encourage them to train for self-defense purposes.
I just got custody of my 10 year-old when he was seven, so I
don't push him to do it at all. My two-year old will definitely
do it, but whether he wants to continue is his choice. Hopefully
they'll all want to train like Dad. If they want to fight, I'll
back them up 100%.
H411: With your seminar in Hawaii, you say that you are infamous
for sharing ALL of your secrets. Do you think that hurts you
in the ring?
Chris Brennan: No. I don't care really. It took me probably three
or four times longer than it took my students to get good. I
think if you're paying me to learn, then I'm going to show you
everything I know. You're not going to know it or master it today,
but if you continue to practice, you'll get good. I'm not affiliated
to any other schools so I figured I'm going to make a group of
guys really good really fast and have good training partners.
Now I have good training partners. My mom always says, 'Don't
show them everything, or they'll use it on you.' I hope they
use it in me, because I know all the counters. I train on it
every day.
In
my video series I don't hold anything back because when I was
training, I could see every day that the instructors were holding
back and not telling me everything. I was really frustrated and
angry with that and I didn't think that was fair. If someone
shows me something today, I'm going to teach it tonight.
H411:
You had some trouble getting here to Hawaii, any shout out to
those who helped you?
Chris Brennan: Yeah, everybody. Bazo is a guy on the internet
who hooked me up with a buddy pass. STP is another young guy
from the internet who tried to help. Bran42 picked me up from
the airport. James Wong from Fairtex sponsored my whole team.
He also was trying to get me a pass. Even though Brennan didn't
come through, he introduced me to all these nice people in Hawaii.
Phenom, Hitman, and Big Bear fitness support my team. My family,
I thank for supporting me and putting up with my trips. You guys
(Hawaii411) and everybody who helped out. We pulled it off and
here we are in Hawaii.
411
conclusion:
It's just been brought to my attention that I may have misheard
Mama's advice about not talking to stranglers... It's 'strangers'
that I'm not supposed to interview. And that's good, because
Chris Brennan is definitely no stranger to Hawaii. A big mahalo
goes out to the Westside Strangler - Not only for providing Hawaii
with some fantastic entertainment, but also for caring enough
for our local fighters to help them learn through his technique
seminars and hopefully a Next Generation Fighting Academy to
the islands.
Check
out the Next Generation Website. www.chrisbrennan.com. There you can buy
Chris' Instructional Tapes, Strangler Shirts, Fight Gear, and
Stickers. Next Gen is one of the largest training facilities
in the nation, and one with a great reputation for turning out
winning fighters.
Source: Joey Ching
& Hawaii411.com
11/14/02
Quote
of the Day
"Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly."
Robert Schuller
Shooto
Hawaii Match Released:
Shooto Class A 65kg 143.3
Stephen "Bozo" Paling (JIL) VS. Ryan Ackerman
Source: Event Promoter
UFC
40: Mir Out, Wiuff In
Hawaii
fans will remember Travis Wiuff was the guy to pick up Cabbage
like a sack of potatoes twice in the Return of the Heavyweights
Tournament.
It is apparent that Frank Mir is out of the upcoming UFC 40.
Mir,
ready to redeem himself after a loss to Ian Freeman in England
sustained an injury during training. He will have to wait to
make his return to UFC.
A
definite letdown for not only Mir but for Vegas fans. Mir was
the hometown guy who got a huge ovation last year in his UFC
debut beating Roberto Traven in seconds.
The
injury, sustained to his ribs, will more than likely heal quickly.
Mir was wanting to fight but results from the doctor indicated
that he would be unable to train or fight.
Travis
Wiuff out of Minneapolis, MN will be Mir's replacement.
Wiuff
boasts a 10-2-0 record in MMA and is 270lbs and is going to have
a big weight advantage over Vladdy. He may have to cut a few
to make the 265lbs limit but it shouldn't be a problem.
The
'Diesel' began his MMA career just this nine months ago and has
been on a role. The majority of his wins came in his hometown
where he racked up six victories for Brad Kohler's ULTIMATE WRESTLING.
Wiuff's
only decisive loss is to Wesley 'Cabbage' Correia in which he
tapped from repeated strikes. His other loss is a medical stoppage.
Wiuff
vs. Matyushenko will be interesting to say the least. Wiuff is
rumored to be an accomplished wrestler and will have at least
a 45lbs weight advantage going into the fight.
Source: ADCC
From the event's
promoter:
Ice-T On
Board for WFA 3
WFA Press
Release - Las Vegas - Unbreakable rhymes. Hardcore action –
both in the cage - and now on the mic. Enter: the Original Gangster.
Continuing to raise the bar for mixed martial arts entertainment,
the WFA is proud to announce the addition of rapper-turned-actor
Ice-T to its Level 3 show! Ice-T, a self-professed MMA fan, will
perform live for the WFA’s November 23rd return to Las Vegas,
and the combination of thrills, lights, sounds, and beauties
will make for an unparalleled experience.
World Fighting
Alliance Invades Grapplers' Quest
Las Vegas, NV (November
12) Las Vegas' hometown fight production, the World Fighting
Alliance, will set up shop at this Saturday's Grappler's Quest
West III.
Along
with the customary bevy of WFA beauties, title hungry fighters
Frank "Twinkle Toes" Trigg and Marvin "The Beastman"
Eastman will grace the Durango High School auditorium to represent
the finest in sports fighting today. Trigg and Eastman, both
WFA veterans, will compete for the Welterweight and Light-Heavyweight
Titles respectively. Joining the mix for autograph and picture
opportunities will be Huntington Beach stand-out "Razor"
Rob McCollough.
Along
with their official merchandise, tickets for the WFA's Saturday,
November 23rd event will be on sale. So hit up the WFA booth
from 12-3 PM located right next to all the great grappling action.
For
more information, please contact: Paula Romero, WFA Marketing
& Promotions at promerorromero@yahoo.com
Source: FCF/Event Promoter
Pound
for Pound: "Minotauro" Looks Towards 2003
By Thomas
Gerbasi
For
anyone else, it would have been panic time.
Staring
across the ring at a fighter outweighing him by over 100 pounds,
you could have excused Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira for feeling a
bit intimidated when he took on former pro football player Bob
Sapp at Pride Shockwave in August.
Add
to this the fact that within seconds of the opening bell, the
350 pound Sapp picked up the Pride heavyweight champion like
a rag doll and slammed him on his head.
So
what went through the mind of the Brazilian when he was in such
dire straits?
"I
was thinking, 'He's gonna get tired, he's gonna get tired,'"
Nogueira told Maxfighting. "Every time he did that I felt
good because I know he spent a lot of strength to do those moves."
That's
the essence of the man they call "Minotauro", and like
the mythical creature, the 26-year-old is half man, half bull,
and all fighter.
For
a better analogy, picture world featherweight boxing champion
Marco Antonio Barrera - all 126 pounds of him, squaring off against
250-pound heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis - and winning.
Nogueira
survived Sapp's brutal early onslaught and managed to not only
survive the bout, but also force the American to tap out. It
was a fight that captured the beauty of the sport in a nutshell,
the battle of wills between two differently styled fighters of
vastly different sizes. Sure, it was a mismatch on paper, but
Nogueira is not your average fighter, and according to him, the
fight went according to plan.
"In
the fight with Bob Sapp I was waiting to make him tired,"
said Nogueira. "But he was in good shape and had good endurance.
I couldn't make him tired in the first round, so in the second
round I changed my mind and I put more on more action in the
ring and I went for the submission."
Next
week, Nogueira returns to the ring for the first time since his
epic battle with Sapp, taking on veteran Semmy Schilt in a non-title
bout at Pride 23. And though he competes under the guise of Brazilian
jiu-jitsu and is a submission ace, "Minotauro" will
not shy away from hand-to-hand combat with a man considered to
have the edge on Nogueira in the standup game, not to mention
in reach.
"I'll
try to get close to him since he's very good at a long distance
with long legs and long arms," said Nogueira. "He's
a very good striker and I'm very good as grappling but I can
strike also. I guess if the fight goes to the ground, for me
it's much better, but we can exchange some punches standing also.
And I will try to submit him if I can."
On
the ground or standing, Nogueira is a threat to take you out
anywhere. He has submitted Sapp, Mark Coleman, and Gary Goodridge,
among others. He has choked Enson Inoue into unconsciousness,
and knocked out quality fighters like Sanae Kikuta. And if you
want to see him in a war of wills and skills, take a look at
his title winning decision over Heath Herring, a bout many consider
to be among the greatest heavyweight fights ever in the sport.
Its
abilities like this that have made him a near consensus choice
as the top fighter, pound for pound, in the game today. It's
a title he's proud of.
"I
feel good because I've been fighting since I was four years old,"
said Nogueira. "I never fought for money before. I did because
it felt good. And now they pay me, I'm a professional, and they
tell me that I'm the best fighter. I feel very proud about that.
I'm in good shape now and I want to continue."
But
when you're at the top, everyone wants a shot at knocking you
off the mountain. Nogueira is no different, and top heavyweights
Josh Barnett and Ricco Rodriguez have been vocal in their desire
to step into combat with "Minotauro".
Rodriguez,
the newly crowned UFC heavyweight champion, called out for Nogueira
after his victory over Randy Couture in September, and even holds
an Abu Dhabi victory over the Brazilian.
"I'm
ready to fight him anytime," said Nogueira of Rodriguez.
"I would like to have a potential fight with him in no rules,
and I think it will be a good, interesting fight. He's a tough
fighter, and I am too. It would be a very good show. And I'm
pretty confident I can beat him."
Nogueira
is also confident of victory against Barnett, the former UFC
champion whom he is expected to battle sometime in 2003. For
fight fans, it's a true dream bout.
"He's
got some skills," said Nogueira of Barnett. "He's good
on the ground, and he's got some good standup, but I'm better
than him standing, I'm getting better on the floor, and I think
I have better positioning than him. I think I can beat him, but
I've got to respect him because he's fought a lot of good guys."
Fans
shouldn't hold their breath for a Nogueria-Rodriguez bout anytime
soon because of each man's commitments to their respective organizations,
but the bout against Barnett should be relatively easy to pull
off, especially if the bout is held in Japan, not yet a foregone
conclusion since Nogueira's contract with the Pride organization
is coming to a close shortly.
But
if treated fairly, Nogueira would have no qualms about returning
to Pride to continue his reign as heavyweight champion.
"I
want to be in Pride again because they're the biggest organization
and I like to fight in Japan," said Nogueira. "I look
forward to fighting there. But I am a professional now. They
have to offer me a good deal so I can continue to work with them."
Wherever
Nogueira winds up in 2003, the title of best fighter in the world
will follow. If you haven't seen him, you need to. He's that
good, and coming from the Brazilian Top Team, which also houses
his brother Rogerio and UFC middleweight champ Murillo Bustamante,
that's no surprise.
"This
school used to have the best jiu-jitsu team in the world, and
around ten years ago, we started to train in no rules, and now
we train in wrestling and boxing, and we train everything together,"
said Nogueira. "We used to be the best jiu-jitsu fighters,
very tough fighters. And now we have improved in boxing, wrestling,
muay thai, put everything together and we have started to become
very good fighters. There we have like fifty professional fighters
training together. Yesterday I could see like 60 guys on the
mat. All professional guys. They don't do anything but train."
Not
bad for a young man who was told he might never walk again after
a near-tragic car accident put him in a coma for four days at
the age of ten. He's a mixed martial arts phenomenon not seen
since the early days of fellow Brazilian Vitor Belfort, and with
his dedication to the game and willingness to test his skills
anytime against any opponent, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is here
to stay.
"It's
not like karate or boxing, but everything together," said
Nogueira when asked why he loves the sport. "It makes me
feel tough, and the training is very hard. Before I did no rules,
I used to do boxing, judo, and jiu-jitsu like a robot, and it
made me feel tired after my training. And now I can fight in
something that makes me feel good."
Source: ADCC
PRIDE
23: Championship Chaos II Card Match Order
The
match order for PRIDE 23 has been adjusted, and Sakuraba is now
fighting last, rather than first. PRIDE 23 takes place November
24, in Tokyo:
Jerrel
Venetiaan vs Hirotaka Yokoi
Kevin
Randleman vs Kenichi Yamamoto
Murilo
“Ninja” Rua vs Ricardo Arona
HEAVYWEIGHT
CHAMPIONSHIP ELIMINATION BOUT
Heath Herring vs Fedor Emelianenko
Rodrigo
“Minotauro” Nogeuira vs Semmy Schilt
MIDDLEWEIGHT
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT
Wanderlei Silva vs Mitsuhiro Kanehara
Don
Frye vs Hidehiko Yoshida
Nobuhiko
Takada vs Kiyoshi Tamura
Kazushi
Sakuraba vs Gilles Arsene
Source: Sherdog
11/13/02
Quote
of the Day
It's the constant and determined effort that breaks down all
resistance and sweeps away all obstacles.
Claude M. Bristol
A
Huge Match Up Is In the Works
An inside
word is that a huge match is being worked on as we speak. It
is slated for early next year. The match is almost secured as
both parties have agreed to the terms. As more details come out
and are finalized, we will bring them to you.
ADCC's
Brazilian Trials - ONE MONTH AWAY!!!
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - SUBMISSION WRESTLING'S BRAZILIAN TRIALS!!!
Brazil is
eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Brazilian Qualifiers, now
roughly 1 month away. In typical ADCC fashion, the full lineup
will not be announced until showtime, scheduled For mid-December,
in Rio De Janeiro.
Word is that
last year's champions will return, which insures an extremely
high level to attain already!
Previous Champions:
under 65.9 KG: Robson Moura (finished 3rd place at the World
Champonships)
66-76.9 KG: Leo Santos (finished 3rd place at the World Champonships)
77-87.9 KG: Nino Schembri (finished 3rd place at the World Champonships)
88-98.9 KG: Renato Babalu
99 KG +: Marcio 'Pe de Pano' Cruz (finished 3rd place at the
World Champonships)
Several HUGE
names from the world of Jiu Jitsu have also thrown their names
into the hat, all looking to assure a spot at the 2003 World
Championships.
As was the
trend with the North American Trials, look for the Brazil Trials
to feature only South Americans, and look for lots of new faces!
More to come
as the event develops it's true colors.
Source: ADCC
Kid Peligro
Jiu-Jitsu News
It's Official
- 2003 Pan-Ams on the West Coast!
2003
Pan-Ams Date and Location Confirmed
A conversation
with CBJJ's President Carlos Gracie Jr today confirmed the rumors
that had been floating around: The 2003 Pan-Ams will be on the
West Coast, more precisely Irvine! The Pan-Ams will be returning
to the same location where the first Pan-Ams was held in 1995,
the Bren Center at U.C.Irvine Campus and will happen on May 10
& 11th. For more information stay tuned to ADCC News or go
to the CBJJ Web page at CBJJ Web Site
The CBJJ also
released the complete results for the U.S. Trials, you can get
the entire pic. at U.S.Trials results
'Pe
de Pano' wins in Manaus!'
On Saturday
Nov. 9th the 1st Desafio Olivertur de Lutas Casadas took place
in Manaus, the Capitol of Amazon. In the main event, Marcio 'Pe
de Pano' Cruz defeated Fernando 'Terere' avenging the loss that
he had on the 2001 Brazilian Titles Absolute . According to the
Gracie Magazine Web Site Pano stated: 'Now I feel like I am the
best in the World!' In other matches, Fredson Paixao defeated
Robson Moura and Marco Aurelio 'Loro' lost to Biiano Fernandez
in the last minute. There were 16 matches in total. Congratulations
to the promoters and participants!
Source: ADCC
Interview
with Dave Menne
by: Keith Mills
Both parts of this interview were conducted the night of the
Tennessee Shooto Championships where Dave was a guest referee.
The next day he conducted a seminar in Clarksville.
KM:
What is the name of your academy?
DM:
Minnesota Combat Arts.
KM:
All I’ve seen is that one guy that fought in Ultimate Wrestling
in Minnesota…
DM:
Daryl Guthmiller. Randy Irvine fought a few times for Brad (Kohlar,
UFC vet and promoter of Ultimate Wrestling) and Monte a few times.
There are various other guys that want to start fighting and
there are other guys that do submission-grappling matches.
KM:
I missed the last two Ultimate Wrestlings. Did any of them fight
or do they have anything coming up?
DM:
I cornered Travis Wiuff for the last Ultimate Minnesota (defeated
Jason Godsey by decision Oct 19th) and he’s been coming
in the studio a little bit here and there so we’ll see if
he continues to train. We’re talking with him. I helped
corner (Greg) Wikan (defeated Johnathan Ivey by TKO in :43 of
round 2) and he’s trying to move back in to my area so he
can start training again, he’s living in southern Minnesota.
Right now he’s not training that much. There’s other
people coming in to try it out and it’s just a matter of
some people are really excited and decide that’s what they
want to do but it’s a matter of putting the time in and
really doing it every day. There isn’t too many people that
are willing to do that, they’re willing to be excited about
it for a month but they’re not willing to be excited about
it for a year and when you want to start to make headway you
need to make the commitment that this is what you are going to
do and you’re going to give it a true try. Things don’t
always catch on the first try.
KM:
About your tattoos, I’ve had so many people asking if there
is significance to the necklace…
DM:
The necklace I designed. I designed the flames to draw the two
tattoos together. One tattoo being a raven, it’s got a little
bit of my grandmother’s maiden name which means raven or
black or unknown. The other tattoo is a tiger, my name, and it
means descendant of strength. Tattoo in the middle is also just
has an ‘x’ in it, kinda strange but ‘x’ is
just supposed to be signifies x-factor or unknown variable. I
was considering getting a back tattoo with some language and
I’m not sure what language but something that signifies
strength, maybe in Sanskrit or some older language.
KM:
You seem to put a lot of weight on the meaning of words or the
meaning of names.
DM:
I just decided if I was going to have tattoos it should signify
something, I didn’t want something just pretty on me. That’s
why I went the road of having no color in them. I didn’t
want any color to start with and was never going to have any
color with my tattoos because they were supposed to mean something
to me. For the most part the only people that see them is when
I fight.
KM:
(paraphrased) Was there significance to the timing?
DM:
Sometimes you think about something and you do it not entirely
knowing the reasons, it just feels right. I spent a lot of time
designing, I spent probably six years deciding to get a tattoo,
knowing I wanted to get one but knowing I wasn’t going to
until I had it down to what I wanted. I guess I was looking too
somewhat for the Western aesthetic getting the chest tattoo and
the two shoulders. Asian aesthetic necessarily isn’t symmetry,
it’s non-symmetry.
Dave
didn’t have any other seminars planned but said although
he can’t be reached there anybody interested in either booking
him for seminars or participating in an upcoming one should call
his school at (651) 982-6780.
Source: ADCC
Soccer
Anyone?
This isn't martial
arts related, but Soccer is Brazil's national sport. We are still
working on making Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu its national sport. And
this is to help out a friend. As a side funny note, there was
a soccer team here that was made up of Brazilians, but they got
kicked out of the league after getting into a huge team vs. team
fight on the field. Professor Helio was in attendence and would
point at people of the opposite team and tell one of his guys
to watch out for that guy. It was pretty funny hearing the story
when it first happened.
Aloha,
I'm currently recruiting for a new men's soccer team (name TBD)
that will play in the Hawaii Ranger League (HRL), Makule Division
(age 30+).
Games are on Sunday mornings (8:30 or 10:15), at Waialae Iki
near Kahala, Waipio Soccer complex in Waipahu, or Waiola (also
called Central Oahu Regional Park) across from the Waipio Gentry
Shopping Center on Kamehameha Hwy. Most games will be at Waiola.
There are occasional make-up games on Saturday.
The next season will start in late December 2002 or early January
2003 and run for six months. There are about 20 games per season.
The cost per player will be $50.00 per season, not including
uniforms. The team will need to purchase uniforms, with numbered
jerseys.
The team can roster up to 25 players, a good number that will
allow for occasional work conflicts of other family commitments.
If you would like to play, I need to collect your season fee
by November 18, 2002. HRL team registration is on November 19,
2002.
Please forward this email to anyone who might be interested in
playing.
Mahalo,
Lori Hoffman
Work email: hoffmalr@cpf.navy.mil
Work phone: 471-8755
Home address: 91-1071 Namahoe St., Apt.D, Kapolei, HI 96707
Home email: hoffman@hawaii.rr.com
Home phone: 693-8859
11/12/02
Quote
of the Day
"The longest journey of any person is the journey inward."
Dag Hammerskjvld
SHOOTOHAWAII
"ALPHA" DECEMBER 7th PRESS RELEASE:
Frank Shamrock
Guest of Honor at Shooto Hawaii
Lahaina Civic Center, Maui, Hawaii
Saturday, December 7th, 2002
Shooto Hawaii
is honored to have Frank Shamrock as a special guest to our new
show. “I cannot believe that Frank (Shamrock) is coming
to support us”, Promoter Monica Cooper said. “This
is very exciting”. Frank, hearing about the circuit and
the reasoning behind its creation (and always the one to step
up and put the gloves on for a cause) made the decision to come
out and show his support. Not only will he show his support to
the show by coming out and being the guest of honor, but he also
is making this his Hawaiian stop on his “Beat-Down”
World Seminar Tour. “This will be fun”, Shamrock spokesman
Vikki VanHoosen commented. “This is an excellent excuse
to take a vacation, train with an MMA living legend and icon,
and see a great show of great up and coming fighters ready to
bust out on the world.”
Shooto Hawaii is a new circuit that was created by Ray and Monica
Cooper. The goal of the organization is to offer a circuit where
future generations will have a place to compete given the attempted
consolidation and control by current promoters in MMA. Ray, 2nd
ranked Shooto contender will be headlining the card against Jay
Buck and the audience surely will not be disappointed by his
heavy handed striking and expert submissions.
This will
surely be an event not to be missed!
Superheavyweight
+100KG 243lb and over Opponent Change
Jeremy Bell will not be fighting Tim Tynan from 808 Fight Factory.
Instead we will have Anthony Villianor (Freelance, Maui) VS.
Tim Tynan.
Source: Event Promoter
PRIDE
NEWS - Can You Believe This?
Last week DAILY SPORTS, one of the morepopular sports newspapers
in Tokyo, reported that Nobuhiko Takada suffered a bizarre injury
that could hamper his training for the upcoming PRIDE event.
The injury
is 'frostbite' from an apparent ice pack applied to both his
left knee and elbow. The report says that the icepacks were colder
than expected and left a circular 'blister.' After seeing a doctor,
he was advised to rest for a few days before continuing training.
Takada, a
long time draw in the UWFI back in the mid-1990's, will face
Kiyoshi Tamura in PRIDE's main event in just two weeks. Both
fighters have had humiliating losses in the past (most recently,
Bob Sapp destroying Tamura in seconds). Both fighters will earn
PRIDE major crossover pro wrestling interest in Japan, as the
two were top draws in the old UWFI promotion.
Speaking of
Tamura, there will be an apparent statement to the press later
this week by DREAM STAGE ENTERTAINMENT (Pride's parent company).
Tamura told
PRIDE execs that he isn't happy with Kenichi Yamamoto appearing
on the show. From some reason, Tamura had words with DSE and
says he 'distrusts' Yamamoto, perhaps from their involvement
in RINGS.
It will be
interesting to see what DSE will say about the situation.
Source: ADCC
Sakuraba
Set to Return to the PRIDE RING!
Kazushi Sakuraba will step back into PRIDE in just two weeks
but his fully healed? That's the big question.
Originally,
PRIDE wanted Sakuraba vs. Vanderlei Silva 3 but felt that Sak
needed a 'warm-up' fight.
In a recent
interview, Sakuraba admitted that he knew 'nothing' about his
opponent and had little strategy going in the fight.
There were
original rumors of him fighting Ryan Gracie but now the fight
stands with him fighting Gilles Arsene, a frenchamn without a
lot of 'big name' appeal to the MMA fans out there.
In a recent
press conference Sakuraba was in good spirits about his opponent.
'My opponent's job description is the 'Hyper Little Cyborg.'
This will be the first time for me to fight a cyborg. I hope
to be careful, win my match and support Takada in his retirement
fight.'
Sakuraba is
back to training after an agreement between Sakuraba and DSE.
His personal physician who advised him NOT to fight and to continue
to take time off after breaking his eye socket.
Even against
the advice of the doctor, Sakuraba didn't want to miss fighting
on Takada's retirement night. Takada is the mentor of Sakuraba.
But another
big question is that how much training can Sak do in a month?
Pride figurehead,
Naoto Morishita, said in a recent public interview that they
didn't want to use Sakuraba recklessly any longer. This fight
will be a nice change of pace for Sakuraba who looks to get on
track and has contemplated dropping a weight division.
Will he be
the same Sakuraba? This will be answered on PPV in less than
two weeks!
Source: ADCC
11/11/02
Quote
of the Day
All difficult things have their origin in that which is easy,
and great things in that which is small.
Lao-Tzu
When
Midgets Attack!
Your trusty reporter used his powers of negociation and boyish
charm to con his wife out of a romantic evening and get her to
go to a bar to watch Bloody Midget Wrestling.
Tito,
Chris, Patty and Puppet. As you can see Puppet took a special
liking to my wife.
It was a lot of fun, the midgets (actually one was a dwarf) were
hillarious and if you are a fan of '80 rock you are going to
love Gussie L'Amours. The band Slug opened and did '80s rock
covers. It took me back to my long hair, guitar playing, high
school band days.
Here are some pictures that try to depict the action. They went
around the whole bar grabbing chairs, using pool sticks, jumping
off the DJ stand on to the other one with chairs stacked on him.
You name it and they did it.
If you can make it, they will be performing tonight (11th) and
tomorrow (12th) night at 9:00PM at Gussie L'Amours by the airport
(next to the Plaza hotel). It was the most fun I had in a long
time.
They start off with
boxing gloves, here is Tito with a liver shot
Puppet pays Tito back with a suplex on some a plywood stage.
That's why they call it hardcore baby!
Tito is cutting Puppet's head open with a broken beer bottle.
He is really doing that. No joke.
Puppet catches Tito with a groin shot.
Tito fighting his way back against a bloody Puppet. There is
T. Jay scouting talent for Super Brawl.
Tito about to slam a steel chair on Puppet.
T. Jay Thompson telling Puppet
that he only had a 2 count and the match is still on. Believe
it or not, T. Jay lost his voice doing the blow by blow. It was
that crazy.
News
on MARCELO 'TIGRE'
Tigre
pre-Cabbage fight & post-Cabbage fight
Numerous
Brazilian sources are reporting that Marcello 'Tigre' is facing
serious felony charges following an event that took place last
week. Marcello, known for his bizarre fighting practices and
numerous fights that have ended in disqualification or controversy,
is facing criminal battery and possible attempted homicide.
According
to reports, the incident started earlier in the day when Marcello
showed up at the home of Ana Lucia Souza (age 18). Souza reject
Marcello's advances and ended up slapping him in the face.
'Tigre'
reportedly became interested in Souza while he was dating her
14-year-old cousin. 'I told him I was engaged and was not interested.
He became verbally abusive at which point I slapped him' said
Lucia. 'Saying nothing, he left the house. Later he came back
with his friends.'
Later
in the day, Marcello and four of his friends entered the home
of Souza and 23-year-old Leandro Menendez.
Menendez
reported being punched in the stomach and was knocked to the
ground. 'Tigre' then turn his sights on Lucia who he punched
in the eye and allegedly shouted 'I don't know who I'm going
to kill first....you or him.' He then delivered several knees
to Lucia's stomach and chest as his cohorts assaulted Menendez
on the ground with stomping and kicking.
Marcello
'Tigre' has had a ton of negative press in the past from his
fights in SuperBrawl and Rage In The Cage (both events from Hawaii).
Many of his fights ended in near riots as Marcello's followers
clashed with competitive camps.
It's
apparent that Marcello will be facing serious sentencing if convicted.
Source: ADCC
Referees,
Time Keepers, Point Scorers, etc Needed!
There has
always been a lot of talk, some would describe it as arguments,
about refereeing at BJJ tournaments. We want to change that.
It is not new to anyone that Mike & I have always helped
or were open to help referee or do things to help at everyone
else's tournaments. We would like for each school to provide
some volunteers to serve as time keepers, point scorers or referees
to help ensure that we can run an unbiased tournament. The schools
that help out can expect that we will return the favor. This
will only help to allow the tournament to run smoother and get
through faster so there is less waiting around for your matches.
Competition is good for all of our schools because it helps to
elevate all of Hawaii's athletes. I believe it is no surprise
that we have so many World champions from Hawaii and the fact
that our fighters can compete with anyone in the world. I feel
that it is important to support ALL grappling tournaments because
every school will gain from it. All boats rise with a rising
tide. If you have any students from your academies that would
like to help out, please call the Gracie Academy at 589-2524
or email me and I will forward the information to the academy.
Thank you for your help.
We need help moving the mats on Friday, November 15th between
2-5pm at Kaiser High School gym. If you are available, please
stop by.
- Chris
Onzuka
What: 11th Annual Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu International Tournament
Where: Kaiser High School Gym
511 Lunalilo Home Road, Honolulu, Hawaii 96825
When: Saturday, November 16th, 2002
Time: 8:00AM - 8:30AM Viewing of the brackets
8:30AM - 8:45AM Rules Clinic
8:45AM Tournament Starts
4:00 - 4:30PM Awards Ceremony
Cost: $5.00 Spectator Admission; 14 years and under are free!
For more information or a registration packet: Call (808) 589-2524
Gracie Academy
Tournament
Is Open To All!
All martial arts schools are invited to participate! There will
be divisions for white, blue, purple, brown, and black belts,
by weight categories. (See Weight Categories chart for gi division,
see below for no-gi weight categories). Age divisions for the
gi divisions; kids (17 & under), adults (18-30), masters
(31-40), and seniors (41 & up). There will be only one age
division for the no-gi division.
Weigh-ins:
Friday, November 15th, 2002
10:00AM - 2:00PM or 3:00PM - 7:00PM
Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy, 2nd Floor
844 Queen Street
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
(808) 589-2524
(808) 589-1592 fax
*Competitors that are not on Oahu can fax or mail their completed
registration forms along with payment to the address above and
confirm their weight on the day of the tournament. If you do
not make the weight class that you indicated on the registration
form, you will automatically be disqualified from your division
and lose your registration fee. This is to avoid delays, while
trying to accommodate our off-Oahu competitors.
Registration
Fees:
Cash & Credit Cards Only, no checks.
(Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, and Discover Card accepted)
$45 Gi division ($5 extra to enter the Open weight division)
$45 No-Gi
division
($5 extra to enter the Open weight division)
$65 Both divisions (Gi & No-Gi, $5 extra to enter each Open
weight division)
Every competitor will receive an official tournament shirt!
Both the gi and no-gi division will be held under standard BJJ
rules.
Door Prizes
and Giveaways!
Hold onto your pink ticket stub and listen for the prizes!!!
Competitors as well as spectators have a chance at winning cool
prizes from our sponsors. You could be the next winner!
No- Gi Divisions
Age Divisions:
There will be only one age division for the no-gi division.
Skill Level
Divisions:
Beginner Less than 1 year grappling experience*
Intermediate 1-2 years grappling experience*
Advanced Over 2 years grappling experience*
*Prior wrestling, Judo, or related grappling experience counts
toward total grapping experience.
Time Limits
Kids: 11yrs & Under 12-15 years old
Beginner 3 minutes 4 minutes
Intermediate 3 minutes 4 minutes
Advanced 5 minutes 5 minutes
Weight Divisions:
Under 155lbs
156-175lbs
176-200lbs
201 & Over
Rules &
Point System:
· The
No-Gi division will be scored using the same rules as the gi
division, using standard BJJ rules.
· Holding or grabbing on to your opponent's clothing IS
allowed.
· The only two leg locks allowed are the standard foot
lock and outside toe hold (your hand is placed on your opponent's
big toe/top of the foot and pressure is applied straight down
toward the sole of the feet and NOT applied at an angle.) ALL
OTHER LEG LOCKS ARE PROHIBITED. Any competitor caught using an
illegal leg lock will be disqualified immediately.
· The referee has the discretion to stop the match at
any time when he thinks that a competitor is in danger of becoming
injured.
5th
SUBMISSION WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS - DATES RELEASED!!!
The ADCC's Submission Wrestling World Championships will be held
in Sao Paulo, Brazil on the dates of Saturday May 17th and Sunday
the 18th, 2003!
PICS:
Action from the ADCC's North American Trials! SHOTS BY: KEITH
MILLS
It
is the dates and the news that the grappling world has been waiting
for! Finally, the Abu Dhabi COmbat Club's hardest working man,
Guy Neivens has revealed the dates for the 5th Submission Wrestling
World Championships.
On
the weekend of May 17th and 18th, the greatest grapplers in the
world will gather in Sao Paulo to determine who will be the World
Champions in one of the fastest growing martial arts out there!
The
World Championships consist of 16 man, single elimination tournaments
in grappling matches where just about all submissions are legal.
The first 4 editions were held in the sport's origin country,
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. These events are legendary,
as they have turned out to be a showcase for the modern Mixed
Martial Artist to display their skills.
WEIGHT
CLASSES:
- 65.9 KG
- 66-76.99 KG
- 77-87.99 KG
- 88-98.99 KG
- 99 KG +
Previous
participants and champions include Royler Gracie, Jean Jacques
Machado, Renzo Gracie, Marcio Feitosa, Ricardo Arona, and Mario
Sperry from Brazil, Mark Kerr, Jeff Monson and Ricco Rodriguez
of the United States, Sanae Kikuta of Japan and many more.
For
the 5th edition, the ADCC has started developing the system of
International Qualifiers, with the North American Qualifiers
coming off to great success earlier this year in San Diego, CA.
Up next at the end of the month of November will be the AUSTRALIAN
Qualifiers, followed by the Brazilian Qualifiers in mid-December.
Scandinavia will have a Qualifier in mid-January and there is
word that plans are in the works for a Qualifier in Japan. The
international seeds are being planted!
US
TRIAL CHAMPIONS:
- 65.9 KG: Eddie Bravo (Machado JJ)
- 66-76.99 KG: Paplo Popovich (American TOP TEAM)
- 77-87.99 KG: David Terrell (Cesar Gracie)
- 88-98.99 KG: Dean Lister (Lister JJ, City Boxing)
- 99 KG +: Mike Whitehead (TEAM VICTORY)
Contact
GUY
NEIVENS
of the ADCC to apply directly for the World Championships!
Source: ADCC
Latest
Official PANCRASE Rankings
(as of 11/5/2002)
Heavyweight
(199lbs. under 221lbs.)
the 1st Heavyweight K.O.P. Yoshiki Takahashi (PANCRASEism)
#1 Katsuhisa Fujii (Stand)
#2 Jason Godsey (U.S.A./I.F. Academy)
#3 vacant
Light
heavyweight (181lbs. under 199lbs.)
the 2nd Light heavyweight K.O.P. Sanae Kikuta (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#1 Yuki Kondo (PANCRASEism)
#2 KEI Yamamiya (PANCRASEism)
#3 Yuki Sasaki (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#4 Osami Shibuya (PANCRASEism)
#5 Mitsuyoshi Sato (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#6 Ikuhisa Minowa (PANCRASEism)
#7 Eiji Ishikawa (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#8 Daisuke Ishii (PANCRASEism)
#9 Akihiro Gono (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#10 Paulo Filho (Brazil/Brazilian Top Team)
Middleweight(165.7lbs.~
under 181lbs.)
the 2nd Middleweight K.O.P. Kiuma Kunioku (PANCRASEism)
#1 Chris Lytle (U.S.A./I.F. Academy) *UP from #2
#2 Izuru Takeuchi (SK Absolute) *IN!
#3 Nathan Marquardt (U.S.A./Colorado Stars) *DOWN from #1
#4 Kazuo Misaki (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#5 Yuji Hoshino (RJW/CENTRAL) *DOWN from #3
#6 Shonie Carter (U.S.A./AIKI Training Hall) *DOWN from #5
#7 Daiju Takase (Wajutsu Keishukai Tokyo Hombu) *DOWN from #6
#8 Takafumi Ito (PANCRASEism) *DOWN from #7
#9 Kosei Kubota (PANCRASEism) *DOWN from #8
Welterweight
(152.5lbs.~ under 165.7lbs.)
the 1st Welterweight K.O.P. Kiuma Kunioku (PANCRASEism)
#1 Takafumi Ito (PANCRASEism)
#2 Koji Oishi (PANCRASEism)
#3 Hiroki Nagaoka (Rodeo Style)
#4 Kenichi Serizawa (RJW/CENTRAL)
Lightweight(141.4lbs.~
under 152.5lbs.) VACANT
Featherweight(under
141.4lbs.) VACANT
Source: Mr. Oitate
MECA
7 Worth the Wait!
by Eduardo Alonso
A
packed house of 4,000 spectators and a live pay per view audience
witnesses a action packed night of fights, with only one fight
out of nine going the distance. At 9 pm Brazilian time the lights
went out and music started playing on the arena, it was the sign
that MECA 7 was beginning, as it was its pay per view broadcast.
From Brazilian Top Team members like Mario Sperry, Rodrigo Minotauo
and Murilo Bustamante, to Chute Boxe stars like Vanderlei Silva,
Murilo Ninja and Anderson Silva, going trough famous veterans
like Jorge Macaco Patino and Johil de Oliveira, all the Brazilian
fighting community were on hand for the show that started with
an exhibition fight from two kids from the Chute Boxe school,
showing NHB has a great future ahead! It was amazing to see the
technique displayed by kids who couldn't be more than 6 years
old, and they traded some strikes, worked some takedowns and
got the crowd clapping all the time! After that brief exhibition
it was the time for the fights to begin, and the fighters intro
movies started playing on the two big screens placed in the arena.
Carlinhos
vs. Gaze
Carlinhos vs. Gazé:
The first fight of the night was designed to be a barnburner,
matching up two strikers. Gaze came in to the fight as the favorite,
and started off by landing some good strikes and getting everybody
to think he would take care of his Brazilian Impact Karate opponent.
However, after even getting a knockdown on his opponent, Gaze
ate a huge punch during one exchange and seemed lost after it.
Exchange after exchange Carlinhos started to gain confidence
and soon Gaze was doing butt scoots to protect himself, much
for his master Luis Alves desperation. In the end Carlinhos was
able to do more damage and control most of the fight to earn
a fair Judges decsion win after three rounds of fight.
Carneiro
vs. Esponja
Juan Carneiro vs. Carlos "Esponja":
Juan Carneiro came in to this fight willing to show that his
loss to Anderson Silva at MECA 6 couldn't be used as a measurement
of his skills, and he surely did that! With the Brazilian Top
Team in his corner and no personal problems to interfere with
his training, Juan started the fight throwing a low kick that
made "Esponja" fall to the ground, and got the immediate
reaction from the crowd! After a brief exchange the BTT member
took his opponent down with ease, and used his superior ground
game to land some strikes and get the mount, from where a helpless
"Esponja" gave his back only to receive more punishment
from a very game Juan Carneiro who got the win by tap out due
to strikes still in the first round.
Cabelinho
choking Fontinelli
Haroldo "Cabelinho" vs. Claudionor Fontinelli:
Both fighters are very experienced and tough therefore everybody
was expecting a war! The clips of Fontinelly training Muay Thai
with Artur Mariano before the fight got the crowd impressed,
and everybody was feeling like "Cabelinho" was in for
a difficult task. However, Haroldo's skills made the task easy
and he was able to impress everybody with a steady game plan
and a tight ground game. As the fight started "Cabelinho"
immediately took Fontinelli down and quickly proceed to work
his Jiu Jitsu techniques to pass the guard and get Claudionor's
back, from where he worked on a rear naked choke, finally getting
it at 2:47 of the first round. "Cabelinho" is definitely
a new fighter after all his training with the BTT and is ready
for some new challenges.
Cristiano
sets up & sinks the triangle
Cristiano Marcello vs. Jadson:
A lot of people thought this would be an easy fight for Cristiano,
but Jadson proved to be a very tough competitor as he surprised
Marcello and the crowd in several stand up exchanges. Jadson
was able to take Cristiano Marcello down in some opportunities,
from where he worked on landing some punishment with punches
and even foot-stomps, getting everybody worried about the Chute
Boxe Jiu Jitsu teacher. However, after some punching exchanges,
and after another takedown by Jadson, it was Crisitano's Jiu
Jitsu that proved superior as he worked on some submissions until
finally getting a triangle to secure the win late in the first
round.
Titi
vs. Riscado
Luizao vs. Dave Phillips:
In one of the best fights of the night Luizao showed himself
as a mature fighter with skills, patience and heart to defeat
a very tough and game Dave Phillips. Dave has been training Muay
Thai at the Chute Boxe academy, and he wasn't afraid to trade
strikes and got the support of much of the crowd! However, Luizao
showed that he learned a lot from his master Mario Sperry as
he displayed a similar style from his master and was able to
control the action, even when he found himself in trouble. The
fight was very exciting and presented the fans with back and
forth moments as Orlando was scoring takedowns and landing punishment,
even securing a nice triangle for a good amount of time, while
Phillips would fight himself out of positions with heart and
give his all in striking. In the end the BTT fighter showed he
is probably going to appear in events abroad as he worked from
position to position landing very tough strikes to the American
fighter who was out on his feet when the first round was over,
leaving no option to the doctors but to stop the fight after
one round of action.
Titi
vs. Riscado
Rodrigo "Riscado" vs Cristiano "Titi":
Titi started the fight impressing everybody, with a good Muay
Thai game and also scoring take downs and proceeding to ground
and pound. As he started to feel confident it started to seem
clear that he would become the winner, however this is why he
have the fights! As the fight went on Cristiano started to feel
tired and couldn't perform in the same intensity anymore, before
he expected he found himself in a nice triangle by Rodrigo "Riscado"
who got him the win leaving "Titi" and the Barra Gracie
camp lead by Vinicius Draculino disappointed.
Mauricio
"Shogun" Rua vs. Rafael "Capoeira":
This was the most exciting fight of the night as both fighters
are all about heart. In the begging of the fight "Capoeira"
was able to take Ninja's brother down to the gound and smartly
avoided the exchanges. Shogun vs. Capoeira The Chute Boxe corner
would tell Mauricio to stay calm and trust in his training, and
the young fighter did it perfectly and one couldn't even tell
this was his debut, as he got himself out back to his feet to
showcase amazing Muay Thai Skills. Yes! Amazing skills! He truly
lived to all the hype and in a truly battle on the feet he went
after Rafael non-stop, delivering strike after strike, blow after
blow, and using all sorts of kicks and punches while "Capoeira"
would courageously try to respond by throwing strikes of his
own. It was truly a war, and after several kicks and punches
"Shogun" managed to knock his opponent down with the
trademarked Chute Boxe knees, from where he punished him with
foots stomps, punches and kicks until the fight was re-started
standing, from where the Chute Boxe star of the future knocked
out his opponent cold with a beautiful round house kick at around
4 minutes of the first round! Like his brother Murilo Ninja,
Shogun seems no never tire, and he is going to be the real deal,
mark my words.
Cyborg
wins!
Evagelista Cyborg vs. Silvio Urutum:
Silvio Urutum came into the fight needing the win badly, and
trained hard to achieve it. As the fight started Urutum showed
the typical aggression of a Chute Boxe fighter and went right
after Cyborg, landing a quick combination of punches. However,
Cyborg was able to back down and defend himself, and ended up
landing a powerfull counter punch that hit Urutum straight on
the chin. It was an instant knockout and after that Silvio didn't
even know what was going on. It was very sad for Urutum as he
was very well trained, and hopefully he will be back. For Cyborg
it was a needed win to give his career a boost, so we will se
more of him in the future.
Nilson
vs. Lucas
Nilson de Castro vs. Lucas Lopes:
Nilson de Castro has been ready to fight in major events for
a good while, as his K-1 win earlier this year clearly showed.
Coming to the fight very well trained, the Chute Boxe fighter
dominated the action standing up, and showed his trademarked
knees much to the desperation of Lucas Lopes. Lucas on the other
hand was game and tough, and tried what he could, however Nilson
de Castro is on another level at this point, and demolished Lopes
both standing and on the ground, hitting him with punching combinations,
kicks, foot stomps and knees. After several exchanges and some
referee re-starts standing, Nilson de Castro finally got the
TKO with some hard punches and brutal stomps to the head in the
best Chute Boxe fashion to get the win with around 7 minutes
of the first round. For Nilson de Castro the next step may be
PRIDE or the UFC, only time will tell.
In
an event where the focus was to develop new talent, one can say
MECA 7 achieved its goal as some future stars of the sport may
have been born at the Palacio de Cristal ring in Curitiba, on
November 8th of 2002. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua lived to
all the hype and presented us with probably the most exciting
fight of the night! Brazilian Top Team member Luis Orlando Brito
showed resemblances of his master Mario Sperry against Kopylov
and controlled his fight against a very game opponent in Dave
Phillips. Juan Carneiro proved he couldn't be measured by his
MECA debut against Anderson Silva and showed a perfect game plan
and Crisitano Marcello showed a lot of heart and the ground game
that got him the Chute Boxe Jiu Jitsu teacher position. If this
is not enough, veteran Haroldo "Cabelinho" Bunn showed
that he is now in a different level than before and with the
BTT in his corner he is going to rebuild his career, as on the
other hand Chute Boxe newest star Nilson de Castro once again
demolished his opponent erasing any doubts that his future is
fighting abroad.
With all of those accomplishments, MECA World Vale Tudo 7 was
what can be called an action-packed exciting event that displayed
submissions, knockouts, fast paced ground action as well as furious
stand up exchanges! The night of fights also included a challenge
from Assuerio Silva to Carlos Barreto for a fight in a future
MECA event, and Marcelo Giudici to Eugenio Tadeu, also for a
future fight, plus a tribute to Murilo Bustamante, Vanderlei
Silva and Rodrigo Minotauro. Another interesting facet of the
event was the referees -- "The Axe Murderer" Vanderlei
Silva, Carlos Barreto, Eugenio Tadeu, and Marcelo Giudici were
among those controlling the action in the ring. The event managed
to continue its growing rhythm and gave us all hope of even better
ones for the next year. The pay per view sales numbers will surely
pay a huge toll on MECA's future, but one thing is certain, MECA
is here to stay.
Source: FCF
11/10/02 Updated 1:00PM
Quote
of the Day
Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Bloody
Midgets Is On Tonight!
You know that Onzuka.com is serious about its coverage of important
events and issues that affect the Hawaii community and in keeping
with our journalistic integrity...I AM GOING TO WATCH SOME MIDGETS
BEAT EACH OTHER INTO A SENSELESS PULP! WHOOOHOOO!
Bloody Midget Wrestling is tonight and the next two days at Gussie
L'Amours by the airport. Two of the midgets were at Super Brawl
last night giving the crowd a preview of what to expect.
Alright, I am really going because one of the midgets almost
got T. Jay last night and I am going to see if they are going
to jump him and finish the job. This
is right after Midget #1 stole the mike away from T. Jay.
T. Jay is in the background laughing, but he is really crying
on the inside.
Super
Brawl 27 Results
Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
November 9, 2002
By Chris Onzuka - Chris@Onzuka.com
Even
though this fight card only had seven matches, these fights filled
the night with action and some interesting results. Other than
the two mismatches which were the Japanese fighters being matched
up with two of Hawaii's promising up and comers, all the other
fights were action packed. The Kalama-Moreno fight was a seesaw
battle, where Moreno's punches were matched against Kalama's
knees. Then two big boys went at it, both in their second fight,
but Tynanes' power punches and kicks squeezed him out the victory
over a tough Seraile. The Carter-Jhun fight was a war where everything
conceivable was thrown out there. It was the conventional fighter
in Jhun pitted against the unconventional fighter in Carter.
The fight was fairly close for the first two rounds, with Carter
squeaking out the first round and Jhun squeaking out the second
round. However in the third round, Jhun planted a nice punch
that sent Carter to the mat for a second, but by Shooto rules
he was given a standing count, which should automatically make
that a 10-8 round, but somehow two of the three judges didn't
see it that way and ruled it a draw to a surprised Carter and
a disappointed Jhun. Niko Vitale proved that he is ready for
a shot at the big time by dropping an out of shape, Sean McCully,
with a devastating right hand. Somehow McCully stood up only
to be overrun by Vitale, who saw McCully's foot sticking out
and grabbed it for a toe-hold submission. The main event had
Jason Lambert getting frustrated trying to take down Cabbage.
To his credit, Lambert did get Cabbage to the ground and won
the first round only to take a solid left hook that dropped him
in the second. The referee should have called the match at that
point because Lambert was groggy and only stood up and walked
forward because he is a warrior. Right after that Cabbage rushed
in to finish off Lambert sending him to the canvas, winning the
first ever Super Brawl Heavyweight Championship.
Shooto
B Class
Kaipo Kalama (Grappling Unlimited) drew with Mark Moreno (Bulls
Pen)
Majority draw [(19-19), (18-19), (19-19)] after 2 rounds.
Shooto
B Class
Miles Tynannes def. Ray "King Kong" Seraile (Grappling
Unlimited)
Majority decision [(19-19), (20-19), (20-19)] after 2 rounds
Shooto
A Class
Akira Kikuchi (K'z Factory) def. "Ice Cold" Kolo Koka
(Grappling Unlimited)
Submission via key lock (Americana) at 3:09 minutes in Round
1.
Shooto
A Class
Jutaro Nakao def. Deshaun Johnson (HMC)
Submission via key lock (Americana) at 4:29 minutes in Round
1.
For
the Super Brawl Middleweight Championship
Shooto A Class Ronald "The Machine Gun" Jhun (808 Fight
Factory) drew with "Mr. International" Shonie Carter
(Combat-Do)
Draw [(29-28), (28-29), (28-28)] after 3 rounds.
Shooto
A Class Falaniko Vitale (Grappling Unlimited) def. Sean McCully
(LA Boxing)
Submission via toe hold at 51 seconds in Round 1.
For
the Super Brawl Heavyweight Championship
Shooto A Class
Wesley "Cabbage" Correira (Grappling Unlimited) def.
Jason Lambert (Williams Combat Grappling)
Knock out at 1:48 minutes in Round 2.
WORLD FIGHTING
ALLIANCE:LEVEL 3 CARD DOESN'T SKIP A BEAT
HALLMAN
STEPS IN FOR INJURED MILETICH
TRIGG READY TO ROCK!
(Las
Vegas, November 8, 2002) With November 23rd drawing near, the
World Fighting Alliance has been working on overdrive to bring
fans the very best in mixed martial arts entertainment. Returning
to Las Vegas, WFA: Level III event promises even more electrifying
sights and sounds, this time at the beautiful Aladdin Hotel &
Casino's 5,000-seat venue. Matchmaker and co-promoter John Lewis
has held fast to his commitment of assembling the best fight
card possible. The fans have spoken and the WFA has answered...the
WFA is proud to welcome Dennis "Superman" Hallman to
its ranks of ever-growing stable of impressive fighters. Doing
battle where "The Fight Club Meets the Nightclub,"
Hallman will meet Frank "Twinkle Toes" Trigg in the
WFA cage for the Welterweight Title bout. The winner will face
Pat Miletich at WFA: Level IV show. Miletich will be ringside
to commentate for the match and to gaze upon his next opponent...
whoever he may be. The quest for the undisputed welterweight
champion has begun!
Dennis Hallman, representing Team Quest/Victory Athletics, is
known throughout the world for his phenomenal submission skills.
A high school state wrestling champion, his experience clearly
shines through with a MMA record of 43-5-0-2. He's caught number-one
world ranked welterweight and current UFC champion Matt Hughes
in his slippery holds-- not once, but twice. This makes him a
deadly opponent for anyone on the ground. Fresh off an explosive
submission victory (what else!) at KOTC, Hallman says he is ready
to take his world-class wrestling adversary on. "Trigg's
a big, tough guy that's beaten up a lot of submission guys. When
big, giant scary guys come after you, you have to fight full
blast. I usually do well in these types of situations."
Rolling with the punches, Frank Trigg says, "I don't have
a problem fighting anybody. I'm ready to rock and roll."
Just what are the RAW fighter's thoughts on taking on Superman
Hallman? "Honestly, I don't know anything about this cat,
but I don't really need to." With top-notch takedown skills
and "ground and pound" perfection, could Hallman's
days be numbered?
Pat Miletich, recovering from two bulged disks and a herniated
one all in his neck, has his own thoughts on these two contenders.
"Hallman is a lot stronger than he looks and he's a very,
very good submission guy. Trigg better be careful, because at
any time, Hallman can get something on him. Trigg will most likely
have Hallman on his back and will be rifling that left hand at
him, so he could do plenty of damage himself. I think it's a
phenomenal fight." Any preference to which warrior he'd
like to meet for the coveted title? "Either or is fine with
me. They've both had bad things to say about our gym, so whatever
happens, happens."
Fifteen days to go and counting! Get your tickets NOW by purchasing
them directly through the Aladdin Resort & Casino's box office
(877-333-9474) and through all Ticketmaster locations (702-474-4000
or www.ticketmaster.com). Ticket prices range from $30, $50,
$60, $100, $150, and $200 (18 years of age and over). Visit www.WFA.tv,
the official web site of the world's hottest MMA experience,
for the latest news and updates.
For
additional event information, please contact:
Paula Romero, WFA Marketing & Promotions at paularromero@yahoo.com.
Source: FCF
Joe
Rogan joins announce team for UFC 40
JOE
ROGAN, HOST OF NBC’S FEAR FACTOR, TO JOIN ULTIMATE FIGHTING
CHAMPIONSHIP 40: VENDETTA AS COLOR COMMENTATOR
Friday,
November 22, Live Pay-Per-View Fight Features Defending Light
Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz Vs. Legend Ken Shamrock at the
MGM Grand
New
York, November 7, 2002 –Joe Rogan, the well-known host of
NBC’s Fear Factor, is joining Ultimate Fighting Championship
40: Vendetta at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Friday, November
22 as color commentator. The live pay-per-view event is attracting
significant media attention due to the main event: a super-fight
between the brash defending light-heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz
and the returning hard-core legend, Ken Shamrock. UFC40: Vendetta
starts live at 10:00 P.M. (EST).
Rogan
is most closely associated with his hosting duties for the immensely
popular prime time reality series, Fear Factor and his starring
role on NBC’s hit comedy series, NewsRadio where he played
Joe Garelli, the resident electrician at WNYX Radio. He also
recently released a groundbreaking debut comedy album on Warner
Bros. Records titled “I’m Gonna Be Dead Someday.”
What fans may not know is Rogan’s life-long passion for
martial arts and specifically Ultimate Fighting Championship’s
mixed martial arts’ blend of boxing, kickboxing, wrestling,
jiu-jitsu and karate. Rogan earned a black belt at 15 with just
two years of training. Soon he became the Massachusetts full
contact tae kwon do champion four consecutive times. By the age
of 19, he won the U.S. Open Tae Kwon Do Championship, and as
the lightweight champion, he went on to beat both the middle
and heavyweight title-holder to take home the Grand Championship.
“Fans
of the UFC know Joe is a regular at our events. So when I asked
him to be the color commentator for UFC40 with Ken and Tito in
the main event, I didn’t know if he could do it with his
busy schedule. But I knew with all of his experience, he was
the right man, “said Dana White, president of the UFC. “Joe
and I have become friends over the years and his intimacy with
the sport and his knowledge of the fighters is going to be a
huge benefit for the viewers at home.”
“I’m
excited to give the fans the information that I think will provide
some perspective on this big event,” said Rogan. “I’m
fortunate to know more than the average guy about the athletes’
backgrounds, the training required leading up to the event and
the rules of mixed martial arts. It will be very cool to have
that direct connection with the fans.”
Visit
Ultimate Fighting Championship on the web at www.ufc.tv.
MECA
VALE TUDO: Quick Results!
Military Gym,
Curitiba, Brazil - November 8th, 2002
-
Nilson de Castro (Chute Boxe) def. Lucas Lopes (Jiu Jitsu/Boxing)
- Ref. Stopage
Source:
ADCC
11/9/02
Quote
of the Day
"The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be
kindled."
Plutarch
Super
Brawl 27 Tonight!
Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
Mark Moreno
(Bulls Pen) vs. Kaipo Kalama (Grappling Unlimited)
Ray "King
Kong" Seraile (Grappling Unlimited) vs. Miles Tynannes
Akira Kikuchi
(K'z Factory) vs. "Ice Cold" Kolo Koka (Grappling Unlimited)
Jutaro Nakao
vs. Deshaun Johnson (HMC)
Falaniko Vitale
(Grappling Unlimited) vs. Sean McCully (LA Boxing)
Main Event:
Ronald "The Machine Gun" Jhun (808 Fight Factory) vs.
"Mr. International" Shonie Carter (Combat-Do)
Wesley "Cabbage"
Correira (Grappling Unlimited) vs. Jason Lambert (Williams Combat
Grappling)
PRIDE
& The UFC - PPV The Same Weekend!
Is PRIDE running a PPV the same weekend as UFC a bad move?
Those MMA
fans who have a 'spending limit' will more than likely purchase
the UFC and not PRIDE. But PRIDE has no expenses in running on
U.S. PPV and haven't drawn much of a rating in the past (other
than Frye/Shamrock).
PRIDE is using
many of the old UWFI guys (Takada, Tamura, Kanehara and Sakuraba)
which is expected to draw major interest from Japan. Inside the
United States, many will pass on the show because they have no
idea who many of the Japanese fighters are (aside from Sakuraba)
and view them as insignificant.
It's expected
that the UFC will gets it's biggest buy rate in years off of
the Shamrock/Ortiz show. Many believe UFC will try to capitalize
on this momentum into the next event which will feature new talent
(which has proven to be a winning move as seen in the Bellagio
show).
At the present
time, it's unknown if UFC will run a January event or wait for
the March date in Florida, which seems to be a strong rumor that
Dana White recently confirmed in an interview.
PRIDE's next
event will take place at the Fukuoka Marine Messe on 12/23/02
and is looking once again to the heavyweights.
Current plan
is for the winner of Semmy Schilt vs. Rodrigo Nogueira to face
the winner of Heather Herring vs. Emelianeko Fedor.
Source: ADCC
Saulo
Ribeiro Interview
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: TFC FightZone isn't a big event on the NHB scene. Do
you think that you're on the right path?
Saulo Ribeiro: I think this is very similar to what happens in
Jiu Jitsu. You start in smaller events to finally get to the
big ones such as the MUNDIALS of Jiu. Smaller events give you
some fight practice and every athlete needs this experience.
So to fight in smaller shows give you some experience to prepare
for fights in events as UFC and Pride.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: So do you consider your fight with Yuki Kondo on the
Collosseum2000 a mistake?
S. Ribeiro: In my opinion it wasn't a mistake. I just went to
fight on Colosseum2000 without experience and for the wrong reasons.
I fought because I'd get paid well, and I'd immediately get some
international attention. Besides this, I didn't train as I should.
So what can I say? Today I'd have been much more prepared for
that show. I think that an athlete reaches a peak in his physical
and technical aspects after the age of 27 years old. At this
age he's ready to join the techniques, the tactics and the philosophy,
especially on the NHB where I can mention Murilo Bustamante and
Rickson Gracie as examples of this. These guys are always relaxed
in the ring even when they're under tough situations. That's
why it is almost impossible to beat them.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: What can you say about that fight against Jason Ireland?
S. Ribeiro: Ireland was the champion of the event with a 23-3
record. He was very experienced in the octagon. This was the
16th FightZone edition and he fought in almost all of them. Besides
that, he hasn't never lost in his hometown and the crowd was
all in his favor. It was a great experience because I already
knew that he had some good stand up skills and had a left hand.
So I had to be very calm on my feet, to take him down and develop
my ground game. I think that the Muay Thai and Wrestling were
more important than Jiu Jitsu in this fight, because in someway
Jiu Jitsu is already incorporated to my NHB game.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: What's your opinion about your Wrestling and Muay Thai
skills?
S. Ribeiro: Well, they're better than before, but still far from
the ideal. I've started to feel more comfortable using my Muay
Thai and my Wrestling; in this fight for example, I was able
to throw a right hand to Ireland's face which opened some space
to take him down.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: The fight was very quick. Did he offer any kind of danger
for you?
S. Ribeiro: The people who watched or will watch the fight can
say that this was an easy opponent for me. But when you're able
to perfectly develop your fights plans, a win can look easy because
you totally annul your opponent's game. You can see this in Rodrigo
'Minotauro' Nogueira and Bustamante's fights. They make their
opponents look inferior, but actually it is the Jiu Jitsu which
keep us comfortable.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Tell us about Saulo Ribeiro x Jason Ireland.
S. Ribeiro: I threw a punch to his face and took him down. He
applied a typical guillotine choke, trying to avoid the ground
game. But I was with his guard passed, trying to put my knee
on his and I got his back. I prefer to not hit him too much to
get a better position. I got this position and he tried to escape
for me, but I throw some punches which connected and finally
submitted him with a rear naked choke.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Did you feel any kind of pressure to not lose this fight
and to prove that you also can be a good NHB fighter?
S. Ribeiro: Actually I put this responsibility on my back in
2000 and this was really bad for me, I'm not a 'NHB black-belt'.
Guys such as Jose Mario Sperry, Vanderlei Silva and 'Minotauro'
are. I just put a lot of responsibility on my back due to my
resume in Abu Dhabi and in Jiu Jitsu. Maybe this year I can get
my blue belt in the NHB. (laughs)
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Did you arrive relaxed and tranquil?
S. Ribeiro: I told myself that I wasn't injured and trained really
hard to make a good fight. So I put it all in GOD's hands and
tried to do everything which I trained on for the months before
the fight.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: A few fans don't know that this was your third NHB match.
Tell us something about your first NHB match.
S. Ribeiro: I fought NHB in 1996 in Rio de Janeiro in an event
called Circuito Carioca de FreeStyle-'Jiu Jitsu vs. Kung-Fu'.
This event happened the week after the MUNDIALS '96 of Jiu Jitsu.
Besides me, Muzio DeAngelis, 'Sarruco' and Chris Brennan fought
too. It was a quick fight, I took my opponent down, got the mount
position, so he gave me his back and I submitted him with a rear
naked choke. I just had received my black-belt few months before
this show and weight something near 76kg.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Even with three fast fights, your first fights were held
in a ring. Do you feel some difference in fighting on a cage
as happen on the FightZone?
S. Ribeiro: The first thing which I wished when I entered on
the cage was to get out of there as fast as I can (laughs). You
look like a locked dog or a bird in a jail with all the crows
screaming for a KO or a submission. I don't know how to explain
the difference but the sensation was a mixture of anxiety and
adrenaline. Once again, I realized that everybody should applaud
any NHB fighters.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Besides the unquestionable victory and the belt, what
does this victory represent for you?
S. Ribeiro: A victory is always a very representative thing.
I had success in my return to the rings, so this's very important,
mainly because I've a very well structured team looking for NHB.
My students are really focused, and this helps me a lot in my
training. Guys such as Caio, Jorge Britto, Fabricio 'Morango'
Cames, Jorge, Gustavo and Alexandre are very determinated. I
also got good support from Artur Mariano (Muay Thai), Darrel
Gholar (Wrestling) and Paulo Caruso and Steve Maxwell (conditioning),
and obviously in Jiu Jitsu from my master Royler Gracie and Vinny.
So I just wish good things for the future.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: When will you be fighting again?
S. Ribeiro: I'll be facing Adrian Serrano on December 13th. He's
a very experienced fighter and after this fight I'll try to start
some negotiations with Pride or UFC.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Will be this your first title defense?
S. Ribeiro: Yeah. Serrano was in the event and he's the first
contender since he was defeated by Ireland in a very tough fight.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Abu Dhabi on the next year? What's your opinion about
the event in Brazil?
S. Ribeiro: I think that it'll be the only chance for us, the
fighters to show our value on the national and international
scenario. The event will have a lot of money, great press coverage
and some of the best grapplers in the world will be here. So
there aren't any reasons for us to not show our potential. If
the Brazilains make the majority of the champions, we'll be showing
the dedication of the Brazilian fighters. I'm talking about this
because it's unacceptable that fighters such as Vanderlei Silva,
Bustamante and 'Minotauro' don't get the recognition which they
deserves. They only get coverage on the fight media here in Brazil.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Let's talk about NHB again. After your fight on the TFC
FightZone, many internet fans said that you're ready to face
Sanae Kikuta or Yuki Kondo again. What do you think about this?
S. Ribeiro: I really appreciate this recognition but I don't
want to make the same mistake which I did before. So, to face
one of them I think that I have to get more NHB experience than
I have right now. Both, Kikuta and Kondo, are Pancrase fighters;
so they fight on a very regular basis. Fighting NHB for them
is similar to competing in Jiu Jitsu for me. Maybe next year
I can face one of them. Who knows...
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: MUNDIALS2002 of Jiu Jitsu, how do you analyze your performance
compared with your participation last year?
S. Ribeiro: I think that I was 100% better this year. Because
I did better preparation, but since I didn't fight in the smaller
events I entered the Mundial without good fight practice. If
I had fought on the Brazilian Championship of Teams, Pan American
or State Championship, maybe I've had a better result at the
Mundials which's a very tough competition. The number 1 this
year was Márcio 'Pe de Pano' Cruz (Gracie Barra), because
he fought in all of these events which I mentioned. So he was
in better fight training. To train is very important, but the
difficulties appears more often during the tourney, that's was
my biggest problem.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Theorically, the absolute class is harder than your
weight class (middle-heavy). Is this true?
S. Ribeiro: For sure. Because we always face heavier opponents
and when this happens, the difficulty is bigger. So I think that
this year I faced tougher fighters than I faced in the last one,
especially on absolute. I faced Gabriel Napao(who defeated Rodrigo
'Comprido' Medeiros), Roberto 'Gordo' Correa and Fabio Nascimento.
And I was the lightest fighter in the absolute class. But I insist
to say, that the lack of competition before the event was my
biggest problem at this Mundial.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: So, the middle-heavy was easier?
S. Ribeiro: Everything happened as I expected. My tactic was
to not lose a lot of gas, since I fought the absolute class the
day before. So I wanted to fight without getting tired, only
doing the necessary things to get the title. This was the way
which I found to win my weight class and to face 'Pe de Pano'
in the absolute final.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Which were your mistakes in the absolute final?
S. Ribeiro: What happened is that I took too long to block his
sweep. 'Pe de Pano' was in fighting shape since he was fighting
a lot and I didn't. I had not competed in any Jiu Jitsu events
since 2001. So he knew the exact timing to execute that movement
and that swept gave the victory to him.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Why did choose to fight in the Mundial (CBJJ) rather
than Copa do Mundo(CBJJO)?
S. Ribeiro: Because my team preferred to fight in the MUNDIALS,
so if I had decided to fight the Copa do Mundo, I'd have been
dumb. I think that MUNDIALS's title is more important than Copa
do Mundo's title. There's no problem where I fought since my
'brother', Eduardo 'Jamelao' Conceicao (Alliance) won our weight
class on the Copa do Mundo.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Ok champion
Source: ADCC
A
Statement from the BRAZILIAN TOP TEAM Headquarters
The Brazilian
Top Team wanted to let everybody know that they are planning
towards a big 2003. The first big item of news involves the BTT
and Pancrase - a verbal agreement to start a new partnership
for the next year in Japan exists between the two groups.
Pancrase returned
in 2002, with good quality shows and they planning to run a show
every single month starting January 2003. BTT members will be
participating by sending representatives to each event.
Which nrings
up of a political situation involving Pancrase, Brazilian Top
Team and Shooto.
It is known
that the relationship between Pancrase and Shooto is not the
best. BTT was looking forward to negotiating with SHOOTO about
sending representatives to fight in SHOOTO as well. It turns
out that SHOOTO has their own representative in Brazil, Joao
Alberto Barreto. Apparently, BTT management is expected to talk
to this representative,to secure a spot in Shooto. The problem
is that the SHOOTO representative charges 20% of each fighter's
purse and the BTT management cannot agree to that.
Recently,
135 lbs. BTT fighter Hudson Rocha to fight in Shooto. SHOOTO
even was counting on Husdson's appearance, listing him as a tournament
contender. It was determined that the Brazilian Top Team will
not send representatives to SHOOTO unless they negotiate directly.
As no response from SHOOTO was heard, it appears that BTT nember
won't be fighting in SHOOTO any time soon.
Source: ADCC
WFA:
LEVEL 3 FEATHERWEIGHT ACTION HEATING UP
RISING STAR JEFF CURRAN TO REPLACE INJURED NIGEL HUDSON
(Las Vegas,
Nevada, November 7th) Jeff Curran, one of the rising hottest
featherweight stars in mixed martial arts today, will now face
local Las Vegas fighter Todd Lally at the World Fighting Alliance’s
highly-anticipated Novermber 23rd show. Stepping in to replace
Nigel Hudson, Curran brings a solid game and a mean left hook
to the WFA cage - as exhibited by his brutal KO of Hawaiian stud
Baret Yoshida at a recent Superbrawl/ UCC
event. A brown belt under Pedro Sauer, Curran‘s winning
streak will surely be tested by talented Lewis/Pederneiras Vale
Tudo fighter Lally.
The rest of the card remains stacked with top talent. Add to
this mix: the ladies, the lights and sounds you’d find in
any hot nightclub, and you’ve got the makings of a night
to remember! See these two promising competitors battle it out!
Get your tickets NOW by purchasing them directly through the
Aladdin Resort & Casino's box office (877-333-9474) and through
all Ticketmaster locations (702-474-4000 or www.ticketmaster.com).
Ticket prices range from $30, $50, $60, $100, $150, and $200.
Check out www.wfa.tv for a detailed seating chart
and for the latest news and updates.
For additional
event information, please contact:
Paula Romero, WFA Marketing & Promotions at paularromero@yahoo.com
Source: ADCC
Mixed Martial
Arts Media Top 10
November 1, 2002
The MMA Media
Top 10 rankings combine votes of mixed martial arts journalists
from across the globe to form a comprehensive top-10 listing
of six weight classes:
Heavyweight
(205-265 lbs.)
Light Heavyweight (205-185 lbs.)
Middleweight (185-170 lbs.)
Welterweight (170-155 lbs.)
Lightweight (155-145 lbs.)
Featherweight (145-135 lbs.)
These weight classes conform with those outlined by the Nevada
State Athletic Commission and New Jersey Athletic Control Board.
Heavyweights
- 205 lbs. and up (93 kg and up)
Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira 160
Josh Barnett 140
Ricco Rodriguez 120
Heath Herring 112
Randy Couture 94
Mario Sperry 58
Pedro Rizzo 54
Fedor Emelianenko 27
Igor Vovchanchyn 51
Semmy Schilt 8
Middleweights - 170 - 184.9 lbs. (77.1 - 83.9 kg)
Murilo Bustamante 158
Kazushi Sakuraba 129
Matt Lindland 118
Phil Baroni 100
Paulo Filho 91
Anderson Silva 80
Dave Menne 61
Jose "Pele" Landi-Jons 31
Ivan Salaverry 21
Renzo Gracie 18
Welterweights - 155 - 169.9 lbs. (70.3 - 77.1 kg)
Matt Hughes 160
Hayato Sakurai 132
Carlos Newton 127
Frank Trigg 117
Sean Sherk 75
Gil Castillo 63
Pat Miletich 57
Tetsuji Kato 44
Nathan Marquardt 41
Shonie Carter 17
Lightweights - Up to 154.9 lbs. (up to 70.3 kg.)
Jens Pulver 160
BJ Penn 140
Takanori Gomi 130
Caol Uno 111
Din Thomas 81
Dokonjonosuke Mishima 78
Matt Serra 51
Javier Vasquez 38
Vitor Ribeiro 29
Genki Sudo 22
Featherweights
- Up to 144.9 lbs. (up to 65.9 kg)
Alexandre "Pequeno" Nogueira 156
Joao Roque 120
Tetsuo Katsuta 108
Hiroyuki Abe 104
Stephen Palling 92
Katsuya Toita 82
Norifumi Yamamoto 81
Baret Yoshida 38
Jeff Curran 22
Noaya Uematsu 20
MMA media who participated in the balloting this month:
Eduardo Alonso (Brazil) Full Contact Fighter
Aaron Crecy (USA) Full Contact Fighter
Martins Denis (Brazil) ADCC News
Thomas Gerbasi (USA) MaxFighting
Josh Gross (USA) MaxFighting/FightSport
Joe Hall (USA) MaxFighting
Hidetake "Shimauo" Hirashima (Japan) SHOOTO World Network
Yoshinori Ihara (Japan) BoutReview
Arnold Lim (Canada) MMARingReport
Shinji Nishimura (Japan) STAND
Scott Peterson (USA) MMAWeekly
Garret Poe (USA) Sherdog
Jake Rossen (USA) MaxFighting
Jeff Sherwood (USA) Sherdog
Mike Sloan (USA) Sherdog
Russell Taylor (Canada) FightCenter
Source: Sherdog
The
1st Annual Dale Earnhart Jr. Classic
To have big sponsors
like this for a BJJ tournament is huge! Hopefully this turns
out well and grows the sport.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitors & Submission Grapplers get
ready! An event like no other is going to take place on Saturday,
January 25th at the Cabarrus County Arena in Concord, NC!
Joe Hurst Jr. & Garrtt Barger present The 1st Annual Dale
Earnhart Jr. Classic!!! Two of America's "fastest growing
sports", NASCAR & Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, are teaming up
to bring you one of the LARGEST events of its kind!!!
This event has the potential to take our sport to the next level!
Dale Earnhardt Jr., contacted Budweiser and requested them to
come aboard as major sponsor, providing much needed funds to
make this event a success. Brazilian based kimono giant Atama
Kimonos have also been listed amongst the sponsors of this event.
The tournament will be held in newly built Cabarrus County Arena,
is a 28,000 square foot facility that can seat up to 6,000 spectators.
Joe promises this to be a first class event, with 2 x 20ft jumbo-tron
screens following the action on the mats. There will be both
GI and No-GI divisions. There will also be a Pro-Division, which
the winners will take home $1,500.00! The Pro-Division are usually
reserved for Purple Belts and above. However, the organizers
of this event have decided to have an OPEN REGISTRATION and is
open to all that fill they are skilled enough to enter. If you
are not ranked in any kind of "grappling system", just
use you own judgment. Remember, this event is attracting some
of the best grapplers in America, so make sure you are ready!!!
And if that was not enough, Gift baskets will be given to all
participants in the Pro-Division! There is even a rumor of a
national recording artist may open the event with a performance!
NASCAR memorabilia and a real Dale Earnhardt Jr. race car will
be on display, along with Dale Earnhardt Jr. himself present
at the event. And to top it all off, did I mention that the guest
of honor is MMA LEGEND ROYCE GRACIE!
As if the Dale Earnhardt Jr Classic wasn't already making HUGE
splashes with its plans for the Biggest BJJ Tournament ever in
America, news comes from Organizer Joe Hurst Jr. of their TWO
Superfights!
Superfight #1 will match Marcio Feitosa (ADCC World Champion
and World BJJ Champion) against Daniel Moraes (Gracie Pacific
Rim,World BJJ Champion, and Pan Am Champion).
Superfight #2 will match American Black Belt Marc Laimon (Grappler
Quest, PanAms, and Abu Dhabi competitor). He will go against
Brazilian Black Belt Marcello Clemente (Royler Gracie).
Feitosa Vs. Moraes & Clemente Vs. Laimon will both be fighting
for a $2,000.00 winner purse!
I
will keep you all posted for any updates that will arise in the
coming weeks. However, the website for the event is COMING SOON!!!
The
1st Annual Dale Earnhart Jr Classic is already looking to go
down as one of North Americas most memorable grappling events!
"Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?"
Abraham Lincoln
Super
Brawl Press Conference/Weigh-ins Today
Place: 24 Hour Fitness (Kapiolani)
Time: 1:00PM
SB Internet
Feed
For those who read about the Internet broadcast of Super Brawl,
only the island of Oahu is blocked out. Neighbor Islands and
the rest of the world can get the Internet feed via a link on
the Super Brawl web site. www.superbrawl.tv
Bloody
Midget Wrestling at Gussie's
I don't know about you, but I was just thinking, "if only
a group of midget pro-wrestlers would come to Hawaii and beat
each other bloody, I could die happy." Well, if you were
thinking the same thing, I have the number to a great Psychologist...and
information on the event called Hardcore Midget Wrestling. You
know that I am all over this show. I'll see you sick people down
there!
The
Hype is Beginning - SHAMROCK has a Song!
I say he is going to be "Gettin' it, Armageddon it."
While Tito
Ortiz has the likes of Limp Bizkit and Fred Durst, Ken Shamrock
has now been given a theme song for the next UFC.
Gary Hoey,
who wrote the soundtrack for 'Endless Summer 2' has apparently
wrote a song entitled 'Shamrockin.' The song is a hard driving
anthem laced with powerful music that will be debuted at the
MGM Grand as Shamrock fights Tito Ortiz.
Hoey, a Surfdog
Records recording artist, collaborated with Tom Casey, a friend
of Shamrock and fan of MMA to create 'Shamrockin'. Not to mention
he has production credits for producing albums for Jewel and
other artists. He has also worked on Disney projects.
The song is
reportedly being timed with Shamrock's walk to the Octagon.
Miletich
Out of WFA
One of the most anticipated bouts signed for the November 22
weekend has given way to injury it was learned on Wednesday.
A pinched nerve will force veteran competitor Pat Miletich out
of the World Fighting Alliance main event Frank Trigg.
MaxFighting's
Peter Lockley confirms that top-10 welterweight Nathan Marquardt
has been approached to take Miletich's place for the Nov. 23
fight at the Aladdin Resort & Casino. However, Marquardt
is recovering from a broken hand suffered October 29 and is unsure
whether he can recover in time to take the fight. A replacement
for Miletich could be announced as early as Friday.
Source: Maxfighting
PRIDE - OFFICIAL
PRESS RELEASE:
PRIDE
FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS ANNOUNCE FULL FIGHT CARD FOR PRIDE-23
“CHAMPIONSHIP CHAOS II”
NOGUEIRA OF
BRAZIL VS. SCHILT OF HOLLAND,SAKURABA OF JAPAN VS. ARSENE OF
FRANCE & HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP ELIMINATION BOUT PITTING
HEATH HERRING AGAINST EMILIANENKO FEDOR
LOS ANGELES,
Calif. – November 7, 2002 – PRIDE Fighting Championships,
the mixed martial arts (MMA) phenomenon, has confirmed the full
fight card for PRIDE 23 – CHAMPIONSHIP CHAOS II. The final
additions to the star-studded event include current heavyweight
champion Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira battling Semmy
Schilt in a non-title match as well as Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Gilles
Arsene, the renowned jiu-jitsu stylist from France. PRIDE-23
will also feature the highly anticipated Heavyweight Championship
Elimination bout between Heath Herring and Emelianenko Fedor.
The winner of the elimination will have the honor of matching
his skill, strength and courage against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
for the PRIDE Fighting Championships Heavyweight Championship
title. Additional bouts on the PRIDE-23 card that have not previously
been announced include Kevin Randleman vs. Kenichi Yamamoto and
Jerrel Venetiaan vs. Hirotaka Yokoi.
Presented
by Dream Stage Entertainment, CHAMPIONSHIP CHAOS II will premiere
on Sunday, November 24, 2002 on Pay-Per View, broadcast from
the Tokyo Dome. CHAMPIONSHIP CHAOS II/PRIDE-23 can be viewed
by U.S. audiences on DIRECTV, Dish Network, TVN, Viewer’s
Choice Canada and Bell ExpressVU.
The full fight
card is:
MIDDLEWEIGHT
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT
Vanderlei Silva vs Mitsuhiro Kanehara
HEAVYWEIGHT
CHAMPIONSHIP ELIMINATION BOUT
Heath Herring vs Emelianenko Fedor
Rodrigo “Minotauro”
Nogeuira vs Semmy Schilt
Don Frye vs Hidehiko Yoshida
Nobuhiko Takada vs Kiyoshi Tamura
Murilo “Ninja” Rua vs Ricardo Arona
Kazushi Sakuraba vs Gilles Arsene
Kevin Randleman vs Kenichi Yamamoto
Jerrel Venetiaan vs Hirotaka Yokoi
ABOUT PRIDE
FC:
Originating in Japan, PRIDE Fighting Championships combine the
most highly skilled MMA competitions with a 21st Century entertainment
philosophy to create the next generation in cutting edge sports
entertainment. PRIDE competitions include athletes from across
the globe, including the United States, Japan, Brazil, Europe,
Russia and many other countries. PRIDE allows techniques from
a myriad of martial arts and combat sports, solidifying its place
as an authentic and unique fighting style that is built on tension
and excitement, appealing to the growing audience of 21st Century
entertainment fans.
Source: ADCC
The Brazilian
Beat By Eduardo Alonso
Belfort
Forms New Team, Ninja is Eager and Rizzo is Traveling the Globe!
What
better way to start the month of November with the country's
biggest NHB event? MECA 7 will kick off a month that comes promising
lots of NHB action, with two events in Brazil, MECA 7 and Bitetti
Combat, plus probably the year's two biggest shows abroad, PRIDE
23 and UFC 40! As always, Brazilian fighters are a big part of
it, things couldn't be more heated in the last few days on the
Brazilian NHB scene. Since "The Beat" is leaving soon
to Curitiba to bring you all the action of MECA 7, we'll make
this text short but leave you with the latest from behind the
scenes in the home of the two PRIDE champions, as we bring you
Rizzo's recovery, Belfort's new team, all the heat between Ninja
and Arona, and more! Catch the rhythm and enjoy the beat, as
we're already flying away...
RVT
fighter and UFC Heavyweight contender Pedro Rizzo is already
back in training! After the usual initial post-surgery struggling,
Rizzo is now feeling better and not only doing his physical training,
but also doing some light technical training as well, from wrestling
to striking. "The Rock" told FCF that he expects to
do sparring sessions again around the end of December, and full
training in January. Pedro is leaving Brazil today, November
6th, for the USA where he will help the final preparation of
his teammate Renato Babalu for his UFC 40 bout against Chuck
Liddell. Busy as always, the Brazilian fighter will go from the
USA straight to Thailand to help his long-time friend Peter Aerts
in his preparation for the K-1 Grand Prix. This will be the first
time Rizzo goes to Thailand, and he will also be accompanying
the Dutch striker to Japan for the K-1 mega event. Pedro Rizzo
will finally be back in Brazil in mid-December, and FCF continue
to follow his recovery.
While
recovering from his knee surgery, Vitor Belfort has formed a
new NHB team! Forming a team has been in Belfort's plans for
a good while, and now his plans have borne fruit. Brazil Fight
Club is the country's newest NHB team and will include "The
Phenom" himself, along with Jorge "Macaco" Patino
and other interesting names on the roster. Jiu-Jitsu star Fernando
Terere is reported to be training with the team as well and the
team is welcoming pro fighters who are willing to join them and
be part of the new NHB force in Brazil. We will get together
with Belfort and his new team soon to bring you the details and
the names that may take the fighting world by assault soon.
Brazilian
Top Team member and PRIDE veteran Mario Sperry broke his hand
during a Muay Thai training session last week. "The Zen
Machine" had, in fact, broken his hand during his fight
against Andrei Kopylov at PRIDE 22 but didn't notice it. Despite
the pain he was feeling, Mario kept training and was unaware
of the fact he had a broken hand, but after a hardcore Muay Thai
training session, the pain was enormous prompting the Jiu-Jitsu
legend to get x-rays which revealed the broken hand. Mario Sperry
is now limited to light training and expects to be better in
about a month or so, he will, however, continue to train his
teammates and is going to Curitiba in the following days to attend
at MECA 7.
Chute
Boxe sensation and PRIDE veteran Murilo Ninja Rua is very eager
to face former Brazilian Top Team member Ricardo Arona at PRIDE
23. In his own words, Ninja said he will "crush and demolish"
Arona, because he feels the former RINGS champion talks to much
and will pay the price in the Tokyo Dome ring. Murilo Ninja Rua
has been training a lot at the Chute Boxe camp and is reported
to be showing amazing cardio condition and sharp Muay Thai skills.
This Friday he will be cornering his brother in his NHB debut
at MECA 7.
On
the other hand, two-time PRIDE winner Ricardo Arona has been
training very hard for his PRIDE 23 clash against Ninja and isn't
taking the fight lightly by any means. Arona has been reported
to be training a lot of wrestling and Muay Thai and is more powerful
than ever! Out of all this rivalry and increasing fire and interest
for the Arona vs. Ninja fight, one thing is for sure; the fans
will be treated to a true battle in the Tokyo Dome ring at PRIDE
23!
PRIDE
Middleweight champion Vanderlei Silva is continuously training
non-stop for his title defense against Hiromitsu Kanehara at
PRIDE 23! Silva told FCF that he is feeling as fast as ever on
the exchanges, and that he is hitting even harder with his right
hand now. Vanderlei has been doing several sparring sessions
with both Anderson Silva and Murilo Ninja, but training isn't
the only thing going on in the life of the "Axe Murderer."
Vanderlei Silva told Full Contact Fighter that he will be making
a very special announcement at MECA 7 and his fans will be very
pleased with the nice surprise he has been keeping from everybody!
The Axe Murderer's secret will be revealed on Friday, November
8th. FCF will be on hand to bring it to you.
The
city of Sao Paulo will be holding a well promoted Jiu-Jitsu event
on December 3rd, at the Direct TV Music Hall, an extremely nice
facility that is usually used for pop and rock concerts. The
event is called 1st Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt Challenge, and will
feature only single matches between Jiu-Jitsu stars, with good
prize money going to the winners. Fights like Leonardo Vieira
vs. Fredson Paixao, Roberto Tozi vs. Saulo Ribeiro and the participation
of names like Fernando Terere, Robson Moura and Jorge Macaco
Patino will surely bring lots of excitement to the event. Stay
tuned to FCF for future developments.
MECA
7 is just around the corner and FCF is going to Curitiba tomorrow
to bring you the best possible coverage of Brazil's biggest NHB
event nowadays. According to the promoters, the vast majority
of the tickets have already been sold and a packed house will
await the fighters on this Friday the 8th of November. PRIDE's
Koichi Kawasaki is already in Curitiba and all the fighters will
also be arriving in Curitiba this Thursday. The rules meeting
and weigh-ins are going to be held on the same Thursday at 7:00
PM Brazilian time, at the Caravelle Palace Hotel. Keep checking
back for a MECA 7 preview and constant updates and results of
all the NHB action in Curitiba.
Visit www.hmaisociety.com
for more Information & Updates!
Prof. Jaime
Abregana Jr.
Hawaii Martial Arts International Society
P.O. Box 2106
Ewa Beach, HI 96706 - USA
(808) 271-0225
Source: Jaime
Abregana Jr.
ON
THE "RAMPAGE"
WITH QUINTON JACKSON
Sitting one on one with Quinton "Rampage" Jackson is
all about getting to know "Mr. Personality." He's full
of life, full of fire, and full of character. MMA Ring Report
had the chance to sit and chat with him briefly and it was all
pleasure, full of fun, and no holding back. Yup, "Rampage"
was on the rampage at the recent King of the Cage in Reno, Nevada,
with his quick thoughts on PRIDE, his influences, and Vanderlei
Silva.
MMARR:
Give me your thoughts on Vanderlei Silva:
QRJ:
Well, I think that Vanderlei Silva is an excellent fighter. I
don't think he's a true champion. I don't like his attitude towards
other fighters and stuff. I think a true fighter should be nice
and humble.
MMARR:
Recently, Kevin Randleman had a lot to say about your teammate
Tito Ortiz. He feels pretty strongly that Chuck Liddell will
beat Tito and that Tito cannot outwrestle him. He also stated
his personal opinions (in the most negative way) about Tito (and
how he felt about him). Care to comment on that--on behalf of
Team Punishment--your team?
QRJ:
I would say that there's no room in this sport for all that bullshit.
If Tito and him have a problem with each other than it's between
them but just be mature--you know? We can talk shit at the show
but when we try and get personal with that, that's when it's
bullshit!
MMARR:
You just beat Igor, what does that win do for you?
QRJ:
Evidently, it ain't shit because that was my last fight on the
PRIDE contract and they tried to hand me some bullshit number
so, evidently it didn't do shit.
MMARR:
How do you think you would do in the Light Heavyweight Division
in the UFC--is that a place for you as a fighter?
QRJ:
Well, I think I'd do pretty good but the UFC is not where I really
want to be. I'm gonna let Tito hold it down in the UFC. I think
I'd do pretty well but I'd like to explore other places. I don't
have to always fight in the big events. I made my money and I
got my money saved up. I can fight for chump change here and
there. It's all about respect you know?
MMARR:
Are you being treated well with the PRIDE organization?
QRJ:
Well, I don't think PRIDE treats me the way I feel I should be
treated. Like for one fight, they gave me a yellow card in my
locker room cause I wore some painting on my back. They do shit
like that to me all the time. They give me last minute fights.
I just feel like they don't respect me. I won K-1 and it seemed
like they were upset that I won. They didn't say "Good Job"
or anything.
MMARR:
Are the Japanese fight fans respectful of you as a fighter, as
an American?
QRJ:
Oh yeah, the Japanese fans are the best. I love Japanese fans.
They give you gifts and they respect you. As long as you fight
hard, they love you.
MMARR:
Let's talk about that chain around your neck for a moment. Do
you feel that it's important to have a calling card, a character
to be remembered as a fan favorite?
QRJ:
I just do it. You know me, I like to put on a show no matter
where I go. I think you should stand out. I'm a different kind
of person. I'm different from everybody else in the world. It's
my fighting career. I don't want people to look at me as another
ultimate fighter or just another fighter. I want to stand out.
Like aww…shit I'm about to put on a show.
MMARR:
You got your start with King of the Cage. How did you get there?
QRJ:
Well, I was training with Fabiano Iha and Terry Tribelcock needed
a fighter, last minute. I had been training with Fabiano for
a while and he asked me if I wanted to fight. I was like FUCK
YEAH…I'll fight two weeks notice and shit. I put down the
cigarettes and did a lot of training.
MMARR:
So, Terry Tribelcock had helped you get your start. Care to elaborate
on that?
QRJ:
Oh yeah. I'll tell you what. I love Terry Tribelcock. He's the
nicest man. He helped me out a lot. Most people don't like promoters
and stuff because they're promoters--it's their job but Terry
took time out and helped me out. He's done a lot of things to
help me out. I got into some bullshit ass trouble when I first
started fighting Sakuraba, went to jail, and Terry bailed me
out for shit he didn't even have to do you know? He got me a
hotel room, took care of me, and made sure I got to the fight
the next day. It's just shit like that that makes you remember.
Terry can ask me--"Rampage, I need this right here."
If I can do it, I'm doing it for Terry. Cause I'll never forget
what he's done for me. He promoted me to PRIDE to have me fight
Sakuraba and it boosted my career.
MMARR:
Where did Quinton come from? What was your background like and
who or what were your influences?
QRJ:
I came from the streets. I didn't have any influences. I was
a street thug. I got my money from street shit. My mom had too
many kids to feed and I had to do my thing to survive. I was
pretty much a street thug, dropping out of school. It wasn't
until I started wrestling. That changed things for me. Before
then, I had to deal drugs and do all that bullshit. Wrestling
turned me around. One of my uncle's is a preacher and one day
he said "you ain't going to live long if you don't change."
So, I said--you know, you might be right. So, I decided to change.
My mom moved to another neighborhood and I started wrestling
at the high school and I was tired of failing out of school.
I got pretty good at wrestling. I was 17 years old in the 9th
grade. I told myself that if I failed one more time, I was going
to drop out of school. So, wrestling did it for me, turned me
around.
MMARR:
Who's the next opponent for you?
QRJ:
They want me to fight Arona or Dan Henderson. I train with Dan
so I don't want to fight him. If I had to, I would but I prefer
not to. I'm not an egomaniac. I know I can back out of the fight
and I'll know that I'm not a coward. I'm pretty good friends
with Dan. I'd rather fight Arona cause I don't know him and he's
in the fucking video game and I'm not.
MMARR:
How is Team Punishment working out for you? Is there any competition
between you and Tito?
QRJ:
Good. The only way I'd leave Team Punishment is if Team Punishment
wasn't working for me. I don't really care for the belt. Tito
is doing his thing and I'm doing my thing.
MMARR:
So, what else is on your mind? What else does "Rampage"
have to say to us?
QJR:
I just want everybody to know that I'm training hard and whether
I win or lose, I'm going to bring the action. I'm gonna try to
knock the motherfucka out! Go to my Web site and I got T-shirts
and shit that says "Rampage." Don't forget about it!
I'm hollering at you!
MMA
Ring Report could've sat with Rampage all day. He has a lot to
say and he's very passionate about his career, his peers, and
the industry. Check out his Web site and take the time to chat
with Quinton when you see him. He's one of the most approachable
fighters out there. Guaranteed, he'll take the time to "holler"
at you because if anything, he loves his fans. We wish Rampage
lot's of luck in his future PRIDE match-up.
Source: MMA
Ring Report
11/7/02
Quote
of the Day
"It's not what happens to you; it's what you do about it
that makes the difference."
W. Mitchell
Marcelo
Tigre to be charged for attempted murder
Here is
a story featured in Brazilains Journal, ''Correio Brazilaiense''
that someone posted in the Portuguese section of MMA.tv.
A couple,
Leandro Menezes Da Silva and Ana Lúcia Souza, had been
attacked in their house, in Samambaia, by a champion of vale
tudo Marcelo Tiger. The fighter, who had gone out with a cousin
of Ana Lúcia, counted on aid of friends in the aggression.
The couple attacked by a gang of fighters of the World vale tudo
champion, they invaded the house and beat the fiancés
to avenge a previous rejection by her. Ana Lúcia Barbosa
Souza, 18, and Leandro Menezes Da Silva, 23, had been attacked
in their house, for the World vale tudo champion Marcelo Tiger,
29, in the afternoon of the last sunday. According to Ana Lúcia,
Marcelo and his friends; Adaílton, Jose Luís and
Diego had invaded their residence in Samambaia, while Jorge,
another friend of Marcelo, distracted the minor N.S.B., 14, cousin
of Ana Lúcia and of Marcelo. After they entered the house,
Marcelo punched the mouth and stomach of Leandro, fiancé
of Ana Lúcia, who fell immediately. Having knocked down
the fiancé, Marcelo jumped on top of Ana Lúcia.
After that, he gave one punch in the right eye of the girl. Before
she could arise, Marcelo pulled her hair and gave, according
to victim, five or six knees to her thorax. While Marcelo attacked
Ana, his friends were put in charge to beat Leandro. They had
been many punches, kicks and stomps in the head of the victim.
When attacking Ana Lúcia, Marcelo made comments about
killing the couple. "He cried out: I do not know who I am
going to kill first. You or him." Everything started for
a futile reason: it, although to go out with her cousin, gave
the impression of being unemployed. "I am with my fiancé,
never had any interest in it", said Ana Lúcia. Still
according to victim, in the night of Saturday, Marcelo was in
his house and she told him to leave. He refused the request.
Fighter easily lose patience and take it as a moral insult. In
response, Ana Lúcia granted one covers in the face of
Marcelo. "Although he had a weapon at that time, he did
not react, but simply left house", she recounts. After to
filing a police report with the 21ª Police station of Policy,
Taguatinga, the couple was subjected to an examination of body
of the offense in Instituto Médico Legal (IML). In accordance
with the commission agent João Carlos Lóssio Son,
of 21ª DP, Marcelo could be fit by three crimes: illegal
transport of weapon (art. 10 of Law 9,437/97), threat (art. 147
of the Brazilian Criminal Code) and attempt of murder (art. 121,
in combination with art. 14, also of the Brazilian Criminal Code).
Added the penalties of articles above, Marcelo, if convicted,
can be imprisoned for 7-23 years. Already his friends Adaílton,
Jorge, Jose Luís and Diego are going to be accused as
accessories in the attempted murder.
Thanks to Tommy D. for the scoop.
Source: MMA.tv
TURN
OF EVENTS:
Minotauro to face Schilt at PRIDE 23!
By Eduardo Alonso
In a surprising
turn of events, despite the upcoming K-1 Grand Prix, DSE signed
their Heavyweight Champion Rodrigo Minotauro Nogueira to face
off against Dutch fighter and K-1 contender Semmy Schilt at PRIDE
23! The fight isn't set to be a title fight, since Minotauro
will wait until PRIDE 24 in December to defend his title against
the winner of the likely PRIDE 23 bout between Emelianenko Fedor
and Heath Herring. Minotauro has already been training to be
in fighting shape for a good while now, and Semmy Schilt will
be an interesting opponent after his latest K-1 performances.
Now the Tokyo Dome ring will play host to the two PRIDE champions,
in addition to other exciting matches like Ricardo Arona vs.
Murilo Ninja and Don Frye vs. Hidehiko Yoshida, so we'll have
to just wait and see what other surprises have yet to be revealed
for the PRIDE 23 card! FCF will keep an eye on the developments.
Source: FCF
The MINOTAUR
is in PRIDE!
Despite a
multitude of rumors pointing to the opposite, it appears that
PRIDE Havyweight Champion Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira is now
confirmed to fight in the next Pride. DSE always confirms fights
with very short notice, with less than 3 weeks left nefore the
fight, they did it again to their Pride heavy weight champion.
'Minotauro'
will face the former King of Pancrase Semmy Schilt in a non title
match. As for contract issues, this is the last fight on the
current contract for the champ, but an extension has been worked
out that will make see Noguiera fight in December, defending
his belt against the winner of the match between Heath Herring
and Emilianenko Fedor.
Source: ADCC
Sakuraba
is back!
Although it
is well known that Dream Stage Entertainment only releases the
full card for PRIDE the week prior to the event, behinf the senes
the event is really doing a lot of work!!!
Kasushi Sakuraba
seems to be back. Yoshida and Takada do not appear to be enough
to insure a sell out of the Tokyo Dome. Since Kazuyki Fujita's
injury, DSE does not have a good heavyweight representative,
and Sakuraba in the middleweight division has been chosen as
the one who could make excite the fans and increase attendance
at the show.
It also seems
that Sakuraba is getting fights in his weight division, which
would make sense. The word now is that he might face a brazilian
fighter: Chuteboxe's Anderson Silva. Anderson is undefeated in
Pride, and is the shortcut for Sakuraba to get his 3rd fight
against Vanderlei Silva. Rumours about Sakuraba facing Rodrigo
Gracie were never more than just that - rumors. It seems we will
not see Sakuraba facing another Gracie family member soon.
Source: ADCC
WELCOME
ALL GRAPPLERS!
What:
11th Annual Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu International Tournament
Where: Kaiser High School Gym
511 Lunalilo Home Road, Honolulu, Hawaii 96825
When: Saturday, November 16th, 2002
Time: 8:00AM - 8:30AM Viewing of the brackets
8:30AM - 8:45AM Rules Clinic
8:45AM Tournament Starts
4:00 - 4:30PM Awards Ceremony
Cost: $5.00 Spectator Admission; 14 years and under are free!
For more information or a registration packet: Call (808) 589-2524
Gracie Academy
Tournament
Is Open To All!
All martial arts schools are invited to participate! There will
be divisions for white, blue, purple, brown, and black belts,
by weight categories. (See Weight Categories chart for gi division,
see below for no-gi weight categories). Age divisions for the
gi divisions; kids (17 & under), adults (18-30), masters
(31-40), and seniors (41 & up). There will be only one age
division for the no-gi division.
Weigh-ins:
Friday, November 15th, 2002
10:00AM - 2:00PM or 3:00PM - 7:00PM
Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy, 2nd Floor
844 Queen Street
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
(808) 589-2524
(808) 589-1592 fax
*Competitors that are not on Oahu can fax or mail their completed
registration forms along with payment to the address above and
confirm their weight on the day of the tournament. If you do
not make the weight class that you indicated on the registration
form, you will automatically be disqualified from your division
and lose your registration fee. This is to avoid delays, while
trying to accommodate our off-Oahu competitors.
Registration
Fees:
Cash & Credit Cards Only, no checks.
(Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, and Discover Card accepted)
$45 Gi division ($5 extra to enter the Open weight division)
$45 No-Gi
division
($5 extra to enter the Open weight division)
$65 Both divisions (Gi & No-Gi, $5 extra to enter each Open
weight division)
Every competitor will receive an official tournament shirt!
Both the gi and no-gi division will be held under standard BJJ
rules.
Door Prizes
and Giveaways!
Hold onto your pink ticket stub and listen for the prizes!!!
Competitors as well as spectators have a chance at winning cool
prizes from our sponsors. You could be the next winner!
No- Gi Divisions
Age Divisions:
There will be only one age division for the no-gi division.
Skill Level
Divisions:
Beginner Less than 1 year grappling experience*
Intermediate 1-2 years grappling experience*
Advanced Over 2 years grappling experience*
*Prior wrestling, Judo, or related grappling experience counts
toward total grapping experience.
Time Limits
Kids: 11yrs & Under 12-15 years old
Beginner 3 minutes 4 minutes
Intermediate 3 minutes 4 minutes
Advanced 5 minutes 5 minutes
Weight Divisions:
Under 155lbs
156-175lbs
176-200lbs
201 & Over
Rules &
Point System:
· The No-Gi division will be scored using the same rules
as the gi division, using standard BJJ rules.
· Holding or grabbing on to your opponent's clothing IS
allowed.
· The only two leg locks allowed are the standard foot
lock and outside toe hold (your hand is placed on your opponent's
big toe/top of the foot and pressure is applied straight down
toward the sole of the feet and NOT applied at an angle.) ALL
OTHER LEG LOCKS ARE PROHIBITED. Any competitor caught using an
illegal leg lock will be disqualified immediately.
· The referee has the discretion to stop the match at
any time when he thinks that a competitor is in danger of becoming
injured.
Ultimate
Fighting Documentary:
The Smashing Machine -- on HBO
by: John Murphy
THE SMASHING MACHINE will premiere on HBO on January 12 as part
of their America Undercover series. The film chronicles the life
and struggles of Ultimate Fighting champion Mark Kerr who was
dubbed The Smashing Machine. The film examines the man and the
controversial banned-in-the-USA sport.
No holds barred fighting (NHB) has existed throughout history
as one of the purest forms of human competition. NHB fighting
emerged in the U.S. in 1993 in the form of The Ultimate Fighting
Championships (UFC). Although met with huge pay-per-view success,
the UFC was eventually dropped from all cable networks and banned
in forty-six states because of the graphic nature of the fights,
as well as political opposition
Mark 'The
Smashing Machine' Kerr made his way through the ranks of amateur
wrestling. He was the 1992 NCAA wrestling champion, a national
freestyle wrestling champion, and a 1996 Olympic team member.
In 1996, due to the financial limitations of his sport, Kerr
moved into the far more lucrative world of professional fighting.
When the film begins, Kerr is the number one ranked fighter in
the world. His success has brought him money, international fame,
and a full-blown addiction to painkillers. The film chronicles
Kerr's struggles as he battles demons both inside and outside
the ring, including a confrontation with his former friend and
mentor, Mark 'The Hammer' Coleman.
The Smashing
Machine brings the viewer face to face with one of the most
dangerous men in the world in one of the most brutal sports in
the world.
Are these men violent monsters with a penchant for hurting other
people? Or are they skilled athletes functioning at the highest
level of their chosen
sport?
Source: ADCC
SuperBrawl
27 Live Broadcast
If you have
a computer and a high-speed Internet connection, watch SuperBrawl
LIVE this Saturday, Nov. 9th at 9:30 PM PST. The line-up includes:
Ronald Jhun
vs Shonie Carter
Jutaro Nakao
vs Deshaun Johnson
Cabbage vs
Jason Lambert
and 5 more fights.
Check out
the video quality on these free fight clips (need to have free
REAL One player installed):
Ricco Rodriguez
loses to Bobby Hoffman
Cabbage KOs Renato Bruzzi
Every sign
up through this URL, we receive an affiliate fee. Watch the event
for only $7.95 and support Sherdog. [More]
Source: Sherdog
ANALYZING
REALPROWRESTLING:
CHRIS BONO SAYS NEW RULES MEAN LOTS OF ACTION
by: Eddie Goldman
There
are few athletes with whom I have spoken in as many diverse places
as I have with Chris Bono. New York's Little Italy this year;
Atlanta, Georgia, at the 1996 Olympics; Ames, Iowa, at Iowa State
University where he was an NCAA national champion and now assistant
coach; numerous other wrestling tournaments scattered all throughout
America; even Extreme Fighting in Des Moines in 1997, when he
accompanied Kevin Jackson to the ring; and now in a place less
known as a wrestling capital, Los Angeles, just a freeway or
two's drive from Hollywood.
Chris
Bono made his debut as a professional wrestler at the RealProWrestling
taping on Oct. 26. Yeah, get used to the real wrestlers taking
back the moniker 'professional wrestler,' just as the name 'wrestling'
is being taken back by its rightful owners from the con artist
phony-baloney promoters who have fleeced the public for decades
while passing off their inane, steroid-bloated pseudo-entertainment
as the world's oldest sport. Did you hear what WWE just recently
did -- a necrophilia angle? I couldn't make this stuff up if
I were kidnapped, drugged, and forced to at syringe-point.
OK,
don't get me started, although it appears as if I already have.
To return to the subject at hand, Chris Bono had his first match
as a real, pro wrestler at the RealProWrestling taping on Oct.
26. In a freestyle bout at 66kg/145.5 lbs., wrestling for Team
Black, Chris defeated Tony DeAnda of Team Red by a 6-3 score.
'It
was fun,' Chris said at the post-event party. 'I appreciate it,
Eddie, all the good comments you've said about me and the relationship
we have with each other. But we've been around the country together,
and we as wrestlers enjoy you following the sport and reporting
on us.' I told him that the feeling was mutual from this former
high school wrestler of no note.
While
Chris was celebrating with his wife, friends, and his mentor,
Iowa State's legendary coach Bobby Douglas, he did take time
to offer his appraisal of this new endeavor.
'I
really enjoy the rules,' said Chris, joining the unanimous praise
for RealProWrestling's tweaking of FILA's rules. 'It created
a lot of action tonight. You didn't see any 3-0 matches, 3-1
matches. There was a lot of action, a lot of high scoring. It
was very fun to wrestle under these conditions.'
And,
as so many others had pointed out, the grand champion of these
new rules was the push-out rule.
'It's
a great rule,' he continued. 'To make it entertaining for the
fans, there has to be some points scored. So you got to stay
on the mat. If you don't, you're going to give up a point. It
shows that you're in total control over an opponent when you
can run him off the mat. I think they did a great job of tweaking
the rules a little bit and making them conducive for the fans.'
Coach
Bobby Douglas has long advised wrestlers that wrestling at the
edge of the mat is a dangerous strategy. 'I've always been taught
not to wrestle on the edge of the mat, to score my points in
the center of the mat,' Chris went on. 'But when you've got guys
that want to wrestle on the edge of the mat and play the passivity
game, you got to run them off. Run them into the stands, I've
always been told. Coach Douglas emphasized getting their legs
and running them into the stands, and you'll win matches. And
that's what I've been trained to do, and that's what helped me
tonight.'
Commenting
on the other rule changes, he said, 'I like the two-point takedowns,
but hey, it would have been basically the same score without
the two-point takedown.' Chris's six points in his match were
the result of three takedowns. 'I just went out and wrestled,
and whatever the score was, I just made sure I had one more point
than my opponent.'
He
actually had three more, giving three team points to Team Black
under the RealProWrestling rules that award the team of the victorious
wrestler the difference in the score in the individual match.
That tied the dual meet up at six points apiece at that point,
with Team Black eventually winning 21-19. So Chris's early three
points came in quite handy in this close dual. Each member of
the winning team also earned an additional $500.
Even
the accommodations met with his total approval. 'It's been great.
We've been treated first class,' he said. 'Everything from the
flights out here, to our hotel accommodations, to the venue,
to the food. Everything has been first class. We've had no worries.
Everybody, our spouses, have been taken care of. It's just been
a fun event to wrestle in.'
So,
I inquired provokingly, did he ever think he would do professional
wrestling? 'This is still amateur wresting to me,' he replied,
'but it's still a lot of fun.'
Next
up for Chris Bono is the Kurt Angle Classic on Nov. 8 in New
Orleans. There he faces 2001 world champion Serafim Barzakov
of Bulgaria, under FILA rules. The first session of wrestling
begins on Friday, November 8, at 2 PM CST. The next two sessions
are on Saturday, November 9, beginning at 10 AM and 2 PM, with
each session expected to run about two hours.
But
while he was still in L.A., Chris was taking some time to chill
and reflect. 'I'd just like to thank Matt Case and Toby Willis
for giving us the opportunity to come out here and looking forward
to helping them any way we can to advance the sport of wrestling,
and keep it alive,' he said.
Of
course, this being L.A., this native of Philadelphia who grew
up in Florida could not get everything he wanted in the food
department. 'No cannolis out here in L.A.,' he lamented about
that delicacy he gleefully consumed in Little Italy. 'Just some
bruschetta. We got to go to Ferrara's to get some cannolis.'
I
told him I'd take him up on it the next time he hits the Big
Apple. And I added that we'd share some of Coach Douglas's favorite
brew, MGD, at a dive I know that serves up pitchers for five
bucks a pop. I just hope he doesn't have to make weight that
weekend. What sacrifices we go through for wrestling!
Source: ADCC
11/6/02
Quote
of the Day
"He that cannot reason is a fool. He that will not is a
bigot.
He that dare not is a slave."
Andrew Carnegie
The
Future of Warriors Quest
By Chris Onzuka - Chris@Onzuka.com
Brennan Kamaka
has been a fighter his whole life. He channeled his energy while
in high school into wrestling and excelled. He became a Hawaii
state wrestling champion and like others that are currently involved
in the sport of MMA, Brennan had no outlet after finishing high
school so he along with his family; brothers-in-law, Ray "Bradda"
Cooper and Ron Jhun, brother, Kai Kamaka and some close friends
started competing in MMA. Brennan's MMA record is far from stellar,
but that is partially because he fought anyone that was put in
front of him, whether he was injured or not. Brennan saw that
there was room for improvement in the way that events were being
held in Hawaii, so he stepped out of the ring and into the promoter's
seat. Brennan took his experience fighting in a few different
events, coupled with his large family to help run the events
and used his brothers-in-law to headline the events. He started
with a couple of amateur MMA events called Hawaiian Combat, which
proved so successful that he took a chance and put on a larger
event which he called Warriors Quest. Every event was bigger
and better than the last one, with great match making combining
the raw energy of first time fighters with the experience and
talent of Hawaii's best fighters pitted against the toughest
competition he could find for them.
Due to the
scheduling battle between Super Brawl and other events over the
limited number of days that are available at the Blaisdell Arena,
attendance has faltered at the last couple of events. This along
with some personal problems began to rear its head and affected
the event behind the scenes. It was rumored that Shooto was going
to suspend Warriors Quest's promoter's license and the rumor
was supported by the fact that Warriors Quest 8 was sanctioned
by Paul Smith's IFC Commission. I wanted to confirm or deny this
rumor so I contacted Richard Santoro, Director of the U.S.A.
Division of the International Shooto Commission for an official
statement and Brennan Kamaka, who released a public response
was in the form of a letter of apology.
After speaking
with Brennan Kamaka, he assured me that Warriors Quest will continue.
He stated that two of the primary reasons for having Shooto sanctioning
Warriors Quest was that Shooto came to him, not the other way
around, and because Shooto was an honorable organization that
stood behind its promoters. Kamaka went on to say that he was
surprised when Shooto was considering suspending his promoter's
license without even speaking to him. Brennan is impartial to
the Shooto sanctioning stating that the sanctioning costs outweigh
the benefits. "After the sanctioning fee, flying down the
Shooto guy and getting him a hotel, feeding him and being forced
to hold so many "A" Class matches, there is nothing
left. I am paying them and a lot of the fighters that I talk
to, prefer not to fight under Shooto rules." Brennan said.
Brennan
Kamaka's Response:
Letter of Apology
I would like
to first apologize for getting off track in what my dream and
goal was for Warriors Quest. When everything was going good and
Warriors Quest was getting bigger, I forgot all the things and
people that helped me get to where I was. My purpose for Warriors
Quest was to try and help fighters make their dreams become reality.
I love the sport of MMA and sometimes people can forget why we
do things when we get caught up in the spotlight. Also I made
a big mistake by letting my personal problems get in the way
of Warriors Quest. There is no excuse and I am to blame but I
hope we all can get through this and press on. I have learned
a big lesson and I just hope that I can be forgiven. I would
like to thank all the fighters and spectators that have supported
Warriors Quest from day one. I also know that it takes a big
man to admit his faults but it also takes an even bigger man
to learn from his mistakes and get back on track. Special Thanks
to Kim & Ronald Jhun, Monica & Bradda Cooper, Kai &
Girlie Kamaka, Kai Kamaka Sr., Joe & Janie Kamaka, Haru,
the Onzukas', Joey from Hawaii411.com and to everyone who made
Warriors Quest possible.
Sincerly,
Brennan Kamaka
Super
Brawl Superstars Replay
Super Brawl Superstars featuring "The Machine Gun"
Ron Jhun, Falaniko Vitale and Wesley "Cabbage" Correira
re-airs this week from Monday through Thursday at midnight on
K5 channel 5.
Born 1959
in Kobe, Japan, Haru Shimanishi has studied Martial Arts for
over 20 years in the form of Kempo, Boxing, Muay Thai, and Submission.
Shimanishi is a former competitor and presently a respected trainer,
teaching all over the world.
In 1991, Shimanishi
established American Martial Arts Center (AMC), where he has
successfully trained seven (7) World Champions. In 1992, he received
the WKA "Trainer of the Year" Award.
The seminar
will cover basic principles and elements of kickboxing, boxing,
offensive as well as defensive techinique's applicable to self
defense as well as an MMA enviroment.
Neither
Pride nor the UFC ran a show in October, but plenty of smaller
promotions picked up the slack. The highlights of the month include
a Canadian working his way toward widespread recognition and
a dominant Southern Californian beginning what could be a lengthy
reign as a champion. Join me as I take a look at how October
2002 unfolded in the sport.
NO
'LITTLE EVIL' IN CANADA, BUT A CROW SOARS (Oct. 11)
It
was going to be the UCC's finest moment. Jens Pulver versus Duane
Ludwig, a showdown between the top lightweight and possibly the
top striker in the sport. A list of stellar matches would set
the table for the meeting, including Fryklund-Vigneault, Black-Alessio
and Jones-Loiseau. Then it fell apart.
The
card suddenly deteriorated when a plague of injuries swept through
lineup and persuaded UCC brass to postpone Pulver-Ludwig. Jeremy
Horn headlined the adjusted card, calmly picking apart Christophe
Midoux and submitting him with a choke in the second round.
Joe
Doerksen notched his first UCC victory in the opening fight of
the evening by triangle choking Dennis Kang. Doerksen, who was
once ranked as a top-10 middleweight in the MMA Media rankings,
appears to be back on track following a skid in late 2001/early
2002. He has an impeccable finish-to-decision ratio, rarely going
to the judges even in defeat. His attention should now turn to
making another run against top competition and testing his submission
skill against more A-class middleweights.
The
most noteworthy match on the card would have to be David "The
Crow" Loiseau's victory over then-middleweight champ Jesse
Jones. It was a bout that survived the curse of cancellations
and may prove to be a breakthrough triumph for Loiseau. While
Canadian MMA fans have been barking Loiseau's name for a couple
years now, I've been reluctant to join the bandwagon. With this
win, however, I'll admit that Loiseau is for real.
Jesse
Jones is a hardnosed kid of the Midwest variety. He can fight
standing or on the ground, and if after 15 minutes Loiseau convincingly
beat him, I take my hat off. I don't think Loiseau has earned
a spot in the top-10 just yet, but the potential is there. Let's
see him step up another level of competition, against a Jermaine
Andre or a Tony Fryklund.
WHO
BEAT SEMENOV? NEVER HEARD OF HIM (Oct. 13)
UFC
veteran Andrei Semenov dropped a decision in mid-October at the
European event "Too Hot to Handle." He was beaten by
Murad Chunkaiev, a fighter from Chechnya who represents Golden
Glory and is associated with Gracie Barra. Fellow UFC vet Amar
Suloev faired better, submitting tough Brit Paul Cahoon in the
first round of their fight.
ESCOVEDO
ROLLS (Oct. 18)
Cole
Escovedo continued his accelerated ascension at World Extreme
Cagefighting V. It was Philip Perez attempting to block his path
this time, though the effort lasted only a couple minutes before
Escovedo blasted him with strikes and finished the fight with
a triangle choke.
Escovedo
is quickly emerging as one of the top featherweights in the U.S.
If he can't make a trip to Japan to take on one of the best 145-pound
fighters in the world, I'd like to see him against another rising
U.S. featherweight, Jeff Curran.
On
the same card, the undefeated record of Rich Crunkilton couldn't
have been in more danger when he was stunned early by Victor
Estrada. The up-and-coming lightweight weathered the storm, however,
and finished Estrada late in the first round.
TALENTED
ARAM TAKES KOTC TITLE (Oct. 19)
Romie
Aram is going to be tough to beat. His game was formerly restricted
to ground-and-pound, but he is quickly becoming multi-dimensional,
as evidenced with an improved game on the feet when he captured
the KOTC welterweight crown from Joe Stevenson in mid-October.
Without question, Aram's bread and butter is his takedowns, which
is scary when you consider that he doesn't have an amateur wrestling
background. He didn't even wrestle in high school. Just picked
it up after the fact, like it was something everyone could do.
His
wrestling serves a new purpose these days, though: it allows
him to exchange strikes on the feet knowing that if he gets in
trouble, he can always take the match to the ground. Additionally,
Aram is surrounded by a solid team at Millennia Jiu-Jitsu, which
currently boasts an incredible total of three KOTC champions.
That asset combined with his striking, takedowns and an extensive
Jiu-Jitsu background, make him the best not-widely-known welterweight
in the world. With all due respect to Dennis Hallman, who is
now fighting in KOTC, there's only one opponent on the KOTC roster
that I long to see battle Aram: Fernando Vasconcelos.
OTHER
NOTABLE WINS
Adam
Durant avenged a previous loss to Kenneth Alexander at Rage in
the Cage 39 by claiming a split decision. Alexander, who won
via TKO in the first meeting against Durant, is best known for
his win over "Razor" Rob McCullough in March.
Shonie
Carter continued his undefeated run in 2002 with a win over gritty
opponent Jay Buck at the Ironheart Crown in late October. Mr.
International will be back in action on November 9 in Super Brawl
against Ronald Jhun. Also at the Ironheart Crown, Jeff Curran
was victorious over Ryan Ackerman. While Ackerman is unknown
to most, I have been ringside for his performances in HOOKnSHOOT,
and I can testify he's a tough kid. Credit another quality win
to Curran.
Izuru
Takeuchi knocked off former King of Pancrase Nathan Marquardt
on October 29. Marquardt reportedly broke his hand in the second
round, yet managed to finish the match only to lose a decision.
In other action, Chris Lytle tapped Yuji Hoshino with a triangle
choke.
KEEP
AN EYE ON…
Forrest
Griffin. He scored another big win in late October, stopping
Travis Fulton on a cut at the Cagefighter Championships. Griffin
also holds a win over UFC veteran Jeff Monson.
AND
THE AWARDS
Due
to the lack of major shows this month and the fact that it's
tough to promptly view the smaller events, the awards are abbreviated.
November will compensate, I'm sure, as there will be plenty to
dole out. Until then…
FIGHTER(S)
OF THE MONTH: Romie Aram and David Loiseau. Aram beat a game
Joe Stevenson, and Loiseau bested Jesse Jones. I'm not a fan
of ties, co-champions or anything of the sort, but these two,
together, are my fighters of the month.
SUBMISSION
OF THE MONTH: Cole Escovedo triangles Phillip Perez. It was the
main event of WEC V and the fueled encounter between a couple
Fresno boys. Escovedo won it dramatically with his patented triangle,
which is one of the best in the sport.
BUMMER
OF THE MONTH: The cancellation of Pulver-Ludwig. Whether it will
ever happen is unclear.
Source: Maxfighting
MMA
Ramblings and other Assorted Goodies
By Josh Gross
It’s
tough to believe that the mammoth promotion that is UFC 40 (that’s
it, I’m done delineating fight shows by number or title
-- a bit more on that later in this column) is less than three
weeks away.
Seriously,
doesn’t it seem like yesterday when some of you numbskulls
in MMA land jokingly came up with the idea that I concocted the
Ken Shamrock interview where he called out Tito Ortiz, and said
there was a 90% chance the fight would happen?
Barring
anything catastrophic the next 17 days (I feel ill even thinking
it), this fight will happen. Both men will square off Nov. 22
probably sometime around 9:15 p.m. Vegas time, (though the last
time Ortiz fought, someone forgot to keep time correctly) and
the anticipated sell-out crowd of near 14,000 will be out of
their collective minds.
MGM
Grand execs will be ecstatic. (Hell, they should be already.
As of Friday, Ortiz-Shamrock has reeled in roughly $1 million
in ticket sales.) Before and after fight night, UFC fans will
be able to gamble to their heart’s content in special UFC
gaming sections on the casino floor. Commemorative chips featuring
Shamrock, Ortiz and several other UFC related images will be
used -- Thankfully, there’s no truth to the rumors that
MGM dealers will be wearing grappling shorts.
Where’s
the promotion?
It’s
going to be a unique weekend of MMA in Las Vegas, and those of
us lucky enough to attend already realize that. But what about
the fans that can’t make the trek to Sin City, especially
the newbies who’ve heard about Ortiz-Shamrock through the
grapevine, or on the off chance they actually caught the antiquated
heavy metal rock-riddled promo.
The
UFC has a rare opportunity, but are they letting it slip through
their fingers?
As
a pretty robust television viewer, particularly anything sports
related, I clearly remember the non-stop advertisements leading
up to the Oscar de la Hoya-Fernando Vargas fight (or any other
recent major boxing pay-per-view). For the life of me, I can’t
recall seeing or hearing one UFC 40 (ugh) commercial -- other
than the free one you can check out on MaxFighting’s right
hand side.
I’ve
been told the promotional and advertising “bombardment”
is coming, but when?
Next
week, UFC President Dana White is scheduled to start a West Coast
tour to hype the Nov. 22 card. It’s San Diego first, then
Los Angeles where he’s said to be appearing on a local radio
(Power 106) morning show, before heading up the coast for the
rest of the junket.
You
can only wait so long. Remember, Arturo Gatti fights Mickey Ward
on Nov. 23. Will people willingly give up a Friday and Saturday
night to watch fights? The less-hardcore fans out there probably
won’t, and it’s those people that the UFC (and MMA)
needs to court in order to reach the next level.
La
La Land
White and crew have gotten used to making the hour flight (it
may be less via private jet) from Vegas to Los Angeles. If talk
of a UFC “reality” television show comes to fruition,
Los Angeles (or Hollywood to be more specific) could play a huge
roll in the expansion of mixed martial arts into the mainstream
consciousness.
According
to sources who asked to remain nameless, several networks, including
Disney’s ABC (said to be extremely interested) and Viacom’s
CBS, have thrown their hats into the ring of contenders hoping
to get a shot at what the UFC thinks will become their “Tough
Enough”. FOX has also shown interest.
Considering
FOX’s relationship with the UFC during the past year, one
would assume that the NewsCorp-owned company would hold an inside
track. However, sources revealed that separate talks between
FOX Sports Net and the UFC may have slowed considerably, especially
with White and UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta heading to Bristol,
CT -- ESPN headquarters -- sometime next week to discuss a weekly
fight program. What that means for the “reality” show
venture is unclear.
Either
way, anticipate a significant amount of news on the television
front to come your way Ortiz-Shamrock weekend.
“Rampage”
back to KOTC?
The
King of the Cage has re-upped their contracts with various satellite
providers, including DirecTV, for another 18 months. Fresh off
the heels of a successful pay-per-view from Reno, NV, KOTC promoter
Terry Trebilcock was overheard in the Silver Legacy Casino and
Resort lobby joyfully proclaiming the new contract situation.
When asked the following day, co-promoter Bud Brutsman confirmed
that the satellite companies were, for the most part, pleased
at the Nov. 1 pay-per-view.
On
hand at the event was PRIDE free agent and former KOTC participant
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. The always-flamboyant Jackson
made it known that his new management group (Battle, which handles
fighters Randy Couture, Dan Henderson, amongst several others)
would negotiate contracts following his trouncing of Igor Vovchanchyn
at PRIDE 22 (there are those darn numbers again).
Battle,
headed by ex-Hollywood agents Peter Levin and Jeremy Lappen,
has not made many friends behind the scenes and it remains to
be seen whether Jackson’s choice to use the group will be
beneficial. Reportedly, his initial inquiry of $60,000 and $60,000
to DSE was quickly shot down.
If
Jackson ends up getting shut out of a new fight contract, there’s
a good possibility that he’ll end up fighting on February’s
KOTC pay-per-view from New Mexico. Should that happen, he’ll
most likely be part of a card that’ll feature KOTC welterweight
champion Romie Aram taking on Dennis Hallman, who mowed down
Betiss Mansouri last Friday.
The
KOTC is also expecting to hold the first round of a heavyweight
tournament that would include Paul Buentello and a fresh-out-of-prison
Bobby Hoffman. While Hoffman may be the fashionable pick, I’m
leaning towards Buentello. It’s tough to pick against the
happy-go-lucky guy from Amarillo, especially when you consider
how hard he’s worked with Javier Mendez and “Crazy”
Bob Cook. Some of his effort was displayed when he resoundingly
KO’d Mike Kyle with a beautiful straight right-left hook
combination.
What’s
in a name -- or a number? Nada
No
more numbers, OK. The numbering of events from one organization
to another is actually starting to get really lame. At what point
are these promotions (which are sprouting up worse than athletes
foot on a high school locker room) going to step up and market
main events? It’s really not that difficult.
How
about this from now on: “The Ultimate Fighting Championship
Presents Tito Ortiz versus Ken Shamrock.” No more numbers.
No more stupid titles. It doesn’t get any simpler. Ortiz.
Shamrock. Mixed Martial Arts.
What
else could you need?
Source: Maxfighting
11/5/02
Quote
of the Day
"Good timber does not grow with ease.
The stronger the wind the stronger the trees."
Williard Marriott
Warriors
Quests' Shooto Promoter License in Limbo
I am trying to
get in touch with Brennan Kamaka to get his side of the story
and his comments. Brennan if you read this, please give me a
call - Chris
From: International Shooto Commission (ISC) - U.S.A. Division
Re: Warriors'
Quest, official Shooto promoter's license
The ISC has
suspended the promoter's license for the full-contact martial
arts promotion known as Warriors' Quest. A meeting is scheduled
to take place in Hawaii on November 9th, between a representative
of Warriors' Quest and the Secretary General of the ISC, Mr.
Toshiharu Suzuki. The purpose of the meeting will be to discuss
the issues that have lead to the suspension and to seek a resolution
to the situation. As to whether Warriors' Quest will retains
its promoter's license is unknown at this time.
The ISC is the body that regulates and sanctions professional
Shooto events around the world. It is the ISC that approves a
promotion to hold official Shooto competitions and ensure that
all of the standards established for the sport of Shooto are
upheld.
A promoter
must conduct him/herself and his/her promotion in a manner that
is consistent with the values and goals the Shooto Association
which are overseen and stewarded by the ISC. A Relationship will
only be formed with a promoter who has the highest commitment
to professionalism, integrity, and safety consciousness. The
promoter must exhibit the appropriate level of ethics, reliability,
loyalty and honesty, and he/she must utilize these characteristics
as the foundation of all his/her legitimate activities.
Therein, lies
the controversy regarding Warriors' Quest and its professional
Shooto Promoter's License.
Sincerely,
Richard Santoro
Director - U.S.A. Division
International Shooto Commission
Transvestite
Kickboxer: The Movie
Monday, November 4, 2002 Posted: 8:40 AM EST (1340 GMT)
BANGKOK, Thailand
(AP) -- When Assani Suwan was cast to play Thailand's most famous
transvestite kickboxer, he thought boxing skills, looking good
in makeup and enthusiasm were all it took to play the part.
But months
have passed and Assani, 22, says he still has not been able to
overcome the "challenge" of getting under the skin
of the former male boxer with a woman's heart, whose life is
being immortalized in the multilingual movie "Beautiful
Boxer."
Director Ekachai
Uekrongtham said Monday at a news conference that filming with
debutante Assani, a professional kickboxer, will start in February.
The movie
is about Parinya Charoenphol, who shocked the boxing world by
appearing in the ring wearing lipstick and mascara, and kissing
opponents on the cheek.
But his highly
skilled classical style soon won him fans, fights and fame that
spread to other parts of the world. Parinya began fighting at
13 and stopped in 2000 at age 19 after undergoing a series operations
to change his sex.
Parinya then
became an entertainer in a night club and a drama teacher for
young children.
Since Parinya had won most of her 60 fights, the candidates for
her role had to undergo two auditions -- including kickboxing
skills and acting.
Assani, ranked
fifth by the World Association of Thai Kickboxing, fit the bill,
outclassing more than 300 candidates.
Finding feminine
side
While fighting was "a piece of cake," the hours of
ballet, singing, English and Thai musical folk drama lessons
he has had to take were an altogether different story, he said.
"Although
I think playing her role would help promote Thai kickboxing and
make people understand her better, I never thought I had to do
all these things," said Assani.
But that was
the best way to have the lead actor get in touch with his feminine
side, especially Assani, who was thrown into the masculine sport
at the age of 12, said Ekachai.
"We need
someone with enough confidence to be a man to express his gentle,
female side without feeling awkward," Ekachai noted.
More roles
Asked if he feels awkward about playing the role of a transvestite,
Assani -- who bears a striking resemblance to Parinya -- said:
"If you play the role of a serial killer, it doesn't make
you one."
He said he
would like to act in more movies while continuing to kickbox.
Ekachai has produced and directed more than 100 plays and musicals
in Singapore, where he is based, and in New York, Beijing and
Bangkok. His most famous work was "Chang and Eng" --
the acclaimed musical about conjoined twins born in Thailand
who gave birth to the term "Siamese twins."
The US$1-2
million budget "Beautiful Boxer" is targeted for released
in late 2003. It will have subtitled versions in English and
Japanese.
The movie
will be co-produced by GMM Grammy, Thailand's largest multimedia
entertainment company, which began producing movies five years
ago.
Source: CNN.com
The
First American National Tournament
Was more than
a hit. The IBJJF is to be congratulated along with all the participating
competitors, referees and colaborators. This was a first rate
event in organization and skill. Anyone that was doubting the
ability of these athletes to face Brazil's best should have come
to this event and be amazed, the level of North American JJ is
at par with anyone's right now!
All the divisions
showcased great action in front of a host of Black Belts such
as Rickson Gracie, Carlson Gracie, Jean Jacques, Rigan and Johny
Machado, Fernando Margarida, Marcio Simas, Tinguinha, Gersinho,
Franco de Camargo, Rodrigo Medeiros, Megaton Dias, Gustavo Machado,
Caique Elias, Renato Magno, Cleber Luciano, Mario Aiello, Luis
Palhares, Aloysio Silva, Micah, Francisco Neto, Leka Vieira and
a few others that will certainly call me to complain about missing
their names :) . Grandmaster Carlson Gracie brought a team of
'animals' from Chicago and they took many of the divisions they
competed on. Carlson's team won the masters division with 3 firsts
and 2 seconds. Carlson warns everyone: 'I am training some of
these guys for NHB as well. I am preparing them to get the others!'
The best division
however had to be the Bown Belt division, with noteworthy names
such as Ryron and Rener Gracie, Rafael Lovato Jr, Mike Rose,
Ryan Greg and others all fighting for the honor to represent
the US.
In the heavyweight
Division Rener Gracie took top honors by submitting his two opponents
including a tough Arthur Ruff via chokes. Ryron Gracie submitted
his first opponent and then faced Caique's Mike Rose in the finals
of the Super Heavy. Rose used his craftyness and a tight game
to beat Ryron by a score of 6 x 2 with 2 guard passes.
The Gracie
duo returned to the absolute Division and submitted all their
opponents on the way to closing the bracket with Ryron 1st and
Rener 2nd. Although these two are still getting used to competing
outside their rules, the fact of the matter is that when the
game gets down to the meat and potatoes and it always does, the
duo is pretty tough. A word of advice for any future opponents:
'Don't let these two mount on you!'
Full results
will be at the CBJJ website soon
Source: ADCC/Kid Peligro
OTatame
Magazine Celebrates 8 great years!
Congratulations
go to Marcello Alonzo and 'O Tatame' Magazine crew for reaching
a milestone: 8 great years! O Tatame has been doing a great job
covering BJJ and the fight scene in Brazil and a big congratulations
are due. the celebrating issue features a special tribute to
Master Carlos Gracie who would be celebrating 100 years this
same year. Carlos Gracie was the feature interview on the maiden
issue of O Tatame. Again congratulations to Marcello, Luciano
Andrade and the rest of the gang!
Speaking of
'O Tatame' , the magazine is assiting the Promoters of the Friendship
Cup with their latest venture: The Black Belt Challenge. This
event will take place in Sao Paulo at the plush DirectTV Music
Hall on December 3rd. With R$2,000.00 first prize and R$500.00
second they have been able to attract great matches such as:
Comprido v
Godoi
Leozinho v Fredson Paixao
Saulo Ribeiro v Roberto Tozi
Macaco v Fabio Leopoldo
Bibiano v Robinho
Terere v Gabriel Vella
Barbozinha v Shinzanato
Portugues v Marcello Garcia
Losada v Fabio Negao
Marcelo Garcia v Eduardo Santoro
Roger Coelho x Erick Wanderley
Source: ADCC/Kid
Peligro
MARK
KERR DOCUMENTARY, 'THE SMASHING MACHINE,' TO DEBUT ON HBO JAN.
12
by: Eddie Goldman
The long-awaited
film documentary about no-holds-barred fighter and champion wrestler
Mark Kerr will make its American television debut January 12,
2003, as part of HBO's 'America Undercover' series. Check your
local listings for times and rebroadcast dates.
This documentary
originally premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York
in May, 2002. The only change from that version will be the title,
said producer Jon Greenhalgh, himself a former wrestler. It will
now be called 'The Smashing Machine,' after Kerr's first nickname
in Brazil. The original title was 'The Specimen.'
The film also
features another champion NHB fighter and wrestler, Mark Coleman.
(I have a small role in it as well as a narrator.)
Arrangements
for international and video distribution have not yet been completed.
Source: ADCC
PRIDE
NEWS: Sakuraba Returns - At PRIDE 23?!?
PRIDE's superstar
Kazushi Sakurabahas been in the Japanese press announcing that
he fully intends to return to the ring for the PRIDE 11/24 show.
Sakuraba has
been out for a prolonged period of time, battling a broken eye
socket obtained at the hands of Mirko Cro Cop, as well as the
demons of alcoholism. Sakuraba was scheduled to begin training
again in December, nw it appears that he will go against doctor's
orders and face a TBA opponent at the Tokyo Dome PRIDE show to
close out the year.
It is unknown
of Sakuraba has started training or currently preparing for his
match that will more than likely be against a foreign opponent
and NOT a Japanese fighter.
Rumors of
a rematch with Ryan Gracie are floating about, but nothing is
official.
Many insider
observers believe that Sakuraba desperately needs time to heal,
after having one of the most intense set of opponents over the
last three years (Vitor Belfort, Alan Goes, Mirko Cro Cop, Vanderlei
Silva 2x, Royler, Royce, Renzo and Ryan Gracie).
Look for further
announcements from PRIDE as they release their upcoming card...
Source: ADCC
Catching
up with...
former UFC Champion JOSH BARNETT
We
caught up with top heavyweight Josh Barnett recently, after his
return from a long trip to Japan. Ussually ireeverent, Barnett
was in rare form! Though the last few months have been tough
on him, he seemed to be in good spirits. We asked him about the
rumors of a fight in PRIDE as well as a move to pro wrestling....
FW:
It's been a while since anyone has heard from you publicly. Just
taking a rest or training?
JOSH:
Well I felt like taking a break for a sec and wanted to keep
a low profile. So, I went and hung out with Jimmy Hoffa and Elvis
Presley for a while since they manage to keep out-of-sight fairly
well. It was cool but, I swear Elvis cheats at cards! I never
caught him in the act but, Jimmy agreed with me that Elvis’
luck was WAY to good.
After
relaxing for a bit it was back to hard training. Every day you
don't train is one more day for your competition to try and catch-up.
Right now I don't even hear the footsteps of my opponents.
FW:
You were in Japan for a long period of time last month, were
you scouting pro wrestling opportunities there?
JOSH:
I did scout some opportunities and hopefully I’ll be able
to get something going soon. Most of my time though was spent
on the large task of training Bob Asp and, as you can see, we
were very successful.
FW:
What are the odds of you appearing in Japan as a pro wrestler
in the next couple of years?
JOSH:
A lot better than a one-legged man winning a butt kicking contest
but nothing is in stone yet. Within the next couple of years
I expect to have at least a dozen matches under my belt.
FW:
There's serious talk about you vs. Nogueira in January. Is that
going to happen?
JOSH:
Well that's really up too PRIDE or whoever holds the fight. I'm
down to fight and by then it should be a reality.
FW:
What's your honest opinion about Nogueira?
JOSH:
Great guy personally. Great fighter and born a champion. Not
good enough to beat me. He has proved himself to a great champ
and has earned that belt, but I don't care much about belts.
All I care about is fighting whoever is supposed to be the best
and showing the world what I can do. I have no equal in the ring.
FW:
How can you beat him?
JOSH:
Set up with a few low-kicks, then hit him with a “Big Wheel
Kick” for a knockdown. Raise him up, he throws a big right
hand, duck it around to his back to a “German Suplex”,
keeping the lock lift him for a second but, turn it into a “Dragon
Suplex” for the KO. That's just the finish anyway.
FW:
How have you and Bob Sapp worked together over the last several
months?
JOSH:
By playing “Rock, Paper, Scissors” over who pays for
dinner. It's imperative that I win because you'd need a second
mortgage to pay for his meals.
FW:
There was a rumor of you, Sapp and Goldberg teaming up for the
three-man team in Japan. Any truth to that?
JOSH:
I’d like to say there is but then I’d have to kill
you.
FW:
If not Nogueira, then who will you fight and will it be for PRIDE?
JOSH:
It doesn't matter to me who or where I fight as long as they
can accept the fact that they're gonna lose. PRIDE, UFC, whoever.
Maybe Jeff Osbourne in an exploding, electrified, barbwire, 10,000
thumb-tack, loser has to “pop-it” match.
Source: ADCC
11/4/02
Quote
of the Day
"All successful men and women are big dreamers. They imagine
what their future could be, ideal in every respect, and then
they work every day toward their distant vision, that goal or
purpose."
Brian Tracy
Shooto
Hawaii Launches A Web Site! SHOOTOHAWAII.COM
WEBSITE IS LAUNCHED!:
We've uploaded Hawaii's first taste of Shooto Hawaii to our MMA
servers. Check back often for exciting pictures, news, and event
announcements.
Shooto Hawaii: Alpha
Lahaina Civic Center, Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii
December 7, 2002
Tentative Fight Card:
Shooto Class B - Lightheavyweight
83 kg 183 lb.
Wayne (Team Big Dog) VS John Naole (HMC)
Shooto Class B - Bantamweight
56 kg 123.5 lb.
Antonio Rodriquez (Team Big Dog) VS. TBA
Shooto Class B - Lightweight
65 kg 143.3 lb.
Neil Andres (HMC) VS. TBA
Shooto Class B - Welterweight
70 kg 154.3 lb.
David Padilla (Gamebred) VS. TBA
Shooto Class B - Lightheavyweight
83 kg 183 lb.
Robert "Bob-O" Ostovich (Jesus Is Lord) VS. TBA
Shooto Class B - Featherweight
60 kg 132.3 lb.
Kyle Takao (HMC) VS. Tim Nguyen (Wailuku Kickboxing)
Shooto Class B - Heavyweight
110 kg 242.5 lb.
Jeremy Bell (Team Big Dog) VS. Tim Tynan (808 Fight Factory)
Shooto Class A - Lightweight
65 kg 143.3 lb.
Stephen "Bozo" Paling (Jesus Is Lord) VS. TBA
Shooto Class A - Middleweight
76 kg 167.5 lb.
Ray "Bradda" Cooper (Jesus Is Lord) VS. Jay Buck (Hellhouse)
*Card subject to Change
Shooto Hawaii thanks Frank
Shamrock for supporting the event.
Super
Brawl 27: Battle For the Belts Preview
Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
November 9, 2002
For Immediate Release: July 12, 2001
“Battle
for the Belts!”
Wesley “Cabbage” Correira, Falaniko Vitale and Ronald
“The Machine Gun” Jhun Prepare for Battle!
Without a
doubt, Extreme Sports Productions biggest event to date will
take place Saturday night, November 9, as local superstars, Cabbage,
Niko Vitale and Ron Jhun will face his their toughest foes to
date at the Blaisdell Arena in Super Brawl’s “The Battle
for the Belts."
1. Mark Moreno 180lbs vs Kaipo Kalama 185lbs
(Bull’s Pen, Hawaii) 5-1 (Grappling Unlimited) 1-0
Two young fighters
looking to break into the Super Brawl business. Moreno has been
knocking all his victims out while Kalama is more comfortable
on the mat. A fight decided standing will go to Moreno, while
a fight on the mat should favor Kalama. Pick ‘em
2. King Kong 243lbs vs Miles
Tynanes 240lbs
(Grappling Unlimited) 1-0 (Freelance) 0-1
Everbody likes the
big boys! “Kong” is young, raw, and hungry. He is one
on Egan Inoue’s “new breed” of fighter. What he
is lacking in polished skill he will more than make up for in
aggression and heart. Tyananes is coming off a disappointing
loss to Cabbage in Super Brawl 21. He has taken the necessary
steps to take his game to the next level. If he wants a rematch
he will first have to get by one of Cabbage’s training partner’s
“Kong”. Pick ‘em
3. Akira Kikuchi 167.5lbs
vs “Ice Cold” Kolo Koka 167.5lbs
(Team Extreme) 32-21 (Grappling Unlimited) 7-1
Grappling Unlimited's
young gun "Ice Cold" Kolo Koka does not get a break
of any kind. After taking Shonie Carter the distance in SuperBrawl
25 and man-handling Canadian favorite Pain Peters in SuperBrawl
26, Koka will be tested yet again. This time by another star
on his way up. Akira Kikuchi, hailing from the Land of the Rising
Sun, is the latest prodigy to come out of the legendary K'z Factory
gym (home of Rumina Sato). Kikuchi has been on a tear since his
pro debut and is undefeated in his first 3 fights in Shooto,
finishing his first 2 opponents by submission. Kikuchi 2-1 favorite
4. Deshaun Johnson 167.5lbs
vs Jutaro Nakao 167.5lbs
(HMC Hawaii) 3-2 (Osaka, Japan) 14-8-2
Johnson is coming
off a hard earned victory in Super Brawl 25. He trains with Haru
Shimanishi, so expect a wide variety of skills with an emphasis
on striking. UFC veteran Nakao choked former UFC champion Pat
Miletich unconscious in Super Brawl 11 with the most lethal triangle
choke in the business. Johnson has barely gotten his feet wet
in the industry while Nakao is a veteran that has been in with
the best in the world. Johnson will need a “career”
night to hang with Nakao Nakao 4-1 favorite
5. Sean McCully 190lbs vs
Falaniko Vitale 190lbs
(LA Boxing) (Grappling Unlimited) 11-1
McCully has fought
all over the world. He is a skilled Thai boxer as well as staying
active in the professional wrestling world in Japan. He matches
up well with Vitale standing and will not be afraid to match
skills on the ground. Perhaps the best athlete currently competing
in Super Brawl, Vitale has been looking better and better with
each outing. He is only one or two fights away from breaking
into the UFC. These fighters aggressive styles will be sure to
make this a “barn-burner!” Vitale 3-2 favorite
6. “Mr. International”
“The Machine Gun”
Shonie Carter 170lbs vs Ronald Jhun 170lbs
(Combat Do, Chicago) 59-6 (808 Fight Factory) 22-11
This will be a beauty!
The self-proclaimed “Player with a Passport”, Carter
(who you may remember stripped to his speedos in his last Super
Brawl appearance), has a tremendous arsenal of weapons. He throws
spinning punches and kicks from all angles, as well as possessing
elite wrestling and submission knowledge. Jhun will test the
waters at this lower weight. Look for him to stay relaxed and
attempt to withstand an early onslaught from Carter. He tends
to finish strong in the later rounds. He will need to, to beat
“Mr. International”. Carter 2-1 favorite
7. Jason Lambert 245lbs vs
Cabbage 265lbs
(Williams Combat Grappling)11-2 (Grappling Unlimited) 13-4
This will be an
exciting fight whichever way you look at it! Lambert has a chin
rivaling Cabbage’s. He never backs up and has a solid wrestling
base. Cabbage will attempt to defend the take-down and dish out
as much punishment as he can while standing. Lambert will have
to win this fight on the ground by controlling position and doing
damage with punches. If he cannot get Cabbage to the ground he
will be in for a long night. Cabbage is coming off a loss in
the UFC and is very hungry. This may be the edge he needs. Cabbage
2-1 favorite
Tickets are available at the Blaisdell
box office and all ticket outlets. Reserved seating tickets are
$15 and $29 in advance and $34 the day of the show. There will
also be a limited number of VIP ringside seats available for
$50 each.
**For Immediate
Release**
KARATE
KIDZ ONLINE FINAL CHOICES FOR THE TEACHER AND STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
FOR NOVEMBER 2002
November
1, 2002, New York, California , Karate Kidz Online made their
Final choices for both the KKO Teacher Spotlight and the KKO
Student Spotlight for November 2002. This month we had two inclusions
for both Teacher and Student to be spotlighted for November 2002,
we are receiving so much positve feedback and so many submissions
for the spotlight sections that we had to include another opening
for both sections.
Congratulations goes out to Professor Jaime Abregana for being
The Teacher to be spotlighted for November 2002. Professor Jaime
Abregana Jr., was born in Hilo, Hawaii. He first studied the
martial arts of Kenpo, Karate, Jujitsu in 1968 under his father,
Grandmaster Jaime Abregana Sr., founder the the Ewa Kenpo Karate
Club. In 1978, Prof. Abregana was awarded his black belt. He
was also an outstanding amateur boxer in the 1970's.
After receiving his black belt, he joined the United States Army.
He earned his Bachelor Degree in Accounting in 1985. As a professional
boxer, Prof. Abregana fought the ABF Flyweight Champion in 1986
sanctioned by the USBA. After retiring from professional boxing,
he begun promoting professional and amatuer kickboxing from 1986
to 1989, sanctioned by the World Karate Association, Professional
Karate Association, and The Karate International Council of Kickboxing.
Prof. Abregana also studied the Filipino martial art of Karaan
(Escrima/Kali) under the tutorship of Grandmaster Ralph Sisneros.
Prof. Abregana has also won two (2) World Escrima Traditional
(full-contact) tournaments in the Philippines in 1995 and 1996.
After the death of his father in 1994, Prof. Abregana became
the successor to the Ewa Kenpo Karate Club, which he later took
on the name, Abregana Self Defense Institute. In the 1990's,
Grandmaster Ming Lum had Prof. Abregana expend his knowledge
in the Chinese martial arts of Bak Mei and Haak Ga under the
Tutorship of Professor Randy Choy of the Chinese Athletic Martial
Arts Academy in Honolulu, Hawaii. He has also had the opportunity
to study under Grandmaster Bing Fai Lau.
Prof. Abregana has received numerous awards from Politicians
from Hawaii for his accomplishments in the martial arts. In 1999,
Prof. Abregana received the Commendation Award of Grandmastership
from the Philippines Consulate General-Hawaii and the Council
of Elders from Mindinao, Philippines for his accomplishments
in the Filipino martial arts of Karaan, winning the full-contact
traditional tournament twice and being appointed to the Council
of Elders.
In 1995, Prof. Jaime Abregana Jr., founded the Hawaii Kenpo Jujitsu
Society, which is now known as the Hawaii Martial Arts Society,
under the direction of the first senior advisors: Grandmasters
Ming Lum, Sig Kufferath, Peter Choo, and James Muro. There are
currently members from Hawaii, U.S. mainland, Puerto Rico, Canada,
Australia, and Europe.
In 2001, Prof. Jaime Abregana was inducted into the World Head
of Family
Sokeship Council, International Martial Arts Hall of Fame and
the United
Martial Artist Association Hall of Fame and serves as the Hawaii
director. He also serves as a Technical Advisor for the World
Martial Arts Society based in the UK, and is a member of The
Latin America Grandmasters and Soke Council. He is our choice
for November 2002.
Congratulations goes out to Sensei Dominic Ohan for being the
teacher chosen to be spotlighted for November 2002. With over
20 Years of experience Sensei Dominic Ohan along with his brother
Sensei George Ohan are part of a winning team of teachers. Their
goal is to give students the right experience in the martial
arts world. The Ohan's have come a long way to provide you with
skillful teaching. Their father Shihan Camille Ohan, was their
teacher under centre Pierre Latour until 2nd Dan.
Now 6 years, The Ohan Brothers have achieved their 3rd Dan and
are recognized by Japan, working independently under the North
American Kyokushin Organization. (Shihan Henry Oh, teacher New
York) (Shihan Claude Bouchard, teacher Montreal). The Ohan Brothers
invite teachers from all over the world to teach them so they
can always provide the best for their students. Presently at
the school they have over 100 active students and that number
is growing. Among the training of Karate the school also has
many other activities. Their main goal is to Imply the right
discipline to their students, teach full contact fighting, Kyokushin
martial arts and to prepare their students for worldwide tournaments.
He is our choice for November 2002.
Congratulations goes out to Alexander Abregana for being chosen
as the
student to be spotlighted for November 2002. Alexander is currently
16 years of age and attends Kapolei High School in Kapolei, Hawaii
on the Island of Oahu. He participates in Football, Wrestling
and Judo, news writing and student government. Alex has been
training in the martial arts at the age of 6 yrs. From 1996-98,
Alex has won several Hawaii State Martial Arts Championships
in Kumite, Forms and Weapons. He has been awarded the State of
Hawaii Mayor's Award of Excellence and Inducted in the United
States Martial Artists Association Hall of Fame. He also participates
in Lion Dancing Competition. Alex is currently a member of the
Honor Society in Washington D.C. for High School Students and
the United States Student Ambassador for High School Students.
In 2003, he will be traveling to Europe as an Ambassador for
High School Students representing the United States. He is also
a 3.8 GPA student. He will be attending the University of North
Dakota Aero Space Studies to become a pilot.
Congratulations goes out to Jeremy Abregana for being chosen
as the student to be spotlighted for November 2002. Jeremy was
the Hawaii State Champion in Forms and Kumite from the years
1996-1998. He is currently a freshmen at Kapolei High School
in Kapolei, Hawaii. He participates in Football, Wrestling and
Judo. He has also received the Mayor award of Excellence for
his accomplishments in the martial arts. Keep a sharp eye out
for these brothers as they continue to accomplished great things
in martial arts and in other areas of life, they definitely bring
young martial artist to a different level. They are our choices
for November 2002 Karate Kidz Online is dedicated to featuring
the most talented and dedicated Instructors and Students worldwide.
Keep tuned as we launch the KKO Auctions section in the upcoming
weeks and The KKO Self Defense Section.
BITETTI
COMBAT Brings NHB to Brazil's Northeast!
By Eduardo Alonso
Carlson Gracie black belt and UFC veteran Amaury Bitetti takes
his prestige into yet another venture: Promoting! Alongside co-promoter
Conrado, Amaury is using his name and know-how to bring the sport
of NHB to Brazil's Northeast, a region known for beautiful beaches
and that has being developing some great NHB fighters. Names
like Rodrigo and Rogerio Nogueira, Jorge Navalhada and Assuerio
Silva, among others, were all born in cities located in the Northeast
of the country. The event will be held on November 28th, in the
gorgeous city of Natal, the capital of Brazil's Rio Grande do
Norte state, at the Machadao gymnasium, a facility that holds
more than 10,000 spectators. The promoters expect a packed house
with the ever-growing interest for NHB in the city. BITETTI COMBAT
NORDESTE will be the freshman outing of an event that has plans
to take place other Brazilian cities in the future, and it will
deliver an 8-fight card, with a mix of some seasoned veterans
and newcomers. Promoters are working hard and promise a great
production for the event. Brazilian cable channel Sportv will
cover the event. FCF plans to be there as well delivering you
all the action! Keep checking our page as we'll release more
news about the event in the coming days. Here is the event's
card:
Dunga (RN/Kioto Jiu Jitsu)
vs. Chicão (RN/Fighter Boxing)
Carlos Indio (RN/Kioto Jiu Jitsu) vs. Paulo Guerreiro (CE/Muai
Thay)
Tibau (RN/Kimura Nova União) vs. Paulo Boico (RJ/Paulo
Caruso)
Sandro Bala (RN/jiu jitsu-Kioto) vs. Charles Gracie (Team Sucata/Luis
Barbosa- PB/Jiu Jitsu)
Glauke Eugênio (RN/Jiu Jitsu-CBJJO World's runner up) vs.
Aranha (Fighter Boxing/Thai boxing)
Fabio Holanda (Brazilian Top Team-RJ) vs. Tiago Pitbull (CE/Brazilian
Muay Thai Champion)
Silmar rodrigues (RN/Kimura/Nova União) vs. Raimundo Flamel
(Brazilian Top Team-RJ)
Lucas Lopes (RN/kimura/Nova União) vs. Jorge Navalhada(Brazilian
Top Team-RJ)
Source: FCF
ANALYZING
REALPROWRESTLING:
TOM ERIKSON GIVES A THUMBS UP
by: Eddie Goldman
There are few, if any,
people who have participated in as wide a variety of combat sports
events as Tom Erikson. In wrestling, he was a U.S. national freestyle
heavyweight champion in 1997, finished fourth in the 1997 World
Freestyle Wrestling Championships, first in the 1992 World Cup,
second in the U.S. Nationals a whopping TEN times (behind legendary
four-time Olympic medalist Bruce Baumgartner), and was an All-American
college wrestler at Oklahoma State. He now is an assistant wrestling
coach at Purdue University.
In NHB, Erikson
fought in one of the first events, the one and only MARS show
on Nov. 22, 1996. He won his first two fights, and then had a
controversial 40-minute draw with Murilo Bustamante. He showed
that this wrestler could launch a solid punch by knocking out
Kevin Randleman in just 1:11 at the Brazil Open on June 15, 1997.
He beat Gary Goodridge by decision at Pride 8, before losing
to Heath Herring at Pride 11.
This September,
Erikson made his kickboxing debut in K-1. He gave pro boxer and
kickboxer Mike Bernardo all he could handle, and even knocking
him down twice, before finally losing.
In submission wrestling,
Erikson also was in the one and only event known as 'The Contenders,'
on Oct. 11, 1997. There he scored a decision win over Tsuyoshi
Kohsaka, even passing the guard along the way. In the 2001 World
Submission Wrestling Championship in Abu Dhabi, Erikson beat
Roberto Traven by points in the first round but lost to Jeff
Monson in the second round.
So with this kind
of background and experience, it would be hard to find anyone
with a broader range of experience against which to judge the
RealProWrestling pilot, taped on Oct. 26 in Los Angeles. At this
event, the 38-year-old Erikson was in a somewhat new role --
in the announcer's booth, doing backstage post-match interviews.
'When we left the
Contenders, we left with the people at each others' throats,'
recalled Erikson. 'Different organizations were at each other's
throats. All the rules were supposed to be this. The interpretations
were off.'
Here he compares
RealProWrestling most favorably to 'The Contenders.' 'One of
the things with the rules with this event is, we had baseline
rules,' he continued. 'The FILA rulebook was our baseline of
rules. Now, we deviated from that on certain positions, pushing
off the mat, and things like that, where everybody understood
why we were doing that and was for the best interest. I really
didn't hear any complaints out of Greco or the freestyle guys
as far as the rules. They understood them, and they went out
there. Unlike 'The Contenders,' they went out there.'
Erikson also saw
the decision to tape a pilot by RealProWrestling as another plus
compared to 'The Contenders,' which rushed to pay-per-view with
no demo or practice event.
'Another big difference
is, it was free to get in. This event was designed to promote
their idea, their concept,' he said. 'Whatever that is, and they're
going to shape that through the cutting room floor. 'The Contenders'
was put off to start something and make some money. They wanted
to recoup some money. They charged people to get in. The purses
were significantly higher, but they charged people to get in.
It's amazing how things work out when you're not trying to make
money. When money's not an issue to you, when Toby Willis and
the backing that he had, when money was not an issue, it was
here. Let's go put on a show. Let's see what we come up with.
The Contenders was out, let's start something but let's make
some money. While we're doing it, let's make some money. You
got a lot of hurt feelings. A lot of pride and egos were stepped
on during 'The Contenders' as far as the interpretation.'
Taping a pilot also
had other advantages, according to Erikson. 'When you go pay-per-view,
working with the production, I get a little different view,'
he said. 'We have the luxury of making mistakes. So what if you
made a mistake? There's no pressure on us as far as production.
There's no pressure on us as far as what's going to happen, because
you know what? We don't like it, we cut it. We're going to dump
it on the cutting room floor. We want a different type of rule
change, a different type of interpretation, we're going to change
it in the post-production. We're going to make it better for
the next event.'
While, like everyone
else at the RealProWrestling event, he was very positive about
it, he would make some changes. 'Probably move around the mat
a little bit,' he counseled. 'That drew some excitement as far
as the way the mat was placed out there, and the people coming
off. And it was kind of interesting how people would come off
the mat. From action sequences, I think I'd have more replays.
We showed it relatively live on the screen, but I purposely would
put a lot more replays up on the screen. Great action, there's
a stop, let's find out what's going on. When you had the TV Challenges,
let's get it out there. Let's see what's going on. Let's let
the fans figure it out, too.'
He also suggested
borrowing from the NFL the procedure in which they carry out
each instant replay, called a 'TV Challenge' at RealProWrestling.
'The way freestyle
and Greco wrestling is set up, you got three officials, and they're
all relatively close to the mat. You got the referee on the mat,
table judge, side judge. Different views, different angles,'
said Erikson. 'The way this was set up, you had an official on
the mat. You had an action meter official, which basically called
the passivities, and your head judge up in a booth that was 30
feet high, and 50 feet away. So you're basically giving one man
the complete power to make decisions on the mat, without knowing
what the camera angles are. You don't know what the camera angles
are. That's where those three people on the mat can make the
decision. That's where they can tell you what's being judged.
On the screen they tell you, 'TV Challenge!' But when they came
back up, they just held up points. If we're trying to sell the
sport, which they're trying to do, you need to tell the fans
what just happened. And our officials aren't capable of doing
that. They're not used to doing that. If we're going to keep
going on with this event, we need to get the officials online,
kind of like the NFL. And say, 'Hey look. You got to tell the
fans. You're miked. Tell the fans. Look, tell the TV audience,
whoever, it was upheld the challenge for this. It was upheld
for this reason. The way it was called on the mat is the way
it stays. The head judge overturned it, and it's going to be
called this.' And I think they could probably do more of that.
That would be a great point, one way to help solve some of the
problems, kill the time.'
Overall, Erikson
gives this event a very good grade. 'Wrestling, I'd give the
pure wrestling an A,' he said. 'You had some of our best guys
there. I think there's probably only one match might not have
been in there normally. It was a Greco match, Chael Sonnen and
then Dean Morrison is a freestyle guy. That's a match probably
shouldn't have been in there. Otherwise, we had one of our top-ranked
guys in the other weight classes.'
Regarding the production,
he said, 'It's hard to rate the production, but the effort, you
got to give them a solid B, maybe an A, and I am honest. You
got to give them that much because there seemed like there'd
be a lot of effort. The final grade sees what comes off the cutting
room floor. Whatever they cut in the finished product, that's
when I can give you the final grade.'
All this means that
while he remains very positive about RealProWrestling's chances,
he is still cautious.
'They've got a lot
of quality information. How they do it, and how they want to
divvy it up, that remains to be seen,' he concluded.
Source: ADCC
11/3/02
Quote
of the Day
That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet.
Emily Dickinson Submitted by Stephen Hedrick
Super
Brawl 27 Tentative Card
Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
November 9, 2002
Main Event:
Wesley "Cabbage" Correira
(Grappling Unlimited) vs. Jason Lambert (Williams Combat Grappling)
Ronald "The Machine Gun" Jhun (808 Fight Factory) vs.
"Mr. International" Shonie Carter
Falaniko
Vitale (Grappling Unlimited) vs. Sean McCully
"Ice
Cold" Kolo Koka (Grappling Unlimited) vs. Akira Kikuchi
TBA
vs. Jutaro Nakao
Ray
"King Kong" Seraile (Grappling Unlimited) vs. Miles
Tynanes
Deshaun
Johnson (HMC) vs. Mark Moreno (Bulls Pen)
Kaipo
Kalama vs. TBA
Kyle
Takeo vs. TBA
Source: T. Jay Thompson
Shooto
Hawaii Matches Annouced
Lahaina Civiv Center, Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii
December 7, 2002
Main Event:
Ray "Bradda" Cooper vs. Jay Buck
Semi Main Event:
Stephen "Bozo" Paling vs. TBA
7 Bouts To Be Announced
Special Guest Appearance To Be Announced Soon!!!
Source: Shooto Hawaii Promoter
Catching
Up With... DAVE MENNE
by: Keith Mills
KM: Your
last fight in the UFC, the Baroni KO, what happened?
DM: I just got caught, got clipped and just rolled downhill from
there. I just need to get back in and see how the car runs, how
the gears go and just take it one step at a time I guess. I just
had a pretty bad year personal life and fights and everything.
I'm just hoping to put the year behind me and start anew and
build something again.
KM:
I was noticing this seems to be an off year for you. I also noticed
a slow down in the amount of fights you were taking with 6 in
'97, 6 in '98, 12 in '99…but only 3 in '02.
DM: I've had more than that. There are fights that aren't documented
so for a while I averaged at least 10 a year. The slowdown, part
of it is the UFC exclusivity contract and letting you…where
you can fight, stuff like that. Last year also I was injured
much of the year, another part of the year I was spending in
the hospital with my brother and family so I've been out of the
loop the last year with injuries and helping my family try to
help my brother back on his feet.
KM:
Is he ok?
DM: He's ok in the sense he's alive but he's had some brain damage
and actually now has to live in a nursing home. A lot of sideshow
stuff besides the fighting going on.
KM:
You didn't come out and say anything when you lost the belt to
Bustamente about having the stomach virus but didn't you have
one in between that and the Baroni fight? Open hand UAGF against
Ferguson?
DM: He slipped in the third round and my contention is he got
leg kicked for the 6th or 7th time and I saw him drop dead on
the mat so as far as I'm concerned it was a knock down. He never
got back up, his corner helped him out of the ring and they refused
to do the overtime. After they refused to do the overtime they
tried to bicker about that it was this way or they agreed to
that but even before the fight they were changing what they said
they agreed to. I said I was at a certain weight and they said
'you have to be under that weight'. I actually was, I was 189
and earlier in the day I was at 186. They go 'no, you have to
be at 184 or 82. They changed their story two or three times
while we were talking to them. We agreed to cut the agreed time
limit down to two rounds with an overtime and then they decided
'no, we didn't agree to an overtime' afterwards. He refused to
finish the fight and afterwards he contended 'oh, I could have
kept on going' but an individual that can't walk on their own
obviously can't continue to go on and if he was so primed and
ready he should have just put his money where his mouth is and
finished the fight.
KM:
We've heard rumors of you in UCC.
DM: There's a possibility of UCC. (Manager Monte Cox) has been
talking with them and other people and I think we're still in
dealings with the UFC so it's yet to see exactly what's going
to happen with that. We're going to try to go out and have some
good performances, take the year as it comes I guess and hopefully
have a better year than last.
KM:
When the UFC first started going for mainstream media, at the
time you had the belt and you were being projected as I wouldn't
use the term sensitive but more educated and appealing to the
mainstream. I remember reading about your cooking and classical
studies.
DM: I like reading classical literature, philosophy, and some
other various things.
KM:
Going back to the Greeks?
DM: Back to the Greeks, French Revolution, anything. I like understanding
ideas, understanding how ideas affect people's thinking and how
someone clings to a certain ideologue how it may affect the way
they act or the way they carry themselves through life.
KM:
From a philosophy, not a psychology point of view?
DM: I'm interested in the philosophy and the psychology but I'm
interested in the idea of 'truth' and ideas in general.
KM:
Having never made it all the way through Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle
Maintenance as soon as you said the idea of 'truth' I cringed.
DM: And I read some of the pop philosophy. I've read Zen And
The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance and I've read some of Watt's
stuff and Christian Mertoux and other stuff like that. Plato…
KM:
What have you been reading lately?
DM: The Underground Man by Dostoevsky, The Confidence Man by
Melville, and a stupid horror book by Ludlum from this era…
KM:
His Necroscope kind of stuff or his Lovecraft takeoffs?
DM: I don't even know what it was called. I didn't have anything
with me in the airport and I grabbed it and read it through.
It was ok. I bought I forget the name of it about Takamoto's
grandfather that grew up in the deep South and died a few years
before he got to know him and he's recounting his life through
the stories the family knows about this guy. That's reading at
the moment and dipping into Confidence Man and Underground Man,
which I've already read but I'm trying to read once again.
KM:
How do you feel about being projected, again I hesitate to use
the term 'sensitive', but that way?
DM: I guess I don't really care about projection. I don't take
them much into consideration. Maybe that's part of my problem,
never forced a projection of myself out there. Any projection
tends to be, especially with me, an untruth because there are
so many other facets of my life. I do like reading classical
literature, I like cooking, but at the same time I like stupid
action shows and I like watching horror movies. To pigeonhole
anything and pigeonhole anybody is a hard thing to do. With me
I typically look at something and if I like it I like it and
I don't necessarily decide if it gels with what I want people
to think about me. At this point in my life I don't know if I
really care that much.
KM:
Several women I know who see some of the shows but don't follow
the scene know who you are. They're like, 'how is that reader
doing?' or 'when is that necklace tattoo guy fighting again?'
You are the one they think of first as a consequence of that
projection. Most eligible bachelor of MMA. Still single, right?
DM: Still single. Like I said I don't think its projection, its
just things that I like to learn. I sometimes battle with that
with training. I love training, I love fighting, the only thing
that bothers me about training and fighting is I don't get the
time to do some of the stuff I want to do. I don't get time to
read a lot and there are things that I'd like to learn about,
things that I'd like to do, and I don't get the time to do that
when you're training a lot. Along with the time you don't have
energy or the force to finish some of the things you start, so
have a little time off you try to dive into some of the stuff
you don't get to do. I think that's the only drawback of what
I do is I spend a lot of time in the gym, most of my extra time
in the gym doing that stuff. Only thing I probably take time
to do is I run home after training and I take time to cook dinner
every once in a while, spend an hour, hour and a half cooking
dinner. Beyond that there isn't always a lot of free time for
me and that can be a little irritating, you start to see your
years pass away and there's so many things you want to do. That's
just the nature of life; there's never enough time in the day.
Speaking
of which you'll have to wait until part 2 to hear Dave speak
about his school and his tattoos.
Source: ADCC
ANALYZING
REALPROWRESTLING:
RULON GARDNER BLASTS I.O.C.
FOR 'INSULT' TO WRESTLING (Part Two)
by: Eddie Goldman
He is usually
an amiable, pretty laid-back sort of guy. Giant physical specimens
like Rulon Gardner often are that way. So when we were posing
for a photograph before commencing our interview right after
the taping of a television pilot for RealProWrestling at the
Los Angeles Center Studios on Oct. 26, we were requested to strike
a casual stance.
'I've
never been a professional, so I wouldn't know what casual is,'
he cracked. And I replied that he is a real, professional wrestler
now, with a record of 1-0.
But
when I asked him about the proposed dropping of one style of
wrestling by a commission of the International Olympic Committee
(I.O.C.), the banter stopped. Now there was a touch of anger
in the voice of this usually genial grappler. His response showed
that not only could he wrestle with anyone on the mat, but also
in a mental wrestling match as well.
'You
look at freestyle, Greco. It's not a matter of which style,'
Rulon said. 'It's an insult by the I.O.C. to even think about
dropping one of the two original sports. If the I.O.C. is concerned
about revenue and about money, the I.O.C. is the wrong place
we need to be as wrestlers. We are one of the original sports.
You look at the history of where our sport came from. That's
a slap in the face and we shouldn't be associated with a group
that is willing to go out there and throw us away because of
revenue. You look at one sport that has had more interest or
more spark after Kareline and my match over in Sydney. Freestyle,
we had so many just tremendous moves and so many situations,
so many great matches in Sydney, the people in Sydney were like,
'This sport is incredible! Where did it come from?' And they
even talked about possibly dropping it before Sydney. And these
are the people that had never heard of it, and they said, 'This
sport is absolutely amazing.''
On
a roll, he continued, 'To see people open their eyes, all you
have to do is see wrestling, see it on TV, see it becoming RealProWrestling,
to be able to see that, opens your eyes to a whole new world
of wrestling. I think Greco here was more exciting. You saw people
throwing. You had me and Billy [Pierce], where I came from in
the last few months, and where Billy came from. He came out of
retirement. You have some great athletes, great wrestlers, out
here putting their love and putting everything they have on the
line. There's really no money in wrestling. But we do it because
we love the sport. If the I.O.C. is willing to cut us for that,
for typical reasons to go out and add golf or add one of these
other sports, to have more revenue, so be it. I think FILA is
going to have a great idea. And if they don't want us to be an
Olympic sport, that's fine. They don't deserve to have us as
an Olympic sport, if the first thing they want to do is drop
one of the original sports.'
I
noted that if the I.O.C. does drop one style of wrestling, then
the role of RealProWrestling becomes even that much more critical.
'That's
one of the things we're going to have to deal with,' he said.
'We don't want to. We want to keep and promote the sport and
build it back up, build college wrestling, build every aspect.
Toby [Willis] coming in and Matt Case, all these people coming
in and building, a great place like this, to have this studio
where we can come in and wrestle. To have this place is absolutely
amazing. And it gives the wrestlers and the sport of wrestling
a new window and a new vision on the future.'
The
wrestling world is also clamoring for a showdown between Rulon
Gardner and this year's world champion heavyweight, Dremiel Byers.
Rulon said he will face his American rival in the not too distant
future.
'Oh,
most definitely,' he assured us. 'They were trying to set us
up at the Kurt Angle Classic. It didn't happen, so the next one
may be Concord. The one after that may be the Schultz. If it
doesn't happen there, we're going to wrestle at the Nationals.
And if we don't meet there, we're going to meet at the Trials.
We're going to meet sooner or later. I'm doing everything I can
within my power to keep my feet under control and in my power.
But Dremiel is a great wrestler, and he won the World Championships.
He's the best in the world. I'm starting at the bottom. I got
to come all the way back up to the top to be number one again.
And if you're going to be the best, you got to beat the best.
And he's definitely the best by far. So I got a challenge ahead
of me. And when I meet him, I'll look forward to the situation.
Until then, all I can do is everything within my power to be
the best wrestler I can.'
I
commented that even Dremiel Byers will be happy to see Rulon
back out on the mat again.
'Ehhh,
I don't know,' he replied. 'I don't know if he's going to be
happy. I don't know if I'm going to be happy to see him. Truly,
you know, who wants to really beat a world champion to make your
team? That just tells you how competitive we are at heavyweight.
Most people for years said heavyweights aren't that good. I told
them, I said, 'Watch your back. Heavyweights, we're the best
weight class by far in America.' And hopefully now people start
to see the commitment that we have as heavyweights, and hopefully
they can be successful. I'm not saying they have no commitment.
You know, Kevin Bracken, just the work ethic everybody has. Sometimes
calls go your way, sometimes they don't. And I've been lucky,
I've been blessed, and I get to come back and hopefully I get
to pursue my dream for another two or three years and hopefully
win a gold medal. And if not, so be it.'
For
many years the U.S. Greco-Roman wrestling team was an also-ran
to the Soviets and later Russia and the former Soviet Republics.
But now, between him and Byers, Americans have won the gold three
years running at heavyweight. Rulon was clearly pleased at the
development of the U.S. Greco program to a world-class level.
'You
look at Americans. It's just the way we've always been,' he said.
'The heavyweights, we've been blessed to come out and win three
in a row, but every weight class commits 100 percent. Every weight
class is getting better, every style. American wrestling is getting
a development from juniors, cadets, kids wrestling, all the way
up to seniors, to veterans level. Every class of wrestling is
getting better every day. And I think in America, Greco-Roman
has taken the challenge. When we took the challenge, when Steve
Fraser came in -- Mike Houck turned it over to Steve Fraser --
Steve Fraser said, 'Hey, you guys are going to be tough. You
guys are going to come out and you guys are going to start winning
world championships.' And that's the challenge we took. And I
took it for two years. Byers took it this year. Next year somebody
else is going to take it, and the year after. I think America
-- Kevin Bracken is on the verge. Jim Gruenwald, Dennis Hall
is on the verge. Every weight class. Quincey Clark, Matt Lindland.
All of these guys are right on the verge. Brandon Paulson. Every
one of these wrestlers has placed at the Worlds. Why can't we
be the best in the world? We took third last year. This year
we were in Russia. Things happen in Russia that maybe are tougher
on Americans. But you know what? We are willing to step up and
take the challenge every day and protect America and keep it
strong and keep it, hopefully improving the wrestling to be better.'
So
October 26 was a red-letter day for Rulon Gardner. He successfully
returned to the mat, participated in the historic pilot for RealProWrestling,
and earned his first victory as a pro.
'Everything
I hoped for,' he concluded. And hopefully RealProWrestling will
be everything everyone else involved had hoped for as well.
"Looking to the stars always makes me dream, as simply as
I dream over the black dots representing towns and villages on
a map. Why, I ask myself, shouldn't the shining dots of the sky
be as accessible as the black dots on the map of France?"
Vincent Van Gogh Submitted by Stephen Hedrick
WFA
- TICKETS ARE ON SALE!!!!
by: Keith Mills
Las
Vegas, NV-Tickets are now on sale for WFA3 in Las Vegas to be
held at the Aladdin on November 23rd. With one more fight rumored
to still be under wraps the rest of the card has been released
and it looks like a good one.
Miletich
vs. Trigg headlines the card and looks to be one hell of a fight.
Trigg will want it to go along the lines of Miletich/Lindland
where Pat would get mounted and pummeled by a superior wrestler
while Miletich will want the fight to go like Trigg/Sakurai where
he keeps the fight standing and waits for that one shot that
will put Trigg away. Trigg has had two years since Sakurai to
learn from his mistakes and improve his striking as well as being
possibly the first fighter to be at Pat's true weight since Pat
won the UFC belt, an advantage that is part of what has made
Pat so successful. Pat's biggest strength is his teammates, and
with UFC Welterweight champ and wrestling icon Matt Hughes fighting
the night before in UFC you can bet the mortgage Pat and Matt
will be spending a lot of time training together. Although Pat
has talked about going into pro boxing don't be surprised if
since Matt is training to fight Gil Castillo, known as a less
than exciting decision grabber, Pat spends more time training
to defend the takedown and wear Trigg down in his guard. Look
for this one to be well chosen strikes on the feet but stalled
on the ground with possibly the clinch being where the fight
will be decided, possibly by cut in the later rounds.
A
classic striker vs. grappler by today's definitions anyway, Eastman
vs. Steibling will surely be a ground war. Steibling started
in HOOKnSHOOT before losing a very boring decision to Matt Hughes'
brother Mark in UFC 28. After winning a 16-man tournament a year
ago in IVC (vale tudo rules) he fought in Pride, picking up a
decision win over Wallid Ismail and a TKO over Allen Goes before
falling to Anderson Silva. Ihis most recent fight was in September
when he lost by decision in Pancrase to armbar terror Yuki Sasaki.
Eastman, a vet of the first two WFAs as well as KOTC, is no BJJ
stylist but more of a ground and pounder with incredible strength
used to fighting heavier than Steibling. Both fighters need this
win, for Steibling to get his limelight career back on track
and for Eastman, who technically broke his two loss streak at
the last WFA but against literal last minute replacement Tom
Sauer, to legitimatize the belt.
Sure
to be the show stealer Chris Brennan fights for his second time
at 155 against Shooto #7 ranked Vitor 'Shaolin' Ribeiro. Brennan
has been all over MMA for years at 170 with appearances in UFC
and KOTC but it wasn't until his fight against #1 ranked Gomi
in Shooto this summer that he dropped to 155. Brennan didn't
seem to have the trouble cutting weight many people thought he
would as he took the top ranked Gomi to a judges decision loss
in Japan. 4-0 Ribeiro on the other hand is relatively new to
MMA debuting at WFA 1 where he demonstrated his striking ability
with repeated elbows and strikes to Charlie Kohler before picking
choking unconscious Takumi Nakayama in HOOKnSHOOT and Joe Hurley
in WFA2. His most recent win was by decision in Shooto against
Hiroshi Tsuruya. Brennan will have the weight and experience
advantage but Shaolin will have speed and age so definitely keep
your eyes on this one.
Further
down the card Rob McCullough vs. Josh Thomson will be a stand-up
war, Mike Van Arsdale vs. Chris Haseman will be two Heavyweight
wrestlers going at the ground and pound, and Todd Lally vs. Nigel
Hudson will be two newcomers testing themselves at this level
early in their careers.
WFA
Welterweight Title Bout:
Pat Miletich vs. Frank Trigg
WFA
Light Heavyweight Title Bout:
Marvin Eastman vs. Alex Steibling
WFA
Co-Main Event:
Chris Brennan vs. Vitor Ribeiro
Mike Van Arsdale vs. Chris Haseman
Rob McCullough vs. Josh Thomson
Todd Lally vs. Nigel Hudson
Naughty
By Nature are confirmed for a guest performance as well as the
'fightclub meets the nightclub' motif WFA is already famous for.
Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased directly through
the Aladdin Resort & Casino's box office (877-333-9474) and
through all Ticketmaster locations (702-474-4000 or www.ticketmaster.com). Ticket prices range
from $30, $50, $100, $150 and $200. A seating chart is available
at www.aladdincasino.com and the WFA's website
at http://www.wfa.tv/main.php
Source: ADCC
Kurt
Angle Classic Update
by: Gary Abbott
USA Wrestling South Regional Training Center To Open on Nov.
8 in Metairie,
La. 10/31/2002
John Fuller/USA
Wrestling
USA
Wrestling First Vice President and Louisiana State Chairperson
James Ravannack will unveil the new USA Wrestling South Regional
Training Center at 6:30 pm.m. on Friday, Nov. 8 in Metairie,
La.
The
training center will be home to the Gator Wrestling Club, also
founded by Ravannack, as well as provide training grounds for
amateur wrestlers in the Southern Region in the U.S.
'We
have nothing in the South for our kids to be able to train at
an elite level,' Ravannack said. 'This will provide kids an opportunity
to live out their dreams of becoming Olympic wrestling heroes
without worrying about where to train or how to get there.'
The
training center is 12,000 square feet. The wrestling room holds
three and one half mats and it includes a state-of-the-art 40
feet by 40 feet weight room, the first of its kind in the South.
The
idea for the training center began with the emergence of several
wrestling stars from the South, including 2000 Olympic freestyle
gold medalist Brandon Slay, who originates from Amarillo, Texas,
2000 U.S. Freestyle Olympic Team Trials runner-up Kerry Boumans,
who is from Lafayette, La. and 2001 NCAA runner-up and 2002 Pan-American
champion Daniel Cormier, also from Lafayette, La. Cormier was
a three-time high school state champion and recently won the
Sunkist Kids/ASU International Open in freestyle.
Ravannack
feels that the training center has already paid dividends in
the South region, though.
'These
kids in the southern states know that they are going to have
an opportunity that they have never had before. The wrestling
community in the South and especially in Louisiana is excited
about having this here in order to help develop Olympic champions,'
Ravannack added.
A
ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held on Friday, Nov. 8 at the
South Regional Training Center, located at 1901 Severn Ave. in
Metairie, La. Media are encouraged to attend the ribbon-cutting,
which will also hold a 1996 Olympic medal reunion, which will
include gold medalists Kendall Cross, Tom Brands and Kurt Angle.
The
ribbon-cutting is part of the weekend*s festivites leading up
to the Kurt Angle Classic, part of the 'Show of Strength', a
competition that will include body building, power lifting, arm
wrestling and a strong man contest. Included will be a hall with
over 300 exhibits of products, supplements and other resources
useful in athletics.
'I
am excited and honored to be hosting this event along with USA
Wrestling,' stated Angle, who after capturing Olympic gold in
1996 went on to become a WWE superstar. 'This is my way of giving
back to the sport of wrestling. It should be an incredible atmosphere
and putting the top wrestlers in the world against each other
should help the sport of wrestling as well.'
There
will be three sessions of competition. In session one, a Louisiana
high school all-star dual meet will take place on Friday afternoon.
Sessions
two and three will pit the top U.S. stars in all three Olympic
styles (men's freestyle, men's Greco-Roman, women's freestyle)
battling against some of the top international competitors in
the world.
'USA
Wrestling is excited to host the first-ever Kurt Angle Classic,'
stated Pete Isais, USA Wrestling Director of National Events.
'It is a great way for our athletes to earn more money this season.
This event has been further enhanced due to the fact that our
men*s freestyle World Team was unable to compete at the 2002
World Championships, so this will may be the only time some of
these athletes get to see a competitor of this caliber for a
while.'
Wrestling
will take place in an entertaining atmosphere. Matches will be
enhanced with music, up-close interviews and cutting-edge production
techniques that are certain to make this one of the most fan-friendly
and stunning amateur wrestling events ever.
"Brawl"
a Limp-Wristed Effort
Book review by Jake Rossen
Mama
always said, if you don't have anything nice to say, keep your
big yap shut.
As
I got older, despite Mama's claims to the contrary, I eventually
figured out that saying nice things all the time means anything
you say will eventually lose all meaning. Give credit where it's
due, and don't where it's not. If you act the genial host all
the time, it's probably not long before you wind up being quoted
on an "Eight Legged Freaks" poster as Ray Boran from
WXBY-TV in Kapookla, Alabama: "A spine-tingling good time!"
You know the type. Not a negative bone in their body.
So
despite the venomous nature of the effort, it's with some measure
of obligation that I do solemnly declare "Brawl: A Behind-The-Scenes
Look at Mixed Martial Arts Competition" (Erich Krauss and
Bret Aita, ECW Press, $19.95) to be a redundant, vacuous tome
that would be a particular delight for MMA fans were it not for
the pre-existing "No Holds Barred: Evolution" history
penned by Clyde Gentry nearly a year prior. Those expecting Krauss
and Aita to pick up where Gentry left off (somewhere around UFC's
first jaunt into Japan in 1997) and dig deep into the five full
years following will be sorely disappointed. This is one warmed-over
offering.
To
get just one thing straight, and in the interest of full disclosure:
my byline can occasionally be seen in the pages of Gentry's "Ultimate
Athlete" periodical, which might lead one to believe that
I'm automatically predisposed to raking what may be seen as "the
competition" over the coals in the interests of pleasing
my sometime employer.
Nothing
doing. While I feel Gentry's book was and is a unique and necessary
component of any self-respecting fan's bookshelf, the fact is,
I never see a dime from the sales. If "Brawl" had blown
away Gentry's attempts in prose and fact-finding, so be it. With
such a slim pickings in the way of accredited MMA titles, the
more the merrier, and I would've been pleased to shout as much
from the rafters. Editor Gentry would likely have seen fit to
do the same in his own pages.
But
such is not the case, at least not in my view. "Brawl"
is simply a compilation of the old chestnuts that fans have heard
kicked around for years, and were later documented in Gentry's
book. The Gracies dominate the Brazilian scene. Rorion comes
to America. SEG fires off the first UFC. Gerard Gordeau gets
some of Tuli's teeth stuck in his foot. Tank Abbott is a boor.
Politicians are evil. Etc.
There
is nothing inherently wrong with any of this, should you be a
new welcome to the MMA fold. Nor do I mean to imply that Krauss
and Aita in any way plagiarized Gentry's work: more than likely,
both projects were being researched at the same time. But even
if "Brawl" had beaten "NHB: Evolution" to
bookshelves, it wouldn't have made much difference. Gentry solicited
help from several key players in the 1990s MMA scene, including
Bob Meyrowitz and Tank Abbott. While the authors here certainly
have their laundry list of quotables, it noticeably lacks participation
from those and others deeply entrenched in the sport's genesis.
Oddly,
many chapters from both books even seem to take on the same breaks
with the same subject matter: both are fascinated (rightfully
so) with Buddy Albin's descent into psychosis with his plagiaristic
IFC show in Kiev and the resulting Mafioso drama. As a reader,
I don't question the importance of such setpieces: I question
the reason why I need to read about them twice over, with nary
a new revelatory detail.
Things
grow so redundant at one point that even perpetual foot-in-mouth
patient John Perretti is left with nothing new to say regarding
mentor Gene LeBell:
From
NHB: Evolution: "After studying boxing, Perretti's thirst
for martial arts wisdom took him to LeBell, 'who unceremoniously
convinced me that I knew nothing about fighting.'"
From
Brawl: "'I met Gene LeBell,' says Perretti, 'and I learned
that I didn't know anything about fighting.'"
And
so it goes, like a bad case of double vision, from the UFC's
formative years to their battles with John McCain and the eternally
clueless ragamuffin New York Athletic Commission. Deja vu all
over again.
Only
out of a sense of duty and as a completist did I make it through
the first two hundred pages of "Brawl," at which point
things picked up a bit with fighter profiles, including one on
the oft-incommunicado Igor Vovchanchin. The authors' affiliation
with Bob and Ken Shamrock also seemed to have a positive effect
on their depiction of the re-emerging UFC star, with details
about his formative years absent even in his own "Inside
the Lion's Den" offering.
Of
particular nuisance to both MMA history books are the plodding
fight and event descriptions, which are of utterly no consequence
to anyone who's got a dog-eared collection of UFC tapes that
have seen heavy replay. I suppose it's necessary to excuse them
in the interests of those who have never picked up a video.
I'm
not exactly sure what I was expecting from "Brawl":
perhaps some taboo anecdotes of late-night fisticuffs, or shady
business deals, or training sessions gone awry. What I got was
little more than a retread of an engrossing story already chronicled
and polished by the capable Gentry. "Brawl" is neither
poorly written nor factually incompetent. It's simply more of
the same.
Source: Maxfighting
PRE-FIGHT
INTERVIEW: ANTOINE JAOUDE - DOING HIS INTERNATIONAL NHB DEBUT
AT REALITY FIGHTING 2
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: There's almost one year since you fought on the Brazilian
NHB show called Brazilian Gladiators. Why did it take so long
to us see you back on the ring? Jaoude: Because I competed a
lot in Wrestling this year, and another opportunity in NHB appeared
for me in July, but unfortunately things didn't happen because
my opponent got injured.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: You're a fighter who always make it very clear that you
prefer to compete in Wrestling than to fight NHB. Why did you
decide to fight NHB again? Jaoude: First off, I've been always
very involved with NHB here at the Ruas VT System. I was one
of the Marco Ruas's sparring partners when he fought and won
the UFC 7, so I've been training NHB for a long time. Another
reason is that I need money to keep myself training Wrestling
and unfortunately I can't make the same money which I can get
in NHB. The new Brazilian Wrestling Council has been helping
me a lot but the older Council did a lot of bad things for the
sport here in Brazil, so the people who're in front of the Brazilian
Wrestling Council right now will need some more time to put everything
in order.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: How is the Brazilian Wrestling nowadays? Jaoude: The
new Council is wonderful and we'll get much better! We've got
some great advances since they assumed control, and for sure
we'll see some great Brazilians Wrestlers fighting in NHB in
the future, the same way that happens with the Americans Wrestlers.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: How did this opportunity to fight on the Reality Fighting
2 appear for you? Jaoude: Well as I said before, this opportunity
to fight in an international event appeared before, last July
when I was scheduled to face Sean Alvarez. But he got an injury
and he couldn't fight me. After this they chose another opponent
to face me but for some reason he couldn't face me either. So
I've been very anxious for my international NHB debut since then.
Now I'll face a Renzo Gracie student (Rob Constance).
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Is that true that you were also scheduled to fight on
the WFA 3? Jaoude: Yes, I would face Mike Van Arsdale, but John
Lewis chose to put an American fighter against him. So I'll have
to wait until next year to have my opportunity to fight on this
show.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Do you know something about this Renzo Gracie student
who you'll be facing? Jaoude: I don't know anything about him.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: How do you prepare yourself to face someone who you don't
know anything about? Jaoude: Obviously he has a Jiu Jitsu background.
So I'll try to keep the fight on our feet for a while. But since
he's American, I believe that he has also a Wrestling background.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: If you get a good result on the RF 2, do you think that
you'll be able to administrate your career as a NHB fighter and
also as a wrestler? Jaoude: I always take my training partner
Renato 'Babalu' as an example who even with his NHB success is
always fighting on Wrestling tourneys. So I don't think that
this will be a great issue for me, even if I get the opportunity
to fight in a bigger event than RF 2.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Do you've any plans to fight in Pride or UFC? Jaoude:
Yes, I always have the desire to fight in Pride due the respect
which the Japanese fans have for the fighters. But since I'm
going to fight on the USA, maybe I get some recognition on the
NHB community fighting there, and this can open some doors on
the U.S.A for me. But I don't choose events. I just try to get
the better opportunities.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Until the last year, the Heavyweight class was always
considered the most difficult weight class in NHB. But today
this weight class has been getting even tougher with fighters
such as Bob Sapp appearing. Do you think that the Heavyweights
fighters will drop their weight to try to avoid giants like Sapp?
Jaoude: I don't think this way. Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira
fought against Sapp and his technique spoke louder. I believe
in the fighters heart, in the skills and the bravery. I saw many
examples in NHB, Jiu Jitsu and Wrestling competition that the
size isn't the most important thing.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: It seems that fighters with Sapp's size will be seen
more frequently in the NHB shows in the next year. Does it represent
any kind of danger for you? Jaoude: The only way to see if they
really represent a real danger for us when we see them in action.
But before this, there'll be always a question about their skills.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: What is your weight today? Jaoude: 107Kg.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Is this your ideal weight or would you like to be a bit
heavier? Jaoude: I'm feeling very good at this weight, but I
think that if I was weighing something between 110kg-112kg, I'd
be feeling very comfortable too. I think that Ivery good weight
range and I'm able to join my technique to my strength.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: You haven't been training Submission or NHB, since you've
been putting all your ifforts into the Wrestling. So how has
your been preparation for this fight in RF II? Jaoude: You're
right. At the start of my preparation, I had some problems training,
since I was only focused on Wrestling. My arms were very slow
for training in Boxing, and I had lost my fluid ground game.
But today I can say that everything is ok.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Pedro Rizzo hasn't been training due his surgery on his
nose. Who else are you training with now? Jaoude: I've been training
with a fighter who fought among the Heavyweights - Ebenezer Braga,
and Roberto 'The Spider' Traven. So I've been able to cover for
Rizzo's absence, training with these tough guys.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Last words? Jaoude: I'd like to say thanx to SNC, Pedro
Gama Filho, Gavea Gym and Dr. Marc Hudson. I want to win all
my fights, but if I can't to do this, I'd like for the Brazilian
fans to realize that I put a great show for them with with a
lot of bravery and humility. Thanx
Source: ADCC
11/1/02
Quote
of the Day
"Every great advance in science has issued from a new audacity
of imagination."
John Dewey
A
GLimpse at ZUFFA's 2003 Plans?
A news release in Japan today reports that the ULTIMATE FIGHTING
CHAMPIONSHIP is scheduling an event to take place in Japan for
the first time in two years. The UFC, who has been securing venues
around aall four corners of the U.S., and has branched out to
the United Kingdom, is now looking at Yokohama, Japan as a site
for their summer 2003 show.
WOWOW TV has
been airing the UFC live in Japan for the past several shows
and will be sponsoring the event to air LIVE on Japanese PPV
instead of free cable.
In the past
WOWOW sponsored Akira Maeda's RINGS show until they changed their
format to 'real fighting.' The format change caused RINGS to
lose much of it's popularity and forcing it to close after WOWOW
cut funding.
This will
be the UFC's first Japanese show under the Zuffa management and
will take place at the Yokohama Arena. The last UFC Japan show
saw Tito Ortiz submit Pancrase star Yuki Kondo with a neck crank
back on 12/16/2000.
Source: ADCC
PRIDE
23 - 2 Additional Matches Announced!
PRIDE.23
DATE: November 24th, 2002
OPEN: 3:00 PM START 5:00 PM
PLACE: Tokyo Dome, Japan (Aichi-Pref , Japan)
PIC: Hiromitsu
Kanehara with PRIDE owner in Tokyo on OCtober 31st
HOT OFF THE
PRESSES: Today (October 31st) in Japan, DSE/PRIDE announced two
additional matches for PRIDE 23.
TWO NEW BOUTS
SIGNED:
PRIDE middle weight championship:
Vanderlei Silva vs Mitsuhiro Kanehara
Murilo Ninja
vs Ricardo Arona
PREVIOUSLY
ANNOUNCED:
Nobuhiko Takada
vs Kiyoshi Tamura
Don Frye vs Hidehiko Yoshida
Source: Booker K
The
Brazilian Beat
By Eduardo Alonso
Minotauro likely not going to Battleship; Marco Ruas ready to
go again; MECA 7 looking to sell out!
We're
almost in November already and things are really heating up in
Brazil! In a time where news about new events is popping up all
the time, the "newest promotion in town," Battleship,
has begun to draw attention from the press. Since "The Beat"
maintains the policy of commenting on facts and correct information
only, this column hasn't commented on this event until now, but
with some rumors popping up around the 'net lately with Brazilian
fighters names involved, we decided to clear up some things for
the readers. Setting aside the to come in 2003, there are still
several big shows taking place in the upcoming month of November
of 2002, and PRIDE 23 is one of them with rumored fights becoming
reality on a daily basis and MECA 7 heating up Curitiba for yet
another night of pure Brazilian NHB action. In addition to all
the upcoming event news, veteran NHB fighter and UFC legend Marco
Ruas is ready to return to the ring, and since he always laid
some beat downs on his opponents, take your seat and get ready
to read a lot 'cause the "Brazilian Beat" is back in
FCF!
NHB legend Marco Ruas is finally fully recovered from his broken
hand. Marco suffered the injury while training for a UFO fight
against Murakami Kazunari, and had to withdraw from the event
that saw Wallid Ismail crush the Japanese fighter. Now the UFC
7 champion tells FCF that he is not only fully recovered, but
training hard and ready to fight again! Despite several comments
in NHB circles to the contrary, Ruas guaranteed us that he isn't
thinking about retirement and hopes to get back in the ring -
before the end of 2002 if possible. Still on the subject of the
"King of the Streets," Marco Ruas and his wife just
celebrated their 18th anniversary! FCF wishes the best for the
couple and hopes they'll still happy and together in the years
to come.
Ruas
Vale Tudo team member Renato Babalu is currently training very
hard in the USA for his upcoming UFC 40 bout against Chuck Liddell.
This will be the last fight in Renato's UFC contract and the
Brazilian fighter is very clear on the fact that this is the
fight of his life, so he isn't taking "The Iceman"
lightly by any means. According to his master, Marco Ruas, Babalu
is dedicating himself to training with amazing discipline and
has been looking to sharpen up his Muay Thai skills for the fight.
Renato Babalu is also reported to be showing tremendous cardio
condition and FCF will continue to follow his preparation.
Chute
Boxe star Vanderlei Silva is continuously training hard for his
title defense at PRIDE 23, probably against Hiromitsu Kanehara.
Silva has been training full time and is no longer sporting the
stitches on the gash he received during a training session with
fellow teammate Jamanta. "The Axe Murderer" told Full
Contact Fighter this week that he is amazed with the amount of
punching power he is developing in training and is looking to
a stand-up brawl against his next opponent.
Still
on the subject of Chute Boxe and PRIDE 23, at this point is very
highly likely that Chute Boxe star Murilo "Ninja" Rua
and former Brazilian Top Team member/RINGS champion Ricardo Arona
will face each other in the ring at the Tokyo Dome in November.
The fight isn't signed yet, but it's considered a done deal among
NHB circles in Brazil.
Jiu-Jitsu
legend Mario Sperry is definitely out of PRIDE 23. Despite some
early intentions from DSE to maybe use him on their November
card, Mario told FCF he won't be competing in the show since
he isn't training properly for a fight now and has been focusing
on helping his students and teammates for their next fights.
The Zen Machine's next step will be a travel to Curitiba to corner
his student Luizao, and other BTT members Haroldo Cabelinho Bunn
and Jucao for their MECA 7 fights.
Since
some fans are always wondering and asking about Chute Boxe heavyweight
Assuerio Silva, "The Beat" decided to give an update
on his current status. The MECA and PRIDE veteran is currently
fully healed from his knee injury that took him out of action
for so long, and he is training as hard as ever with the Chute
Boxe team in Curitiba. Assuerio is reported to be much stronger
now, due to all the time he spent in the weight-room during his
absence from the ring, and is eager to fight again. Assuerio
is likely to make his return at PRIDE 24 in December.
There
has been much talk lately about a new NHB promotion in America,
called Battleship. Since there's Brazilian fighter's names being
tossed around in relation to the new show, this column decided
to clear some things up about the situation. The event will hold
two 4-man tournaments - one middleweight & one heavyweight.
It will most likely take place on January 31st and the prize
money for the tourney winner is reported to be U.S. $250,000
Dollars. Contracts are flying around the globe looking to attract
several top NHB stars. However, although it has been reported
elsewhere that PRIDE heavyweight champion Rodrigo "Minotauro"
Nogueira is close to signing for this event, this is not the
case. In fact Minotauro is very likely NOT going to fight at
Battleship and still has a fight left in his PRIDE contract,
which will happen still in 2002.
UFC
Middleweight champion Murilo Bustamante is training hard in Rio
de Janeiro, both preparing his students and teammates and keeping
himself in fighting shape. As of now Bustamante hasn't signed
any deals with any events, and is still studying offers from
several events. It is still too early to say if Murilo will be
fighting at the Battleship promotion, return to the UFC or go
to Japan to fight, the only sure thing is that "Bustamove"
will be fighting again in 2003 and still plans to fight for several
years to come.
MECA
World Vale Tudo 7 is getting closer and things are heated in
Curitiba! The promotion of the event is going at full force with
advertisements on local radio stations and cars going around
the city announcing the event over P.A. systems. Tickets are
already on sale and the promoters are expecting a packed house
as in the last show, however this time they'll open the gates
earlier to try to avoid a situation with more than 2.000 people
being left without a ticket like in MECA 6, due to the event's
huge success. As the city's excitement over the biggest NHB event
in Brazil is huge, fighters are also finishing up their preparations…
Chute Boxe coach Rudimar Fedrigo told FCF that Mauricio "Shogun"
Rua and Nilson de Castro are on the top of their games, and American
fighter Dave Phillips is already back in Brazil and ready for
his fight against Mario Sperry's black belt Luis Orlando. Also,
as MECA is attracting more and more attention from the NHB world,
PRIDE's Koichi Kawasaki has confirmed that he will be on hand
as a special guest at the event on November 8th. Full Contact
Fighter will continue to follow the last minute preparations
for MECA 7.
Source: FCF
Busy
2002 Continues for "Superman"
By Jason Probst (October 31, 2002)
In
the ups and downs of being a professional fighter, Dennis Hallman
has faced the best, beat the best, and lost to the best. His
most notable accomplishment is something no one else can claim:
having defeated Matt Hughes twice, both wins taking a cumulative
total of just over twenty seconds. It's what makes him a dangerous
submission artist, yet the Olympia, Washington native disappeared
from the big-fight spotlight after losing a decision to Jens
Pulver in UFC 33 a year ago.
He's
been active in small shows, and when he tangles with Betiss Mansouri
Friday in King of the Cage, it will be the fifth fight this year
for "Superman". Keeping busy in 2002, Hallman, who
has fought notables such as Dave Menne, Amaury Bitetti, and Caol
Uno, figures to be very effective in King of The Cage. His past
habit of jumping up and down in weight - fighting everywhere
from 155 to 185 - is gone now. He's the #2 ranked 170-lb. KOTC
contender, and he's looking to start moving up again and get
the championship.
"I
was supposed to fight the champion in this fight but the Stevenson-Aram
fight kept getting bumped," Hallman said (Romie Aram decisioned
Joe Stevenson for the KOTC title October 19). "(Mansouri)
is a jiu-jitsu guy. He beat one of my students, so I guess it's
kind of a revenge thing." Placidly said, though, because
Hallman has already dealt with a "bad blood" type of
fight, his battle with Pulver, and took the experience of his
tough defeat with him.
"I
had torn shoulder before the fight, and got hit in the ear during
the fight and broke my eardrum," Hallman recalled. "I
cut too much weight and my IV didn't work properly. He's a good
guy and a normal guy, a good champion." It was odd, though,
to see a fighter who had debuted at UFC so spectacularly with
his quick arm bar of Hughes to suddenly disappear from the event
after the Pulver match. Hallman isn't particularly bothered by
it, though.
"I
just think they're afraid I'll beat their champion. They're trying
to get a lot of up and coming fighters probably for financial
reasons," Hallman said. It's a common refrain from MMA fighters,
who tend to go through the revolving door of contractual ties
to various events at a rate that would make an NFL or NBA GM
blush. But the one thing remains: Hallman has beaten Matt Hughes
twice, quickly and effectively. And as Hughes' stardom grows
with his constantly improving game, Hallman's wins look that
much more impressive. A state champion wrestler in high school
at 135 lbs., he uses that background as a base while working
on his striking.
One
thing that makes Hallman fun to watch is his willingness to try
unique moves, such as a flying double front kick, or his quick
transition into a submission from virtually any angle. For a
guy with a wrestling background, he fights more like a crowd-pleaser,
and his submissions are a more likely outcome than the typical
ground-and-pound used by wrestlers.
With
a record of 10-6, he's fairly experienced for the sport. Mansouri's
ledger stands at 3-0-1, and he figures to give Hallman a tough
go with his ground skills. It's that willingness to try whatever
works, whatever can be grasped in a split-second, that helped
make Hallman the only man to beat Hughes twice. It's what he's
hoping will happen again Friday night.
Source: Maxfighting
ANALYZING
REALPROWRESTLING: RULON GARDNER SAYS NEW RULES 'EXCITING'
(Part One)
by Eddie Goldman
It
would be hard to find anyone at the taping of a television pilot
for RealProWrestling at the Los Angeles Center Studios on Oct.
26 who was happier about the event than Rulon Gardner. Sure,
the 2000 Olympic gold medalist and 2001 world champion Greco-Roman
heavyweight wrestler won his match against Billy Pierce by a
2-0 margin. But this was the first time that the mammoth native
of Afton, Wyoming, who now trains at the Olympic Training Center
in Colorado Springs, had competed since a February snowmobile
accident that left him trapped overnight in subzero temperatures
in a Wyoming forest.
Numerous
skin grafts and the amputation of a toe followed. 'My doctor
said at day two, 'You're going to lose both your feet. You'll
never wrestle again,'' recalled Rulon. Yet here he was, six months
and 12 days after nearly losing his life in the snowy woods,
winning yet another wrestling match in front of 500 exuberant
fans and the many television cameras capturing this event.
'I
think my conditioning is probably about 95 to 98 percent to where
it was at the Worlds and at the Olympics,' he said. 'The last
few percent is a big jump, but right now everything is in order.
Right now it was more of, how do the feet feel, don't do too
much. Don't hurt your toes. Protect your toes as much as you
can. So I tried to do that as much as I could, and the feet responded
remarkably well under duress. And they came back. And every little
situation I wanted to control -- I didn't want to give Billy
a good situation -- and I was physically able to pummel inside
with him, to pull him back up. If he got a good advantage, I
could pull him back up and set him up. And if he continued to
attack me, I hopefully was going to throw him on his head. And
that was something that he knew was coming, and if he would have
kept attacking. So he backed down and I ended up getting the
victory 2-0.'
But
he does admit that his injuries have not yet entirely healed.
'If I look at it, I probably have to say it's almost 80 percent
of where it used to be,' he admitted. 'The ability to set my
feet, to explode, push, dig, grab like I used to with my feet.
It's not quite there, but a month ago I was at 50 percent. A
month before that I was at maybe ten percent. So right now, every
day it's miraculous to see them recover. And if you get a chance
to look at my feet, you'd see where they are now. And if you
had seen them two or three months ago, you'd have said it's a
miracle.'
This
also meant that he was savoring this victory as something special.
'One victory is a great thing, especially right now,' he said.
Besides being a good sign of his own physical recovery, however,
Gardner also saw this entire RealProWrestling event as being
special.
'To
have this production, you're wondering what the word production
means. But to have wrestling put on a show like this and kind
of in the mainstream, and to see real grappling, real wrestling
technique used, and this format, it makes it exciting,' he said.
The
new rules used by RealProWrestling did have a major effect on
Gardner's strategy, especially the push-out rule that awarded
a point when one wrestler pushed the other out-of-bounds. In
addition, there was a five-foot sloping drop off the edge of
the mat onto the concrete floor of the studio, with stuntmen
trying to catch the wrestlers who fell or were thrown off the
raised platform in which the mat stood.
'There
was no way I was going to do anything crazy on the edge of the
mat and try to score extra points,' Gardner said. 'I was just
happy enough to keep it under control and neither of us to get
out of position to where one of us got hurt going over the edge
or something. And that makes a big impact on a wrestler's thinking.
You definitely want to keep everything in the middle of the mat.
You have to learn how to pummel different. You have to have controlled
pummel. And it's a lot different than the wide-open pummel not
caring if you go out-of-bounds or not. And I like it that way.
I like it to be more of almost a technical sport, to where you
can use technique, but then you can use conditioning to get the
little advantage. Sometimes when you're in a wide-open match,
you could be in a lot better shape than the guy that you're in,
but he can run far enough to where it doesn't really penalize
him.'
The
push-out rule proved decisive in his 120kg/264.5 lbs. match where
he represented Team Black in defeating veteran Billy Pierce of
Team Red by a 2-0 score. Both of Gardner's points came as the
result of push-outs. 'It made this sport, this RealProWrestling,
exciting,' he beamed.
Because
of this new push-out rule, there were no scoreless first periods,
no overtimes, and thus no periods starting from the clinch position.
Gardner
added his own analysis how these new rules affected the freestyle
heavyweight match between Kerry McCoy of Team Red, who defeated
Brian Keck of Team Black, 10-3.
'When
Kerry stepped out first but he came around and scored, the ref
didn't catch it,' noted Gardner. 'There's little, tiny mistakes
a wrestler makes that can either cost you or could help you.
And I think it was exciting. We didn't have to go to the clinch
because one wrestler will make a little mistake, and that little
mistake in this sport, in RealPro, was exemplified, and basically
was put under a microscope, because that one little step that
the wrestler would have made was no big deal before. That one
little step is a catastrophic mistake. In my match, there were
two catastrophic mistakes that won the match for me, and I didn't
have to continue to be too aggressive. I was able to go out and
do the things that were smart and important for me to win the
match.'
Another
of the new rules that proved critical in the McCoy-Keck match
involved team scoring. In RealProWrestling, when there is a decision,
the winning wrestler's team gets the differential of the score
from the individual match. Going into the freestyle heavyweight
match, McCoy's team was behind by a 21-12 score. That meant that
the 2000 Olympian and two-time NCAA champion McCoy had to win
by 10 points for his team to triumph.
'That's
one of the things that Keck was waiting for. That was one of
the things that was in his advantage,' Gardner said. 'He had
to lose by ten. If he lost by ten, it would have been tied up.
It would have been a different battle. But Keck played it smart.
And McCoy did a great thing. McCoy kept on battling. You can't
say, 'Oh gee, I look down on McCoy.' McCoy did what he did. He
came ahead 10-1, and he ended up giving up two. It was 10-3.
There's nothing more that McCoy could have done.'
McCoy
was actually ahead 8-0 in the second period, then 10-1 after
a takedown with about 22 seconds remaining. But he shot again
with about five seconds to go, and was countered by Keck who
scored a takedown of his own. That made the match 10-3 for McCoy,
but still had his team losing the meet, 21-19.
'One
of the things he could have done was make a bigger mistake and
got caught and pinned for being too aggressive,' Gardner said
of his fellow heavyweight and Olympian, McCoy. 'He decided, hey,
he was happy with the victory personally. But then his team lost.
You can't really put that upon him because he won his match,
10-3. He gained seven points for his team. And the other teammates
should have carried a little bit more. But he did a great job.
The last takedown was a little mistake on him, but he gave everything
he had in the match, and that's all you can ask Kerry to give.'
