"Stay
committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach."
Tony Robbins
Chris
Brennan's Hawaii Seminar DVD Is Available
Chris
Brennan recently did a 5 hour seminar at HMC on Oahu and from
all accounts, the attendees love it. Now it is available on video
from our friends at Hawaii411.com. They are available by clicking
the banner above or this picture.
MISSED THE HAWAII SEMINAR? GET IT HERE!
The Chris Brennan in Hawaii Videotape and DVD is now available!
His seminar was a big success - Just ask anyone who attended
if they took home some valuable knowledge about submissions,
takedowns, and general information from the Strangler's arsenal
of moves. Very informative.. Very valuable.
Frank
Shamrock Seminar Poster
We just got emailed Frank Shamrock's official seminar poster.
Check it out and make sure to check out his seminar. We went
the last time and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Oahu added to Frank Shamrock World "Beatdown" Tour
Maui - Sunday, December 9, 2002, 12-3PM
Oahu - Monday, December 10, 2002, 2-5PM
Due to the incredible
demand of his World "Beatdown" Tour in Paradise - Maui,
Frank Shamrock adds yet another stop on his World Tour with a
stop in Oahu, Hawaii to once again give fans, fighters and spectators
an opportunity to train with the 5-time UFC World Champion.
MAUI SEMINAR AND
APPEARANCE
Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 7th & 8th
Saturday, December
7th: The tour commences in Maui with a stop on Saturday evening
to Shooto Hawaii's MMA show at the Lahaina Civic Center where
he was invited as honorary guest in attendance to support a sport
that he loves dearly. After hearing the reasoning behind the
circuit, which was created to give future young fighters and
amateurs an opportunity a place to showcase their talents, Frank
stated: "How can you say no to an organization that is building
on a basis of true competition for our future generations and
not that of greed and 'politics as usual.'" Frank will be
available for autographs during intermission at the SOLID HAWAII
(I & I Sports) booth during the show in Maui so stop by and
say "hi".
Sunday, December
8th: The following day brings a great "Birthday Beatdown
Bash" with a "personal" training session with
the great champion at the Lahaina Resort Hotel in beautiful Maui.
Here you will learn the tips and techniques that have groomed
many a Champion the world over. Not only will this event be outstanding
for any fighter to add "the tools of the trade", but
will be extra special as Frank Shamrock will be turning 30 on
this special occasion. Don't miss this "once in a lifetime
occasion".
OAHU SEMINAR AND
APPEARANCE
Monday, Dec. 9th
Monday, December
9th, 4PM - 6PM: Frank Shamrock will be signing autographs at
Hawaii's premiere MMA store SOLID HAWAII (I & I Sports) in
Kailua, HI, where you will be able to speak with the un-defeated
champion first-hand. He will be available for autographs as Official
Frank Shamrock merchandise will be made available for purchase.
Time to own a piece of greatness !
Monday, December
9th, 7PM - 10PM: Frank holds his Beatdown tour stop with a visit
and training session to be held at famed school Hawaii Martial
Arts Center run by Haru Shimanishi in Oahu, Hawaii. Here, surrounded
by great fighters with the world's respect, Frank will teach
the techniques on the "art of submission fighting".
Not only have these techniques groomed great champions, they've
carved an incredible impression on Mixed Martial Arts and "Cagefighting"
as we know it today. Shamrocks career is testament to the effectiveness
of the fighting style he helped to create. Come train like a
champion !
These events will
be an incredible "once in a lifetime" opportunity.
Take Frank Juarez Shamrock's World Beatdown Tour in Maui along
with an extra post-Birthday Beatdown splash in Oahu and you have
the makings of being part of something special. So come and enjoy
the world's greatest champion doing what he loves to do best.
(Also in attendance
will be some of the best Hawaiian fighters in the sport today.)
- TO PRE-REGISTER
FOR THE SEMINARS IN MAUI OR OAHU CONTACT -
Solid Hawaii / I & I Sports
131 Hekili St., Ste. 107
Kailua, HI 96734
(808) 230-2326
- or -
Manic Sports Media
c/o Frank Shamrock World Beatdown Tour shamrockpr@manicsports.com
"Minotauro"
Defends Title Against Fedor
on December 23
By Josh Gross
Fresh off a non-title first-round TKO victory over Semmy Schilt
on the 24th of November, it was announced yesterday that Pride
heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira
will make his first title defense since winning the belt one
year ago. Nogueira faces Pride number one contender Emelianenko
Fedor, who steps into the championship bout following a TKO of
Heath Herring.
Source: Maxfighting
PRIDE
& UFC: Injury Report... A Story of Attrition....
With the rumor floating that Tito Ortiz broke his hand and he
could be out of the UFC for a few months, there are also injury
reports coming in from PRIDE.
Don
Frye's official injury was noted as a dislocated elbow after
getting popped by Yoshida. yoshida reportedly reset the initial
injury in the ring.
Nobuhiko
Takada suffered a slight concussion and other injuries in his
retirement fight with Kyoshi Tamura. Newspapers said that Takada
'underwent minor medical treatment' on Sunday or Monday following
the match.
Kazushi
Sakuraba's future is in question once again as he sustained major
damage to his right knee in his PRIDE fight as well. Sak's right
knee sustained some serious tendon injury in his match with Gilles
Arsene which could explain why he looked sluggish. Along with
the tendon damage could be ligament problems as well. There is
talk of surgery but more will be known later this weekend. The
bad news is that it could be serious enough to keep him out for
up to six months.
Source: ADCC
Santa
Shamrock is Coming To Town
By Mike Sloan
Arguably the greatest all-around fighter to compete in the world
of mixed martial arts (well, Bas Rutten ranks up there, too)
and certainly the most dominant figure in the history of the
UFC, Frank Shamrock abruptly gave up his fighting career. Then
he resumed it in the K-1, and then packed it up again. When he
was to make another, yet more serious return, to MMA, Frank suffered
a broken leg that forced him out of his bout with Ricardo Almeida
in the WEC. Aside from healing his wounded leg, Frank is now
back in top form and will be conducted two full contact fighting
seminars in Las Vegas on Saturday afternoon, November 23. We
spoke about his return, his seminars and everything in between
a few days ago. Here is what The Man had to say to me:
Mike Sloan: You
are having seminars out here in Vegas on the day of WFA 3, correct?
Frank Shamrock: Yeah!
Mike Sloan: You
are having one at John Lewis' J-Sect Academy and another place.
Which other place?
Frank Shamrock:
Gosh, you know? I don't know off hand. (Some brief pondering)
Oh, yeah; it's the International Martial Arts Academy. Yeah,
I'm doing two seminars there (in Vegas).
Mike Sloan: What
all will you be doing in your seminars? Will it be grappling
demonstrations?
Frank Shamrock:
We are going to do mostly grappling, then we're going to discuss
how to beat people down very efficiently (snickers). We'll show
the dynamics of that, plus using the cage and stuff since the
UFC and WFA is going on that weekend. We'll spread some of that
information. It's definitely an art form; pushing someone in
the cage and beating them down.
Mike Sloan: It is.
Frank Shamrock:
(Laughs) Well, yeah, it is (laughs some more). It's art in itself.
Mike Sloan: Will
you be taking guests out of the audience to help you out, or
do you have a set team with which you only work?
Frank Shamrock:
Well, we do both. I mean, I have a guy I always work with, one
of my students, but it's totally interactive so everybody gets
to play and participate and try the stuff. A lot of the stuff
is theoretical in situation studies. A lot of people don't know
what to do when they're trapped in certain spots.
Mike Sloan: Which
seminar is first; the one at J-Sect or the one at the IMAA?
Frank Shamrock:
That one is first, the one at the International Martial Arts
Academy.
Mike Sloan: Are
they both the same length, or is one going to be longer than
the other?
Frank Shamrock:
Yeah, same. They're both going to be roughly 2 ½ hours
long.
Mike Sloan: Now, can anybody show up off the street or is it
invite/VIP only?
Frank Shamrock:
No, anybody can show up! Of course, there is a charge. Anyone
can show up and participate. I recommend for everyone to come
out. We have them from age 4 to 400. If you're interested and
you want to learn the knowledge, come check it out.
Mike Sloan: What
is the charge for someone to come in?
Frank Shamrock:
It's $90.
Mike Sloan: $90?
Damn…
Frank Shamrock:
$90, yeah… It's expensive. Vega$ is expensive!
Mike Sloan: What
about media guys from Sherdog?
Frank Shamrock:
Media guys from Sherdog can come in for free (chuckles). No charge
for Sherdoggers whatsoever. And you get to participate for free.
Mike Sloan: Sweet.
Do you do mostly grappling, or is it balanced between grappling
and stand up striking?
Frank Shamrock:
We do mostly grappling. On the stand up stuff, I teach more theory
and just simple mechanics. See, striking is very simple. It just
takes time, energy, dedication and timing to figure it all out.
That you can't get in just a couple of hours.
Mike Sloan: The
last time we spoke, you mentioned about returning to MMA and
that the two guys you really wanted to fight were Vanderlei Silva
and Kazushi Sakuraba. You couldn't get a fight with either one
of them so you signed on to fight Ricardo Almeida in the WEC
East Coast vs. West Coast event.
Frank Shamrock:
Uh-huh.
Mike Sloan: Why
did you choose to fight Almeida?
Frank Shamrock:
It was more of just a timing thing. I was training for a fight
in Japan for Pride. The opponent was supposed to be Oyama, but
they changed my opponent less than 30 days out, told me the deal
went bad and told me that I had to fight Vanderlei Silva at no
weight class. I just wasn't physically prepared for that. I said
'screw it, keep the deal' and then the WEC contacted me. We started
talking and they said they had a fight already lined up and wanted
me to take on Almeida. I said that since I was already training,
I'll do it. They gave me a good deal, we worked everything out
and that's how I got to fight Almeida, which didn't happen because
I broke my leg on Bob's arm!
Mike Sloan: Which
raises my next question; how did that leg break? Did you fall
as you kicked, did he block the kick? How'd it happen?
Frank Shamrock:
No, no. I was kicking Bob (Gilstrap). Bob's a southpaw, so I
was kicking him in the gut and trying to make him bend over so
I can knee him in the head. I just happened to kick right on
the point of the elbow, right on my fibula bone, and it just
cracked right through.
Mike Sloan: Ooh,
man. That must've felt pretty good.
Frank Shamrock:
(Chuckles) Yeah. But I've kicked a lot people in the elbow many
a times. In the elbow, head, face, knees, but nothing like that.
I can tell that something bad happened, but, you know, it didn't
hurt that bad so I just kept training… for another week.
Mike Sloan: So you
had a broken leg for a week and didn't know it?
Frank Shamrock: (Laughs pretty loudly) Yeah. (Lets out somewhat
of a belly laugh) It wasn't crunching or anything. I mean it
hurt… like a lot… but, you know, when you're that trained,
it doesn't really matter. You're always so injured, tired and
beat up, I thought it was just another thing that I had to deal
with.
Mike Sloan: When
you finally went to the doctor to get the thing fixed, did they
have to re-break it to set and fix it?
Frank Shamrock:
No.
Mike Sloan: How
did the treatment go?
Frank Shamrock:
Well, it didn't actually separate. It cracked all the way through
horizontally, then it cracked all the way up, vertically, but
nothing separated. Nothing really moved. I just kind of exploded
it at the wrong angle, I guess. But nothing separated, that was
the good thing. It hurt like crazy and everybody was trying to
rub it out for me (starting to laugh as he tells the story) and
then I'm icing it and doing all this stuff and then just keep
training.
Mike Sloan: How
long were you disallowed to fight?
Frank Shamrock:
The doctor said to not take any impact for a definite ten weeks.
Then after that, do whatever I wanted.
Mike Sloan: Is it
fully healed and good to go?
Frank Shamrock:
Yeah. Now it's fully healed. It doesn't hurt anymore. I've been
doing a lot of wrestling. I haven't done any stand up sparring,
but I have been wrestling and running, weighted running. It doesn't
bother me anymore.
Mike Sloan: Do you have any fights lined up at all?
Frank Shamrock:
Nope. Nothing so far. The next one will be for the WEC and that
hopefully will be in February. But other than that, we're just
hanging out.
Mike Sloan: I take
it you have a signed contract with the WEC that no matter what,
you're next fight is with them? Or do you just choose to fight
for them?
Frank Shamrock:
Well, I owe them a fight, so no matter what happens, I'll be
fighting for them anyway. I told them I'd do it and it was unfortunate
that I broke my leg. So, I told them I'd fight and I will fight.
Mike Sloan: Do you
find it flattering that when you suffer an injury, people tend
to rally around you and support you, but when other fighters
get hurt, they tend to get bashed and called sissies, etc? However,
when it happens to you, it's okay. How do you feel about that?
Frank Shamrock:
Um… I feel good now. I didn't really know that or feel that.
I understand because Vitor Belfort used to get the worst rap
for that. He'd get hurt all the time before all the shows. I
don't know. I feel good about that. I didn't really give it that
much thought, but now that you mention it, it's a pretty good
thing.
Mike Sloan: Obviously,
you're a well-known fighter. When you go to UFCs or other shows,
everybody knows you. You are obviously aware of this. When you
walk into the arenas, do you walk around like, 'I'm Frank Shamrock
and people know me!' or are you still surprised that everyone
knows you?
Frank Shamrock:
I am… Well, I'm over the surprise because it happens everywhere
I go. It's gone to another level. I appreciate it and it's just
amazing to me because I didn't set out to become famous. I set
out to kick everybody's ass and getting famous was just a byproduct
of that. Sometimes I will be places and I will forget that I'm
Frank Shamrock and then someone will come up and remind me. Like,
I'll be reading or having a quiet dinner or standing in the grocery
store and you forget. So, it surprises me sometimes in that way.
But the fans; the fans are the best ever! No one ever messes
with me, everyone's always just cool. Everybody's always been
cool with me and I appreciate the fans for that and I'm always
cool to them for that. Even, God bless them, the fans who get
wasted at the UFC (chuckles), they're still really cool. They're
like, (in a drunken voice) "Dude! I'm wasted but you're
the best!" No one's ever tried to pick a fight with me and
I really appreciate my fans for that.
Mike Sloan: Most fans ask for pictures and/or autographs. What
are some of the craziest things the fans have asked for?
Frank Shamrock:
Well, I have signed bras, panties, titties, you know, asses,
everything. Usually it's a combination of those things. Its like,
'Can you sign my arm? And since you're there, can you sign my
breasts?' or 'If my boyfriend holds my purse, can you sign my
panties?' That part always amazes me.
Mike Sloan: What
about the fans who want pictures of you giving them an armbar
or something? Will you do that or are you afraid that someone
will try and frame you with the picture of the armbar and try
to sue?
Frank Shamrock:
HA! You know, I've never thought of that! That's a good point.
No, but fans want me to beat on them and stuff, though. When
I first gained notoriety, it was in Japan. In Japan, if you don't
hit them hard or choke them halfway unconscious, they don't respect
your power. They don't appreciate it that you didn't give it
to them.
Mike Sloan: So you
have to blast the fans?
Frank Shamrock:
It's a different psychology because over there, they're not asking
you to pretend like you're choking them. They want to know what
it's like to be choked by their hero.
Mike Sloan: No kidding…
Frank Shamrock:
It's totally different! I mean, I've choked them unconscious
because they're like, 'No, no, no! Please, please choke me! Please
choke me hard! I want to feel your power!' I'm like, 'Dude! You're
drinking and I don't know if it's good for you!' But, it's different
over here. I've never had anybody try to frame me. I mean, I
don't get on the ground and wrestle and stuff. I have fun with
the people. I have a good time because they appreciate it. In
Japan, I've cracked people. I punched this one guy in the shoulder
and I knocked him all the way across the room. And his shoulder
was just killing him, then he runs over to me and says (in a
slight Japanese accent) 'Oh, thank you so much Mr. Shamrock!'
And I'm like, 'Right on, dude! Have a good night!' (Laughs out
loud)
Mike Sloan: Have
you actually seriously hurt any of the fans because of you blasting
them?
Frank Shamrock:
In Japan, I may have. I'm not really sure. I never really hit
anyone with maximum power because I'm always afraid. I've never,
like, Thai kicked anybody. People want me to kick them in the
leg, but I never really blast anybody with 100% power. I've choked
people out. When I do radio shows over here, I'm always choking
people out. I went and did the Mancow Show out in Chicago and
they had me choke out Freak. He went out in, like, 2 seconds.
He fell asleep right on my knee! He was on my waist and I was
holding him up and when he started coming to, he was saying (in
a whimpering voice) 'Don't let go of me! Don't let go of me!'
Mike Sloan: How
many seminars do you do a month?
Frank Shamrock:
I usually do one, sometimes two.
Mike Sloan: Are
they basically the same seminars or are you requested to do other
things as well?
Frank Shamrock:
When I teach seminars, it's usually to the audience that I arrive
at. Which means if I'm doing a seminar at a karate school, then
I'm usually teaching how to apply submission moves and submission
wrestling into the karate. A lot of the seminars are tailored
to where I'm going. Where we're going to is for the UFC and WFA.
We're going to be going over beat-down UFC-style combat and the
techniques that go along with that. But I also train police officers,
I train schools, I train different customs, but it's pretty much
the same idea. There's a problem, find a solution and figure
out to, you know, deal with it. That's kind of what I specialize
in. Somehow I got into that position, I don't really know. I
think it was from training people, fighting and beating people
up. I get contacted from all over the world and I go there to
teach how to implement this stuff into their style or other styles
that I know into their stuff
Mike Sloan: Of course, you are a well-known fighter and teacher.
Even though you are called upon to always teach, how often do
you get a chance to go and learn something new on your own, say
some other form of martial arts?
Frank Shamrock:
Ah ha! That is a good question! It is very rare that I actually
get to go and study with anyone. In my school, it's a very different
program in that there's a base of knowledge, but everyone's encouraged
to go find the answers to new knowledge. So for me, going to
my school is very informing. They'll always have new knowledge
that I didn't know when I left. So, the guys in their studies,
the studies of core techniques, come up with new, better, more
efficient techniques. Those are usually the things I study. And
those video tapes, too, and DVDs. DVDs are great. I can put one
on and watch certain sections that I want.
Mike Sloan: Is there a certain form of martial arts that you've
always wanted to learn but never had the chance to?
Frank Shamrock:
Yeah. Thai Chi. It's one thing I've always wanted. I even have
a tape on it, but I've never watched it.
Mike Sloan: Why
not, no time?
Frank Shamrock:
No time. Unfortunately, I have very little free time.
Mike Sloan: Why
Thai Chi, because of all the pressure point contact or the fluid
motions?
Frank Shamrock:
I think it's more of the idea or theory of connecting your mind
to its body in a situation that's good for you and its empowering
physically and mentally, as well as fluidity. That's a very heavy
statement, but I would love to do Thai Chi. What I do is the
same stuff because, you know, submission fighting is Thai Chi
times a hundred because it's for entertainment, money and it's
under rules. It's still an art form, but it's much rougher.
Mike Sloan: Do you
ever do any weapons training, like with knives, swords, staffs,
etc?
Frank Shamrock:
Not really. I do the basic information gathering process for
law enforcement training and military tactics, stuff like that.
It's never something that I've been- I've been confronted with
a knife, but I never fought or had to participate in that. It's
something I've never studied.
Mike Sloan: Do you
ever watch those martial arts shows on ESPN2 with the kids with
the mullets who flip around the stage with swords, whips and
whatnot? Do you think training in that and do what they do is
a waste of time?
Frank Shamrock:
Um, it depends on what you're looking for. It's a waste of time
if you're looking to fight. Not 100%, but a portion of it. If
you're looking to be an ultimate fighting champion, I think that
is a path that is less sufficient. It will help you, but only
in the mental aspect. It won't really ever help you in the techniques
of fighting. If you're looking to be a mixed martial arts champion,
I don't suggest studying sword fighting. The two don't add up.
Maybe in 10,000 years when the Earth is all blown up and we're
all fighting with swords, but until then, it's this style of
martial arts (MMA) that you'll have to study. But I think for
the general public or for the general kid, if that person is
going to structure their life physically, mentally, emotionally
and find a path, I think anything that is structured with discipline
or martial arts-oriented is good for them.
Mike Sloan: What
is the most important aspect of martial arts to learn, whether
it be jiu jitsu, kenpo, karate, sword fighting, etc? What is
key with which a person should adapt to, first and foremost?
Frank Shamrock: I think the most important thing for anybody
is not really what you're looking for, but who is providing it
to you? The teacher. I think that is where the path lies. If
you're going to study any or all of these things and you're looking
to structure that knowledge or that lifestyle of getting there,
you need someone who cares, who has the knowledge and who is
going to guide you. That is the most important thing that everybody
overlooks. If everybody followed their own path without a good
teacher, without that guidance, you're going to spend a lot of
time in areas that aren't doing anything for you. They're not
making you stronger, faster, smarter, quicker or they're damaging
you. I think having the teacher, the one you trust and willing
to participate with, I think that's key. The second thing is
just intention. If you have intention and build discipline from
that, you'll be unstoppable at anything that you do.
Mike Sloan: Speaking
of teaching and instructing, are you helping out Ken (Shamrock)
with his fight against Tito (Ortiz), seeing that you already
fought and beat Tito?
Frank Shamrock:
I am not. I've never helped Ken with his training. I was never
his size, so that was always a problem because he would, of course,
just squish me (laughs). I was always in that role of being underneath
him. If I was helping him train, it was always mainly just supporting
him, getting him water, giving him massages, something like that.
I have been contacted by Tito to train him for this fight.
Mike Sloan: To train
Tito?
Frank Shamrock:
Yeah.
Mike Sloan: I take
it you declined, right?
Frank Shamrock:
Yeah. I had to decline on that. Reasons are unknown, of course,
but I wasn't able to do it.
Mike Sloan: I think
it would be kind of shady to train some guy to fight your brother.
Frank Shamrock:
Yeah. That's not right.
Mike Sloan: Since
you never helped train Ken, did he ever train you?
Frank Shamrock:
In the beginning of my career, he did. Ken guided my training,
Ken was my teacher. Since that time, he hasn't really helped
me that much.
Mike Sloan: Will
you be there?
Frank Shamrock:
Oh, absolutely!
Mike Sloan: Will
you be in Ken's corner at all, or will you be in the crowd?
Frank Shamrock:
No, I'll sit in the crowd and watch.
Mike Sloan: How
do you see this fight unfolding seeing as though you've known
Ken for quite some time and that you've fought Tito?
Frank Shamrock: I think it's going to be a very difficult fight.
There are a lot of questions that are asked that are out there.
I think those questions are Ken's age and Tito's knee. I've come
back from some fairly serious injuries in my career and each
one has a time period attached to it where you're just not that
same guy. So, I think that's going to be a factor. I think that
Ken can win in the first 2, 2 ½ rounds, but after that,
he starts running the risk of youth and vigor taking over. That's
kind of how I see that fight happening. I can't really see a
finish. I think a finish is just some guy getting exhausted or
getting beat on and I think that would be your finish.
Mike Sloan: Who
do you see getting exhausted first? Aside from his bout with
Matyushenko, Tito always had stamina issues, plus he's been inactive
for over a full year. Ken's at least been somewhat active and
he never really had that horrible of a stamina problem.
Frank Shamrock:
I don't know. I think that with age, Ken would have to get tired
first. Purely from watching athletes like Maurice and Couture
and when that age comes around, it's another factor. It just
doesn't spring back; it's that age factor and that sucks (chuckles).
Mike Sloan: How
serious is the hatred they have for each other, at least with
Ken against Tito?
Frank Shamrock:
You know, I don't honestly know. Ken and I have never had a super
close relationship. He's never showed those things to me. Tito
and I have a good relationship, but he's never shared those thoughts
with me. Their thing is gonna be a huge fight. (Starts to laugh)
They're gonna beat the crap out of each other! They never really
shared it with me, so I don't know how deep it really goes or
what it's really about. Ken is a very passionate and emotional
guy. Tito is a very passionate and hard-headed guy. I think they
just butted heads and they're going to have to figure it out.
Mike Sloan: Either
way, it should be a memorable fight.
Frank Shamrock:
Either way, it's great for the sport. You've got the biggest
name in mixed martial arts from the old era, which is Ken, and
you've got the biggest name in mixed martial arts from the new
era, which is Tito. The only thing this can do is multiply our
sport. I hope they beat the crap out of each other for 25 minutes
and may the best man win. Either way, the whole sport's gonna
win, the fans are gonna win and it's good for us. That's how
I look at it. God forbid someone gets knocked out, who cares?
I hope someone gets knocked out because it's good for the sport!
Mike Sloan: The way I think is that if Ken wins, it would actually
be better for the sport because you have arguably the biggest
name in UFC history returning after all these years and dethrones
today's biggest MMA star. It'd be huge and just imagine what
the rematch would be like.
Frank Shamrock:
I agree. I've always said that, and I believe it through and
through, that if Ken wins, it's much better for the sport. When
Ken fought Dan Severn, they had 292,000 buys. That's a number
that we're getting 10% of these days, you know what I mean? And
we're talking about just numbers for the industry, we need those
numbers. Ken's a good champ. He's got the look and has been around.
And in my eyes, whoever grows the sport is who does the most
for it. That should be our champion.
Mike Sloan: Okay, switching back to you: When you do come back,
are you still gunning for Vanderlei and Sakuraba?
Frank Shamrock:
Yes. Fighting Sakuraba is getting less and less- The fight with
Sakuraba is something I really had my heart set on. I actually
changed my style of grappling because I really thought it would
be one of the best matches ever. I changed a lot of things, but
(becoming noticeably disappointed as he sighs) I just don't think
it's going to happen.
Mike Sloan: Why
not? Do you think it's Pride who doesn't want the fight?
Frank Shamrock:
I think it's just politics, money and Pride. Japanese television
is what fuels that show and I don't think I have the numbers
on Japanese television anymore to get up there with Sakuraba.
We're too different. When you go over there, the audience is
so much more educated, more advanced and they get to see so much
more and I think that my name has gone a little bit with the
ages. So, mechanically, I don't think that fight's ever going
to happen. I've pretty much given up hope on it (belly laughs)
as you can tell.
Mike Sloan: True,
but anything's possible.
Frank Shamrock:
Yeah, anything's possible and I'm always there to fight and I'm
always there wheeling and dealing, so we'll see…
Mike Sloan: If you
can fight someone in just a grappling match, nothing else, who
would you like to face? Who is your dream opponent in just grappling?
Frank Shamrock: Oh, in just grappling? Oh, it would have to be,
like, Rickson! It would have to be Rickson. Anybody who's great
in grappling. I love grappling and I really understood it quickly.
That was my first love. I love to do it. I would love to take
on somebody who's really good, has experience.
Mike Sloan: Even
though Rickson is up there in age now?
Frank Shamrock:
Yeah, he's up there in age, but grappling is low impact and easy
on you. It's physically very good for you. So if you continue
to do it over a long period of time, the techniques just get
better, smaller, quicker. Your weight gets heavier and you can
distribute it better. It's not as if you're taking shots to the
head.
Mike Sloan: Or getting
kicked in the knee…
Frank Shamrock:
Yeah, getting kicked in the knee or the elbow. So as long as
you continue to maintain it, you will have incredible control
over your body. When I'm Rickson's age, I will be walking across
the mat on my fingertips because I'll be able to control my body
and do stuff that well. That's probably where Rickson's at right
now.
Mike Sloan: Have
you known Rickson for a very long time?
Frank Shamrock:
No, I just met him socially a few times.
Mike Sloan: I've
never met the guy. How is he in person? Is he a friendly guy?
Frank Shamrock:
He's really nice. He seemed really nice to me. Well, I don't
know. It's different for me because everybody's nice to me, so
I never know how anybody is. I'm like, 'Well, he seemed really
nice to me!' But I don't know how they really are (snickers).
But Rickson always seemed very nice and respectful. I've never
had anything against him.
Mike Sloan: Since
you'll be in Vegas for the fights this weekend, are you putting
down any money on any of the fights?
Frank Shamrock:
Nah. I'm not putting any money on the UFC fights because they're
too unpredictable at this point. And, also, I won't have to worry
about money when I'm focusing on the Ken and Tito fight. I think
I might bet some money on the WFA fights, though.
Mike Sloan: Any
fights in particular?
Frank Shamrock: No. I honestly don't know the full card yet.
I hate to say it, but I don't actually follow this industry that
much. I don't really go online at all because it's too much work.
I don't get to watch television because it's too much work. I
can't keep up with what's going on but I love going to the fights
(roars) OOOH! I really would have liked to see Trigg and Miletich
because that was intriguing to me.
Mike Sloan: It's
disappointing that Miletich is hurt.
Frank Shamrock:
Yeah, that kind of sucks. But I also think that Hallman and Trigg
is going to be good. Hallman has that sneaky, kind of underdog,
cat-in-the-bag thing going on. If you make a mistake, he'll be
just kind of there waiting for ya! It'll be interesting because
Trigg doesn't make a lot of mistakes.
Mike Sloan: Well,
that's all I got for you, man. I know you're busy as hell. I'll
see you at UFC and at the seminar.
Frank Shamrock:
Sounds good!
Mike Sloan: Thanks
for your time.
Frank Shamrock:
Alright, bro. My pleasure.
Source: Sherdog
11/29/02 Updated 10:00AM
Quote
of the Day
"Successful people are always looking for opportunities
to help others.
Unsuccessful people are always asking, 'What's in it for me?'"
Brian Tracy
"The
place to improve the world is first in one's own heart and head
and hands."
Robert M. Pirsig
Frank
Shamrock is doing a seminar on Oahu too!
It has
just been brought to our attention that in addition to a seminar
on Maui on December 8th (12PM-3PM), a day after the Shooto Hawaii
event, Frank Shamrock will be doing a seminar on Oahu on Monday.
Here is the seminar info:
Place: Hawaii Martial Arts Center (HMC)
King's Gate Plaza
555 N. King Street
Honolulu, HI 96817
Date: Monday, December 9, 2002
Time: 7:00PM-10:00PM
Cost: $50 preregistered, $65 at the door
Pre-registration can be done at:
I & I Sports
131 Hekili Street, #107
Kailua, Hawaii 96734
(808) 230-2326
Frank Shamrock will also making an appearance at Solid Hawaii/I
& I Sports before the seminar from 4:00-6:00PM. He will be
there to sign autograph and greet fans. If you have not gone
to I & I Sports in Kailua (right across Kailua Bowl), you
should. They are the best kept secret for MMA gear, in addition
to paint ball equipment.
Source: Angel Aquilera
Barnett
and PRIDE?
There
was a strong buzz this past weekend about former UFC Heavyweight
Champion Josh Barnett officially signing a contract with PRIDE.
The
rumor was that Barnett will fight Rodrigo Nogueira in PRIDE for
their January show, but no official statement from DSE has been
released.
Barnett
also made the sports pages in Japan but it wasn't for fighting
or PRIDE. This past Thursday, Masahiro Chono officially announced
that Josh Barnett would be making his pro wrestling debut for
NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING on 1/4/03 at the Tokyo Dome. Definitely
NOT a bad gig for a 'first timer'!
This
came as a shock but it's apparent that Barnett's suspension in
Nevada won't be up until later in the month. Barnett is more
than likely supplementing his income with a different line of
work until the suspension is lifted.
No
word on Barnett's role in New Japan but he's hanging with Bob
Sapp these days which is definitely NOT a bad political move.
Source: ADCC
Hoost
replaces Schilt in K-1!
K-1
WORLD GP 2002 Final
Date - Saturday, December 7th 2002
Place - Tokyo Dome, Japan
Semmy
Schilt withdrew himself from the bi K-1 Finals event due to a
rotator cuff injury suffered in his left shoulder during training.
He'll be replaced by his compatriot, Ernesto Hoost, in match
number two of the K-1 World GP Finals. Hoost will have the chance
to avenge a loss to Bob Sapp last October 5th when Sapp TKO'd
Hoost.
Full
Card (Subject To Change):
Alternate
Match:
Michael McDonald (Team Andy) x Martin Holm (Vallentuna Boxing
Camp)
Match
no 1:
Ray Sefo (Sefo Fight Academy) x Peter Aerts (Mejiro GYM)
Match no 2:
Bob Sapp (Maurice Smith Kickboxing Center) x Ernesto Hoost (Vos
GYM)
Match no 3:
Stefan Leko (Golden Glory) x Mark Hunt (Liverpool Kickboxing
GYM)
Match no 4:
MUSASHI (Seido KaiKan) x Jerome Le Banner (Boerboel & Tosa
Gym)
Source: ADCC
ALLIANCE
JJ NEWS
by: Marcello Tetel
For
a long time Alliance Jiu-Jitsu has been a JJ powerhouse in Brazil.
Under master Romero 'Jacare' Cavalcanti, they were the first
organized Jiu-Jitsu team, and they built a legacy of medals and
trophies from the beginning.
Now
they are facing a major split. Not even when the Brazilian Top
Team left Carlson Gracie have so many fighters been involved
in such a re-organization.
'Jacare'
Cavalcanti, is known as a diplomatic guy, and as a master, he
considers everybody like sons and will not have preferences or
choose from among his studdents.
As
result, the former Alliance will form itself into 2 separate
teams, with both having Jacare as head coach. Later this week,
we wil lhave pivotal members Fabio Gurgel and Octavio Couto speak
out about their position regarding the split. One thing is certain
- JJ will have two new teams, creating a rivalry that will certainly
jell when the medals are on the line!
Source: ADCC
11/28/02 Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy
Thanksgiving!
Best wishes goes out to all you turkeys that visit Onzuka.com.
This is a time to thank the Lord for all the blessings that we
have received or experienced and thanking your fellow man occassionally
would not be a bad idea either. We want to personally thank all
of our loyal visitors to our site, our students who are our closest
friends and everyone that makes up our rapidly growing MMA/BJJ
family. From our family to yours, we hope you have a great Thanksgiving.
Quote
of the Day
"When you take charge of your life, there is no longer a
need to ask permission of other people or society at large. When
you ask permission, you give someone veto power over your life."
Geoffrey F. Abert
"It's not whether you get knocked down; it's whether you
get back up."
Vince Lombardi
Hawaiian Freestyle
Combat presents
Haru Shimanishi
"Trainer of Champions"
Seminar
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.
A
lackluster performance by Kazushi Sakuraba on the PRIDE 23 show
against Frenchman Giles Arsene has apparently delayed the Sakuraba
vs. Vanderlei #3 that was rumored to be on the PRIDE 24 show,
scheduled for late December.
While
many believe that Sakuraba wanted to work off ring rust, the
Japanese star did not look impressive at all, as the match seemed
to drag into the 3rd round. Sakuraba also appeared to be slightly
out of shape. Given the circumstances (he only had 2-3 weeks
of preparation and training) it's understandable.
Sak
will more than likely take the next PRIDE off or consider another
fight before facing Silva again.
There
are still rumors flying around that the Yoshida vs. Frye fight
was a work. Insiders point to Frye's arm being popped and reset
bYoshida in the ring, however critics state the match looked
a little strange, with Frye throwing very LIGHT punches in the
beginning of the fight. What is fact is that the long awaited
Mark Coleman rematch may be off again due to his arm injury.
PRIDE
Champion 'Minotauro' Noguiera looks like he could have his work
cut out for him with the Russian Express Train, Emelianenko Fedor.
Heath Herring was the victim of a rabid Fedor beating that forced
an early stoppage. Fedor caught EVERYONE, including fans and
MMA insiders, off guard by beating Herring. Will Nogueira be
ready? Look for this in December.
Bob
Sapp will reportedly face Yoshihiro Takayama (his first fight
back since breaking his eye socket TWICE). Takayama's new pro
wrestling gimmick is taking unbelievable amounts of punishment
and coming back to win. Unfortunately, everyone doubts he can
win this one.
Other
fighters and matches being considered are Assuerio Silva vs.
Kazuyuki Fujita, Anderson Silva vs. Paulo Filho, Dan Henderson
vs. Alexander Otsuka and Kevin Randelman vs. Akira Shoji. Of
course, being PRIDE, this could all change within the next week
or two.
Source: ADCC
11/27/02
Quote
of the Day
"Persistent people begin their success where others end
in failure."
Edward Eggleston
"History
has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered
heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because
they refused to become discouraged by their defeats."
Bertie C. Forbes
PRIDE
24 - Late December...
The word in Japan after Pride 23 is that Pride 24, will take
place in Fukuoka, Japan next December 23. The show is said to
feature the return of Kazushi Sakuraba against Vanderlei Silva.
Ricardo Arona is also reportedly in this mix, as he was apparently
promised a title shot ifhe could finish his match with Murilo
Ninja by submission.
Since
Arona won by Judges Decison, the rumors of Silva and Sakuraba
III have been floating. It is known in Japan that DSE is desperately
looking for a good Japanese fighter to challenge Vanderlei Silva.
Hideko Yoshida is not considered experienced enough to be the
one, since Pride has invested a lot of money in his future stardom.
Look
for Yoshida to take a rest next show. There is talk he may be
thrown to the wolves in the first show of 2003, facing the winner
of Fedor and Nogueira for the Heavyweight belt.
Source: ADCC
A
New Hawaii Event: G3
Haru
Shimanishi is organizing a kickboxing/Muay Thai event called
the Global Martial Arts Championship. His first event is scheduled
for February 5, 2003 and is tentatively to be held at Farrington
High School. As more concrete details are released, we will let
you know. Here is some background on the event from its web site:
The
Global Martial Arts Championship "G-Series" was established
in Osaka, Japan in 1995. The founder and president of "Chokushin-kai",
Mr. Takanori Koike, has successfully promoted this amateur event
since then and has become one of the most recognized promoters
in western Japan. Several professional fighters trace their beginnings
to this competition.
The
purpose of the G-series competition is to allow students of various
martial arts styles (Taekwondo, Kempo, Karate, Kung Fu, kickboxing,
boxing etc…) to test their striking skills simulating a
realistic fight in a recreational and highly-regulated setting.
The primary focus is on safety and fun, where participants feel
comfortable in a non-intimidating environment. People who are
eager to test their skills but who do not feel comfortable entering
major full-contact competitions such as Muay Thai kickboxing,
boxing or other tournaments in the mixed martial arts circuit
are the target audience for this event and are encouraged to
join the G-series competition.
The
G-series is divided into three levels- G-3, G-2, and G-1. Competitors
are placed into the levels based on experience in competition.
Beginners and kids start at G-3 where full body safety gear is
worn (headgear, gloves, chest/body protector, shin guards) and
the rules are most strict. G-2 is the next step up; participants
wear less safety gear and rules become more lenient. In the final
level, G-1 competitors wear basic safety gear and are able to
showcase their refined abilities and experience comparable to
a semi-professional stage.
Shooto
Hawaii Match Added
Shooto Class B - 154.4
David Padilla (Gamebred) VS. Derek Matsumoto (HMC)
Source: Event Promoter
ADCC
Brazilian Trials Postponed until January
The most prestigious Submission Wrestling Tournament in the world,
the ADCC SUBMISSION WRESTLING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, will have
it's Brazilian Trials postponed.
The
5th ADCC World Submission Wrestling Championships will be held
in Sao Paulo, Brazil next May 17th and 18th. The entire brazilian
grappling community is SUPER excited with the chance to seesuch
great event in person. The qualifiers for the May event are popping
up all around the world! Next weekend we will have the ADCC South
Pacific trials., scheduled for November 30th, in Melbourne, Australia.
The European qualifiers will take place in Finland on the 11th
of January.
The
Brazilian Trials will be postponed until January 22nd, 2003 due
to logistical reasons: The main reason is that there are literally
dozens of grappling events in Brazil scheduled before the end
of the year. It is important to see what develops there to assure
the best talent.
The
truth is that Brazil is already talking about these qualifiers
as the best ever! The fighters are in the same mode of frenzied
excitement. Rumours are
everywhere about who will be fighting in the qualifiers, which
matches will be the best and which weight divisions will showcase
the best fighters.
The
second reason is the HUGE number of applicants for the Breazilian
Trials. The spokesman stated 'we have had over 900 applications
be received! Simply to verify the applications will take some
time!'
Another
reason is unwritten. Since the 'big' event is in Brazil, the
local promoters are pressuring themselves to put on a BIG show
- so look for something very special once the TRIALS in Brazil
take off!
The
champions from last year are invited back, and the field of 8
men will compete for an assured shot at the World Championships.
In typical ADCC style, the lineups will be released shortly before
the event!
Source: ADCC
WFA:
A Quick Word With SHAOLIN RIBEIRO!
by: Marcello Tetel
Nova Uniao's Vitor 'SHAOLIN' Ribeiro moved his MMA record to
5-0 with another win at the November 24th, 2002 WFA 3 event.
Shaolin,
how was the fight?
It was good! I knew nothing about the opponent, but I thank him
for taking the fight with such short notice. I was able to win
in the second round by choke but he was a good fighter!
Shaolin,
this was your 5th fight with 5 wins in a row, are yo thinking
of taking bigger steps right now?
Well, right now I'm committed with the WFA and I think this show
will help to promote me more in the US. Nowadays, UFC is bigger
than the WFA but on the other hand, BJ Penn is there. He is a
teammate, and to fight him is not worth it at this point.
Did
you have problems getting to the WFA show? What happened?
I had visa problems, and I wound up stuck down in Brazil. I am
thankful that my cardio was good, and that I was very focused.
I was able to stay strong for the fight.
What's
next for you?
Seems that Shooto's end of the year show is next for me, but
nothing is confirmed yet.
Do
you intend to participate in the ADCC Brazilian Trials?
Oh yeah, if I'm invited, I will definitely be there! I would
not miss that...
Thanks
Shaolin! No problem.
Source: ADCC
NEWS
from PRIDE 23
In
a portion of PRIDE that did NOT air on American PPV last night,
Antonio Inoki introduced Ryoto Machida to the Japanese crowd.
Machida is a 23-year-old who is half-Japanese and half-Brazilian,
though some people in BJJ circuits say they have not heard of
him before.
When
given the microphone, Machida told the crowd he wanted to return
to his father's native land to fight for PRIDE.
One
report says that Machida could be using a 'maiden name' of sorts.
There is a rumorthat he coud be named Ryoto Calvarillo who has
competed in the Pan-Am Games. It is believe that Machida may
debut as early as the Inoki New Year's Eve show this year.
More
details as they become available.
Source: ADCC
Schilt
Injured, Hoost Replaces;
New Rule for K-1 Finals
A training injury has forced Semmy Schilt to withdraw from the
December 7 K-1 World Grand Prix Final. The Dutch fighter suffered
a rotary cuff tear in his left shoulder, and is expected to be
out of action for about a month. Compatriot and three-time K-1
World GP Champion Ernesto Hoost will take Schilt's place in the
final. Coincidentally, Hoost's first fight will be against Schilt's
scheduled opponent Bob Sapp, who advanced to the Final by upsetting
Hoost in the October 5 Saitama Semifinals.
Also
announced today are the reserve fighters for the Final. Canadian
Michael McDonald and Swede Martin Holm will square off, with
the winner held in reserve should injuries force the need for
a semifinal substitute.
Also,
in advance of the Final, K-1 has issued a set of rule revisions
which limit clinching and neckwrestling. In brief, fighters will
no longer be permitted to hold their opponents with both hands
while repeatedly throwing knee strikes. The rule revision is
designed to eliminate the slowdowns and deadlocks which had resulted
from this sort of technique.
Source: Sherdog
11/26/02
Quote
of the Day
"The only way to discover the limits of the possible is
to go beyond them into the impossible."
Arthur C. Clarke
"Success
is the progressive realization of a worthy goal or ideal."
Earl Nightingale
Official Release
for the Shooto Association
SHOOTO TITLE SCENE IS ON THE MOVE!!!
Anderson
Silva officially relinquished his Shooto title. So now, the Shooto
Middleweight Championship belt (167.5 lbs) is up for grabs...
===========================================
Jin
Akimoto has left K'z Factory so that he can have a shot at the
Shooto Featherweight Title (132.3 lbs). It is currently held
by his former teammate Masahiro Oishi.
This
is similar to the move that Takanori Gomi made when he left K'z
Factory so that he could get a match with Rumina Sato. Maybe
Akimoto will have similar success...
=============================================
December
14th Official Shooto card - Titles that are on the line:
Shooto Lightweight Championship (65 kg / 143.3 lbs)
Alexandre Noguiera (Champion) vs. Hiroyuki Abe (Challenger)
Abe
is finally getting his shot at the gold after having knocked-out
the champion in a non-title bout. Can he repeat that performance,
or will Nogueira reign supreme?
Shooto
Welterweight Championship (76 kg / 154.3 lbs)
Takanori Gomi (Champion) vs. Dokonjonosuke Mishima (Challenger)
The
long awaited match-up that was postponed after Mishima suffered
an injury. Now he is healthy, but this time Gomi is the Champ.
The stakes have just gone up.
Also,
keep an eye out for an announcement for the formation of Shooto
Regional titles and rankings.
Source: Richard Santoro: Shooto USA
Battlefield:
The Return of RINGS?
Akira
Maeda, the mastermind of the succesful RINGs organization in
Japan, may have his hand involved in a new group that appears
to be molded after RINGS.
BATTLEFIELD
ZST is the name of the group and their ran their first show on
11/23/2002 in Tokyo. There were rumors in te Japanese press that
Maeda was involved in the 'behind the scenes' of the event, but
wanted to be a silent partner for some reason.
It's
no secret that the 'old' RINGS style was a successful combination
of real fighting and fake pro wrestling. This equaled out to
major box office numbers as far as attendance and cash flow went.
When RINGS went to 100% legitimate style, it killed the company's
stars and left them with nothing three years later.
While
we received results on the show, it was unclear whether the matches
were shoot or old-style.
1.
Tetsuya Onose defeated Kyosuke Sasaki by a 3-0 judges' decision.
2.
Hideo Tokoro defeated Atsuhiro Tsubo in round 2 in 4:09 with
an armbar.
3.
Tenshin Matsumoto defeated Kengo Mashimo by a 3-0 judges' decision.
4.
Sam Nest (RINGS Australia) defeated Takashi Sonoda in round two
at 4:42 with a rear-naked choke.
5.
Takumi Yano & Masakazu Imanari defeated Remigijus Morekvicius
& Mindaugas Stankus (RINGS Lithuania). We're unclear of what
the rules of this bout were but it appears that it could have
been 'tag team grappling.'
-
Imanari over Stankus in the 1st round in 9:15 seconds with an
ankle lock.
- Imanari again in round two over Morekvicius in 1:38 with a
straight arm bar.
6.
Naoyuki Kotani defeated Mindaugas Laurinatis (RINGS Lithuania)
in 2:16 via triangle choke.
Source: ADCC
Yoshida
Upsets Frye;
Fedor Pounds Herring at Pride 23
By Joe Hall
Don
Frye may be best known for his colossal heart and gritty style,
but those attributes mattered little when he was dismantled Sunday
in Japan. Hidehiko Yoshida, an Olympic Gold Medalist in Judo
who was making his mixed martial arts debut, armbarred Frye to
become one of only two men to defeat him in an MMA bout.
Yoshida,
who wore a gi, was in control for most of the match. He tripped
Frye to the mat with ease seconds into the fight, and then looked
to apply the same smother choke he used to force a referee stoppage
against Royce Gracie in a grappling match. Frye defended the
submission, but was nearly strangled as he scrambled to stand.
Wrapping
his gi around his opponent's neck, Yoshida continued to attempt
a choke. Frye eventually ducked out the backdoor, escaping peril
and moving to Yoshida's half guard. He delivered little offense
from the advantageous position, however, merely pecking away
at his foe's ribs.
After
the fighters were moved to the center of the ring, Yoshida regained
his full guard. Frye did not throw a punch for the remainder
of the match. Instead, he attempted to balance himself while
Yoshida held him closely and worked an open guard. Soon after,
the Japanese fighter trapped Frye's left arm and swiveled into
an armbar. Frye struggled to prevent his arm from extending,
but failed. Yoshida held the lock tightly for a near 10-second
period, and the bout was stopped by the referee.
An
outcry by some in the mixed martial arts community has called
the match a "work," meaning the bout had a predetermined
victor. They argue Frye's performance was uncharacteristic and
uninspiring, among other things. Others have defended the match's
legitimacy, citing Yoshida's skill.
The
heavyweight clash between Emelianenko Fedor and Heath Herring
wasn't the back and forth battle many expected. Instead, Fedor
turned the bout into a one-sided beating and left little doubt
that he belongs among the best heavyweights in the world.
At
the sound of the opening bell, Herring stormed out of his corner
with a front kick, but Fedor snatched it up and slammed him to
the mat. A scramble for position ensued, and the Russian began
dropping thunderous rights and lefts to his opponent's head.
Herring rolled to his stomach and then to his back in an effort
to avoid the iron-fisted blows. It did not work; wherever he
went, Fedor pursued with a barrage of thudding strikes.
One
of Fedor's stiff shots opened a crimson cut beneath Herring's
eye that caused a break in the action for it to be examined.
When Herring was deemed OK to continue, the match was restarted
on the feet. A short exchange of strikes ended when Fedor again
sent Herring crashing to the mat with a slam. Fedor then resumed
his pounding of one of top heavyweights in the world, drilling
punches into Herring's skull from all angles. His strikes never
slowed or lost power during the 10 minutes, and Herring wore
the proof on his battered face. Although the "Texas Crazy
Horse" mounted a brief rally at the end of the round, the
damage had been done, and the ringside doctor stopped the match
between rounds.
Kazushi
Sakuraba returned with a victory against an obscenely overmatched
Gilles Arsene in the main event. Throughout the mind-numbing
bout, Arsene covered up for dear life while Sakuraba slapped
him with open hand strikes. In danger of earning the unenviable
distinction of going the distance with Arsene, Sakuraba ended
the "fight" with an armbar midway through the final
round.
In
typical "Axe Murderer" fashion, Vanderlei Silva destroyed
Hiromitsu Kanehara in the first round of his Pride middleweight
title defense. A brave soul, Kanehara came out of the corner,
ducked his head and began swinging. Silva fired back, beating
Kanehara to the punch and smacking a shin into his face. The
Japanese fighter dropped, but quickly regained his wits to receive
more punishment.
Again
Silva delivered, this time with a left hook in another toe-to-toe
exchange following a period on the mat. Kanehara fell to his
back, but was motioned to stand by his menacing opponent. As
soon as he rose to his feet, Silva rushed in with rights and
lefts, and Kanehara once again found himself on the ground. He
stood again, but not for long. This time Silva chased his fallen
foe with soccer kicks and head stomps. One of Kanehara's merciful
cornerman then tossed in the towel to conclude the beating.
At
first, Semmy Schilt's non-title challenge of Pride heavyweight
champion Rodrigo Nogueira looked promising for the giant Dutchman.
Nogueira's opening takedown attempt was easily thwarted, and
Schilt stuffed the next one successfully as well. Nogueira then
pulled guard, wisely avoiding an exchange on the feet. Schilt
was also playing an intelligent game, though, backing out of
the guard and standing to his feet.
Nogueira
chose to engage his adversary with strikes momentarily, and when
Schilt began to retaliate, the Brazilian fighter quickly shot
underneath him for a textbook double leg takedown. On the ground,
Nogueira all but ran through his opponent's defense, passing
the guard and holding side mount briefly before mounting Schilt.
He then rolled from the top position to his back while securing
a triangle choke that forced Schilt to submit.
Murilo
"Ninja" literally leaped over Ricardo Arona to begin
their highly anticipated showdown. He was throwing a flying knee,
but misfired and found himself on his back. A feverish pace encompassed
much of the first round, as Arona worked from the top position,
and Ninja actively pursued an escape.
Arona
negated Ninja's normally effective standup throughout the fight
by trading just long enough to set up several takedowns. At one
point in the first round, Arona took his adversary's back and
attempted a choke, though it was defended. Ninja then moved to
Arona's guard, where he was active from the top until Arona was
given a yellow card for stalling.
An
exchange opened the second round before Arona threw his opponent
to the ground. Eventually, Ninja made it back to his feet, but
at the same time, Arona slapped on a tight guillotine choke.
The Chute Boxe fighter patiently defended and spent the remainder
of the round in Arona's guard.
It
was anyone's fight entering the final five minutes, which Arona
began with a double leg takedown. With the win slipping away,
Ninja struggled out from underneath his opponent, but ate a kick
to the face while working to stand. The fighters then clinched
in the corner, and Ninja desperately attempted a takedown. Arona
prevented the effort and scored with a still-powerful double
leg that sealed the unanimous decision.
In
other action, Kevin Randleman thoroughly dominated Kenichi Yamamoto.
The larger Randleman easily took down his opponent and, somewhat
surprisingly, abandoned his typical contentment in the guard
to instead operate from side control. Although he struggled fruitlessly
to finish Yamamoto with a key lock for much of the bout, Randleman
delivered a brutal ending in the third round. Trapping his foe
in the north-south position, Randleman raised his own legs skyward,
his body completely perpendicular to the canvas, and then dropped
a series of pounding knees from the elevation that violently
smashed into Yamamoto's head.
Hirotaka
Yokoi remained undefeated with a win over Jerrel Venetiaan in
the first fight of the night. Yokoi, making his Pride debut,
out-matched his opponent on the mat. Midway through the second
round, he swung from the mount to a tightly secured armbar that
forced Venetiaan to tap.
In
a bout not televised on the North American pay-per-view, Kiyoshi
Tamura knocked out Nobuhiko Takada with a punch in the second
round.
Source: Maxfighting
Shonie
Carter Interview
By James Hirth Shonie
Carter is on the left, pictured here with Kolo Koka.
Shonie
is not from Hawaii, but just fought Ron Jhun in Hawaii and makes
some harsh replies to Frank Trigg's harsh comments about Shonie
which makes this an interesting read. Enjoy.
Shonie Carter is livid about our recently-published Frank Trigg
Interview. James Hirth and Shonie Carter spoke briefly tonight,
as Carter felt some things needed to be said after Trigg's win.
James
Hirth: So Shonie, you have some words you'd like to relay to
Mr. Trigg?
Shonie
Carter: I’m gonna bust his ass. Who the hell is he? He never
fought nobody, man! He never beat nobody. And to kick a man in
the nuts and get a belt is just bullsh-t.
James
Hirth: He had some choice things to say about you here at Sherdog.com.
Shonie
Carter: He says he never heard of me? Yeah right.
James
Hirth: Apparently he'd never heard of Dennis Hallman either.
I guess Miletich is one he's heard of.
Shonie
Carter: He better check himself before he wrecks himself. I want
to bust his bald head! Some of the stuff he was saying he shouldn't
have known.
James
Hirth: Like what?
Shonie
Carter: The information about the money and stuff with the WFA.
Either John Lewis or Paula Romero was giving him that information
and I didn't think that shit was cool in this business. I know
things didn't work out at WFA 2 but I didn't think you aired
that stuff openly.
James
Hirth: Are you sure it came from John and Paula?
Shonie
Carter: No, but it sounds damn close and it might’ve come
from them. I don't believe that guy. You don’t talk sh-t
about somebody like that who been in the game longer than you.
That rookie that got lucky I didn't fight him. Now I'm going
to get him if I have to hunt his ass down. F-ckin' "Twinkle
Toes" huh? He’ll find himself at the bottom of a fish
tank with his painted toes hanging out. I guess his mama didn’t
teach him no respect. Where I come from respect everything. I
guess I'll have to teach him about respect. Somebody needs to.
He
needs to know I'm not Ken Shamrock. I’m not over the hill.
I’m gonna whip his mother f-ckin ass. Some trash talkin'
fighter out of Texas. We all know what comes out of Texas James;
Queers and steers. And I know I didn't see any horns on that
bald f-cking head. If he has a f-cking problem with me, bring
it. Sh-t broke down and we didn't fight before. He’s lucky
he didn’t have to fight me. Now when I get my hands on him,
I’ll break his f-cking neck. Hell, I'll even let him get
a hit on me before I finish him. I’m gonna torture him.
The
angels will be weeping and the devil himself will be in the corner
sayin' "take it easy on him, he’s only human".
James
Hirth: You sure you want all this in print? I mean I know you
believe in what your saying but you want to say it in these words?
Shonie
Carter: Hey you've known me a while and interviewed me plenty
of times before James. You know I don't usually take this stuff
to heart but he doesn't know what he's getting into. He's talkin'
a lot of shit for a guy that hasn't done much. It's like Jay
Buck at the Ironheart Crown. He was talkin' sh-t too. These guys
are like little babies ya'know? You know how a baby starts playing
around and eventually gets into something it shouldn't have?
It doesn't realize it did it but it happens. That's what's going
on here. They don’t know no better than to get into sh-t
where they don’t belong. What do I have to do, put someone
in a hospital bed?
James
Hirth: So what's up with the WFA? You still fighting for them?
Shonie
Carter: I'm not saying anything about that right now. I’m
going to get things squared away with Terry (Triblecock, KOTC
promoter) before I sign any other fights.
James
Hirth: You already have a fight next month with one of Keith
Hackney's guys right?
Shonie
Carter: It was supposed to be a superfight at the Shidokan here
in Chicago on 14th. That fight got scrapped but I'm still fighting
at Shidokan. I'm fighting a judo guy from Canada.
We'll
stop there for now but you can expect more choice words from
Mr. Carter as he and I chat further about Trigg, WFA, Shidokan
and what's in store for 2003. You can look for it in the next
few days.
Source: Sherdog
11/25/02
Tomorrow's
news today
Here is the news page for 11/25/02 posted on 11/24 at 5:30PM.
I did this due to results and a blow by blow report on Pride
23 and a write up on the WFA. I did not want to make readers
that check the page on Sunday night wait and have to search for
the results to Pride or wait for tomorrow.
Quote
of the Day
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things
that matter."
Martin Luther King, Jr.
2003
Pan American Update
Carlos Gracie
Jr has informed ADCC News that he is changing the dates for the
2003 Pan-Ams. Carlinhos said that he is looking for a better
date due to the conflict with the ADCC World Championship dates
in May. Look for ADCC news for the latest date as soon as it
is confirmed by the CBJJ
Source: ADCC/Kid Peligro
PRIDE.23:
Championship Chaos II
November 24, 2002
Tokyo Dome (Aichi-Pref, Japan)
PRIDE
23 Review
November 24, 2002
Tokyo Dome, Japan
by Garrett Poe
PRIDE
23 was billed in the West as "Championship Chaos II,"
and the focus was intended to be the Silva/Kanehara and Herring/Emelianenko
matches. Japan, however, had an entirely different focus - the
departure of Takada from MMA (and pro-wrestling too, presumably).
This mega-card was complete with exciting KOs and TKOs, boring
decisions, and a fighter who should have trained more in fighting
and a less in stalling.
Jerrel
Venetiaan vs Hirotaka Yokoi
Venetiaan entered the ring first, Yokoi second. From the moment
Yokoi stepped foot in the ring, Venetiaan walked to his corner
and gave him the "out of place staredown." The crowd
wasn't appreciative of this gesture, but Yokoi was not intimidated
as Venetiaan stood right in his face, in his corner, throughout
both fighters' introductions.
Venetiaan
tried to keep it standing, but Yokoi got him down without an
difficulty. From there he gained mount and started the punches,
but with little effect. This lasted throughout the round, and
the next round followed suit. Finally Yokoi worked an armbar,
and Venetiaan tapped.
Kevin
Randleman vs Kenichi Yamamoto
Randleman's intro song was Eminem's 8-mile theme song. The Japanese
weren't into it, sadly - I thought it was fitting for an ex-gangster.
Randleman started with some punches, and Yamamoto countered with
a takedown attempt. Randleman easily defended, and begin working
infrequent punches from sidemount, with several keylock attempts
which at times seemed close to working.
The
second round was essentially the same, but near the end of the
round Randleman started using the knees, which were immediately
effective. Randleman later lifted both legs high in the air,
which got some "OOOs" from the crowd, but actually
KO'd Yamamoto. After the event, Coleman told me that after the
bout, he asked Randleman why he didn't use the knees earlier.
"I didn't think they'd hurt," was Randleman's response.
"Yeah, they hurt," Replied Coleman. Just ask Allan
Goes.
Murilo
"Ninja" Rua vs Ricardo Arona
This match was my most anticipated. Expecting a Sperry/Rua type
spectacle, it was much less exciting. "Ninja" started
the match with a flying knee attempt, but got caught underneath
and dumped on his back. He fought to his feet almost immediately,
but kept clinching with Arona, who always got the best and took
him down. From the top, Arona worked strikes, and usually maintained
position. Once, the fight hit the ground in Arona's guard. He
stalled from the bottom, and was rewarded with the only yellow
card of the night.
Later
in the bout, Arona got the take down and dropped for an ankle,
but then continued to play ground and pound with Ninja. Ninja
seemed unable to stop Arona's takedowns, which given how he handled
himself with Henderson was surprising. After three rounds, the
judges declared Arona the winner by unanimous decision.
Heath
Herring vs Fedor Emelianenko
The Japanese LOVE Herring. Not just a little love, either. Whether
it's the Texas gimmick, the way he fights, or a combination of
that and the hair, he got one of the loudest cheers of the night.
They're not really fans of Emeliananko, even though he's got
a long history in RINGS. Throughout the week, Emelianenko never
smiled, and rarely talked, and didn't draw too much attention.
This guy is business. He brought this business to Herrings face,
which he gave a pretty good pounding.
Throughout
the first round, he dominated the larger Herring with takedowns,
positions, and strikes. Herring had no answer for the onslaught
of punches he was eating. Punch, punch, punch - it was amazing
how accurate was his ground and pound attack. He ruled the clinch
and takedowns too, slamming Herring hard after a brief standup.
As the first round ended, he nearly landed a rear naked. Herring
reversed as the round ended, but the ringside physicians stopped
the bout after looking at Herring's face.
Rodrigo
Nogueira vs Semmy Schilt
Nogueira's also a bigtime fan favorite here. Prior to the match,
he said he wanted to take Schilt down and submit "his long
arms or neck." Nogueira had a tough time getting Schilt
down, his first shot was completely stuffed, and he didn't have
much more luck in the clinch. During one of the first takedown
attempts, Schilt ended up on top, only to standup in his search
for the KO.
Nogueira
finally managed to get the 6'11" monster down, with a smooth
double-leg. He worked to mount, and went for a straight armbar,
converted to triangle choke midway, and then locked it from the
bottom. Schilt struggled for a while, and turned his punches
to taps as Nogueira wins by submission in the first round.
Vanderlei
Silva vs Hiromitsu Kanehara
Kanehara was next in the long line of Silva victims. Unlike the
majority of Silva's previous opponents, I thought Kanehara had
the capacity of not getting freight-trained. I was completely
wrong. From the opening bell he was caught with rights, lefts,
and kicks to the head which send him reeling from corner to corner.
Silva's
relentless attack included kicking Kanehara in the head as he's
going down from punches, stomps, knees, and ground and pound.
The ref stepped in and halted the punishment in the second half
of the first round. It's time for Ortiz and Silva to happen.
Don
Frye vs Hidehiko Yoshida
After the intermission, Frye entered the ring in his Judo gi-top,
Yoshida sporting the complete pajamas. After the intro, Frye
removed his gi-top to fight. Yoshida immediately shot on Frye,
who defended the double but went down on a leg-trip. Frye reversed
to begin what I thought was the start of some punishment, but
Yoshida defended well and nullified all of Frye's attacks.
Yoshida's
guard was so low on Frye's hips, it was apparent Frye was having
bigtime trouble getting base for punches. Finally Yoshida rolled
him to an armbar, and the referee stopped the bout when Frye
would not tap. Frye was mad - I couldn't tell if it was from
the stoppage when he didn't tap, or just mad that he lost.
Nobuhiko
Takada vs Kiyoshi Tamura
Throughout the night, DSE showed footage of Takada's pro-wrestling
career, and fighting "highlights." Apparently there
is some pro-wrestling beef with Tamura, and they showed an old
match where Tamura slapped Takada as Takada extended his hand
for a pre-fight shake. At any rate, Tamura pounded Takada's legs
with kicks for quite a while, and got a few head-shots in. Later
in the round, Tamura gave Takada a love-tap to the ding-ding
with a misplaced inside thigh kick. Takada went down and I began
to have nightmares of "rematch." Oh, the drama. Takada
was down for what seemed like 15 minutes, it was excruciatingly
over dramatized. The whole time Tamura leans in the neutral corner,
face to the turnbuckle. Thankfully, he got back up, and the fight
continued. The standup exchange continued, with no intent of
groundwork shown by either fighter.
Takada
managed to land a few shots, but Tamura was unfazed. Tamura would
leg kick, Takada would charge with punches, like clockwork. Finally,
at the start of the second round, Takada went down with a stiff
right hand to the jaw. The shot was so quick, and Takada went
down so "limp," I had my doubts of it's legitimacy
at first. I mean, come on, it's Takada. On the reply, Tamura
landed his punch dead on the jaw, leaving no doubt that Takada's
potato-sack drop was legit. Tamura cried afterwards, and Takada
said something, which the crowd loved. He's such a showman, the
Japanese will miss him.
Kazushi
Sakuraba vs Gilles Arsene
It's exceptionally hard to fight someone who's just covering
up, as evidenced tonight by Sakuraba's painfully slow victory
of Arsene. On paper, this matchup looked like it appeared in
the ring, a mismatch. Sakuraba had no trouble landing shots on
Arsene, but Arsene would go down and "fetal up", leaving
no options for Sakuraba but some punches, slaps, and the occasional
spank.
Back
on their feet at the start of the second round, Arsene backed
up, and waited for Sakuraba to start unloading. At this point,
he went fetal on his feet (pictures coming soon) and finally
fell over, for more fetal defense. This lasted for the entire
second round. The third round was the same way, but Sakuraba
sunk an armbar to put an end to the match. Arsene was scared
to fight, so he didn't - just defended. I don't think he'll be
invited back.
PRIDE
23: Championship Chaos II featured dominating performances from
the champions Silva and Nogueira, as they proved why they're
the champions with wins by TKO and submission. The undercard
was highlighted with Herring's match, which turned into an entertaining
target-practice demonstration from Emelianenko, as well as Yoshida's
dismantling of Frye, which may lead to more Judo players cross
into MMA. Finally, we witnessed the end to Takada's career in
the ring. Sianara, mate - it couldn't have come in a better fashion.
Source: Sherdog
World
Fighting Alliance: Level 3
Card Showcases Solid Talent
By Loretta Hunt
It was
a solid night of entertainment at the Aladdin's Performing Arts
Center last night in Las Vegas, where the World Fighting Alliance
hosted its third mixed martial arts event. "Level 3"
produced some memorable fights and highlighted excellent performances
from veterans and up-and-comers alike on the seven-fight card
offered by co-promoters John Lewis and John Huntington.
Rap-icon-turned-actor Ice-T kicked off the show with a 15-minute
performance, while dancers gyrated and twisted around him awash
a sophisticated laser light show of neon colors. A healthy turnout
filled a good portion of the 5,000-seat arena, and although generally
subdued, the audience seemed appreciative of the effort put out
by the organization.
However, in an unfortunate mishap involving members of the mixed
martial arts press, key photographers for the sport were removed
from their cage-side positions (on-stage) for the final two title
bouts, reportedly by orders from co-promoter John Huntington.
Among them were Full Contact Fighter's Joel Gold, world-renowned
Japanese photographer Susumu Nagao, and representatives from
Sherdog.com and Maxfighting.com. According to Gold, the photographers
were approached by security and despite showing the appropriate
credentials, were still booted from their pre-assigned positions
after security double-checked with Huntington, because Huntington
"had never heard of them." Gold went on to say, "it's
ironic that he doesn't know the press that actually makes his
event -- I mean they're not on pay-per-view, they're not covered
by Time or Sports Illustrated -- the only way the people who
buy tickets for the WFA even know the event exists is through
the MMA media!" FightSport Editor Josh Gross experienced
extra headaches when his photographer Peter Lockley was escorted
out of the arena for what security called "insubordination."
(Lockley had returned to his cage-side position to fire off some
more shots despite being told to steer clear.) Co-promoter John
Lewis was apparently tending to other areas of the event at the
time, and it is unclear if he was made abreast of the situation.
Overall, any disappointments of the night were sporadic and few,
but it was purely a bit of bad luck that made the main event
one of them. In the battle for the WFA welterweight belt, rAw's
Frank Trigg and Victory Athletics/Team Quest's Dennis Hallman
both started out intensely, displaying an even volley of effective
strikes and clinchwork. The bout came to screeching halt minutes
in, however, when Hallman attempted a high left kick just as
Trigg countered with an unintentional groin shot. Nevada State
Athletic Commission regulation gave Hallman five minutes to recover,
but the Washington fighter was still unable to continue. Trigg
was awarded the belt via "abandonment" in the first
round.
The co-main event of the night was comparatively clear-cut, as
a focused Marvin Eastman came out with fast and heavy hands to
overwhelm PRIDE veteran Alex Stiebling in the first round. Following
brief play on the ground, Eastman delivered a crisp right cross
that sent Stiebling to the canvas at 1:07 into the round. Eastman
was crowned the WFA Light-heavyweight champion.
In a three round unanimous decision win, American Kickboxing
Academy's Josh Thomson bested Team Punishment-trained Rob McCullough.
Thomson dominated on the ground, as McCullough expended crucial
energy to escape numerous submission attempts. In later rounds,
Thomson reverted to a "ground and pound" onslaught,
giving McCullough little chance to show off his striking talents.
In the heavyweight offering for the evening, returning veteran
Mike VanArsdale dominated the first round (for the most part)
by scoring takedowns, staying on top and raining down fast strikes
on Aussie opponent Chris Haseman. But Haseman remained a constant
threat, crumpling the master wrestler to the ground right at
the bell with a round kick to the body. In the second round,
Haseman hunted for submissions from the bottom, but was overwhelmed
by an onslaught of punches.
For a last minute replacement Grappling Unlimited's Eddie Yagin did surprisingly well
against opponent Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro. Yagin's takedown defense was
first-rate, as he avoided the majority Shaolin's relentless efforts
to get him to the mat. Yagin
even showed some flair in the final seconds of the round with
three cartwheel guard pass attempts. Shaolin controlled the second
round though, and made fast work of the feisty Hawaiian by sinking
in his patented side choke. Referee Cecil Peoples halted the
match at 2:23 into the second round.
In a welterweight showdown, Miletich Martial Arts fighter Jason
Black was just too much for Florida-native Chad Saunders. Black
retained top position on the ground, picking and choosing his
strikes for two rounds, until Saunders was too bloody and damaged
to continue.
In the opening bout of the evening, bantamweights Jeff Curran
and Todd Lally both started out tentatively with measuring strikes
and clinchwork. Curran scored a crucial takedown that allowed
this Pedro Sauer brown belt to get his game on. Curran eventually
swept Lally into a triangle choke to end the match.
The Results:
Jeff Curran def. Todd Lally- 4:49 Rd 1 Triangle choke
Jason
Black def. Chad Saunders- Referee stoppage after 2 rounds
Vitor
Ribeiro def. Eddie Yagin- 2:23 Rd 2 Referee stoppage due to side
choke
Mike
VanArsdale def. Chris Haseman- 3:10 R2 Referee stoppage due to
strikes
Josh
Thomson def. Rob McCullough- Unanimous decision after 3 rounds
Marvin
Eastman def. Alex Stiebling- 1:07 Rd1 KO
Frank
Trigg def. Dennis Hallman- R1 Abandonment**
**Due
to a groin strike inflicted on Hallman, he was unable to continue
following the five-minute period allowed under NSAC regulation
Source: FCF
11/24/02
Quote
of the Day
"Be ready when opportunity comes...
Luck is the time when preparation and opportunity meet."
Roy D. Chapin Jr.
WFA:
Vegas Results
Las Vegas, NV
11/23/2002
COMPLETE
RESULTS - WFA #3:
Jason
Black defeated Chad Saunders by referee stoppage.
Jeff Curran defeated Todd Lally by triangle submission.
Vitor 'Shaolin' Ribeiro defeated Eddie Yagin by head & arm
choke, RD 2.
Mike Van Arsdale defeated Chris Haseman via strikes, RD 2.
Josh 'the Punk' Thompson defeated Rob Mccullough by Judges Decision.
Marvin Eastman defeated Alex Steibling by KO, RD 1.
Frank Trigg defeats Dennis Hallman for the title at 170 lbs.
Hallman could not continue due to a low blow, RD 1.
Source: ADCC
11/23/02
Quote
of the Day
"Persistent people begin their success where others end
in failure."
Edward Eggleston
UFC
40 'VENDETTA' - Results From A Historic Night!!
Friday, Nov. 22
Location: Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV
Main
Event - UFC Light Heavyweight Championship:
Tito Ortiz (10-2-0, Champion) vs. Ken Shamrock (8-4-2): Fight
Stopped at the end of Round 3 - TITO ORTIZ wins.
UFC
Welterweight Championship:
Matt Hughes (27-3-0, Champion) vs. Gil Castillo (17-1-0): Hughes
by ref stoppage, RD 1. Accidental headbutt caused cut.
Heavyweight
Bouts:
Ian Freeman (13-5-0) vs. Andrei Arlovski (5-3-0): Arlovski by
KO, RD 1.
Vladimir Matyushenko (12-2-0) vs. Travis Wiuff (22-2-0): Matyushenko
by TKO, RD 1.
Light
Heavyweight Bout:
Chuck Liddell (10-1-0) vs. Renato 'Babalu' Sobral (10-1-0): Lidell
by KO, RD 1.
Middleweight
Bout:
Phillip Miller (14-0-0) vs. Mark Weir (17-0-0): Miller by Rear
Naked Choke, RD 2.
Welterweight
Bouts:
Carlos Newton (11-6-0) vs. Pete Spratt (11-4-0): Newton by Kimura,
RD 1.
Robbie Lawler (6-0-0) vs. Tiki (7-2-0): Lawler by KO, RD 1.
Source: ADCC UFC
40: Vendetta
November 22, 2002
by Greg Savage
As we walked through
the milling crowds on our way to the Grand Garden Arena at the
MGM Grand, the buzz being generated was palpable. This was the
most anticipated event in UFC and North American MMA history.
There was one reason for all the hype-the return to the octagon
of two of the biggest stars this young sport has produced - Ken
Shamrock and light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz. This was
a chance for the sport to shine, and shine it did.
In the first under
card match of the evening, English import Mark Weir squared off
with William's Combat Grappling's Philip Miller. Both fighters
were coming off victories in their UFC debuts and were looking
to make a statement. Something had to give as both fighters looked
to keep their records unblemished. Weir came our and landed a
couple nice shots as Miller shot for the takedown. Miller got
the takedown but had to fight off numerous submission attempts.
Both fighters were bloodied as Miller landed good shots from
within Weir's guard and Miller ate a couple good shots while
Weir attempted a triangle. Weir definitely won the first with
his submission attempts and his striking.
Weir dropped Miller
with a left shin to start the second round and it took everything
Miller had to survive the flurry that followed. But survive he
did and eventually reversed Weir. Weir reversed him back and
landed quality shots but soon tired and decided to stand up.
Weir tried to strike with Miller and was rewarded by being slammed
hard to the canvas. Miller landed a couple shots including a
nice elbow that forced Weir to give his back and allowed Miller
to secure the rear naked choke at 4:50 of the second round.
In a battle of UFC
heavyweights, newcomer Travis "Diesel" Wiuff took on
RAW team member Vladimir Matyushenko. Vladdy, in his first fight
as a heavyweight, controlled the position and landed the harder
shots throughout the fight. Late in the first round Matyshenko
wobbled Wiuff with a big right hand to the temple and followed
up with some effective ground and pound to force Wiuff to tap.
Vladimir Matyshenko wins by TKO, tapout to strikes at 4:10 of
the first round.
In a heavyweight
contender match, Andrei Arlovski and "The Machine"
Ian Freeman looked to throw their hats into the UFC title picture.
Arlovski dominated from the get go and scored a knockdown with
an overhand right. Freeman scrambled to survive but it was not
long before Arlovski landed another flurry and finished him off
against the cage with an accurately placed upper cut. Andrei
Arlovski stakes his claim for a title shot with a convincing
KO win at 1:25 of the first round.
Leading off the
live pay-per-view portion of the card was Tiki Ghosn, who faced
off against "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler. "Tiki"
pressed the action early as he continued to leg kick Lawler at
will. In a vicious exchange, Ghosn caught Lawler with a big kick
but Lawler fired right back with a looping right that sent Ghosn
crumbling to the mat. Before referee Doc Hamilton could restrain
Lawler, he landed a booming right hand to the downed Ghosn, leaving
a deep gash over his left eye. Robbie Lawler wins by KO at 1:29.
Former welterweight
champ Carlos Newton returned to the octagon for the first time
since losing his title to Matt Hughes. He was facing Muay Thai
specialist Pete "The Secret Weapon" Spratt. Newton
avoided a Spratt low kick and took him down. From there Newton
controlled Spratt and looked for an opening to submit him. Newton
tried to secure the armbar but got the tap out as he switched
to a kimura. Carlos Newton wins at 1:45 of the first round and
in doing so lets everyone know he is back. He also stated that
he would like to fight Mach Sakurai next if the UFC can make
it happen.
In the welterweight
championship bout, it was Gil Castillo looking to unseat Matt
Hughes. Hughes scored a high elevation takedown and worked Castillio
against the fence. From there he continued to control Castillio
and pound him with an impressive array of strikes from within
his guard. In between rounds Castillio complained he could not
see out of his left eye, which was apparently caused by an inadvertent
head butt by Hughes. Doctor Margaret Goodman stopped the bout
after one round of action. Matt Hughes called out Sean Sherk
after the win and claimed "No one can give me a run for
my money."
Chuck Liddell was
already guaranteed a title shot after his victory over Vitor
Belfort at UFC 37.5 but decided to take this match to keep his
skills sharp. He could have picked an easier opponent. Renato
"Babalu" Sobral stood between "The Ice Man"
and his promised shot at the UFC light Heavyweight Title. Both
fighters circled exchanging strikes and leg kicks with Liddell
stuffing both takedown attempts by Sobral. In a flash Sobral
was sent reeling to the mat with a shin to the head by Liddell.
"The Ice Man" followed up with strikes and referee
Landless was forced to stop the bout at 2:59 of the first round.
I caught up with
Chuck after his fight and asked him what he thought about his
impending title shot with Tito Ortiz. He responded by saying
"He has got to fight me now, it's my title, he's got my
title and I am going to take it from him." The number one
contender explained there is no bad blood but he does want his
title and friendship won't stand in the way of business as he
continued, "I like Tito, he is a great guy but, you know,
he is just in my way, that's the way the sport goes, the way
the game goes, he's in my way and I am going to knock him out."
Hopefully we will see this match sometime in early 2003.
It was time for
the most anticipated fight in UFC history-the Light Heavyweight
championship fight between Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock. Ortiz
was returning from a 14 month layoff due to surgery to repair
a torn ACL and Shamrock was returning to the UFC after a 6 year
hiatus. The bad blood has been evident over the last few months
since the fight was signed and it was brought to a boil over
the past couple days at the pre event press conference and the
weigh in stare down. The tension could be felt as fight time
neared and the crown went wild as the pre fight videos rolled.
After a series of exchanges Ortiz took Shamrock down at about
the 3 min mark and began his patented ground and pound. He delivered
punches, elbows and forearms from within kens half guard.
As the second round
started the fighters traded strikes with Ken getting the better
shots in. Tito easily took him down with another single leg and
proceeded to do what he does best, unleashing heavy strikes on
his downed opponent. Tito moved to side control and began to
land body crushing knees to the ribs of Shamrock. The crowd went
wild as Shamrock showed he was still game as he worked his way
back to his feet. As the round came to a close, Ortiz opened
up and landed a couple of nice shots, the kind of shots that
have been missing from his game in the past.
In round three Ken
came out throwing but Tito responded with even bigger shots of
his own. Ortiz continued to pound Shamrock on the feet and then
decided to take him down with a powerful double leg slam/takedown.
It was more of the same from there as Ortiz was determined and
efficient in his ground and pound assault. Shamrock, pressed
up against the cage and looking short on gas tried everything
he could to reverse the position and eventually made it to his
feet where Ortiz fired off strikes like it was target practice,
even attempting a high kick. As the round came to a close it
was apparent Shamrock had little left in the tank as he could
do nothing to derail the Ortiz onslaught.
While on his stool after the third round a beaten Ken Shamrock
and his corner decided he had had enough and submitted giving
Tito Ortiz the victory and possibly the legend status he was
looking for in his epic battle with Shamrock.
UFC 40 was the biggest
MMA event in North American history with an official attendance
of 13,770, which also made it the highest attended fight promotion
in Las Vegas this year. With the success of the return of Ken
Shamrock it looks like Zuffa has seen the potential drawing power
of UFC stars of the past as they have signed David "Tank"
Abbott and are rumored to be matching him up with current heavyweight
champ, Ricco Rodriguez.
UFC 40 was one of
the most hyped events ever and it lived up to every ounce of
that hype. Let's hope Zuffa can build on the success of this
show and keep taking the sport of mixed martial arts in the right
direction-straight into the mainstream.
Source: Sherdog
DEC.
1st: ONE MORE CHAPTER IN THE
RIVALRY BETWEEN JIU JITSU AND LUTA-LIVRE
Since Submission
Grappling has been growing up around the world and NHB events
are prohibited here in Rio de Janeiro, The 'Carioca' Grappling
community, Jiu Jitsu and Luta-Livre, have confronted each other
almost every month in several Submission events such as Clash
of the Titans, Copa Stone and Copa RFT. In these events, some
fighters who're unknown to foreign fans of Submission have gained
recognition in Brazil due to their good performances; fighters
for the Jiu Jitsu's side such as Raphael Abi-Hiran (Carlson Gracie
Team), known as the Luta-Livre nightmare, Adriano 'Nasal' Pereira
(BTT) and Oscar Junior (Best Way). Mean while Luta-Livre has
been very well represented by its soldiers Leonardo Lucio 'Chocolate'
Nascimento (RFT), Ivan Jorge 'Batman' (Clube de Luta) and Gesias
Cavalcanti (Sensei).
During
this year of 2002, these six fighters provided excellent shows
and a lot of surprises. There were some great performances by
Luta-Livre fighters such as when 'Chocolate' beat two BTT fighters
in Copa RFT and won the up to 90kg weight class; and Jiu Jitsu
guys haven't been out done though, they've come up with some
great fights too, like that in COT 3, when Abi-Hiran armbarred
the Luta-Livre Golden Boy, Leopoldo Serao (Clube de Luta), and
in COT 4 when Oscar Junior devastated 'Peixao' (Bosco-Angra)
by humiliating 45/-1. But as was said earlier, these fighters
didn't get alot of recognition out of Brazil only locally, that
being said this help to inciting the rivalry between Jiu Jitsu
and Luta-Livre once again, the way it used to be and helped the
fighters to prepare for the ADCC Brazilian Trials 2003.
Announced
as the last Submission event before ADCC Brazilian Trials is
the super Campeonato Cyclone de Luta-Livre'n'Submission, it's
a little different than the other events that I spoke of above,
with certainty it'll be noticed by everybody who loves Grappling.
A SuperFight that the fan have been wanting for a long time,
will finally take place in this event. Two fighters from two
great and traditional Brazilian Teams, will go head to head be
in this event; and the most interesting point is that both have
a lot of experience in Submission and NHB and come from Luta-Livre
and Jiu Jitsu.
Alexandre
'Cacareco' Ferreira (Ruas VT System) 3rd place in ADCC2001,WVC
8 champion and WEF 10 winner x Paulo Filho (BTT) 1st in ADCC
Trials 2000 first phase, HEROES 1 and Pride 22 winner - this
fight has been anticipated since HEROES 1 when they fought under
NHB rules, however right now the circumstances that will see
them face-to-face will surely mark a deep chapter in Luta-Livre
versus Jiu Jitsu history. What makes this challenge more than
exciting is that both have the same characteristics, good takedowns
and solid game on the top, it's also known that the guy who gets
the takedown will probably have a 50% of getting the victory.
Filho and 'Cacareco' already promissed a submission, so keep
your eyes peel on December 1st, you won't be disappoint, don't
miss it.
Source: ADCC
WFA:
Level 3 Weigh-Ins Deliver Big News!
MMA Show Set To Air On FOX Sports Network
By Loretta Hunt
The World Fighting Alliance made its presence known today here
in Las Vegas, with an official press conference/weigh-ins at
the Aladdin Resort & Casino for its Level 3 show. Off the
bat, the big news of the day came with co-promoter John Lewis'
announcement that the promotion had struck a (free) cable TV
deal with the FOX Sports Network for a four-part series revolving
around its show. The show, aptly titled "The World Fighting
Alliance," is set to air January 21st and will introduce
a new episode each week over the span of a month. According to
a press release distributed at the event, "the episode will
feature fight footage from past WFA events, including the WFA:
Level 3 show." Lewis' announcement was met with a definitive
round of applause from a packed room of press, fighters, entourages,
and fans that had come to observe the proceedings. Co-promoter
John Huntington, the mastermind behind the popular "Club
Rubber" traveling club parties, was also on hand to promise
an even more elaborate display of lights, laser schemes, and
trendy music. With a 15-minute performance by rap pioneer Ice-T,
along with the usual offerings of gorgeous go-go dancers and
wandering beauties, the event should uphold its "fight club
meets the night club" mantra easily. The Aladdin's Performing
Arts Center boasts spacious, stadium-formatted seating and will
have the capacity to hold 5,000 spectators for tomorrow night's
card of seven fights.
On
to the weigh-ins--the entire card of fourteen promising fighters
set to battle it out tomorrow night made weight with little problem.
Jumping
on the scales first, main event welterweights Frank Trigg and
Dennis Hallman came in at 170 and 169.5 pounds respectively.
Representing the rAw Team, Trigg brings top-notch wrestling and
"ground and pound" skills to the table. Hallman, of
Victory Athletics/Team Quest, is a submission specialist that
has tapped out top-ten welterweights in the past, making this
a match of style versus style.
In
the co-main event for tomorrow evening, "Brazilian Killa"
Alex Stiebling came in at 200 pounds, while hometown boy Marvin
"The Beastman" Eastman weighed in at 204 pounds. Stiebling
plays an aggressive well-rounded game, while Eastman's wrestling
and Muay Thai background should serve him well. This fight has
some serious potential as a crowd-pleaser.
On
the opposite "end of the scale" bantamweights Jeff
Curran and Todd Lally both weighed in at 143 pounds. Representing
Team Extreme/Team Linxx, Curran has most recently entered the
MMAM's featherweight top ten after a string of impressive wins.
Lally, based out of Las Vegas, represents the Lewis/Pederneiras
Vale Tudo Team.
Next
up were welterweights Chad Saunders and Jason Black. American
Kickboxing Academy's Saunders came in at 170, while opponent
Black, a Miletich Martial Arts fighter, weighed in at 169.5 pounds.
Saunders' strength is the ground, while Black is an All-American
wrestler with a superior sprawl and improved standup.
Grappling
Unlimited's Eddie Yagin easy made his lightweight bout at 153
pounds, while his opponent, the elusive Vitor "Shaolin"
Ribeiro was 155 on the dot. At 4-0, Ribeiro represents the Nova
Uniao team out of Brazil. Hawaiian Yagin is a last-minute replacement
for an injured Chris Brennan and boasts an 8-0 record.
In
what should be a heated battle between striker and ground specialist
tomorrow night, lightweights Rob McCullough and Josh Thomson
both weighed in at 155 pounds. McCullough hails from Huntington
Beach, California. Thomson fights out of the San Jose-based American
Kickboxing/Zinkin team.
Last,
but certainly not least, the heavyweights made their way to the
scale, where Australian Team Extreme representative Chris Haseman
came in at 211 pounds. Mike VanArsdale, returning to the game
after a four-year hiatus, weighed in at 213 pounds. Haseman sports
a well-rounded repertoire with a flair for unorthodox moves when
the chance arises. VanArsdale is an expert wrestler and boxer.
Source: FCF
PRIDE
23: Championship Chaos II
November 23, 2002
Tokyo, Japan
by Garrett Poe
Two
days before PRIDE 23: Championship Chaos II, most of the fighters
took quite a large part of their day to speak with reporters.
During the group interview session, "Ninja," Silva,
Randleman, Herring, Frye, Schilt, Venetiaan, Arona, and Nogueira
took all the questions we cared to ask.
I
was part of a group of American and British journalists, mostly
from "mainstream" press. Tounge Magazine, Loaded Magazine,
a Radio Show based in LA, and THQ were represented. As you can
imagine, most of them were essentially clueless newbies to the
fight game. Naturally, the majority of the questions were along
the lines of "Do you get a rush out of kicking people's
heads in?" and "Would you like to fight Mike Tyson?"
My favorite was a question that started with "Since Brazil
started PRIDE, and you're from Brazil, does that make you a better
fighter?" Maybe I'm being a little harsh to expect more
from fans of World Cup soccer.
Interestingly,
I got the distinct impression that these journalists were disappointed
to find the fighters were not blood lusting animals, but mild-mannered
professionals who could use express their thoughts without much
difficulty.
Murilo
"Ninja" Rua
"Ninja" was our first fighter of the morning. I watched
him weigh in, he looks very different than the fighter who fought
Dan Henderson a year ago. Trimmed down, muscled up, he's ready
to go. All smiles, no English, he did somehow manage to relay
he's a fan of this website.
"I'm
very well prepared for Arona," said Ninja. "I don't
change my training for certain fighters, but I learn their style."
He said that he's going to be Arona the same way he beat Sperry.
My guess is that means a lot of stomping and a suprisingly painful
show of agression. "I'm not scared to fight in PRIDE, the
only thing that scares me is women!" That is the translation,
but I know I heard "LOCO!" in the native Portugese.
Vanderlei
Silva, The Axe Murderer
Ever wonder how Silva looks completely pumped in all his posing
pictures? He does about 20 pushups right before they take the
shot. Silva new a little bit of English, so his questions were
a little blend of English from his mouth, but mostly he talked
through the translator. "Do you know much about Kanehara?"
asked one journalist. "No," said Silva. "I've
heard he is good, but I don't watch tapes."
"My
nickname 'The Axe Murderer' came from an American Promoter."
I think he's talking about Peretti, from the UFC he KO'd the
SharkTank guy. "I don't really like it," Silva continued.
"I prefer my real name." When asked about his tattoo,
his only reply was "Very hurt!" While on the topic
of pain, I asked if he has become meaner now that he's married.
"Only in the ring" came his quick reply.
Kevin
"The Monster" Randleman
After two non-English speaking fighters, we were ready for someone
who could really express himself in his native tounge. Enter
Kevin Randleman. He started off with the history of his nickname.
"My family gave it to me. I'm the second youngest of 13
kids, I had to be a monster to survive." He then moved to
the topic of gangs, and his rough teen years. "What kind
of f---ing question is that?!? No!" responded Randleman
to a British reporter's inquiry into his homicide history. Everyone
in the room could see this little guy was about to become a rag
doll, but Randleman relaxed and played it into a joke.
Randleman
was pretty adamant that the best fighters in the world fight
in PRIDE. He went on for a bit about how great of a fighter Vanderlei
Silva was, and how he wouldn't want to fight Schilt. "That
reach is scary," he said. I kept waiting for the interview
to turn to the topic of Tito, and Randleman did not dissapoint.
"Tito Ortiz!" he exclaimed instantly when asked who
he'd like to fight the most. "Even if he loses to Ken?"
I asked (this was before UFC 40 took place). "I don't care
if he loses 55 times. I'll come out to LA and smack him in his
face. PRIDE rules, UFC rules, it doesn't matter. He's looked
me in the eye, and knows I'm not afraid." Randleman weighed
in at 96 kilos Friday, and claims he'll be 94 by fight time.
Heath
"The Texas Crazy Horse" Herring
Herring is a big, big guy. He's one of those guys that looks
big on TV, but looks really big when he's sitting 3 feet away.
"I'm an agressive fighter," he started off. "I
hate laying on the ground doing the jiu-jitsu thing."
Herring
was very relaxed about his match with Fedor -- in my opinion
because he trains all the time. The room wasn't buying that he's
a diehard gymrat. "It's true, actually," he responded.
His trainer chimed in, "We keep a tight leash on him. He
trains all the time." He seems like he's got the recipe
for fighting: discipline, natural ability, intelligence, size,
and some sweet hair.
Don
"The Predator" Frye
I hadn't seen Frye in person since he left the UFC. He was getting
big then, but he's significantly larger now. Granted he looks
large on TV, but he is super-sized in real life. Frye started
off fielding some UFC vs PRIDE questions, since he's fought in
both. "I like the cage. The ropes slow me down," said
Frye in a suprisingly pro-UFC comment. "I like elbows, but
I like knees on the ground, too. I prefer the least amount of
rules."
When
asked about what kind of living he's made, Frye humbly said "I
can quit right now, I don't need the money...I've got a 4-door
Ford SUV, my wife has a Land cruiser, and I've got two Harley's
in the garage." Despite how it sounded, he wasn't bragging.
He stated he enjoyed fighting, but didn't NEED to fight. He did
give us a head to toe rundown of all his injuries he's sustained
- it took about 5 minutes. "As soon as I get a serious injury
I'm done," he claimed. "I want to be around for my
kids."
The
last time we interviewed Frye, I asked him about fighting Coleman.
At the time, he said "I think about that fight every single
day of my life. I want to fight him more than anything."
Today, I asked him again. "I don't want to fight him anymore.
I did, until he injured his neck. I want him to be around for
his kids."
Semmy
"Hightower" Schilt
"Two meter twelve" stated Semmy when asked about his
height. Poor guy was ducking through every single doorway in
the Tokyo Hilton. Since Schilt is fighting Nogueira in a non-title
bout, I asked if he was bitter about that. "A fight is a
fight," smiled Schilt. " I just want to win. I will
have to fight him again for the title if I win."
He
talked a little about his Pancrase experience, and mentioned
that in Holland "I'm just a tall guy, nothing special."
This piqued some interest in the room, and so they asked him
what makes him a successful fighter in PRIDE. "Motivation,
and the will to win." Well said, Mr. Schilt.
Jerrel
Venetiaan
Venetiaan's lack of a nickname disappointed some of the reporters,
expecting something interesting from such a pleasant fellow.
He went through his list of kickboxing wins and credentials,
and mentioned he trains with Ernesto Hoost at Vos Gym in Amserdam.
Sadly, most of the room didn't care, and moved onto the "What's
your worst injury" question. "I broke two bones in
my hand when I punched Bob Schreiber's head," he responded.
"That was the worst."
He
gave his training regimen, which was small for such an acccomplished
fighter. He trains 3 hours a day max, and that includes running,
lifting weights, kickboxing, or JJ (not all on the same day.)
The rest of the time he operates his own business, distributing
kickboxing gear in Amserdam.
Ricard
Arona
Arona was very gracious in his explanation to the group that
just because he and Ninja are both from Brazil, they don't fight
the same way. "I'm a ground fighter," he said repeatedly
when asked if fighting a fellow was more difficult "because
you both fight Brazillian." "He fights more standing
up, I like to fight on the ground. Even though we are from Brazil,
we don't all fight alike." If they didn't understand during
the interview, I'm sure they will tomorrow during the fight.
"The
Top Team was very emotional after Sperry lost," replied
Arona when I asked if there was more pressure since Ninja already
beat his teammate. "He's also talked a lot of bullsh-t.
There's definately a rivalry to see who's the best."
Rodrigo
"Minotauro" Nogueira
Finally the Heavyweight Champion entered the room. He started
off with a little history of his accident. I had no idea it was
so severe. He was run over by a truck at age 11. A drunk driver,
leaving a party, backed up over him while he was sitting on his
bike. Nogueira spent 1 week in a coma and was in and out of the
hospital 7-8 months. The mainstream guys were loving his scars.
Tha
kind of warmed everyone up to ask some good fight questions.
"Semmy's got a nice jab and front kick, I don't want to
trade with him. I will get in close to him and take him down
and submit him," he responded when asked about his gameplan
for Schilt.
I'd
heard there had been talks of PRIDE trying to lineup another
Sapp-Nogueira fight, so I asked him about it. "I'll fight
Sapp again, but first he needs to go beat some other guys. Erickson,
Herring, Vovchanchyn, if he beats some other big guys, I'll fight
him again."
After
this, we all packed our gear, and went to train with Bas Rutten,
who took it upon himself to educate some of these uninformed
fledgling fight fans about our beloved sport of MMA. Pictures
from that session, including the never-before-seen Bas Rutten
Neck Crank coming later.
Source: ADCC
Ricardo
Almeida: Going Back To A New Beginning
by: Joseph Cunliffe
On Saturday,
November 30, 2002, On Sammy presents the 'Pancrase 2002 Spirit
Tour' at the Yokohama Culture Gymnasium in Kanagawa, Japan.
In
a professional light heavyweight match, Team Renzo Gracie Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu black belt Ricardo Almeida takes on the 4th ranked
Pancrase light heavyweight Osami Shibuya. This match will be
Almeida’s return to MMA after nearly a 1 year layoff...
which takes him back to where it all started for the 2-2-0 Almeida
in Japan.
Now
a proud father, Almeida exclaims, “It’s the best! A
child is just the biggest blessing one can ask for... there’s
nothing better than being at home with my wife and kid.”
Almeida and wife Alley named their son, appropriately, Renzo.
But his layoff hasn’t been all family and fun. What many
people don’t know is that “I had a career threatening
injury in May,” said Almeida, who broke his hand in training.
The doctors told Almeida if he didn’t have reconstructive
surgery, “every time I would punch, I could break my hand.”
It’s post op and Almeida has a new beginning with a titanium
plate to hold his hand together. Now fully recovered, Almeida
admits, “it kept me away from the rings longer than I wanted.”
Almeida’s
professional MMA career started in Japan when he accepted a match
on 8 days notice, when Alan Goes was to fight Akira Shoji, but
sustained an injury. Almeida was in Japan helping Ryan Gracie
get ready for his fight with Sakuraba and accepted the match.
That was on December 23, 2000, and almost 2 years later, with
Almeida wanting a return to Japan, he was happy when Renzo asked
him to take this fight. Almeida knows Shibuya is very experienced,
with 65 recorded fights in Pancrase alone “he looks very
strong and in good shape... it should be a tough match.”
Almeida’s
training philosophy has changed since his first fight 2 years
ago, and although his emphasis is still Jiu-Jitsu, “I feel
today more and more fights are being decided with strategy and
physical conditioning.” Almeida has been working on that
a lot and training boxing for a while now too, but says “my
main focus is still the ground game.” Spending at least
3 days a week training at the Parisi School in NJ, Almeida says,
“it has definitely brought every aspect of my training to
another level.” Almeida admits he has never seen any facility
that comes even close to what the Parisi School does in north
Jersey.
What’s
new is Pancrase, similar to that of Pride and the UFC, Pancrase
now utilizes closed fists, and kicks and knees on the ground,
in 3 5-minute round matches. The so called “Pancrase Style”
rules no longer apply.
Kids
with great talent can be picked out of trees in Brazil, and when
he was a teenager, there were kids more talented, but when it
came down to making the right choices, “I was willing to
make the sacrifices,” Almeida says, “to be fighting
in (the) UFC, Pride, ADCC and now Pancrase.” Those sacrifices
have paid off for Almeida when students name him as a major influence,
he says, “it just gives me energy to keep striving to be
a better person everyday, to make the right choices and try to
always do the right thing.” Knowing most of his guys are
still single, wake up around noon and walk to the beach”
Almeida says, “I’ve been up since 6:00 this morning,
ran 3 miles in 40 degree weather and it’s taking almost
2 hours to do this interview between bottles and changing diapers
for baby Renzo.” The last time Almeida was in Brazil, one
of his friends told him he was very lucky to be fighting in all
these events and traveling all over the world. Almeida replied,
“luck is when opportunity meets preparation.”
And
with luck is on his side, Almeida will take the opportunity next
week in Japan to show how proper preparation works for the husband,
father and instructor.
For
more information on Ricardo Almeida or training Gracie Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu, check out www.RicardoAlmeida.com.
Source: ADCC
11/22/02
Quote
of the Day
"Some men give up their designs when they have almost reached
the goal; While others, on the contrary, obtain a victory by
exerting, at the last moment, more vigorous efforts than ever
before."
Herodotus
The
WWE Is Coming Back to Hawaii! Thanks to Justin for the info! Even though I posted The Rock's
picture, he probably won't be there because he is acting.
WWE (RAW brand) live in Honolulu
Date : 01/02/2003
Time : 7:30 p.m.
Venue : Neal S. Blaisdell Center
City/State : Honolulu, Hawaii
Ticket Information
: On sale Nov. 23. Tickets are available at the Box
Office and area Ticket Plus outlets. Charge-by-phone by calling
(808)
526-4400.
Ticket prices
are $90, $75, $45 and $25. Ticket purchases may be subject to
service/convenience charges and facility fees.
UFC
- Press Conference & Official Weights
The Ken
Shamrock and Tito Ortiz press conference, held on Wednesday the
20th made the front page of Vegas News on Thursday! The press
conference featured one of the most heated confrontations the
UFC has ever seen.
Ken
Shamrock stood up and started his talk about teaching Ortiz a
lesson in respect. Ortiz began laughing and Shamrock kicked a
heavy metal chair about six feet in the air and Ortiz stood up.
Luckily,
Dana White caught the chair in mid air.
'I
thought I was ready for just about anything, but when Tito laughed
at me,
I lost it' said Shamrock.
Many
thought the event was staged. It was obvious that it was not
afterwards as a heated Shamrock had to be calmed down by friends.
He later said that he simply couldn't take Ortiz laughing at
him.
If
you are thinking about buying the PPV, quit thinking. The MGM
is sold out
(even with 3,000 seats added). If you have to call to place your
order, you
may be shut out!
OFFICIAL
WEIGH INS FROM THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21st:
TITO
ORTIZ: 205 lbs.
KEN SHAMROCK: 201 lbs.
MATT
HUGHES: 170 lbs.
CASTILLO: 169 lbs.
CHUCK
LIDELL: 205 lbs.
RENATO BABALU: 204 lbs.
ORLOVSKY:
249 lbs.
IAN FREEMAN: 220 lbs.
CARLOS
NEWTON: 170 lbs.
PETE SPRATT: 170 lbs.
MARK
WEIR: 183 lbs.
PHILLIP MILLER: 184 lbs.
TRAVIS
WIUFF: 250 lbs.
VLAD MATYUSHENKO: 220 lbs.
TIKI
: 170 lbs.
ROBBIE LAWLER: 170 lbs.
Source: ADCC
UFC 40
Weigh-In Results
By John Hanlon
LAS
VEGAS, November 21 - The heat surrounding UFC 40’s main
event between light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz and challenger
Ken Shamrock continued to boil at the weigh-ins here at the MGM
Grand Arena.
Shamrock,
who weighed in light at a shredded 201 pounds, was restrained
by security after Ortiz, who met the 205 limit, proclaimed, “Let
the beatings begin.”
UFC
brass Dana White and Frank Fertitta even debated about bringing
the two combatants together for the stare down photo-op after
the chair throwing incident at yesterday’s press conference
-- the stage was noticeably bare, hindering any temper-induced
tosses.
Welterweight
champion Matt Hughes and challenger Gil Castillo joked about
a possible skirmish between themselves after each made the 170
benchmark.
Carlos
Newton, who was not his usually amicable self, weighed in two
pounds over the 170-pound limit. Considerably quiet and subdued,
Newton was given one hour to make weight. His opponent Pete Spratt,
got off the scale at 169.
Receiving
the largest pop from the crowd, Chuck Liddell, who looked cut,
made the 205 limit, as did his opponent Renato “Babalu”
Sobral at 204.
Brock
Lesner look-a-like Travis Wiuff (pronounced “View”)
will be the heaviest fighter of the event, weighing in at 250.
Vladimir Matyushenko, who was dwarfed by Wiuff, came in at 221.
Ian
Freeman and Andrei Arlovski were both well under the 265 weight
limit, weighing in 220 and 249 respectively.
“Ruthless”
Robbie Lawler, from the Miletich camp, and Tiki Ghosn, from Team
Punishment both weighed in at 170.
The
opening bout of the evening features 183-lbs. Mark Weir, from
England, and 184-lbs. Combat Grappling student Phillip Miller.
Source: ADCC
Heating
up for PRIDE.23
Ninja is Taking it Personally!
By Marcelo
Alonso
As PRIDE 23 is just around the corner, "The Brazilian Beat"
takes a side step to open space for the Brazilian fighters to
perform their best at the Tokyo Dome ring at November 24th. What
better way to start getting the feeling of the biggest event
in Japan this year than with the hot blood and non-stop style
of Chute Boxe rising star Murilo "Ninja" Rua? In his
fifth fight in PRIDE, Ninja will be taking part in probably the
most awaited and anticipated fight of his career facing off against
former Brazilian Top Team member and RINGS champion Ricardo Arona.
With a vicious style characterized by an unbelievable cardio
condition that literally creates a nightmare for his opponents,
combined with a often underrated ground game, Murilo Rua has
been game in all of his fights and is reported to be in the best
shape of his life. If you get to know Ninja, you'll know that
he doesn't say things just for the sake of promotion, so when
he says this fight is personal, you better believe it. Will he
be able to soundly defeat Ricardo Arona as he wants? We'll find
out on November 24th, but one thing is certain, once both Brazilian
fighters enter the ring the action will be guaranteed and the
fans will be treated to one of the best bouts in recent times.
As we have interviews with Minotauro and Vanderlei coming soon,
FCF opens the door and let Ninja walks in as the heat for PRIDE
23 is already on!
FCF:
Your last fight was against Mario Sperry at PRIDE 20, in what
was considered one of the best fights of the year. Why did you
get so touched after the fight?
Ninja: The reason I got so touched was due to all the pressure
involving this fight. I suffered a lot and trained a lot for
this fight, and I was also coming from an injury so I really
suffered during the training for this fight and since thank God
I won I cried out of happiness. To tell you the truth I'm sort
of a crybaby [Laughs]
FCF:
Well, I know what you mean [Laughs] what do you think now of
Sperry as a fighter?
Ninja: I think he is a very technical athlete. He is very tight
in his positions on the ground, and he isn't usually a very aggressive
fighter but he showed a lot of aggressiveness in his last PRIDE
fight. He has a lot of heart, as he showcased in our fight and
he is a truly professional athlete. He is one of the best fighters
in the NHB scene for sure.
FCF:
For sure. Did you expect him to trade strikes with you like he
did in the fight?
Ninja: To be totally honest with you Eduardo, I expect anything
when I'm in the ring. It ain't no use in saying what I think
the guy will do in the fight, I don't think about it! I just
go in there and see what he'll do. I react according to what
he'll do in the fight. If we have to fight on the ground, we'll
do it, if we have to trade, we'll do it as well.
FCF:
What do you think prevented you from getting the knockout in
that fight?
Ninja: In fact I think I could've been a bit more aggressive
maybe.
FCF:
Man! Even more aggressive? [Laughs]
Ninja: [Laughs] I don't know what happened in fact, cause I tried
everything there. In fact, he is a great professional and a very
good athlete.
FCF:
After this fight you kept training hard for several months without
being called to fight again in PRIDE. How was it for you to train
hard all that time and don't get to fight?
Ninja: Man, I was even getting a little upset to tell you the
truth. I wasn't understanding why they weren't calling me and
I was getting upset. I beat Sperry and he was fighting but I
wasn't, so I was getting a bit pissed with it, but now let's
demonstrate against Arona that I should be fighting.
FCF:
When you train for several months without fighting do you start
to lose your motivation? You train a lot, so how do you keep
your motivation when you're not fighting?
Ninja: I train a lot Eduardo. I'm serious. Only God knows how
hard I train. I give my best in what I do cause I have to be
the best. There's no way I'm going to stop training, fighting
or not, I need to be always training more and more, and in this
fight against Arona things will be tough for him cause I'm in
a great condition. I'm with great cardio.
FCF:
You have been expressing your desire to face Arona for a long
time now, and this fight is finally about to happen. Why do you
want to face him so badly?
Ninja: I'll be honest with you. In my opinion he is an athlete
that doesn't respect the other fighters and he showed it on the
magazines with the remarks he had about Vanderlei Silva and me.
I didn't think it was fair. He wasn't respecting Vanderlei as
the champion he is. There's no way to talk about Silva, it's
more than proven the great fighter he is. He doesn't respect
an athlete like he takes away my merit from defeating Sperry,
saying I was lucky. I got pissed, but we're going to settle it
on the ring. I'm willing to check out if he is that good as he
says he is. He already backed down in some of his statements,
and I'm going to put my head on the line to see how things will
roll inside the ring.
FCF:
Do you enter this fight with a personal motivation? What do you
think of Arona as a fighter?
Ninja: I don't think anything about him as a fighter in fact!
My thing is to kick his ass. I want to hit him a lot and send
him to the hospital, this is the only thing I'll say about him.
FCF:
Do you believe he will stand up and trade strikes with you? Or
are you expecting this to turn into a ground war?
Ninja: I think we'll have a taste of some stand up trading, and
I think this will be very good for me [Laughs] I'm prepared to
see how things will end up. Let's wait.
FCF:
Speaking about strikes, your Muay Thai seems way better now than
in your MECA days or even your first PRIDE fight. Do you also
feel this way?
Ninja: Yeah! Seriously! Now I have the best Muay Thai I ever
had in my life. I have been training a lot of Muay Thai. I have
been sparring a lot with Vanderlei and Anderson, and they're
all great there in the academy. Anderson is a Muay Thai phenomenon
and Vanderlei has a punch that if he hits you it'll rip your
head off! We're nicknaming him the headhunter, and the hammer
[Laughs] I think he will kill Kanehara!
FCF:
After this fight at PRIDE 23, what are Murilo Ninja's plans as
a fighter?
Ninja: I want to fight in December again. I hope they'll call
me.
FCF:
You are clearly one of the fighters that train the hardest in
the whole NHB scene. How was your preparation for this fight?
What did you emphasize the most?
Ninja: I trained a lot for this fight. I trained a lot of Muay
Thai. I did a lot of weight training and got myself a personal
trainer, I have been dedicating myself a lot now and I'm great
cardio condition.
FCF:
Your brother Mauricio Shogun just did his NHB debut at MECA scoring
an amazing win! How was it to stay in your brother's corner and
witness his debut?
Ninja: I was already expecting my brother's debut to be like
that, cause he has been training a lot. I train with Rafael Cordeiro
so I also train with him, and I teach classes with him at my
academy, so I was expecting him to perform like he did cause
he has great cardio as well. Thank God he got this win and I
think he could have a good future in the UFC. I think he could
do well if he fought against Murilo Bustamante. I think if the
UFC calls him to fight there he would do some good fights for
the UFC fans in his division. I think he is ready to fight abroad.
FCF:
What is tougher for you, to be inside the ring fighting or be
at your brother's corner
Ninja: Man! I don't know! Probably both things, it was like I
was there fighting with my brother in his fight [Laughs] I got
a bit nervous during my brother's fight, but it's part of the
game.
FCF:
Any final message for your fans?
Ninja: You guys can be sure that I'll do one of the best fights
of the night. I won't lack heart in the fight. I guarantee it.
FCF:
Thanks a lot and the best of luck!
Ninja: Thanks Eduardo! Take care.
Source: FCF
Pre
PRIDE 23: RODRIGO 'MINOTAURO' NOGUEIRA
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Was Bob Sapp the toughest opponent of your career? 'Minotauro':
Due to his strength, that was a very tough fight. However, he
wasn't the most technical, or the best fighter whom I've faced
off against, Mark Coleman and Heath Herring were. Sapp is a hard
guy to beat, but I was confident that I'd win. That pile driver
was his strong point in that fight, and I didn't fight well in
first round due to that.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Did you change your tactics inside the ring for Sapp?
'Minotauro': I wanted to expend his gas on the ground, and to
land some punches on the feet. I got to do this, and I think
that I was better on the feet. To trade blows with him if he's
not gassed would have been a bad thing for me.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: That was the biggest weight difference between two heavyweights.
What's your opinion on this? 'Minotauro': That was a stupid weight
and strength difference. If I didn't have technique and fought
with a guy who was 65kg, if he were to try an armbar I'd escape
due to my strength. Also, I'd eat punches without problems due
to my weight. If I had the same
weight and height as Sapp I'd 'kill' him in the ring.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: It seems that fighters with Sapp's size will be seen
more frequently in the NHB shows in the next year. Does this
represent any kind of danger to you? 'Minotauro': Seems that
the NHB's future will be one of many mutants (laughs). I think
that they need to do a new (super)heavyweight category.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Was that pile driver the worst moment for you in that
fight, or did Sapp affect you in other ways? 'Minotauro': No
doubt about it. His punches didn't stun me because I'm used to
training with hard punchers.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Besides that armbar, which defined the fight, did you
feel there were other times where you could have submitted him?
'Minotauro': I almost put a triangle on him, but he body-slammed
me twice, and when I adjusted the position, he escaped with technique.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: What about those technical movements that Sapp used during
the fight? Allan Goes was reported as being the one that taught
Sapp those moves. 'Minotauro': I'm upset, he trained with me.
I'll never do this
to anyone who I trained with.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: You said on the feet you were better. Do you feel you
came close to KOing him? 'Minotauro': I threw good combos. I've
certainty that, if I were the heaviest, he'd be KO'ed with a
straight punch, which I landed.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Some fans want to know, why didn't you throw punches
in
Sapp's face when you got the position for armbar sine he tried
to hurt you bad with that pile driver? 'Minotauro': I'm an athlete,
not a brawler. I submitted him with technique. I'm in the ring
to give a show, and not to hurt my opponent, or to try to step
on him after my victory.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: What was your reaction when Josh Barnett challenged you
after that war against Sapp? 'Minotauro': That was an inopportune
moment. Maybe that's part of show, I don't know. But I think
that he should have respected me, since I was coming from a hard
fight and I was very tired. Others interesting points are: Barnett
was in Sapp's corner, I armbarred Sapp. Barnett was in Coleman's
corner, I submitted Coleman. Barnett was in Tsuyoshi Kohsaka's
corner, 'Minotoro' decisioned Kohsaka. Also, Barnett was in Akira
Shoji's corner, Filho armbarred Shoji. So the score is in my
favor (laughs).
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: He said in a recent interview he (Barnett) said he would
beat you. What do you say to this? 'Minotauro': I respect his
talent, but
I'd beat him.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: What do you really think about Barnett? 'Minotauro':
He's tough, and he's the former UFC heavyweight champion, but
there're other
fighters (besides Josh) who can face me first.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Who would you like to face? 'Minotauro': Ricco Rodriguez,
Emelianenko Fedor, Hidehiko Yoshida, Kazuyuki Fujita, and Mirco
'Cro Cop'.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Rodriguez to avenge that ADCC match? 'Minotauro': Yeah.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Why not Tom Erickson? 'Minotauro': I'd fight him, however
he likes to stall and it'd not be a good show for the fans.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Did Pride matchmakers give you Sapp because you fought
in UFO? 'Minotauro': I don't know, there're a lot of rumors in
Japan about this (laughs). No problems, I'm the Pride heavyweight
champion and I'm ready to face whomever it will be. I don't choose
my opponents.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Why did you fight in UFO? 'Minotauro': When I signed
my contract in 2001 with Pride, my manager put in there that
I could fight in UFO, or Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye in 2002. So, the Pride
matchmakers were a bit concerned that I'd not be able to fight
in Dynamite, but as everyone saw, I did. Also, I want to speak
to the fact that I faced Sapp because nobody wants to fight him.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Did you find yourself feeling a bit tired in Dynamite
due to the fight in UFO? 'Minotauro': Yeah, I was a bit tired.
Jet-lag and sinusitis were my toughest opponents (laughs).
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Do you still intend to fight in K-1? 'Minotauro': I've
every intention of doing so, but right now my main concern is
the fights in Pride. I want to be undefeated this year in Pride.
My plans for K-1 will begin next year when I'll dedicate myself
to Muay Thai. I will go to Holland in January.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Pride 23, opponent Semmy Schilt, another giant. What're
your thoughts? 'Minotauro': I knew last November 5th that I'd
be facing Schilt. I have a tactic in my mind, and I'll take advantage
of these next two weeks to train hard.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Will Schilt pose the same threats as Sapp did? 'Minotauro':
They're both giants. I think that Schilt has better kicks, and
his punches are more technical than Sapp's also. He can prove
this in K-1, where he(Schilt) will be facing Sapp in the first
round. His ground game is improving, but I'm confident.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: So it will be hard to find the ideal distance on the
feet? 'Minotauro': I've trained for this.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Did you expect to fight in Pride 23? 'Minotauro': Nope,
I was hoping for a fight between Herring and Emelianeko Fedor,
and to face the winner in December. If I wasn't training I'd
not have accepted this fight, but because I was already in training,
I now have this privilege.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Do you feel you should have to face Heath Herring again?
'Minotauro': I beat him without any doubt the first time. So
I think that there should be no reason for another fight, at
least not now.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: If he (Herring) beats Fedor, would an immediate fight
against him be premature? 'Minotauro': I think that Pride's heavyweights
should fight more amongst themselves. Fights such as Fedor x
Sapp, Schilt x Erickson and Herring x Coleman would be welcome.
After these fights, they could choose an opponent for me. But
they prefer to risk repeating a fight. Why only tough fighters
for me? I faced a 170kg last time, and next I'll face a 130kg.
The Pride middleweight champion got a rest in Dynamite. I want
to fight, and whomever they put in front of me, I'll face. I
don't choose my opponents, but Pride needs to take care of my
best interests (laughs).
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Who do you pick between Fedor and Herring? 'Minotauro':
I
haven't watched many fights from Fedor. He's talented, however,
Herring is
more experienced and the stronger of the two. I prefer to not
pick.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Can we expect a good show in your fight? 'Minotauro':
Once again I'll try my best. I'm always looking for submissions.
My fans are seeing that I'm only facing tough fighters, and I'm
proving that they can believe in me. Also, my new web site -
www.minotauro.net - is coming soon,
please try to check it out.
Source: ADCC
Part 2: Interview
With FRANK SHAMROCK
by: Keith Mills
KM:
So what is up with frankshamrock.com?
FS:
Right now our cart has just been rebuilt. We took the whole e-commerce
cart down and rebuilt the whole machine. That will be up in another
day or two.
(Note:
this interview took place last weekend.)
KM:
As far as the next set of seminars…Hawaii?
FS:
Yeah.
KM:
What is this, a tough job but someone has to do it?
FS:
(Laughing) you know how it is. I have a standard I go by: I only
go to cool, fun, warm places.
KM:
The last one I heard of was right before Shogun last year so
the pattern seems to be timing your seminars around them. Was
Hawaii just because it’s Hawaii or is that built around
an event?
FS:
There’s actually an event going on down there. There’s
a show called Shooto Alpha and it’s a smaller event on the
island of Maui, the boys are just getting their show going and
they really wanted to have me down. It all worked out, I’m
going to go to the show and make an appearance, hang out, go
to the party afterwards and enjoy everybody’s company and
the next day we’re planning a huge seminar, we’re going
to draw everybody in from all the islands and I’m going
to give them their big input of knowledge.
KM:
When is that?
FS:
That is December 8th. That’s actually my birthday.
KM:
Happy birthday!
FS:
Thanks. It’s a birthday seminar.
KM:
It seems like you wouldn’t have much competition with seminars
having such a big name, having such a reputation but from a business
perspective what is the seminar circuit like and how do you fit
into it?
FS:
When we started doing seminars there were really only a couple
people of the mixed martial arts with a program and a structure
for doing it, there was very little competition when I started.
I really enjoy teaching, that has always been my passion, fighting
was always second. That’s how I express myself and that’s
how I learn. I learn best from teaching. Teaching, studying,
and then testing. I enjoy the circuit, I enjoy going out and
meeting the people and participating and going to the events.
I think its part of that desire for our sport to grow. You have
to see those guys and be able to touch them and talk to them
and train with them or just it doesn’t seem as real.
KM:
Right now you plan on every two or three months or so?
FS:
Right now we’re on about every two months. We’re about
to start a world tour.
KM:
Oh, oh.
FS:
Absolutely. I just went to England this year and incredible response
over there. The market has just exploded; this sport is growing
exponentially there. We’re going to start in Vegas, go to
Hawaii, and then it looks like we’ll probably go to Fresno
of all places, then Canada, Australia, and then the rest of it
is still up in the air, we’re still planning it out. We
were just working on that before you called.
KM:
Must be a nice life.
FS:
I wish it was all glamour and all that but it is work but it’s
work that I enjoy and I know that it’s good for the sport
and it’s good for the people that go to the shows and participate
in the seminars. Most of our people are highly educated in our
industry and they want as much knowledge as possible. Even if
they don’t use it they still want to know what goes on it
that show and goes on in that fight so they can be in touch and
in tune. You can participate in more ways then sitting there
and watching people. That’s how you get people involved
and that’s how you build an industry.
KM:
Speaking of traveling, I noticed on your website about you and
the AKA going down to Combat Libre in October but I didn’t
see any follow up on that.
FS:
Oh yeah. It was my responsibility; I was supposed to follow up
and never did. They went great. Pat Minihan was our pretty much
star guy that went down there…
KM:
Is he the guy who is 4-0 and won at WEC?
FS:
Yeah. He just kicked his guy’s ass. He did a great job.
Everybody that was associated with me or hung out, everybody
won. It was a great time for us. The show was awesome. Going
into Mexico I thought it would be in some rundown warehouse or
whatever. It was in an upscale nightclub, production value was
incredible, treated us like kings, the whole show is a fine example
of our sport in another country and I really appreciated it.
KM:
Late last year you were on the cover of just about every MMA
magazine. This year you were supposed to fight Almeida but broke
your leg. What have you been up to since then?
FS:
I’m doing what I always do: training a little bit, teaching
a little bit, and seminars. I have a law enforcement training
program I’ve been working really hard on for about 6 years
now and that’s called SODCS and that has just got national
recognition so that has been consuming a lot of my time. My book
is almost finished finally…
KM:
I didn’t know about the book…
FS:
I’ve had a book coming out for like two years and then I
had a legal battle with the book. It became a big mayhem and
I had to re-write a bunch of stuff but the book will be out next
year so that’s coming along nicely.
KM:
Do you have any kind of publishing arrangement yet? Would it
be done through your site?
FS:
Unique publications is going to publish it, the same folks that
did my tapes last year, they do Grappling magazine, a number
of different other things. They are going to publish it, international
distribution, everybody can get it. It is a how-to on submission
fighting including 700 pictures. It is literally a manual to
learn how to fight.
KM:
Comparing and contrasting it to Ken’s book that came out
a couple years ago (Inside The Lions Den), are you going to have
as much on your career or is it going to be all training like
the Renzo one earlier this year?
FS:
Mine is going to be very very training oriented. The data on
me will be just data and I’ll do my personal little stories
but the real idea behind the book is to get as much knowledge
out there as possible. I’ve studied every martial art I
could ever get my hands on and we have evolved a new martial
art from all the other martial arts that have ever happened.
We have a new art with new theories and new concepts.
KM:
You were supposed to fight Almeida this year until you broke
the leg. How do you feel about fighting now and is there any
chance of seeing you fight again?
FS:
I’m still determined to fight and I still owe WEC a fight
so I will be fighting there next. We’re looking at February
currently.
KM:
Whom would you want to fight at this time? In a lot of earlier
interviews you talked about like a lot of these fighters you
know you could beat and don’t really thrill you. Have things
changed enough that any particular fighter excites you or interests
you?
FS:
Things have changed dramatically with fighters. The whole industry
has basically turned over since I stepped out of the limelight.
It is a different world out there. There are fighters that excite
me but my real dream was to fight Sakuraba because we have the
same teachers and teachers of teachers. He created a unique martial
arts system of combat and beat all the Gracies. He was very successful
in implementing his martial arts system. I really wanted to fight
him and I tried for about two years and eventually just given
up on it. I’d love to fight the top guys like Bustamente,
Ninja, all those guys are super tough and all those guys have
evolved as fighters. I look at it like when I step in there against
these guys we’re going to be on some pretty equal playing
ground.
KM:
Your last fight was against Shannon Rich in K-1.
FS:
Yeah, that was kickboxing.
KM:
Are you thinking of doing more K-1 or are you sticking with MMA?
FS:
My first love was MMA. Actually my first love was submission
wrestling. I enjoy kickboxing but didn’t actually enjoy
the training for it. So much on your shins, legs, knees, and
arms from the kicking and everything that I felt I was taking
damage impact like I would never take in a mixed martial arts
match. I didn’t enjoy it. This year I broke my leg actually
kickboxing. It’s something that has lost its flavor for
me and I don’t see myself going back.
KM:
You are going to be ringside at UFC but are you commentating?
FS:
Nope, I’m just hanging out, I’m there to enjoy the
show.
KM:
Are your commentating days over?
FS:
No, I’m going to commentate the WFA actually.
KM:
I’m sorry, I was confusing the two.
FS:
I wanted to commentate it, I thought I had maybe some inside
information that would add to the story but the UFC had other
ideas of what they wanted presented. To be honest with you, I
don’t know how I’d react under that stress of those
guys fighting, so I’m happy to just sit and watch the show
and enjoy it.
KM:
Here we are you’ve beaten Tito and you’ve helped him
after that but then here he is fighting Ken…how does this
make you feel?
FS:
I feel bad. I’m conscious I’ve done something wrong.
KM:
If Tito wins would you feel any guilt?
FS:
I would. I feel guilt already. I look at it from two angles:
I feel kind of guilty but at the same time I wasn’t doing
anything wrong, I was just helping a friend. It’s just kind
of a catch 22 I caught myself in.
KM:
Are you trying to stay removed from this?
FS:
Yeah. I’m trying to sit down like a spectator and watch
our sport develop and not involve myself. I’m not in the
limelight, it their show, their beef, and I’m just going
to be another fly on the wall.
KM:
And then the next night commentating the WFA.
FS:
We have three or four guys in there so I have a lot of inside
knowledge there, there’s a lot of celebrities…I’m
going to be the roaming celebrity/winner interviewer. That’s
my job.
KM:
Is the acting career over?
FS:
No. I’m still not really pursuing the industry right now.
The biggest thing is the location: I don’t live in the industry
so it’s difficult for me to participate and you can’t
fly to LA twice a week. My thought is I have another couple fights,
there are a few more roles I need to play in this industry, and
then I’m going to go back and do the entertainment industry.
Frank
may have a press release any day now on an after-fight party
after the UFC where again Frank will try to grow the sport. The
next day he holds his second seminar in the afternoon at John
Lewis’ J-Sect Academy before commentating the WFA. For more
information check out frankshamrock.com
Source: ADCC
11/21/02
Quote
of the Day
"The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready
for his opportunity when it comes."
Benjamin Disraeli
Shooto
Hawaii Matches Added
Shooto Class B - Welterweight 70kg 154.3lbs
Neil Andres (HMC) Vs. Josh Corlione (Kodenkan)
Shooto Class
B - Featherweight 60kg 132.3
Antonio Rodriquez (Team Big Dog)VS. William Armstrong (808 Fight
Factory)
Source: Event Promoter
UFC
40 Press Conference turns into Ortiz-Shamrock Hate-Fest
By Loretta
Hunt
The festivities
surrounding UFC 40 got off to a riveting start today as Zuffa
hosted it's official press conference at Studio 54 in the MGM
Grand Hotel and Casino -- and Full Contact Fighter was there
to watch the sparks fly! What started out as an uneventful outing
quickly turned ugly as UFC legend Ken Shamrock made his way to
the podium to address the crowd.
In
a seemingly heart-felt soliloquy to the audience, complete with
dramatic pauses and powerful hand gestures for emphasis, Shamrock
spoke of respect for the sport and its fighters, something he
says opponent Ortiz was severely lacking. "I take nothing
from Tito Ortiz's ability," he explained, "but I do
have a lot to say about his attitude and what he did to me and
the Lions Den... I did say I would not leave the mixed martial
arts world until I got in there and got the opportunity to knuckle
him up and since that day, Tito Ortiz has done nothing but open
his mouth, disrespect me and the Lions Den." Turning to
face his opponent for the first time that day, Shamrock concluded
with this statement. "On Friday night, at the MGM Grand,
right here, when the gate shuts and the bell rings, Tito Ortiz
is going to find out what Ken Shamrock is all about. I guarantee
that. So if I was you, I hope to God you come ready, 'cause if
you don't, I'm going to beat you into living death." Ortiz,
who had rarely taken his eyes off Shamrock from the start, gazed
up at his foe before releasing a hearty, extended laugh. "You
can keep laughing, you jerk bitch," exclaimed Shamrock,
as he motioned closer to the seated Ortiz. "This isn't the
WWF," retorted Ortiz, as heated words volleyed back and
forth (including fevered expletives on Mr. Shamrock's behalf)
between the two athletes. As the crowd began to murmur, Ortiz
stood to meet Shamrock, just as Shamrock pawed a chair in Ortiz's
direction.
Security (as well as Dana White) jumped between the two men,
but this did not stop the free-flowing dialogue. Shamrock was
on a roll and Ortiz was racing to catch-up as he chimed in, "I'm
going to turn you into a bitch." When Ortiz finally did
get his turn at the podium, he immediately thanked the UFC for
putting the fight together and offered Shamrock a flower to put
on the grave he was going "to bury his ass in." "How
about if I shove it in your fucking mouth?" Shamrock answered
back. With numerous fighters and their teams watching such unprecedented
fodder, it did not take long before they got in on the action
as well. Apparently, a few of them were not convinced by the
proceedings and began to voice their opinions from the crowd,
as welterweight champ Matt Hughes struggled to keep his composure
on-stage. Shamrock eventually stormed out of the room, with his
Lions Den crew in tow, while the crowd struggled to gain its
composure. The whole episode delved into (relatively) uncharted
territory for a sport that has naturally nurtured positive fighter
interaction in the past. Whether the venom between these two
men was believable or not can be argued, but no one can deny
that it was certainly entertaining.
Barring
the interaction between Shamrock and Ortiz, the remainder of
the conference ran smoothly, featuring polite words from both
UFC welterweight champion and opponent Gil Castillo, who hopes
to pull an upset over the Iowan powerhouse this Friday. UFC President
Dana White confirmed that the arena will most likely sell-out
around the 14,000 mark -- making it the largest MMA event ever
held in America. Zuffa's local push to get the event noticed
is clearly plain to see -- from the big screen TV's throughout
the casino endlessly playing UFC promos to commemorative slot
machines and card tables decorated with Ortiz and Shamrock's
mugs. USA Today's Danny Sheridan, known for his odds-making in
numerous sports, was in attendance with his freshly-tallied numbers
from that morning's edition. ESPN crews were there as well, finishing
their coverage for an Outside The Lines piece to air December
5th at 7PM EST. With more press expected tomorrow, including
reps from the Los Angeles Times among other notable publications,
UFC 40 is shaping up to be quite an event.
Ken
Shamrock's speech in its entirety:
"This is really, really difficult for me to stand here right
now. Since the first UFC, I have fought many different fighters
and I've tried to carry myself with a professional attitude.
I know at times, I've been difficult to deal with at times when
times were necessary. I feel that for this sport to continue
to move like it has now -- Dana White and Zuffa has done a great
job putting this thing together -- is that we have to have some
sort of control or some sort of respect between each other. Whatever
you want to do before the fight, during the fight -- but when
the bell rings and your hand is raised or not raised, you show
a little respect. And if you don't want to show any respect at
all, don't show any disrespect. To me, that's Lowering our event
to where it doesn't need to be. We're trying to elevate ourselves
to a professional organization and in order to do that, we have
to have professional athletes. I take nothing from Tito Ortiz's
ability, but I do have a lot to say about his attitude and what
he did to me and the Lions Den... I did say I would not leave
the mixed martial arts world until I got in there and got the
opportunity to knuckle him up and since that day, Tito Ortiz
has done nothing but open his mouth, disrespect me and the Lions
Den. For whatever reason he has I don't know and I don't care
right now. All I care about is getting in the ring and getting
it on with Tito Ortiz. On Friday night, at the MGM Grand, right
here, when the gate shuts and the bell rings, Tito Ortiz is going
to find out what Ken Shamrock is all about. I guarantee that.
(Turns to Ortiz) So if I was you, I hope to God you come ready,
cause if you don't, I'm going to beat you into living death."
Source: FCF
Pride
23: Championship Chaos 2 Preview
Pride 23:
Championship Chaos 2 - Vanderlei Silva puts middleweight title
on the line and former UWFi wrestlers compete together for their
leader's finale in the ring.
After
a lackluster Pride 22 card, which played out only slightly better
than it looked on paper, Dreamstage fires back with a solid event.
In fact, only two bouts on the entire super-sized 9 bout card
exhibit the aroma of blatant mismatch we've become accustom to
lately. The middleweight champion risks his title and aging Japanese
pro wrestler Nobuhiko Takada bids farewell to the MMA ring...and
he better mean it.
American
wrestler Kevin Randleman meets another RINGS transplant, Kenichi
Yamamoto
Murilo
Rua from Chute Boxe goes toe-to-toe with Ricardo Arona from the
Brazilian Top Team
Golden
Glory's Heath Herring battles Russian Sambo stylist Emelianenko
Fedor for the right to fight for the heavyweight title
Pride
Heavyweight Champion Rodrigo Nogueira clashes with gargantuan
Hollander Semmy Schilt
Pride
Middleweight Champion Vanderlei Silva's title is also in jeopardy
when he faces premiere Japanese grappler Hiromitsu Kanehara
Don
Frye is back in action and ready to lock horns with Judo stylist
Hidehiko Yoshida
In
his final match, pro wrestler Nobuhiko Takada takes on former
RINGS golden boy Kiyoshi Tamura
And
the headliner, Japanese fighting legend Kazushi Sakuraba takes
to the ring with French jiu-jitsu stylist Gilles Arsene
Source: Sherdog
Catching
Up With FRANK SHAMROCK
by: Keith Mills
KM:
You hanging in there? FS: I’m still alive.
KM:
Only a week or so left to go before your seminars. Is that your
main focus right now? FS: Yeah, definitely. Getting these seminars
done, they’ve turned out to be an enormous deal because
there are so many people coming in for these shows so I really
put a lot of attention and time into it.
KM:
I saw on your website that the cut-off for pre-registration was
last Tuesday but are there still spots available? FS: Yeah, there
are still some limited spots available. We gave a nice pre-registration
and a free t-shirt because there are a lot of people traveling
in that wanted to secure a spot but there are still some spots
available. You can go to the website and get all the information
on how to register. In Vegas there are a couple mobile numbers
on there because we have like a five person team helping orchestrate
this thing so you can reach any of those people at those mobile
numbers.
KM:
Are both seminars going to be basically the same? FS: They are
going to be similar. They’re all going to deal with what
I call submission fighting, what I teach. The first seminar is
going to be at the International Martial Arts Academy and we’re
probably going to do a little more technical instruction there
and focus a little more on integrating submissions and reality
combat into traditional martial arts. The second seminar which
will be a J-Sect academy we’re going to focus strictly on
“ultimate fighting”, “extreme fighting”,
whatever you want to call it using the cage and all the elements
that go along with that style of combat.
KM:
The one at J-Sect is the 23rd? FS: Yeah, the 23rd just before
the WFA. We’re going to do the seminar and then we’re
all going to go to the WFA.
KM:
So it seems like the J-Sect one is the one the people coming
into town for the UFC and WFA are going to be more interested
in but the one before that on the 21st is the one that you were
saying will be more technical… FS: Yeah, it’s going
to be more technical in that we’re going to focus a little
more on submissions, combinations of submissions, concepts and
theories of angles of attack and stuff like that. It’s going
to be a more technical session because I’ve done a seminar
with the gentleman at the International Martial Arts Academy
before and they have a traditional martial arts system that has
been converted into a modern martial arts system so my thought
is to bring them some very technical information to try to help
them continue on their path.
KM:
It sounds like that could be the more interesting one… FS:
I think it might be (laughs). The first seminar is really for
the local people there and I want to make sure they have the
correct information. Most of the people traveling in, they know
about fighting and they’re huge fans so the J-Sect seminar
will give us all an opportunity to hang out, do some serious
training, but I’d like to teach more how to use the cage
and how to be aware of what’s going on, relax, some mental
preparations…I think we’ll have a lot of amateur fighters,
a lot of professional fighters, and people that maybe are interested
in pursuing that career. It is going to be different and I think
the people that go there are going to see the difference.
KM:
Speaking of differences, you put out a series of tapes about
a year and a half ago. How are these going to be different from
the tapes? FS: The one difference will be that the knowledge
has grown since that time. I have learned a lot of different
(techniques), so it will be the updated knowledge from the base
system I already created.
KM:
I thought it was pretty obvious looking at the records of some
of the AK A people and watching them fight, especially this summer,
how much you’ve grown as a trainer and teacher. FS: The
strange thing about that is it’s my system but I’m
not the guy actually training them. It’s just that the system
is so good, so sound, it covers so many areas of combat that
I’ve been able to teach my fighters and they all in turn
train each other and then Crazy Bob who is the main trainer and
my best friend and teacher…
KM:
Bob Cook, right? FS: Bob Cook, just dispenses the knowledge and
everybody grows from it. It’s really an amazing system.
The way we’ve always ran our program is I bring the base
knowledge and then it’s everybody else’s job to find
more and then they bring it back and share it with everybody.
Test it, implement it, if it works add it and we go to the next
thing.
KM:
Getting back to the differences with the tapes what would you
say the difference between the tapes and the seminars is? The
amount you’ve grown in the past year and a half or how much
you’ve learned? FS: I think it has to do with just knowledge
learned. The knowledge has grown but the moves have been simplified
even more.
KM:
Would you say the tapes are outdated? FS: I wouldn’t say
they are outdated because the core…what I did on the tapes
was I put the core foundation of our system on those tapes. That
is the base. It’s up to the person to find more information,
to build on that base, and/or continue training with me or around
me to absorb that new information. The mechanics and the elements
that are in the tapes are always going to be efficient, effective,
and be the system because that is where everything comes from.
KM:
Are the tapes still available? FS: Absolutely. You can get them
through the website www.frankshamrock.com and they’re in
the gear section.
In
part 2 Frank discusses what he’s been up to lately and gives
a sneak preview of what is to come in the new year.
Source: ADCC
NCAA
Division I Team Wrestling Rankings
Below is a list of W.I.N. Magazine’s NCAA Division I team
wrestling rankings. The rankings are formulated on input from
coaches across the country and by analyzing past results. Teams
are ranked according to placement potential at the NCAAs. To
follow the weekly rankings during the season, go to our website
at .
W.I.N.’s
Top Twenty-five!
1.
Oklahoma State (2nd)
2. Iowa (3rd)
3. Minnesota (1st)
4. Oklahoma (4th)
5. Ohio State (6th)
6. Iowa State (5th)
7. Michigan (7th)
8. Nebraska (8th)
9. Lehigh (9th)
10. Illinois (10th)
11. Missouri (11th)
12. Arizona State (12th)
13. West Virginia (13th)
14. Northern Iowa (14th)
15. Edinboro (15th)
16. Cornell (19th)
17. Boise State (16th)
18. Hofstra (18th)
19. Pennsylvania (17th)
20. Penn State (20th)
21. Lock Haven (21st)
22. Purdue (22nd)
23. Wisconsin (23rd)
24. Air Force (25th)
25. Cleveland State
Source: W.I.N Magazine
INTERVIEW:
HEADCOACH OF
BUDOKAN LUTA-LIVRE TEAM
JOAO RICARDO
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Hi Mr. Joao Ricardo. First off it's a pleasure to interview
you. Joao Ricardo: The pleasure is mine
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: How do you see your fighters who're representing a Luta-Livre
school (BUDOKAN), mainly Flavio Luis Moura and CYBORG, who're
knocking out their opponents? Joao Ricardo: CYBORG is ranked
as a lightheavyweight, where the punches are hard and when a
punch is lands well, the opponent doesn't have a chance. While
Moura has his background in Muay Thai and it's his main characteristic,
of course this is the NHB evolution and it's very good to surprise
opponents. Myself, for example, when I fought NHB, I liked to
land punches and not to submit my opponent.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Does Johil de Oliveira, the biggest name on the BUDOKAN
Team, prefer to submit his opponents rather than land punches?
Joao Ricardo: We've trained strikes from all positions, including
on the feet and on the ground(top or bottom). But de Oliveira
has victories by submission because his opponents leave themselves
vulnerable and Luta-Livre schools you in leglocks, chokes and
armlocks.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Will de Oliveira continue fighting or will he be only
a BUDOKAN instructor? Joao Ricardo: He has been hampered by the
injuries. He had a car accident, and he needs a cornea transplant.
On his last two fights in Japan, he fought despite his condition.
He has trained Luta-Livre everyday, and he's still a fighter
because he has heart and will.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Undeniably BUDOKAN is the most traditional Luta-Livre
team from Brazil, but we don't actually see many BUDOKAN fighters
competing in Luta-Livre events. Why is this? Joao Ricardo: Because
I don't agree and don't like the rules which the new Luta-Livre
masters are using at these events. I think that they need to
respect the real Luta-Livre rules. The rules which're being used
nowadays are very similar to Jiu Jitsu. Our event, Copa BUDOKAN
de Luta-Livre, has the real Luta-Livre rules.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: And for Submission events? Joao Ricardo: I think that
the referees from Submission events only know Jiu Jitsu rules.
The Ruas VT system member, Alexandre 'Cacareco' Ferreira is the
most technical Luta-Livre fighter, and he needs to 'beat' the
referees and to beat his opponents on the mat to win the medals
and trophies. So I'll never let my fighters who've already fought
in the USA, Japan and Russia to be robbed on the Brazilian mats.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Are you developing Luta-Livre in Argentina? Joao Ricardo:
Actually, there're 10 Luta-Livre academies in Argentina, and
they've already organized two events with my name. There's a
proposal for me to take Luta-Livre to Chile too.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: How is this going? Joao Ricardo: Successful. The guy
came out of Argentina looking for grappling-based martial arts.
He went to the SA, and he came to Rio de Janeiro. So I think
that he adapted himself better to Luta-Livre, and then he's with
me on this project. I expended two weeks in Argentina where the
main Martial Arts Magazine there, Judo&Karate Magazine, wrote
some good articles about Luta-Livre.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Here in Brazil, Luta-Livre is growing, but it's a timid
growth. Why? Joao Ricardo: We already were very small. The main
problems are with some of our fighters who started and represented
Luta-Livre in the past but don't t raise our flag anymore. They
don't speak about Luta-Livre when they win a fight. I really
don't know why this happened, because it was our technique which
put them where they're. It's sad to see guys who trained at BUDOKAN
or already competed in Copa BUDOKAN de Luta-Livre, and now they
don't know what Luta-Livre is or they simply don't speak anything
about it.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: What do you think about ADCC? Joao Ricardo: I like ADCC,
but I think that this is an event done for Jiu Jitsu's guys without
the gi to win. In the last ADCC Brazilian Trials we saw this.
They put Luta-Livre versus Luta-Livre in the first round, when
they should have put Luta-Livre versus Jiu Jitsu. Also ADCC is
a magnificent event, however fights such as Horn x Hughes and
Feitosa x Renzo in 2000 and 'Pe de Pano' x JJ Machado in 2001
were bad for its image, they were fake.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: So because of that do you prefer NHB events rather than
Submission events? Joao Ricardo: Of course. We've 90% of real
fights in NHB, where the rivalry is high and with a lot of professionalism.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Why didn't BUDOKAN take part in the NHB events?
Joao Ricardo: The answer is easy, there're not much events and
there's no invitation. We, from BUDOKAN, won our three fights
in MECA 1, 5 and 7, and we're hoping for opportunities.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Nowadays, who's the BUDOKAN's contact to fight in international
NHB events? Joao Ricardo: Actually we don't have anybody and,
because of that, we're not in the UFC or Pride.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Do you think it is almost impossible for us to see Moura
or CYBORG fight in a foreign country? Joao Ricardo: I don't know.
In Pride we can see only BTT, ChuteBoxe and Team Renzo Gracie
having good opportunities, so they closed the doors for new fighters
from other Brazilian academies. I cannot deny that they've their
merits. They have beaten ranked guys and have good names on their
teams. However, the Sun was born for everybody.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Would you like to say something to the matchmakers? Joao
Ricardo: We lack opportunities, and that's it. We don't have
sponsors, so our fighters need to teach, to train and to work
everyday to support themselves. If somebody has interest in supporting
us, we've our doors open. Because here at BUDOKAN, we've a serious
workout and real fighters.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Ok Master Joao Ricardo, thanx a lot. Joao Ricardo: OK
man, and I'd like to invite the Luta-Livre fans to watch the
most traditional Luta-Livre event of Brazil, Copa BUDOKAN de
Luta-Livre 12, which'll take place on next November 23 in Grajau
Tennis Clube at 2:00pm. This event will have 16 teams, with 96
fighters in 6 weight classes. At this event the fans will see
the real Luta-Livre rules. Don't miss it.
Source: ADCC
INTERVIEW
WITH ONE OF
BRAZILIAN TOP TEAM's FOUNDERS:
'BEBEO' DUARTE
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil- How would you analyze BTT this year? 'Bebeo' Duarte-
compared with 2001 we won another belt with Murilo Bustamante,
who also defended it and kept it around his waist. To speak the
truth, the bad thing this year was Jose Mario Sperry's defeat
to Murilo 'Ninja' Rua. It's not because 'Ninja' was from ChuteBoxe,
but because Sperry is one of the BTT founders and a defeat of
him - it doesn't matter who was his opponent - it was bad. This
year also was good because we showed the world that our team
is fantastic and we're doing a very good job.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil- Actually it's impossible to not compare BTT and ChuteBoxe.
How do you see this comparison? 'Bebeo' Duarte- These're two
good different teams. We're learning Muay Thai/Wrestling and
they're learning Jiu Jitsu/Wrestling. The fans often ask themselves
who's the toughest, Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira or Vanderlei
Silva? I think my team is more complete, and Rudimar Fedrigo
thinks the same as well. I still haven't seen guys from other
countries wanting to copy the ChuteBoxe's name, while others
have already copied Top Team (American and Russian).
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Is it harder for the grappler to learn striking or the
striker to learn grappling? 'Bebeo' Duarte- Each one has its
difficulty. Here at BTT we've Jiu Jitsu in our roots. Bustamante
has been a black-belt since 1984 and I've since 1988. You can
see a good example of how we cannot escape from our roots in
Paulo Filho x Akira Shoji's fight. Filho trained Muay Thai a
lot, and he intended on trading blows with Shoji, but after 30
seconds of fighting, he grabbed Shoji. Why did it happen? Because
he has trained Judo since 3 or 4 years old. I think when a fighter
feels a risk, he'll do what he's more skilled in. If Vanderlei
Silva fights, he won't take his opponent down; he'll land kicks,
knees and punches. But to be a complete fighter is good because
such as we saw Vanderlei Silva choking Bob Schriber out and 'Minotauro'
knocking out Sanae Kikuta.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil- Speaking about Muay Thai, who's the Muay Thai coach of
Brazilian Top Team ? 'Bebeo' Duarte- Paulo Nikolai
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil- But why have Luiz Alves and Artur Mariano always trained
home of BTT's fighters? 'Bebeo' Duarte- Alves teaches Sperry,
'Minotauro' and Rogerio 'Minotoro' Nogueira, while Mariano teaches
Filho. Sincerely, I don't understand it either. For a while we
didn't have problems with this. But if you come to train in BTT,
our coach is Nikolai.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil- What do you think about ? 'Bebeo' Duarte- For me it's
not good, but it's working
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil- Was Alves ever the BTT's Muay Thai coach? 'Bebeo' Duarte-
Ricardo Liborio brought in Alves to train some of us, but not
everybody who trained Muay Thai. Bustamante, for example, trains
Boxing with Claudio Coelho. So when we make our stand up center
here in BTT's camp, we wanted to include Alves. However, we wanted
an exclusive coach, but like Alvez has his team, Boxe Thai. I
understood that he didn't want to let his team train us or to
join his team to BTT because his team has already existed for
a long time.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil- Three tough fighters from others teams arrived in BTT,
they're Haroldo 'Cabelinho' Bunn from Alliance, Jorge 'Navalhada'
Magalhaes from Carlson Gracie Team and Angelo Araujo from Glendha
JJ. Were they good acquisitions to BTT ? 'Bebeo' Duarte- With
certainty. 'Cabelinho' trained in Alliance where NHB isn't focused
and such as I knew him very well, he came here to train whatever
he wanted. 'Navalhada' trained with me and Liborio on the Carlson
Gracie Team, so when we left the Carlson Gracie Team, he wanted
to come too. However, he had a little problem with one of our
Jiu Jitsu instructors, 'Parrumpinha', and he didn't come. Since
'Parrumpinha' is now with the American Top Team and this little
problem is solved, 'Navalhada' is a BTT fighter now. Araujo fought
in IVC Venezuela and it was there that a guy from Rio de Janeiro,
who I prefer to not speak his name, promised everything to Araujo.
So Araujo left his life on Paranagua and came to Rio de Janeiro.
But when he arrived here, the guy who promised the things changed
his words. So Marcelo Alonso (TATAME Magazine editor), who has
a good relationship with 'Minotauro' and 'Minotoro', spoke with
us about Araujo, and we put him on the BTT. I can say that Araujo
is a tough heavyweight, who in the next year will cause bad nightmares
for his opponents.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil- The fighters who see your reply, they'll think: 'I'll
go to BTT camp.' What do you have to say? 'Bebeo' Duarte- It's
not like this. With some exceptions, whoever starts with us needs
to train Jiu Jitsu with a gi. Our doors are open, but if you
come to train here, you need to be a good person too, and not
only a good fighter with an arrogant character. Also there're
a lot of 'smart guys' in Brazil who left us and to make their
own team. We know these 'smart guys' very well, and they'll never
have a chance here. About the foreign fighters, I'll ask for
a very, very expensive price, I'll not teach a fighter who can
be lewd to us in future, in other words, a fighter who could
be our opponent in future. For Jiu Jitsu everybody from all countries
can train here, and without any doubts, it'll be a pleasure.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil- Murakami Kazunari trained here in August. How did it
go? 'Bebeo' Duarte- The Japanese asked us to train him, so the
first thing I wanted to know was who he was, because if he trains
here, he could be a threat to us in future, like as an opponent.
But he was a pro wrestler, and he didn't have any quality victories
in NHB. He was supposed to face Marco Ruas, and when Ruas was
injured, he faced Ismail.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil- Is there not a problem with training him to fight a Brazilian?
'Bebeo' Duarte- We don't have a good relationship with Ruas,
but we do with Pedro Rizzo and Renato 'Babalu'. So when they
confirmed the fight, we tried to stop the training with Kazunari,
but we didn't. Then, Ruas injured his wrist, and the UFO's matchmakers
put Ismail in to fight him. I knew Kazunari wouldn't beat Ismail,
and he didn't. Fighters such as Shoji and Kazuyuki Fujita already
tried to train with us, but they're potential future opponents.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil- It's common in the USA. Don't you think? 'Bebeo' Duarte-
I don't know how to explain this. I don't think I can say that
they like more money than us. We stay worried even when we fight
against other Brazilians, so I don't know how to train someone
who was already beaten or will fight against us.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil- Is it true that Allan Goes trained Bob Sapp to fight
against 'Minotauro'? 'Bebeo' Duarte- Sapp said this to us. I've
known Goes since we were kids. After his fight against Mark Coleman
we had a discussion, and we were sad with each other. I don't
want to judge, but Goes taught the Minotauro's exact defenses.
Maybe if the fighter was Bustamante, myself or Sperry, Goes wouldn't
teach nothing, but who knows.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil- What's your opinion about American Top Team and Russian
Top Team? 'Bebeo' Duarte- Everything that has Top Team disturbs
me. Liborio, the founder of ATT, is my 'brother' but the others
aren't. Who's the ATT? If you pay attention, they're former BTT
members and some US fighters. ATT opened the doors for others
to use the Top Team name, such as Canadians and Russians.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil- Please, clear up the differences between BTT and ATT.
'Bebeo' Duarte- Besides our friendship with ATT, they're not
a BTT affiliate. I'm sorry about this, but one day BTT will face
ATT in some event, and it'll be sad to see Liborio in the other
corner's side. As for RTT, we're ready to kick their asses [laughs].
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil- Why don't we see BTT in the UFC? 'Bebeo' Duarte- Because
it's expensive. UFC doesn't have the high purse, so they need
to expend a lot of money to bring us, and they have a lot of
good fighters in U.S.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil- And why aren't there any BTT fighters in SHOOTO? 'Bebeo'
Duarte- Because they have a man here in Brazil, Mr. Joao Alberto
Barreto, who wants 20% of our purses, and he's not who gets the
fights for us in SHOOTO. Because of that we'll put our fighters
in Pancrase. I'd like to put our fighters in both events, but
Mr. Barreto didn't want to make an agreement.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil- Marcello 'Tetel' Andrade explained the BTT situation
with SHOOTO on The Underground Forum and later in ADCC News.
Was this a way to say 'why' BTT isn't in SHOOTO? 'Bebeo' Duarte-
Yeah, we wanted to tell the reason to the fans. We don't want
antipathy with SHOOTO or Mr. Barreto; however, the truth needs
to be told.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil- Bustamante made a statement saying whoever left BTT cannot
come back. Will you make some exceptions? 'Bebeo' Duarte- Bustamante
was sad with the attitude from some guys who left, so he made
that statement. One of our best Submission fighters, Marcel Ferreira,
went to ATT last month. I don't know if we'll accept him at BTT
or not when he comes back, but there's nothing that a good chat
doesn't solve. So Ricardo Arona can come back. I'd like Arona's
comeback, but Vitor Belfort's return is almost impossible.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil- Why? 'Bebeo' Duarte- Belfort is one of the best fighters
around the world. He learns very fast and his potential is very
high. But he wants all attention. He doesn't have the team's
mindset and this is not what we want.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil- Who do you pick in the fight between Arona and Ninja's?
'Bebeo' Duarte- It's impossible to say, but who I want to win
is Arona. I don't have nothing against 'Ninja.' He's one of nicest
guys from ChuteBoxe, but I'll never forget what Fedrigo, Rafael
Cordeiro, Jose 'Pele' Landy-Johns and Vanderlei Silva did when
Sperry lost to 'Ninja'. With those swears that they said to Sperry,
the things seemed personal and not a professional fight. Son
of a bitch was the 'nicest' word they said. 'Ninja' was doing
his job and his corner offended Sperry. We were infuriated with
that. I'm a corner man and I never did that.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil- And 'Minotauro' will face another giant. What's your
impression about these giants who Pride's matchmakers are putting
in front of Minotauro's? 'Bebeo' Duarte- First off, the Japanese
put in Sapp to face 'Minotauro' due to his fight in UFO against
Kikuta. It was a kind of punishment. Second off, they don't want
anybody to win every time because he fighter who always wins
will become more expensive. So I think that they want 'Minotauro'
to lose because if 'Minotauro' always wins, it'll be a problem
at the moment of contract renewal. Now speaking about Semmy Schilt,
he's tall, but his ground game isn't good. I saw his fight against
Emelianenko Fedor, and if 'Minotauro' fights like that one, he'll
submit Schilt. Of course, on the feet, 'Minotauro' needs to be
careful with the long arms and the knees of Schilt.
Source: ADCC
11/20/02
Quote
of the Day
"There is great treasure there behind our skull and this
is true about all of us. This little treasure has great, great
powers, and I would say we only have learned a very, very small
part of what it can do."
Isaac Bashevis Singer
Shooto
Hawaii Update
Oahu fans to see
"SHOOTO HAWAII" in Maui. Tickets available at the:
Jesus Is Lord Gym
Mon-Sat.
94-143 Leokane St #201
Waipahu, HI 96792
$20 Advance, $25 Event Day, Ringside $40
FRANK SHAMROCK
in Attendance at "SHOOTO HAWAII."
Sunday, December 8, 2002 the day after the show. He will be conducting
a seminar at the Royal Lahiana come and learn from one of the
best in the sport of MMA.
For more information go to WWW.SHOOTOHAWAII.COM
Source: Event Promoter
Delivering
“Punishment”, Oyama has Ortiz Ready
By Josh Gross
“You
better hurry up,” said the man with the stopwatch around
his neck. “We’re almost done.” With that I scampered
to the nearest electrical outlet, fired up the camcorder and
proceed to film an “almost-done” Tito Ortiz train full
bore for nearly an hour. It was, no doubt, impressive.
With
all eyes focused on Ortiz, in his final hellish workout before
leaving the seclusion of Big Bear, Calif. for the neon lights
of Las Vegas for Friday’s mega fight versus Ken Shamrock,
the man with the stopwatch around his neck controlled every aspect
of training inside the hole-in-the-wall gym that is Big Bear
Boxing and Fitness.
Over
and over, the man with the stopwatch around his neck would bark
out a name -- be it UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez,
PRIDE star Quinton Jackson, grappler extraordinaire Marc Laiman
or several other capable grapplers -- and, one by one, they went
to the mat with Ortiz. The grueling cycle continued until he
deemed it time to make the two-hour drive home.
It
was a drive the man with a stopwatch around his neck had made
twice a day, almost every day during Ortiz’ two-month Big
Bear training camp. So when Team Punishment trainer Colin Oyama
puts down the time piece long enough to talk with you, you better
listen like E.F. Hutton himself is doling out stock tips.
“When
we first started camp about two months ago he was rusty,”
admitted Oyama of Ortiz, who by then had driven back to his plush
digs equipped with Octagon in the back yard. (How many kids wouldn’t
kill for that this Christmas?) “We started a little slower
than I wanted. About four weeks out it started to pick up.”
By
the looks of Ortiz’ -- and his banged up sparring partners
-- the training was not easy. Once before I’d witnessed
Oyama prepare Ortiz. On the eve of his destruction of Elvis Sinosic
it was a gauntlet of gut-wrenching drills that would give lesser
men a second look at what they ate for breakfast. Last Thursday
was no different, though the importance and pressure of the fight
is increased ten-fold.
Yet,
Oyama, an affable fellow when the stopwatch is put away for future
torture sessions, professes that his training of Ortiz for Shamrock
is no different -- in intensity and diligence -- then previous
training camps for Yuki Kondo, Sinosic, and Vladimir Matyushenko.
“You treat each opponent the same,” he said.
It’s
the Hawaiian-born Oyama’s level-headedness that keeps Ortiz,
and all his charges, in the proper state of mind to take out
their opponents. There is no denying, however, that Ortiz-Shamrock
is atypical. It’s emotional. It’s pressure packed.
Defeat is possible when, in the past, it was simply a ploy to
keep a fighter’s focus.
“That
initial burst of strength from him can be intimidating,”
said Oyama, who acknowledged that Shamrock’s strength and
“overwhelming” power present a danger. But the confession
came with a quick and important caveat: “We’re wondering
how long his strength can hold up. Can he go past the first round?
The second round? His last two fights that we saw, (Don) Frye
got tired with him so that didn’t show much, and he tired
himself out against (Kazayuki) Fujita. Unlike those two guys,
my guy is not going to get tired. So we’re going to push
the pace on him and see how his strength holds up after round
two.”
Oyama
is not alone in wondering, “how strong will (Ken) be in
the last round when we’re still at full speed?” Most
pundits believe it to be the single-most important factor in
deciding which fighter will walk away with the UFC light heavyweight
championship belt strapped to his waist -- and, more importantly
perhaps, bragging rights.
At
UFC 33, the last time a fight card was so highly anticipated,
Ortiz impressively dominated Matyushenko. It was an effort that
showed the world, and Oyama, just how far Ortiz’ cardio
had come since gassing versus Frank Shamrock in 1999. “His
conditioning was just as strong in the first round as it was
in the last round,” recalled ‘coach’, a title
many fighters use when speaking of Oyama.
“You
train to go the distance, so we plan to go five rounds,”
he said. “If it ends any earlier than that great, but I
think too many guys think it’s going to be over soon.
Ortiz’
cardio is almost taken for granted these days; he’s all
but expected to barely break normal breathing patterns, not because
he won’t be pushed in the ring, but because of the training
he endures outside it. He is a well-rounded fighter, capable
of fighting competently from any position, but most fans associate
Ortiz with ground-and-pound domination from the top.
If
all goes well, hoped Oyama, this contest shouldn’t be much
different “when” Shamrock is forced to his back. “Once
we get him down, he’s in trouble,” he said matter-of-factly.
“He’s not comfortable on his back. He’ll fight
his hardest to stand up, but Tito controls the top very well.
“I
think once we get him in position we’ll finish him.
“I
hope it’s over in ten seconds, but that’s not realistic
so we’re just going to go one round at a time. I think the
only way Ken can win has got to be early. As the rounds go by
I think Tito will get stronger and stronger, and Ken will get
weaker and weaker.”
Should
the two manage to battle on the feet -- Ortiz being quicker,
Shamrock stronger according to Oyama -- for an extended period
of time, Oyama, with his Muay Thai background, has seen fit to
deliver his expertise to Ortiz, though he admitted that their
plan “wouldn’t just keep it standing. We’re going
to look to get an advantageous position.”
For
Oyama advantageous amounts to anytime he’s in control of
his fighters. The man with a stopwatch around his neck will be
in Ortiz’ corner Friday night, and he wouldn’t have
it any other way.
Source: Maxfighting
Gil
Castillo: Against the Odds
By Joe Hall
A
mountain stands in front of Gil Castillo. Oddsmakers say it stretches
to the sky, and they give him little chance of reaching its peak.
He holds a different perspective on the rocky challenge lying
ahead, however.
The
oddsmakers view Castillo as an overwhelming underdog for his
upcoming meeting with UFC Welterweight Champ Matt Hughes, and
they're not alone. Fresh on their minds are Hughes' dominating
victories over Hayato Sakurai and Carlos Newton. Lucid to their
memories is the way Hughes slammed his top-of-the-rung foes to
the mat, trapped their limbs and rendered them prone to his ground-and-pound
punishment.
How
could Gil Castillo fare any better?
He's
only won one fight in the UFC, a preliminary bout, and now he's
running head-on into one of the most dominating fighters in the
sport. Sounds like Hughes' next victim.
Castillo's
outlook on the bout is much different. He argues that while he
may be 1-1 in the UFC, he's a blistering 16-0 outside of it.
He's unconcerned with the tremendous odds against him, and he
believes his skills and preparation lend him the tools to ascend
where Newton and Sakurai stumbled and plummeted downward.
His
confidence was evident when he was offered the title shot. "I
said yes immediately," he says. "(Zuffa) told me I
broke the record for getting a signed contract back to them.
I sent it back to them like two minutes after they faxed it to
me."
And
then his preparation began. "Training for Matt, your cardio
has to be incredible," Castillo says. "I think the
mistakes people make are that they don't train enough of the
ground game. They think they'll beat him on the feet. Well, the
problem is Matt won't let you stay on the feet if he's uncomfortable
there. So what you do to prepare is, you train a lot on the ground
with guys that are bigger than you, that are pressuring you the
entire time. Your cardio has to be good because you have to keep
going."
A
feverish pace may be the best method for thwarting Hughes' ground-and-pound
assault, and Castillo is gearing up for such a plan. "I
have to keep moving," he says. "I can't let Matt hold
me down and start to create his own game. Matt doesn't get tired
during his fights because he controls the pace. The key is to
constantly take him out of his game and keep moving, put him
on the defensive even when he happens to be on top."
An
energetic tempo would engage the fans, many of whom join the
oddsmakers in predicting a shellacking. "They're going to
see two of the best fighters at 170," says Castillo on what
fans should expect. "Obviously, Matt has proven himself,
and I'm ranked in the top-10 also. I think our fighting styles
are going to match up perfect. I have more wrestling skills than
people think. I'm not saying I'm going to shut Matt's wrestling
down, but I'm able to go head-to-head with him in each aspect
of it. It's just as he is getting better at Jiu-Jitsu, he'll
be able to go head-to-head with me there."
Even
though Hughes appears to be increasingly unbeatable with each
of his recent wins, Castillo says now is the "perfect"
time to fight the champ: "I'm at the top of my game; he's
at the top of his game. I wouldn't want to have it any other
way."
If
Castillo finds a way to win, many in the mixed martial arts community
will likely consider his victory the upset of the year. He wouldn't.
In fact, he's not so sure it would be much of an upset at all.
"I don't really know the definition of an upset, but I guess
when you have the odds of three-to-one, I guess you'd consider
it an upset," he says. "I think anytime you get two
fighters ranked in the top-10 matched up, anything can happen
in this sport."
Castillo's
indifference toward upset talk extends to his label as the underdog.
Some fighters claim they enjoy the role and seem to draw momentum
to do the unexpected. Not Castillo, who says he's been the underdog
in 17 of his 18 fights. He doesn't need any additional motivation;
he sees himself as fully capable and prepared to defeat Hughes.
With
underdog chatter comes the advantage of having nothing to lose,
but Castillo doesn't buy into that either. He says plenty is
on the line. "Obviously, I won't get the recognition if
he goes in there and takes me out in the first two minutes,"
he says. "I won't get to show my skills; so, that's something
I have to watch for."
At
37 years old, Castillo is not sure how much longer he'll be competing.
By no means is he a young pup struggling to make ends meet and
fighting to keep the electric on. He can walk away whenever he
chooses and nearly has on three separate occasions. But the sport
keeps sucking him back in. Most recently, a chance to grab UFC
gold has pulled him back onto the mat.
"It's
the toughest sport out there," says Castillo regarding why
he continues to fight. "And I'm good at it, and I want to
finish what I started. I don't feel like I finished my wrestling
career the way I wanted to, and I want to finish this to my abilities.
This is as about as high as you can go: taking a title shot in
the UFC against probably pound-for-pound one of the best. This
is what I wanted."
With
that statement, it's clear why Castillo is apathetic toward the
cries that he doesn't belong in the Octagon with Hughes, uninterested
with the colossal odds, the underdog and upset talk. He's not
even listening to it. It's not about silencing critics or shocking
the world. It's about one thing. And this Friday it'll be just
him and the mountain.
Source: Maxfighting
11/19/02 Updated at 8:45AM
Quote
of the Day
"You have within you right now, everything you need to deal
with whatever the world can throw at you."
Brian Tracy
Murilo
Bustamante Seminar Today
Murilo Bustamante,
current UFC Middleweight champion and Black Belt World Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu Champion will be conducting a seminar tonight at the
Relson Gracie Main Academy. The seminar will be from 7:30 pm
to 9:00 pm. The cost is $40 for Relson Gracie students and $55
for non-Relson students. Everyone is welcome. Don't miss your
chance to learn from a long time black belt and one of the most
successful active fighters!
What: Murilo
Bustmante Seminar
When: Tonight November 19, 2002
Time: 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm
Cost: $40 for Relson students, $55 for non-Relson students
Where: Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy
844 Queen St.
Honolulu, HI 96822
589-2524
Promotions
at the Gracie Academy
Congratulations to
all the students that were promoted last night at the night of
promotions. I cannot remember everyone, but some key promotions
was Shane Agena was promoted to Brown Belt, a hand full of guys
was promoted to purple, and a bunch of guys were promoted to
blue and blue with stripes. Murilo Bustamante was at the academy
to witness our initiation of the purples and Shane with our traditional
whipping. I know I enjoyed myself.
Once again
congratulations to all the guys that were promoted!
Ron
Jhun to face Fernando Vasconcelos
Perkins to face Emerson
Fernando Vasconcelos
is a BJJ black belt and Pan American and World BJJ champion.
He has been training with the rAw Team for a few years now and
is rAw's BJJ instructor.
Jamal Perkins is also in KOTC and will be facing Robert Emerson
who trains with Marco Ruas. Emerson was a dark horse when he
took Jens Pulver through three rounds before losing a decision.
Good luck to the Hawaii boys. This will be two tough fights.
Trigg
Determined to Take Title Regardless of Foe
By Joe Hall
Frank
Trigg wants a belt. Whether he has to go through Pat Miletich,
Dennis Hallman or any other welterweight in the world, he wants
the WFA 170-pound championship.
"I'm
shooting for the title," he says. "That's the whole
goal of everything. Why would you compete if there's not a title
involved? Why just make the Olympic team if your whole goal isn't
to win a gold medal? Why just wrestle in tournaments if it's
not to be first place and get the trophy? The whole point is
to have that opportunity to say, 'Hey look, today, tonight, right
now at the end of this match, I am the best that there is.' That's
what it's all about."
Scheduled
to meet Miletich for the WFA's welterweight gold, Trigg had been
readying himself for a showdown with the former UFC champion
when a phone call brought bad news. An aging Miletich was injured
and could not compete; Trigg was not surprised. "He's had
a real long career, a real hard career," he says of Miletich.
"I knew he had some injuries that were nagging, that had
been haunting him for a long time. He's got a herniated disk,
two bulging disks. It's just something that comes with the territory.
When you're as old as Pat and train as hard as he does for as
long as he has, you're going to end up with some injuries like
that."
Following
Miletich's withdrawal, the WFA scrambled to find a skilled replacement.
The search stopped at Dennis Hallman, a fighter best known for
twice submitting UFC welterweight titleholder Matt Hughes. Trigg
says his preparation has changed according to his new adversary:
"My opponent now is a totally different kind of opponent.
Miletich is a striker; Hallman's not so much of a striker as
he is a submission guy. Now it's a totally different ballgame.
"One
of the good things is that (at the RAW training center) we don't
train specific for one guy. We don't say, 'Pat's a striker, so
I'm just going to work on my striking.' We're always training
in every aspect, so for me to make the transition from a striker
to a submission guy with Hallman, that made it relatively easy."
Unlike
most fighters, Trigg doesn't bother rummaging through footage
of an upcoming foe. He hasn't seen either of Hallman's submission
victories over Hughes, and even though he was in Las Vegas when
Hallman fought Jens Pulver, Trigg says he paid little attention
to the fight.
The
route to victory over Hallman is the same one that he's taken
against everyone else, says Trigg: "Out-condition them,
out-power them. When I have the opportunity to hit him, make
sure I hit him correctly. When I have the opportunity to take
advantage of any position he gives me, take advantage of it.
Constant technique, constant motion. Once the opening bell rings,
I keep going until it's over.
"I
can tell you this: someone's getting knocked out or tapped out
before the end of the fifth round. I've never had a fight go
the distance, and this is not going to be my first one. It's
going to end early."
Trigg
has finished each of his fights thanks to an array of skills:
sharp knees in the clinch, stiff forearm strikes, powerful hands
and a knowledgeable submission game. A well-rounded fighter will
enter the cage on November 23, and it all began with wrestling.
When
Trigg was 12 years old, a friend asked him to try the hard-nosed
sport. "I said, 'Sure, I'll try it out,'" he remembers.
"Went down and tried it. Got my ass kicked for a year and
decided I wanted to stick with it."
It
wasn't long before Trigg excelled. He wrestled competitively
for the next 15-plus years, his career peaking when he wrestled
on the U.S. World Team. In the midst of his ascension, Trigg
began training in Judo under two-time Olympian Pat Burris to
complement his wrestling background. Meanwhile the open-hand
mixed martial arts scene was budding in the Oklahoma/Texas area,
and Trigg soon found himself in the ring.
"My
Judo instructor asked me if I wanted to make some money beating
somebody up. So I was like yeah," he recalls of his entrance
into the sport in the mid-90s. "I went down and entered
a tournament in Texas. Beat the shit out of some guys and won
a couple hundred dollars."
Over
the next six weeks, Trigg fought up to five times a weekend,
competing in 24 bouts total. Although some other talented wrestlers
jumping into the sport at the same time struggled with its brutal
nature, Trigg didn't have a problem with the violence. "I'm
the middle of seven boys," he explains. "We grew up
punching, ducking, swinging, running."
Trigg
continued balancing a fighting career with wrestling and was
contacted by a mixed martial arts team/management group in October
1997. It was RAW, a group joining wrestlers together within the
sport that was spearheaded by the Chiapparelli brothers, Rico
and Louis. Trigg accepted an offer to fight under them and rapidly
climbed the rankings over the next few years as he won matches
in Pride, Shooto and the Japan Vale Tudo. In 2000 Trigg moved
to Los Angeles to train at RAW full-time. He has since retired
from competitive wrestling and is one of the RAW training center's
three owners.
Focused
solely on mixed martial arts and surrounded by a gym that includes
Chiapparelli, Vladimir Matyushenko and Fernando Vasconcelos,
Trigg may be kicking his game up yet another level. Regardless,
he doesn't hesitate to say he is already the top welterweight
in the world. As for the UFC's welterweight champ, Matt Hughes,
Trigg is confident how a potential meeting would conclude.
"I'd
kill him," Trigg says. "I'd crush him. I have real
good takedown defense; he can't strike; and his submissions are
lacking. Every way that Pele beat him, I can beat him. And every
way that Hallman beat him -- I haven't seen the tape, but I've
read that Hallman beat him with armbars and stuff off a double
-- that's the exact same thing I'd do. There's really nothing
he can do to me.
"He
can hit me with a hard double. He'd probably take me down. He'd
probably take me down hard, but I've been getting taken down
hard my entire life, so it's not like it's something new to me.
We match up very nicely stylistically. And plus I'm so much bigger
than most of the guys. Even though Pat walks around at 185 and
I walk around at 185, I'm a bigger 185. I'm a more solid 185.
I'm bigger than most of the guys at 170, so that helps out quite
a bit."
Fans
can clamor for a Hughes-Trigg matchup and debate the ending,
but it will remain a fairy tale, especially if Hughes is restrained
to the UFC and Trigg to the WFA. One day mixed martial arts will
likely hold a revolutionary title unification bout, and Hughes-Trigg
would be a superb candidate to do the honors. First, however,
Trigg has to win the WFA title, and he'll have a shot this weekend.
"I'm
always trying to improve myself, improve my game, improve my
outlook, improve how I feel and see things when I'm in the middle
of a fight," he says. "But yeah, ultimately, everybody
wants to have that trophy, that belt, that belief, that ability
to say, 'Hey, I'm the world welterweight champion of the WFA.'"
Source: Maxfighting
MaxTales:
MaxTales: Trigg vs. Hallman
By Jake Rossen
Smack-dab
in the middle of the busiest weekend MMA has ever seen is a show
that threatens to escape under the radar...unless you're one
of the party revelers in Las Vegas.
With
no television deal currently in place, John Lewis' World Fighting
Alliance promotion relies on both the spillover of traveling
fans anxious to see a live UFC and the late-nighters who don't
mind scantily-clad females shaking any number of body parts.
To help headline their third event, scheduled for November 23
at the Aladdin Resort and Casino, Dennis Hallman will make an
attempt to conquer Latecomer's Syndrome: stepping in for an injured
Pat Miletich, Hallman takes on the formidable Frank Trigg in
the promotion's first-ever welterweight title bout. On a flat
two weeks' notice and just three weeks after a victory at King
of the Cage, Hallman's "Superman" moniker is definitely
warranted.
Here's
the Max Tale of the Tape.
WFA
Welterweight (169 lb. and under) Title Bout
November 23, 2002
Dennis
Hallman
"Superman," 26 yo
Yelm, Washington
11-6-0
2
1
8
Matt Hughes
via submission (2x), 10/98 and 12/00
Jens Pulver via decision, 9/01
Betiss Mansouri via submission, 11/02
4 years, 3 months
3 weeks
Explosive
submission ability; tenacity; well-guarded chin.
Not a stand-up artist; ground game doesn't always carry momentum
in the later rounds.
Record
T/KOs
Decisions
Submissions
Most Notable Win
Most Notable Loss
Last Win
Years as a Pro
Time elapsed since last bout
Strengths
Weaknesses
Frank
Trigg
"Twinkle Toes," 30 yo
Rochester, New York
6-1-0
3
0
3
Jean-Jacques
Machado via submission (strikes), 10/98
Hayato Sakurai via TKO, 12/00
Jason Medina via submission
(elbow strikes), 7/02
4 yrs, 6 months
5 months
Powerhouse
wrestler out of the rAw team; ultra-aggressive.
Possibly too lethargic/nonplussed at times.
MaxFacts:
-
Despite a spotty record, Hallman is one of only two people to
best current UFC champion Matt Hughes...on two different occasions,
and both coming by way of quick submission.
-
Hallman once cut fifteen pounds to face lightweight UFC champion
Jens Pulver, but seemed uncomfortable and lethargic at the lower
weight.
-Trigg
is undefeated in the first two installments of the WFA.
-
Trigg is thought of as one of the few remaining contenders for
Matt Hughes' UFC crown.
-
All but one of Hallman's losses come by way of decision.
Question
Marks
-
The obvious: is there ever enough time for prepare for someone
of Trigg's ability, much less a mere dozen days?
-
Will the confident Trigg be too lackadaisical coming into a bout
knowing the short notice gives him the edge?
Possible
Outcome:
-Trigg
dictates the pace of the bout and works over his ill-prepared
competition. Even so, Hallman is a durable athlete and will likely
force the bout to a decision.
MaxAdvantage:
Trigg
Unless
otherwise noted, record statistics are compiled from easily verifiable
sources and may not reflect the complete fight catalogue of the
athlete in question. Submission tallies refer to appendage locks
as well as any striking or positional technique that ends the
contest with a tap out. T/KOs refer to referee intervention due
to loss of consciousness or inability to defend one's position
with intelligence.
Source: Maxfighting
Interview
with Ernesto Hoost: The Mastermind
By: Sungjin Kim
Sometime
ago we promised you a large interview with Mr. Perfect himself,
Ernesto Hoost.
We are very happy to make this promise come through and Ernesto
took a lot of time to answer the questions of our readers. Jerome
and myself could not wait to add this with our own questions
and Ernesto did us a great pleasure by answering these as well.
We consider this interview a great present to our readers. Here
are the interesting and intriguing questions:
Marjolein
Hulshoff
What was your toughest fight ever?
I think that my toughest fight was against Mike Bernardo; I got
an eightcount in the second round but won on knockout in the
fourth round. I was a tough fight because everybody taught that
I was over the hill and could never win from Mike. It was 1997…
my best period just started.
At
what age did you start training and did you start at Vos Gym?
I started when I was 15 years of age at the Sokudo Gym in Hoorn
–the Netherlands. I switched to Vos Gym in 1987.
Would
you like to make a prediction of your chances in the K1 Grand
Prix?
Everybody knows by know that I have lost my match against Bob
Sapp so the chance are more or less nil. I am first reserve.
There
is a common opinion that ringsports are dangerous for the brain.
What is your experience in this?
Well, I am forgetting things faster than I use to but I am not
quit sure that is related to my skin problems or my career as
an athlete
Felix
LaChance
1.If you could fight one more time before retirement, who would
you choose and why?
There is no favourite opponent who I like to beat or to fight;
I think that the other way around comes first.
2.At
38 years and 208 days, Branko Cikatic [1993] has the record for
the oldest K-1 Grand Prix title. You seem to get better with
age. Do you think you can break his record?
I have no intention to break the record of Branco Cikatic. This
is a completely different era and the fighters are much stronger.
3.At
6 minutes 43 seconds, Peter Aerts [1998] holds the record for
the fastest K-1 Grand Prix title. You have two one-round knockouts
this year over Nakasako and Leko. Do you think anyone (yourself
included) can win? three fights faster?
I will probably not break the record because winning a fight
the fastest way is not my style.
4.Who
are 5 most dangerous heavyweight kickboxers in the world today?
It is for other to say who are the five strongest fighters in
the world but I am sure that I am one of them.
5.Were
you invited to fight a fake-wrestler last year?
I never had an offer to fight a fake wrestler.
Kurt
Hickson/UK
Which weapon would you say is your greatest asset? (Speed, hand/leg
combinations, technique, experience etc?)
My strongest weapons are my experience and knowledge.
H.
April/Chicago Usa
In a self-defense situation; how would you initiate the beginning
of the end for the opposition with a low leg kick and perhaps
a cross, hook, or elbow? In other words, would your successful
ring strategies be just as effective on the street?
I would use my left or right jab that will probably be enough.
David
Pistoni
Do You have a favourite fight in particular?
Favourite fight? Again the fight against Mike Bernardo come to
mind, I also enjoyed the victory against Jerome LeBanner.
What
you have to do to become thai-boxing Champion?
You need the right technique and an excellent trainer.
Erik
Prins
What is your best victory?
Again Mike Bernardo and Jerome LeBanner.
Is
there still a goal in ringsport?
I would like to become a K1 GrandPrix once more, we’ll see.
Linda
What goes through your mind when you step into the ring and face
the opponent?
I try to find out if the opponent is sure of himself by looking
straight into his eyes. I have the first touchdown if he does
not dare to stare back.
Amir
Subasic/Bosnia
I would like to know how Ernesto's Training week looks like,
his training schedule.
Monday en Wednesday, techniquetraining, sparring and powertraining.
Tuesday is a break or a runnignday. Thursday break, Friday running,
Saturday technique and sparring, Sunday running.
K.Los
What were you first thoughts after the clean hits that shook
Leko and knocked him down?
It felt like everything was oké and I knew by instinct
that this fight was won but I was still on my guard.
Was
there a moment were you doubted your qualities. A moment where
you thought that you opponent was the strongest?
There were thought about the fact that the match could be tough(Mike
Bernardo) but I had doubts when I was in the ring.
Herb April/Chicago, Illinois
Ernesto, I have seen a number of your fights on tape over the
past 8 years, and it occurs to me that your ring "style"
is not unlike that of former world middleweight champion, and
boxing all-time great, "Marvellous Marvin Hagler."
Is Hagler one of your inspirations, and if so, why?
It is an honour to be compared with the great Marvin Haggler
but he is not my inspirator.
You
have planned your fights over the year and there are times to
peak?
This year was a strange planning. I like to divide my fight over
the season but I was injured last year so my start was in April.
This was followed directly by May. A fight was planned for July
but it was cancelled in a strange way and I had trained very
hard in anticipation. It turned out that I had to fight in August.
I had trained to long and hard for the fight against Jan Nortje.
These were the reasons that I was troubled by my skinproblems
and that again influence my fights against Nortje, Sem Schilt
and Bob Sapp.
Can
you tell us something about your nutritionprogramm and how you
deal with this abroad(where is the peanut butter)?
My nutrition is tuned on my training schedule not on my fights.
It is my call what I want to eat when I am abroad so there is
no problem. Due to my skinproblems, peanuts are not allowed.
Do
you eat a normal dinner at home?
The dinners at home are tuned into my needs.
Jackamoe
Buzzell
I know that they are all important, but what would you consider
to be the most important one? If you had to put one first, what
would it be?
Conditioning or skill? And do you think heavyweights should focus
their skill to be better with punches or kicks? Also, what do
you feel is the best way to condition your shins?
There is no way to split technique and training. You technique
improves when your stamina is getting better and the other way
around.
-many heavyweight emphasize on punching; I do both and that is
my advantage.
-I do a lot of bagtraining to harden my shins.
Filippo
Cala/ Roma, Italy
Dear Mr.Perfect please explain us your training routine? Thank
you very much.
I already described my training rhythm.
James Howard-Jones/Scotland
For a man with long, quick and powerful legs you are a brilliant
boxer and do not over rely on the legs - is this natural or part
of your style or
have you consciously given extra focus to the boxing?
There was a lot of emphasize on boxing when I started at Vos
Gym, two years. It was a complete program from then on and something
we have some extra attention on boxing.
Michel
Hulshof
Imagine that you fought Jerome LeBanner and he knocked you out.
What would do the next time you have to fight him?
I would study his moves and tactics and be well prepared for
the next time.
Editors
of MAN-Magazine
Are you willing to tell us something about your skindisease?
It started some 15 years ago. My skin produces extra cell material
on certain spots like arms and legs and sometimes my face. It
increases when it is hot or when I have an intensive schedule
training and fighting.
Did
this influence you in preparation of your fights?
It influenced at least my last three fights because I trained
six weeks for my fight against Sem Schilt on the 14th of April.
It was cancelled. There was a chance to fight on the 17th of
august but I did not like the idea.
I
had planned things nicely and my holidays were scheduled for
14 July. No holidays and again training. It irritated and caused
my skinproblems. It still gives me some problems but the worst
period was at the time of the fight against Sapp.
Where
things planned to eliminate you for the K1 Grand Prix?
I do think so but the organisation denies everything. I think
that Bob Sapp is a temporary magnet that attracks a lot of viewers
for the time being which make them a winner in any way. It is
no bad outcome to them.
Would
you like to fight Sapp again?
Why not. I think that he does not stand a chance when I am in
my normal shape. On the other hand, I have nothing to prove to
others. It might just be an interesting fight to the appreciators
more than to me.
Has
the success changed you in a way?
That is for others to say.
You
fight in different disciplines like Savate en Full Contact. Do
you consider of doing that again?
I have been to long away from some of these disciplines.
Would
like to write a book about your experiences in life? Or make
a video about your technique and skills?
I am thinking about a book, the idea of making a video does not
appeal to me, there are already so many videos.
You
did some commercials in Japan. Does the idea fancy you to do
some more?
It has been a while ago. Maybe I am not that popular but I would
like doing some more. If you think you know it, just give a call.
Who
will win when you do not have to participate in the K1 Grand
Prix?
It is really hard to predict. Thinking back of 1999, nobody thought
that I would win but I won. Nobody gave Mark Hunt a chance last
year but he did. So we will see.
Would
you take an invitation to be a guest on the Grand Prix if you
do not have participate?
I would decline. I do not like the idea of being when I do not
participate.
What
do you think of the future of Pride and K1?
K1 and Pride will stay popular in Japan. There are some doubts
about their position in the world. There is certainly no future
for me in Pride and we will see what happens with K1. I will
be there, that is for sure.
Who
are the talented newcomers of the Netherlands like Rodney Faverus?
Rodney is not the first that come to my mind but Jerrel Venetiaan
does.
The
answers gave us a good idea of the way a great champion thinks.
The answer is not emotional but open and well balanced with a
great sense of reality and knowledge. It is a rare occasion that
you meet such a mastermind in ringsports,this is why Ernesto
Hoost is Mr. Perfect.
Source: Martial Arts News Magazine
Welcome
to the Fast Track:
UFC Newcomer Travis Wiuff Set To Make His Debut
By Loretta
Hunt
Eight
months ago, Travis Wiuff had nothing to do with mixed martial
arts at all. Finishing up his law enforcement studies at Minnesota
State University, Wiuff was well on his way to becoming a city
cop -- but it's funny how things work out sometimes. A chance
meeting put this accomplished wrestler on the fast track of MMA
competition and in a few short months, his career has started
to take form. Now, with only five days to go, this 24-year-old
is heading for the bright lights and big stakes of Las Vegas
to compete on one of the most influential cards in the history
of the sport. By Friday night, Wiuff will be a UFC 40 veteran.
Minnesota. A midwest winter wonderland and a breeding ground
for high school and college wrestlers. This is where Travis Wiuff
flourished as an amateur, taking home two All-American titles
in freestyle competition. At 6'2" and 280 pounds (at the
time), it didn't take much for fellow wrestler Brad Kohler to
pick Wiuff out of a crowd. Kohler, a 3-Time UFC veteran and MMA
competitor the world over, was scouting venues for his local
event Ultimate Wrestling Minnesota. "I had no idea there
was MMA in Minnesota, let alone at the venue I was at,"
recalls Wiuff. With a common camaraderie from wrestling, the
two struck up a conversation, but at the time, Wiuff says his
interest in MMA was minimal. When Kohler invited the youngster
to come out and compete in his show, Wiuff resisted, explaining
to Kohler that he had never gotten into a fight in his life.
Still, the two exchanged numbers and life went on for Wiuff as
it always had.
Persistence has a way of always coming out on top, though. Two
months later, Wiuff got a call from Kohler asking if he'd changed
his mind. Wiuff again insisted that he "was a wrestler,
not a fighter," but it was the wrestler in Wiuff that eventually
got the best of him. With his eligibility in the sport completed,
Wiuff says he yearned for a way to stay active as an athlete
and eventually made the two hour drive down to Kohler's Lions
Lair gym to try out a training session. It was a perfect fit
for the wrestler, who was now being exposed to boxing, submissions,
and most importantly, an opportunity to compete again. Through
the UWM shows, Wiuff's natural prowess and instinct quickly rose
him to the top of a novice pool of fighters and gained him some
crucial ring time in the process. An overpowering and aggressive
specimen within the ring, Wiuff was dubbed "Diesel"
by his training partners.
Wiuff's growing ability was tested last April when he ventured
out to Hawaii to compete in Superbrawl's second talent-laden
heavyweight tournament. Although he did not come out victorious,
an impressive performance against Wesley "Cabbage"
Correira placed Wiuff's name on a short list of heavyweight up-and-comers.
The young fighter returned home and took up training with another
Minnesota standout and tactical ground specialist, former UFC
middleweight champion Dave Menne. With a pro record of 10-2 now
amassed from appearances in Extreme Challenge and the Victory
Fighting Championships (among his pro UWM fights), Wiuff was
to meet his most experienced adversary on November 23rd. Slated
to fight UFC legend Dan Severn at the VFC, "the big call"
came last Sunday night while Wiuff was at home unwinding with
video games. MMA manager Monte Cox, a longtime friend to Brad
Kohler and a bit of a guardian angel for Wiuff, had suggested
Zuffa take a look at the promising fighter when scheduled heavyweight
Frank Mir had to drop from their upcoming card with an injury.
Zuffa was ready to negotiate, if the Minnesotan was interested.
It was a restless yet exciting night for Wiuff, who says he didn't
get the final 100% confirmation until that next Monday afternoon.
Then, without any time to lose, it was off to Iowa and the Miletich
Martial Arts camp for some last-minute training, courtesy of
Cox's invitation.
For the past week Wiuff has rolled and pummeled with the likes
of Tim Sylvia and Ian Freeman (visiting from England for his
upcoming UFC 40 bout with Andrei Arvloski) , learned to utilize
his guard passes more effectively with Jens Pulver, and talked
strategy with one of the best in the business in Pat Miletich
himself. "The small things are what make the big difference,"
Wiuff says of what he's learned in the last week. "It's
the small things--especially when you're fighting someone good."
"Good" is definitely one word that can describe Wiuff's
opponent Vladmir Matyushenko, but "experienced" might
be a better choice for this world-renowned Belarus wrestler,
who hails out of the rAw Team. Matyushneko's last appearance
with the premiere organization was at UFC 33, a last-minute match-up
he took on two week's notice against current UFC light-heavyweight
champion Tito Ortiz. The fight went to a five-round decision
in the champ's favor. Now fighting up a weight class and having
trained for a lighter opponent up to this point, Matyushenko
has been estimated to come in somewhere in the 225 to 230 pound
range. Although Wiuff will have a discernible weight advantage
when he tips the scales at a svelte 255 to 260 pounds, he has
no misgivings of what he is up against. "I know Vladdy is
an unbelievable wrestler with tons of experience. From what I've
seen, he always comes in prepared. He's tough." Tough, but
not impossible to beat. With similar wrestling skills, it seems
Wiuff might be hoping for a little magic on his feet. "I
think his boxing is like mine--kind of like any wrestler where
it's kind of wild--so I think they'll definitely be opening for
things." Known for some audience-pleasing wrestling slams
in the past (he slammed Cabbage two times during their match),
Wiuff may get his chance to shine even when the chips are down.
With the "ultimate" opportunity to make a name for
himself just days away, one can only imagine a slew of miffed
heavyweights at their gyms, taking it out on their punching bags.
"I've thought about that a lot in the last couple of days,"
says Wiuff. "Watching the last UFC, they were talking about
somebody training since they were 7-years old and studying jiu-jitsu
for years. It just blows my mind that people have been doing
this for years and I ended up being the right person at the right
time."
Travis Wiuff's parents will be watching nervously from their
home in Owatonna, Minnesota, along with the scores of other MMA
fans that tune in for the fights this Friday night. With concentrated
coverage through cable television, radio, Internet, and the mainstream
press, UFC 40 has a good chance of garnering the largest live
audience attendance in its nine year history. Surprisingly, that's
not a scary thought for this wrestler turned mixed martial artist.
"Obviously, the media is completely different than what
I'm used to. All of the coverage, especially with the main event,
is unbelievable. As far as the fight itself, I think once I get
into the Octagon, my instincts will take over." True to
his midwestern roots, and not like his nickname at all, this
polite and down-to-earth Minnesotan fighter has a humble attitude
with regards to his big break in the business. "If you told
me eight months ago I'd be in the UFC, I would have laughed at
you," he quips. "If you told me eight days ago, I would
have laughed." Stop laughing Travis, and welcome to the
fast track.
Source:
FCF
11/18/02
Quote
of the Day
"You have within you right now, everything you need to deal
with whatever the world can throw at you."
Brian Tracy
Murilo
Bustamante is in Hawaii
UFC Middleweight
Champion and Brazilian Top Team co-founder, Murilo Bustamante
is on Oahu. He stopped by Relson Gracie's house the other night
and it is rumored that they are trying to get Murilo to put on
a seminar at the Gracie Main Academy this Tuesday night. Murilo
stopped in Hawaii on his way to Japan to corner Minotauro in
Pride.
The
Predator is in Hawaii
Don "The
Predator" Frye is currently in Hawaii training at Grappling
Unlimited for his upcoming match with Hidehiko Yoshida. Yoshida
is the man who got a controversal "win" over Royce
Gracie at Pride Shockwave. Frye is training in Hawaii to get
his body accustomed to the time change from fighting in Japan.
He is training at the same time as his fight would be in Japan
in order to minimize the jet lag. From personal accounts, Frye
is looking huge and in shape. Frye will appear on an up and coming
Fighters Club episode.
Ron
Jhun Is Fighting In King Of The Cage
Ron "The
Machine Gun" Jhun is scheduled to fight in the next King
of the Cage on December 7th. KOTC will be at Soboba Casino, San
Jacinto, California. I saw Ron and Kim this weekend, but forgot
to ask him who is opponent is. When I receive that I will post
it.
Frank
Shamrock Seminar on Maui
This is the day
after Shooto Hawaii: Alpha, which will be held in Lahaina on
December 7th.
Birthday Bash in paradise with Frank Shamrock
Sunday,
December 8, 2002,
Kaanapali Beach
12PM - 3PM
Come
one, come all to a special birthday celebration and training
seminar with the world's greatest fighter to enter the cage or
ring. Mr. Frank Shamrock would like to invite all fans, fighters,
admirers and spectators to a fun-filled training session in Maui,
Hawaii on Sunday, December 8th, 2002.
While
in Hawaii you will learn the tips and techniques that have groomed
many a Champion including those that have made Frank Shamrock
victorious in 5 World title Fights. Not only have these techniques
groomed champions, they've carved an incredible impression on
Mixed Martial Arts and "Cagefighting" as we know it
today.
Mr.
Shamrock will be joined by some of the best Hawaii fighters in
the sport today. So come and enjoy the world's greatest champion
doing what he loves to do best.
UFC
40 Fight Card
Las Vegas,
NV
November 22, 2002
4:30PM
Countdown Hawaii Time
5:00 UFC Starts Hawaii Time
Combat grappler Philip Miller against British import Mark Weir
in both fighters second UFC appearance.
"The
Janitor", Vladimir Matyushenko returns to the cage to take
on wrestler Travis "Diesel" Wiuff.
Vlady's
countryman Andrei Arlovski, looking good in recent action, battles
"The Machine" Ian Freeman who made the entire globe
take notice at UFC 38.
Welterweight
title hopeful Robbie Lawler brings the pain to Tiki Ghosn of
Team Punishment.
"The
Secret Weapon" is back in action as Pete Spratt squares
off against former Welterweight Champion Carlos Newton.
In
his illusive search of a title shot, #1 contender Chuck Liddell
faces his second consecutive Brazilian fighter when Renato "Babalu"
Sobral comes a callin' in the grand cage.
The
Gracie and Miletich camps clash when Gil Castillo challenges
Matt Hughes for his welterweight title.
And
in our headliner, the bout to shut someone's mouth once and for
all, Ken Shamrock returns after 6 years away from the cage to
try to lay a hurtin' on current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
Tito Ortiz.
Source: Sherdog
11/17/02
Quote
of the Day
"Always look at what you have left. Never look at what you
have lost."
Robert H. Schuller
11th
Annual Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu International Tournament Results!
Relson Gracie International BJJ Tournament
Sport Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Submission Wrestling Tournament
Kaiser High School, Honolulu, Hawaii
November 16, 2002
9:00 AM - 3:45 PM
Congratulations to all the competitors who came out to support
the tournament. The no-gi division was a success and we will
expand it with the next tournament. Thank you for coming out
and supporting the tournament. If you have any suggestions or
comments about the tournament, please feel free to email us.
Team Titles
1st Place: Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu 84
2nd Place: Brazilian Freestyle/Luis Heredia Jiu-Jitsu 23
3rd Place: Nova Uniao/East Sidaz Team 20
4th Place: Animal House 3
5th Place: Johnny Sampaio Team 2
6th Place: Kodenkan 1
Kids
Division
Kids Gi Featherweight
1st Place: Bubba Gascon Nova Uniao/East Sidaz Team
2nd Place: Thomas Buntenbah Nova Uniao/East Sidaz Team
214-226 lbs
1st Place: Raymond Balderama Relson Gracie
2nd Place: Marc Chang Johnny Sampaio
227
lbs and Up
1st Place: Kyle Nitahara Relson Gracie
2nd Place: Byron Hernandez Relson Gracie
Open
Weight
1st Place: Kyle Nitahara Relson Gracie
2nd Place: Marc Chang Johnny Sampaio
Mens
Blue Belt Adult
122-134 lbs
1st Place: Randy Medeiros Relson Gracie
2nd Place: Kalani Lizam Relson Gracie
135-147
lbs
1st Place: Bernard Villanueva & Andrew Kawada TBDRelson Gracie
2nd Place: TBD
Note: Match shall be fought at the academy to determine first
and second place.
148-160
lbs
1st Place: Joshua Lauber Relson Gracie
2nd Place: Dean Lista Nova Uniao/East Sidaz Team
Open
Weight
1st Place: Kimo Kreis Relson Gracie
2nd Place: Ronn Shiraki Relson Gracie
No
Gi Division
Note: Due to the lack of competitors, there were no divisions
of beginner, intermediate, or advance.
All competitors were grouped only in a weight class.
Under
155 lbs
1st Place: Brad Scott Relson Gracie
2nd Place: Bernard Villanueva Relson Gracie
155-170
lbs
1st Place: Bryan Weida Animal House
2nd Place: Scott Judd Relson Gracie
171-185
lbs
1st Place: Ermin Fergunston (BFJJ) & Kelii Bibb (Nova/East
Sidaz) Tie
Note: Match went on for 3 overtimes so it was called a tie by
the referee.
If you are thinking, what does
this have to do with martial arts in Hawaii? You don't know who
Lester Gantan. He is a long time student at the Casca Grossa
JJ Academy. He is a blue belt in BJJ and a Tae Kwon Do master
(inside joke). He also created the intro music for the TV show
Fighters Club and has been instrumental (no pun intended) in
helping promote a lot of the BJJ tournaments in the past. Most
people do not know that Les has his own custom, state of the
art recording studio and company, Flyin' Hawaiian Productions
and actively performs gigs all over the world. Flyin' Hawaiian
Productions is celebrating its 15th year in business, which tells
you how old Les is...don't ask, just respect your elders. I have
gone to see Les perform a few times and I thoroughly enjoy it
everytime. So don't only watch out for the CD, buy it and tell
your friends about it. You won't be disappointed.
Fasten your seat belts and get ready to embark on a diverse musical
adventure 15 years in the making. . .
To
commemorate the 15th anniversary of Flyin' Hawaiian,
award winning Producer Lester Gantan presents:
15
Years of Hits
The Best of Flyin' Hawaiian Volume 3
A
2 CD Set of 28 total songs
containing Ten established #1 radio hits
plus
three brand new songs from:
Native
Blend
(Featuring B.E.T.)
"I'll Never Get Over You Getting Over Me"
Keone
Wilson
(Featuring B.E.T. & Native Blend)
"Sherry"
&
Joshua Cronk
"Fly Away"
Disc
One
"Island
Classics"
is the Ultimate Island Music Anthology
16 songs total, it contains the #1 smash hits:
"I'd
Still Say Yes"
& "Take Me Back to Paradise"
by Native Blend
"Pua
Nani"
& "Tropical Beauty"
by 5:05
"Suddenly"
by Jon Basebase
"Will
You Still Love Me Tomorrow"
by CHANT
"Baby
Love"
by Quintinn Holi
"Break
These Walls"
by Glenn Medeiros
"Hold
On"
& "Hey Local Boy"
by Cory Lokelani & Travis
(Plus a special remix of "Crazy Over You"
available for the first time on CD)
Disc
Two
"Channel
Surfing"
contains a diverse 12 song collection of
Modern Rock, Urban Rap, R&B + Solo Piano featuring:
"Next
Week Thursday"
by Mr. Orange Undercover
&
"Rhythm Within"
by Brother Noland & the Modern Hawaiians
Plus
selections from 5:05, Quintinn Holi, Club Rox Rock, CHANT, Glenn
Medeiros & Lester Gantan
The
2 CD Set will retail for the price of a single CD @ $18.99.
This
means the consumer will get 2 CDs for the price of one!!!
That's
28 total songs and nearly 2 hours of music!!!
Street
Date:
The week of Thanksgiving 2002
Distributed
by:
Pacific Hawaiian Music Distribution
Carole Baguio
808-671-1772 cbaguio@lava.net
For
more info, contact:
Lester Gantan
Flyin' Hawaiian Entertainment
808-487-7740 les@flyinhawn.com
Japanese
News: More Pro Wrestling CROSSOVERS!
More MMA fighters are making their way into pro wrestling every
day.
The
WRESTLE-1 show is scheduled to take place this weekend in Yokohama
(November 17, 2002) and features the debut of a former UFC champion.
Bob
Sapp continues to overworked but definitely not underpaid!
Bob
Sapp is under the managerial advisement of Ishi and is getting
a reportedly $50,000 paycheck for each pro wrestling match.....yes,
pro wrestling. Sapp gets a nice six-figure payday for his MMA
and K-1 bouts.
Mark
Coleman and Kevin Randelman, will debut as a tag team for WRESTLE-1,
will undoubtedly be over with the crowd.
Coleman
has tag teamed with Mark Kerr before on Antonio Inoki's first
New Years Eve event. Coleman was over but Kerr needed work according
to Japanese press.
This
would mark Kevin Randelman's first official match as a 'pro wrestler'
and both are getting estimated five-figure paychecks. Rumors
has it they're also under Ishi's guidance.
Who's
next? We'll keep everyone posted.
Source: ADCC
Kid
Peligro Jiu-Jitsu News . . . Alliance Splits in Two
by: Kid Peligro
The Powerhouse Alliance Team finally succumbed to internal problems
that have plagued them since 2000. As many of you remember, there
was a major split in the team prior to the 2000 Worlds involving
Roberto Traven and Leo Leite. Subsequently the team reunited
under the guidance of Jacare Cavalcanti. Later on another split
took place this time involving Leo Castello Branco who left the
team permanently. The latest split involves the most of the youngest
members of the team, including World Champions Rodrigo Comprido,
Leo and Rico Vieira, Fernando 'Terere', Damian Maia and others.
While
Kid was aware of the internal problems of the team, he refrained
from reporting the news as there were hopes that cooler heads
would prevail and the team would stay together, however, in an
interview to 'O Tatame' Magazine Website, Multiple times World
Champion Fabio Gurgel revealed the split and many of the reaasons
behind the split.
The
whole situation came to a head when the CBJJO scheduled their
World Cup of Jiu-Jitsu on the same date as the World BJJ Championships.
With R$7,000.00 of prize money for the winners of each division,
the CBJJO Tournament was too much for some of the younger and
less established members of the team to pass. Meantime Fabio
Gurgel and some of the older members of Alliance had pledged
their support for the CBJJ as they felt that the CBJJO's intention
was to divide the sport and not add to the entire BJJ movement
(Gurgel's statement to 'O Tatame'). Gurgel then prohibited his
students (Terere, Damian and Telles who were already under suspension
from competing in the CBJJO Team titles) from competing in the
World Cup event and requested that the other top Alliance members
did the same.
To
make a long story short, the new barbarians along with other
members of the youth brigade competed in the World Cup and won
most of the divisions causing Gurgel to permanently kick his
three students from the team. Faced with the expulsion of their
friends, all the younger Alliance Team members who had competed
in the World Cup, in solidarity left the team and formed a new
team.
While
both sides have lots of valid points, cooler heads could have
prevailed, however the split is official and at this point permanent.
The new order is that Alliance Team still exists with Fabio Gurgel,
Roberto Traven, Magrao and Alexandre Paiva in charge of the organization
under Jacare, while Vieira Brothers, Comprido, Terere, Damian
and Ratinho (One of the founders of the Alliance Team) have formed
a new team under Jacare as well.
The
new team is, at this point tentatively called Master is still
searching for a final name, and that is where you come in: your
input is going to be considered, send your suggestion to leovieira@hotmail.com
leovieira@hotmail.com and if your suggestion is chosen you will
be able to tell your friends you named the new team and get a
new team T-Shirt to Boot!
Source: ADCC
Den
Members Snarl On Ken vs. Tito
By Brian Piepenbrink
It's almost time! That's right, next week the world will finally
witness one of the original MMA feuds being put to rest one way
or another. Ken Shamrock finally gets his chance to teach Tito
Ortiz some respect. Tito gets the chance to go from being the
MMA posterboy to one of the very few MMA legends. But this is
more than just a fight between two men. Both warriors lead two
big name fight teams that claim southern California as their
turf. Every king has his champion but it is a rare treat to actually
witness two kings doing battle. Shamrock has many loyal soldiers
supporting his cause, and three of them took a few moments to
speak with us.
PRIDE
veteran and Den member, Guy Mezger has recently opened another
fight complex in Texas. Guy states that he is looking to fight
in Japan very soon but he isn't feeling that great at the moment
due to having to go up against Ken everyday in training. When
I asked Guy what Tito should look out for he said "the obvious,
getting his face pounded with hard ass punches and getting his
leg broke by submission." Guy went on to comment on what
Ken has to be weary of: "Tito's game is to play for the
cut. He can't hurt you. He just wants to get you up against the
fence and open up a cut with elbows". I asked Guy how Ken
was doing and he said "Ken's in good shape, good spirits
and injury free". Guy closed with "This fight is skill
versus youth and I believe Ken will win".
Vernon
"Tiger" White who will be in Vegas helping Ken prepare
for the fight stated that he doesn't really have anything against
Tito but "he's going to get beat, that's for sure".
I asked Vernon if there is anything he would like to say to Tito,
and being short and to the point his reply was "duck".
Tony
"The Bull" Galindo took a break from running his new
Bonita academy and preparing for a December 7th seminar in Reno
Nevada to take few shots at the Huntington Beach Bad Boy. "I
have nothing against Tito" states The Bull "but I've
only seen one guy fall off of a skyscraper and survive and that
was on the show That's Incredible. Tito is not that guy. When
the fight's over the hospital staff is going to ask Tito if he
was drinking before the accident."
Source: Sherdog
Q&A
with Mario Sperry
MFB:
How did you feel in the fight against Kopylov?
MS: I felt very satisfied with myself because I trained a lot
and I was confident. I felt rewarded due to the time I expended
training.
MFB:
Are you happy with your performance?
MS: Of course. Everything that I trained worked.
MFB:
What was your gameplan?
MS: I defined my gameplan during the fight when I felt Kopylov's
strength. I put two great positions on him -- two arm-triangles.
He escaped from both, so I changed my gameplan because I'd expend
a lot of gas trying to submit him. I decided to hurt him a bit
before trying a submission, and I landed a hard kick to his face
that needed 28 stitches.
MFB:
Was he a tough opponent?
MS: I don't know because I was able to land two good punches
to his face, and then he tried to take me down, but that's one
of my best positions. My opponents are rarely able to take me
down. We dropped to the ground, and he was in a bad position
with myself on the top. I threw a knee to his face and the rest
you know.
MFB:
Is it true that you are upset with the name "Russian Top
Team"?
MS: It's a total lack of creativity. They want to take advantage
of our success, but the fans know how to differentiate Brazil
from Russia.
MFB:
How much longer do you plan on fighting?
MS: This is so hard to say because I feel well. If I take a day
off, I don't feel well. Only time will tell.
MFB:
Are you happy fighting in Pride?
MS: Very happy. Each day I'm in better shape, peaking. These
points give me strength to fight in Pride.
MFB:
Should we expect you to continue to fight in other shows, like
UFO?
MS: For sure. Pride is a great event, and we have a good relationship.
My contract with them is not exclusive, so if some event with
a good proposal appears, I'll fight without problems.
MFB:
Who would you like to fight next?
MS: There's not a special fighter who I'd like to fight. I'm
a Pride employee, and whoever they put in front of me, I'll fight.
I don't need to prove anything to no one.
MFB:
Do you want to go after a Pride title?
MS: The belt is a goal for all fighters. In my life I always
try to put this phrase in my mind: everything that I do, it should
be very well done. So I don't have any motivation to ask Pride
matchmakers to put me on the road to the belt. My motivation
is to fight and to continue training. If a title shot arises,
I'll go for it.
MFB:
What is your impression of the American Top Team?
MS: I've never seen their training sessions, so it is hard to
say. But I believe they're a great team because they have Ricardo
Liborio as their main coach. With some good fighters who left
Brazilian Top Team to go there, very soon they'll become a tough
team.
MFB:
How is the Brazilian Top Team doing?
MS: Our team is doing good. We have added three new tough fighters:
Angelo Araujo, Jorge "Navalhada" Magalhaes and Haroldo
"Cabelinho" Bunn. It's important to say that they're
not here only because they're good fighters, but because they're
good people too.
MFB:
Is Brazilian Top Team preparing any new fighters for mixed martial
arts?
MS: We're expecting opportunities. We now have Fabiano Scherer,
Alex Paz, Luis Brito, Fabiano Capoane, Hudson Rocha, Fabio Mello,
Gilson "Capixu" Ferreira, Roan "Jucao" Carneiro
and Marcello Grosso. These are fighters who will be tough soon.
MFB:
Since both Chute Boxe and Brazilian Top Team are so successful,
do you think you will begin to face each other more frequently?
MS: This is a natural thing because these are two teams considered
the best around the world. Both teams have good fighters, and
Brazilian Top Team versus Chute Boxe is being used by the Pride
promoters to attract more fans. But, in my opinion, this rivalry
will start inside the ring and will end there and not out of
it.
MFB:
What is your impression of the Chute Boxe style of fighting?
MS: I'm a fan of the Chute Boxe style. They have a good ring
presence. They do exactly what we do, but they're trying to improve
their ground game, and we're trying to improve our striking game.
MFB:
What would you have to do to beat someone like Vanderlei Silva?
MS: It's hard to say because Silva is very dangerous. He's a
complete fighter with good sprawls, and he can trade blows. He's
very aggressive, and he has good ground defense. To beat him,
firstly, I would need to be very well prepared and not overconfident
on the ground.
MFB:
Can the young guys at Brazilian Top Team compete with the young
fighters Chute Boxe is producing?
MS: No doubt. We have young guns.
MFB:
How do you feel about Minotauro's victory against Bob Sapp?
MS: I was confident and certain he'd win. I can confess to you,
at the beginning of the fight, things didn't go OK for Minotauro
due to that pile driver. He made a mistake when he saw Sapp's
size in front of him. He had promised me that he'd not go for
Sapp's legs, but he did it, and that pile driver was almost "fatal"
to his victory. In the first round, "Minotauro" had
to expend a lot of strength to escape from Sapp's punches, but
in the second round, he did the job.
MFB:
Do you agree with Pride's matchmaking? Like how they put fighters
against much larger opponents?
MS: Once again it is hard to say. I think that they want a better
pay-per-view index and to sell more tickets. However, I think
they need to be careful because a bad accident can happen. In
my opinion, when Bob Sapp dominates the techniques, he'll become
a dangerous fighter to his opponent's integrity, so a Super Heavyweight
category would be welcome
MFB:
Will you ever compete in Submission Wrestling or Jiu Jitsu again?
MS: I'll fight in Abu Dhabi 2003. My days would have to have
36 hours to train submission, NHB, Jiu Jitsu and to have my private
life. Because of that, the Jiu Jitsu is out of the question.
MFB:
How would a match between Minotauro and Josh Barnett go?
MS: Barnett is a great fighter, but in my opinion, Minotauro
would have a large advantage. Minotauro would submit him.
MFB:
Do you think that fight will ever happen?
MS: I hope so. The fans want to see good fights.
MFB:
What's your impression of the UFC?
MS: I respect the UFC a lot because it is a NHB pioneer and their
organization has great fighters. I'd like to fight there, but
I never received an invitation.
MFB:
Why haven't many Brazilian Top Team members fought in the UFC?
MS: I don't know. Maybe they prefer to use more U.S. fighters
and only two or three Brazilian fighters.
MFB:
Is there anything else you'd like to say?
MS: I'd like to say thanks to my sponsor Vitamins&Minerals
and to the fans. They can continue to root for me because I always
train hard to not disappoint them.
Source: Maxfighting
Travis
Wiuff Interview
by: Keith Mills
UFC announced this week that Frank Mir was injured and is dropping
out of his fight with Vladimir Matyushenko for UFC 40 to be replaced
by up-and-comer Travis Wiuff. Wiuff is a veteran of the Return
Of The Heavyweights series held earlier this year in a partnership
between Extreme Challenge and Super Brawl and has spent most
of this summer fighting in Ultimate Wrestling in MN.
KM
Just heard the news that you are signed to fight in UFC. Congratulations.
TW:
Thank you.
KM:
So how does it feel to be fighting in the UFC?
TW:
Definitely nervous. I was excited at first and I guess the main
thing is I'm nervous about the atmosphere. That's obviously a
lot different to what I'll be used to but I think as far as fighting
goes once I get into the octagon and start fighting my training
will take care of that.
KM:
You only heard about this three or four days ago?
TW:
Yeah, I think Sunday night.
KM:
How did that work out?
TW:
It was allright. I was actually training for a fight with Dan
Severn. I had been planning on that for about a month and a half
so I've been getting ready for that. I was training for that
and Monte Cox (manager) called me and asked me if I'd be interested
and obviously I said yes.
KM:
It seems like this is an opportunity you've been waiting for.
TW:
Yeah, I mean I definitely couldn't say no to it. I think anybody
who trains mixed martial arts, this is their goal one way or
another.
KM:
So you're in the Quad City area right now?
TW:
Yeah, I'm in Davenport.
KM:
I take it you're training with the Miletich team?
TW:
Yes.
KM:
How is that going?
TW:
It's going great. It's unbelievable to be around so much talent
in one room. Everybody in the room is a UFC veteran or known
around the world for their fighting skills. It's amazing, the
talent that is in one room.
KM:
One concern is that Miletich doesn't have many people your weight.
TW:
He doesn't really, actually. He's got Tim Sylvia obviously but
other than that that's about it. Jens Pulver has a Heavyweight;
actually he's filling my spot in the Dan Severn fight.
KM:
What event is the Dan Severn fight in?
TW:
It's in Victory Sports.
KM:
So they have a fill-in also.
TW:
Yeah, it worked out nice.
KM:
What point in your training are you at right now? Usually about
a week before a fight we start seeing fighters change their focus
to shift more to conditioning than weight training for example.
Where are you in your preparations for this now?
TW:
I was obviously getting ready for Severn and working a lot of
stand-up and also a lot of conditioning. With Vladdy I know he's
a great wrestler so I started to work a lot more wrestling in
there.
KM:
You're going to be fighting at 265?
TW:
I'm going to be about 260.
KM:
Any idea what Vladdy is supposed to weigh in at?
TW:
I heard 220. I don't know how accurate that is.
KM:
I've seen most of his fights around 205 or so. One of the things
that surprised me about you in Extreme Challenge and Ultimate
Wrestling is even though you were around 270 you are still a
quick, aggressive, exciting fighter to watch at 270 while Vladdy
tends to be a counter puncher and defensive.
TW:
I talked to Pat about it quite a bit and that he said it's basically
pretty boring to watch but effective. I definitely don't want
him to be on top of me.
KM:
What do you think of the weight difference of about 40 lbs.?
TW:
I think it's going to help me. I feel good right now at 260 and
my conditioning is great. I feel really good. When I was 280
in Super Brawl I was way too heavy and my conditioning was horrible
and it showed in my fighting. I've been down as low as about
235 and I just felt very light down there. My conditioning was
good but as far as my weight I'm not too worried about my conditioning.
I definitely know I can go 15 minutes. I think him normally fighting
at 205 and going up to 220, that could be a factor in his conditioning,
not being used to carrying around that much weight. I've seen
him fight a few times and he always comes in prepared so I'm
sure he'll be ready.
KM:
I think with your last three wins in Ultimate Wrestling, the
three decisions in a row, that your conditioning isn't really
in question. For those last three against Kevin Jordan, Johnathan
Ivey, and Jason Godsey were you around 270 for those?
TW:
No, about what I am right now, 255-260 right in between there.
KM:
So is this the weight we can expect to see you fight at from
now on?
TW:
Yeah, I've been lighter, and I felt too light and not as strong.
I've been heavier and I felt very slow and my conditioning wasn't
too good. I think I've found a happy medium where I'm still heavy
but still feel pretty light on my feet.
KM:
As far as how you think the fight will go I think Vladdy is going
to be too light and too defensive to really be like a Mike Radnov
or Wesley Correira (Wiuff's only two losses). What fighter that
you've faced are you looking at this to be similar to?
TW:
Maybe my Jason Godsey fight (Wiuff's last win 10/19/02 Ultimate
Wrestling). Now that I think about it they both have similar
styles. Vladdy is a great wrestler but Jason Godsey is also a
pretty good wrestler and they both got the same body type where
they are taller and kind of lanky. I think Godsey was maybe a
little bit heavier but both have similar body types so of my
fights so far I'd definitely compare it to the match with Godsey.
KM:
As far as comparing this to Matyusheko's other fights it seems
like against Frank Mir we were expecting Vladdy to be on top
of Frank Mir while I think now that you are in there it's going
to go more like the Tito/Vladdy fight where Vladdy is probably
going to be on the bottom against you.
TW:
I know Vladdy is a great wrestler, I did my homework on him and
he's phenomenal so I'm not taking for granted I can take him
down. I definitely think my weight advantage is going to help
me in that.
KM:
You similar styles and even have similar records, 10-2 records,
but with 40 lbs. and you have that speed he hasn't really shown
I think it's going to be Vladdy on the bottom. This is your second
cage event. Are you training differently for that; is that a
concern at all?
TW:
Actually I haven't. Fighting in Ultimate Wrestling up in MN it's
always in a ring and my style is ground and pound and there's
been quite a few times where I'll take a guy down and we'll be
right up next to the ropes, caught up in the ropes, and they'll
stand us back up but I think the cage is definitely going to
help me where I don't have to worry about that, I can even drive
him into the cage.
KM:
Extreme Challenge was in a cage. I saw that one but I remember
your fight against Radnov but I don't recall that much about
the fight with Jardine. Wasn't that one the really short KO like
:30?
TW:
Actually it was :06.
KM:
Do you remember how you managed to pull that off?
TW:
I think he threw a right jab and I countered it, I think I knocked
him out with a left or a right cross, I can't remember for sure.
KM:
The Radnov one I don't remember either of you really using the
cage or even being near the cage.
TW:
With Radnov I did a little bit but defiantly not as much as I
should have.
KM:
Is there any concern that Vladdy's experiences with cages like
IFC and UFC is going to give him any kind of advantage?
TW:
Like you said, he definitely has the experience. He's fought
all over the place. I don't think so, I think once I get in there
my instincts will take over and it won't be a factor.
KM:
We've seen you win with submissions like key locks, we've seen
you win with strikes, but your only losses have been to Radnov
where you got a cut and Wesley with submission to strikes. It
seems like it's going to be hard to catch you in a submission
and Vladdy is going to have to win by strikes.
TW:
I'm not an expert at jiu-jitsu and my game is definitely ground
and pound but one thing I've really been training and working
hard on is defense from submissions so I think that's really
going to help me. Overall I think I have to work on that, any
amateur that wants to make the transition needs to because there
is quite a bit of difference.
KM:
During the summer you were training under Brad (Kohler) but lately
it's been (Dave) Menne?
TW:
Probably the first four months that I've fought I trained with
Brad and then the past three or four months I've been training
with Dave.
KM:
Now that this fight is signed you're training with Miletich?
TW:
Yeah.
KM:
So you're going up the ladder of training. I thin that people
that saw you in Extreme Challenge or Ultimate Wrestling this
summer on that Pulver card are going to see a different you.
TW:
Absolutely. It's amazing to me how much I've learned just in
the past couple months with training with Dave and coming down
here. The two fights that I lost, I'd do anything to have them
back knowing then what I know now.
KM:
What was the first fight after training with Menne?
KM:
Your first fight was February of this year. Here it is not even
one full year and you're in the UFC. Congratulations again.
TW:
If you would have told me seven months ago I would be in the
UFC in eight months I would have laughed at you. It blows my
mind. I don't think it has sunk in yet. It's pretty crazy.
KM:
Hopefully it won't until after the fight. I'm a little worried
about your mental game plan here. I'm a little worried about
you defeating yourself with too much pressure. A lot of fighters
talk about once they get in there its all instincts and it doesn't
matter.
TW:
Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. Like I said the atmosphere and
all that stuff I'm really nervous about. It'll be my first time
in Vegas, I'll basically be out there by myself until Thursday
but once I get into the octagon I think my instincts will take
over and all the training I did will take over.
KM:
For those of us who may be familiar with your earlier work but
haven't seen you since training under Dave what has changed?
What did Menne do to you?
TW:
My conditioning has definitely gotten better, that's probably
the biggest thing. My defense to submissions, the transition
for wrestlers is quite a bit different. In wrestling we do quite
a bit of extending and obviously in mixed martial arts you don't
want to do as much.
KM:
I noticed before this was signed that you were supposed to appear
at TN Shooto in January. Is that still on?
TW:
I'm planning on it. As far as I know this is just a one-fight
contract so I still plan on it. I e-mailed the guy and it kind
of worked out pretty good for me, he e-mailed me right back and
said it was a go.
KM:
I have a lot of respect for John Renken (promoter TN Shooto).
I remember at one point at the first TN Shooto he was talking
about in case of a tie instead of the fighters getting just their
show money that they would split the purse in half. Little things
like that, you're talking about shelling out an extra couple
hundred dollars for a show that probably lost a lot of money.
Being a fighter for so long as well as a practicing minister
I think Renken is a good one to fight for.
TW:
I only talked to him by e-mail but he seems like a pretty nice
guy.
KM:
So you had Severn on your plate before this and TN Shooto, was
there anything else in the works coming up?
TW:
Actually I think Kohler has another show December 6th and I'm
planning on fighting, I don't know if I have an opponent yet
but I'm assuming I will.
KM:
I can't find a listing for your age. When were you born?
TW:
March 15th, 1978.
KM:
I was reading a Full Contact Fighter piece this summer where
you were talking about being two credits short of finishing college.
TW:
Actually still am. Haven't finished them off yet. I definitely
want to, you can't fight forever obviously and it's only two
classes so it's not like it'll take up a lot of time. Right now
just the training and everything involved in that is taking up
a lot of time but I definitely plan on going back.
KM:
So what are your thoughts on going to Vegas?
TW:
It'll be exciting. I've seen a lot of things and heard a lot
of things about it.
KM:
this is pretty early in your career, my concern is maybe too
early.
TW:
I think it's definitely early, I never would have planned on
it coming this quick but if I had it to do all over again I would
have came down to Davenport and trained with Pat a lot sooner.
I'm just amazing how much he knows and how much he can teach
you in a short period of time. So far I don't have any regrets.
KM:
Any thoughts on the UFC seeming to be light on the Heavyweight
talent?
TW:
I think there are a lot of good young Heavyweights out there.
A lot of us that competed at Super Brawl, Ben Rothwell is really
tough and obviously Tim Sylvia, but like you said there is not
too much depth at Heavyweight right now and I think that I'm
one of the things that really helped me get in there so quick.
KM:
Any thing else you want to project to the fans?
TW:
I'm trying to remain as calm as possible but I think once I get
out there I'm going to be a lot tougher. Right now I'm just concentrating
on training and getting ready.
