The
Shooto Association has released its most current rankings as
of October 1st, and this is the first time that the Bantamweight
Class has appeared in the rankings. Even the world of Shooto,
known for its surplus of smaller fighters, didn't quite have
enough participation at 123 lbs to warrant rankings. However,
things are starting to stir and we some interesting things developing
for the little guys...
What
is most interesting is the fact that it is not a Japanese fighter
who appears in the top spot, but a Brazilian. Someone everyone
should know form his accolades in The Brazilian Jiu Jitsu World
as well as the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championships.
His name is Robson Moura, and his steady but convincing defeat
over the former Featherweight Champion Mamoru (who has moved
down in weight) has earned him the number one position. He is
followed by all Japanese, as you might expect, and it will be
interesting to see how this division develops.
There
was a little bit of movement in the Featherweight Class (132
lbs). However, an eight-man tournament to decide the next number
one contender for the Shooto crown is underway. Already, Kentaro
Imaizumi scored a TKO victory over ABKZ, and Kimihito Nonaka
defeated Hiroaki Yoshioka by Decision. Waiting in the wings is
Tokyo Ryota Matsune v. Hudson Rocha of the Brazilain Top Team,
and Shuichiro Katsumura v. the wild card of the tournament -
Alfie Alcarez.
Moving
up to Lightweight (143 lbs) we have some big happennings. At
the top of the rankings, Hiroyuki Abe is looking to finally capture
the World Title in his second bout with the champion. Abe KO'ed
the champ Alexandre Nogueira in a non-tile bout back on July
19th. Now he is poised to take the Champ down a second time.
Others have tried and failed... can Abe be the man??? Also, we
see 'Kid' Yamamoto surge up the rankings to where most people
would agree he belongs (in the top three). This comes after a
brutal defeat over the only other man to ever defeat Nogueira,
that is Tetsuo Katsuta. Yamamoto didn't just beat Katsuta, he
literally 'BEAT' him, earning himself a 3 month suspension in
the process for continuing his attack after the bout was stopped.
No harm to his career really as we all know that he will be back.
Then we see the long awaited return of Naoya Uematsu begin to
fizzle after several less than stellar performances. This has
been capped off by a disappointing loss to Next Generation up-and-comer
Bao Quach. Bao is a poised, controlling, ground-fighter who is
looking to redeem himself after losing to Jeff Curran not long
ago. Lastly, at 143 lbs we see the emergence of American Top
team member Hermes Franca. He moved down in weight but up in
performance, as he handily dispatched HOOknSHOOT Champion Anthony
Hamlett to earn this ranking.
Looking
at the Welterweight Class (154 lbs), arguably Shooto's best weight
class, we don't see alot of movement except at the bottom of
the ranks. Shaolin Ribeiro moves up after breaking onto the Shooto
scene with an impressive submission win over Takumi Nakayama,
and then Hiroshi Tsuruya in September. Right behind him is Yves
Edwards who made his mark by putting young, exciting fighter
Kohei Yasumi down with a perfectly timed straight right. He no
doubt has his sights set on another chance at Rumina Sato, as
well as, the title currently held by Takanori Gomi. Rumor has
it that the title will be contested for in December by Dokonjonosuke
Mishima. That bout has the makings of a world class match for
the ages.
Moving
on to the Middleweight Class (167 lbs) we see that it is topped
off by an absentee champion. After a convincing defeat of long-time
Shooto Champion Hayato Sakurai, Anderson Silva has seemingly
moved on to other venues. Eventually the title will be taken
back by the Shooto Association and put up for grabs. In the top
spots and hungry for a shot are Sakurai, Ray Cooper, Tatsuji Kato, and Jutaro Nakao. The
only two men in this grouping that have not met each other is
Sakurai and
Cooper. As
the current top two fighters in the division, it may happen yet.
Cooper, by
the way, is the only one of the top four who has not had a shot
at the title. Also,
a special note: Takuya Wada, a staunch representative of K'z
Factory has left his team and the entire sport of Shooto. Disputes
with management have left him looking elsewhere to build a career.
Last
up is the Shooto Light Heavyweight dvision. Having been a relatively
stagnant division for quite sometime, a great deal of focus has
fallen onto the the 183 lbers lately. First going back to January
when Lance Gibson lost a contraversial decision to Masanori Suda
for the vacant title. Then there is Egan Inoue who has been on a six fight winning
street in Superbrawl since June of 1999. Two of those were Shooto
bouts, and five of the six of which have ended by either submission,
KO and TKO. Most prominent was his KO victory over Dutch fighter
Martijn De Jong. After that win, Egan tentatively announced his retirement but has called
out the champ for one last title shot to round out his career.
Will the Champ oblige. All the while this drama was unfolding,
another American Top Teamer was solidifying his place in the
Shoot rankings by going 3-0 in Shooto bouts in the American Shooto
promotion HOOKnSHOOT. It is Dustin Denes and he has moved into
4th place by dispatching long time Shooto ranker, Izuru Takeuchi.
Denes, known as 'Clean', has had his eye on the Shooto LHW belt
for some time and is reported to have dozens of Shooto tapes
that he watches regularly. He is hungry for his shot. Additional
note: Takuya Wada teammate Izuru Takeuchi has also left K'z Factory
and Shooto for other opportunities.
***
Lightweight 65 kg (143 lbs) ***
Champ Alexandre Nogueira
1st Hiroyuki Abe
2nd Stephen
"Bozo" Paling
3rd Norifumi Yamamoto
4th Tetsuo Katsuta
5th Bao Quach
6th Baret
Yoshida
7th Naoya Uematsu
8th Kazuhiro Inoue
9th Katsuya Toita
10th Hermes Franca
***
Welterweight 70 kg (154 lbs) ***
Champ Takanori Gomi
1st Dokonjonosuke Mishima
2nd Ryan Bow
3rd Marcio Cromado
4th Javier Vazquez
5th Rumina Sato
6th Tatsuya Kawajiri
7th Vitor Ribeiro
8th Yves Edwards
9th Takumi
10th Kohei Yasumi
***
Middleweight 76 kg (167 lbs) ***
Champ Anderson Silva
1st Hayato Sakurai
2nd Ray "Bradda"
Cooper
3rd Tetsuji Kato
4th Jutaro Nakao
5th Dave Strasser
6th Steve Berger
7th Aaron Riley
8th Takuya Wada
9th Dan Gilbert
10th Seichi Ikemoto
***
Light Heavyweight 83 kg (183 lbs) ***
Champ Masanori Suda
1st Lance Gibson
2nd Egan
Inoue
3rd Dustin Denes
4th Larry Papadopoulos
5th Izuru Takeuchi
6th Martijn de Jong
7th Shikou Yamashita
8th Scott Henze
9th Ivan Salaverry
10th Ronald
Jhun
Source:
ADCC
Hughes
vs Castillo
One of the worst kept secrets on the impending UFC 40 card was
made official Tuesday when Zuffa announced that welterweight
champion Matt Hughes (27-3) would make his third title defense
of 2002 Nov. 22 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Despite winning
only one fight at welterweight since joining the UFC, Gil Castillo
(17-1), who hasn't fought since January, gets the shot at Hughes'
belt.
As
for Hughes, he looks to put an exclamation point on the most
successful year of his career, a year in which he defended his
title twice with decisive victories over Mach Sakurai and the
man he won the crown from, Carlos Newton.
Source:
Maxfighting
COUTURE
STILL HAVING PHYSICAL PROBLEMS
MMAWeekly has learned that Randy Couture is still having problems
physically from his loss to Ricco Rodriguez at UFC 39. Couture
is still experiencing"double vision" from the fight.
Couture had to pull out of the Eco Challenge as a result. Teammate
Matt Lindland said Couture was worried about choosing the "wrong
path" during the race because of his problems with his vision.
Couture's eye
socket was injured in the fight and it was thought that taking
some time off would help the situation. Our thoughts our with
the former UFC champion and we hope everything will heal properly
in time.
Source: MMA
Weekly
First
American National Championships Update
The
CBJJ Website has already updated with a complete list of all
the athletes currently signed up to compete in this great event.
The event is taking place in Los Angeles , Ca on November 2nd
and 3rd is going to qualif the American National Team that is
going to compete with the Brazilian NAtional Team in an unprecendetned
event in 2003. Don't miss out.
For
more info go to www.cbjj.com.br/english. anyone presigned by
October 25th gets the discount rate of $60.00 instead of the
$100.00 at the weigh in
1st
AMERICAN NATIONAL JIU-JITSU CHAMPIONSHIP
THE
TOURNAMENT
The
tournament will take place on november 2nd and 3rd in Hawthorne
Memorial Center - 3901 W. El Segundo Blvd, Hawthorne, CA.
The
champions of the blue, purple, brown and black belts adult divisions
(man only) will join the first Jiu-Jitsu American Team to compete
USA X Brazil Jiu-Jitsu Teams Challenge that will take place in
the USA next year.
Male
adult division (Blue, Purple, Brown and Black belts) only american
citizens allowed.
On the other divisions, the tournament is open for athletes of
any nationality.
The
enrollment fee – which will be charged during the weigh
ins – for athletes who fill the form correctly is US$ 60.00.
Athletes who didn’t fill the form properly(any kind of change
or correction on your registration at the weigh in day) will
pay U$20.00 extra fee. Athletes who didn’t enroll through
the Internet will pay US$ 100.00.
The
weigh ins will take place on November 1st (Friday), on the Hawthorne
Memorial Center. Athletes must bring their Ids or some other
identification document (the athletes will weigh without Gi).
OTHER
INFO
Each
academy can only have two athletes in the same division (of age/weight/belt).
If your academy has problems regarding the number of athletes
in each division, please send an e-mail to IBJJF(ibjjf@cbjj.com.br).
Before
each fight, athletes will be asked to show their Ids to the officials.
Make sure you have it at hand.
Interview
with Keith Hackney
Thinking
back to the early days of the UFC one can’t help but remember
the no nonsense, confident blue-collar fighter Keith Hackney.
Always game and with an intense, almost primal gaze he entered
the Octagon fearlessly to fight whoever was put in front of him,
no questions. I spent a few minutes on the phone with the man
they call “The Giant Killer”.
Patrick Patlán: Hey Keith, first of all I want to say
hello on behalf of MMA Weekly and it’s readers from around
the globe. It’s an honor to have the opportunity to speak
with you.
Keith Hackney: No problem. Thanks for calling.
Patrick:
What got you started in the martial arts and eventually competing
in the UFC?
Keith:
I always liked the martial arts and Bruce Lee movies as a kid,
but I was in wrestling before that. I competed at the state level
in wrestling, when I saw Enter the Dragon that pretty much sold
me on the martial arts so I started training in that. I trained
in a lot of systems and have black belts in them, but I always
trained towards reality and street situations rather than the
form aspect. I was always sparring and refining my techniques
that way.
Patrick:
Ok, let’s go back to 1994, it’s UFC 3 and your opponent
is a 6’8” 600 plus pound behemoth of a man who’s
standing across the Octagon from you chewing on his mouthpiece
like it’s a grape Now-n Later. What’s going through
your mind when you see Emmanuel Yarborough?
Keith:
(laughing) I was thinking to myself, “This is the largest
human being I’ve ever seen in my life!” I saw him earlier
in the day curling 315 pounds 10 to 15 times like it was nothing.
When we got in the Octagon I was thinking that I’m going
to give him the fight of his life. No matter what happened, if
I won, lost, got hurt it didn’t matter, I was going to give
it 200 percent. The press was so freaked out I won, they interviewed
him instead of me.
Patrick:
Three months later you destroyed Jo Son and his male identity
by simultaneously choking him and pounding him with savage, brutal
groin shots. Did you see his last appearance at Pride? Man, that
was a freak show! Do you feel in any way responsible for that?
Keith:
(laughing again…harder) I didn’t get to see that, but
I heard about the g-string and makeup and stuff, sounds nasty.
I hope it wasn’t the result of our fight.
Patrick:
I came to the realization after three weeks of phone tag that
you are a very busy man. You have been a successful coach for
Team USA in Pankration, and you have a school, Hackneys Combat
Academy in Rosell, Illinois. Are you still coaching? Do you have
any promising fighters at your school?
Keith:
We have Team Extreme Combat and a lot of good people fighting
out of the school, some who you will be seeing at some of the
bigger events. It took a while to get to a certain point where
we could compete, the school has been open a couple of years
now and we’ve got some tough guys. A couple of our guys
will be at the Ironheart
Crown on October 26th at the Hammond Civic Center and they are going to
put on one hell of a show. As far as Pankration goes, the people
involved in it are more concerned with titles, money and control
issues so the sport and its athletes have taken a back seat.
Between litigation for control in Greece and in-fighting amongst
the different organizations here in the U.S. Pankration probably
won’t make it into the Olympics. As a result I’ve backed
away from coaching in Pankration and it’s unfortunate, it
might have been a stepping-stone into maybe even introducing
NHB into the Olympics, who knows. The same thing happened to
Karate years ago and the only people that lose are the athletes.
Patrick:
I know you still train. Is there anybody in particular that you
train with?
Keith:
I enjoy it so much, it’s my life and my stress relief. I
get a lot of people from other places that come to train or give
seminars, but most of my training is with the guys at the school.
We cover all aspects from stand up to groundwork and submissions.
Shamrock has been here as well as Mark Schultz and others.
Patrick:
Which fighters do you enjoy watching today?
Keith:
Right now I like Vanderlei Silva and Antonio Nogueira. Nogueria
is one of the toughest heavyweight fighters, he’s so well
rounded and such a technician with a lot of heart. I just saw
that fight he had with Bob Sapp.
Patrick:
Don’t you think that was kind of irresponsible to put Minotauro
in there with monster like Sapp?
Keith:
Sapp is a guy who’s training with Mo Smith and Barnett so
it’s not like he’s just a big guy. When he gets to
the point of being a well-rounded fighter I don’t see too
many people beating him just because of his size. At Pride they
were talking Bob Sapp this Bob Sapp that, but you have to give
Antonio credit because he was hanging in there taking shots and
just being there in the ring. A super-heavyweight division will
almost have to be created for Sapp.
Patrick:
Do you have any predictions on the Ortiz-Shamrock fight?
Keith:
It’s probably going to be one of the best fights the UFC
has ever had. I don’t see Tito coming in and controlling
the match like he did with Frank. They are pretty much on the
same level playing field when it comes to strength. Tito’s
got the ground and pound working and Ken has better submission
skills so I think it’s a tough one to call. It all depends
on who shows up that night, who’s in better condition, and
who make the least mistakes. I’m thinking about flying out
there to see that fight.
Patrick:
Well Keith, you are a class act and I along with MMA WEEKLY wish
you all the best. It’s been a pleasure talking to you.
Keith:
I appreciate it, thanks for calling.
Source:
MMA Weekly
SOUTH
KOREA TRIUMPHS AT ASIAN GAMES WRESTLING
By: Eddie Goldman
South
Korea romped in the 14th Asian Games wrestling competition, held
Oct. 2-8 in the Yangsan Gymnasium in
Yangsan City, South Korea. The host country won a combined total
of 12 medals, including six gold, in the
Greco-Roman and men's and women's freestyle events.
In
men's freestyle, South Korea's dominance was evident in the 66
kg gold medal match, as Korea's Baek Jin Kuk
upset Iran's former world champion and 2002 silver medalist,
Alireza Dabir, 3-1. Iran continued its disappointing
performance when, at 74 kg, 2002 world champion Mehdi Hajizadeh
lost in the semi-finals to Tajikistan's Yousup
Abdulsalomov, 9-7, and ended up finishing third.
South
Korea also dominated in Greco with three gold medals and three
silver medals.
Japan
scored well in the women's competition, winning two gold medals
and one silver out of the four weight classes.
Japan's performance was highlighted by three-time world champion
Kyoko Hamaguchi scoring three pins and a 6-0
shutout to take gold at 72 kg. China got its only medals of the
competition, two golds, in women's freestyle.
RESULTS:
Total
Team Wrestling Medals
Country Gold Silver Bronze Total
Korea - 6 6 0 12
Islamic Republic of Iran - 1 2 5 8
Japan - 3 2 1 6
Uzbekistan - 3 1 1 5
Kyrgyzstan - 0 2 3 5
Mongolia - 1 0 4 5
Kazakhstan - 2 2 0 4
Tajikistan - 0 2 1 3
People's Rep. of China - 2 0 0 2
D.P.R. Korea - 0 1 1 2
India - 0 0 1 1
Syrian Arab Republic - 0 0 1 1
GRECO
ROMAN
55kg
Asset Imanbayev, Kazakhstan
Kang Yong Gyun, D.P.R. Korea
Liran Kalilov, Kyrgyzstan
60kg
Kang Kyung Il, Korea
Dilshod Aripov, Uzbekistan
Makoto Sasamoto, Japan
66kg
Kim In Sub, Korea
Daniar Kobonov, Kyrgyzstan
Kim Yun Mo, D.P.R. Korea
74kg
Kim Jin Soo, Korea
Danil Khalimov, Kazakhstan
Parviz Zeidvand, Islamic Republic of Iran
84kg
Shingo Matsumoto, Japan
Kim Jung Sub, Korea
Ken Mohammad, Syrian Arab Republic
96kg
Aleksey Cheglakov, Uzbekistan
Park Myung Suk, Korea
Masoud Hasem Zadeh, Islamic Republic of Iran
120kg
Georgiy Tsurtsumia, Kazakhstan
Yang Young Jin, Korea
Alireza Gharibi, Islamic Republic of Iran
medals
- Greco
gold
Korea - 3
Kazakhstan - 2
Japan - 1
Uzbekistan - 1
silver
Korea - 3
D.P.R. Korea - 1
Uzbekistan - 1
Kyrgyzstan - 1
Kazakhstan - 1
bronze
Islamic Republic of Iran - 3
Kyrgyzstan - 1
Japan - 1
D.P.R. Korea - 1
Syrian Arab Republic - 1
Total
Greco Medals -
Korea - 6
Kazakhstan - 3
Islamic Republic of Iran - 3
Japan - 2
D.P.R. Korea - 2
Kyrgyzstan - 2
Uzbekistan - 2
Syrian Arab Republic - 1
FREESTYLE
- MEN
55kg
Dilshod Mansurov, Uzbekistan
Chikara Tanabe, Japan
Mohammad Rezaei, Islamic Republic of Iran
60kg
Oyunbileg Purevbaatar, Mongolia
Song Jae Myung, Korea
Ulan Nadyrbek Ulu, Kyrgyzstan
66kg
Baek Jin Kuk, Korea
Alireza Dabir, Islamic Republic of Iran
Norjin Bayarmagnai, Mongolia
74kg
Cho Byung Kwan, Korea
Yousup Abdusalomov, Tajikistan
Mehdi Hajizadehjoybari, Islamic Republic of Iran
96kg
Alireza Heidari, Islamic Republic of Iran
Alexey Krupnlakov, Kyrgyzstan
Magomed Ibragimov, Uzbekistan
120kg
Artur Taymazov, Uzbekistan
Abbas Jadidi, Islamic Republic of Iran
Palwinder Singh Cheema, India
medals
- Men's Freestyle
gold
Korea - 3
Uzbekistan - 2
Mongolia - 1
Islamic Republic of Iran - 1
silver
Islamic Republic of Iran - 2
Korea - 1
Japan - 1
Tajikistan - 1
Kyrgyzstan - 1
Kazakhstan - 1
bronze
Islamic Republic of Iran - 2
Kyrgyzstan - 1
India - 1
Tajikistan - 1
Uzbekistan - 1
Mongolia - 1
Total
Men's Freestyle Medals -
Islamic Republic of Iran - 5
Korea - 4
Uzbekistan - 3
Kyrgyzstan - 2
Mongolia - 2
Tajikistan - 2
Kazakhstan - 1
Japan - 1
India - 1
FREESTYLE
- WOMEN
48kg
Zhong Xiue, People's Rep. of China
Lidiya Karamchakova, Tajikistan
Tsogtbazar Enkhjargal, Mongolia
55kg
Saori Yoshida, Japan
Lee Na Lae, Korea
Naidan Otgonjargal, Mongolia
63kg
Xu Haiyan, People's Rep. of China
Kaori Icho, Japan
Tumen-ulzii Myagmarsuren, Mongolia
72kg
Kyoko Hamaguchi, Japan
Kang Min Jung, Korea
Yana Panova, Kyrgyzstan
medals
- Women's Freestyle
gold
Japan - 2
People's Rep. of China - 2
silver
Korea - 2
Japan - 1
Tajikistan - 1
bronze
Mongolia - 3
Kyrgyzstan - 1
Total
Women's Freestyle Medals -
Japan - 3
Mongolia - 3
Korea - 2
People's Rep. of China - 2
Kyrgyzstan - 1
Tajikistan - 1
Source:
ADCC
10/9/02
Quote
of the Day
"The people and circumstances around me do not MAKE me what
I am, they REVEAL who I am."
Dr. Laura Schlessinger
Ronald
"The Machine Gun" Jhun Drops to 170lbs! Ron Jhun
versus Joao Morais at 2001 NAGA in Hawaii
Hawaiian born, Ronald Jhun was once again on the verge of breaking
into the "big show" at 185lbs before losing to UCC
sensation Stephan Potvin last month by toe hold. By all accounts
Jhun was dominating the fight and was going in for the kill when
he was caught with a very skillful submission.
Since then Jhun has been contemplating which way to take his
career. He even pondered taking some much deserved time off (although
that would have dropped him even further off the radar in the
big picture).
Well, once the stinging taste of defeat began to wear off, "The
Machine Gun" decided to reload......15lbs lighter! Jhun,
who walked around below the 185lb class he was previously fighting
in was constantly pitted against larger opponents.
Look for Jhun to make his debut at 170lbs in Super Brawl's "Battle
for the Belts" to be held in Honolulu, Hawaii on Saturday
night, November, 9 against an opponent to be named in the coming
days.
A win against a formidable opponent will no doubt revitalize
Jhun's career.
Source: T. Jay
Thompson
Need
I say more? I always liked this magazine...
Source: Gracie Magazine
North
American Trials: A Closer Look Saturday, October 5th, 2002
Photo by KEITH MILLS / PIC:
Chance Farrar throws Phil Cardella in round 1 of the under 65
KG category
CHECK OUT THE The SHERDOG Report!!
Thanks Big Dog!
The 3rd NORTH AMERICAN
TRIALS went off this past weekend, and a new standard has been
set for SUBMISSION WRESTLING in the United States! 'In the past,
the Qualifiers were done with each tournament scheduled months
apart. This was the first time the tournaments were all scheduled
in one day, Abu Dhabi style!' states spokesman Miguel Iturrate.
'this was the first time the whole event captured the feel of
the World Championships - with the build up and anticipation.
The room was real worked up!'
Kid Peligro's View
The event showcased
the incredible level of North American Grappling. If this was
the level of the qualifier, I cannot imagine what the main event
is going to be like. Many of the fights had so many submission
attempts that had the crowd hooting and wowing in amazement.
Kid also noticed that most of the competitors must have rubber
knees, ankles and feet as I have never seen so many solid ankle,
foot and knee locks that somehow did not end up in submission!
Next step for these guys is Brazil, good luck to all of them,
and a job well done to the organizers and competitors. Tchau,
Kid Peligro
On to the PLAY by
PLAY of the weekend's event!
UNDER 65.9 KG
This division is always exciting, and this time was no different!
Eddie Bravo came with intent, and he overcame some adversity
as well as a tough field to sweep the division.
Bravo faced off against
AMC's Mark Ashton. Thinking he faced a wrestler, Bravo dropped
to guard immediately and he began to work. Insidiously, he worked
into his patented 'Twister' hold, but was immediately warned
by the referee - the cervical hold was illegal under ADCC rules.
Bravo protested briefly, but did not lose his cool, finishing
with a rear naked choke.
In the other bracket,
Renzo Gracie's Alan Teo was churning thru the competition. He
took out Chance Farrar by choke and eliminated Michael Bland
in round 1.
The finals was strategy
all the way - as Joe Rogan would say, kinetic chess. Bravo was
overheard to say 'Teo is the only guy I am worried about from
what I have seen' after the first round ended. Sometimes it happens
in the Submission Wrestling style - two competitors are well
matched, and a stalemate occurs. Teo had top position, with Bravo
staying busy underneath. Bravo reversed for top position, and
teo worked hard to regain, but Bravo was not to be denied.
In the 3-4 match,
baby faced Sean Krysa and Chance Farrar squared off, with Farrar's
wrestling background edging out the Canadian representative.
COMPLETE RESULTS:
TEAM CANADA: Shawn Krysa 140.8 v. Victory Athletics: Dominic
Curella 140.1: Sean Krysa
TEAM RENZO GRACIE: Alan Teo 144.6 v. Team Ricardo Pires: Michael
Bland 143.4: Alan Teo
MACHADO JJ: Eddie Bravo 143.9 v. AMC PANKRATION: Mark Ashton
144.2: Eddie Bravo
Fabio Santos JJ / Wrestling: Chance Farrar 144.7 v. Relson Gracie
JJ: Phillip Cardella 144.5: Chance Farrar
ROUND 2:
Shawn Krysa v Eddie Bravo: Eddie Bravo
Alan Teo v Chance Farrar: Alan Teo
3rd Place Match: Sean
Krysa v. Chance Farrar: Chance Farrar
FINAL: Alan Teo v.
Eddie Bravo: Eddie Bravo
67-77.99 KG:
This bracket contained the match of the night, and it was in
the first round! Renzo Gracie's Sean Williams and Kenny Florian
squared off and showed what grappling could be all about! Williams
worked from the top, until Florian executed a reversal, and took
the back. Several reversals ensued, and ouch! That FOOTLOCK!
At the end of the time limit it was Williams ahead on points.
Henry Matamoros advanced
to the second round with an exciting win over young Brad Blackburn.
In the second round Antonio McKey would prove too strong for
Matamoros, as he advanced to the final. McKey would live up to
his reputation - a great athlete who tends to be methodical.
It would hurt him in the finals!
Canada's Mark Bocek
would show a lot of heart, but McKey took him out in the first
round. This was a hard fought war.
Meanwhile, ATT's Pablo
Popovich battled tough Sean Spangler, a late addition to the
tournament, as well as tangling with Sean Williams, both wins
for Popovich.
Popovich would be
able to match McKey's physical attributes, as he is a super athlete
as well. Working from his guard, he stayed busy, while McKey
hung on when faced with a barrage of techniques. McKey was eventually
penalized one point for inactivity in the guard, something that
was explained in the rule meeting. The match would end with Popovich
scoring 0, and McKey at -1.
TEAM CANADA: Mark
Bocek 164.2 v. Team Ricardo Pires: Antonio McKee 166.2: Antonio
McKee
Pedro Sauer JJ - Costa Rica: Henry Matamoros 166.4 v. Victory
Athletics: Brad Blackburn 167.7: Henry Matamoros
American TOP TEAM: Pablo Popovich 168.4 v. J-SECT / NOVA UNIAO:
Sean Spangler 168.2: Pablo Popovich
TEAM RENZO GRACIE: Sean Williams 168.9 v. Grappling Champion:
Kenny Florian 167.6: Sean Williams
ROUND 2:
Antonio McKee v Henry Matamoros: Antonio McKee
Pablo Popovich v Sean Williams: Pablo Popovich
3rd Place Match: Sean
Williams v. Henry Matamoros: Sean Williams
FINAL: Pablo Popovich
v. Antonio McKee: Pablo Popovich
77-87.99 KG:
A phenomenal, bracket! Eventual champion David Terrell grinded
out a chess match with Keith Rockel, while Joe D'Arce and Ken
Kronenberg went to war, with D'Arce ending it with a footlock.
Todd Margolis submitted James Lee with a rear naked choke, and
Dennis Kang submitted Angelo Popofski with a keylock! These guys
came and went for it!!!
Kang and Terrell really
battled hard, with Terrell's tough defense holding off a game
Kang
Meanwhile, Todd Margolis,
who a lot of people might underestimate, took out tough Joe D'Arce
in a high speed paced match!
Terrell would prove
too much for Margolis in the finals, though Todd made a game
of it, he wore himself out on Terrell, and eventually he tapped
to an arm lock. Afterwards, Margolis commented 'I'm just a regular
guy who trains 3-4 times a week' but brother, can he hang! Todd
Margolis earned some fans!
And Terrell, he commented
'I fought like s%&%'. With some focus, Terrell can be a factor
in this weight division at the World Championships, as he has
all the skills to play.
Grapplers Quest Champion:
Ken Kronenberg 191.9 v. TEAM RENZO GRACIE: Joe D'arce 188.9:
Joe D'Arce
Grapplers Quest Champion: Todd Margolis 184.1 v. 2x Wrestling
Champ (Michigan): James Lee 192.3: Todd Margolis
TEAM CANADA: Denis Kang 188.3 v. Team Caique JJ: Angelo Popofski
193.2: Dennis Kang
Cesar Gracie JJ - KOTC: David Terrell 189.3 v. Massachusetts
Submission Academy: Keith Rockel 193.2: David Terrell
ROUND 2:
Joe D'Arce v Todd Margolis: Todd Margolis.
Dennis Kang v David Terrell: David Terrell.
3rd Place Match: Dennis
Kang - D'arce pulled out.
FINAL: Todd Margolis
v. David Terrell: David Terrell
88 - 98.99 KG :
Returning champion Marc Laimon was in cruise control, taking
out Canada's Terry Dellino, whose game was nifty, and scrapper
Anthony Argyros to get to the finals.
Kenny McClure almost
finished Jamal Patterson with a leg attack, but Patterson defended,
and eventually wore him out, finishing with an arm bar.
Dean Lister had a
tough fight with Nathan DuCharme - Dean missed a throw and landed
hard on the mats, getting a hematoma on his knee. Lister, playing
to the hometown crowd, focused around the injury and gutted out
the match with DuCharme.
In the second round,
Lister battled with Jamal Patterson, who he took out with a rear
naked choke.
Lister and Laimon
in the finals - this match had it all. Technique, mind games,
banter, falling into the crowd, action, etc. It was a classic
battle, with Lister edging out the defending champ in a grueling
match.
J-SECT / NOVA UNIAO:
Marc Laimon 216.1 v. TEAM CANADA: Terry Dellino 207.2: Marc Laimon
HnS Veteran : Mark Jackson v. 16x NAGA Champion: Anthony Argyros
199.7: Anthony Argyros
Carlos Machado: Kenny Mcclure 216.7 v. TEAM RENZO GRACIE: Jamal
Patterson 217.5: Jamal Patterson
Nathan Ducharme 215.9 v. KOTC Champion: Dean Lister 215.1: Dean
Lister
ROUND 2:
Marc Laimon v Anthony Argyros: Marc Laimon
Dean Lister v Jamal Patterson: Dean Lister
3rd Place Match: Jamal
Patterson - Argyros pulled out.
FINAL: Dean Lister
v. Marc Laimon: Dean Lister
DEAN LISTER won the
TAPOUT FIGHTER of the NIGHT award, a HOOKNSHOOT tradition that
goes to the fighter with the night's top showing! Lister fought
threw an injury for a phenomenal showing!
99 KG and up:
The big boys came to fight! The charge was led by wrestlers,
as 21 year old Mike Whitehead took out Roy Nelson, one of the
most impressive guys in the field. Nelson gutted out a win over
tough Jocko Willink in round 1.
John Rallo submitted
the Sugar Bear, Canada's Karim Byron with a ferocious arm lock.
In round 2, Whitehead
took out tough Renzo Gracie student John Rallo, while Nelson
and John Marsh fought a fight of the night candidate match! Nelson
threw Marsh for a 4 point score, and he worked through several
sick heel hooks from Marsh, who looked great in his matches as
well.
Whitehead and Nelson
went at it like little guys in the final. Nelson had a full tank
and went at Whitehead, who was strong and quick himself, and
enjoyed a 20 lb. weight advantage. Whitehead got off a massive
suplex, over his head on Nelson, and seemed to be up. Nelson
continued to go at Whitehead, increasing the pace. The match
ended with Nelson caught underneath Whitehead, his knee absorbing
the weight of Whitehead's fall. Nelson hobbled off the court,
smart enough to know he had given his all and left it on the
court. It would not be surprising to see Nelson invited to the
World Championships after his performance.
TEAM CANADA: Karim
Byron 343.1 v. TEAM RENZO GRACIE: John Rallo 263.9: John Rallo
ADCC VETERAN: Rocke Batastini 240.6 v. PRIDE veteran - John Marsh:
John Marsh with the night's QUICKEST SUBMISSION!
Victory Athletics: Mike Whitehead 272.4 v. Team Ricardo Pires:
Conan Dunn: Mike Whitehead
Roy Nelson 252.5 v. Dean Lister's Team Jocko Willink 238.8: Roy
Nelson
ROUND 2:
John Rallo v Mike Whitehead: Mike Whitehead
John Marsh v Roy Nelson: Roy Nelson - Nelson executed the Best
Throw of the Night!
3rd Place Match: Both
fighter's chose to not compete!
FINAL: Roy Nelson
v. Mike Whitehead: Mike Whitehead
Overall, an outstanding
event. TEAM AMERICA must focus now. They walk into the LION'S
DEN in Brazil, as the BJJ teams have been dominant in Abu Dhabi
competition, now add to that the home field advantage!
Source: ADCC
Hughes
vs. Castillo at UFC 40
Second Ultimate Fighting Championship Title Fight On Live, Pay-Per-View
Tickets On Sale
Now; Ortiz To Battle Shamrock For Light Heavyweight Belt
LAS
VEGAS, October 8, 2002…Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)
Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes of Hillsboro, Ill., will defend
his title for the third time when he takes on top contender Gil
Castillo of Concord, Calif., live on pay-per-view at 10 p.m.
EST as the co-main event of UFC 40: Vendetta, Friday, November
22, from the MGM Grand Garden Arena. UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
Tito Ortiz will meet UFC legend Ken Shamrock for the light heavyweight
belt in the main event. Tickets, $300, $200, $100, $60 and $30,
can be purchased at the MGM Grand box office and all Ticketmaster
locations, by calling Ticketmaster at 1-877-880-0880 and 702-474-4000,
or at www.ticketmaster.com.
UFC
40: Vendetta will be available live at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m PST
on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, BellExpressVu and Viewers Choice Canada.
The suggested retail price is $29.95.
Hughes,
27-3-0 in Mixed Martial Arts, most recently defended his title
July 13 at UFC 38: The Brawl At Royal Albert Hall in London where
he defeated former champ Carlos Newton by referee stoppage due
to punches at 4:37 of the fourth round. It marked his second
victory over Newton in eight months after he won the belt from
him Nov. 2, 2001, at UFC 34: High Voltage at the MGM Grand in
Las Vegas with a knockout at 1:27 of the second round. In between,
Hughes also defeated Japanese legend Hayato Sakurai March 22
at UFC 36: Worlds Collide at the MGM Grand by technical knockout
at 3:01 of the fourth round.
Castillo,
17-1-0, is a top welterweight contender who defeated Chris Brennan
January 11 at UFC 35: Throw Down at the Mohegan Sun Arena in
Uncasville, Conn., by unanimous decision after three rounds.
Castillo is a jiu-jitsu specialist who trains with Cesar Gracie
and like many Gracie fighters his strengths are grappling and
submissions.
The
Ortiz-Shamrock matchup has been much anticipated for some time
and the fight will pit the UFC's old guard against the new. Fight
fans are well aware they have a major score to settle based on
long-standing hostilities between each other although they have
never fought. Shamrock has not fought in the UFC since December
1996 but continued to train UFC fighters.
Bad
vibes were building for years, but reached a boiling point March
5, 1999, at UFC 19: Young Guns in Bay St. Louis, Miss., after
Ortiz battered Shamrock protégé Guy Mezger forcing
stoppage of the fight. In the post-fight celebration, Ortiz donned
a T-shirt parodying Mezger's name. Shamrock jumped atop the Octagon
fence and has since vowed to teach Ortiz some humility. 'I cannot
leave the game without fighting him,' Shamrock said.
Ortiz'
response to Shamrock's return is typical Tito. 'I can't wait
to welcome him back to the new UFC,' he said.
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), headquartered in Las Vegas,
Nev., is the world's leading mixed martial arts sports association.
Owned and operated by Zuffa LLC, the UFC programs six live pay-per-view
events yearly through cable and satellite providers. In addition
to its U.S. distribution on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, Bell ExpressVu
and Viewers Choice Canada, UFC events are distributed internationally
through British Sky Broadcasting, WOWOW, Inc., in Japan, Globosat
in Brazil and Modern Sports and Entertainment in Scandinavia.
UFC licenses video games for all major playing platforms through
Crave Entertainment.
The
UFC's next PPV event will be UFC 40: Vendetta at 10 p.m. EST/7
p.m. PST on Friday, Nov. 22, live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Locate Ultimate Fighting Championship on the internet at www.ufc.tv.
Editor's
Note: UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz' mixed martial
arts record is 10-2-0. He lives in Huntington Beach Calif. Ken
Shamrock is 8-4-2. He lives in San Diego, Calif. The remainder
of the UFC 40: Vendetta card will be announced.
Source: ADCC
Chris
Brennan talks of his next fight:
in the WFA vs. Shaolin! Sorry
this was such a cute picture of Erica Montoya, I had to put it
up.
KM:
So you are fighting Shaolin in WFA. What are your thoughts? CB:
Like I said, I don't get easy fights-they give me tough fights
every time. His jiu-jitsu is phenomenal, he's got good wrestling,
haven't seen his striking yet. Like everybody I fight I respect
his skill: he's very tough. I'll train my ass off for it. 155
is fun, they keep giving me all these big names.
KM:
So this one is going to be at 155 again and your fight in Shooto
against Gomi was your first one at 155. You didn't have the problems
I thought you might have cutting that weight. So are you going
to stay at 155? CB: Oh yeah. I feel really good.
KM:
So what are your thoughts as far as you started at 155 with Gomi,
now Shaolin…you have some of the best people being thrown
at you right away. Must be kind of hard. CB: I had tough guys
thrown at me at 170. Berger, McGee, Stevenson, and Castillo…they
fed me a lot of tough guys at that weight too.
KM:
Yeah, but you were around at that weight a lot longer. I don't
recall what your first 2 or 3 fights were but I think you had
Miletich right off the bat. CB: Yeah, I think because since I
got to a certain level at the 170 once I got to 155 I'm still
skill wise and ranking wise at that level so they just started
giving me top guys right off the bat. Gomi was the champion and
Shaolin has got to be ranked up there pretty quick. He only has
like 4 fights but his record is 4-0 but they know.
KM:
He's making a big splash, having an early fight in HOOKnSHOOT
and in WFA, getting on the cover of a magazine; he's getting
a big publicity jump right off the bat. You've been around for
a while. Does that make you jealous at all that your next opponent
is only 4-0? CB. No. He's like a three time world champion in
jiu-jitsu. It sucks because not everybody knows. I mean most
people know who he is already but he's not super super well known
yet. It's not like I'm fighting Miletich or something where everybody
knows him but I think pretty much everybody knows him by now
because of his jiu-jitsu and what he's accomplished there. I
think it'll be a great fight. I'm excited.
KM:
As far as staying down to 155, is that going to change your training
at all? CB: Now I only have to cut from 185 instead of 205. (Both
laugh)
KM:
So you're going to walk around at about 185? CB: I want to stay
like 175-180 but after was at the hospital all last week I just
ate and ended up being 190. Now I'm cutting again.
KM:
Is your kid ok? CB: He's better. He's getting better every day.
He had some serious stomach problems and he's getting better.
KM:
I offer my sympathy and thoughts. CB: Thank you very much.
KM:
(Regarding the grappling tournament preceding the Abu Dhabi qualifier)
How did Next Generation do today? CB: Rami won the whole thing.
KM:
Which one is Rami? CB: Rami Boukai. He tapped out all of his
opponents in 145 and under. He fought up in Bakersfield. You
were there. Triangled the guy.
KM:
(Blush) ok. How about Bao. Bao beat Uematsu, the 6th ranked at
145 in Shooto. How is Bao taking all this? CB: He doesn't care.
He doesn't want to fight until January now or something. He's
going to school and doing his thing. He's still training but
it's same old same old.
KM:
What's up with the rest of the team? CB: Trying to get something
together for her (Erica Montoya). It's hard to find her fights.
She was supposed to fight a girl from Japan and (the Japanese
woman) hurt her shoulder so she couldn't fight. There's not a
lot of girls at that level at the weight so trying everyday for
something for her.
KM:
(To Erica) I heard you were fighting in kickboxing? (To Chris)
I think the last time I talked to you you mentioned she had a
kickboxing match? CB: She was talking about having a kickboxing
match when she training up at Fairtex but they ended up not having
it. Rami I'm trying to get a fight. Adam Lynn just fought in
UA4. He won his first fight and lost his second fight.
KM:
Who did he beat and who did he lose to? CB: I forget the name
of who he beat. He lost to Nick Diaz from Cesar Gracie.
KM:
I've had my eye on Nick Diaz since that IFC show but I couldn't
make it toWE4. CB: Threw him twice, landed across the side, got
back in the guard, got armbarred. I told him, 'don't go to the
ground with him, he's good'. He took him down twice so he got
what he you know…that was the first fight one of my students
had that I wasn't there ever. I was at the hospital. I felt really
bad.
KM:
Still, that's a pretty important excuse.
Our
thoughts go out to Chris' son during his recovery. For more information
on Next Generation visit NextGeneration.com
Source: ADCC
Bob
Sapp News...
Bob Sapp is
in the news once again. This time is technically isn't for fighting
but for eating at a press conference that ended up with him making
headlines in Japan.
Numerous news
outlets are reporting that Sapp ate half-raw cow tongues (considered
an expensive delicacy in Japan) in front of a mob of press in
Tokyo last week. Thirty-three cow tongues in three minutes to
be exact.
Sapp, who has
one of the largest meal allowances in Pride, reportedly ate the
cow tongues as if they were candy and posed for the camera in
bizarre fashion.
Sapp, fresh
off a second KO win in K-1 has become a major player in not only
MMA but K-1 Kickboxing and now pro wrestling as well. Not bad
for a guy many WCW brass called 'uncoordinated and useless.'
After gulping
down the tongues, Sapp stated 'I'm going to make the K in K-1
stand for kill!'
Sapp will also
make his pro wrestling debut in New Japan on 10/14 where he is
expected to destroy Manabu Nakanishi. This comes from a desperation
move where New Japan lost Takyama due to his eye socket being
re-broken. Sapp is getting a HUGE payday for the show.
Keep in mind
that Sapp will also fight in PRIDE on 11/24 and for K-1 again
on 11/17.
Source: ADCC
10/8/02
Quote
of the Day
Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle
them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.
John
Steinbeck
Warriors
Quest 8
"YOUNG GUNS"
Thrusday, Oct 24, 2002
IFC Championship
185lbs.
Mark Mareno (Bulls Pin) Vs. Steve Heath (Cesar Gracie)
Lightweight
154.3 Shooto Class A
Jamal Perkins (808 Fight Factory) Vs. Jay R Palmer (Universal
Rough)
Welterweight
170lbs.
Renato "Charuto" Verrissimo (Nova Uniao) Vs. TBA
INTERMISSION
Middleweight
Shooto Class B
Deshawn Johnson (HMC) Vs. Blake Hottenberg (Koden Kan)
Wleterweight
Class Shooto B 2x5 Minute
Jim Kikuchi (808 Fight Factory)Vs. Neal Andres (HMC)
Middleweight
Class Shooto B 2x5 Minute
Tripstin Kerisiano (808 Fight Factory) Vs. John Naole (HMC)
Heavyweight
Class Shooto B 2x5 Minute
Doug Fulp (808 Fight Factory) Vs. TBA
Cruiswerweight
Class Shooto B 2x5 Minute
Desmond Miner (Koden Kan) Vs. James Standford (HardKnocks)
Middleweight
Class Shooto B 2x5 Mintue
Nassor Lewis (808 Fight Factory) Vs. Aki Tago (Team Assasin)
Cruiserweight
Shooto Class B 2x5 Minutes
Jason Verdadero (Bulls Pin) Vs. Kaipo Spencer (Freelance)
Dain Agbayani
won't be fighting due to new job and lack of gym time so we will
be postponing the fight for a later time.
Card Subject
to Change!!
Upcoming
Super Brawl Info
November 9, 2002
Wes "Cabbage" Correira vs Jason Lambert
This fight is confirmed. Hawaii fans may remember that Jason
Lambert was the work horse from the Heavyweight tournament that
took a beating, but kept on coming. He has an excellent wrestling
background and a huge heart. Cabbage, now a UFC veteran, is coming
off a loss to the man who won the heavyweight tournament, but
made some fans with his never say die attitude. He stood there
and threw some heavy leather in America's premier show, the UFC.
He will look to get back to his winning ways against a very tough
and game opponent in Lambert.
The rest of
the fights are not confirmed and are currently in the negotiation
stage:
Niko Vitale (GU) at 190lbs on his way to 185 v tba
Shonie Carter v Japanese Fighter A-class
Kolo Koka (GU) v Japanese Fighter B-class
Ronald Jhun (808 Fight Factory) possibly at 170lbs? v tba
Brian Gassaway v tba
Deshaun Johnson (HMC) v Mark Moreno (Bulls Pen)
Miles Tynanes v King Kong
Mike Malone (East Sidaz) v tba
Bloody
Midgets Wrestling In Hawaii
Ok, I know what you
are thinking. "There's nothing new and interesting to do
at night anymore." Well, have we stumbled across something
for you! Yup, bloody midgets. It is hard core full contact midget
wrestling at it's best. The show should be backyard wrestling
meets Willie Wonka's Oompa Loompas.
What venue would
be able to pull off the mighty midgets? Gussie La'mours of course,
the premier location for "break through" events.
This is a dark
show so leave the kids at home for this one. Adults only.
Month
in Review: September
Between Rounds by Joe Hall
Another
entertaining month of mixed martial arts is ready for the history
books. During the 30 days of September, all the major Japanese
promotions ran shows, and a stacked UFC card closed the month.
Before you file it away, join me as I take a look at how September
2002 unfolded in the sport.
MINOWA
AIN'T NO BOB SAPP (Sept. 7)
DEEP
delivered their strongest show to date in early September. A
stellar 10-fight card was headlined by two of Japan's most athletic
mixed martial artists, Kiyoshi Tamura and Ikuhisa Minowa. The
careers of both fighters, who would likely compete as middleweights
in North America, have been tainted as they've been persistently
matched against larger opponents. Tamura has suffered the worst,
his career spiraling downward during a string of five consecutive
losses that was capped by a defeat at the massive hands of super
heavyweight Bob Sapp.
Fighting
Minowa was a rare opportunity for Tamura to face a quality opponent
near his own size, and he shined. In what has been described
as an action-packed bout, Tamura captured a unanimous decision
and raised the question: How good could Tamura, once touted as
the Japanese version of Frank Shamrock but now aged considerably,
have been if he had only fought opponents of similar size?
On
the undercard, Rogerio Nogueira bounced back from his loss to
Vladimir Matyushenko with a victory over Tsuyoshi Kosaka. The
brother of Pride Heavyweight Champ Rodrigo Nogueira, Rogerio
is now 4-1 in MMA competition. Kosaka, on the other hand, has
clearly entered the twilight of his career. The always-tough
Japanese heavyweight has dropped three consecutive fights and
five of his last six outings.
In
other action, Joao Roque stepped up a weight class and claimed
a decision over top 10-ranked lightweight Ryan Bow. Roque is
4-0 since his loss to Jens Pulver in the UFC, which includes
two triumphs over Takehiro Murahama and an armbar victory over
Stephen "Bozo" Palling. Also, Dokonjonosuke Mishima
continued his emergence as one of the best finishers at 155 pounds
by quickly submitting Takafumi Ito, and Ryuki Ueyama rallied
to submit Brazilian Top Team member Gilson Ferreira.
GOMI
SLIDES BY 155-POUND BRENNAN (Sept. 16)
Takanori
Gomi's unblemished record narrowly escaped the challenge of a
trimmed down Chris Brennan in Shooto. A good, but not quite top-10
welterweight, Brennan survived an exhaustive weight cutting regimen
and surfaced as an instant lightweight contender despite losing
a close decision.
Masahiro
Ohishi retained his featherweight Shooto title in a back-and-forth
battle against Hisao Ikeda. The entertaining war was waged for
the full 15 minutes, ending as a draw. On the undercard, Norifumi
"Kid" Yamamoto destroyed top 10-ranked featherweight
Tetsuo Katsuta. However, Yamamoto continued to pound Katsuta
after the match was stopped and has since been suspended for
120 days as of October 1.
Bao
Quach, a student of Chris Brennan, was also victorious, upsetting
Naoya Uematsu. Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro remained undefeated
by claiming a unanimous decision over Hiroshi Tsuruya.
UCC
INVADES HAWAII (Sept. 17)
Canada's
Universal Combat Challenge packed their bags and headed for the
sun-drenched getaway of Hawaii in mid-September. They took plenty
of UCC regulars with them, pitting many of the fighters against
Hawaiian opponents. In the main event, Jeff Curran stunned the
hometown audience by knocking out local product and submission
wizard Baret Yoshida. The win may prove to be a breakthrough
victory for Curran, who also defeated Bao Quach in late August.
Also,
Laverne Clark returned to MMA and ended a lengthy losing skid
with a unanimous decision win over Donald Ouimet. Word from Iowa
has it that Clark is training seriously for the first time in
a long while. Middleweight Ronald Jhun took a substantial step
backward in his quest to reach the UFC, falling to Stephan Potvin
via toehold. Rich Franklin and Falaniko Vitale also scored wins.
RICCO
CROWNED IN CONNECTICUT (Sept. 27)
The
UFC returned to the U.S. Northeast in late September with Ricco
Rodriguez capturing the vacant heavyweight title. BJ Penn prevailed
over Matt Serra in the lightweight tournament, earning a spot
in the finals against Caol Uno, who defeated Din Thomas. In other
action, Gan McGee smashed an overhand right into Pedro Rizzo's
nose to upset the Brazilian heavyweight, and Phil Baroni stunningly
knocked out Dave Menne in a mere 18 seconds.
UCC
DEBUTS ON TSN (Sept. 28)
The
UFC isn't the only promotion gaining mainstream attention. Canada's
Universal Combat Challenge, although under recognized in many
MMA circles, continued to stride forward in September with the
TSN debut of a show dedicated to their promotion. Considering
that TSN is Canada's largest sports network and has been called
the Canadian equivalent of ESPN, that is quite an accomplishment.
RAMPAGE
SCORES BIG 'W' (Sept. 29)
In
a significant step up in competition, Quinton Jackson solidified
his status as a top mixed martial artist by defeating Igor Vovchanchyn
at Pride 22. The rest of the card played out as many predicted
as Kevin Randleman, Guy Mezger, Anderson Silva and Heath Herring
all triumphed against overmatched opponents. In other action,
Paulo Filho finished Akira Shoji with an armbar; Mario Sperry
took out Andrei Kopylov with a soccer kick; and Ryan Gracie submitted
Shungo Oyama.
OTHER
NOTABLE WINS
Underrated
middleweight Yuki Sasaki defeated Alex Steibling in Pancrase.
Although the fight went the distance with Sasaki gaining a decision,
the Japanese fighter remains one of the best finishers in the
sport.
On
the same card, Ron Waterman returned to MMA with a submission
victory over Kengo Watanabe, and Kiuma Kunioku defeated Hiroki
Nagaoka.
Light
heavyweight Jorge Rivera took the HOOKnSHOOT 205-pound championship
from Travis Lutter in Ring of Fury. Rivera finished his Machado
black belt opponent with strikes late in the final round.
Steve
Berger was victorious at the same show, submitting Nuri Shakir
just before the end of the opening round.
KEEP
AN EYE ON…
American
Top Team featherweight Hermes Franca captured the HOOKnSHOOT
145-pound championship in early September. Franca, who is undefeated,
finished then-champion Anthony Hamlett with strikes from the
mount in the first round.
AND
THE AWARDS…
FIGHTER
OF THE MONTH: Ricco Rodriguez. He rallied over the final three
rounds and finished the venerable Randy Couture in a gutsy performance.
KNOCKOUT
OF THE MONTH: Phil Baroni knocks out Dave Menne at UFC 39. It
was quick, shocking and violent.
SUBMISSION
OF THE MONTH: Not much to work with this month, but Paulo Filho
gets the nod for submitting Akira Shoji, a fighter who had survived
bouts against Mark Coleman and Igor Vovchanchyn without quitting.
UPSET
OF THE MONTH: There were plenty to choose from, including Jeff
Curran's win over Baret Yoshida and Bao Quach's victory against
Naoya Uematsu. Gan McGee grabs the award, though, for his triumph
over Pedro Rizzo.
FAVORITE
MATCHUP OF THE MONTH: Although it didn't deliver the memorable
fight many expected, BJ Penn-Matt Serra was my favorite matchup
of the month. Honorable mention goes to Tamura-Minowa and Gomi-Brennan
at 155.
Source:
Maxfighting
UFC
TO TELEVISE ULTIMATE KEN SHAMROCK
ON PAY-PER-VIEW STARTING SUNDAY, OCT. 13
One-Hour Special
To Highlight Career of Ultimate Fighting Championship Legend
Shamrock Continues
To Train For Title Fight Vs. Tito Ortiz, Nov. 22, in Las Vegas
As he continues
to train for his return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship
November 22 in Las Vegas with a title fight against Light Heavyweight
Champion Tito Ortiz, the UFC will premiere Ultimate Ken Shamrock,
a one-hour pay-per-view television special, starting at 8 p.m.
EDT/5 p.m. PDT on DIRECTV and 9 p.m. EDT/6 p.m. PDT, Sunday,
Oct. 13, on iN DEMAND, BellExpressVu and Viewers Choice Canada.
The suggested retail price is $9.95.
Ultimate Ken Shamrock is a retrospective of the career of the
UFC pioneer who was its first super fight champion. Highlights
will include classic battles with Royce Gracie, Dan Severn, Oleg
Taktarov and Kimo. Re-plays of the show will air throughout the
remainder of October.
Shamrock will return to the UFC live on pay-per-view Friday,
Nov. 22, in the main event of UFC 40: Vendetta, when he meets
Ortiz for the light heavyweight championship. Fight fans are
well aware that Ortiz and Shamrock have a major score to settle
based on long-standing hostilities between each other.
The UFC's next PPV event will be at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST on
Friday, November 22, live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in
Las Vegas.
Source: FCF
3
Canadians added to Angle Classic
Canadian
stars Sissaouri, Huynh, Akuffo commit to competing at Kurt Angle
Classic in New Orleans, Nov. 8-10
Three
international wrestling stars from Canada have accepted invitations
to compete in the historic new Kurt Angle Classic, a challenge
competition featuring U.S. wrestling stars and many of the best
wrestling athletes from across the world.
The event will take place at the Morial Convention Center in
New Orleans, La., November 8-10, 2002.
The three new confirmed stars include 2001 World Champion Giuvi
Sissaouri, 2001 World silver medalist Carol Huynh and 2001 World
Team member Ohenwa Akuffo.
This brings the total to 12 World-class wrestling stars from
foreign nations who have agreed to participate in this exciting
new competition. These 12 international athletes have won a total
of nine World Championships, one Olympic Games championship and
28 World-level medals.
USA Wrestling, in conjunction with event organizers and international
wrestling federations, is helping firm up the final lineup at
this time.
The Kurt Angle Classic features a 'USA vs. The World' format,
and will spotlight Olympic and World Champion athletes in the
three Olympic styles of wrestling: men's freestyle, men's Greco-Roman
and women's freestyle.
All wrestlers will be paid to compete, with bonuses available
to the winners. In all, the total purse for the event will exceed
$75,000.
Sissaouri, 31, won the World Championships gold medal in 2001,
but did not compete at the 2002 World Championships due to the
birth of his child. Sissaouri is the most successful Canadian
wrestler in history, the winner of five World-level medals. He
won a silver medal at the 1996 Olympic Games, as well as a silver
medal at the 1995 World Championships. He also won World bronze
medals in 1997 and 1998. Among his other major titles were the
1999 Pan American Games and the 2002 World Cup.
Sissaouri will face three-time U.S. World team member Eric Guerrero
(Stillwater, Okla./Gator WC) at the Kurt Angle Classic at 60
kg/132 lbs. Sissaouri and Guerrero have met a number of times,
most recently at the 2002 World Cup, with Sissaouri winning the
match, 7-1.
Huynh won a silver medal at the 2001 World Championships and
a bronze medal at the 2000 World Championships. A three-time
Canadian Senior National champion, Huynh has also competed for
Canada at the Junior World Championships.
Huynh will battle 2000 World silver medalist Patricia Miranda
(Colorado Springs, Colo./Dave Schultz WC) at the event at 48
kg/105.5 lbs. Miranda has dropped down to 105.5 pounds from 112.25
pounds, and has not battled Huynh to date.
Akuffo placed 10th at the 2001 World Championships, and also
competed for Canada at the 1997 World Championships. She won
a gold medal at the 2002 Pan American Championships, and has
also won gold medals at the 2001 Dave Schultz Memorial International
and the 2000 Sunkist Kids International.
Akuffo will compete against 2001 World silver medalist Toccara
Montgomery (Cleveland, Ohio/Sunkist Kids) in the competition
at 72 kg/158.5 lbs. Montgomery moved up to 158.5 pounds from
147.5 pounds this season, and is new to this weight class.
Two featured women's matches were included in the Kurt Angle
Classic, even though the competition is just one week after the
2002 Women's World Championships. The United States and Canada
are among the world's top women's wrestling nations, and they
annually battle for supremacy among Pan American women's teams.
These two showdowns are expected to be competitive and entertaining.
As other international wrestling stars confirm their attendance
at this spectacular wrestling showcase, their information will
be posted on TheMat.com and shared with the international media.
The Kurt Angle Classic is part of the 'Show of Strength,' a competition
that will include body building, power lifting, arm wrestling
and a strong man contest. Included will be a hall with over 300
exhibits of products, supplements and other resources useful
in athletics.
'I am excited and honored to be hosting this event along with
USA Wrestling,' stated Angle, who after capturing Olympic gold
in 1996 went on to become a WWE superstar. 'This is my way of
giving back to the sport of wrestling. It should be an incredible
atmosphere and putting the top wrestlers in the world against
each other should help the sport of wrestling as well.'
There will be three sessions of competition. In session one,
a team comprised of military wrestlers from the U.S. Marine Corps
and the U.S. Navy will face a team composed of wrestlers from
the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force.
Sessions two and three will pit the top U.S. stars in all three
Olympic styles (men's freestyle, men's Greco-Roman, women's freestyle)
fighting against some of the top international competitors in
the world.
Wrestling will take place in an entertaining atmosphere. Matches
will be enhanced with music, up-close interviews and cutting-edge
production techniques that are certain to make this one of the
most fan-friendly and stunning amateur wrestling events ever.
NEW
ARTICLE ON FERNANDO VARGAS AND STEROIDS AT ROUNDCARDGIRLZ.COM
By: Eddie Goldman
NEW
YORK, Oct. 7 -- I'm asking you all to go to that site that features
all those buxom beauties who light up ringsides from sea to smiling
sea, Roundcardgirlz.com, at http://roundcardgirlz.com/, and click on the photo
of -- me!
Now,
before you conclude that I've gone totally mad, let me assure
you that there is some method to my madness. You see, clicking
on my photo will take you directly to my latest contribution
to this fast-rising site. It is an examination of the issues
surrounding the recent positive steroid test for Fernando Vargas,
following his Sept. 14 TKO loss to Oscar De La Hoya.
The
article is entitled 'IS FERNANDO VARGAS A DOPE WHO TOOK STEROIDS?'
The piece doesn't jump to conclusions, but neither does it pull
any punches.
There
is no charge to view this article, or much of the contents of
Roundcardgirlz.com, but the site does have a nice premium section
for members only. I can assure you that my mug is nowhere to
be found there! You will, of course, get access to many more
hot photos of the Roundcardgirlz.com models. So after digesting
my article, feel free to check out the rest of the site if you
haven't done so already.
Source:
ADCC
10/7/02
Quote
of the Day
"He who asks a question is a fool for a minute;
he who does not remains a fool forever."
Chinese Proverb
NORTH
AMERICAN ABU DHABI TRIALS RESULTS
THE AVENTINE CLUB, La Jolla, California
October 5th, 2002
Congratulations
to all the competitors! The ADCC North America Trials set a new
level for Submission Wrestling events in the USA - simply put,
this show was one of the most exciting tournaments ever held!
Much more to come from The Aventine in San Diego - complete details
and pictured in the next days!
The 2003 North
American ADCC Qualifier Field - Official RESULTS:
Under 65.9
KG:
(MACHADO
JJ): Eddie Bravo 143.9
Bravo won the night's most technical fighter, an incredible performance
by the KOTC man!
67-77.99
KG:
(American
TOP TEAM) Pablo Popovich 168.4
(77-87.99 KG:
(Gracie JJ
- KOTC): David Terrell 189.3
88
- 98.99 KG:
KOTC Champion: Dean Lister 215.1
DEAN LISTER won the TAPOUT FIGHTER of the NIGHT award, a HOOKNSHOOT
tradition that goes to the fighter with the night's top showing!
Lister fought threw an injury for a phenomenal showing!
99
KG and up:
Victory Athletics:
Mike Whitehead 272.4 Match
Details:
Under
65.9 KG:
TEAM CANADA:
Shawn Krysa 140.8 v. Victory Athletics (Seattle): Dominic Curella
140.1
Winner: Sean Krysa
(TEAM
RENZO GRACIE): Alan Teo 144.6 v. (Team Ricardo Pires): Michael
Bland 143.4
Winner: Alan Teo
(MACHADO
JJ): Eddie Bravo 143.9 v. (AMC PANKRATION: Mark Ashton 144.2
Winner: Eddie Bravo
Nathan
Ducharme 215.9 v. KOTC Champion: Dean Lister 215.1
Winner: Dean Lister
ROUND
2:
Marc Laimon v Anthony Argyros: Marc Laimon
Dean Lister v Jamal Patterson
Winner: Dean Lister
3rd
Place Match: Jamal Patterson - Argyros pulled out.
FINAL:
Dean Lister v. Marc Laimon
Winner: Dean Lister
DEAN
LISTER won the TAPOUT FIGHTER of the NIGHT award, a HOOKNSHOOT
tradition that goes to the fighter with the night's top showing!
Lister fought threw an injury for a phenomenal showing!
99
KG and up:
TEAM CANADA:
Karim Byron 343.1 v. (TEAM RENZO GRACIE): John Rallo 263.9
Winner: John Rallo
ADCC
VETERAN: Rocky Batastini 240.6(J-SECT / NOVA UNIAO) v. (PRIDE
veteran) Winner: John Marsh
John Marsh with the night's QUICKEST SUBMISSION!
Victory
Athletics: Mike Whitehead 272.4 v. (Team Ricardo Pires) Conan
Dunn
Winner: Mike Whitehead
Roy
Nelson 252.5 v. (Dean Lister's Team) Jocko Willink 238.8
Winner: Roy Nelson
ROUND
2:
John Rallo v Mike Whitehead
Winner: Mike Whitehead
John Marsh v Roy Nelson
Winner: Roy Nelson
Nelson executed the Best Throw of the Night!
3rd
Place Match: Both fighter's chose to not compete!
FINAL:
Roy Nelson v. Mike Whitehead
Winner: Mike Whitehead
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2002 NORTH AMERICAN QUALIFIER CHAMPIONS!!!!
Source: ADCC
WORLD
FIGHTING ALLIANCE
RETURNS IN GRAND STYLE
TRIGG VS. MILETICH IS ON!
Believe the
rumors! The World Fighting Alliance has come through again with
the official announcement of its first scheduled match-up for
its upcoming November 23rd show. The WFA's third installment
picks the party up where its Level 2 predecessor left it off
by bringing fans, the pulsating beats, electrifying sights and
tantalizing beauties it has become famous for. At the center
of all the excitement, are seven of the sport's most anticipated
match-ups, including a face-off of epic proportions between MMA
veterans Frank Trigg and Pat Miletich for the WFA Welterweight
title. For those who dare enter "Where the fight club meets
the night club," the WFA is back with the ultimate in freestyle
competition!
Internationally-revered
Frank Trigg returns to the WFA to serve up more devastation...
as only he can. Fighting out of the rAw team, Trigg's top-notch
wrestling skills, sheer aggression and confident attitude have
made him one of the most talked about MMA athletes today. With
victories over Jean Jacques Machado, Fabiano Iha, as well as
a close loss in a back and forth war against Japanese samurai
Hayato Sakurai, Trigg has certainly proved his mettle within
the combat arena. Clamoring for more top-notch competition, "Twinkle
Toes" may finally get his wish in the form of living legend
Pat Miletich.
Pat "the
Croation Sensation" Miletich proudly makes his WFA debut
on the heels of a prolific MMA career that has spanned seven
years of active competition. As one of the MMA's most influential
figures in the sport, Miletich's focus on mastering all aspects
of the fight game have served him well in his reign as a six-time
world champion. Looking to continue his tradition of solid performances,
Miletich views his move to the WFA as the next logical step in
his career. "I'm excited to fight for John Lewis and the
WFA -- he knows how to treat fighters -- and I'm excited to fight
Frank Trigg. Frank's a tough guy, and at this point in my career,
that's the only type of guys I want to fight." With this
bout to be joined by six other enticing pairings, the WFA: Level
3 will surely become one of the hottest tickets in town!
Don't miss out
on the next level in MMA competition. Stay tuned for ticket sales
information on the way.
For more event
information, please contact Paula Romero, WFA Marketing &
Promotions at prome100@aol.com.
Source: FCF
UFC
TO TELEVISE ULTIMATE KEN SHAMROCK ON PAY-PER-VIEW STARTING SUNDAY,
OCT. 13
One-Hour
Special To Highlight Career of Ultimate Fighting Championship
Legend
Shamrock
Continues To Train For Title Fight Vs. Tito Ortiz, Nov. 22, in
Las Vegas
As
he continues to train for his return to the Ultimate Fighting
Championship November 22 in Las Vegas with a title fight against
Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz, the UFC will premiere
Ultimate Ken Shamrock, a one-hour pay-per-view television special.
The suggested retail price is $9.95.
Ultimate Ken Shamrock is a retrospective of the career of the
UFC pioneer who was its first super fight champion. Highlights
will include classic battles with Royce Gracie, Dan Severn, Oleg
Taktarov and Kimo. Re-plays of the show will air throughout the
remainder of October.
Shamrock will return to the UFC live on pay-per-view Friday,
Nov. 22, in the main event of UFC 40: Vendetta, when he meets
Ortiz for the light heavyweight championship. Fight fans are
well aware that Ortiz and Shamrock have a major score to settle
based on long-standing hostilities between each other.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), headquartered in Las
Vegas, Nev., is the world's leading mixed martial arts association.
Owned and operated by Zuffa LLC, the UFC programs six live pay-per-view
events yearly through cable and satellite providers. In addition
to its U.S. distribution on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, BellExpressVu
and Viewers Choice Canada, UFC events are distributed internationally
through British Sky Broadcasting, WOWOW, Inc. in Japan, Globosat
in Brazil and Modern Sports and Entertainment in Scandinavia.
UFC licenses video games for all major playing platforms through
Crave Entertainment.
The UFC's next PPV event will be at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST on
Friday, November 22, live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in
Las Vegas.
Source: FCF
Chins
of Fury:
5 of the greatest Chins of all time.
by "The Sushiboy" Arnold Lim
Striking,
wrestling, and Jiu Jitsu are all integral parts of a good MMA
game. Without some modicum of comfort with all three arts, in
this day and age it is getting increasingly difficult to compete
at a high level of MMA. One facet of the game that cannot be
trained, is the God Given Physical toughness of the Chin. Call
it natural born talent, call it a God given ability, call it
a genetic mutation if you like. The ability to take an abnormal
amount of physical punishment to the face and head, while still
maintaining the ability to think and fight in an intelligent
manner is not something you can train, it is something you have,
or you don't. To quote the rules of the UFC one must be "intelligently
defending himself" the ability to do so when one is getting
pounded is a gift to say the least. Strikes must be brushed aside
on the fly, as if a mosquito had just landed on their nose and
nothing more. Every fighter will take an assortment of punishment
to the face at some point in their career but only a select few
can take the hits and keep on coming. This Column is dedicated
to the fighters out there who have what can only be described
as a gift. It is a gift that can't be bought or sold, traded
or bartered. If you are a fighter, it is a gift that keeps on
giving. This is for the men and Women who have what it takes
to be a Punching bag when they cross over into their next lives.
The hallowed chins that are immortalized on the walls of the
chins of fame. The toughest "Chin's" this side of the
Chinese Mafia. We will give these warriors there due right here
and now. Here we go with #5
#5 Yoshihiro
Takayama
What do you get when you mix 75 percent Japanese blood, and 25
percent Apache Indian blood? You get six foot 6 300 pounds of
Pure unadulterated, Yoshihiro Takayama. That is what you get.
His record in MMA is 0 wins and 3 losses. I don't know how this
guy does it but at the end of all three of his losses he had
more colors smattered about his face then the most Beautiful
Rainbow I have ever seen. He takes Punishment Head on with reckless
abandon and 0% regard for his health. Hell, who needs health
when you have a rainbow on your face? You could actually see
his face change colors as he took Punishment from Don Frye, different
shades of Violet, Maroon, Blue and Black. I could almost read
Frye's mind as he was punishing Takayama. With every punch he
must have been wondering, "where in the face am I going
to punch this guy next?" I can't see his face anymore, all
that's left is a melting pot of Colors that look like one of
those old abstract paintings. The nose is off on his forehead,
his chin is off by his ears, his eyes are on different sides
of his head, the similarities go on. Takayama has the heart and
the Chin to be a champion in any sport. He just doesn't have
much else.
#4 Chuck Liddell
Chuck can dish out the punishment as well as anyone out there
in the sport today. One part of his game that is sometimes overlooked
is his adeptness at taking the pain, as well as giving it out.
In his last 4 fights, Vitor Belfort tagged him, Guy Mezger tagged
him, Amar Suloev tagged him, and Murilo Bustamante tagged him.
Chuck must be a kid at heart because no one likes to play tag
like Chuck Liddell. He has proven that he can roll with the punches
with the best of them. Now, if only he could get his shot at
the only punishment that he really wants, and deserves, and that
is the leader of Team Punishment, Tito Ortiz.
#3 Kazuyuki
Fujita
I
don't know where this guys genes come from but one of his parents
must have been a punching bag because Fujita can take a punch
like nobody's business. He took multiple HUGE knee's to the noggin
via MARK KERR back in Kerr's hay day as a fighter. He ate a rocket
full of punches square to the face and chin via Ken Shamrock,
and numerous knee's to the gullet via fellow Chin of fame vet
Yoshihiro Takayama. No one was able to stop the Fujita-nator.
Only Mirko Cro Cop was able to stop him but that was a cut stoppage
not a Knockout. I am beginning to think that it would be impossible
to knockout Fujita. Fujita is an attrition specialist, he takes
pain like no other, and brushes it aside like he is brushing
his teeth. His skull looks like it is twice as think as his waist.
His strategy coming into a fight is something right out of a
Rocky Movie. It is a simple 3 step program that has taken years
to develop.
Step
1 - Take inhumane amount of punishment to the head and wait it
out till the opponent gets punched out and arm weary,
Step
2- Take more punishment to the chin and forehead, wait until
the opponents legs get tired and his knee's get sore from striking
your face.
Step
3 - When it is obvious that the opponent is gassed out due to
the arm-stiffening amount of punishment he has dished out, kick
it up from there and take the victory from the tired opponent.
#2 Aaron Riley
To some people he is affectionately referred to as Robbie Lawler's
opponent in the fight of the year at UFC 37. But Riley is so
much more then he showed in that fight, his fight with Robbie
Lawler does not tell the whole story, not by a long shot. The
huge bombs he took were only one of a Mouthful he has eaten in
a career where he has eaten more then his fair share. Robbie
Lawler was the first fighter ever, to knock him down in an MMA
fight. The only thing is, Riley took enough punishment in that
fight to knock down a herd of elephants. He has taken shots to
the face that have required dental work in the opening moments
of a fight and went on to finish the fight as if he took a slap
from his girlfriend. Bob Sapp could wind up and throw a haymaker
right into the chicklets of Aaron Riley and Riley would come
back and fight with the heart of a jungle full of lions. The
only thing that is keeping him off the number one slot of this
list is the fact that he actually has the talent to win fights
so he is not in a constant state of getting beaten down like
the number one bird on this list.
And
the winner is...
#1 Daijiro Matsui
This
is the founding member of the real Team Punishment. I am not
talking about Tito Ortiz's team Punishment I am talking about
the Pride Punching bags that take more Punishment then should
be lawfully allowed under MMA sanctioning. Daijiro Matsui is
a warrior in every sense of the word. He comes to fight every
time. He takes on fighters twice his size and doesn't give up
under any circumstances. He has gone the distance with Igor Vovchanchyn
and Vanderlei Silva and he has fought on cards with 1 days notice!!!
People complain about having only a few weeks notice to fight,
well he fought without any notice at all. I bet the conversation
with Pride went something like this,
PRIDE
OFFICIAL: Uhh…Daijiro, Did you know Pride : Shockwave was
on tonight?
Matsui:
Uhh, yeah I heard about that, Sakuraba is fighting Cro Cop on
that card tonight right?
PRIDE:
Yes, you are right, Uhh… by the way are you busy tonight?
Matsui:
No, not really why?
Pride:
Because we think it would be an honor for you to fight on the
card tonight against Jerrel Venetiaan who bigger then you and
has been given several weeks notice to fight.
Would you like to accept this honor?
Matsui:
Well I was planning on seeing "Stuart Little 2" tonight…
but why not? It would be an honor to represent Team Punishment!
…END…
Matsui
is well on his way to setting a record for getting pounded on
by more fighters then anyone else in the history of sports. I
am not talking about the history of MMA. I am talking about the
history of sports around the world. Who has taken more punishment
throughout a career then Daijiro Matsui. I think he should take
up a new sport. He could be a good Formula 1 Racecar driver if
he got the opportunity. The way I see it is, if he lost control
of the car, flew off the road, crashed into a concrete wall,
and exploded into a ball of flames, it still wouldn't be enough
to stop him. He would simply crawl out, wipe the charred skin
off his body, suck it up, and run the rest of the race on foot
and still come in second last ahead of the other guy who got
in an accident. His Family doctor had to quit work at the hospital
because he now has a full time position caring for the assortment
of injuries of Daijiro. Daijiro we love your resolve, and you
have a heart like no other. But for the love of all things Holy,
think of your family, hang up the gloves. Formula 1 will be glad
you did.
The
list has a definite Japanese flavor too it. Maybe it is something
in the water that gives them the type of superhuman chins that
set lesser Chins to shame. What is the reason? Is it the water?
Is it the air? Is it the shoes? Or is it the Sushi? Hmm….
Source: MMA Ring Report
10/5/02
Quote
of the Day
"The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance;
the wise grows it under his feet."
James Oppenheim
UFC
News
Mir Without
Opponent for UFC 40
If the Ultimate
Fighting Championship is known for one thing, that is that they
lock up bouts early, usually months before they are to take place.
This is something still rare in the sport of MMA. But with UFC
40 is only 7 weeks away it appears that Heavyweight contender,
Frank Mir's opponent, Wade Shipp, has been sidelined with an
injury. There is no front runner for an opponent yet, despite
other internet rumors.
UFC
News and Notes Following 39
Vitor Belfort
is once again injured. He was slated to compete at UFC 40 against
the venerable Vladamir Mtyushenko but tore his ACL in practice.
This is the second such serious training accident, the first
being the gash his tricep took after going through a window before
his scheduled bout with Tito Ortiz.
Penn vs. Uno at UFC 40? At the UFC 39 post fight press
conference, BJ Penn stated that UFC President, Dana
White, promised him that the finals of the Lightweight Tournament
would take place in November. When translated to Uno, he looked
confused. That would put 3 Champioship Titles at stake on 40
and would put an incredible strain on the production, a la UFC
33. With that in mind and Uno having to still agree to it, this
might still be slated for UFC 41.
UFC 41 will most likely take place in the Southeast in January.
While no site has evidently been pinpointed, talk was circulating
at UFC 39.
UFC 40 Rumored
Matches:
Ken Shamrock Vs Tito Ortiz
Robbie Lawler
Vs Tiki Ghosen
Chuck Liddell
Vs Renato Sobral
Carlos Newton
Vs Pete Spratt
Frank Mir Vs
Wade Shipp
Matt Hughes
VS Gil Castillo
Ian Freeman
VS Andrei Arlouski
BJ Penn VS Caol
Uno
Source: MMA Ring Report
NORTH
AMERICAN TRIALS:
The Athletes Are Weighed and ALL SYSTEMS ARE GO!!
THE AVENTINE CLUB, La Jolla, California
October 5th, 2002
The 2003 North
American ADCC Qualifier Field
Official Brackets and Weights:
Under 65.9 KG:
TEAM CANADA: Shawn Krysa 140.8
vs.
Victory Athletics (Seattle): Dominic Curella 140.1
TEAM
RENZO GRACIE: Alan Teo 144.6
vs.
Team Ricardo Pires: Michael Bland 143.4
MACHADO
JJ: Eddie Bravo 143.9
vs.
AMC PANKRATION: Mark Ashton 144.2
67-77.99 KG:
TEAM CANADA: Mark Bocek 164.2
vs.
Team Ricardo Pires: Antonio McKee 166.2
Pedro
Sauer JJ - Costa Rica: Henry Matamoros 166.4
vs.
Victory Athletics (Seattle): Brad Blackburn 167.7
American
TOP TEAM: Pablo Popovich 168.4
vs.
J-SECT / NOVA UNIAO: Sean Spangler 168.2
(TEAM
RENZO GRACIE): Sean Williams 168.9
vs.
Grappling Champion: Kenny Florian 167.6
77-87.99 KG:
Grapplers Quest Champion: Ken Kronenberger 191.9
vs.
TEAM RENZO GRACIE: Joe D'arce 188.9
Grapplers
Quest Champion: Todd Margolis 184.1
vs.
2x Wrestling Champ (Michigan): James Lee 192.3
TEAM
CANADA: Denis Kang 188.3
vs.
Team Caique JJ: Angelo Popofski 193.2
Gracie
JJ - KOTC: David Terrell 189.3
vs.
Massachusetts Submission Academy: Keith Rockel 193.2
88 - 98.99 KG:
(J-SECT/NOVA UNIAO): Marc Laimon 216.1
vs.
TEAM CANADA: Terry Dellino 207.2
HnS
Veteran: Mark Jackson PEND
vs.
16x NAGA Champion: Anthony Argyros 199.7
Carlos
Machado-Lutter: Kenny Mcclure 216.7
vs.
TEAM RENZO GRACIE: Jamal Patterson 217.5
Nathan
Ducharme 215.9
vs.
KOTC Champion: Dean Lister 215.1
99 KG and up:
TEAM CANADA: Karim Byron 343.1
vs.
TEAM RENZO GRACIE: John Rallo 263.9
ADCC
VETERAN: Rocky Batastini 240.6(J-SECT / NOVA UNIAO)
vs.
(PRIDE veteran) John Marsh
Victory
Athletics: Mike Whitehead 272.4
vs.
(Team Ricardo Pires): Frank Mir PEND
Roy
Nelson 252.5
vs.
Dean Lister's Team Jocko Willink 238.8
Source: ADCC
10/4/02
Quote
of the Day
If you can dream it, you can do it.
Walt
Disney
Jose
'Pele' Landi on the Move!
Jose Pele Landi
Johns is very controversial, with many lovers and haters. Pele,
originally from Cuba, has been in Brazil with the Chute Boxe
Team from the beginning, as he was one of the team pioneers representing
the team at Muay Thai fights.
Now it appears
that the marriage between Chute Boxe and Pele is over. According
to Tatame magazine, Pele is no longer a Chute Boxe member. Pele
stated that there have been many small issues that became a real
BIG deal regarding his presence on the team. Pele is apparently
dissappointed with all the credit Rudimar Fedrigo, The Chute
Boxe headcoach, is getting from current star Murilo Ninja Rua,
a former Pele student.
The cloudy situation
is not new. In the beginning of the year, during the Meca 6 event,
Rudimar had some problems as a promoter since Pele reportedly
had called out Jorge Navalhada right after the weigh-ins, presented
situation for Rudimar to solve. During the event Pele had some
issues as well with Brazilian top Team students and fighters
and reportedly was asked to leave the arena by Rudimar.
Things have
deteriorated since then and Pele now stated that he is very sad,
but life must go on and he will keep fighting around the world
showing all his fatal striking skills in the ring.
Pele stated
that he is forming a new NHB team called Pele Team.
Rudimar Fedrigo
stated that he got caught by this sad surprise. He just got back
from Anderson Silva's fight against Alexander Otsuka in Pride
22 and stated that he had no knowledge regarding this news, he
stated that if it's true, Chute Boxe doors will always be opened
for Pele.
Source: ADCC
The
Beat is Back:
Brazil to Host a New NHB Event!
Belfort & Rizzo Recovering,
MECA 7 Rapidly Approaching!
The
Brazilian Beat:
After the Brazilian fighters' participation at PRIDE 22, the
attention in Brazil is now focused on the month of November,
with PRIDE's biggest show of the year coming up, and MECA's seventh
edition also rapidly approaching. Needless to say PRIDE 23 in
November promises to have a number of Brazilians on the card,
with both Vanderlei Silva and Rodrigo Minotauro defending their
belts, plus the likely participation of several others. Besides
all the training, contract deals, etc. for PRIDE 23, everyone
is anxious to hear the final card for MECA 7 and the news of
a new event in the country will surely heat up the month of October
for the Brazilian NHB community. If that's not enough to shake
things up, two major fighters had surgery this week, Vitor Belfort
and Pedro Rizzo, and their recoveries will also be on the spot
as October rolls on. "The Beat" is finally back now,
and it promises not to lose its rhythm anymore!
It's apparent that Vitor Belfort's injury was indeed serious
enough for him to pull out from the upcoming UFC; Vitor just
had surgery on his knee yesterday and is still in the hospital
recovering. According to the doctors, the surgery on his knee
ligaments went well and, since Vitor is very strong, he is recovering
better than expected. However, due to the seriousness of the
injury "The Phenom" will need to take the usual physiotherapy
to fully recover and it may take up to five months for him to
fight again, leaving him unable to compete on the November UFC
card. Full Contact Fighter wishes a speedy recover for Vitor
and will keep you up to date as things develop.
After
his family vacation through the Northeast of Brazil and going
up to Japan to help Anderson Silva in his PRIDE 22 preparation,
PRIDE Middleweight Champion Vanderlei Silva is finally back in
training in Brazil. "The Axe Murderer" resumed his
weight training and fight training this week and is looking to
be in the best possible shape for his title defense at PRIDE
23 in November. Some opponents are rumored at this point, with
all of them being Japanese, but nothing is anywhere near sure
at this point, the only sure thing is that he is eager to fight
again and will be defending the belt in November at the Tokyo
Dome.
Speaking
of the Chute Boxe team, the news about NHB legend Pele Landi
leaving the team are unfolding to be true. Chute Boxe coach Rudimar
Fedrigo told FCF that the team is staying united and strong,
and will keep on working hard to achieve the best possible results
in the future, despite being sad about the situation. At this
point the situation still isn't clear and resolved, so we wish
the best for both parties and will report on the developments
in the near future.
UFC
Middleweight champion Murilo Bustamante is also back in Brazil
after spending a good amount of time abroad helping his teammates
in training. Murilo is happy how things are going for the team
and he is now training hard again to stay in top shape. Bustamante
still hasn't reached a deal with the UFC, but he is preparing
himself with defending his UFC belt in mind, and hoping to be
in the Octagon again early next year.
Speaking
of the Brazilian Top Team, the team's attention is now focused
on the November PRIDE show at the Tokyo Dome, and chances are
high that several team members will be performing at the event.
Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira is scheduled to defend
his belt for the first time at the show, and his twin brother
Rogerio, coming from a win over Tsuyoshi Kohsaka at Deep, will
probably be fighting on the card as well. After his fight with
Kopylov at PRIDE 22, the "Zen Machine" Mario Sperry
is still in Japan right now negotiating possible fights at PRIDE
23 for his fighters, including Rogerio Nogueira and former Top
Team member Ricardo Arona, and maybe even for himself. Paulo
Filho is another name who can very well appear on the PRIDE 23
card and one thing is certain, PRIDE 23 will feature several
Brazilian Top Team members. FCF will keep a close eye on the
developments.
Ruas
Vale Tudo fighter Pedro Rizzo will have surgery on his broken
nose next Tuesday because of the severe damage suffered in his
fight against Gan McGee at UFC 39. "The Rock" will
remove the bone in his nose on the surgery, because the bone
wasn't merely broken, it actually detached itself from the skull,
and was also fractured in several points. The doctors gave Rizzo
the option of gluing the bone back, but since fighting is his
career it was better to remove it to avoid future problems. Pedro
will leave the hospital the day after the surgery and will spend
the month of October recovering. In November he will resume his
physical training, and December and January will feature his
intense fight training once again, to get ready for a fight in
the February UFC. Pedro Rizzo told FCF today that this unfortunate
incident didn't take his will away, and he will train as hard
as ever as soon as he gets better to face whomever the UFC wants
in February. FCF wishes a speedy recovery for "The Rock"
and we will keep you posted on his progress.
Brazil
will have a new NHB event still in 2002! With the success of
the last editions of MECA World Vale Tudo, promoters Rudimar
Fedrigo and Jorge Guimaraes are already working on the final
details to release a new event that promises to shake the NHB
community in Brazil upside down. The event's first edition will
be held in Curitiba before the end of the year, and will be sort
of a partner event for MECA. According to Rudimar, the most important
thing about the event is that it is going to be broadcast on
National TV -- not on cable, but on a regular network! The name
of the network couldn't be revealed yet since the contract is
still being discussed, but this promises to give the sport even
more exposure, giving the general public a chance to watch and
get to know NHB better and creating a bigger market to attract
sponsors. Several fighters who were originally scheduled to appear
at a MECA event this year, but couldn't find a place on the card
will have their chance in the new event. We wish the best for
the new promotion and hope to have good news soon.
Speaking
of MECA, the seventh edition of the event is confirmed for November
8th, once again in the city of Curitiba, with the headline being
Ruas Vale Tudo team member and WEF veteran Alexandre Cacareco
against Chute Boxe fighter, IVC and K-1 veteran Nilson de Castro.
On the undercard for the event, the fight between Mauricio "Shogun"
(Murilo Ninja's brother), against Barra Gracie fighter "Capoeira"
is also confirmed. The rest of the card will be released this
weekend. The event will be broadcast live for Brazil on Pay-Per-View,
and promoters are working non-stop on the final details for the
event. Additionally, the next edition of the Storm Muay Thai
has been moved to December 8th, due to all the events happening
this year in Curitiba, and will still be a National Muay Thai
tournament to determine a Brazilian Champion.
Source:
FCF
The
Weekend Grind - Crossroads
The
Mohegan Sun was host to not just an amazing night of fights,
but years from now we can pinpoint this night as when the direction
of the UFC changed forever. From Phil Baroni’s KO to Ricco’s
Championship Ride UFC 39 could also have been aptly titled "Crossroads."
Phil
Baroni
The NY Bad Ass is just that. He’s a beast with fists of
iron and a will forged of the same. He’s the best in the
world, just ask him. One thing that he can be absolutely certain
of is there is NOBODY who can play the word game with Phil. Linland
couldn’t talk trash if he had to. He’d say something
along the lines of, “I think he is less than terrific in
a couple aspects, but he’s a heckuva guy.” That would
be where Baroni would simply say, “He sucks, give me my
belt.” Someone get a trash talk version of Hooked on Phonics
to Murilo stat, otherwise he won’t have a prayer in the
trash talking game.
Lost
in all the talk is a fighter who works hard and wins. Phil is
exciting and he knows it. For everyone who thinks Phil talks
to much, stand in front of him and say it…then talk to me.
I think Phil runs 100 percent on emotion. There is literally
no logical thought process from the mind to the mouth. He thinks
it and says it. He’s brash and he’s arrogant but guess
what kids, he’s good. This was the night that he stepped
up and said, if you guys won’t make room for me, I’ll
knock the damn door down and force myself on you. He did and
Phil Baroni in my mind is now one of the people who you’d
want to build around.
Ricco
Rodriguez
Fast forward to the main event where Ricco showed he has heart.
A lot of people questioned whether or not if he got beat on,
if he’d fold up and go away. He didn’t…he showed
he was no longer simply “Sauvé” but rather the
“Champ.” He has everything you’d want to build
around if you were Zuffa. He may even work more as a company
figurehead than Tito Ortiz in my opinion. He can be cocky yet
immediately vulnerable and heartfelt. He can be brash one moment
and then humble and respectful the next. He has the look and
the ability to go a long way. Ricco should now be Zuffa’s
poster boy.
I
like Ricco, there have been times along the way that I didn’t.
There were times I wish he’d just be the guy he seems to
be now. Forget the sizzle and focus on the steak. Substance over
style. Ricco has done that and now in my opinion, short of Nog,
he’s the top Heavyweight in the World. As far as Nog goes
too, put him under Ricco and he’ll cut and in a cage, Ricco
gets him. For the foreseeable future, Ricco is the King of a
UFC Heavyweight division that has nobody at his level. Other
heavyweight fights that night helped to lay the future in front
of Zuffa.
Pedro
Rizzo
Pedro Rizzo’s loss weakens the division a great deal. Not
since Frank Mir got his eggs scrambled in the UK has a single
fight derailed a division like Gan’s weak lefts and leaping
right did to the UFC. Is Gan legit? Man, I seriously doubt it.
He may be down the line but right now his biggest credentials
are landing a right hand on the on again off again former slugger
Pedro and the fact that he trains with Liddell. He just doesn’t
figure into current UFC Heavyweight plans.
Cabbage
The winner of Cabbage and the Grizzly Bear would also not have
seemed to have played much of a part in the immediate title future.
The way Sylvia dismantled the bulbous one with 1-2 precision
makes him at least a legit stand up guy. Of course I’ll
wait until I see him hit a moving target. Truth be told, I think
if Tim Sylvia and Gan McGee fought, Tim would finish him inside
of two rounds. He is a talented guy but he’s just too long
to avoid Ricco’s takedowns and once Ricco took the Grizzly
down, it would be click, click boom. Translated loosely, the
clicks of course being elbows and the boom, a finishing forearm.
UFC
Heavyweights?
So where does that leave the UFC Heavyweight division? In need
of some new blood sure, but not Gan or Sylvia new, but new to
the UFC. Heath Herring new, or Igor new. There are a lot of guys
out there in the heavyweight division earning their checks outside
the UFC. Let’s bring some in. It should be obvious to any
decent heavyweight in Pride that Nog fights more non title fights
than Silva and it’ll be tough to get a shot their. So, come
to the UFC and get your shot at Ricco. The picture will also
clear a little in early 2003 as Josh is once again able to compete
wherever he sees fit. A Ricco/Josh fight down the line would
be a marquee draw. Frank Mir also needs to get back in flow.
If it’s true that he’s fighting either Wade Shipp or
Vernon White> it indicates that the UFC aren’t sure what
they have with him. They don’t want to once again throw
him in with someone who’ll KO him and Vernon even if he
has to add 10 to 20 pounds will be a threat standing. I can see
it now, Mir gets caught in the first by White and dropped. Talk
about your all time backfires. Right now Mir is a question mark.
A
lot of people are already saying that the UFC is leaving Ian
Freeman out. Come on, he fought at UFC 38 and we just saw UFC
39. He’ll fight someone soon and based on that, he may get
his shot at Ricco. Right now we just need to sit back and watch
how things play out with the big guys in the UFC.
UFC
Lightweights
Lightweight tournament was an interesting pair of fights. Uno
showed his ground skills and his Houdiniesque ability to escape
in a quality win over Din. I am not sure what I expect out of
the Uno and Penn rematch other than to say Uno will lose. Penn
showed he has all the balance in the world with his fight with
Serra and if he can find his killer instinct again, he’ll
tear through Uno, Sudu, Vazquez, Pulver or anyone else they put
in front of him. I’d say Penn is another quality champion
who’ll do well for Zuffa.
It’s
hard to not like Uno for me at least. I think he’s a quality
person and skilled as it comes. He will just have too much in
front of him when he faces Penn for the second time. Not just
Baby J from Hilo, but the memory of the first knockout he suffered
from Penn. That plays a big part in your head and it will be
too much for Uno to overcome. It was nice to see Matt telling
the crowd not to boo BJ Penn after their fight. He’s a class
act as is BJ. After the press conference, BJ, Matt, Uno and Din
all posed for a picture together. It was a show of class that
was hard to miss.
Shamrock
vs Ortiz
With the Shamrock/Ortiz ball of hype rolling at breakneck speed
everything else just seems to be falling into place. Can you
think of a more marketable line up of champions than Ricco, Tito,
Baroni, Lawler and Penn? Lawler will someday take over when Hughes
decides to step down and Baroni is the future champ without a
whole lot of stretch in my mind. Murilo is awesome….I am
his biggest fan but right now Baroni is a wrecking truck. You
can’t finesse a Tornado it does what it wants.
With
Ricco solidly putting Randy behind him, the torch from “old”
to “young” seems to be passing before our eyes. Tito
has always carried the UFC on his ample shoulders but he should
be relieved that there is help on the way. The “old”
versus “young” aspect is going to be at an all-time
maximum when Tito steps into the cage and slams Ken. For everyone
who thinks Ken is going to humble the young lion from Huntington
Beach is viewing the game with a different set of eyes than I
am. I don’t see any way in hell that Ken wins. None….nada….zero.
Phil
Baroni was giving Jeff a hard time for picking against him with
his fight against Menne. He was saying, “Keep picking against
me, Jeff,” and laughing. Well, I picked him in this fight
and I don’t see picking against him any time soon. Murilo
has skills, no doubt, but when you see Phil you can just sense
he isn’t going to lose.
Cabbage,
I have no idea how you ate all those punches, but more power
to you brother! I hope you get another fight in the UFC and once
again, I hope you have BJ Penn close by to toss the towel in
if need be. I hope next time you give the beating and not take
it. Something about you makes it hard not to like you. Can I
be the first one to officially ask for Cabbage/Tank Abbott?
The
Good Ole Days
It doesn’t seem all that long ago that Mark Coleman, Mark
Kerr, Mo Smith, Ken Shamrock and company ruled the roost in the
UFC. Now those guys work the corners for the champs in the sport.
The torch has been passed and the new breed is going to do just
fine.
Source:
Sherdog
Ian
"The Machine" Freeman: The Rubble Maker
Nicknamed
"The Rubble Maker" after convincingly beating highly
touted Frank Mir, Ian Freeman rights his course and sets sail
for the title. Having celebrated his 35th birthday, this bulky
Brit has no intention of hanging up his gloves any time soon.
Ron
Brouwer: In professional sports age is a very important thing.
You are 35 already. The fact is the body isn't able to do what
it can do when you are 25 and most older fighters compensate
that with their large amount of experience in the ring. Since
you started fighting at 32 your experience isn't very big and
still you manage to fight at the top. How do you do this and
do you feel your age is a disadvantage?
Ian
Freeman: Because I never battered my body at a young age, I never
drink alcohol or do drugs, I think I am lucky to be fighting
at 35 and my body is still strong. I feel fit and very healthy,
although it does seem to take longer for my injuries to heel.
As far as ring experience, you're right, I only started competing
at 32 years of age after only six month of training. I am very
lucky to be where I am in the sport with so little knowledge
of the game.
Ron
Brouwer: How long do you plan to keep fighting?
Ian
Freeman: As long as my body allows me to keep fighting. Only
injury or old age will make me retire from the sport. It's not
the money aspect why I fight, although I will never fight for
free. What I mean is, if I win millions on the lottery, I would
still fight in the UFC.
Ron
Brouwer: What are you planning on doing after you stop fighting?
Ian
Freeman: I have dreams to open my own Martial Arts school and
teach people how to train and fight. I am hoping to open a large
Martial Arts academy and have everyone from around the country
and around the world come train with me and my students. I never
had anyone show me how to train and succeed as an international
fighter, so I would like to pass my knowledge onto my students
to give them a better head start than I had.
Ron
Brouwer: You were 32 when you started fighting. Did you do any
other type of sport before that and why did you start fighting?
Ian
Freeman: I did rugby at a high level when I was seventeen, and
I also entered bodybuilding competitions in 1991. I also trained
in boxing, but never competed from the age of eighteen.
What
got me into Ultimate fighting? Well, I had a street fight with
a guy who was high on drugs and all I knew was to punch with
my two fists and that's what I did. I hit him so many times and
he was that high on drugs, he just kept coming at me for more
and more punishment. It got to a stage that I thought I was going
to have to kill this guy to stop him. Eventually he did have
enough and he stopped fighting. This fight made me realize that
there must be more to fighting than just punching someone in
the face over and over. That's when I looked around for a more
complete fighting system and found Jiu Jitsu.
Ron
Brouwer: Normally I am curious as to whether a fighter has been
in a street fight and how it ended. Obviously you have been at
least one street fight but I heard that you had a lot of street
fights in England before you actually stepped into the ring.
How did you handle yourself in those fights and also, do you
think your street fighting helped you in the cage?
Ian
Freeman: I come from a rough city named Sunderland, and it is
here that I gained a reputation as a fighter. I was a bouncer
for fifteen year before I was an ultimate fighter. In some cities
you have to fight to survive and when I was knocking people out
I was getting a reputation, but as we all know, with a reputation
like that the challenges came along too.
In
a street fight it is personal between the two fighters and it
could be a matter of life or death. The man who wants to fight
you wants to hurt you bad, and it can become very intense and
violent. But in the Octagon, it's not personal, it's a test of
skill. Because I have experienced lots of street fights I can
say that getting into the cage is the easy part, but now I have
a different kind of anticipation. If I lose, it's not being hurt
like you would be on the street, but losing your credibility
with the fans and your way to a title shot.
Ron
Brouwer: Were you training with the goal to become a champion,
to go to the top?
Ian
Freeman: No, i just enjoyed the win element in my gym and wanted
to see if I could beat other guy's in other gyms. I found I could
do that and entered my first competition in the amateur british
championships. I won three fights to win that title and then
turned pro straight after. The rest is history.
Ron
Brouwer: What kind of fights were those?
Ian
Freeman: Amateur fights are no head strikes at all, on the ground
or on your feet. It's more like a grappling event with little
stand-up than ultimate fighting.
Ron
Brouwer: What do you think are the greatest heights and depths
of your career?
Ian
Freeman: Obviously my last fight against Frank Mir at UFC 38
is a memorable fight for me. Not only was that fight in front
of my home crowd, but it was also for my father. That fight will
mean more to me than any other I think. It was the biggest fight
of my career for two reasons.
First,
it was my home crowd, and it was shown live to thousands of my
fans around the UK. I felt I had to win because no matter how
many times I won in America, not many of the UK fans knew about
it. But if I lost only once in the UK, then everyone would think
I was a failure. I had to show them that I am not just one of
the best heavyweights in Europe, but in the world.
Secondly,
I had to win for my father. Only one week before my fight my
father had been rushed into hospital dying with cancer. I had
a decision to make and that was to fight for my dad or throw
the fight and cancel out. I decided to fight. My father passed
away the day before my fight without me knowing, so I feel I
gave him a gift for him to be proud of.
The
low's of my fight career was when I had four losses in a row
against some 'not so good' opponents. I had more going on in
my private life than in my fight career and it took over my fight
game. Needles to say I lost fights because my mind and time was
not in the game, but I managed to get out of that hole and focus
on the job at hand and I am happy to say I have not lost since.
Ron
Brouwer: What did your training schedule look like when you were
training for that fight?
Ian
Freeman: I was kindly accepted to go to AMC Pankration in Seattle,
Washington to train with Josh Barnett. Josh had not trained anyone
for such a big fight, so I was kind of his guinea pig. All I
can say is that he put me through hell while training at AMC
and the guys there are all great guys and very supportive. Everyone
helps each other and there sure helped me get ready for my fight.
I trained twice a day Monday to Friday, but only trained once
on the Saturday. Thank heaven for Sundays eh!
Ron
Brouwer: Do you feel it helped that you trained with Matt Hume
and Josh Barnett before this fight?
Ian
Freeman: It was mainly Josh that trained me. He gave me all his
time and attention while in the gym, but all the other guy's
like Matt Hume, Maurice Smith, Ivan Sallavery and even the non
pro fighters all helped me out with advice.
Josh
is a great teacher and a great guy, he never held back on his
training advice even though we are both heavyweights and fight
in the same events. To me that is a great champion and a great
friend. Thank you Josh.
Ron
Brouwer: Haven't you guys thought about the fact that you might
have to fight each other someday?
Ian
Freeman: Yes, Josh and I have spoke about that, but we are both
professionals and we do our job like professionals. Josh knows
how I feel about it and I know how he feels about it. We are
pals and that's the way it will be no matter what happens.
Ron
Brouwer: Who would like to fight next and what are your ambitions
for the future when I concerns fighting?
Ian
Freeman: I never have a fighters name in my mind to fight, only
to fight who ever I have to, to make a step further to the UFC
heavyweight title. This is still like a dream come true me actually
fighting in the UFC never mind being looked at as a title contender.
I will take one fight at a time and hopefully I can win one fight
at a time to get a shot at that title.
Ron
Brouwer: How about fighting in Pride?
Ian
Freeman: Pride is a huge event, and I know the fighters are getting
looked after well, but my contract is with the UFC and that's
where my loyalty has to stay until the end of my contract. It
would be nice to fight in Pride one day just to say that have
done it.
Ron
Brouwer: Thank you for your time.
Ian
Freeman: You're welcome.
Source:
Sherdog
Youth
is Not Wasted on Erica Montoya
By Thomas Gerbasi
Hawaii
fans should probably remember Montoya who fought here in Hawaii
and was very impressive with her ground game.
When
Erica Montoya says, "My grades went down and I got really
addicted," it 's not what you would expect. Sure, she's
17 years old, and among teenagers the tales are rampant about
addictions of one sort or another. But for Montoya, her vice
is one in which the only ones at risk are her opponents.
A
Machado Jiu-Jitsu player now training with the Next Generation
team, Montoya is one of the most intriguing fighters and stories
in sports today. And with a 3-0 record in mixed martial arts,
she is more than just a novelty act. She can fight.
"I
put out a lot of effort and time, and with that, you get better,"
says Montoya matter-of-factly.
Her
age may put off many, but in the growing sport of women's MMA,
she has the experience of a veteran. At the age of 12, her father
put Erica and her younger brother into a school for Hawaiian
freestyle fighting in their native California. But while her
father's purpose for enrolling his children was for self-defense
reasons, Erica took to combat immediately.
"My
brother and I started to compete together and we both did well
and then I met up with the Machados at a tournament," said
Montoya of her meeting with the world-renowned Jiu-Jitsu masters.
"I liked the ground game a lot, so I went there to help
myself get better. I started going there when I was 13, and I
was training every single day."
Her
hard work paid off, as she won the Mundials in Brazil.
"Everybody
I would train with was older and stronger than me, so when I
got to compete within my own weight, it was a lot easier,"
said Montoya. "At first, there weren't really very many
girls, so I had to go in the boys' division. I started getting
better so they threw me in with the women. I was doing okay,
then I started doing better, and then I was dominating the women's
division. Mostly, all the people I compete against are older
- in their 20's or 30's."
She
was a prodigy, but also still a child - a teenager entering high
school that wanted to do all those things her friends were doing.
That was hard.
"I
got burned out and I cried because my dad would take me and he's
like, 'you've got to go at least two times a week, you've got
to stay in shape, and not get rusty,'" Montoya remembers.
"And I would want to go party and just hang out with my
friends. My friends don't really do anything; they just kinda
hang out and go to the movies."
There
were precious few moments of hanging out for Montoya, but she
continued to compete - from wrestling (where she is the only
female member of the male wrestling team at her high school)
to Jiu-Jitsu to judo and karate.
"After
school, I would train," said Montoya. "My dad was behind
me, so he'd take me (to train), but my mom would get mad because
my grades were really going down. All I would do was go to school
and then train, like all day long. But she supports me. She doesn't
think it's a very feminine sport, and she doesn't like to go
to the competitions because she's scared of me getting hurt,
but she likes watching the videos."
There
was something missing though for Erica Montoya, and it was the
type of combat that you can only get in mixed martial arts. That's
where Chris Brennan's Next Generation team came in.
"I
did get burned out, and my dad pushed me, and I got back into
it," said Montoya. "I'm glad he pushed me because I
love it again. It's a part of my life. I got bored with just
the ground game. I needed something new, and that's when I met
up with Chris. So I started going there and he got me into the
mixed martial arts and it opened up a whole new world."
Not
surprisingly, Montoya, who has a poker face in the ring that
would make Joe Louis proud, was undaunted at the prospect of
going from grappling to getting hit in the face. "I don't
really get nervous before a fight," said Montoya. "It's
funny, but I don't really warm up. I stretch a little bit, but
I don't jump rope or warm up with somebody. It's just not me.
Sometimes Chris will get mad. He'll be like, 'what do you want
me to do? Let me help you,' I'll be like 'calm down.' And he
gets nervous because he doesn't know how to help me warm up.
I'm really relaxed before my fights."
Montoya
made her debut in MMA at Warriors Quest in Hawaii with a victory
over Beta Young. She followed up that win with a submission of
Ruth Meija just a couple of weeks later at the Hook N Shoot Revolution
show in Indiana.
The
Hook N Shoot show was the first of its kind - an all female MMA
show that received rave notices as a show that not only stood
on par with some men's shows, but also in many cases, surpassed
it. And in a twist, with the lack of testosterone in the locker
room, the fighters actually got along with each other.
"It's
really funny because when I go to wherever the team fights,"
said Montoya. "I go to support them whenever I'm allowed
to go because my parents don't allow me to go many places. So
when I'm allowed to go, the guys don't really talk to each other.
Here and there, they're like, 'Hi, how's training going?' Even
if it wasn't their opponent, they don't talk to each other. It's
really weird. But at Hook N Shoot, all the girls, at one point
or another, were talking and laughing. And afterwards, they were
all getting along together and going out to dinner. There were
only like one or two people who really didn't click together,
but everybody else was hanging out. It was really cool. Nobody
was stuck up."
From
Hook N Shoot, Montoya traveled to Japan to notch her third victory,
a win over Sakauri. More importantly, she got to bask in the
attention of the Japanese fans, widely regarded by the fighters
themselves as not only more respectful, but also more knowledgeable
than their US counterparts.
"I
love the way they support everything," said Montoya. "I
think that's very cool. They're so down for women and the sport,
and everything. It's so different than here in the United States
where half of the people don't know what it is."
Montoya
was taken aback a bit by the attention she received, though,
much to the enjoyment of the Next Generation team. "The
team makes fun of me," Montoya laughs. "I went to Japan,
and they're really into the fighting over there. They were asking
for autographs and they already knew who I was. I was so surprised.
I was shocked and I didn't know what to do. I'm not used to that
kind of attention. Even now, I think that some people think I'm
stuck up because I have the same attitude whether I win or lose.
I don't get all pumped up afterwards. I'm happy, I just don't
know why I do that."
She
sounds happy. There are a lot of laughs, a few comic pauses,
and a general feeling that Erica Montoya has grabbed life and
is shaking everything she can out of it. There is none of that
rebellious angst so typical among teenagers. Maybe it's because
she has lived more in 17 years than most people live in a lifetime.
But she wants you to know that it's not all fun and games.
"A
lot of people tell me that 'oh, you've been to so many places,
you're so lucky that you're so young,'" said Montoya. "I
don't really see it that way because it's not a vacation for
me. I'm doing what I like, and it's fun, but I have my mind set
on one thing, and that's what I'm going there for. If I go to
Brazil, it's not like, 'oh, wow, I'm going to Brazil.' I'm not
going to hang out and look at everything. I'm there to compete.
If I have time afterwards, then it's fun; but that's not what
I'm going there for."
Spoken
like a true fighter. And Montoya is a real fighter, traveling
the hour from her home in Palos Verdes after school to the Next
Generation gym every day to perfect her craft. "I train,
get home around ten, do homework, take a shower and go to bed,"
she said. "I get up the next morning and do the same thing.
People don't even ask me to hang out anymore."
She
still trains with the Machados as well, and plans on competing
in the Mundials again. It's a busy schedule for a high school
senior, but her goals are simple. "I just want to keep winning,"
she said. "There's only one person I really want to fight,
and that's (Ikuma) Hoshino. She's a Japanese fighter. That's
the only real goal that I have. Hopefully I'll get to fight her
and do well. I just want to keep doing what I'm doing."
In
Japan, Montoya has the tools to be a star. She's got them here
too, but unfortunately, the US has been slow in not only accepting
women fighters, but MMA as well - an unfortunate situation since
female MMA fighters are further ahead in their development than
their counterparts in boxing. Does Montoya think the situation
will change in the future?
"Yes
and no," she said. "Women don't get taken as seriously
as the guys do. If you're in the States it's like, 'oh, it's
a chicks fight.' Maybe it will evolve. Even the guys' fighting
isn't as well known yet. I think the guys are going to get out
there first, and then the women will come along - maybe."
(Laughs)
Whether
she gets deserved stardom in the States is up to the fates. You
get the impression that Erica Montoya doesn't care either way.
It's not about the fame or the money - it's about the fight.
"I'd
like to compete as long as I could," she said. "It's
funny, but when Chris is trying to get me a fight and they're
going through the money part, I'm like, 'who cares? Just get
me a fight. I don't care.' Maybe it's because I'm young and I
really don't have to pay any bills, but I'm not in it for the
money. I just like it for me. Even if there were nobody watching,
I wouldn't care. I just like to compete and I like the sport.
I'm always going to be involved, one way or another."
Source:
Maxfighting
10/3/02
Quote
of the Day
There is only one success - to spend your life in your own way.
Christopher
Morley
More
from DANA WHITE
Excerpts
from an interview conducted in Massachusetts, September 20th,
2002
KM:
As far as what's coming on the horizon, any other breakthroughs
coming? We know it's just a matter of time before you do Europe
the continent, go back to Japan or Brazil…
DW:
We'll probably be in Japan before summer. The thing that's hard
for me is we've done so many exciting things in the last two
years, now it's just hammering stuff out every day. We had a
list, a game plan of what we wanted to do and then we started
knocking them all down one by one. Getting the media involved,
getting real big mainstream media it's starting to happen for
us.
KM:
Florida just went legal but isn't sanctioned yet as far as I
know. What is the status of Florida?
DW:
We're sanctioned. We can go to Florida tomorrow and do a show.
Expect to see us in Florida within the next 6 months. I'm actually
going through the licensing process right now. I don't know where
that is, I signed all those papers and everything else for me
to do an event there. I think it's done, it should be done. We're
good to go.
KM:
With NV being the last UFC for the year you could have a show
now but won't be there until next year…
DW:
It'll probably be the first fight of next year. I'm still working
on it, it takes time but that's my game plan.
KM:
Should I say 'tentatively'?
DW:
yeah, tentatively.
KM:
With the Heavyweights going to Pride and King Of The Cage I was
wondering if you even wanted to compete with them.
DM:
Pride has really blown the money situation so out of control.
Really where this sport is right now the guys are being paid
10, 20 times or even more what they should be getting paid. I'm
not saying fighters shouldn't be getting paid for what they do,
the sport isn't there yet and it's going to take some time. Some
of these Heavyweights that fight over in Pride are asking for
ridiculous money and I can't do it. I'd rather bring in some
guys that are very talented.
(after
watching a tape on the big screen of Chuck Liddell knocking out
Guy Metzger)
DW:
The only time we've ever switched over was at that time Carlos
Newton was kind of a goofy deal going. Pride actually lent me
Carlos Newton then he had to go back and fight for them. Now
we just signed Carlos exclusively to us. Chuck Liddell I'll send
anywhere any day any time of the week because I don't think anybody
can beat him. Believe me when I tell you when Pride took him
over to fight Guy Metzger they thought Guy was going to beat
him. That's the only reason. I'll put Chuck in Japan or Ecuador
or El Salvador, I don't care where.
KM:
K-1?
DW:
Any MMA. I wouldn't do that switching. I wouldn't send Tito out
to a boxing match any day. This is what these guys do, they don't
kickbox. Chuck used to but he's an MMA fighter now.
Both
Tito and Chuck will be in UFC 40 on Friday, November 22nd in
Las Vegas for what will be the last UFC show of 2002. Tito puts
his belt on the line to settle a grudge against Ken Shamrock
in what can also be viewed as Zuffa's star taking on SEG's star
to show how far the sport has come since major media last sunk
their teeth into it. Chuck Liddell risks his title shot to take
on Renato Sobral, a fight that many fans are scratching their
heads over but as Dana pointed out in pt. 1 of this interview
is what Chuck wants as he doesn't want to sit on a shelf for
6 months without a fight.
Source:
ADCC
Professor
Helio Gracie's 90th BDay and the Gracie Museum Opens
World BJJ Tourney in Arizona
Grandmaster
Helio Gracie turns 90 years young!
On October 1st,
2002 Grandmaster Helio Gracie celebrated his 90th Birthday. The
event took place at the Gracie Academy and had a host of celebrities
like Chuck Norris, Tommy Lee and Richard Norris plus many of
the family like Royce, Renzo, Relson, Rolles and of course Rorion
and his sons. With many of the Gracie women also present, also
had the presence of Jean Jacques and Rigan Machado, Pedro Sauer
and Cleber Luciano. Special guests included the first family
that hosted the Gracies in America along with many members of
the press including Grappling's GM Jose Fraguas and Editor Todd
Hester.
With enough
energy to make most 30 somethings pale, Professor did a self-defense
demonstration for the all the guests and then cut the ribbon
marking the Grand-Opening of the Gracie Museum. The museum is
a sight to behold, with incredible pictures and newspaper clippings
and even a model of the original house in Teresopolis, were all
the Gracie's gathered to train back in the early days.
The entire affair
was A + and everyone attending had a great time. The only thing
left to say is: 'See you at Professor's 100 B-Day party!'
Professor is
going to be at Pedro Valente's school this Saturday and Sunday
for a short seminar series. Anyone interested and all should
be, should contact the Academy at (305) 354-2060.
World
BJJ Event in Arizona?
It appears to
be true, as many of the top BJJ stars like World Champions Saulo
Ribeiro, Comprido Medeiros, Leo & Ricardo Vieira will all
be competing at Megaton's fest.
The event is
taking place on October 12 & 13th at the Sunnyslope High
School, 35 West Dunlap in Phoenix, Arizona. With $2,000.00 prize
for the winner of each of 3 Professional weight categories (Light
- under -147 lbs,Middle - 148 lbs. - 188 lbs, Heavy- 189 bs.
& over) the event is sure to have some of the best Black
Belt matches ever. The latest name being tossed around as a strong
possibility is current World Absolute Champion Marcio 'Pe de
Pano' Cruz!
After Phil Baroni's
explosive KO of former champion Dave Menne at the Mohegan Sun's
UFC 39, his name is being mentioned as a potential opponent for
Murilo Bustamante's title.
ZUFFA has moved
quickly to replace the championships they have had to vacate,
but they must be growing weary of not nurturing any champions.
Despite this, it appears Bustamante is not signed, and there
are signs that the UFO continues to be interested in his rematch
with Sanae Kikuta.
What seems to
be a new twist to the title picture is the word that Phil Baroni
is thru his 3 fight deal and is now reportedly without obligations
to ZUFFA.
Baroni originally
signed a 3 fight deal and he has already fought 3 times in the
UFC. ZUFFA tried to re-sign Baroni before the his 3rd fight but
the deal was not done. Reportedly, Baroni wasn't satisfied with
the offer. This leaves wrestler MAtt Lindland as ZUFFA's top
signed middleweight, with both Dave Menne and Ivan Salaverry
losing at the last show.
Source: ADCC
Official
Release: International Shooto Commission (ISC) - American Office
Re:
Disciplinary Suspensions for un-sportsmanlike and unprofessional
conduct
This
is a notification of disciplinary sanctions that have been instituted
against Norifumi Yamamoto of the Purbred fight team and Fanjin
Son of K'z Factory. This is from a communiqué sent by
the ISC Secretary General located in Tokyo, Japan.
Subsequent
to the actions committed by Norifumi Yamamoto on September 16th
in his professional Shooto bout against Tetsuo Katsuta, Mr. Yamamoto
has been placed on suspension for a period of 120 days as of
October 1st. This is in direct response to the unprofessional,
un-sportsmanlike, and outright dangerous behavior that he exhibited
at the end of said bout. At approximately 2:45 into the 1st round,
referee Toshihau Suzuki had called for termination of the bout
and attempted to pull Mr. Yamamoto off of his fallen and unconscious
opponent. Norifumi Yamamoto blatantly disregarded the referee's
instructions and continued to deliver blows that posed a serious
threat to the health and well-being of his opponent. Tetsuo Katsuta
has sustained serious injuries that may have been compounded
by Norifumi Yamamoto's flagrant disregard for the rules and regulations,
as well as, the safety of his opponent. Further review of the
video from the September 16th event reveals the heinous nature
of this offense in that Norifumi Yamamoto actually reveled in
the continued beating and injuries that he inflicted upon Mr.
Katsuta. This mode of behavior is completely unacceptable in
professional sports.
Additionally,
it is evident by the reports of ringside officials and through
review of the tape that this incident directly resulted in a
riot breaking out. It was at this time that Fanjin Son of K'z
Factory joined the fray and was seen striking another individual
with intent to cause harm. As a result of this unprofessional
conduct Mr. Son has been placed on suspension for a period of
30 days as of October 1st.
The
Shooto Association and International Shooto Commission would
like to extend our deepest and most sincere apologies to Mr.
Katsuta for the injuries that he sustained while participating
in professional Shooto. We hope for his speedy recovery. We also
wish to apologize to any fans that may have been injured in anyway
during the riot that ensued and for the disruption of their evening
that took place.
Sincerely,
International Shooto Commission
RANDY
COUTURE Prepares for the ECO-CHALLENGE
Although
former UFC Champion Randy Couture wasn't victorious in his 3rd
attempt to gain the UFC heavyweight title, you've gotta admit,
he's the consummate athlete! The 'Freako Eco' as he friends are
calling him, gained the nickname through his training for the
Eco-Challenge (The Expedition Race).
Basic
rules of ECO CHALLENGE are:
1.
Team consists of four competitors.
2. Competitors can be Men or women competitors.
3. The race is nonstop and lasts 6-12 days.
4. First team to cross the finish line TOGETHER is the winner.
5. If a team loses a member to illness, fatigue, injury or even
an argument, they are disqualified.
EC
is the epitome of endurance, speed, skill, navigation and psychological
skills and only the strongest teams can even compete. To even
achieve the physical condition it would take to do such a contest
is a victory in itself. It is a tribute to Couture, who at 39
is still in better shape of most 20 year olds!
Now
the hard part - the EC consists of the following 'challenges':
Horseback riding, Mountaineering, Rappelling, River rafting,
Mountain Biking, just to name a few.
Creator
Mark Burnett came up with the EC in 1992 based on the New Zealand
and European endurance races that have taken place since the
early 1980's. Burnett, lengthened the 'race,' removed the assistance
crews and added the environmental edge to create the idea.
We'll
have more news on the EC and Randy Couture's endeavor in the
near future - Good luck Randy!
Source:
ADCC
Kurt
Angles adds 5 New Countries
By: Eddie Goldman
Five
more World-class stars, including World Champions Kurtanidze,
Mamedaliev, Kagomedov and Menshikov, commit to competing at Kurt
Angle Classic in New Orleans, Nov. 8-10
Five
more international wrestling stars have accepted invitations
to compete in the historic new Kurt Angle Classic, a challenge
competition featuring U.S. wrestling stars and many of the best
wrestling athletes
from across the world.
The
event, held in conjunction with Kurt Angle and GNC, will take
place at the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, La., November
8-10, 2002.
This
brings the total to nine World-class wrestling stars from foreign
nations who have agreed to participate in this exciting new competition.
These nine international athletes have won a total of eight World
Championships, one Olympic Games championship and 21 World-level
medals.
The
five new confirmed participants include 2002 World Champion Eldar
Kurtanidze of Georgia, plus four stars from Russia, 2002 World
Champion Gaidar
Mamedaliev, 1996 Olynpic Champion Khadjimurad Magomedov, 1998
World Champion Alexander Menshikov and 2002 World silver medalist
Magomed Isagaschiev.
USA
Wrestling, in conjunction with event organizers and international
wrestling federations, is helping firm up the final lineup at
this time.
The
Kurt Angle Classic features a 'USA vs. The World' format, and
will spotlight Olympic and World Champion athletes in the three
Olympic styles of wrestling: men's freestyle, men's Greco-Roman
and women's freestyle.
All
wrestlers will be paid to compete, with bonuses available to
the winners. In all, the total purse for the event will exceed
$75,000.
Kurtanidze,
30, was the 2002 World Champion in freestyle at 96 kg/211.5 pounds.
He won bronze medals in the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games. He was
also a 1993 World silver medalist and 1997 World bronze medalist.
Kurtanidze
is scheduled to battle U.S. World Team member Tim Hartung (Minneapolis,
Minn./Minnesota Storm) in the competition. The Russian delegation
includes two Greco-Roman stars (Mamedaliev and Menshikov) and
two freestyle stars (Magomedov and Isagaschiev).
Mamedaliev,
27, was competing in his first major international competition
when he won the gold medal at 55 kg/121 lbs. at the 2002 World
Greco-Roman
Championships.
Mamedaliev
is scheduled to face 1996 Olympic silver medalist Brandon Paulson
(Golden Valley, Minn./Minnesota Storm) at the Kurt Angle Classic.
Paulson was also second at the 2001 World Championships. This
will be a rematch of the controversial quarterfinal match at
this yearÕs World Championships, which Mamedaliev won
in a 3-1 overtime decision.
Menshikov
won his World Greco-Roman gold medal in 1998, and won a silver
medal at the 2002 World Greco-Roman Championships at 84 kg/185
pounds. He was also fourth at the 2001 World Championships. Menshikov
competed at the 2000 Olympic Games, and also wrestled in the
1999 World Championships.
Menshikov
is scheduled to face 2002 U.S. World Team member Brad Vering
(Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids), who placed fifth at the
2002 World Championships. Vering and Menshikov did not face each
other during the World Championships.
Magomedov
won a freestyle gold medal at the 1996 Olympic Games, and added
a gold medal at the 2001 World Championships. He was second in
the 1999 World
Championships and fourth in the 1997 World Championships. A 1997
European champion, Magomedov was also a silver medalist at the
1998 Goodwill Games.
Magomedov
will battle 2002 U.S. World Team member Cael Sanderson (Ames,
Iowa/Sunkist Kids) in the event. Sanderson is well known in the
United States as a four-time undefeated NCAA Div. I champion.
Sanderson was a 2000 University World Champion.
Isagaschiev
won a silver medal at 74 kg/163 lbs. at the 2002 World Championships.
He was also a bronze medalist at the 2002 European Championships.
Isagaschiev
will face 2001 World bronze medalist Joe Williams (Iowa City,
Iowa/Sunkist Kids) during the Kurt Angle Classic. Williams was
also fourth at the 1999 World Championships, and has won three
straight World Cup gold medals.
As
other international wrestling stars confirm their attendance
at this spectacular wrestling showcase, their information will
be posted on TheMat.com and shared with the international media.
The
Kurt Angle Classic is part of the 'Show of Strength', a competition
that will include body building, power lifting, arm wrestling
and a strong man contest. Included will be a hall with over 300
exhibits of products, supplements and other resources useful
in athletics.
'I
am excited and honored to be hosting this event along with USA
Wrestling,' stated Angle, who after capturing Olympic gold in
1996 went on to become a WWE superstar. 'This is my way of giving
back to the sport of wrestling. It should be an incredible atmosphere
and putting the top wrestlers in the world against each other
should help the sport of wrestling as well.'
There
will be three sessions of competition. In session one, a team
comprised of military wrestlers from the U.S. Marine Corps and
the U.S. Navy will face a team composed of wrestlers from the
U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force.
Sessions
two and three will pit the top U.S. stars in all three Olympic
styles (men's freestyle, men's Greco-Roman, women's freestyle)
fighting against some of the top international competitors in
the world.
Wrestling
will take place in an entertaining atmosphere. Matches will be
enhanced with music, up-close interviews and cutting-edge production
techniques that are certain to make this one of the most fan-friendly
and stunning amateur wrestling events ever.
October
5th, 2002 - THE AVENTINE CLUB, La Jolla, California
PIC:
Mike Van Arsdale throws Sean Alvarez for a loop - 2001 WORLD
SUBMISSION WRESTLING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
'The
brackets will be announced Firday or Saturday, but the tournaments
are filled - and it is anyone's tournament to win!' starts TUFF-N-UFF
promoter Barry Meyer.
The
winners of the 5 tournaments go to the 5th SUBMISSION WRSTLING
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, scheduled for Sao Paulo, Brazil in March
or April of 2003. Quickly becoming the 'OLYMPICS' of modern groundfighting
martial arts, the Abu Dhabi Combat Club's signature event is
set to return, this time to an interanational venue. 'And the
first step to the WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS will be taken in San Diego!'
states ADCC spokesman Miguel Iturrate
'The
ADCC is also proud to sponsor an international field of judges
for this event. The ADCC deserves a lot of credit for this forward
thinking - in the old days the judging was questioned, but I
think the ADCC is ready to present the sport to a wider, international
audience. This is another step.' states the ADCC spokesman.
OFFICIAL
JUDGES:
Lubomir Guedjev (Abu Dhabi Combat Club Instructor - BULGARIA)
Sean Brockmole (HOOKnSHOOT)
Marcello Andrade (Brazil)
John Donehue (Australia)
The
2003 North American ADCC Qualifier Field:
Under
65.9 KG:
TEAM CANADA: Shawn Krysa
(TEAM RENZO GRACIE): Alan Teo
Victory Athletics (Seattle): Dominic Curella
(MACHADO JJ): Eddie Bravo
Gracie JJ - Wrestling): Chance Farrar
(Machado JJ): Phillip Cardella
(Team Ricardo Pires): Michael Bland
AMC PANKRATION: Mark Ashton
77-87.99
KG :
TEAM CANADA: Mark Bocek
(American TOP TEAM): Pablo Popovich
Pedro Sauer JJ - Costa Rica: Henry Matamoros
Grappling Champion: Kenny Florian
Victory Athletics (Seattle): Brad Blackburn
(Team Ricardo Pires): Antonio McKee
(TEAM RENZO GRACIE): Sean Williams
(J-SECT / NOVA UNIAO): Sean Spangler
77-87.99
KG :
TEAM CANADA: Denis Kang
Grapplers Quest Champion: Ken Kronenberger
Grapplers Quest Champion: Todd Margolis
(Massachusetts Submission Academy): Keith Rockel
(TEAM RENZO GRACIE): Joe D'arce
2x Wrestling Champ (Michigan): James Lee
Victory Athletics: Joey Guel
(Gracie JJ - KOTC): David Terrell
88
- 98.99 KG :
(J-SECT / NOVA UNIAO): Marc Laimon
TEAM CANADA: Terry Dellino
Carlos Machado (Lutter): Kenny Mcclure
(TEAM RENZO GRACIE): Jamal Patterson
KOTC Champion: Dean Lister
HnS Veteran : Angelo Popofski
16x NAGA Champion: Anthony Argyros
Nathan Ducharme
99
KG and up :
Victory Athletics: Mike Whitehead
TEAM CANADA: Karim Byron
(TEAM RENZO GRACIE): John Rallo
(Team Ricardo Pires): Frank Mir
ADCC VETERAN: Rocke Batastini
(J-SECT / NOVA UNIAO): Roy Nelson
Dean Lister's Team: Jocko Willink
Source:
ADCC
Sodom,
Gomorrah and the UFC
By Bill Simmons
BEGINNER'S GUIDE
TO UFC
Here's the UFC in a nutshell: Two guys of similar weights get
thrown into an octagon ... five-minute rounds (three rounds in
all, five for title fights) ... no shoes, no heavy gloves ...
they can win by A) punching, kicking or elbowing their opponent
into submission, or B) forcing him to quit with a submission
hold ... the referee halts the fight if he feels that A) a cut
requires immediate medical attention, or B) somebody can't defend
themselves anymore.
The
beauty of the UFC? Everyone uses different fighting methods,
so invariably, a clash of the right styles makes a memorable
fight. You have karate guys, submission specialists, technical
wrestlers, counter-punchers, pancrase specialists, even guys
just hoping to throw more punches than they receive. Nobody takes
a night off, everyone is fighting for his life, and there's a
more primitive feel to the matches than you get from any other
sport. It's the closest we'll ever get in real life to the fight
scene in "Escape From New York."
Main Article
Sometimes,
you just know things. When the UFC scheduled an Ultimate Fighting
Championship card for Sept. 27 in Connecticut -- at the Mohegan
Sun Casino, no less -- I knew I would end up going. Didn't know
where I would get tickets, didn't know who would make the 100-minute
trek from Boston with me ... just knew I was going.
Of
course, the good people at UFC made the decision easier, offering
two freebies. Out of the blue. Good ones, no less. So I called
my buddy J-Bug on Wednesday night, leading to this exchange:
--
Me: "What are you doing on Friday?"
--
J-Bug (very available): "Um, nothing. Why?"
--
Me: "I have UFC tickets at the Mohegan Sun ... I'm thinking
about devoting my entire Friday to some reckless gambling and
drinking, followed by some controlled violence. Any interest?"
--
J-Bug: "Can we leave right now?"
Quick
interjection: I'm not saying that the UFC is for everyone. In
boxing, you might see somebody get knocked out and you might
see blood ... in the UFC, you will definitely see somebody get
knocked out and you will definitely see blood. You also may endure
at least one knockout that leaves you uneasy and uncomfortable
afterward, like seeing a sex scene involving Tony Soprano's sister,
but worse. Just know that going in. These guys aren't playing
around.
As
a budding major sport, it works for me because it combines many
of my favorite boxing-wrestling traits -- mayhem, theatrics,
unintentional comedy, ring girls, championship belts (shouldn't
every sport use a championship belt?), and especially the "I
don't know what the hell might happen next" factor. Maybe
eight out of 10 times, a pay-per-view boxing card lets you down.
Not the UFC. Some shows may outshine others, but it always maintains
your interest. Throw a UFC party and invite 10 friends some time
... I guarantee that nobody budges for three hours.
How
would it work as a spectator sport? J-Bug and I traveled to the
Mohegan to find out. We arrived at 3:45 in the afternoon, five
hours before the show, more than enough time to get annihilated
at a $15 blackjack table. Not only were we getting more 12s and
13s then R Kelly, but the Mohegan's equivalent of Randy Johnson
(a dealer named Ramon) was pitching so well, they didn't even
have to call in their closer from the Asian Gaming Room to finish
us off.
(Note:
Ramon tossed a complete game shutout -- 17 Ks, two hits, nobody
reached second base -- just a startling performance, and since
the place was so crowded, we were locked into an "Either
we turn things around with Ramon, or we gamble at a $25 table"
situation. Yeah, that always works out well. You know you just
had a bad experience at a blackjack table when the dealer is
profusely apologizing as you're leaving. And just for the record,
I hate the Mohegan Sun -- it's the unluckiest place on the planet.
I haven't won there in four years. Don't go there. Go down the
road to Foxwoods. Save yourself. The Mohegan is like the Overlook
Hotel in "The Shining." It's evil. Stay away. I hope
this paragraph is costing them money. Man, this feels good ...)
Needless
to say, after that unexpected shellacking, J-Bug and I were ready
to see people beat the crap out of each other. Following a healthy
dinner at Johnny Rocket's -- bacon cheeseburger, fries, onion
rings, vanilla shakes and a complimentary angioplasty -- we entered
the Mohegan's new 10,000-seat arena to find our seats. Looking
around, I think the Bug put it best: "It's definitely saying
a lot when the J-Bug is in the top 10 percent of the gene pool
here."
In the crowd at the Ultimate Fighting Championships, there were
plenty of Vin Diesel look-alikes ...
Yikes. You could practically smell the testosterone. Every guy
in the building looked like he was waiting for somebody to make
eye contact with him, just so he could stalk over and scream,
"You lookin' at me? You got a problem?" Sleeveless
shirts, gold necklaces, slicked-back hair, swaggering walks ...
it was like we had suddenly entered Badda Bing. The entire place
was a fight waiting to happen.
We
headed toward our seats, careful not to bump anyone along the
way. The good people at UFC stuck us in the fourth row, just
high enough for a perfect view of the octagon, just far enough
away so we wouldn't get splattered with blood. Of course, it
also meant we were in the VIP section, which may or may not have
also been the Champagne Room. Sweet Jesus. Were these girlfriends
or escorts? Frankly, it was too early to tell. Every man in the
first few rows had a glazed, giddy "I can't believe I'm
with this girl" look, even the guy two rows in front who
was wearing a smoking jacket.
One
buxom blonde companion commanded everyone's attention, mainly
because of her skintight black cocktail dress, topped by an "I
know everyone's looking at me" smile and a cowgirl hat decorated
with cubic zirconium crystals and sapphires (all she was missing
was a long metal pole). The guys next to me were staring at her
intensely, frozen, like how my dad's dog Maggie looks whenever
somebody eats popcorn. Meanwhile, the girl sitting in front of
J-Bug was wearing a strapless dress, looking like she just arrived
off the set of "Men In Black, Part 69," prompting the
Bug to wonder longingly, "Imagine if she was into slightly
overweight guys with no money?"
Hey,
you have to hand it to the UFC ... they know their audience,
which I'm guessing is a wealthier, more energetic, more buffed
version of a WWE audience (considering the best seats went for
$200 and $100). During warmups, they blared every strip joint
song you've ever heard; at one point, before the show even kicked
off, they followed the Guns 'N' Roses classic "Welcome to
the Jungle" with that song by Kid Rock that goes "Bawitaba-da-bang-da-dang-diggy-diggy-diggy-said-the-boogie-said-up-
jump-the-boogie" (I think we all felt that way).
I
offered J-Bug 100-1 odds that they wouldn't play Ozzy's "CrazyTrain"
song at some point during the night. He ignored me, mainly because
he was busy ogling the UFC's ring girls (who were hotter than
the equator, and apparently wearing wet-naps for outfits). There
was a weird buzz in the air -- part WWE, part boxing, part strip
joint, part "I hope I don't get beat up," part "I
hope I have the chance to beat somebody up." It was a writer's
goldmine. I was busy soaking everything in and jotting thoughts
down, my notebook a rambling mess. One section reads, verbatim:
"Far
enough away -- won't get splattered with blood. Kind of place
you see someone wearing an eye patch. Cool WWE-type setup --
big screen TV, expensive entrance ramps, lasers, looks like fireworks.
Stripper in front of us. Bug wants to inquire about potential
lap dance. NO BUG! Wow, Bruce Buffer!"
Yup
... it was Bruce Buffer, Michael Buffer's brother, UFC stalwart
and the Frank Stallone of ringside announcing. I will always
support the UFC, now and forever, simply because somebody made
the decision, "Hey, we could get any ring announcer ...
let's hire Michael Buffer's brother, just for comedy's sake."
Stroke of genius. You know he just sits around all day, wondering
how he could top "Let's get ready to rummmmmmmmmm-BUUUUUUUUUUUULLLLLL!",
then getting pissed off and throwing things around his living
room.
... and mysterious characters like these whom you knew to avoid.
After Bruce's garbled intro, we witnessed a dark match (two beginners
"warming up" the crowd, neither of them good enough
for TV), followed by UFC veteran Matt Lindland winning a unanimous
decision over Ivan Salaverry in the worst kind of UFC match --
not enough punching, too much time spent wrestling on the ground,
waaaaaaaaaay too many uncomfortable positions involving a guy
on his back with his legs up. Not good times. I mean, really,
really bad times.
(If
you're looking for "Reasons why the UFC may never make it,"
start right here: Guys vigorously rolling around on other guys.
Never really a crowd-pleaser. They need to encourage more kicking,
more punching and less of the other, um, stuff. Not that there's
anything wrong with that.)
Here's
where things progressed to the next level. First, the pay-per-view
telecast started -- fireworks, lasers, explosions, video montages,
Buffer's incoherent screaming, the whole shebang -- just as two
separate groups of guys plopped down near us: The first group
featured three muscled, beer-guzzling, sarcastic guys who came
off the Vin Diesel assembly line (one of them asked if he could
smoke inside, decided "Ah, f--- it," lit the cigarette,
then explained, "It's a peace pipe, man, we're on a reservation").
The second group featured rowdy Long Islanders whistling at girls
and singing at the top of their lungs to Papa Roach's "Last
Resort." And group No. 3 featured me and J-Bug bracing for
the inevitable melee by calling our closest loved ones, just
in case we didn't survive.
Fortunately,
everyone got along. The turning point came when someone from
Group No. 2 spotted Bruce Buffer in the octagon, then started
screaming, "Hey, Buffer... buff this! Ha-ha ha-ha! Buff
this, Buffer! Ha-ha-ha-ha! Bufffff-errrrrrrrrrr! BUFF THISSSSS!!!!"
That won just about everyone over.
(Note:
This was also the point when I turned to Bug and said, "Can
we just mail this column to the Pulitzer Committee right now?
Do I even need to write it?")
Now
we were fired up. Our first pay-per-view match featured Long
Islander Phil Baroni against middleweight Dave Menne; Baroni
was accompanied by two scantily clad valets, wearing a robe with
the Yankees symbol on the back, strutting and sneering as if
he were auditioning for the WWE. The crowd couldn't have been
sucked in any faster. It wasn't possible. Here was a man who
clearly understood his fan base.
So
the match started, the fighters danced around for a few seconds,
we were already wound up ... and then Baroni caught Menne with
an overhand right. Menne stumbled backward. Baroni pounced on
him, landing three more punches. Flush. Now Menne was out on
his feet, slumped against the octagon wall ... and this is the
best and worst part about the UFC, right here, those two or three
seconds where one fighter goes for the kill and the referee hasn't
quite realized yet that the fight needs to be stopped. Baroni
ended up unleashing five more punches, the last one dropping
poor Menne in sections, before the referee finally intervened.
And we were sitting there cheering the whole thing.
Then
we turned to the big screen.
The
camera zoomed in on a discombobulated Menne -- face already swelling
up, vacant eyes, blood dripping from inside his left eyeball
-- and everyone hushed. Yikes. This guy doesn't look good. They
quickly brought a stretcher out for him, as one of the dudes
behind us gleefully shouted, "There's your ride!" Suddenly,
I wasn't sure I wanted to be there anymore. I was bummed out.
Some imaginary line had been crossed, one of those, "Be
careful what you wish for, because you might get it" lines.
As Bug said, "That dude will never be the same."
Bill Simmons' blackjack hands reminded him of R Kelly.
We weren't the only ones rattled. The entire crowd seemed shell-shocked,
especially after watching three people help Menne back to the
dressing room, right after Baroni shouted, "I'm the man,
I want my f---ing belt!" in his post-fight interview. I've
seen boxing beatings before -- hell, I watched Ray "Boom
Boom" Mancini kill Duk Koo Kim on live TV 20 years ago --
but this was different: more brutal, more sudden, more jarring.
We were about two more punches away from witnessing Baroni kill
someone with his bare hands. A little unsettling.
The
Bug and I grimly sat through the next two matches -- Gan "The
Giant" McGee stopping former heavyweight champ Pedro Rizzo
(TKO, cuts), followed by lightweight Cael Uno outlasting Din
Thomas (unanimous decision). Nearly 40 minutes passed before
I made my first joke since The Beating: I asked Bug if he knew
Cael Uno's brother, Pizzeria. When he didn't laugh, I mentioned
how Cael was a submission specialist and added, "Sounds
like my prom night." Still, no laughter from the Bug. He
was busy giving birth to a new Face in the Pantheon of Faces
-- the J-Bug's "My mind has been turned to Jell-O by violence"
Face. He looked like Nicholson at the end of "One Flew Over
the Cuckoo's Nest." I was ready to stick a pillow over his
head.
Thankfully,
the immortal Bruce Buffer snapped him out of it. Between matches,
I noticed something on the floor, picked it up ... and it was
an authentic Bruce Buffer trading card! You couldn't make up
this stuff. After a round of "I'm putting this on eBay with
a reserve bid of $600 or more" and "New, from Topps'
'Black Sheep Brothers In Show Business' Collection"-type
jokes, an overwhelmed Bug finally cracked a smile.
"I'm
sorry, man," he said. "I just ... I ... I've never
seen anything like this."
Right
around that time, we noticed that every UFC interview sounds
just like an NHL interview, only more macabre: "I just want
to go out there and fight my match, and uh, be the better man,
and uh, hopefully I'll come out the winner." That kinda
stuff. We quickly twisted that to "I just want to go out
there, and uh, pummel the hell out of him, and uh, hopefully
punch him until he's unconscious, and uh, hopefully his brain
will swell enough that he passes out ..." Trust me, this
joke never got old.
Meanwhile,
lightweights BJ "The Prodigy" Penn and Matt "The
Terror" Serra were battling it out in the final undercard
(that's another thing the UFC needs to work on, the lame nicknames
for every fighter), as everyone rooted for Long Island native
Serra. When Penn eked out a lackluster unanimous decision, the
pro-Serra crowd went ballistic, booing Penn through his entire
post-fight interview. At least the crowd had loosened up after
The Beating. A few-hundred thousand f-bombs always has that effect.
And then it happened.
With
the telecast running short, they trotted out a "filler"
match between Hawaii's Wesley "Cabbage" Correira and
Tim Sylvia, two UFC newcomers who looked like rejects from that
"Toughman" show on FX. After three straight technical
matches involving top fighters, the sudden dropoff in talent
was jarring, like they pulled these guys out of a local bar.
The "Cabbage" guy was covered in tattoos, with rainbow-colored
hair, looking like he hadn't done a situp in five years. And
Sylvia was tall and gawky, like a backup center for a Division
III hoops team. Neither of them had any semblance of style. They
were just throwing bombs. It was practically Amateur Night.
Midway
through round one, Sylvia connected with an overhand right, buckling
Cabbage's legs. Then he started peppering Cabbage with blows,
one after the other, bouncing them off Cabbage's head like raindrops
in a thunderstorm. Unable to defend himself, Cabbage crossed
his arms up in front of his face, looking like Joe Frazier, but
Sylvia's punches kept barging through. We waited for the referee
to stop it, but every few seconds, Cabbage threw another wild
haymaker, buying himself a few more seconds.
Now
the crowd was coming alive. Noticing there were 75 seconds still
left in the round, we encouraged Cabbage like he was finishing
a triathlon. He continued to assault Sylvia's fists with his
head, occasionally throwing a punch himself. You know those HBO
"Compubox" numbers they always show? Sylvia unleashed
about 12,000 punches in five minutes, 11,979 of them landed ...
and still, our boy Cabbage wouldn't go down. With 15 seconds
remaining, with Cabbage tripping around the ring like Brian Griese,
with Sylvia unable to land one last solid blow, everyone was
standing and screaming encouragement. Finally, the horn sounded
-- END OF THE ROUND! -- and we practically blew the roof off.
"That
was a moment!" I kept screaming to the J-Bug, who had a
pulse for the first time in two hours. "That was a moment!"
Cabbage
wobbled back to his corner. About 40 doctors jumped in to check
on him. Improbably, they decided he could continue, causing us
to erupt all over again. This was like every "Rocky"
movie we had ever seen. Was this really happening? If Cabbage
rallied back to win this thing, it would have been like ... I
can't even imagine a comparison. Sadly, it wasn't meant to be.
After two more minutes of punishment, Cabbage's corner threw
in the damn towel. We didn't care. We stood and cheered some
more. Sylvia may have notched the victory, but as far as we knew,
Cabbage was the toughest guy on the planet. You would have needed
a stun gun to take him down.
Ultimately, Ultimate Fighting's action will prevent it from catching
on.
"I'm telling you, that was a moment," I told the Bug
for the 30th time in five minutes. He was busy watching the girl
in the cowgirl hat climbing over the seats in front of her, unable
to properly bend because her outfit was tighter than Joan Rivers'
face.
"This
is another moment," Bug said, eyeballs bulging out of his
head.
We
were still standing and clapping. Cabbage departed from the octagon
to appreciative applause, the lovable warrior who captured our
hearts. Baroni emerged from backstage, accepting congratulations
for his earlier match ("Way to kick his ass, Frank! Nice
job!"). A number of other UFC fighters were milling around,
waiting for the heavyweight title fight to commence, and UFC
groupies were multiplying around them like bugs on a windshield.
One of the guys behind us was screaming, "Anth-o-neeeee!
Antho-neeeeeee!" to a buddy on the other side of the arena.
The Bush song "Machine Head" was blaring from the speakers,
the latest from the "Songs from the Spearmint Rhino"
soundtrack that the UFC uses. It was quite a scene.
"We
can't top that last fight," I told J-Bug. "It will
never be topped. Wanna skip the title match and play blackjack?"
Even
as I was uttering those words, the Bug started gathering his
stuff. We were shifting from one vice to another: Three hours
of organized violence was more than enough. All the beatings
were starting to blend into one another, like one continuous
barrage of punches. Now it was time to lose more money. And we
did.
Four
days later, the question remains ... was it worth going?
The
answer lies on my refrigerator, where my Bruce Buffer trading
card has been triumphantly placed, brightening my mornings. Every
time I think of that Cabbage guy, I feel like hugging someone.
And even though I can't remember what I did 10 days ago, I remember
everything about my night at the UFC -- crowds, fights, sounds,
smells, everything else -- and I have to say, it was an enjoyable
night. Like it or not, I'm officially a UFC fan, and I guess
I always knew it would happen.
Sometimes,
you just know things.
Source: ESPN
10/2/02
Quote
of the Day
To Climb Steep Hills requires slow pace at first.
William Shakespeare
Warrior's
Quest:
Brennan vs. Weidler Postponed
Warriors Quest
155 pound title to be determined on a future card
The highly anticipated
match for the vacant 155 pound Warriors Quest World Championship
title between Warriors Quest veterans Chris Brennan of California
based Team Next Generation and Jon Weidler of New York based
Team Hybrid Elite has been postponed.
Originally headlining
the card at 'Warriors Quest 8: Young Guns,' this match was seen
as super and action packed, pairing up 2 warriors to do battle
in the ring.
Word from the
Brennan Camp is that Chris' youngest son, Tyler, just 1-year-old,
had stomach surgery last week. In a telephone conversation with
Brennan just minutes ago, he said, 'I have not trained or dieted
in the last week... and 155 is hard to make without training
or dieting... plus my head is not in the fight right now... it
is home with my family.' That's totally understandable. Brennan
continued, 'I want to tell him (my son, Tyler) I love him and
I am so glad he is ok.' I am too, CB... and we here at ADCC News
wish Tyler a speedy and complete recovery.
Knowing Jon
Weidler, and his close ties to his own family, I'm sure Weidler
passes along his regards... as he would only want to win the
title by defeating a 100% game opponent.
The match originally
came together when Brennan, the #1 Contender at 170 pounds, decided
to come down in weight, while Weidler, who had an impressive
win in his last Warriors Quest match against David Young, was
ready.
Brennan, having
last competed in SHOOTO Japan on September 16, 2002, lost his
match by Split Decision to Takanori Gomi. Weidler, having last
competed in Warriors Quest on June 7, 2002, won his last fight
by Decision against David Young.
Tickets can
be purchased for 'Warriors Quest 8: Young Guns' to be held on
Thursday, October 24, 2002, at the Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu,
Hawaii at their Box Office, at Ticket Plus Outlets or charge
by phone at 808-525-4400.
UFC
39: The Warriors Return Recap
September 9, 2002
Mohegan Sun, Connecticut
I post these
fight descriptions so you can see other points of view. Even
if you don't want to, sometimes your view of the fight is not
actually what happened because you want a certain fighter to
win so bad that you don't see what the other fighter has done.
Plus, it's a slow news day.
The
UFC returned to the Mohegan Sun Arena for UFC 39 with what many
felt was one of the strongest cards in Mixed Martial Arts history.
Sean Sherk defeated
Benji Radach by TKO (Cut) 4:16 1R
Leading
things off was a welterweight contender's match between ground
and pound wrestler Sean Sherk and up and the up and comer Benji
"The Razor" Radach. Sherk came out and shot for the
double leg but Radach defended well. As Sherk backed off Benji
landed a couple nice shots. Sherk shot again and struggled to
get the single, eventually getting a big double leg takedown
slam. Sherk worked the elbows and landed a big one, cutting Radach
above the right eye. Referee, Larry Landless stopped the fight
to check the cut and the Doctor stopped the fight. Sean Sherk
wins by TKO, doctor's stoppage at 4:16 of the first round.
Matt Lindland
defeated Ivan Salaverry by Decision (Unanimous) 5:00 3R
The
other dark match pitted former middleweight number one contender
Matt "The Law" Lindland against AMC Pankration's Ivan
Salaverry. Salaverry, coming off an impressive win over the highly
touted Andrei Semenov, was looking to make a name for himself
in the UFC's stacked middleweight division. Lindland took control
in the first round landing a solid takedown and working from
within Salaverry's guard. He landed several effective elbows,
opening a small cut under Salaverry' left eye. The second round
started like the first ended, with Lindland taking Salaverry
down and working from within Salaverry's guard. Lindland even
tried to take Ivan's back but was reversed and had to fight Salaverry
off his back. Lindland escaped and landed a nice combination
staggering Salaverry. Matt then took a gassed Salaverry back
to the mat and pounded until the end of the round. The third
round was anti-climactic as the two fighters circled and threw
very few punches. Salaverry did land some nice leg kicks but
did not seem to have the stamina to mount an offensive even though
he had to know he needed to KO or submit his opponent. Lindland
held on in the third and won the unanimous decision.
Phil Baroni
defeated Dave Menne by TKO (Strikes) 0:18 1R
The
fireworks and pyrotechnics that led off the pay-per-view did
not end there, as Phil Baroni came out firing and landed a punch
to Dave Menne's face, staggering the former middleweight Champ.
As Menne stumbled backwards to the fence, Baroni pounced on him
and landed numerous punches to the head of Menne. Referee Larry
Landless stepped in to end the carnage at 18 seconds of the first
round. Phil "The New York Bad Ass" Baroni makes his
case for a shot at the UFC middleweight title with a huge KO
win.
Gan McGee defeatd Pedro
Rizzo by TKO (Corner Stoppage) 5:00 1R
There
have been a number of pretty good fighters who have tried to
stand up to the punching power of Pedro "The Rock"
Rizzo and most have failed. Not to many people would have picked
Gan "The Giant" McGee to be the first to put "The
Rock" away the way he did. Rizzo was controlling the action
throughout the first round with some solid leg kicks and even
seemed to stun McGee with a good left hook mid way through the
first round. He also stuffed McGee's only takedown attempt. But
in the waning moments of the first round the tide turned in the
blink of an eye as Rizzo landed a stinging leg kick to McGee.
"The Giant" countered with a perfect straight right
hand that landed right on the screws, breaking Rizzo's nose.
After consulting with his corner between rounds it was obvious
Rizzo did not want to continue and trainer Marco Ruas threw in
the towel. McGee, with this upset win, thrusts himself into the
picture as a possible contender in the very shallow UFC heavyweight
division.
Caol Uno defeated
Din Thomas by Decision (Unanimous) 5:00 3R
With
Jens Pulver being stripped of his UFC lightweight title, due
to contract issues, it was time to determine who would get a
shot at his belt. In the first of two semi-final fights, which
pit four of the best 155 pounders in all of mixed martial arts,
Caol Uno took on Din Thomas. The two had met once before in Shooto
three years ago, to the month with Uno winning via rear naked
choke. It was early in Thomas' career and most felt he had improved
enough to warrant him being the favorite. I guess someone forgot
to tell Uno. Even after he was wobbled by a Thomas punch just
seconds into the fight and had to escape a pretty tight triagle-armbar
attempt, Uno remained unfazed. He controlled the second round
with a pretty nice game of ground-and-pound, landing several
stiff left hands and a number of jarring elbows. Thomas was forced
to scramble from the bottom and was penalized one point, by referee
Larry Landless, for kicking to the head of a downed opponent
as Uno was on his knees in his guard. The foul seemed to take
a lot of steam out of Din and he never fully recovered as the
third round was more of the same as Uno continued to land effective
strikes to a seemingly gassed Thomas from the top position. In
the end it was a unanimous decision for Caol Uno.
BJ Penn defeated
Matt Serra by Decision (Unanimous) 5:00 3R
With
one half of the lightweight title bout set, Renzo Gracie black
belt Matt "The Terror" Serra faced of with another
jiu-jitsu black belt, BJ "The Prodigy" Penn. This fight
had all the makings for a very memorable fight but like many
others before it, it could not live up to the hype. It turned
out that Serra could not take Penn down and even though the entire
fight was fought in what many thought was BJ's domain, on the
feet, he could not clearly dominate his opponent. The first round
saw Penn land the better strikes as Serra continually tried for,
but not finish, the low single. As the second round wore on,
and as his takedown attempts continued to be thwarted, Serra
did his best to draw Penn into a slugfest. This was his best
round as he landed the better strikes against the passive Penn.
The third round was a carbon copy of the first with Serra failing
to take Penn down and BJ making him pay with strikes. Serra did
push the action in every round but could not take Penn down and
in the end BJ scored more on the feet and squeaked out a unanimous
decision. Although he won, Penn did not have a Prodigy-like performance.
He was very passive and seemed as if he was reluctant to engage
the lesser striker in Matt Serra. He will need to be much sharper
to take out Caol Uno if he wants to strap UFC lightweight gold
around his waist in January.
Tim Sylvia defeated
Wesley "Cabbage" Correira by TKO (Towel Thrown) 1:43
2R
The
next heavyweight match between Tim "The Grizzly Bear"
Sylvia and Wesley "Cabbage" Correira comes to us from
the file labeled "When an irresistible force meets an immovable
object". The force being every thing Tim Sylvia threw and
the immovable object being Cabbage. It was target practice for
the big man from the Miletich camp and everything he threw was
right on the money. Correira had his moments early in the first
and even had Sylvia stunned and covering up against the cage
but his lack of any defense whatsoever cost him dearly as Sylvia
recovered and unleashed a vicious onslaught of punches kicks
and knees that sent Cabbage reeling as the first round expired.
The ringside doctor checked out Cabbage between rounds and the
crowd went wild, as it was apparent he would be allowed to continue.
It might not have been the wisest choice as it was just more
of the same in the second round with Sylvia continuing to beat
on the big Hawaiian. It was not until BJ Penn ran from his seat
on the other side of the octagon and told "Crazy" Bob
Cook to throw in the towel, that the fight was stopped. The fight
was a crowd pleaser and still would have been the fight of the
night even if it had been stopped when it was apparent that Correira
had no answers for the barrage Sylvia was unloading on him. Cabbage
showed so much heart and it was a great fight but it really should
have been stopped before his corner had to throw the towel. Hopefully
Cabbage will get another shot in the UFC and Sylvia's big win
should get him a future match up with fellow big man Gan McGee.
Ricco Rodriguez
defeated Randy Couture by Submission (Verbal) 3:04 5R
In
the main event, former Champ Randy "The Natural" Couture
was looking to become the first three time Champion in UFC history.
The only thing standing in his path was the formidable Ricco
"Suave" Rodriguez. Couture, coming of a lose to Josh
Barnett at UFC 36 was looking for a little redemption. Rodriguez,
on the other hand, had been on a very impressive winning streak
on his way to his shot at the title. The first two rounds were
all Couture as he took Ricco down and punished him from the top
position. The third started in the same fashion as Randy put
Ricco back on the canvas but this time he escaped and scored
a takedown of his own. The tide had turned and Ricco, in true
team punishment style, began to mount an offensive of his own,
landing several good elbows from Couture's guard. It was more
of the same in round four as Ricco took Randy down and kept him
there with an impressive display of ground-and-pound, eventually
passing to full mount. It looked as if he was trying to cut the
former champ as he unloaded elbow after elbow on the pinned Couture.
In the closing seconds of the fourth round Couture escaped and
was nearly clipped with an illegal kick which drew only a warning
from referee John McCarthy. This back and forth battle had come
to a fifth and deciding round, the Championship round. Rodriguez
started strong with a takedown and proceeded to pound on Couture
until he verbally submitted at the 3:04 mark of the fifth round.
It seems it was an elbow strike directly to the eye socket that
forces the former two-time champ to tap. It was a huge win for
the new UFC heavyweight Champion, Ricco Rodriguez who accepted
his belt with tears of joy in his eyes.
Source:
Sherdog
Random
Thoughts Following UFC 39
It
was a stellar card and a pretty good show. In the end, UFC 39
cut the lightweight title tournament down to two and crowned
a heavyweight champion. On the other hand, it proposed a multitude
of questions, including queries regarding the direction of the
heavyweight class and, by the end of the night, whether everyone
was OK. Before our attention turns to Tito-Shamrock, here are
a few random thoughts on UFC 39.
A
CABBAGE BEATDOWN
I've
seen numerous opinions on the Tim Sylvia-Wes "Cabbage"
Correira fight, ranging from the entertained to the appalled.
Some members of the latter group have contended that Cabbage
was unworthy of the UFC, and that the match was a throwback to
the days of old. It was brutal; I'll give them that.
Should
the plump, steel-chinned Hawaiian have been in the Octagon? Was
he just another Chris Condo, sent in to take a beating and create
a spectacle? If you had never seen Cabbage fight prior to UFC
39, you'd probably answer those questions "no" and
"yes" respectively. I know if I hadn't watched him
prior to Friday night, I'd be shaking my head and pointing the
same finger at Zuffa that I've had directed at Pride lately for
blatant mismatches. In reality, I had seen Cabbage, and I nearly
picked him to defeat Sylvia. I'm not the only one who thought
he had a shot, either, as several insiders predicted him to win.
The
match was entertaining, but couldn't have been much more one-sided.
After an early flurry by Cabbage, the real fight was between
his chin and his opponent's tireless barrage. Sylvia was simply
too much. The result proved that he is overwhelmingly better
than Cabbage; however, the loss does not signify that Cabbage
did not deserve to be in there.
Cabbage
has proven his worth by out slugging Marcelo Tigre in Super Brawl,
by finishing heavy hitter Aaron Brink in Shogun, by making it
to the finals of the Super Brawl 24 heavyweight tournament, and
by tying together several other solid performances. He is not
physically daunting -- which made his loss to Sylvia look even
worse -- but that shouldn't keep him out of the Octagon if his
in-ring triumphs merit an opportunity.
The
loss was terribly convincing, so much so that it made Cabbage
look like a sacrificial lamb. In reality, that was not the case.
He is a capable, gutsy mixed martial artist, who ran into the
wrong guy.
With
that said, I feel the fight was stopped late. Combine the approving
roars from the crowd with Cabbage's inability to go down, and
I can understand how a somewhat prolonged beating could result.
This fight went overboard, though. If a fighter is consistently
turning his back and wincing with each shot, he's had enough
whether he knows it or not.
My
only other gripe concerning this bout is that it made it to the
pay-per-view in place of the Sherk-Radach, Lindland-Salaverry
prelim matches. I can't argue whether Cabbage-Sylvia was action-packed,
but I would have rather seen the above-mentioned fights. Sherk
is a serious welterweight title contender, yet has been relegated
to the prelims in each of his three UFC performances. Radach
and Salaverry are up-and-comers, and Lindland is hovering at
the top of the middleweight class. Let Cabbage and Sylvia pay
their dues while the guys who have earned a shot on the main
card get it.
DID
THOMAS BEAT HIMSELF?
I
thought Din Thomas looked more dangerous than ever on the ground,
which can probably be attributed to his union with the American
Top Team. Should he have chosen to fight there, though? I don't
think so.
Thomas
clearly won the first round, controlling the action with takedowns
and a near triangle choke from his back. However, the near finish
and positional control seemed to lull him into departing from
a significant reach advantage on the feet. In the following two
rounds, Thomas pulled guard three times and fell to his back
a fourth time while going for a reversal.
Thomas'
reach advantage was acclaimed by many -- including Jens Pulver
-- as his biggest asset going into the bout. In his first encounter
with Uno, Thomas vehemently defended takedowns to keep the fight
standing. The strategy worked well, until Thomas was submitted
on the ground. With enhanced submission defense and an ever-present
reach and strength advantage on the feet, it seemed that a similar
plan would work this time around.
Instead,
Thomas declined to exchange on the feet. He opted for takedowns
early and pulling guard late. His foul in the second round likely
created an urgency to finish, and perhaps he felt his best shot
was a submission. Then again, the first time he pulled guard
was before the foul occurred.
I
can see two general reasons for a fighter to pull guard: he is
very confident from his back, and/or he is at a significant disadvantage
on the feet. Since Thomas should have had the upper hand standing,
I'm lead to believe the close submissions in the first round
produced a tactical error for the remainder of the fight. Nearly
submitting Uno is one thing, actually putting him away is another.
Thomas should have kept it on the feet.
BARONI
BACKS IT UP -- AGAIN
I'll
admit it. Phil Baroni's 18-second obliteration of seasoned veteran
Dave Menne left my jaw agape. Many have said the violent flurry
reminded them of a young Vitor Belfort. Not me. If you watch
Vitor's flurries in slow motion you'll see that one big shot
lands and a few more glancing blows connect while the majority
go awry. If you watch Baroni's rights and lefts Friday night,
each punch brutally pounded its target.
The
dominating performance also lead UFC president Dana White, who
spoke on MOJO Radio Sunday night, to say that he didn't feel
anyone at 170, 185 or even 205 pounds could stand with Baroni.
Unless he forgot that Chuck Liddell fights at 205, that's quite
a claim. White cited Baroni's sparring sessions with touted boxers
as proof.
RODRIGUEZ
PASSES THE TEST
Ricco
Rodriguez wasn't just facing his first top-ten opponent at UFC
39; he was taking on one of the best heavyweights in MMA history.
Furthermore, he dropped the first two rounds to Randy Couture
and looked in trouble late in the second. It was gut-check time,
and for the next two rounds and briefly into the fifth, Rodriguez
displayed the heart he was not supposed to have. Congrats to
the new champ.
As
for long time UFC heavyweight stalwarts Pedro Rizzo and Randy
Couture, the future is a question mark. Rizzo had been climbing
back up the heavyweight ladder for another title shot and has
to be disheartened to have been unexpectedly knocked down a rung.
The heavyweight title narrowly escaped him at UFC 31, but now
he couldn't be farther from the gold. Couture offered yet another
courageous performance, coming up short in the end. The aged
warrior has had a remarkable MMA career, and it's unclear if
he'll look to extend it further.
PENN-SERRA
BJ
Penn's balancing act when defending Matt Serra's takedowns was
incredible. Not only did he prevent the maneuvers, he landed
with various strikes while staying on his feet. Regardless, his
loss to Jens Pulver has changed him. He's winning, but he looks
bottled up, inhibited. And he knows it. Just listen to his post-fight
comments. Perhaps he'll cut loose against Uno in the lightweight
title fight. I'd wager that the winner of that one will meet
"Little Evil."
Even
though we didn't see Matt Serra's chain of submissions Friday
night, he impressed me. Like many, I'm a fan of Serra's aggressive
style. However, going into UFC 39, I felt he would be stuck on
his feet and in serious trouble. He was forced to stand, but
"The Terror" looked more comfortable than ever. His
unique style of striking while shooting and after missing takedowns
is sneaky and difficult to defend. I didn't believe it before
the fight, but I now think Serra has a game that is sufficiently
complete and could eventually win him the lightweight title.
Source:
Maxfighting
Couture
to Undergo Eye Surgery
Following Friday night's loss to Ricco Rodriguez, Randy Couture
learned that the elbow which caused him to verbally tapout 3:04
of round five also produced a fracture to a bone in his left
eye socket. From his home in Gresham, Oregon, Couture told MaxFighting,
"His elbow went into my eye socket and I just couldn't see.
At that point I knew there was no way I could defend myself."
The two-time UFC heavyweight champ wasn't sure how long he'd
be on the shelf following Tuesday's surgery.
Source: Maxfighting
Guts,
Glory, and All Hail The New King
With
a wave, a kiss, and an "Oh my God", a new era in the
heavyweight division has begun.
There
was nothing "Suave" about Ricco Rodriguez' fifth round
win over Randy Couture tonight at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville,
Connecticut. In taking the UFC heavyweight title vacated by the
suspension of Josh Barnett, Rodriguez showed guts, stamina, and
a lot of heart - the stuff that makes champions, and the stuff
that many said the New Jersey native didn't have.
They
were wrong.
After
losing the first two rounds to the ageless 39-year-old Couture,
a bloodied Rodriguez kept his composure and roared back into
the fight, winning the next two stanzas, and setting up a decisive
fifth round with the former champion.
And
after eating a quick combination seconds into the final round,
Rodriguez took Couture to the mat and pounded him until "The
Natural" verbally submitted at the 3:04 mark of the fifth.
It was the culmination of a dream for the new champion.
"I'm
going to sleep with this belt every night for the rest of my
life," said Rodriguez.
A
battered Couture quickly left the Octagon after his second consecutive
defeat (the last one to the suspended Josh Barnett), but early
on, it looked like the Gresham, Oregon resident was going to
turn back the clock one more time against his 25-year-old foe.
As
the bout opened, Rodriguez surprisingly opted to keep the fight
standing, feeling Couture out with some jabs. Couture answered
with some strikes of his own, and quickly rose from Rodriguez'
first takedown attempt. Around a minute later, Couture took Rodriguez
down suddenly and beautifully, and scored on the ground. Rodriguez
was able to rise, but another effective takedown set him down
on the mat again as the round ended.
Couture
controlled the second round even more convincingly, taking Rodriguez
down early and keeping him there with an array of shoulders,
punches, and forearms. With under a minute left, the fight rose
to the standing position, but seconds later, Couture dropped
Rodriguez again and the Las Vegas resident yelled in pain. Couture
tried to finish the fight, but Rodriguez was able to weather
the storm and survive the round.
Rodriguez,
his nose bloodied, again found himself on the mat early in the
third round.
Couture
let loose with knees and a barrage of punches, but Rodriguez,
rising to his feet, scored a takedown of his own, with Couture
throwing bombs all the way down. Rodriguez finally mounted an
offense and started landing some forearms and elbows of his own
in the third, and even scored a guillotine choke briefly as the
round drew to a close.
Kicking
off the fourth round with an impressive takedown, Rodriguez kept
his momentum by pinning Couture against the fence and using his
forearms and elbows to punish Couture. With the crowd chanting
"Ricco, Ricco", Rodriguez continued to batter "The
Natural", but Couture would not give in. With 30 seconds
left, Rodriguez got full mount and went for the former champion's
arm, but Couture spun out and actually had the upper position
as the round closed. Luckily, a late kick by Rodriguez to a downed
Couture missed and only drew a warning from referee John McCarthy.
With
light heavyweight champ Tito Ortiz exhorting him, Rodriguez once
again scored a takedown in the final frame, and after a steady,
but unspectacular pounding, Couture finally succumbed.
And
the boos heard earlier for Rodriguez turned to cheers.
****
It wasn't the fight of the night as many expected, but BJ Penn
still managed to earn his second shot at the UFC lightweight
title with a razor thin unanimous decision victory over Matt
Serra.
All
three judges scored it 29-28 for Penn. MaxFighting agreed with
the official tallies.
There
were precious few explosions in the first round, but the tactical
battle between the two made for compelling viewing. Unfortunately
for Serra, Penn met his numerous takedown attempts with amazing
strength and balance. Serra adjusted by forcing Penn to the fence,
where BJ stayed active with punches and knees.
"I
knew he had great balance and he was tough as hell," said
a disappointed Serra, who nonetheless showed great dignity in
defeat. "He's the man tonight."
In
the second round, Serra changed up his game plan a bit, meeting
Penn's takedown defense with some of his underrated strikes.
Unfortunately for the fans, the fight rarely strayed to the floor,
where both Jiu-Jitsu aces could have dazzled the sold out crowd.
A couple of flush right hands from Serra did produce a roar,
though.
Continuing
to use the fence, Serra controlled the second round action, while
Penn seemed unable to get out of first gear, a patient strategy
that cost him against Jens Pulver, and that almost cost him tonight.
"I
fought real bad tonight," admitted Penn.
In
the third round, Serra looked to be fatigued, but still attempted
to make the fight happen with a number of takedown attempts.
Penn varied his strikes with his stellar defense, and while he
didn't land any telling blows, his activity level may have allowed
him to eke out the fight. "The Prodigy" will next meet
Caol Uno in a rematch of a bout won by Penn in 11 seconds. It's
a fight in which Penn assures that "You'll see a different
BJ Penn."
****
In the opening lightweight tournament bout, Caol Uno repeated
his victory over Din Thomas, surviving some rocky first round
moments to nab a unanimous decision.
All
three judges scored it 29-27 for Uno. MaxFighting agreed with
the official scores.
Seconds
into the bout, a right hand dropped Uno to the canvas, and while
Thomas jumped into the fray and had Uno on the wrong end of a
couple of submission attempts, the Japanese star was able to
weather the storm and use some of his defensive wizardry to survive
to round two.
Undeterred
by Thomas' dominance in the first, Uno controlled the action
in the second frame, mixing in punches and leg kicks with his
active ground game. Thomas, who appeared to fall into a relaxed
funk, landed a heel kick on the top of Uno's head, causing a
point deduction from referee Larry Landless, a quick trigger
that may have taken Thomas out of the fight.
Uno
continued to outwork Thomas for the rest of the round, and with
the point deduction, the Shooto ace had a two-point edge.
"Wake
up, wake up," yelled Thomas' corner after the second round,
but Thomas still seemed too calm and collected in the decisive
third stanza. The American Top Team member fought defensively
for the most part, while Uno continued to use punches and the
occasional forearms to force the action.
For
Thomas, in his first bout since a knee injury, it was a disappointing
setback. And for Uno, it's a victory that gains him a chance
at redemption against Penn.
****
"We got a problem here," said ace cutman Leon Tabbs
as Pedro Rizzo stumbled back to his corner after his first round
with Gan McGee.
He
was right.
Drilled
with a straight right hand seconds after landing one of his patented
leg kicks, Rizzo staggered back to the fence, blood spurting
from the bridge of his nose. The round ended, and so did Rizzo's
immediate heavyweight title hopes.
"Sometimes
great fighters get a little sloppy with the basics and I just
took advantage of that," said a slimmed down McGee, a 6-10
giant who took advantage of Rizzo's laziness with a picture perfect
punch.
Rizzo
had his moments early, landing strong leg kicks, as well as a
beautiful left hook midway through the opening round. But McGee
more than held his own, and once the opening presented itself,
the Chuck Liddell protégé took advantage.
Once
Rizzo stepped back to his corner, it was obvious that his desire
to continue had diminished greatly. After much discussion, Rizzo's
trainer, Marco Ruas, disgustedly tossed a white towel to the
canvas, signaling his charge's surrender.
****
It
took Phil Baroni longer to thank his sponsors than to walk through
former UFC champ Dave Menne in their middleweight bout. And after
18 seconds of fury, Baroni made himself the only logical challenger
for current champion Murilo Bustamante.
"I'm
the best ever," he screamed, and while the "New York
Bad Ass" is typically overstating his case, those who doubted
the skills or power of the Long Islander can be skeptical no
longer.
After
a few moments of mutual jabbing, Baroni landed flush with the
first serious punch he threw, a right hand that staggered Menne,
and for all intents and purposes, ended the fight.
A
follow up barrage by Baroni, that included eight flush head shots,
brought in referee Larry Landless to halt the bout. A visibly
shaken Menne was taken to a local hospital as a precaution, presumably
with a concussion.
As
for Baroni, he had some choice words for Bustamante. "Hey
bro, sign on the dotted line," he said. "You ain't
worth that much. I want my f****n belt."
Love
him or hate him, Baroni's here to stay.
Source:
Maxfighting
10/1/02
Quote
of the Day
"One of the greatest pieces of economic wisdom is to know
what you do not know."
John Kenneth Gilbraith.
Chris
Brennan Seminar at HMC
The "Westside
Strangler," instructor and owner of the Next Generation
Fighting Academy, Chris Brennan, will be holding a seminar. This
will be Chris Brennan's first ever Hawaii seminar. Beginning
at 3:00pm and going till 8:00pm, Chris will be teaching EVERYTHING
he can fit in to a 5 hour period of time. For only $40, we will
be going over many of the techniques that help him become a 3X
King of the Cage World Champion, along with many other titles.
Chris will be covering NHB techniques, Wrestling techniques,
Striking on the ground, and Submission Wrestling techniques.
Bring your video camera because this will be one you don't want
to miss or forget. For more information email Chris at chris@chrisbrennan.com. The location of the event will
be:
Place: Hawaii Martial Arts Center (HMC)
King's Gate Plaza
555 N. King Street
Honolulu, HI 96817
(808) 841-5144
Date: Friday, October 25th
Time: 3pm to 8pm
Cost: $40.00
It is based on a first come first serve basis, limited to 50
students.
This seminar is opened to all martial artists and guarentees
to be a good one.
Rodriguez
Crowned
New Heavyweight Champ;
Penn & Uno Advance to Next Round
By Jim Genia
In case you
were under a rock this weekend.
(Uncasville,
Connecticut, September 27th) Not a single submission all night,
but more leather thrown than ever before. A newly crowned young
heavyweight champ, two lightweight chess matches, a heavyweight
slugfest and a middleweight devestation. That was UFC 39 "The
Warriors Return" in a nutshell, and judging by the packed
house at the Mohegan Sun Arena -- on their feet cheering -- the
show was a good one.
Ricco Rodriguez and Randy Couture met in the Octagon to determine
who should fill the heavyweight championship vacancy, and after
five rounds of back-and-forth pounding on the ground, Couture
was forced to verbally submit. Dishing out the pain in the first
two rounds, Couture found himself on the receiving end for the
latter rounds as Rodriguez maintained the top position and rained
down strikes. It was too much for the two-time champ, and at
3:04 of the Round Five, it was all over. Ricco "Sauve"
Rodriguez is the new UFC Heavyweight Champ.
In the first round of the tournament leading to the UFC's lightweight
belt, four of the best 155-pound fighters in the world showed
why they're the best. Going the full three-round distance, Japanese
superstar Caol Uno weathered an early submission storm from Florida's
Din Thomas and kept the pressure up with strikes from the top
to earn the unanimous decision. Also going the distance were
Hawaiian stud BJ Penn and Long Island's Matt "the Terror"
Serra -- two of the best jiu-jitsu fighters in the world -- who
fought this battle completely on their feet. Showing vastly improved
stand-up, the Terror was forced to trade with Penn, who himself
did everything in his power to not go to the ground. Though he
failed to knock the Terror out as many had predicted, Penn remained
in control, earning the unanimous decision. The stage is now
set for a rematch between Uno and Penn -- with the vacant UFC
lightweight title on the line.
Rarely does the loser get a thunderous standing ovation from
the audience, but Wesley "Cabbage" Coreirra deserved
it. He and Miletich-fighter Tim Sylvia battled it out in what
could only be described as a heavyweight "slugfest",
and while he ate countless punches to the face and knees to the
body, Cabbage refused to go down. Sylvia looked impressive as
he stalked his opponent, and garnered the win after Cabbage's
corner threw in the towel at 1:43 of the second round. But Cabbage
was the man who would not go down -- making this bout the undisputed
crowd favorite of the night.
In other action, "New York Badass" once again proved
why he's a badass, steamrolling through former middleweight champ
Dave Menne with a devastating right cross and subsequent flurry
that left Menne unconscious after just 18 seconds in the first
round. In the heavyweight division, the giant Gan McGee pulled
an upset when he broke Pedro Rizzo's nose in the first round,
prompting Rizzo's corner to throw in the towel at the start of
the second round. In the preliminaries, middleweights Matt Lindland
and Ivan Salaverry had a war, with Lindland getting the unanimous
decision after three rounds, while welterweight Sean Sherk opened
up a nasty cut above Benji Radach's eye, getting the win via
doctor stoppage at 4:16 of the first round.
The Warriors returned to the Mohegan Sun for UFC 39 -- and it
was a night of crowd pleasing heavy leather.
Results:
Sean Sherk vs. Benji Radach: Sherk via doc stoppage due to cut
at 4:16 of round 1.
Matt
Lindland vs. Ivan Salaverry: Lindland by unanimous decision.
Phil
Baroni vs. Dave Menne: Baroni by KO at :18 of the first round.
Gan
McGee vs. Pedro Rizzo: McGee - Rizzo's corner throws in the towel
due to cut after first round.
Caol
Uno vs. Din Thomas: Uno by unanimous decision.
BJ
Penn vs. Matt Serra: Penn by unanimous decision.
Tim
Sylvia vs. Wesley
"Cabbage" Coreirra: Sylvia by ref stoppage due to corner throwing
in the towel, at 1:43 Round 2.
Ricco
Rodriguez vs. Randy Couture: Rodriguez by verbal submission at
3:04 of the fifth round.
Source:
FCF
UFC
39 Post-Fight News and Updates
Ricco Rodriguez hurt his knee during his bout with Randy Couture
on Friday, and is having it checked by a doctor this week.
Gan McGee broke
his hand when he connected with a huge right hand to to put away
Pedro Rizzo.
Randy Couture,
Dave Menne, and "Cabbage" Correira all went to the
hospital after the event, but none suffered a concussion or any
serious injuries and all were released.
Vitor Belfort
has pulled out of UFC 40, having hurt his knee training. He was
supposed to fight Vladimir Matyushenko.
Zuffa is attempting
to secure a location in Florida for UFC 41.?
Source: Sherdog
Menne
Fine After KO
Dave Menne is
doing fine following his knockout loss to Phil Baroni Friday
night, his manager, Monte Cox, told MaxFighting.
"I had
lunch with Dave this afternoon," Cox said. "He's fine.
He's got a black eye, and he's obviously disappointed in his
performance."
Menne went to
the hospital after the bout, but Cox said it was merely a precautionary
measure. The fighter later returned to the Mohegan Sun to watch
the remainder of the event.
"It's an
odd thing," commented Cox on Menne's second straight knockout
loss. "Dave's gone through 50 NHB fights only being knocked
out once, and he got knocked out again. I think the level of
competition has more to do with it than there being something
wrong with Dave. I think he's fighting the best guys in the division."
The match marked
Menne's return to the UFC after an injured shoulder had forced
him to the sidelines for several months. Just seconds into the
bout, Baroni landed a right hand that sent him staggering into
the fence. The former UFC middleweight champion fired back, but
missed, and then Baroni unleashed a flurry of hammering rights
and lefts that ended the fight.
"As best
as we can figure, the first right hand that Baroni landed pretty
much put Dave out of it," Cox said. "He really doesn't
remember much about backing up or even the punch that he threw
back before he got hit. He was pretty much gone before that."
Cox concluded
by saying that Menne is "hoping to take the next two months
to get back and get ready to go again."
Source: Maxfighting
PRIDE
NEWS
Upcoming Calendar and More...
PRIDE will once
again run their third 'MMA The Best' show at the Differ Ariake
in Tokyo on 10/20/02 to search for new talent. The lineup is
expected to be released shortly.
Their next big
event is scheduled for 11/24/02 at the Tokyo Dome. Original plan
was for Sakuraba vs. Silva 3 but now PRIDE is left without a
top Japanese star to headline, as Sakuraba continues to rehabilitate
injuries. They're banking on a Yoshida vs. Takada match to save
the day, however Takada rumors are stating that Takada may not
sign.
There are also
a hints of Josh Barnett vs. Rodrigo Nougiera but this would put
both Barnett and PRIDE in jeopardy when it comes to running events
in Nevada.
INJURY REPORT:
During the Mario Sperry-Andrei Kopylov match, Sperry landed a
thunderous kick midway through round one and cut both of Kopylov's
lips wide open. Kopylov needed both his upper and lower lip stitched
back together following the fight. Sperry suffered a cut on his
foot as well.
Iouri Kotchkine
also needed some stitching after taking multiple knee strikes
to the face from Heath Herring.
Shungo Oyama's
right arm may be broken as it was noticeable enough to see bruising
and swelling on TV. Many watching described the finishing move
as 'sick.'
PRIDE
Post Fight: MARIO SPERRY
After his PRIDE
fight this weekend against Anderi Kopylov, we reached Mario Sperry
during the post event meeting with the fighters. Sperry was very
happy with the match result, as expected! 'First I am proud of
myself, then I am happy for my team because now everybody knows
who is the real TOP TEAM' .
Mario has a
swollen hand and a big gash on his foot, caused by his soccer
kick to Kopylov's head. 'I aimed at the ball, and I hit him in
the mouth. Seems he lost a tooth.' commented Sperry.
M described
the bout as a 6 minute brawlw ith the russian fighter, a former
RINGS veteran. 'He was expecting me to change positions with
him on the ground and I gave him a little surprise...'
Mario will be
in Japan for a few more days in order to close some deals regarding
himself Ricardo Arona and 'Minotauro' Nogueira for the next PRIDE
event.
Source: ADCC
How
Big is Too Big?
As Mixed Martial Arts expands into the public consciousness,
the various promoters of MMA events face a constant challenge.
Part of this is constant tinkering with the rules to preserve
the sportive aspect while avoiding the old-style "blood
sport" feel that marked earlier matches. Rounds and weight
classes were the other half of the equation, changing the event
from a "one man leaves standing" human dogfight into
an athletic event. Strikes to certain areas have been banned,
and it's all good. The perception is that the better fighter
will find a way to win using technique, not something culled
from the dregs of the "How to kill a man in a street fight"
mail-order course.
Perhaps
the best innovation is the weight classes. No longer facing the
grisly prospect of facing men with a huge size advantage, the
little guys, particularly in the UFC, have been allowed to compete
against folks like themselves. As such, their stardom has flourished.
Hell, most of us connoisseurs would take a match of lower weight
fighters next to any heavyweight dream bout.
But
what do you do when the heavyweights are invaded by mesomorphic
monsters? The old problem of the size disparity raised its head
during PRIDE Shockwave, when Antonio Nogueira faced Bob Sapp.
Nogueira, no small man at 230 lbs., is generally regarded as
the best heavyweight in the world. But in tangling with Sapp,
he might as well have been a lightweight facing someone his own
size. Sapp, a former University of Washington offensive lineman,
goes 370, with little wasted physique. So huge and powerful,
Sapp was able to lift and spike Nogueira during the bout, a terrifying
move which brought the question to bear: How big is too big?
And should there be a super heavyweight class created to preserve
the sportive aspect of MMA?
Nogueira
persevered, surviving the savage concussions, and in a brutal
fight submitted Sapp. It was a truly close call. Sure, technique
won out, but the salient issue remains: weight classes exist
so the most skilled fighter triumphs. Is there any doubt as to
how competitive the bout would have been if Sapp were merely
75 lbs. bigger instead of having twice that advantage? It's a
scary precedent. There are a lot more 350 lb. monsters walking
around after the NFL makes its final cuts than you realize. Imagine
their impact on MMA if/when word gets around that you can make
a few bucks entering a sport where a few months' training and
natural athletic ability could promise serious dollars. It sure
as hell beats the normal life after football.
During
the old days of the UFC, when Royce Gracie was ruling the roost,
we used to sit around and figure out a way to beat him. The learning
curve for cross-training hadn't really kicked in, and the Brazilians
seemed invincible. No matter what they threw at him -- from Ken
Shamrock to Dan Severn -- Gracie solved them or at least proved
that size wasn't enough, not even with world-class grappling
skills. Mike Tyson would have a shot -- literally, one shot --
and once he missed he was screwed. And hitting a man cleanly
at a full rush had proven much harder than it would seem. So
Tyson was out.
But
at Washington State University we had the man for the job: Mark
Fields.
Fields,
at 6'2 and 240 lbs. ran a 4.4 forty and had pro scouts drooling.
He was the most dominant college linebacker of his time, and
anchored a defense that was so good, we used to actually cheer
when the Cougs punted. Over several beers, the theory developed
that Fields, accustomed to high impacts and tackling, could dethrone
Gracie with a full-on bum rush collision. He didn't need a black
belt, just a boatload of fast-twitch muscles, which help make
him a Pro Bowler today. By stunning Gracie with a high-speed
crushing hit, he could land on top, and unleash a quick punch
or two while Royce was recovering, and hence, end of Royce. It
sounded like a whistling in the graveyard premise, a reach, albeit
a fascinating one, until the Sapp- Nogueira bout.
Rick
Robertson, a former wrassler, WSU football player, and problem
drinker, summed it up best: "Fields probably wouldn't win,
but that freaking tackle would be worth the $30 on the cable
bill." Suddenly, it's not the joke it used to be.
A
football player with a huge size advantage can do pretty well
in MMA. Maybe not a Fields, but someone 100 or more lbs. bigger
could. Sapp is proof.
Say
you're 180 lbs. If you've ever sparred with a 110 lb. black belt,
you know how much weight counts.
But
sadly enough, the flip side of the monster heavyweights is that
usually they aren't that skillful. When pitted against each other,
the usual result between two 330-lb. sluggers is a mutual exchange,
somebody falls down and can't get up, and the other guy slops
on top of them and pounds them into submission. It's akin to
Russian military tactics: not fancy, sublime, or high-minded,
but brutal and effective just the same. But a guy like Sapp is
different. He probably couldn't beat you in the 100 yard dash,
but he could beat you to your mailbox. A football player makes
it pretty scary.
The
worst-case scenario of the spiking was luckily avoided. Nogueira
could've been seriously injured, or even killed. If you remember
what Frank Shamrock did to Igor Zinoviev, you know how dangerous
a simple slam is, much less a spiking. Only until a powerful
force like Sapp has come along, it has become apparent that this
move might need to be banned, or at least pit him against someone
his own size to mitigate the likelihood of it happening (imagine
Sapp lifting and spiking 330 lb. Daniel Bobish.....which begs
the question of, "Is it a no-contest if the canvas is cratered?"
Of course Bob would probably get a hernia doing it.........which
would deter him from trying it in the future. But not against
feather-light people like Nogueira).
As
it stands now, people like Sapp are still relatively rare in
NHB. The diminishing returns of speed as size increases past
a certain point are inhibiting. If you remember Randy Couture's
debut in the UFC, the point was made pretty obviously, as he
submitted Tony Halme and Stephen Graham, both weighing close
to 300 lbs., yet both lacked the quickness to deal with a world-class
225 lb. wrestler. But someone 370 may be pretty dangerous with
just a touch of that first-step explosiveness. There aren't many
Sapps around, and as such, his brutal bout with "Minotauro"
won't be a recurring issue. But eventually there might be. And
if the succession of the once-invincible Gracies by the current
crop of champions proves, it's that nothing is unchallenged in
MMA.
Somewhere
could be a 400 lb. monster that's 20 years old, a brown belt,
and cross-training his butt off. When he gets into MMA, he won't
be some WWF washout. He won't be an ex-football player looking
for another way to make a buck. He won't be a bodybuilder with
a mean streak. He will know his stuff. And he'll be so big and
powerful that nobody can do anything with him.
Give
him a couple years to enter the mix, and he'll force the question
of a super heavyweight division, possibly tearing someone's limb
off or badly mauling them in the process (it's not an exaggeration....someone
that powerful who actually knew how to lay in a triangle, or
a Kimura, or whatever....in the heat of combat it's not hard
to imagine something Very Regrettable happening.......this could
also affect scoring in sport jiu-jitsu as well.......how many
points for tearing a man's arm off? Or for knee to the stomach
ending in the recipient coughing up his spleen?).
Think
it sounds farfetched? Well, give it time. If there's anything
America has proven during the past decade of Mixed Martial Arts,
it's that ideas, innovations, and concepts cross-pollinate at
astounding speed. Given just five years, from 1993-98, the improvement
and emergence of Americans who were virtually clueless in the
early UFCs is amazing. If you'd said there would be a day when
Gracies were losing more than they were winning (albeit against
bigger guys), you would've sounded crazy back then (like if a
month ago, somebody told you the Rams would open the season 0-3).
In
time, huge people like Sapp will not only enter the sport in
greater numbers, but they'll be training for several years as
opposed to entering the game fairly late. His success is not
going to go unnoticed, and the repercussions could be significant.
That's exactly the kind of thing that nobody, not even a great
champion like Nogueira, should be reasonably expected to face.
Of course, the mores behind PRIDE are far different. MMA fighting
is an accepted sport in Japan, and they don't have to toe the
line. They can sell a freak attraction and not sweat the repercussions.
But stateside there are a lot of big people and MMA training
is everywhere. The reason you haven't seen a 400 lb, 15% body
fat black belt? Give it time, it takes a few years.
The
super heavyweights are a concept that should be explored now.
Let the authorities hash out the limit, whether it's 275, 300,
325, or whatever. But do something. Plus, it might actually hasten
the development of skills, as guys would have to learn techniques
instead of relying on a huge weight advantage. It'd be nice to
see it happen in a proactive manner, before somebody becomes
the tragic index case for why it should've been instituted in
the first place.
Source: Maxfighting
Copa
NitFight de Submission Results
Date: September
8th
Place: Canto do Rio GYM, Niterói
This Submission
event would be the Copa Vitamins & Minerals de Submission,
and it was being hoped like a very balanced event. This really
happened but the main sponsor - Vitamins&Minerals - pulled
out because they thought that the event didn't have a reasonable
propagation. So the main organizers, already known like - 'Trio
Parada Dura' - Gabriel Santos, Adriano Lúcio and Adriano
'Nasal' Pereira worked 2x more to organize an event where the
main Jiu Jitsu and Luta-Livre fighters provided excellent performances,
and they got !! The fighters who surpassed the expectations during
the event were, Leonardo Leite (Gracie Barra) in under 65kg,
Flávio 'Cachorrinho' Almeida (Gracie Barra) and Carlos
Baruch (Carlson Gracie Team) absolute. Leite, who's only 16 years
old, beat some of the favorites such as 'Tatú' and Rafael
Rebello, both from BTT.
In under 76kg,
Mílton Vieira (JOP/UA Fight Team), Gesias Cavalcanti (Sensei)
and Elson Mattos (Carlson Gracite Team) closed the coffin. With
the ADCC 2003 Brazilian Trials approaching itself, every Submission
event will be a kind of preliminary where the fighters can gain
experience and some titles for their resumes. Copa NitFight showed
that the Brazilian Trials2003 will be 10x hardest than Trials
2001.
Under 65kg:
1 - Leonardo Leite (Gracie Barra)
2 - Leandro 'Tatú' Escobar (BTT)
3 - Rafael Rebello (BTT)
You
can join USA Wrestling in its effort to retain both styles of
wrestling in the Olympic Games.
In
late August, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced
the suggestions of its Program Commission, which included the
proposal to drop one style of wrestling from the Olympic Games.
YOU
can help tell the IOC that both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling
belong in the Olympic Games.
On
its web page, the IOC has provided an opportunity for people
to provide its opinion about the future of the Olympic Games.
Please visit the following link and give the IOC your reasons
to retain both wrestling styles:
Some
information that may help you in your submission:
The
exact text of the commission report follows:
'The low public and media comprehension of the differences between
the two wrestling disciplines currently in the Olympic Programme
were noted by the Commission, which has resulted in relatively
low broadcast and press coverage. In comparison to this lack
of global popularity, the Commission noted the high athlete quota
and the number of events in the sport of wrestling. The Commission
therefore recommends the exclusion of one of the wrestling disciplines
from the Programme of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad.'
Since
this is why the IOC is considering cutting a wrestling style,
you should tell them these truths:
* It is very easy to tell the difference between freestyle and
Greco-Roman wrestling. In freestyle, you may use the entire body
to compete, while in Greco-Roman, you may only utilize the upper
body to execute holds. The styles look different, and they utilize
different techniques and strategies.
* Wrestling has global popularity, with over 150 nations participating
internationally.
* Both styles are popular across the world, and both styles belong
in the Olympic Games.
* Wrestling receives considerable coverage in the world media.
For instance, at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, the most popular
athlete was Greco-Roman wrestling champion Rulon Gardner of the
United States, who defeated three-time Olympic Champion Alexander
Kareline of Russia.
* In many nations, wrestling is the most popular and successful
sport. Examples include Iran, Mongolia, Turkey and others. This
has been displayed by the large number of nations that choose
wrestlers to carry the national flag during Opening and Closing
Ceremonies.
The
decision whether or not to retain both wrestling styles will
be made by the IOC Executive Board, a group of 15 IOC members,
including the President, four Vice-Presidents and 10 other members.
They are:
President
Jacques Rogge (Belgium), Vice President Thomas Bach (Germany),
Vice President James. L. Easton (United States), Vice President
Richard Kevan Gosper (Australia), Vice President Vitaly Smirnov
(Russian Federation), Sergey Bubka (Ukraine), Franco Carraro
(Italy), Ottavio Cinquanta (Italy), Zhenliang He (People's Republic
of China), Toni Khoury (Lebanon), Gunilla Lindberg (Sweden),
Lambis W. Nikolaou (Greece), Denis Oswald (Switzerland), Tomas
'Tommy' Amos Ganda Sithole (Zimbabwe), Mario Vazquez Raya (Mexico)
You
can contact the Executive Board of the IOC at the following address:
Executive Board
Chateau de Vidy
1007 Lausanne
Switzerland
TELEPHONE - 011 (41.21) 621 61 11
FAX - 011 (41.21) 621 62 16
As
an American citizen, you also have an opportunity to share your
views with the IOC Vice-President who will serve in judgement
of wrestling on the Executive Committee.
James
L. Easton
CEO
Easton Sports, Inc.
7855 Haskell Ave.
Suite 202
Van Nuys, CA 91406-1902
FAX: 818-994-3889
E-mail: jeaston@eastonsports.com
