"To succeed... you need to find something to hold on to,
something to motivate you, something to inspire you."
Tony Dorsett
No-Gi
Division Added to Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu International Tournament!
With the growing popularity of no-gi or submission wrestling
tournaments in Hawaii, Relson Gracie has decided to add a no-gi
division to his International tournament. The no-gi division
will be under standard BJJ rules and the tentative weight classes
are as follows:
No-Gi Weight Divisions
Under 155lbs
156-175lbs
176-200lbs
201 & Over
Every school and athlete is invited to compete.
Fees:
$45 Gi division ($5 extra to enter the Open division)
$45 No-Gi division ($5 extra to enter the Open division)
$65 Both divisions (Gi & No-Gi)
Every competitor will an official tournament shirt!
11th Annual Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu International Tournament
Kaiser High School Gym
511 Lunalilo Home Road
Honolulu, Hawaii
November 16th, 2002
For more information or a registration packet:
(808) 589-2524 Gracie Main Academy
Due to the additional matches, the tournament will start early.
Here is the tentative schedule:
8:00AM - 8:30AM Viewing of the brackets
8:30AM - 8:45AM Rules Clinic
8:45AM Tournament Starts
4:00 - 4:30PM Awards Ceremony
Catching
Up With RENZO GRACIE
By Marcello Tetel
We caught up with Mr. Renzo Gracie this week!
Renzo, who is
well known for his accomplishments in rings all around the world,
is trying a new career as a writer! During the last 2 months
the fortunate readers of Gracie Magazine were able to read Renzo's
story about his horse racing competition in the UAE in MAy of
2002.
Nobody knew
that the talented fighter was trying to pursue a Pulitzer prize.....
Renzo is really showing some writing skills! If you have a chance,
don't miss GRACIE MAGAZINE!
With regards
to PRIDE, Renzo states he is probably out of the next PRIDE,
scheduled for November. Asked why Renzo stated 'I am moving my
academy to a bigger and better facility, a new spot with 6.500
square feet of matsa for pure Jiu-Jitsu.'
Renzo also stated
he is extremely happy with his Team Renzo representatives at
the North American ADCC Qualifiers held in San Diego on October
5th. Renzo said 'all of them fought their hearts out as usual,
and whether the results were positive or not I am very proud
of them.'
Here we go again
with the classy Renzo!!
Source: ADCC
The
Return of Alexander Karelin
Japanese papers are continuing to report that Russian wrestling
legend Alexander Kareline could make a return to competition.
Speculation
of a substantial offer within the MMA world have been reported
about Kareline. Many believe that he is moderately interested
in doing something that involves wrestling.
The 'Experiment'
is now a legend in his home country as well as the world. He
was the true king of legitimate heavyweight wrestling for over
thirteen years with no defeats (until his loss to Rulon Gardner
in the Olympics).
Three Olympic
Gold Medals, twelve European championships and an unmatched 9
world championships makes him arguably the greatest wrestler
in history.
Kareline did
a 'fight' with Akira Maeda in RINGS roughly four years ago in
which Kareline 'won.' RINGS was a worked promotion that incorporated
fighting that appeared to be legitimate but crossed the line
with pro wrestling.
Kareline vs.
Maeda set unbelievable pro wrestling records at the box office.
Kareline is
currently serving a political term in the Russian Duma (the Russian
Parliament) and his term will end soon.
Insiders say
there is talk of Kareline in PRIDE as an opponent for 'Minotaur'
Nogueira or possibly even a match with Yoshida in July 2003.
Since Kareline is not above doing worked matches, they may be
thinking about getting Yoshida a win.
There is also
talk of Bob Sapp, Fujita and of course Nayoa Ogawa as potential
fights but at the present time, all of this is just speculation.
Any of the above is sure to destroy box office records.
Source: ADCC
Matt
Hughes pre UFC 40
by: Keith Mills
Since
the dawn of the UFC's Welterweight belt Team Extreme has only
not held it for 6 months in '01 between the time Carlos Newton
beat Pat Miletich and lost to Matt Hughes. In this summer of
UFC belt instability outside the ring the Welterweight belt has
been the only jinx-proof one but in November this belt may change
hands inside the ring when current champion Matt Hughes puts
it on the line against Gil Castillo, the 6-1 Cesar Gracie fighter
with wins over Nathan Marquardt, Chris Brennan, and Joe Hurley.
Gil is the first fighter Matt has faced since winning the belt
that will come in cutting probably the same amount of weight
as Matt usually does and possibly be about as strong…two
issues that have given Matt the advantage in his UFC career so
far.
PIC:
Hughrs at the WEC command desk.
KM:
You are in the next UFC defending your title against Gil Castillo.
Gil hasn't fought in a while.
MH:
That's allright. I hadn't fought in a while before I fought Carlos
(Newton) the first time.
KM:
What are your thoughts on fighting Gil?
MH:
He's a well-rounded person but I think I'm well rounded and I
think I'm actually better at all points than he is. I see it
as a good match-up for me but I just can't let myself think I'm
going to win or win too easy, so I have to train hard and still
work on things and go out there and try to feel a little threatened.
KM:
Seems like he's going to be a slightly tougher version of Carlos
Newton. Not as active, he's more stall-ish.
MH:
Yes. He uses more of his wrestling background while Carlos has
no wrestling background. He'll try to take me down and kind of
lay on me a little bit. I've never seen him go for any submission
but I know he has a submission background.
KM:
I've only seen him fight against Chris Brennan but Brennan would
defend the submissions. I was giving Castillo the benefit of
the doubt he couldn't pull off any because of Brennan.
MH:
I watched him in IFC against the Pancration champion and he didn't
go for any, he just went for the takedown and went for the decision.
KM:
Hallman was the last person to submit you?
MH:
Hallman was the only person to submit me. Twice.
KM:
How does it feel to only be submitted by one person even if it
was twice?
MH:
Never really thought about it. I go in the gym and get submitted
every day. Now that you brought that up I don't think he'll submit
me. I work pretty hard on the ground and I think my ground game
is decent so I don't see a submission.
KM:
Last time I talked to you was training for your fight against
Sakurai. I thought that was really interesting because it was
the first high level non-'submission specialist' that you have
been up against. As far as the diversity of opponents it seems
like you are just getting that now. People were questioning can
you take on as strong at striking as Sakurai. You didn't seem
to have any problem controlling it at all.
MH:
Sakurai is just a little bit too weak. Mt strength is my biggest
point and so he just couldn't deal with my strength and he got
tired. When you get tired you get slow. That 3rd and 4th period
I was able to stand up with him because I knew he was getting
tired and slow.
KM:
How do you feel about where you are in your career?
MH:
I feel fine.
KM:
How does it feel to be in the middle of your career but there
isn't much left you haven't already attained?
MH:
I never asked to be the champion. I never asked to be good for
the sport. I got into it because I like to compete and I happened
to be good at it. That's the only reason why I'm in it. That
and I have a good time. I have a good time with these guys (indicates
Team Extreme), I have a good time winning, but as far as me fulfilling
my dreams these weren't my dreams to begin with. I'll quit when
I'm not having fun anymore. That might be tomorrow or that might
be five years from now. It'll have nothing to do with me losing,
winning, or anything else. When I'm not having as much fun as
the other guys I'll walk away. I can walk away tomorrow and be
happy.
KM:
You have the top four on Team Extreme and then you have a lot
of up-and-comers that there are not room for everybody at the
larger promotions. As far as the up-and-comers go that fans because
there are so many people on the team haven't seen yet, who do
you think we should be keeping an eye on the most?
MH:
You have Jason Black and Robbie Lawler but they're not up-and-comers,
they're guys that just haven't got the popularity.
KM:
Jason Black hasn't been given the opportunities that Lawler has.
MH:
Exactly. You really can't classify him as an up-and-comer because
he's already here but people just don't know about him. There
are people all over the world that are dominant in the gym but
they can't break out in the limelight just like me. I had to
sit back in our weight and when Pat finally gave me the chance
to go for the title then I was there but I never once pressured
Pat, I never said anything. I just waited my turn.
KM:
Pat was saying he was forced up to 185 because you held the title
at 170 which I think pretty much bumped him out of the UFC. How
do you feel about that?
MH:
That was the UFC rule that two guys from the same gym couldn't
(be in the same class) and since then they let that happen. I
can't think of names right now but I know it has.
KM:
Tito and Chuck.
MH:
Tito and Chuck. UFC sometimes is so one sided and so biased.
It's terrible the way some of that is run but Pat can do anything
he wants. Pat wants to go to Pride there is no doubt in my mind
he can go to Pride. Pat wants to go back to the UFC he can go
back to the UFC. Pat Miletich, that name says it all right there.
He's laying low right now. Everyone of us has his name on their
shirt.
KM:
No offense intended but that's why I interviewed him first tonight.
MH:
You're right. Pat has some big names coming up, I don't know
if I can really speak about them right now. Pat's always wanted
to fight big guys. He wanted to fight Sakurai. Me, I don't care
who I fight but he said 'that would be a good fight'.
KM:
Pat/Sakurai would be a good fight.
MH:
Yeah. If they could put those two strikers together people would
pay the $39.95 to watch that for sure.
KM:
Getting back to you taking Pat's place, I can't imagine there
being any guilt since you didn't do anything wrong…
MH:
No, and I don't feel like I did. It's not spoken around the gym
but Pat's the one that came to me and I wasn't going to take
the fight and then Monte told me 'they need someone for Carlos
after Pat lost to him' and I said 'no, I'm not taking it, that's
Pat's fight'. I was with him when he lost and the first thing
he said is 'I was beating his ass and I want a rematch'. I told
Monte that I really wasn't interested in taking the fight and
then Pat called me and said if I didn't take the fight they were
going to give it to another guy from a different gym. Of course
we're going to try to keep the belt in the gym.
Keeping
the belt in the gym is exactly what Matt will try to do in UFC40
when he takes on Gil in Las Vegas on November 22nd on a card
headlined by Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock. Get your tickets now
because this one is sure to sell out.
Source: ADCC
10/18/02
Quote
of the Day
At first, dreams seem impossible, then improbable, and eventually
inevitable.
Christopher
Reeve
MMA
Injury Report...
The latest in
a long string of minor injuries in MMA is a potential hernia
or groin muscle strain to Mirko Cro-Cop. This eliminates most
of the talk about Cro-Cop taking on Fujita at the next PRIDE.
Kazushi Sakuraba
will go for his follow-up appointment concerning his eye injury.
The injury was serious enough that Sakuraba was told NOT to do
anything physical until his meeting with his doctor on 10/25/02.
PRIDE President,
Naoto Morishita, is pressing for Sakuraba vs. Vanderlei Silva
3 for 11/25/02 and told the press that it's up to Saku's doctor.
If this is the case, Sakuraba will have less than 30 days to
train after taking off an extended period of time to heal. Given
this weight disadvantage for Sakuraba and no preparation time,
it's likely they will have a repeat of their first two fights.
Randy Couture
is recovering from his mild concussion and eye injury sustained
in his title match with Ricco Rodriguez. Couture is in great
spirits but the injury has forced him out of the Eco-Challenge.
The 'Natural' is concentrating on building young MMA fighters
to bring up the ladder.
Gan McGee sustained
a broken hand at the last UFC. It was the shot that detached
Pedro Rizzo's nose bridge. McGee's hand is expected to fully
heal with no problems and Rizzo underwent surgery to repair the
damage.
Bob Sapp delivered
a heavy beating to Ernesto Hoost in the second round of the K-1
Grand Prix that required Hoost to throw in the towel. The match
was odd as Master Ishii (K-1 owner and Sapp's manager) allowed
Sapp to get away with suplexes and big throws. The end result
came when Hoost, bleeding from both his eyes, nose and his mouth
could not continue.
Shungo Oyama
is expected to be out nearly 4 months following a brutal armbar
applied by Ryan Gracie. Oyama refused to tap and his arm broke
which caused immediate swelling and a sickening bruise within
seconds.
Many question
the surgically repaired knee of Tito Ortiz but the man himself
says it's 100%. He will need it to be...ask Don Frye. Frye suffered
multiple injuries to his knee and ankle following his match with
Ken Shamrock that may force the 'Predator' into early retirement.
Source: ADCC
PEDRO
RIZZO Recovery Report
Pedro
Rizzo is getting his life back to normal after having surgery
to repair the broken nose he suffered during his UFC 39 bout
against Gan Mcgee. Pedro is said to be recovering very well.
Rizzo
stated 'The first week was terrible! My nose filled with cotton,
and I couldn't even breath properly. I had a lot of side effects
from the surgery, but I'm OK now. The doctor said I'll be ready
to do some cardio in 2 weeks and i'll be ready soon! I wanted
to thank all my fans for the support I have received after the
fight and wanted to say that I'll be back and I'll be back stronger
than ever!!'
Pedro
stated that is planning to be ready to fight at the UFC 41, which
most likely will be held in Florida in February of 2003.
Source:
ADCC
VLADDY
GOING TO HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION
Vladmir Matyushenko is moving up a weight class in the UFC. For
the past couple of years, Vladdy has been fighting in the Light
Heavyweight Division. MMAWeekly has learned that he will now
move up to the Heavyweight Division and try to make an instant
impact in the division.
Vladdy has had
a tough time cutting weight to 205. MMAWeekly has learned that
Matyushenko had an extremely difficult time making weight against
Tito Ortiz when he fought for the UFC Title at UFC 33. As a result
he will fight as a natural heavyweight and not worry about trying
to make weight any more.
This could also
put the UFC in a situation that since Vladdy was already training
to fight in UFC 40, why not make him a logical replacement to
fight Frank Mir? MMAWeekly could not get an answer if that could
be a possibility or not, but don't be surprised if they make
that match, as Mir is looking for an opponent and why not make
it against another fighter who was already training for a fight.
We shall wait and see what happens.
Source: MMA
Weekly
UFC
40 Ticket Sales
MMAWeekly's Scott Petersen
was checking on ticket sales for the upcoming UFC 40 at the MGM
in Las Vegas. If you want a ticket to the UFC event you better
get your ticket now. It looks as though the MGM has already sold
close to 8,000 tickets to the upcoming show and we are still
well over a month away! There has been some speculation that
the UFC could set up to sell as many as 14,000 seats for the
upcoming show. Right now that is purely speculation on our part,
but the rumor is the MGM is looking into increasing the seating
to 14,000 at the current rate the ticket sales are selling. If
the UFC did go for that kind of number, it would be the biggest
mixed martial arts crowd in the history of MMA in the United
States. Right now it looks as though, it won't be a problem to
sell 12,000 tickets by November 22nd. The UFC could be in a position
to seat 14,000 at the show. That would mean the UFC would EASILY
outdraw last month's Oscar De La Hoya vs Fernado Vargas fight.
The interest level right now is simply incredible.
Source: MMA
Weekly
KING
OF THE CAGE: PREVIEW PART II
A mere two weeks out from their next pay-per-view event in Reno,
Nevada; King of the Cage looks to light up San Jacinto, California,
this Saturday, in their return to the Soboba Casino. Today we
give Part II of the Preview. With a whopping 15 bouts scheduled,
this show promises to have it all. The main event is one that
people have waited months for, Combat Grappling's Joe Stevenson
and Millennia Jiu-Jitsu's Romie Aram for the KOTC Welterweight
World Title. Also on this card, is KOTC's first female bout featuring
the highly touted Debi Purcell. From the jiujitsu specialists
to the ground and pounders to the big boys and the sluggers,
King of the Cage 16 should not disappoint.
Charlie
Kohler vs. Charles "Crazy Horse" Bennett
Coming
off of a disappointing loss to Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro
due to a stoppage because of a cut at WFA 2, Brazilian Jiujitsu
expert and KOTC veteran Charlie Kohler returns to take on Charles
"Crazy Horse" Bennett. With a mixed record of 4-3,
Bennett hasn't been seen at King of the Cage since his loss at
KOTC 10 to Duane Ludwig and lost his last fight to Rick Davis
at WEFC in June of this year. At 2-2-1, Kohler's record isn't
really stellar either; but his losses are to the aforementioned
Ribeiro and Lion's Den Fighter Joe Hurley.
Debi
Purcell vs. Nicole Albrect
The
women's side of mixed martial arts has undergone a tremendous
amount of growth this past year, culminating in Hook-n-Shoot
producing the first all-female show in the U.S. Debi Purcell,
a veteran of that show and Brad Kohler's Ultimate Wrestling in
Minnesota, arrives in King of the Cage as one of the most experienced
female fighters around. Training out of the Ruas Vale Tudo camp,
Purcell passed up an opportunity to fight Judy Neff for the Hook-n-Shoot
Women's 135-lb. title to take a step onto the bigger stage that
KOTC provides. She will be competing against the relatively unknown,
Nicole Albrect. Although Albrect is less experienced, she will
have a hefty weight advantage, coming in at about 20 to 25 pounds
heavier than Purcell. Coming off of big wins over Christine Van
Fleet and Amy Pitan, Purcell will have to be careful with the
taller Albrect, but should control the bout with her considerable
experience advantage.
Rounding
Out The Card
Williams
Combat Grappling fighter Jason Lambert returns, with a win over
Lobo at KOTC 15 and his Gladiator Challenge Heavyweight Championship
belt in tow, to face Brian Stromberg. Stromberg will be trying
to avenge his previous loss to Lambert at the SuperBrawl Heavyweight
tournament back in April. Look for these big boys to lay some
heavy leather down. KOTC favorite, Thomas Denny looks to continue
his winning ways as he is back for his third fight in as many
months; this time to do battle against a game KOTC veteran looking
for his first win after a gutsy showing in his last fight, Aaron
Anderson. "The Rhino" returns. Mike Bourke returns
after a disappointing loss to Lion's Den fighter Wade Shipp in
the Gladiator Challenge. Bourke's opponent is Brent Stevens,
who comes in with a 1-0 record, after a controversial decision
over Kent Hensley at KOTC 15.
Also
On Tap
After
having to cancel their planned show in New Mexico, Terry Trebilcock
and company has moved many of those fights to this card and the
balance to the pay-per-view show in Reno. Thus, there are many
up and coming fighters looking to gain some valuable experience,
and hopefully a win, at Soboba on Saturday. Among them are undefeated
Millennia Jiu-Jitsu fighter Art Santore. At 3-0, Santore will
attempt to keep improving his record against 0-1 KOTC veteran
Tom Kenney. As both fighters have shown that they can stand and
trade or go to the ground and submit, Cipi Gamino (2-1) and Dave
Rivas (2-0) are both stepping up and trying to make that move
to the next level. After a loss to Millennia Jiu-Jitsu's John
Cole in his debut, submission fighter Richard Solis goes looking
for his first win against newcomer Ricky Libertini. Coming off
a win over at Force Fighting Championships 1, Fred George is
seeking to move to 2-0 as he will take on another fighter trying
to make a name for himself in Cliff Jacobs. A veteran of Gladiator
Challenge, Jesus "Chui" Morales will take on Josh Lewis,
who lost his debut at KOTC 15. Probably best know for being schooled
in Muay Thai by Duane Ludwig at KOTC 4, Shad Smith finally returns
to take on Chris Jeffers. And Mansouri Combat Grappling fighter
Mark McClelland enters the cage for the second time to face Raymond
Young.
With
an abundance of fights and some top notch combatants looking
to explode onto the world scene, this Saturday's edition of King
of the Cage should have something for everyone.
Source:
MMA Weekly
10/17/02
Quote
of the Day
A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist
sees the opportunity in every difficulty.
Sir
Winston Churchill
Primetime!
On the WB Network
A
Super Brawl 1 hour program entitled “Super Brawl Superstars!”
will air on Hawaii’s Channel K5, the local WB affiliate,
at 9pm on Wednesday, October 30. The show will feature a “Best
of” series of fights featuring, Cabbage, Falaniko Vitale
and Ronald “The Machine Gun” Jhun. The program will
also feature never before seen training and lifestyle segments
of each fighter.
T.
Jay Thompson said “This is a huge event for MMA in Hawaii!
Having a show air prime-time on a major local network will expose
Super Brawl and MMA to a tremendous audience.”
Additional
air dates for the program will be announced next week.
CHUCK
LIDDELL TO TAKE ON
'BABALU' SOBRAL
AT UFC 40: VENDETTA
LIVE ON PAY-PER-VIEW,
NOV. 22, AT MGM GRAND IN LAS VEGAS
Ultimate Fighting
Championship Light Heavyweight Top Contender To Fight Brazilian
Wrestler/Kickboxer On Ortiz-Shamrock Championship Card
Tickets Now
On Sale; Hughes To Meet Castillo for Welterweight Title
LAS VEGAS, October
16, 2002…Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight
top contender Chuck Liddell of San Luis Obispo, Calif., will
take on Brazilian kickboxing/submission specialist Renato 'Babalu'
Sobral of Rio de Janeiro in one of the main card bouts of UFC
40: Vendetta, live on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. EST, Friday, Nov.
22, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Light Heavyweight
Champion Tito Ortiz will meet UFC legend Ken Shamrock for the
light heavyweight championship in the main event and Welterweight
Champion Matt Hughes will defend his title for the third time
against top contender Gil Castillo in the co-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 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.
Liddell, 10-1-0
in Mixed Martial Arts, earned the top contender title with a
hard-fought, three-round unanimous decision over world-ranked
Brazilian fighter Vitor Belfort at UFC 37.5: Liddell vs. Belfort
June 22 at Bellagio in Las Vegas. Liddell knocked Belfort down
with a hard right in the third round and continued an aggressive
attack for the victory. He is known as the 'Iceman' because of
his ability to freeze opponents with his combination of kickboxing
and wrestling skills.
'Babalu' is
a former three-time Brazilian national wrestling champion and
a skilled Muay Thai kickboxer. In his most recent UFC fight,
he won a unanimous decision over Australian Elvis Sinosic with
sharp punches and a relentless ground and pound attack July 13
at UFC 38: Brawl At Royal Albert Hall in London, England.
The Ortiz-Shamrock
showdown for the light heavyweight title will settle a long-standing
vendetta. Fight fans are well aware they have a major score to
settle based on hostilities between each other, although the
two have never fought. Shamrock is a UFC legend who was its first
super fight champion. Ortiz has risen through the ranks to become
light heavyweight champ and represents the new UFC.
Hughes, 27-3-0
in Mixed Martial Arts, most recently defended his title July
13 in London where he defeated former champ Carlos Newton for
the second time by referee stoppage due to punches at 4:37 of
the fourth round. He won the belt from Newton Nov. 2, 2001, at
UFC 34: High Voltage at the MGM Grand 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 Jan.
11 at UFC 35: Throwdown at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville,
Conn., by unanimous decision after three rounds. Castillo is
jiu-jitsu specialist who trains with Cesar Gracie and like many
Gracie fighters, his strengths are grappling and submissions.
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 is currently
airing Ultimate Ken Shamrock, a one-hour PPV retrospective of
Shamrock's career on all its U.S. cable and satellite systems.
Viewers should check their local listings for dates and times.
The suggested retail price is $9.95. Its next live PPV event
will be UFC 40: Vendetta at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST on Friday,
Nov. 22, from the MGM Grand. 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
VII
US Open BJJ
VII
U.S. Open Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Tournament
Reserve
this date on your calendars!
November
9th and 10th
The
Claudio França Association, in conjunction with our sponsors,
enhusiastically announces the VII U.S. Open Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Tournament, to be held at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, November
9th and 10th, 2002. All schools are welcome to participate in
this highly lauded and exciting event, tking place in the beautiful
seaside city of Santa Cruz, in northern California, approximately
80 miles south of San Francisco. All belt levels and adult age
categories will compete.
The
professional Black Belt Division will feature a Light Weight
(172.9 and Under) category and a Heavy Weight (173 and over)
category, with $1000 purses on the line for the winner of each
division. Garth Taylor (Heavy Weight) and Fernando Vasconcelos
(Light Weight) are set to defend their respective titles.
REGISTRATION FOR THE PROFESSIONAL BLACK BELT DIVISION IS FREE!
The
deadline to register is Monday, November 4, by 9:00 PM. Those
of you who have come to our tournaments before know that we make
NO EXCEPTIONS! Please, have your registration in on time.
It was rumored
throughout the MMA world that Mark 'The Specimen' Kerr had issued
a challenge to Frank Mir for UFC 40. Sources reveal that this
fight will not happen in November.
Kerr was offered
a fight deal with UFC several months back, reportedly with his
first fight being against Josh Barnett, but Kerr declined the
offer.
Back in 1997,
many thought the Mark Kerr would be kind of the heavyweights
after a convincing tournament win in his debut, at the WVC in
Brazil. Kerr went on to win four UFC fights and in March 1998
entered PRIDE where he debuted beating Branko Cikatic via KO.
Kerr then seemed
to slide, possibly dealing with personal problems that affected
his career in the sport of MMA. He had a bout with Vovchanchin
that ended in controversy and ended up being a 'no contest.'
He last two wins were in 2000 where he defeated Enson Inoue via
decision and unknown Igor Borisov with a neck crank. Kerr's last
two fights in PRIDE were not his best as Igor Vovchanchyn gained
a victory in a rematch and Heath Herring scored a KO win in Kerr's
last fight (7/29/01).
The UFC has
come a long way since 'Ranger' Stott, Duane Cason and Moti Horenstein
but from many sources, Kerr has overcame his person problems
and is ready to reenter MMA with a vengeance! Look for Mark Kerr
to return and make an impact in 2003.
Source: ADCC
Undefeated
Aram Primed for Title Shot
Natives
flee their homeland for different reasons. Some strive to evade
oppression, others to escape meager living conditions, and still
others to elude imminent danger. For Romie Aram's family, it
was the threat of violence that forced them from their country.
Born
in Afghanistan, Aram remembers little regarding the Soviet Union
invasion of the land of his birth. Along with his father, mother,
brother and sister, he made the voyage to the United States as
a four-year-old child. The Aram's settled in California, thousands
of miles away from a war-torn Middle East and free from the fighting
that would plague Afghanistan for the next several years.
A
young Aram acclimated to the U.S. through sports. Soccer was
his focus growing up, but football captured his attention in
junior and senior high school. A new hobby surfaced upon graduation,
though, as he discovered Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. His interest seized
by the art, Aram moved to Rancho Cucamonga to study under Pedro
Carvalho. In a mere two and a half years, he earned his purple
belt. "Jiu-Jitsu came pretty natural to me," he explained
of his swift progress. "I always picked things up pretty
quick."
Joining
his cousin, Aram then started a Jiu-Jitsu school. His development
continued and further avenues soon emerged. While working out
at a gym called Alternative Fighting, Aram formed a relationship
with former Carvalho student John Jensen and talented grappler
Javier Vazquez. He and Jensen decided to launch their own school,
Millennia Jiu-Jitsu. Meanwhile, Vazquez began a school in Monrovia,
California. Though he was busy, Aram maintained his ties with
Vazquez, occasionally traveling to train with his friend. Millennia
became a burgeoning project, but Vazquez's venture was less prosperous.
Aram noticed and extended an invitation for him to partner with
he and John at Millennia. Vazquez accepted the offer and Millennia's
foundation solidified.
Now,
about three years later, Millennia has grown into a fight factory
that is vital to Aram's success. The school boasts nearly 70
students, around 17 of them active fighters. "It's very
competitive," Aram described of the school's atmosphere.
"Everybody's trying to tap each other out, but at the same
time, everybody is cool with each other. It's a really good group
of guys. Everybody has good attitudes, and they train hard."
With
that many ready-for-action mixed martial artists in one room,
there's simply nowhere to hide and, consequently, no way to enter
a fight unprepared. Such has been the case for Aram's upcoming
fight at King of the Cage, a shot at the welterweight title against
champion Joe Stevenson. "I've been wrestling a lot,"
the 24-year-old said. "Most likely, Joe's going to try to
take me down and ground-and-pound me. I'm expecting him to come
out, maybe throw a couple punches and then go for the takedown.
"We
both fight pretty similar. Most of my fights end up the same
way. I think it's probably going to be a battle of who gets who
on their back. I really don't mind staying on my feet, but I
got a feeling it's going to turn into a ground war."
Aram's
takedowns have been an unstoppable ace in the hole thus far,
even though, surprisingly, he didn't wrestle growing up. Instead,
he picked it up after competing in Jiu-Jitsu competitions and
realizing that he was at a disadvantage against wrestlers who
were consistently taking him down. At the time, the junior college
he was attending had a talented wrestling team, and Aram began
showing up for open practices. Like Jiu-Jitsu, wrestling came
second nature to him as he immersed himself in the sport.
The
training was vital to the biggest victory of his career: a gritty
win over UFC veteran Jerry Bohlander. "I knew fighting Jerry
would be a tough fight because anybody fighting out of the Lion's
Den always brings numerous things to the table," Aram commented.
"I went into the fight knowing he had experience over me.
It was just one of those things where I had nothing to lose.
When I decided to take the fight, I knew if I trained right,
I knew I could beat him."
Bohlander
had just returned to the sport after a lengthy layoff. He was
climbing back up the ranks, first with a win at KOTC, and another
planned for his fight against Aram. No one expected him to lose,
but even more, no one expected Aram to win. In the end, though,
a determined Aram out-wrestled Bohlander and earned a unanimous
decision. "It totally changed everything," he said
of the triumph. "I went from some young guy coming up in
the sport to getting a name."
Featuring
an undefeated record and trimming down to 170 pounds from his
first fights as a light heavyweight, Aram was granted an opportunity
to face Stevenson for the KOTC welterweight title in June of
this year. However, a last-minute rib injury prevented his challenge.
It has since healed, and he says he'll be 100-percent on Saturday.
"I've
always wanted the belt," Aram declared. "I think if
I can keep Joe on the feet and make him shoot a lot, I can get
him a little tired. I know he has to cut a lot of weight for
the fight, so I would like to see how his wind holds up after
the first round. If I can catch him on my feet, that would be
nice. Or if I can put him on his back, I think I can work a pretty
good ground-and-pound game."
Although
he is predominantly a grappler, Aram has worked diligently at
a multi-dimensional game. Duane Ludwig, perhaps the top striker
in mixed martial arts, has played an important role in his development.
"Duane really helped me out a lot," he said. "He's
one of the best guys I've ever worked out with. He explains why
you do what you do." Since Ludwig moved to Colorado, Aram's
stand-up has been aided by the expertise of former kickboxer
Pete Dickason and other strikers teaching at Millennia. The improvement
was lucid in his last bout, a 16-second knockout over Steve Schelburn.
Like
most fighters, Aram hopes the future holds a shot in a major
promotion, possibly a trip to Japan to fight in Pride. To make
it there, he'll have to be well rounded, entertaining, and most
importantly, he'll have to beat some top-notch opponents. He
has a ways to go, but it's already been an eventful journey:
from fleeing Afghanistan as a child to his current regimen of
bouncing at a local bar, cramming in homework as a finance student,
and, of course, training for a revolutionary sport. The trek
to the top continues this weekend.
Source:
Maxfighting
10/16/02
Quote
of the Day
If the creator had a purpose in equipping us with a neck, he
surely meant us to stick it out.
Arthur
Koestler
Congratulations!
Congratulations to Aaron, a Relson Gracie Aiea Student, on having
a baby girl who weighed 8 lbs 10 oz.
The
Dog has a Name!
Thanks for the many suggestions. I got two suggestions that I
went with, and more importantly, got Lisa to accept. Thanks to
Mike and Harris for the suggestions. We are going with "Saku"
as the name of our puppy. For those in left field, Saku is short
for Sakuraba, which not only fit our Japanese name and two syllable
requirement, it also satisfies a name that involves MMA. We just
took him to the vet and he weighed in at a svelt 6 lbs. He is
supposed to max out at 20-25 lbs.
Here's
a better picture of Saku which only took me about an hour to
take because he does not know how to "stay" yet and
one with his mom.
Here's his name sake, Kazushi Sakuraba. No, don't even try looking
for similarities.
PAT
MILETICH: WFA bound...
28-6-2
legend Pat Miletich debuts at WFA3 on November 23rd in Las Vegas
against WFA poster boy Frank Trigg. Miletich is one of the few
remaining fighters from the early days of MMA, having fought
in just about every promotion and was the UFC Welterweight Champion
from the time the title started in '98 until his loss to Carlos
Newton in May of last year. This fight can be viewed as further
growing WFA with a real challenge to their champion Frank Trigg,
viewed as a clash between current WFA and former UFC, or even
Trigg who is still on his way up against Miletich who has been
at the top since before there was a top.
KM:
As far as your upcoming fight against Frank Trigg in the WFA,
what are your thoughts on Trigg himself?
PM: Very tough guy, he's been around for a long time. Skilled
athlete, aggressive, going to be an exciting fight I'm sure.
KM:
What fight of Trigg's intrigues you the most or would you recommend
the fans watch to get an idea of who Trigg is?
PM: Sakurai. (note: Trigg's only loss which happened in Shooto)
KM:
This is your first time in WFA. What are your thoughts on getting
in?
PM: It's nice to be able to fight for another organization. I've
been fighting for the UFC for so long, it'll be nice to fight
for another organization. John Lewis and I are good friends so
I look forward to fighting in John's show.
KM:
Since you lost to Lindland I don't think you've fought MMA.
PM: No, just been training, training fighters, getting them ready
for their fights. Now I'm starting to get back in to getting
myself ready.
KM:
You are still one of the best corner people too. That must keep
you pretty busy.
PM: Yeah. Real busy.
KM:
So how does it feel to corner instead of fight?
PM: A lot more nervous actually because you're not in control
on the situation. Obviously it's somebody that you care about
because you are around them every day so it makes you a little
nervous.
KM:
What advice would you give to other corner people? What mistakes
do you see them making?
PM: We just look for tendencies, what people do in certain situations:
their stances, how they move their feet, just basics. We try
to find their weaknesses and exploit those weaknesses.
KM:
Last time I saw you in CT you mentioned having a boxing exhibition
coming up. Does this mean you might do more professional boxing?
PM: I've already done professional boxing several years back
then I fought professional kickboxing for years. I just do it
just for fun, stay in shape, keep my skills sharp.
KM:
Getting back to the WFA, this is at 170 lbs?
PM: Yeah.
KM:
But you Lindland fight was at 185? Why did you go up to 185?
PM: The UFC forced me up to 185 because Matt (Hughes) holds the
title at 170 and it kind of forced me out of that division. Basically
Lindland was my only fight. I wanted to stay at 170 but they
wouldn't let me. I'm not big enough to fight at 185. I could
be I suppose but I prefer to be at 170 because when I'm at 170
I'm in shape, I move quick.
KM:
You also have the weight cutting advantage. What do you usually
walk around at?
PM: Right about 185.
KM:
I've seen you have trouble cutting weight at UFC before, one
time you had to go to the hospital…
PM: That was more from I was right in the middle of getting my
business ready to open and stuff like that so I really didn't
train correctly for the fight so I had to cut a lot of water
weight the day of the weigh-in.
KM:
So you're going to stay back at 170?
PM: Yeah.
KM:
We see a lot of up-and-comers in Team Extreme but the top 4 are
still in the top promotions. Where do you see you being in your
career right now?
PM: I just want some big fights at the end of my career and fight
some big name people and go out on top.
KM:
So you think you'll be around for a while?
PM: Another year maybe.
KM:
Any final words or advice for the readers?
PM: Just make sure you out-train your opponent.
Source:
ADCC
King
Of The Cage Preview
This weekend King Of The Cage returns to the Soboba Casino in
San Jacinto, CA with several surprises. The main event is 13-4-0
Joe Stevenson defending his 170-pound title against Romie Aram,
a 5-0 vet with a very similar style. According to Aram, "Stevenson
fought for the title in June when I was supposed to fight him,
but I had to pull out because of a broken rib. Joe fought and
beat [Jeremy Jackson] in the first round so Joe is the Welterweight
champion and his first defense is against me. So, I've been waiting
to fight for the belt for a while. I've paid my dues and fought
enough fights to get my shot. These last couple of months have
been rough because I feel like I should already have the belt."
As far as the perception that the fight will be decided by whoever
gets the first takedown Aram responds, "That's pretty much
what everybody thinks. One thing is I have been doing jiu-jitsu
for a while and I haven't been put on my back yet in a fight,
but I have an idea of what I can do on my back and I fight pretty
well in my guard. So, if I do end up getting taken down, it won't
be the end of the world for me. If I do end up on my back, it'll
be a test for me and a test for Joe to see what happens, if I
can get up to my feet or reverse him or tap him."
Also
on this card is the first women's bout in KOTC history. 3-0 HOOKnSHOOT
vet and Ruas Vale Tudo student Debi Purcell [pictured] takes
on Nicole Albrecht, a student of John Delao where Chris Brennan
received his black belt with a reported 5-0 record. Although
Debi has been tearing up the women's 135 division on her quest
for the HOOKnSHOOT belt, this bout does not have a weight division
so Albrecht, at 5'11" and 155-160 lbs, will have both the
reach and weight advantage over Debi. Of the show itself Debi
says, "It means a lot. King Of The Cage is a huge show,
one of the biggest shows in the world. The fact that they are
going to allow a female bout on the card is really, really important
to me." Debi has already given up the first title shot at
the coveted HOOKnSHOOT belt to take this fight. "I had a
really hard decision to make, whether I was going to fight her
for the belt right now or fight in KOTC," says Debi, "I
chose KOTC because it's a good organization and I think for me
right now it's definitely the move I need to make."
Other
surprises on the card include the return of Charles "Crazy
Horse" Bennett. Bennett has fought in KOTC before where
he lost to Duane Ludwig over a year ago, but is most remembered
for two knock out slams both against Todd Carney in WEF in 2000
and RSF in 2001. Bennett reportedly has had trouble with the
law keep him out of the cage for most of this year with the exception
of a loss in WEFC in June to Rick Davis. His opponent Charlie
Kohler may have an equally mixed record but his losses were to
Joe Hurley in KOTC and Vitor Ribeiro in WFA 1, nothing to be
embarrassed over. Bennett has a very unorthodox style that always
pleases the crowd so look for this one at 165-170 to be less
technical and more exciting than some of the heavier fighters.
KOTC
170-Pound World Title Match: Romie Aram Vs. Joe Stevenson
Fernando Vasconcelos Vs. Churuto Verissimo
Todd Medina Vs. Edwin Dewees
Charlie Kohler Vs. Charles "Crazy Horse" Bennett
Art Santore Vs. Thomas Kenney
Jason "The Punisher" Lambert Vs. Brian Stromberg
Freddie George Vs. Cliff Jacobs
Thomas Denny Vs. Aaron Anderson
Debbie Purcell Vs. Nicole Albrecht
Mike "Rhino" Bourke Vs. Brent Stevens
Cipi Gamino Vs. Dave Rivas
Richard Soliz Vs. Ricky Libertini
Chui Vs. Josh Lewis
Shad Smith Vs. Chris Jefffers
Mark McLelland Vs. Raymond Young
(Fight
Card Subject to Change)
Source:
FCF
Susumu
Pride 22 Pictures
Hello,
We
have added 27 photos from Pride 22 held on September 29th. Please
enjoy!
RULON
GARDNER TO RETURN AT 'REAL PRO WRESTLING' TV PILOT OCT. 26 IN
L.A.
By: Eddie Goldman
In
what has the potential to be a most historic day for the sport
of wrestling, 2000 Olympic gold medalist and 2001 world champion
Greco-Roman wrestler Rulon Gardner will return to the mat on
Oct. 26 for the first time since his snowmobile accident in February.
Not only will he be wrestling, but the venue will be the television
taping of a pilot show for Real Pro Wrestling, a venture that
aims to present real freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling on a
professional basis.
The
matches will be held under rules slightly modified from FILA
rules used in international competition and the Olympics. The
final touches are being put on the rules now, but here are the
highlights of the changes:
--
Push-out rule: One point is awarded to a wrestler who pushes
the other out of the mat area. This borrows a technique from
sumo. As of now, a takedown is also worth one point, but that
may possibly be changed as well. Real Pro Wrestling organizer
Matt Case said he expects this push-out rule to come into play
especially in Greco.
--
Clinch: The clinch will be started with both wrestlers standing
straight up, at 90 degrees to the mat, and not bent with their
butts out, as is done under FILA rules. Expect 'a lot of quick
and very big throws,' said Case.
--
Mat area: Another possibility, though not definite, is using
a slightly smaller mat area for Greco. Basically, the boundary
for Greco being considered is the inside circle of the mat, instead
of the outer circle. That is slightly smaller, and could provide
for more action.
--
Stalling light: To discourage stalling, a light will go on when
a wrestler is ruled to be doing that.
There
may be more modifications, since this is a demo event designed
both as a television pilot and a means to get the wrinkles out
before attempting to launch a real pro wrestling league and television
show.
The
taping will be held on October 26 at the Los Angeles Center Studios.
It will begin at 2:00 PM PDT at Stage #2 of the L.A. Center Studios
at 1201 W. 5, in Los Angeles.
If
you want to attend, the first 400 fans who contact Epicenter
Sports will be put on a list for FREE admission. You must call
first, at: 213 534-3100.
Here
is the lineup:
FREESTYLE
55kg - Stephen Abas vs. Jeff Prescott
60kg -- Eric Akin vs. Eric Guerrero
66kg -- Chris Bono vs. Tony DeAnda
74kg -- Donny Pritzlaff vs. Ramico Blackmon
84kg -- Markus Mollica vs. Brandon Eggum
96kg -- Tim Hartung vs. Ryan Tobin
120kg - Brian Keck vs. Kerry McCoy
GRECO-ROMAN
55kg
-- Brandon Paulson vs. Lindsay Durlacher
60kg -- Dennis Hall vs. Jim Gruenwald
66kg -- Darnell Lollis vs. Kevin Bracken
74kg -- Darryl Christian vs. T. C. Dantzler
84kg -- Matt Lindland vs. Quincey Clark
96kg -- Chael Sonnen vs. Dean Morrison
120kg - Rulon Gardner vs. Billy Pierce
For
more information about Real Pro Wrestling and the October 26
event in Los Angeles, visit their newly-redesigned website at:
http://www.realprowrestling.com.
Source:
ADCC
10/15/02
Quote
of the Day
You don't pay the price for success. You enjoy the price for
success.
Zig
Ziglar
Name
that Dog!
Lisa and I (Mike) have just bought a puppy. It's a Japanese Spitz
and we cannot come to terms with a name. I don't like the name
Musubi and she doesn't like Di Nooch, Helio, Kimura, or Rumina.
Lisa wants a Japanese name (since it's a Japanese Spitz, although
we could have been fooled and it may be an Italian Spitz, hence
Di Nooch) and I can go with that. If you have a good sounding
Japanese name (two syllables please, it's supposed be better
for dogs, not sure on that though), please email me some ideas. Here's a
photo of the dog to help you with the name. I'll take a better
picture (when he's up). He looks like a mini all white husky.
Also, make sure it's a boy's name, it sounds cool, it would be
great if it meant something.
Thanks
in advance!
Jhun/Carter
to Battle in Super Brawl
UFC and Pancrase veteran, "Mr. International" Shonie
Carter will battle Hawaiian sensation, Ronald "The Machine
Gun" Jhun on November 9, in Super Brawl's "Battle for
the Belts".
Carter the self proclaimed "Player with a Passport"
is coming of a decisive and flamboyant win in Super Brawl 25
over Grappling Unlimited's "Ice Cold" Kolo Koka.
Jhun has been on the verge of breaking into the "big show"
on a number of occasions at the 185lb limit. But this time will
be testing the waters at 170lbs for the first time. A win over
Carter would put him right back on the map in the 170lb division.
Megaton and
Luka Dias are to be congratulated for their BOMB! The first South
West BJJ Championship topped anyones expectations. The Professional
Black Belt division had five World Black Belt Champions competing
in it including the last 3 World Absolute Champions, that has
never happened even in Brazil! ! !
In
the lightweight division the Vieira Brothers, Leozinho &
Rico had to battle each other since everyone else bailed. The
two put on a show and Rico was the winner of the brotherly match.
The
Middleweight Division was great: Draculino defeated Elder Menezes
by a large score but had to abando the competition due to outside
reasons. Cleber Luciano beat Rodrigo Antunes by points and faced
teammate Ricardo 'Franjinha' Muller in the finals with Franjinha
getting the nod. Franjinha is proving to be one of the best in
the category with wins on the JJM Tournament and now this. He
and teamamte Cleber have alternatively shared the podium in just
about ever tournament they have entered.
But
the story of the event was the Heavy weight Division in which
the last four World Absolute Champions Marcio 'Pe-de-Pano' Cruz
(2002), Fernando 'Margarida' Pontes (2001) & Rodrigo 'Comprido'
Medeiros ('99 & '00) facing each other for the first time
in one tournament.
The
heavyweights started with Margarida v Pano with Margarida advancing
the very polemic match. Pano was using his incredible upside
moves to keep Margarida out of sync for the early part of the
match and scored the sweep. Marga showed why he is a Champion
and maitained his composure and scored a guard pass. Pano continued
with sweep attempts and attacks and appeared to have scored the
go ahead points but referee Marcus Vinicius did not agree. Margarida
wins 3 x 2 with Marcio screaming complaints. In his defense,
a review of the match by some of the Black Belts did showed flaws
in the score of Vinicius. Vinicius for his part took on the thankless
task of refereeing a very difficult match.
Next
Comprido defeated Macaco by an advantage setting up a final with
Margarida. Comprido and Margarida had faced each other twice
in the World Absolute Division, in '00 Comprido won the final
and the title. In '01 Margarida returned the favor in match play.
So this final was, at least for now, the tiebreaker. Comprido
used much of the same strategy that was successful in '00 to
defeat Margarida by a score of 7 x 2. Margarda did complain about
gassing and not being at his best as he has been recuperating
from the motorcycle accident.
Regardless
they were fantastic matches with the only losers being those
who did not attend!
The
Amateur tournament was very good with some highly ontested matches.
In the Brown Belt Superfight Jack McVicker broke the speel with
a victory over Lavato. In the team results: Luciano/Paragon/Alliance
Team came in first with Megaton Dias in secong and Alberto Crane's
in third.
Source:
ADCC
Barnett
in PRIDE A No Go Until January
Despite rumors to the contrary, PRIDE officials confirmed to
MaxFighting.com on Monday that the Japanese promotion will abide
by the Nevada State Athletic Commission's nine-month suspension
of former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett and not allow
him to compete on their November 24 show in the Tokyo Dome. Barnett
will be eligible to return to the ring in January; it appears
likely that his comeback fight will be in Japan.
Source: Maxfighting
PRIDE
NEWS!
It's
been made public that PRIDE is undergoing budget cuts for upcoming
events. Some have said as much as 30% of salaries could be cut
as well as other benefits that come with the fighter package.
Coming
off a lackluster event that had a disappointing TV rating, PRIDE
is bringing out their best for November.
Vanderlei
Silva returns to face Sinae Kikuta. This will be interesting
to say the least. An edge has got to be given to Vanderlei in
takedown defense and striking but Kikuta cannot be counted out.
Dan
Henderson vs. Mario Sperry. Sperry has been on a tear since his
loss to Ninja. His striking looks impressive but it is enough
to beat Hollywood? This is a marquee match.
Murillo
'Ninja' vs. Ricardo Arona. Brazilian Top Team against Chute Boxe!
These two are ready for war and the obvious winner will be the
fans.
Anderson
Silva vs. Mirko CroCop. This is not a wise move for Silva. This
match is just a rumored fight but if it's pulled off, CroCop
will have serious height and weight advantages.
Kazuyuki
Fujita is expected to be the Japanese draw of the card. There
are rumors of a Bob Sapp fight and possibly Fujita against Rogerio
Nogueira. Either would be interesting but lately, Bob Sapp has
been a guaranteed TV ratings boost and a huge ticket seller.
Other
matches being discussed could be Ebenezor Fontes-Bragga vs. Kanehara
as well as Takada's retirement match.
It
was originally discussed that Takada would face Hideoki Yoshida
(who they're banking on being the next Sakuraba) in which Yoshida
would win. Yoshida, a legitimate Judoka has yet to have a single
MMA fight. But the obvious is a that it's two top Japanese 'stars'
who will draw at the box office.
Japanese
media is now saying that Takada wants to 'win' his retirement
match and this could be PRIDE's plan for him (although he won't
be winning against Yoshida).
The
main event, if pulled off, would be Josh Barnett vs. Rodrigo
'Minotauro' Nogueira to determine the best heavyweight in the
world.
The
bad news is that if PRIDE and Barnett go through with this, both
risk losing their right to fight in Nevada ever again. It's a
touchy situation as insiders have said that PRIDE may NOT be
interested in running in Nevada (even after obtaining a license).
If
the fight doesn't happen on November 24, then you could probably
bank on it happening in January.
We'll
bring you the latest as things start to develop for this event.
Source:
ADCC
First
issue of GRACIE Knockout hits the stands in Brazil
The people at
GRACIE Magazine have just launched a new publication that is
set to rock the Brazilian fight scene: the first issue of GRACIE
Knockout hit the stands this weekend all over the country.
The new monthly
magazine is 100% focused in MMA, sports Jiu-Jitsu and other martial
arts. The October issue has come up in a month filled with top
events from around the world.
EVENTS:
- Pride 22 in Nagoya, Japan
- UFC 39 in Connecticut, USA
- BJJ Nationals in Sao Paulo, Brazil
- 4th International Masters and Seniors of BJJ in Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil
- Shooto Treasure Hunt in Yokohama, Japan
- Deep in Tokyo, Japan
PLUS:
- Interview with UFC Champ Murilo Bustamante
- BJJ Absolute Champion Alexandre Café shows an Omoplata
Attack
- Shooto and WFA veteran Vitor Shaolin teaches an acrobatic Foot
Lock
- Sakuraba's fast recovery
GRACIE Magazine,
which has been in the Brazilian market for almost seven years
now and is currently the country's biggest sports publication,
still runs MMA and BJJ articles as well as other sports, adventures,
hot photo essays, extreme travelling tips, nutrition and much
more.
Check it out at www.graciemag.com
International
subscriptions are available at www.jiujitsuprogear.com with the main articles translated
into English.
-----------------------------
GRACIE Magazine
Rua Sebastiao Afonso Ferreira, 236
Condominio Santa Monica
Barra - Rio de Janeiro - Brasil
CEP 22793-260
Tel.: 55 21 3326-1732
Fax: 55 21 3329-0361 www.graciemag.com
Source: ADCC
DREMIEL
BYERS'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP VICTORY A TEAM EFFORT (Part Three)
By: Eddie Goldman
Not
surprisingly, Byers explained his success as being a product
of a team effort.
'I'm
in shape, for one,' the new world champ said. 'I know what's
out there. A lot of guys didn't know me, and the things I do
on the mat. They weren't aware of that. I had a great coach in
my corner. I had two guys from my team there supporting me, people
that know my wrestling and know what I can do. One of the guys,
he's a stat guy. He knows so much about everyone that wrestles.
He knows what these guys do, what moves they got, what foot they
lead with. Jason Loukides, that's his name. He was there, and
he was an asset for me.'
He
also heaped praise on former Greco wrestler and now All-Army
head coach, Staff Sgt. Shon Lewis. 'This guy is more than a coach,'
said Byers. 'He's more than a big brother. He's more than a best
friend. He's
everything
that a champion would need to be a champion. And I'm honored
to have people like this around me. My 1st Sgt. is one of the
best 1st Sgt.'s I've ever encountered in the Army. This guy is
more than a leader. I look around and I'm surrounded by people
that I have to look up to and admire, not only because of what
they do to me, just because of who they are. And I'm fortunate
for that. This place where I'm at is just as much a part of their
success as it is mine.'
Byers
himself sees his world championship as important for both the
Army wrestling team and the World Class Athlete Program, of which
he is a part. 'Everyone's proud,' he said. 'It definitely says
that we have some true competitors and some contenders, and put
us on the map. We've been on the map before, and maybe people
have forgotten about us. But we're here, and there are plenty
of guys in this room that can go get the same accomplishments.
I'm just looking forward to seeing that.'
Even
before Dremiel Byers earned his world championship, he had himself
earned the respect and admiration of his coaches. 'This couldn't
have happened to a nicer guy. He's one of the most down-to-earth,
well-grounded young men that I've ever met,' said 2nd Lieutenant
Mike Van Arsdale, the former champion wrestler and no-holds-barred
fighter who is now one of the wrestling coaches for the World
Class Athlete Program.
Van
Arsdale recalled that in the summer of 2001, he had Byers go
through what was essentially an NFL combine test. Weighing 290
pounds then, Byers ran the 40-yard dash in 4.6 seconds, and then
bench-pressed 225 pounds 37 consecutive times. 'He blew the thing
out of the water. And that's a guy that doesn't really lift a
lot of weights,' said Van Arsdale. 'He's a serious athlete,'
he added. 'He's just naturally strong. He's really quick. It's
real scary to see a 290-pounder running that fast.'
Byers
also is a dyed-in-the-wool devotee of Greco. 'I wish I'd have
heard about this style of wrestling years before. I love it,
just going out there doing it,' he said. 'At first it was the
fact that it was less work,' he laughed. 'But now seeing that
I'm good at it, outside of that, it's just a difference. It's
a different breed. It says you're more of a technician sometimes.'
While
the use of the clinch, and also how the rules related to it have
been implemented, have been controversial in wrestling, Byers
approves of it. 'It's given a lot of people a chance to win,'
he argued, with his new world championship as Exhibit A. 'If
you can't stop a guy's pummel, then you can just hang on, and
then take it to the clinch. You always got a way out in the clinch.
That's your second chance that you probably wouldn't be able
to get to. An experienced pummeler, if he's ahead, he's not going
to let you lock up with him like that. It would be real stupid
to do that. But some guys will use that. Push, push, get that
passivity call, and then maybe they'll take it to the clinch
on the second passivity call.'
Now
Sgt. Byers is the man at heavyweight in Greco. But now he, too,
will be the man for whom everyone else is gunning.
This
does not seem to bother him one bit. 'My buddy Jason Loukides,
he's sometimes sarcastic with me, he said I did five moves the
entire tournament. And I won,' Byers said. 'So I really didn't
show much. I showed a couple of things, and that was it. I showed
I'm good in the clinch position. I showed I can pick it up and
pummel when I have to. And I showed a lift. That's it. I didn't
show an arm spin. I didn't show any of these other things that
I got in my arsenal. I didn't show any of that stuff, but it's
there. And even then, the things that I do well, I'm going to
continue to polish them and make sure and perfect them to the
best of my ability so I can do them well again. And that's the
plan.'
WHAT'S
NEXT FOR THE NEW CHAMPION OF THE WORLD
Now
that he is number one in the U.S. and the world, Byers looks
forward to meeting his friend but wrestling rival, Rulon Gardner,
on the mat, in what would be a clash of two world champions fighting
for one spot on the U.S. team.
'I
think that's the excitement that's going to make Greco nice right
there. I'm sure a lot of people are going to want to see that
match,' Byers predicted. 'Between Rulon and I, we understand
it's an important thing for us to go out there and do what we
have to do and win. We got a good relationship. We're good friends.
We talk off the mat, and on the mat usually. I respect what he's
accomplished, and I hope he respects what I've accomplished.
I'm really proud that he did in fact beat Kareline with that
gold medal. It says something about this weight class for our
country, and that's the big picture of it all.'
Before
he meets Gardner, however, Byers plans to enter a number of competitions.
His next stop will be the CISM (Conseil International du Sport
Militaire) World Military Championships on Oct. 21-28 in Tallinn,
Estonia. 'I've never gone,' lamented Byers. 'I've been the man
selected to go. I won the Armed Forces a few times, and I was
supposed to go, but there's something that's always comes up.
Something always happens that prohibits me from going to this
tournament. I've been wanting to go to this tournament since
I heard about it, since I started wrestling. And finally I get
to go this year. And from what I hear, this tournament is just
another World Championships, because some of these countries,
they have to go to the military for two years once they reach
a certain age. Some of these athletes know that and this is their
way around that. So they'll just say, 'All I've got to do is
wrestle in this tournament.' So you'll get another world medalist.
You'll get some of the same matches that I just had at the World
Championships in this tournament.'
Because
of this, he will be unable to go to the Real Pro Wrestling demo
taping on Oct. 26 in Los Angeles. He also is not sure at this
point if he will wrestle at the Kurt Angle Classic Nov. 8-9 in
New Orleans. But he is already making plans for 2003.
'Definitely
Pan Am's,' he said, which are scheduled for Aug. 2-4 in Santo
Domingo. 'I may be in school in January, so I may miss the Concord
Cup,' he added. That would be a one-month Pre-Leadership Development
Corps program either at Fort Lewis, Washington, or Fort Hood,
Texas. 'There should be some tours, just some winter tours that
I may be a part of, but I'm not sure which ones. Cuba, or Bulgaria,
or what they're having. You never know. I'm just grateful the
way things worked out, and hope I'm healthy enough to compete
in these tournaments.'
To
be continued.
Source:
ADCC
10/14/02
Quote
of the Day
Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today.
James
Dean
JAPANESE
PAPERS SAYS MINOTAURO WILL FIGHT IN PRIDE 23
Things continue to
change daily for the upcoming Pride. The hot rumor is who Minotauro
Nogueira will be fighting at Pride 23. Yesterday we had a report
that the possibility was good to face Josh Barnett. Today that
seems to have changed.
Various Japanese
Newspapers are reporting that Minotauro will definitely fight
in Pride 23. His back has healed and he is currently training.
The same papers though say it most likely won't be against Josh
Barnett. The Japanese media say that Pride will respect the Nevada
State Athletic Commissions wish waiting for Barnett's suspension
to end before competing in Pride. It's believed his suspension
should end around the beginning of the new year. Pride officials
had no comment when contacted by MMAWeekly.com.
Source: MMA
Weekly
KERR
WANTS RIZZO OR MIR ?
We here at MMAWeekly received an interesting tidbit from one
of our contributors. Jeremy Batchelor does some freelance work
for MMAWeekly and Batchelor recently ran into Mark Kerr. He was
talking to Kerr and asked him about who he would like to fight
in the near future. This was what Batchelor had to say.... quote
"I took a picture with him and asked him when we were going
to see him back in the octagon. He told me he was trying to get
onto the UFC 40 card to face either Rizzo or Mir. I don't know
how hard he has been trying or if it is even a possibility. I
just thought it might be something you might want to look into."
We know for
sure it wouldn't be Rizzo who just had surgery to repair a broken
nose, but why not Mir? He is looking for an opponent and it sounds
like Kerr is ready to go. We will continue to follow the story.
Source: MMA
Weekly
This
Month in MMA History: October
Maurice
Smith shocked the MMA world at Extreme Fighting III in October
96. During a period when grapplers reigned over strikers, Smith
restored belief in the standup arts by knocking out Conan Silveira
with a kick. In his victory, the kickboxer survived on the ground
until an opportunity opened up on the feet. When it did, Smith
launched a head kick that changed the evolution of the sport.
Shooto
greats Hayato Sakurai and Caol Uno debuted against each other
earlier that month. Both went on to become Shooto champions;
although, Sakurai won their only meeting with an armbar. Also
in October 96, Vitor Belfort burst onto the MMA scene at Super
Brawl, violently pounding John Hess. Belfort broke into the UFC
four months later.
A
major show entered the sport in October 97: Pride. Rickson Gracie
headlined the inaugural event, submitting Nobuhiko Takada. In
other bouts, Gary Goodridge knocked out Oleg Tactarov, and Dan
Severn-Kimo Leopoldo ended as a draw.
UFC
15 took place a week later in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. As
a last minute replacement for Dan Severn, Tank Abbott infamously
"stepped off the bar stool and into the Octagon." His
brave effort lasted eight minutes before heavyweight champion
Maurice Smith slammed a sufficient number of leg kicks into Abbott's
thigh. One of the greatest triumphs of Randy Couture's memorable
MMA career came on the same night, when he conquered a seemingly
unbeatable Vitor Belfort. Dave Beneteau also upset Carlos Barreto
in the heavyweight tournament, which paved an easy route for
Mark Kerr to conquer the four-man field.
The
UFC ventured to Brazil for its first and only time in October
98. Middleweight titleholder Frank Shamrock avenged his only
closed-fist defeat with a victory over nemesis John Lober in
the main event. On the undercard, Vitor Belfort returned to the
UFC by tearing through Vanderlei Silva; in his Octagon debut,
Pedro Rizzo knocked out Tank Abbott; Pat Miletich won the lightweight
title by beating Mikey Burnett; Tsuyoshi Kosaka moved up the
heavyweight ranks with a win over Pete Williams; and Ebenezer
Braga finished Jeremy Horn with a guillotine.
In
the same month, Rickson Gracie returned to the ring to face familiar
challenger Nobuhiko Takada at Pride's fourth show. Though it
lasted a little longer, a similar outcome resulted as Gracie
submitted his foe. In other action, Alexander Otsuka upset Marco
Ruas; Mark Kerr defeated Hugo Duarte; Kazushi Sakuraba and Allan
Goes fought to a draw; and Igor Vovchanchyn debuted in Pride
with a win over Gary Goodridge.
Also
in October 98, Enson Inoue used an armbar to submit Randy Couture
in Japan Vale Tudo. It was the first loss for Couture, who had
recently left the UFC and relinquished his heavyweight title
without defending it due to contract disputes. Andre Pederneiras
knocked out Rumina Sato on the undercard, and Frank Trigg opened
a nasty cut on Jean Jacques Machado's forehead that ended their
fight.
King
of the Cage held their inaugural event in October 99. Chris Brennan
was a part of the 16-fight card, submitting Joe Stevenson with
a triangle choke. Meanwhile, Louisiana hosted the seventh World
Extreme Fighting, which featured a whopping total of 21 fights.
In the main event, Conan Silveira extracted his revenge against
Maurice Smith three years to the month after their monumental
first meeting, submitting him with a choke.
The
32-man 1999 Rings King of Kings kicked off in October of that
year. Little known Rodrigo Nogueira began his emergence during
the tournament, using submissions to win both of his fights in
the Block A portion of the bracket. Also advancing to the next
round were Renato Sobral, Mikhail Illoukhine and eventual tournament
champion Dan Henderson.
October
also hosted Block A of the 2000 edition of the King of Kings.
Dave Menne qualified for the next round by claiming decisions
against Wataru Sakata and a significantly larger Roberto Traven;
Valentijn Overeem upset Renato Sobral to advance; Randy Couture
narrowly defeated Jeremy Horn; and eventual champion Rodrigo
Nogueira submitted both of his adversaries.
A
new and improved Heath Herring broke out at Pride 11 in the same
month. Herring, a heavy underdog against Tom Erikson, stunned
his opponent with a head kick and finished the fight via rear
naked choke. Kazushi Sakuraba received a rest from elite competition
at the same show, quickly submitting Shannon Ritch.
Also
in October 2000, Pancrase brought in Murilo Bustamante to battle
Sanae Kikuta. The competitive match went to Bustamante via decision.
Genki Sudo captivated spectators on the undercard, as he clutched
the ankles of Craig Oxley, spun him in the air for three dizzying
revolutions and then dropped him into a fight-ending Achilles
lock.
Source:
Maxfighting
Quick
Q&A with Jeremy Horn
Pre-UCC
MG- You took this fight on short notice as well as your last
fight also. Are you ready for the challenge?
JH- I sure am. I was preparing for a fight anyway but it didn't
go through.
MG- Was it a fight for Pride or UFC?
JH- There were talks with the UFC but they were not completed.
MG- Was it for an Heavyweight or a Light Heavyweight bout?
JH- It was for a Light Heavyweight bout.
MG- You fought a lot lately. How many fights did you have this
summer?
JH- Close to half a dozen.
MG- And they were all wins
JH- Exactly.
MG- Your last loss came against Sinosic in UFC. Would you like
a rematch with him eventually?
JH- I'm not looking for a rematch with him, but I wouldn't back
down if it were to happen.
MG- Did you know that Elvis already fought in the first UCC?
JH- Yes, he fought against Dave Beneteau
MG- Exactly. And could we expect a matchup between you two for
your UCC Belt eventually?
JH- That's a possibility. In fact, we were supposed to meet on
this card for the belt.
MG- This bout with Midoux almost happened way back in 1999 in
the IFC. What are your thoughts on your opponent and have you
seen tapes of him?
JH- He looks to be in great shape. I've seen one tape of him
and we're trying to get another one also. He seems very powerful
and explosive as a fighter.
MG- What's your game plan coming in? Do you plan to stay on your
feet with him?
JH- No. I plan on bringing the fight on the canvas and try to
tire him out also.
Source:
Maxfighting
UCC
11 - A Night to Remember
Joe
Doerksen defeated Denis Kang by Triangle choke at 4:49 of R1
Doerksen,
with Miletich and Horn in his corner, came out flying with a
right hand that connected cleanly on Kang's chin. The trading
of blows continued with Kang getting the upper hand and rocking
Doerksen in the process. To limit the damage, Doerksen brought
the fight down while attempting numerous submissions including
a near keylock. Kang wouldn't follow him in that game and wanted
the fight back on its feet. After some punches and knees from
both fighters, Doerksen established the mount but Kang managed
to spin it off. Unfortunately, he fell directly into a Triangle
Choke out of nowhere. The crowd loved the match but Kang seemed
very disappointed after being so close to finishing Doerken earlier.
David
Goulet defeated Scott Clay by Submission(tapped from Strikes)
at 3:21 of R2
Both
fighters were hesitant at first while Clay was holding the ropes
constantly. The referee had no choice but to give him a warning.
Goulet managed a Takedown and got the full mount but the bout
was brought back up after Goulet hit Clay behind the head. Seconds
later, Goulet brought the fight down again and got a second full
mount. This time he made sure to finish his opponent with strikes.
Clay tapped after numerous shots to the face.
Ivan
Menjivar defeated Shane Rice by TKO(ref stoppage) at 1:58 of
R1
The
replacement of Richard Nancoo came prepared for the fight and
showed his prowess in the ring against the Rickson Gracie Purple
Belt. After receiving a number of punches and low kicks, Rice
tried to bring the fight down but got caught in a side mount
and received some hard shots from Menjivar. He managed to get
back on his feet but fell right back again into a side mount
with harder shots this time. The ref had no choice but to step
in and end the onslaught.
Justin
Bruckmann defeated Frederic Poirier by Submission(rear naked
choke) at 3:18 of R2
This
bout was clearly dominated by the experience of Bruckmann. He
took Poirier down with numerous takedowns and even went back
up to do more damage against the boxing specialist. Bruckmann
landed many punches and knees while standing up and went back
on the canvas to do more damage with knees and forearms to the
side of Poirier's head at the end of R1. Early in round 2, Bruckmann
got the takedown and the full guard and tried a rear naked choke.
He lost it, only to pull it right seconds later to get the submission
win.
Donald
Ouimet defeated Pain Peters by Unanimous Decision after 2 rounds
of 5 minutes.
Peters
was the first to come out and we had the chance to welcome Michael
Myers directly from a Halloween movie. While everybody was taking
snapshots of the the masked man in the ring, Pain came down the
isle and played with the cheering crowd. As the match started,
Pain wanted no part of a stand up match with the experienced
boxer Ouimet. He went for the clinch immediately and tried a
quick armbar from his guard but Ouimet was able to defend efficiently.
Afterward, Ouimet dominated the bout on the canvas and at the
end of round 1, Pain was gassed out. The second round was similar
to the first with Ouimet doing all the damage on a tired Pain
Peters. In the end, Ouimet got the unanimous decision but embraced
his good friend Peters after their one sided war.
Mark
Hominick defeated Steve Claveau by TKO at 3:24 of R2
The
bout started with Hominick trying to do some damage with leg
kicks. To my astonishment, Claveau came right back with a high
kick that made Hominick go back to the ropes. He later got the
takedown and was able to pull a few knees and shots from a sidemount.
Claveau was able to win the first round but Hominick seemed more
powerful at the end. After a few seconds in his corner, Hominick
was already waiting for Claveau in the middle of the ring and
the ref had to come in and call him back to his corner for the
start of the second round. He came out more aggressively and
controlled attempts from Claveau's takedowns. He later got a
side mount with an armbar attempt but Hominick was able to turn
the fight around at take advantage of his striking ability. For
a final time, the bout was brought back up, and Hominick was
able to land four amazing punches that took Claveau to the canvas.
He then got a full mount from behind and pounded the side of
Claveau's head until the ref ran in to save Claveau from the
beating.
Georges
St-Pierre defeated Travis Galbraith by TKO(head slams) at 2:03
of R1
I
predicted that this bout would be the quickest of the night and
it came close to being it. St-Pierre hit a double leg takedown
and came into Galbraith's guard. He quickly took controlled an
was able to lift his opponent's head and slam it back down with
his forarm. He was able to do it six or seven time before the
ref realized that Galbraith was out cold. He got back up and
tried to go back after St-Pierre and his corner had to jump in
the ring to stop him.
David
Loiseau defeated Jesse Jones by Unanimous Decision after 3 rounds
of 5 minutes.
The
start of the match was really slow. Loiseau was against the ropes
while Jones tried to do some damage with knees. Jones did some
damage in this round and opened Loiseau's left eye. The good
shots from Loiseau were some uppercuts but Jones dominated the
first round, though he got caught by a spinning back hand from
Loiseau at the last second. In the last two rounds, we saw Loiseau
getting the best of Jones on their feet with uppercuts and pounded
him on the ground with knees and forearms. The Miletich stand
out managed to finish the match on his feet but could not do
enough to deny the 21-year-old crowd favorite from winning the
UCC World Middleweight Belt.
Jeremy
Horn defeated Christophe Midoux by Submission(choke) at 1:02
of R2
Horn
quickly showed his experience in this match and got the takedown
and nearly took Midoux out with a rear naked choke 20 seconds
into the match. Horn was never in trouble exept from a guillotine
attempt from Midoux in his guard. Even back on their feet, Midoux
seemed hesitant against the experienced Horn who was getting
the better of him. At the end of the round, Horn was able to
open up Midoux with a forearm while being on the ground. Quickly
into the second round, Horn brought Midoux down and toyed with
him until he was able to put on a side choke at the 1:02 minute
mark.
MAX
PICKS:
I
finished the night at 7-2 because I thought that Kang would win
by Submission and Jones would win by Decision
Best
Match: David Loiseau vs Jesse Jones
Best KO: Georges St-Pierre over Travis Galbraith
Best Submission: Joe Doerksen over Denis Kang
In
all, this was probably the best show we could ask for as fans.
Nine fights, nine crowd pleasers in total and only two decisions.
I give an A+ mark for Mr Patry and the UCC show that we witnessed
tonight. I just can't wait for the next show and here is the
announced card so far:
UCC
12: Super Strikers 2002 lineup
Date: November 29 or December 14
Location: Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
- Lightweight Championship: Jens "Little Evil" Pulver
vs. Duane "Bang" Ludwig
- Heavyweight Championship: Sean Alvarez vs. TBA
- Super Lightweight Championship: Jeff Curran vs. TBA
- Welterweight Championship: Jason Black vs. John "The Natural"
Alessio
- Anthony Fryklund vs. Steve "Lion Heart" Vigneault
- Jermain Andre vs. Stephan "Rude Boy" Potvin
- Rich Franklin vs. TBA
It
is with great excitement that I make this announcement: Tennessee
Shootfighting Championships has joined the Shooto organization.
We have changed our name to the Tennessee Shooto Championships
(TNSC).
In
August of 2001 we ran our first show and it was a huge success
with over 500 people. With the success of our first show we have
decided to continue running shows. Our next card is called ASCENSION
and the fights are listed below.
Tennessee
Shooto Championships is also pleased to announce our Guest Referee.
DAVE MENNE. Dave is the former UFC Middleweight Champion and
he will conducting a No-Holds-Barred Seminar following the event
on Saturday October 26th.
Due
to the overwhelming response to the announcement of ASCENSION,
we have booked four more shows for the year of 2003! In January
we will start things off with America’s first Shooter’s
Cup Tournament.
This
next year will be a benchmark for MMA all across the southern
states. TNSC has been asked by the Tennessee Boxing Commission
and Action Sportsplex to run shows throughout 2003. Here is our
schedule.
January
17th, 2003
April 11th, 2003
July 18th, 2003
October 24th, 2003
Tennessee
Shooto Championships
ASCENSION
October 25th, 2002
7:00 PM
Jonathan
Ivey vs. Don Richards.
Tara LaRosa vs. TBA
Lance Boyd vs. Drew Anderson
INTERMISSION
Gerrod Allen vs. Joe Nameth
John Tarh vs. Stephen Williamson
Mike Loyd vs. Todd Slater
INTERMISSION
Jared Wells vs. Andy Dodd.
Joe Jordon vs. Mike Norton
Nate Baker vs. James Foster
Source:
Sherdog
Ultimate
Ken Shamrock on PPV
Sunday,
October 13th will be the premier of the one-hour pay per view
event Ultimate Ken Shamrock. The show is a retrospect of the
career of one of the pioneers of the UFC and UFC’s first
Superfight Champion, Ken Shamrock. Highlights include classic
battles with Royce Gracie, Dan Severn, Oleg Taktarov and Kimo.
Premiers
Sunday, October 13th at 8:00 pm ET on DirecTV and 9:00 pm ET
on iN DEMAND, Viewers Choice Canada, and BellExpressVu.
iN
DEMAND Replays
Oct 14 - 7:00 pm & 10:00 pm EDT - iN2
Oct 16 - Midnight (iN2) & 1:00 am EDT (iN1)
DirecTV
All-day Ticket Replays on Oct 14, 17, 21, 25, 29
Source:
ADCC
10/13/02
Quote
of the Day
"What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the
fight,
it's the size of the fight in the dog.
Dwight
Eisenhower, 34th U.S. President
Onzuka.com
will get a facelift
We have received a ton of compliments on our page and I have
to assume it is because of the content NOT the appearance. But
that will change very soon.
Onzuka.com is going through a total revamp by a professional
flash web designer. Not only is the site going to look 1000%
better, but we are going to expand its content. Of course the
content expansion is not going to happen over night because we
are already working over night on the redesign. The navigation
bar will give you a taste of things to come and we will be working
feverously to fill in the content.
You have been officially warned! Very soon this site will look
as pretty as us...alright, it really will look incredible, you
just wait.
Casca
Grossa Fighter While
we were in Brazil in August we found out that a Royler student
that was female had the nickname Casca Grossa. Let me tell you,
I saw her in person and she is bigger than me and looks tougher
too.
FEMALE BRAZILIAN LOOKING FOR FIGHTS!
Name - Karmem 'Casca-Grossa'
Team - Gracie Humaitá
Weight - 83kg
Height - 1,67cm
Age - 28
NHB record - 3-0-0
Main Titles - 3x North/Northeast NHB champion, 2001 Internacional
Master & Senior de Jiu Jitsu champ and 2x Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
champ
With
the growth of MMA around the world it's easy to see new weight
classes, new fighting styles and new categories appearing. Since
1997, those who've watched MMA/NHB events can see that the female
scene has gotten a whole lot more recognition, mainly in Japan,
where events like Smack Girl already have a lot of fans. American
girls, Dutch girls and, obviously the Japanese girls have shown
their techniques in the rings, however where're all the Brazilian
females? Brazil is considered one of the most important 'factories
of for fighters', but there has not been a female Brazilian to
share this success.
Well
Karmem 'Casca-Grossa' wants to set this straight and is here
to introduce herself!
'Well
I've trained Jiu Jitsu since 1995, my nickname - 'Casca Grossa'
- means tough in portuguese, I'm a Royler Gracie student and
I also have a good stand up game because my Boxing coach is Ullisses,
who's the coach of Acelino 'Popó' Freitas', the world
know boxer. Stated Karmem.
Do
you pay attention to the international female NHB scene? I've
seen the NHB international scene via the internet and I've want
to take part, there's not a good female circuit or opponent for
me here in Brazil.
Hey
Karmem, how're the rules of the Brazilian events where you taken
part? The IVC Brazil rules, no gloves and with elbows, headbutts
and knees are also allowed, these're the ones I like.
The
NHB history of Karmem began in 1997 when she faced off Zebú
from Boxing, an easy fight says Karmem:
'She
was heavier than me and she was 5x Boxing champion, but it wasn't
a problem, I pounded her on the feet, she dropped and I mounted,
after more punches I got her back and submitted her with a rear
naked choke. Due to this performance I got this nickname, Casca-Grossa'
The
other 2 Karmem's fights were big time performances, where she
armbarred her second opponent in less than 2:00 minutes in 1999
and choked her third opponent out in 2000.
Without
no NHB fights since 2000, due to a lack of opponents, Karmem
wants to give a final message to the promoters of HOOKnSHOOT,
IFC and Smack Girl:
'I
know that these 3 events have organized female NHB fights regularly,
so I want to say, I won't choose opponents! If somebody wants
to test me, no problems I fight in the under 90kg without any
fear, I'm prepared and I'm ready to surpass any woman to get
the recognition. My contact is 091 99991345. I wait patiently.
What I need is a chance!
Source: ADCC
The
BATTLESHIP is Coming?
It appears that report of a Mixed Martial Arts show called 'BATTLESHIP'
are very much true. Whether or not the rumor of the event taking
place on an actual ship....well, let's call that a definite 'rumor.'
Many fighters
have been contacted personally about an event that will feature
two 8-man tournaments. There are rumored weight divisions of
185lbs & under as well as a 170lbs class with the respective
winner of each tournament getting $250,000.
The event, ran
by the promoters of Ultimate Pankration, is attracting many potential
names like Frank Shamrock, Evan Tanner, Benji Radach, Renzo Gracie,
Team Extreme, Dennis Hallman and a host of others.
Details are
very sketchy but those doubting the money figures should know
that Ultimate Pankration paid their fighters in full. Many fighters,
even relatively unknowns, got a reported $5,000-$10,000 for a
single match. Marco Ruas received one of the largest paydays
in his career as well for their first show.
More on this
event as it develops.
Source: FIGHTWORLD
2
Hot 2 Handle 6
October 12, 2002
Soboba Casino, California
Pictures and Report by Ron Brouwer
Press Conference
and Weigh-In
The atmosphere
was good, and one by one the fighters came into the room. All
fighters, except for the 4-man tournament fighters, were there.
First the amateur
fighters weighed in, and everyone was at exactly the right weight.
When they were done the big boys started hitting the scales.
Guys like Gilbert
Yvel and Bob Schreiber fought in the open weight category, but
they went on the scale as well. Yvel was heavier then ever. He
came in at an amazing 245lbs. All the Red Devil fighters were
slightly over the weight limits, but the most remarkable one
was Andrey Semenov. He weighed in at 194 lbs while the fight
was agreed to be under 187lbs. When the promoters asked him what
the reason was, he simply said he was hungry and just came out
of the restaurant that was around the corner. Lucky for Semenov
his opponent weighed in at 195lbs so with both fighters being
over weight the fight can still go on.
There are a
couple changes in the rules this year. In the past events there
were things like standing 8 counts, rope escapes and 30 second
time limits on the ground but that is all history now. The 2H2H
organization wanted to make the tournament more adapted to international
mix fight rules.
The final line
up for the show is:
Miikka Lahtinnen
(Finland) vs Refles La Rose
First Tournament Match
Second Tournament Match
Irma Verhoeff vs Marloes Coenen
Murad Chunkaev (GG) vs Andrey Seminov (Red Devil)
Vincent Vielvoye vs Stepjan Veselic
Arman Gambaryan (Red Devil) vs Dave Dalgliesh
Rodney Faverus vs Valentijn Overeem
Amar Suloev vs Paul Cahoon
Ykupov (Red Devil) vs Najim Ethoullali
Petr Von Dracheck vs Jerrel Venetiaan
Ibragim Magamodov vs Gilbert Yvel
Tournament Final
Cyrille Diabate vs Bob Schrijber
The tournament contestants are:
Dave Vader
Moise Rimbon
Alseldar Abdul Hamidov
Alistair Overeem
Source: Sherdog
Brazilian
Beat by Eduardo Alonso
MECA 7 in its final details;
Top Team to shine in Pancrase in 2003;
Chute Boxe going to Mexico!
The
Brazilian Beat:
October is already rolling and Brazil's biggest NHB event is
in the final stages of development! MECA 7 will bring back several
veterans and showcase some newcomers as well, promising to develop
new talents as always. With names like Murilo Ninja, Anderson
and Assuerio Silva, Luiz Azeredo, Gustavo Ximu and others having
their careers practically started in MECA, it's always important
to keep a close eye on the new talent that may appear on the
card. Yet MECA isn't the only thing happening right now in Brazil,
PRIDE 23 is still more than a month away, but the negotiations
are heating up the scene in Brazil with several fighters pursuing
a spot on the event's card. But since PRIDE isn't the only event
in the world, the Brazilian teams are always breaking new ground
with the Brazilian Top Team establishing a relationship with
Pancrase for 2003 and Chute Boxe going to Mexico in the next
two months . So enjoy the reading as Full Contact Fighter delivers
the beat!
MECA World Vale Tudo 7 will be held on November 8th, and the
card is finally developing. Despite what other websites published,
the entire card is not yet defined, and promoter Rudimar Fedrigo
told FCF some of the matches by some previously announced by
other media won't happen. However, he assured the follow match-ups
are confirmed for the event:
Mauricio Shogun vs. Capoeira
Dave Phillips vs. Luizao
Silvio Urutum vs. Evangelista "Cyborg"
Nilson de Castro vs. Lucas Lopes
Mauricio Shogun is Chute Boxe sensation Murilo Ninja's brother,
and he will be facing a Barra Gracie fighter named Capoeira.
American fighter Dave Phillips will be facing a Mario Sperry
BJJ black belt Luizao and Chute Boxe veteran Silvio Urutum will
return against a very experienced NHB fighter in Cyborg. The
sad note is that Alexandre Cacareco suffered an injury to his
ribs and won't be able to compete in the event, leaving the place
of Nilson de Castro's opponent to Lucas Lopes, who is reported
to have very good boxing skills along with some decent jiu-jitsu
skills.
The
details for the rest of the card are still in the works and the
fight between Royler Gracie BJJ black belt Cristiano Marcelo
against Brazilian Muay Thai sensation Alex Gaze is not likely
to happen anymore, the two fighters will compete in the event,
but probably against other opponents. Also, with the relentless
work of the promoters a new match-up is about to be announced,
Brazilian Top Team fighter Juan Carneiro, who fought Anderson
Silva at the last MECA, will be added to the card to go up against
an as yet to be named opponent.
PRIDE
heavyweight champion Rodrigo Minotauro Nogueira is finally back
in Brazil after an extended trip to Japan. Minotauro, who stayed
in Japan to attend his brother's fight in Deep and then later
at PRIDE 22, accepted an invitation to attend at the last K-1
event and ended up staying in the land of the rising sun for
much longer than expected! He finally returned to Brazil this
Wednesday and got back to training on Thursday beginning his
preparation for his first title defense at PRIDE 23 in November.
Speaking
of the Brazilian Top Team, negotiations are still ongoing about
the team's presence at PRIDE 23, and it is still likely that
several members of the team will compete in the event. Minotauro,
of course, is guaranteed to be in it and chances are still high
that his brother may appear in the show. It also looks more likely
that the "Zen Machine" Mario Sperry may return to the
event after his participation in PRIDE 22, and former Top Team
member Ricardo Arona is already preparing hard for a fight on
the card as well. Look for him to be performing in the Tokyo
Dome.
Ruas
Vale Tudo star and UFC veteran Pedro Rizzo had surgery on his
nose this Tuesday. According to his wife the surgery was a success
and Rizzo left the Hospital on Wednesday. Right now, due to the
obvious post-operative recovery process, "The Rock"
is suffering some pain and isn't able to speak very much, but
the dressings are being taken off today and the recovery process
is going fine. Pedro will resume his physical training in the
coming weeks.
Chute
Boxe star and PRIDE middleweight champion Vanderlei Silva is
also training hard for his second title defense at PRIDE 23.
In typical Chute Boxe fashion, the training sessions have been
pure hardcore and Silva is sporting four stitches just above
his eye, due to an incidental headbutt by his teammate Jamanta.
Vanderlei's comments to FCF about the stitches were also in typical
"Axe Murderer" fashion: "It doesn't matter! Training
is always fun!" At this point Sanae Kikuta and Hiromitsu
Kanehara are two likely opponents, although nothing is sure yet.
As
the popularity of the sport of NHB continues to grow worldwide,
Mexico has been holding NHB events with good success and in a
matter of two months they'll have a Chute Boxe fighter competing
in an event! Chute Boxe coach Rudimar Fedrigo told Full Contact
Fighter he was approached by a Mexican event and right now they
are deciding and negotiating which Chute Boxe fighter will appear
in the event, but the team is very excited about having a fighter
competing in Mexico in two months from now.
The
ADCC Submission Grappling tournament will be held in th ecity
of Sao Paulo in 2003! Although this is sort of old news, what's
important now is that the details and logistics of the operation
are in the works and it looks highly likely that the largest
city in Brazil will be receiving the world's top grapplers in
the most important submission grappling competition in the world.
Talks are going on for the event to be broadcast by the biggest
TV station in Brazil! This would be a giant step for the grappling
sports in the country, and with the involvement of Sheik Tahnoon
in the event, several sponsors are already showing interest in
associating their names with the competition. FCF will keep following
the developments of the next edition of the biggest event of
its kind.
PRIDE's
new policy has been one of the major subjects of talk in the
NHB community in Brazil. As already reported by the media, PRIDE
is intending to cut the fighters' purses by around 20% to 30%
and all the fighters and managers in Brazil are wondering how
things will end up. It'll be interesting to see how this will
affect things - newcomers' purses in particluar, since stars
like Minotauro and Vanderlei Silva are less likely to suffer
any cuts. FCF will keep following the developments as always,
and sincerely hopes one day our sport will reach a level where
all fighters will get paid as well as they deserve.
As
the Brazilian teams are constantly working hard and breaking
new ground, the Brazilian Top Team is making important contacts
with Pancrase, and their fighters will be competing a lot during
the next year for the Japanese organization. Pancrase has interesting
plans for 2003 and they'll likely hold 12 events during the year,
one per month, and with the contacts being made, plenty of BTT
fighters will be fighting on their cards, giving the team's newcomers
and proven veterans another stage on which to perform.
Source: FCF
- Eduardo Alonso
Straight
Blast Gym Pioneer
MATT THORNTON
Pontefract, UK
September 30th 2002
Back
in the UK again Matt, how are you liking it?
I always enjoy visiting the UK. Everyone is always very nice,
and I like the British sense of humour, plus British women are
beautiful and brilliant. . .so it's all good.
Let
me get this question out of the way because you must have been
asked it a million times, your JKD isn't anything like the JKD
we have become used to seeing. Why keep the name as opposed to
Matt Thornton's Freestyle or something? That is a good question.
At my Gym nobody that walks into the door asks, or really cares
about JKD. The clients that walk into the Gym are interested
in self defence, getting in shape, having fun, things like that.
The subject of Jeet Kune Do just doesn't come up.
However,
when it comes to the seminar circuit, there are a lot of people
who come through JKD and eventually find their way to our Gym.
I think this is because people believe what they read about the
theory of JKD, that you should train all ranges of fighting,
and use what works. But often they find the reality of it to
be just another traditional Martial Art. Complete with ritual,
hierarchy, titles, forms, katas, and tons of two person forms,
and one or two step sparring. Those people tend get tired of
the nonsense and politics, and give up on the idea of JKD. Then
they hear about us, attend a seminar, and realise we are all
working towards the same goal. So they find their way to our
Gym. That's why we continue to use the name JKD. I believe absolutely
that the SBG represents what JKD is supposed to be.
For
the benefit of people in the UK that are not familiar with the
Straight Blast Gym's training philosophy, give them an overview
of Aliveness. That's easy. . .timing, which cannot be found in
a two person form, kata, djuru, or anything that follows a script.
Energy, by which I mean progressive resistance. And motion, that
is footwork, hip movement, just plain un-patterned, non re-rehearsed
footwork. It's LIVE. . .it's ALIVE, it's not a choreographed
demonstration.
It's
funny, in a recent interview someone asked Burton Richardson
what the biggest thing was as far as his turning towards all
Alive training. Burt's advice was that when it comes to training
stick…..NEVER have your partner swing it, and lock it out
so you can perform your movement, disarm, or technique. Never
do that! Just always pull through, always swing with some realistic
energy. It's funny, but something as completely simple as that,
can totally change the way someone practices an Art like Kali.
That is Aliveness.
Why
do people then find the Aliveness concept so difficult to accept?
I
think that is because when you train Alive, and expose your students
to alive training, you have to throw out a major portion of the
JKD curriculum, as well as most traditional Martial Arts curriculum.
This is because they simply don't work well when applied against
a resisting opponent.
All
of the sudden the premium is placed on performance. And Arts
that perform well. . .boxing, wrestling, Judo, Muay Thai, BJJ,
and others, become the base. You can't pretend to be a Sifu,
with all the mystical powers. You have to spar, roll, and lay
it on the line. That is VERY different.
Would
you say that your honesty and opinion has caused offence to some
people?
Because
they are worried that their audience will discover they have
been teaching them bollocks for the last decade, and their self
image will be blown.
There
are many traditional martial arts schools over here claiming
their art is for self defence only with no sporting application?
Is there such a thing?
If it's trained Alive, it will be by it's very nature 'Athletic'.
If it's not trained Alive. . .it won't matter how supposedly
'deadly' the move is. . .under pressure you will be able to apply
it. It's really that simple.
That's
why Judo athletes can actually throw people, and most traditional
Japanese Jiu-Jitsu, or Aikido people cannot (unless they have
trained Judo or wrestling themselves). Everything they do is
choreographed. It's not real.
A
lot of these martial arts still use forms, kata, whatever as
well as traditional methods such as one step sparring, do you
think there is any value in this type of training?
None,
in fact it's actually very counter-productive. It all needs to
be thrown away for the real growth to begin.
Who
would you say has been your biggest inspiration in the martial
arts world? Why?
No
one particular person. I admire many people. The one individual
I probably find myself drawing from the most would be Krishnamurti.
He was not a Martial Artist. But never the less, he has been
a big inspiration to me. As is Alan Watts, Aldous Huxley, and
Joseph Campbell. As far as Martial artists go I would have to
say Rickson. He has the most presence, and his timing is out
of this world.
Whilst
I was in the States I met Chris Haueter at the Machado place,
I believe he is a good friend of yours. A very talented guy wouldn't
you say?
Chris
is a fantastic guy. Very laid back, very intelligent Coach. He
is also a superb BJJ player.
You
have hooked up with a good set of people over here in the UK,
how did that come about?
I
have to thank Chris for that. He hooked me up with Andy Norman's
group, and I have been doing workshops for them. Also, I met
Karl Tanswell, and Karl and I have been training since.
Are
we going to see a Straight Blast Gym over here?
Yep,
Karl Tanswell is our first UK Coach. He has all the qualities
we look for. A good well rounded game, stand up, clinch, and
ground. Trains Alive, and understands how to Coach athletes who
are just starting in an Alive manner. He also has the best knife
defence program I have ever seen. Karl just spent a few weeks
over here. He met and worked out with all the SBG Coaches from
around the USA. He fits right in, and we are all proud to have
him represent SBG.
How
does the level of guys in the UK compare to the level in USA?
The
level is good. The heart, and skill of the UK Athletes is just
as good as the USA. The BJJ level is a little behind the west
coast of the USA, but it wont take long to catch up. I think
the biggest problem UK fighters will face is the fact that they
don't have wrestling in schools in the UK. A lot of the American
athletes come from a background of wrestling since they where
little kids, and that's a big advantage.
Your
gym seems to be doing well in competition, did you have a competitive
career?
Yes,
I still like to actively compete in BJJ, and Submission wrestling
when I can, and when my body is healthy and injury free.
The
Straight Blast Gym has produced some of the best training videos
on the market today, Haueter, Henderson, Bass & Williams,
Inoue, yourself. What's next?
Right
now I have a series by Rodney King that I think will rock the
Martial arts world as far as stand up fighting is concerned.
I also have another series by the Singer Brothers that I think
will be great, and a second series on BJJ by Bob Bass and Rick
Williams. All that stuff is sitting on the drawing board, waiting
to be edited, and released within the next 12 Months or so.
Plans
for the future?
Always,
but they are secret! Just kidding. If you plan ahead, you cannot
go with the flow. All I ever have is a broad vision. . .I will
leave the day to day goal setting to Tony Robbins.
One
final question Matt; Darren Currie asked me to ask you, how can
you consider yourself the most handsome martial arts instructor
when he clearly is?
Wow,
I have heard that Karl Tanswell bills himself as the best looking
UK Martial arts Instructor. But it really doesn't matter when
I step off the plane in the UK does it? The ladies know what's
up.
Thanks
very much for the interview; I hope to see you on your next visit.
The two
largest grappling tournaments in the US are Grapplers Quest and
NAGA. Here is Grapplers Quest's largest tournament and below
is NAGA's.
The Grapplers Quest Submission Grappling World Championships,
Saturday, October 19th at Marist High School in Bayonne, New
Jersey is shaping up to be another blockbuster event. With 221
competitors already pre-registered, we are expecting well over
500 competitors at the show. 72 Divisions have been slated for
Novice-Advanced Men, Women, Children, Executives, and Masters!
SAVE $25 - We
have extended online pre-registration thru Sunday, October 13th
(TODAY!!!!) until 11:59 PM. After that time, registrations will
only be accepted at-the-door. Weigh-Ins start at 8:00 AM, and
the Children’s Division begin at 10:00 AM.
To register
online and Save $25, go to:
http://www.grapplers.com
(Click on Registration Image to the Left or STORE)
The
NAGC is the biggest, baddest mixed grappling tournament on the
planet. Seven years ago, the NAGA pioneered the idea of having
mixed grappling styles compete in a tournament forum in both
Gi & No-Gi competition. Our goal was to not limit the strengths
of any one style. The popularity of this idea has grown exponentially,
from 55 members back in 1995, to over 6,500 in 2002. We have
separated all of the ADULT Gi & No-Gi competition (No-Gi
on Saturday/ Gi on Sunday) and added over 22 divisions from last
year's event, including Kids, Masters, and Women divisions by
Beginner & Advanced. This is so the first-time individuals
in these new categories can compete with other Beginners and
the Advanced can battle for championship belts! The NAGA is continuously
refining the components of its tournaments including the division
assignments, and in this evolution, the NAGC continues to be
the biggest and best around!
127
GRAPPLING DIVISIONS
The
NAGC has 127 separate grappling divisions! This is more than
any other grappling tournament, ever! The NAGA has eliminated
the possibility of mismatches and has provided you with the fairest
and most comprehensive tournament structuring in the country.
This event nearly doubles in size every year. Why? Because the
NAGC is the grand finale event of the year for the fastest growing
grappling organization in the world.
56
CHAMPIONSHIP BELTS
The
NAGA has commissioned a company to create HUGE Custom Championship
Belts for this event! Our investment of over $14,000 was worth
every penny! They are awesome: real leather with a diamond cut,
chrome finish that is going to blow you away! Tournament Gi &
No-Gi Champions in all Kids (Under 14 Years old), Teens (15 to
17 years), Women, Men, Masters & Executive (Advanced Divisions)
winners will take home a beautiful Championship Belt for their
victory.
(See
Registration form for specific Championship Belt Divisions)
For
Novice, Beginner and Intermediate level competitors, we have
invested in monster four-foot, three-poster trophies for 1st
place finishers in all other divisions. Unlike medals, we are
giving awesome trophies to all 1st thru 4th place finishers in
all divisions (Belts replace 1st Place Trophy in Advance Divisions)
SANDBAGGING
IS CAUGHT
One
downside to competition grappling is “sandbagging”,
or the practice of fighting down skill levels to ensure one takes
home an award. Throughout this year, the NAGA has been working
with MMA.TV to track all fighters and rank grappling events to
produce true “national standings”. A by-product of
these standings is that we know who has competed at what level.
At the NAGC, Ring Coordinators will use this data to determine
whether or not individuals who have fought in the past belong
in a higher skill level. While this may take some extra time,
we feel very confident that sandbaggers will be forced to fight
in their appropriate divisions.
FREE
COMPETITION T-SHIRTS
We
have commissioned a professional designer to come up with an
awesome tournament T-shirt to give away FREE to all pre-registered
competitors.
For
a pre-registration form and more information on the event –
Please go to www.nagafighter.com
Joe
Cuff has done some serious work on this page for this event!
Source: NAGA
FENG
SHUI FOR THE SMALL BUSINESS
HAWAII SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER NETWORK
AT THE SMALL BUSINESS RESOURCE CENTER
Presents
FENG SHUI FOR
THE SMALL BUSINESS
Bring greater
wealth and good fortune to your small business while enhancing
relationships between co-workers. With good "chi" flowing
through the business, relationships and your reputation will
stay healthy. Learn the basic principles of feng shui and how
to apply them to your business.
Speaker MASTER CLARENCE LAU includes the Form School technique
which looks at the surrounding environment, such as the mountains,
rivers, buildings and streets around the home or office. The
location of your home or office relative to this will contribute
to the good fortune and challenges in your daily life. MASTER
LAU also includes advanced Compass School techniques which calculates
energy, time and space mathematically in his consultations.
DATE: November
6, 2002 TIME: 1:00-4:00 P.M.
LOCATION: Hawaii SBDC Network-Honolulu (Chinatown Gateway Plaza)
1041 Nuuanu Avenue, Suite A, Honolulu, Hawaii 96817
PARKING: Bethel Street entry to Municipal Garage @ the Chinatown
Gateway Plaza
COST: $30.00; $35.00 at the door
Please call 522-8131 for Registration or more information, or
Fax Form to 522-7494.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Registration
Form FENG SHUI FOR THE SMALL BUSINESS
Please
check (Ö) the appropriate areas below:
BUSINESS OWNER: _____ MINORITY: ____ M: ____F: ____ SBA CLIENT:
_____ VETERAN: _____
VIETNAM VETERAN: _____ DISABLED VETERAN: _____ IN INTERNATIONAL
TRADE: _____
CHECKS
OR CREDIT CARD PAYMENT ACCEPTED:Please make your check payable
to: RCUHMail payment and registration form to:
Hawaii SBDC Network
1041 Nu'uanu Ave., Suite A
Honolulu, HI 96817
CREDIT CARDS: (PLEASE CIRCLE ONE): MASTER CARD OR VISA
The
Hawaii Small Business Development Center is partially funded
under cooperative agreement No. 5-7770-0012-06-A-01 by the Small
Business Administration. The support given by the U.S. Small
Business Administration through such funding does not constitute
an expressed or implied endorsement of any of the co-sponsor(s)'
or participants' opinions, findings, conclusions, recommendations,
products or services.
Source: Ann Nakanishi, Hawaii SBDC Network-Honolulu
10/11/02
Quote
of the Day
Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if
you just sit there.
Unknown
Warriors
Quest 8
"YOUNG GUNS" SPECIAL ADDITION
Renato
"Charuto" Verrisimo (NOVA UNIAO) 1-0
#2 Rank Warriors Quest Fighter
Vs.
Nick Diaz(Cesar Gracie) 5-1
Brazilian Black
Belt Charuto is back in action!! Charuto who had an impressive
debut in Warriors Quest will take on Cesar Graices fastest up
and Comer Nick Diaz. Diaz who beat #2 rank Pancrase fighter Chris
Lyte in IFC. Look for an barn burner as they both will get it
on.
So far, here's
the updated fight card!
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. Nick Diaz
(Cesar Gracie)
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!!
NAGA
Tournament Results
Kipp was
supposed to email us the results, but I guess he forgot. He it
is after long last. Thanks to Hoodah guy for letting us know
that it was up on the NAGA site. Once again, congratulations
to all the teams that competed. As you can see by the amount
of teams, it was a very successful tournament. Relson's International
Tournament is scheduled for November 16 so hopefully, many teams
show up to compete in that event as well. More information coming
soon.
Overall
Team Results
with points
1st
Place - Relson Gracie 246
2nd
Place - 808 Fight Factory 69
3rd
Place - Nova Uniao 48
4th
Place - North Shore BJJ 42
5th
Place - Grappling Unlimited 24
6th
Place - Kamole 19
7th
Place - Luis Hereida 19
8th
Place - HMC 18
9th
Place - Longman 18
10th
Place - Freestyle 17
11th
Place - Impact 15
11th
Place - JKD Unlimited 15
13th
Place - Jesus is Lord 12
14th
Place - Kodenkan 9
15th
Place - Spectrum 5
15th
Place - Home Grown 5
17th
Place - Scott Judo 3
18th
Place - Bulls Pen 2
NO
- GI TEAM WINNERS
1st
Place - Relson Gracie 138
2nd
Place - 808 Fight Factory 62
3rd
Place - Grappling Unlimited 24
4th
Place - Northshore BJJ 22
5th
Place - Nova Uniao 20
6th
Place - Kamole 19
7th
Place - Impact 16
8th
Place - JKD Unlimited 15
9th
Place - Jesus is Lord 12
10th
Place - Kodenkan 9
11th
Place - Longman 8
12th
Place - Freestyle 7
12th
Place - HMC 7
Honorable
mention:
Spectrum,
Scott Judo, Home Grown & Bulls Pen
GI
TEAM WINNERS
1st
Place - Relson Gracie 105
2nd
Place - Nova Uniao 28
3rd
Place - North Shore BJJ 20
4th
Place - Luis Hereida 19
5th
Place - HMC 11
6th
Place - Freestyle 10
6th
Place - Longman 10
8th
Place - 808 Fight Factory 7
9th
Place - Home Grown 3
10th
Place - Spectrum 2
Individual
Winners
ADULT
GI DIVISION WINNERS
No-Gi Advanced Fly Weight
1st Place Ryan Cabinian
2nd Place William Hagerty
3rd Place Jim Kikuchi
No-Gi
Advanced Heavy Weight
1st Place Kaleo Hosaka
2nd Place Andrew Furuta
3rd Place Jeff Furuta
No-Gi
Advanced Light Heavy Weight
1st Place Jeff Furuta
2nd Place Jacob Vela
3rd Place Andrew Furuta
4rd Place David Padilla
No-Gi
Advanced Light Weight
1st Place Kyle Sukehirg
2nd Place Eben Kaneshiro
3rd Place Micah Salazar
4rd Place Erik Beach
No-Gi
Advanced Middle Weight
1st Place Sam Kressin
2nd Place William Franco
3rd Place David Padilla
No-Gi
Advanced Super Heavy Weight
1st Place Malcolm Ahlo
2nd Place Kaleo Hosaka
3rd Place Creighton Hatico
No-Gi
Intermediate Fly Weight
1st Place Emile Suehiro
2nd Place Troy Ocmiai
3rd Place Jim Kikuchi
4rd Place David Aquino
No-Gi
Intermediate Heavy Weight
1st Place Larry Pemeira
2nd Place Paul Wright
3rd Place Curt Cummings
4rd Place Elbert Jumbo
No-Gi
Intermediate Light Heavy Weight
1st Place John Crisostomo
2nd Place Raymond Ursua
3rd Place Nassor Lewis
4rd Place Josh Urbano
No-Gi
Intermediate Light Weight
1st Place Renee Suehiro
2nd Place Dain Agbayani
3rd Place Scott Judd
4rd Place Chad Miguel
No-Gi
Intermediate Middle Weight
1st Place Richie Cabinian
2nd Place Carlos Molestina
3rd Place Jeffrey Sabug
4rd Place Josh Aipoalani
No-Gi
Intermediate Super Heavy Weight
1st Place Raymond Seraile
2nd Place Moses Kerisiano
No-Gi
Masters
1st Place Tim Tynan
2nd Place Kaleo Hosaka
3rd Place Creighton Hatico
4rd Place Greg McFerren
No-Gi
Masters 30-40 Light Weight
1st Place Andrew Furuta
2nd Place Adam Roversi
3rd Place Jeff Furuta
4rd Place David Cripe
Teens
Gi
1st Place Kyle Snyder-Olivares
2nd Place Raymond Melendez
Teens
No-Gi One Division
1st Place Kyle Snyder-Olivares
2nd Place Prestin Lee
3rd Place Stephen Fernandez
4rd Place Stephen Paling IV
Womens
Gi One Division
1st Place Sunshine Mgunakea
2nd Place Gretchen Eddy
Womens
No Gi One Division
1st Place Molly Helsel
2nd Place Adrienna Jenkins
3rd Place Gretchen Eddy
No-Gi
Beginner Fly Weight
1st Place Noa Moke
2nd Place Ivan Lysda
3rd Place Sergio Hurtado
4rd Place Leo Pasalo
No-Gi
Beginner Heavy Weight
1st Place Dexter Kauahi
2nd Place Gary Hunter
3rd Place Zaid Bates
4rd Place Alden Simbahon
No-Gi
Beginner Light Heavy Weight
1st Place Raymond Ursua
2nd Place Jay Sylva
3rd Place Vance Galapia
No-Gi
Beginner Light Weight
1st Place Dain Agbayani
2nd Place Abraham Robinson
3rd Place Josey Smith
4rd Place Loren Chang
No-Gi
Beginner Middle Weight
1st Place Rory Valle
2nd Place Dean Lista
3rd Place Isidoro Tacderan Jr.
4rd Place Lyle Auld
No-Gi
Beginner Super Heavy Weight
1st Place Dwayne Kosima
2nd Place Tim Tynan
3rd Place Byron Hernandez
4rd Place Michael Kupau
Kids
No Gi Fly Weight
1st Place Kai Kamaka Jr.
2nd Place Robert Ostovich Jr.
Kids
No Gi Heavy Weight
1st Place Shane Ahlo Jr.
2nd Place Vilay Insouranh
Kids
No Gi Middle Weight
1st Place Sage Yoshida
2nd Place Ray Cooper Jr.
3rd Place Derrick Fuller
4rd Place Robert Ostovich Jr.
Kids
No Gi Super Heavy Weight
1st Place Kekoa Biroan
2nd Place Matthew Stone
Gi-Purple
Belt Middle Weight
1st Place Jeff Furuta
2nd Place Ronn Shiraki
3rd Place Kaleo Hosaka
4rd Place Lee Theros
Gi-Blue
Belt Fly Weight
1st Place Beau Williams
2nd Place Andrew Kawada
3rd Place Adrienna Jenkins
4rd Place Patrick Agullana
Gi-Blue
Belt Heavy Weight
1st Place Jake Mapes
2nd Place Neal Tomimatsu
3rd Place Elbert Jumbo
Gi-Blue
Belt Light Heavy Weight
1st Place Adam Roversi
2nd Place Neal Tomimatsu
Gi-Blue
Belt Middle Weight
1st Place Tyson Coloma-Nahooikaika
2nd Place Carlos Molestina
3rd Place Erik Beach
4rd Place gye nitta
Gi-Blue
Belt Super Heavy Weight
1st Place Malcolm Ahlo Jr.
2nd Place Elbert Jumbo
Gi-Masters
30 to 40 yrs
1st Place Malcolm Ahlo Jr.
2nd Place Kaleo Hosaka
3rd Place Lee Theros
4rd Place Craig Davis
Gi-White
Belt Fly Weight
1st Place Kekaikaika Fonseca
2nd Place Sergio Hurtado
3rd Place Jim Kikuchi
4rd Place Daniel Morales
Gi-White
Belt Heavy Weight
1st Place Dexter Kauahi
2nd Place Zaid Bates
3rd Place Alden Simbahon
Gi-White
Belt Light Heavy Weight
1st Place Nassor Lewis
2nd Place Elijah Frost
3rd Place Russell Mito
4rd Place Keoni Payton
Gi-White
Belt Light Weight
1st Place Micah Salazar
2nd Place Scott Judd
3rd Place Craig Davis
4rd Place Junoz Morales
Gi-White
Belt Middle Weight
1st Place Marshall Ng
2nd Place Lyle Auld
3rd Place Jon Andres
4rd Place Rory Valle
Gi-White
Belt Super Heavy Weight
1st Place Kyle Nitahara
2nd Place Phillip Baltunado
3rd Place Champ Tremaine
4rd Place Raymond Balderama
Kids
Gi Middle Weight
1st Place Sage Yoshida
2nd Place Derrick Fuller
Kids
Gi Open
1st Place Shane Ahlo
2nd Place Kekoa Biroan
3rd Place Sage Yoshida
4rd Place Derrick Fuller
Kids
Gi Super Heavy Weight
1st Place Shane Ahlo
2nd Place Kekoa Biroan
3rd Place Vilay Insouranh
Source:
NAGA
JAPAN
NEWS
Latest rumors
involving Yoshida is that he will face off potentially with Ryan
Gracie in the next 3-5 months in PRIDE.
Yoshida has
yet to have a MMA match. He is also talking about facing Nougiera
as well. Yoshida and PRIDE view this move as a safe match as
Nougiera is considerably larger. Losing to a larger opponent
isn't as bad and a win for Yoshida would be huge.
PRIDE is coming
off of troublesome news for their last show. The 9/29/02 event
aired on FujiTV and got a very poor 4.7 rating. Management was
expecting at least a 7.0 rating but the event fell short to the
dismay of both PRIDE and FujiTV. This shows how valuable strong
Japanese names are to the show. Without the likes of Sakuraba,
Fujita and a handful of others, the show suffers.
2002 K-1 Grand
Prix ratings are in and for the first round. The show did almost
a 14% total rating on FujiTV. The high point of the show grew
to a whopping 19.8% for the Bob Sapp vs. Ernesto Hoost fight.
Think about how incredible it would be if UFC was on NBC and
got 19.8% of the audience to tune in. This news confirms that
Sapp is becoming a drawing card in Japan and can bring in a high
TV rating as well.
Here are the
brackets for the K-1 quarterfinals for the Tokyo Dome in December.
Card Subject
To Change
STEFAN LEKO VS. MARK HUNT
JEROME LEBANNER VS.MUSASHI
RAY SEFO VS. PETER AERTS
SEMMY SCHILTT VS. BOB SAPP
Source: ADCC
2002
Relson Gracie U.S. Nationals
~ Schwarzenegger
Professional No-Gi Qualifier ~
The 3rd Annual
Relson Gracie U.S. Nationals is one of the most competitive and
prestigious Jiu-Jitsu competitions in the United States. This
years competition will feature an amateur Gi and No-Gi format.
Winners from the amateur No-Gi competition will qualify for the
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Professional
Submission tournament, which will be held in late February, 2003.
The top 3 winning teams will awarded trophies and cash prizes
with individual competitors receiving Gold, Silver and Bronze
medals.
Online registration
and information is available by going to the tournament website
at www.gracienationals.com
KM:
So November 1st is your next fight in King Of The Cage. DH: Right!
KM:
But we don't know who the opponent is yet. My understanding is
if they don't get injured is the winner of Aram/Stevenson from
October 19th. DH: True, but we don't know if that will happen
for sure. If not it'll just be a replacement opponent.
KM:
So how does that feel? You can't really train if you don't know
who your opponent will be. DH: I just train the same way for
everybody. Just cardio. I think I have better skills then either
of those guys Aram or Stevenson or whoever they throw in there.
It's just about my cardio.
KM:
So you're not doing anything different for this? DH: Going to
Tahoe for 2 weeks before the fight, that's high elevation. That's
pretty much it.
KM:
This is the first time you've been on Pay Per View since UFC,
the Pulver fight? DH: Sure.
KM:
Was that the first time you ever fought on PPV? DH: No, I fought
in Japan a couple times and Matt Hughes in UFC 29.
KM:
I guess that doesn't really register to you? DH: That's the promoter's
deal, not mine.
KM:
This is the first time in KOTC itself? DH: Yep.
KM:
So you've been in cages before, PPV before, this is nothing new
to you, the only thing to worry about is who the opponent is?
DH: Yes.
KM:
Any thoughts on all this? DH: I'm back at my normal weight that
I should be fighting at. I've had my dips at 185 and 155 but
most of my success has been at 170.
KM:
How did it feel to fight at 155? DH: Skinny.
KM:
Chris Brennan is staying at 155 now. DH: Brennan is crazy. I
don't know how he does it.
Source:
ADCC
Interview:
EDDIE BRAVO
North America's ADCC 65.9 KG Champion!
Eddie
Bravo recently won his division at the ADCC North American Trials
to qualify for a spot at the 2003 ADCC Submission Wrestling Championships
to be held in Brazil. In addition, he was also named the 'Most
Technical Fighter' for the evening. Eddie is known by many for
his commentating at King of the Cage events. He is currently
a Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt and trains under Jean Jacques
Machado.
How
are you feeling after the ADCC trials? It feels so good to finally
show some of my techniques in such a prestigious event. I found
out that I can really perform well under a lot of pressure, I
was really nervous for 2 weeks before the show. It was very hard
for me to get good sleep because I was always thinking of fight
scenarios and my heart would start to race. I also wasn't sure
if I could make 145, I thought it was going to be harder than
it actually was. I weighed in at 143. So right now I'm pretty
confident about doing well in Brazil.
What
does it mean to you to have earned a spot at the ADCC tournament?
Earning that spot has been my greatest achievement in jiu-jitsu
so far. It's a euphoric feeling to have so many people in the
grappling world give me respect now. No one knew if I was really
any good or not. Most people thought that I was just a commentator
who took jiu-jitsu just because it would help with the broadcast
or something. Only people in Southern California knew that I
was not just your average blue belt. Now I get to battle in ABU
DHABI where the best of the best compete. It's really an incredible
rush to know that I'm among the top grapplers in the world. It
feels like I'm in some movie or something.
What
did you do to prepare for the trials? All I did differently was
watch my diet, low carbs, low sugar and lots of water. I don't
run or lift weights. All I do is jiu-jitsuŠ4 to 5 times
a week. I'm going to lift weights starting next week though.
I'm going to need every bit of strength I can get to challenge
for 1st place in Brazil.
What
did Jean Jacques Machado say to you before your matches at the
trials? 'Just play your game. Don't worry about what they want
to do to you. If you play your game, they won't have a chance
to do anything. Let's go to Brazil my friend'. 'Pohhah, Eddie
Bravo!'
What
will you do to prepare for the tournament in Brazil? Lots of
no-gi jiu-jitsu and weight lifting. No running. I hate running.
What
did you think of the skill level of the North American competitors
and how do you think they compare to the rest of the world? There
were quite a few guys that are at a world class level there.
Marc Laimon, Dean Lister, David Terrel, Pablo Popovich and a
lot of rising stars like Marc Bocek, Alan Teo, Roy Nelson, John
Rallo, Anthony Argyos and Todd Margolis. Yeah, there was a whole
lot of talent there.
Hopefully,
we'll get a chance to see more of your moves in Brazil. How do
you think your new techniques will do at the highest level of
international submission grappling competition? My techniques
will work anywhere on the planet, especially at 145. I'm used
to pulling my stuff off on purples, browns and blacks that have
20 to 40 pounds on me. Right now I can do about 7 or 8 pull ups.
Špathetic, RIGHT??? But I plan on getting to 20 or 25 by
March, think about that. Right now I can bench 135 about 8 times.
Šweak, RIGHT???? but I plan on pushing that up to at least
20 reps by March. I will be pretty confident by showtime.
Will
we have a chance to see you compete anywhere else before the
ADCC event in Brazil? I'm not sure now. I rely on my tricks for
success. If I compete before March, that will only mean more
footage for my opposition to study. I'm really going to need
the element of surprise for Abu Dhabi. I will also postpone the
release of my instructionals until after the event. I don't think
I will take any chances. The competition is just too fierce.
How's
the commentating going? I love it! Bud Brutsman has been the
best boss a guy can have. He lets me be myself and has always
been a great friend.
Hmmm...I
think that's it...anything else you want to add? Keep your eye
on Gerald Strebendt, he's the only MMA fighter on the planet
who knows ALL my techniques, including 'the Twister.' He's taking
6 months off to concentrate on his Muay Thai skills. He's living
in a Thai boxing camp in Hungary. Is that hardcore or what!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!
He'll be back in April to resume his NHB career. That's when
10th PLANET Jiu-Jitsu will take off. 10th PLANET Jiu Jitsu will
consist of me as the ground director, Joe Rogan as the man with
some serious pull and Gerald as the star fighter. We will be
looking for co-stars soon...
Thanks
for you time and good luck! Thank you.
Source:
ADCC
HOW
DREMIEL BYERS DID IT AT 2002 GRECO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
(Part Two)
By: Eddie Goldman
Wrestling
is the kind of sport where you can lose one day and destroy everyone
else the next. This has been especially true in the technical
style of Greco, where high-scoring moves are difficult to achieve,
but can sew up a match in an instant.
So
just six short years after he first started wrestling Greco,
Dremiel Byers, at 28 years of age and promoted in July 2002 to
the rank of Sergeant in the U.S. Army, was about to wrestle for
the second time in a Greco World Championships.
The
2002 Greco-Roman World Championships were held in Moscow, Russia,
this year, on Sept. 20-22. The blind draw placed Byers in the
opening round in a three-man pool with Jidong Song of China and
Dzmitry Debelka of Belarus. Song was new to the international
scene and had not accomplished much yet, and Byers soundly beat
him 6-0. But Debelka had been a bronze medalist at the 2000 Olympics,
and Byers had to get by him to advance out of the pool and into
the championship rounds.
The
match with Debelka was scoreless after the first period, so the
second period began in the clinch. Seconds later, just as Debelka
broke his hold, Byers drove Debelka to the mat. To his back the
former bronze medalist went, and Dremiel Byers had scored a pin
in just 3:14.
Next
was Youri Evseytchik of Israel, another veteran who had wrestled
for the Soviet Union and Ukraine before moving to Israel. Evseytchik
finished fourth at the 2000 Olympics.
Up
to this point, however, Byers had yet to surrender a point. That
was to change in the match with Evseytchik.
'With
Israel, I think I gave my first point up there,' Byers said.
'And I thought it was going to be my point. We were in the clinch
and he buried his head, and you're not allowed to do that. He
put it under my chin and just started pushing me. It's embarrassing
to be a heavyweight and get pushed out of bounds. And this guy
just pushed me out of bounds. He's probably one of the bigger
heavyweights that's going at this weight class now, since it's
down to 264. He was just a giant at 286.'
That
put Evseytchik up 1-0, but that was all the scoring there would
be in regulation. To overtime it went, and again the two wrestlers
locked up in the clinch. This time Byers was finally able to
throw the Israeli wrestler, and did so by throwing him right
to his back. It was good enough for a three-point throw, and
thus a 3-1 overtime victory, at 6:31.
On
to the semifinals our underrated Sergeant advanced, now having
to face Xenofon Koutsioubas of Greece. Though just 22 now, Koutsioubas
finished third in the world last year.
Byers
again fell behind by a 1-0 score, this time to a gut wrench in
the first period. 'Then the next point was against Greece,' recounted
Byers. 'He just him me with a gut wrench that I just didn't see
coming. There really was no room for me to defend. Usually a
gut wrench, you're crashing the shoulder, trying to break something,
bend the guy's back, his butt over his back or something like
that, or get his legs straight. This guy just rolled straight
across. He didn't try to break my back or shoulder or anything.
He just rolled straight across. It didn't make no sense to me,
but it worked. He turned me with ease. But I managed to get up
and get him put down, and lifted him.'
Lift
him he did, as he was awarded four points for a lift and throw
in the second period. It was enough to give him a 4-1 victory,
and a place in the gold medal finals against Hungary's Mihaly
Deak-Bardos.
Surprisingly,
Byers had little idea at that point of the world-class credentials
of the wrestlers he had just defeated to earn a spot in the finals.
'I
hate to have to say this, but I think as far as those guys that
I had, the draw that I did get, I didn't know,' admitted Byers.
'The only one that I knew was Deak. That's it. They didn't tell
me anything about anybody. They kept that from me. I don't know
if they thought it would affect my performance or not, but I'll
just be grateful that they didn't tell me. I didn't know this
guy was a bronze medalist in the Olympics. I didn't know this
guy was a multi-time world medalist. I knew that the Greek got
a medal last year in the Worlds, but I didn't really remember
what it was. I just remember Rulon won. But it worked out like
that.'
ON
TO THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS
Despite
not being fully apprised to this point of his opponent's accomplishments,
Sgt. Dremiel Byers needed little introduction to the man he would
face in the finals of the 2002 Greco-Roman Wrestling World Championships.
Byers not only knew Mihaly Deak-Bardos of Hungary as the man
Rulon Gardner defeated in the 2001 finals, but he had already
wrestled him twice before.
'This
was the third time wresting him,' recalled Byers. Deak-Bardos
had defeated Byers at the Concord Cup in California in 1999,
but Byers came back to defeat the Hungarian in the opening round
of the 1999 World Championships in Athens, Greece, 4-1.
'I
knew he was worried a little bit, and I was just going to use
it to my advantage,' the Sergeant stated. 'I knew what he had.
All he likes to do is hang on your head and try and push you
out-of-bounds. He has a decent gut wrench, but I was able to
stop that. I wasn't really worried about what he was going to
do. I was just focused on what I was going to do to him.'
But
neither man was able to score a point during the first three-minute
period in the finals. This 0-0 deadlock meant the second period
had to start with both men in the clinch position. And it is
from that position that Byers, as this tournament once again
demonstrated, is known to be very, very confident.
'Oh
yeah,' he agreed. 'We've worked that position so much. For a
while, it did get away from me, and now it's back. I understand
what I'm supposed to do there. It's just working out so good.
I'm comfortable in the clinch now. It's nothing to panic or worry
about. Just do what you have to do there.'
Byers
described what happened next.
'My
personal take on it is that I think Deak was maybe embarrassed
the way Rulon did him last year in the finals, because he tried
to do the exact same thing to me,' he said. 'He tried to push
me out-of-bounds and get me to the edge and pick me up and set
me out the circle, the same way Rulon did him. The closer he
got to it, I gave him a different look once we got to the edge.
And I guess he thought that he could throw me or something.'
Advantage,
Byers. 'And when he went for that, I just crushed him down. I
almost pinned him, but he got out-of-bounds.'
Byers
was awarded three points for this throw from his opponent's feet
to his back. It would be all the scoring in this match, but just
enough to earn a victory in regulation.
So
in five matches at the Worlds, Dremiel Byers had won all five,
including one pin. He had scored a total of 20 points. His opponents'
total: 2.
Army
Sergeant Dremiel Byers, born on Sept. 11, was now the Greco-Roman
wrestling heavyweight champion of the world.
To
be continued.
WRESTLING
NEWS:
2 more for Angle Classic
World
Champion Kontoev, Olympic medalist Nagata commit to competing
at Kurt Angle Classic in New Orleans, Nov. 8-9
Two
more international wrestling stars, a World Champion and an Olympic
silver medalist, 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 8-9, 2002.
The
most recent confirmations for the event came from 2001 World
Freestyle Champion Herman Kontoev of Belarus and 2000 Olympic
Greco-Roman silver medalist Katsuhiko Nagata of Japan.
This
brings the total to 14 World-class wrestling stars from foreign
nations who have agreed to participate in this exciting new competition.
These 14 international athletes have won a total of 10 World
Championships, one Olympic Games championship and 30 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.
Kontoev,
30, was a World Championships gold medalist in 2001, and placed
a strong fourth at the 2000 Olympic Games. He also boasts silver
medals at the 1998 European Championships, the 1996 World University
Championships and the 1993 World Cup.
Kontoev
will face two-time U.S. World Team member Stephen Abas (Fresno,
Calif./Sunkist Kids) at 55 kg/121 lbs. at the Kurt Angle Classic.
Abas was a Junior World Champion in 1998. Kontoev defeated Abas,
7-6, in the first pool competition match at the 2001 World Championships,
and Kontoev went on to claim the gold medal. Kontoev did not
wrestle in the 2002 World Championships due to illness.
Nagata,
27, won a silver medal at the 2000 Olympic Games, his top international
achievement. He has represented Japan at five World Championships,
as well. He won gold medals at the 2001 East Asia Games, as well
as the 2000 Asian Championships.
Nagata
will draw 2002 U.S. World Team member T.C. Dantzler (Colorado
Springs, Colo./New York AC) at 74 kg/163 lbs. on the Kurt Angle
Classic card. Dantzler, who was 11th at this year's World Championships,
did not face Nagata at the World meet.
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.
