April News Part 1
Quote
of the Day
"The
genius of you Americans is that you never make clear-cut stupid
moves, only complicated stupid moves which make us wonder at
the possibility that
there may be something to them which we are missing."
Gamal
Abdel-Nasser - the man who is perhaps most responsible for making
Egypt, and the Arab world generally, the thriving, peaceful,
and prosperous envy of the civilized world it is today (insert
sarcasm here).
|
Tito's
Way
Another
week, and another series of misadventures in The People vs. Tito
Ortiz.
Ortiz
was recently quoted as saying he "only" wants a mere
one hundred fifty thousand to show, and one hundred fifty thousand
to win in a prospective battle with Chuck Liddell. Interesting
development, especially considering that many doubt that's what
Ortiz originally asked for. And while he may indeed have come
back down to Earth with a semi-realistic purse request, it's
also doubtful that's the only thing he's requesting.
Rather
than sideline the light heavyweight title indefinitely, it now
looks probable that Zuffa will instead give Liddell his long-awaited
opportunity for it against Randy Couture. It's a solid and compelling
match between two proven contenders. But where does that leave
the reluctant current champ?
Source:
Maxfighting
|
Roger
Gracie - Coming Soon!
 
You
better watch him!
People
related to the martial arts usually say that the fighter career
begins when he gets his black belt. That saying is particularly
untrue when you talk about Jiu-Jitsu, where specialists, coaches
and teammates are able to notice a high skilled fighter since
he is a purple belt and even, sometimes, since he is blue or
green belt (the belt that only those who are very technical before
reaching the age of 16 years can hold).
That
is the reason why the new black belt Roger Gracie (go check my
colleague Kid Peligro last column for the details of yesterday
awarding) is not a newcomer for the ones who follow the Jiu-Jitsu
world. Roger has been smashing most of his opponents throughout
the tournaments for the last four years and certainly the black
belts of his weight division have their eyes focused on him since
the beginning.
But
this is not a yesterday about column and neither a Jiu-Jitsu
article. So why is it about Roger Gracie? Because he is right
now in the airplane along with Ricardo 'Big Dog' Almeida, and
both are arriving at Narita Airport, Japan. Almeida will face
Yuki Sasaki on next Saturday, 12, in the main event of Pancrase
2003 Hybrid Tourshow in Tokyo, and Roger is going to Japan in
order to help Almeida train.
Supporting
a teammate is a good enough reason to make one travel for 14
hours. But Gracie has another big reason to be in Japan. The
same reason that made him to spend the last few months training
at Renzo Gracie's headquarters, NY. He's getting used to the
MMA weather.
So
pay attention Pride fighters: a new Gracie is closer to the rings
than you can imagine. Roger, 20, 210 pounds, just got the blackbelt.
And his 6' body barely shows muscles. However, many witnesses
are able to say already: he's tough like hell!
Source:
ADCC/Luca Atalla
|
Catching
Up With JOE STEVENSON
One of the regular KOTC and Gladiator Challenge fighters Joe
Stevenson is one to keep an eye on, with wins over incredible
stand-out Jeremy Jackson and Extreme Challenge 50 tourney finalist
Cruz Chacon and losses only to top names like Ronald Jhun and UFC vets Brad Gumm, Jens Pulver,
Chris Brennan, and Romi Aram. It would be a stretch to say beating
Stevenson is a ticket into the UFC but Stevenson is definitely
a name to look for on a fighter’s record as well as an exciting
fighter to watch live. Now that Stevenson is dropping to 155
if he can get some wins against higher profile fighters we may
see him himself in the main show.
KM:
So you are on the next Gladiator Challenge card April 13th. Where
are you now in your training?
JS:
I’m not super peaking for this fight, just cruising. I’ll
try to peak for Thomas in May. A week after I fight I think I fight in Hawaii
against someone from 808.
KM:
Is that going to be in SuperBrawl?
JS:
No, it’ll
be in Kamaka’s show, Warriors Quest.
KM:
We talked about you dropping to 155 this summer. When is your
first fight at 155?
JS:
June supposedly. You’ll get that. I guess whoever Terry
(King Of The Cage) picks out.
KM:
So who is your opponent for Gladiator Challenge?
JS:
Chuck Kim.
KM:
I didn’t find much on Chuck Kim.
JS:
He’s fought Oleg Taktarov, Pat Miletich, a few other people.
He’s lost by guillotine and I’m going to try to keep
up the trend.
KM:
So you think you’ve spotted that weakness?
JS:
Yeah. That was six years ago he lost to those guys, a lot can
change, but hopefully he’s still susceptible to it.
KM:
How do you think your last fight went? I missed that one.
JS:
It went really quick. I wanted to submit him. You start hitting
people you start forgetting and I forgot. My corner didn’t
yell out ‘armbar’, they just yelled out ‘hit him’
and you do what they say.
KM:
And that was the day after the birth of your son.
JS:
That was awesome!
KM:
Did that have any effect on anything?
JS:
Yeah, I dedicated that fight to my son. I had incredible strength,
incredible stamina, nothing bad would have happened that day.
It helped pay for his circumscision.
KM:
And he was born on Valentine’s Day and you fought the day
after. Now you corner Phillip Miller at HOOKnSHOOT in Florida
and your next one is April 13th. You are staying busy here.
JS:
I try to push out a bunch and then will probably take a two month
break, three month break, and then at 155 rededicate myself and
try to be a new person. Right now this is just burning up 170
fights.
KM:
I was wondering if you are going to have challenges training
at 155. At Ted Williams Combat Grappling you have one person
at every weight class but I’m not sure who else trains with
you and if that is going to be a challenge.
JS:
It will be. We have some people at 145. Hopefully I can get some
friends in there like Antonio McKee or some people at lighter
weights that are used to fast paced. Hopefully at 155 I’m
a new person.
KM:
Last year you lost the KOTC belt to Romi and now here he is in
the UFC. In that sense people are looking at your fight with
him to preview Romi for the UFC. How do you feel about that?
JS:
It’s really hard to preview a person from one fight because
he fought me differently than he would fight this guy and he
fought this guy differently than he’d fight that guy. Every
fight is going to be different and he fought me the way he needed
to to beat me and it worked out great for him. It’s going
to be hard to judge his character and his ability from that fight
because he didn’t really do much on the ground. Do you know
who he’s fighting in the UFC?
KM:
Dave Strasser. In that sense people looking at that fight it
may not be a good judgment on Romi but it raises the stock of
you.
JS:
I can only hope for the best for Romi, don’t want him to
lose now (both laugh), but every fight is going to be different;
you’re going to have freak knock outs, submissions, wrong
decisions, boring decisions, and it’s all going to change
on how the person wakes up that morning. I hope the best for
Romi and actually I believe he’s going to win. I have no
doubt that he wins that fight.
KM:
Here we are in the waiting period for you to finish off your
170 lb fights, how do you feel about this stasis before rejuvenating
your career at your new weight?
JS:
It’s going to be really fun whooping Thomas’ ass at
170. It’s a nice highlight to finishing off at 170 because
I’m going to beat his ass.
KM:
In any way is it less motivation, that you know you are finishing
off that weight class before dropping?
JS:
No, because after the 155s I figure when I’m twenty-five
years old I’m going to grow a little bit and I’m not
going to try to keep my weight down; I’ll go back up to
170. Right now because people’s tendon strength and muscle
stamina and older strength…at 155 I’m going to do the
right thing, do it the natural way, the right way, and then I’ll
go back up and dominate hopefully there too.
KM:
At 155 in KOTC and possibly Gladiator Challenge too with Javi
out, Crane having the belt, and now word Chris Brennan is back…how
do you feel about those two in particular?
JS:
It’ll be awesome. Alberto is awesome; I felt the fight should
have gone the other way if Javi’s leg was 100% but if Alberto
is there he’s my mark. Chris would be a nice person to try
to fight again. Whatever they put in my lap I’m going to
take, just about.
KM:
So it’s not like you have anybody particular in mind at
155…
JS:
I’d like a couple rematches. Jens (Pulver) and Chris.
KM:
At 155 you have more options with Shooto too.
JS:
Yeah, I do. I have a lot more options with Shooto. Hopefully
I get the Japanese audience wanting me over there and that would
draw me over there because I don’t want to go knocking at
their door, I want them to come to me.
KM:
Anything else you want to get across?
JS:
No, just thanks for mentioning my son.
Source:
ADCC |
Catching
Up WIth CHRIS BRENNAN (pt 2)
Before
the second all-women’s HOOKnSHOOT was cancelled the first
two matches being discussed were Erica Montoya vs. Tara LaRosa
with Tara dropping to 125 and Debi Purcell vs. Jennifer Howe
for the 135 lb belt. As reported here on February 17th Erica
was unfortunately injured in a car wreck, the Vegas HOOKnSHOOT
was cancelled bumping Purcell/Howe to MA, and then on the eve
of signing the contract Debi tore her ACL. Now Montoya is not
only back to training but has two fights in Japan scheduled.
Here is manager/trainer of Next Generation and 155 lb fighter
himself Chris Brennan updating us in preparation for speaking
with Erica herself.
CB:
April 24th I have three new guys all 1-0 all fighting in Hawaii
at Kai Kamaka’s show. We’ll have somebody on every
KOTC card from now on. Two nights after Bao fights in Hawaii
Erica (Montoya) is actually fighting the 19th for a title at
Smack Girl in Japan. A month later she is fighting in Ax in Japan.
KM:
How are her opponents?
CB:
Her last opponent was pretty good. You could tell she trained
specifically for Erica; she knew what she was doing. Erica beat
her with ten seconds left in the fight; she armbarred her. The
girl was tough and she trained defend defend defend, that’s
all she did. She caught Erica clean on the feet once, made her
nose bleed, so Erica was like ‘Oh, I got hit’. She’s
human.
KM:
I was sent a tape and at one point for about thirty seconds I
don’t know what the camera person was doing but they put
the camera down…
CB:
It was Rami. He was watching and cornering with me and he put
the tape down to yell at her.
KM:
And there was about thirty seconds of feet! I’m like ‘what’s
going on?’ (both laugh). What I was wondering, with two
shows a month apart how well she is going to train specifically
for her opponents and will her opponents have that advantage
of training specifically for Erica.
CB:
We’re changing her training a little bit because everyone
knows what she wants to do and unfortunately for all the girls
she fights there are not a lot of good girl wrestlers and Erica’s
wrestling is really good. They can’t stop her from taking
them down. As she gets older and becomes more of a woman, gets
a little more strength because she is not strong at all, just
very technical…she’s actually dropping to 115 now.
I made that happen because Debi Purcell and all these other girls
dropped down to 125. I don’t have a problem with her fighting
Tara (LaRosa) but Debi and a couple girls out there…I think
if we started on the ground Erica would beat them all. I trained
with Debi and I’ll compliment Debi and say she punches and
kicks like any man I’ve ever trained with. She’s a
BAD ASS girl on the feet, I’m sure her ground is getting
better, but Erica is not strong enough right now to fight those
girls; she just turned 18 years old. I know she could take them
down, I know she could submit them, but at the same time if she
took them down they are so strong enough to just kind of (makes
movement of tearing away). I don’t want to do that to her
career, I’d rather be smarter and have her fight the Japanese
girls or the American girls that are a little bit smaller, more
her size. She’s a normal young girl body and girls like
Debi is a big strong girl. Those are wiser decisions for her
right now.
KM:
I’m not aware of anyone else fighting at 115.
CB:
In Japan there are a lot. Here I don’t know.
KM:
I guess we’re not going to see Erica fight Stateside then…
CB:
There are a couple girls; 1 in Hawaii, a couple in the Mid-West, actually a few that
have popped up that are lighter. HOOKnSHOOT have notified us
about some girls that are interested in fighting her at a lighter
weight.
KM:
Really. They are holding out on me.
CB:
Well, we just notified them about cutting down. Soon as they
told me about Debi cutting to 125 I was like ‘okay, well
we’re cutting to 115’. I’m not going to make excuses,
I don’t want her to fight those girls, period.
KM:
It’s a wise career move. How many times do we see up-and-coming
fighters just going in there for the paycheck and getting their
ass handed to them and they come out with these losing records.
CB:
Unfortunately she would fight them like (snaps fingers) that.
If I told her ‘let’s stay here and fight them’,
‘Okay’. She’d be down for it but I’d rather
make the decisions for her for now.
KM:
So she is fully recovered?
CB:
Not fully. She has a pretty gnarly scar; the scab every time
she trains rips open. It’s not really a scab, it’s
a scar but it’s really thin and it still keeps tearing open.
KM:
How is she taking that? Is she doing okay?
CB:
Yep.
KM:
Just trying to figure out what not to ask her, what not to say.
CB:
No, she’s cool. She’s fine with it.
Next
up we talk with Erica herself as well as some of the other members
of Next Generation about their upcoming fights. Stay tuned.
Source: ADCC |
It's
Going to be a Boy!
"Little Axe Murderer" is on His Way
as Wanderlei Smiles Away
By Eduardo Alonso
A
little more than a year after PRIDE Middleweight champion Wanderlei
Silva and his wife Tea Ariadne got married in January of 2002,
the Silva family is going to get bigger and as was the wish of
the champion himself, the couple is going to get a baby boy!
Wanderlei is already the father of a 6-year-old daughter named
Rafaela, from a previous relationship, and has always voiced
his desire to have a son to follow his footsteps in the NHB rings
worldwide. This week, as he came back from weeks in Japan, he
finally got confirmation from the doctors that the baby his wife
is carrying is indeed going to be a boy, and he promptly told
FCF first hand the great news! Needless to say the usually mean,
agressive and merciless "Axe Murderer" was as happy
as ever and all smiles with the news: "I'm so happy with
this that it's even hard to translate into words, hopefully now
people will have to see a Silva brawling in the rings for a long
time!" The baby is expected to come in August of 2003, coincidently
in the same time of his likely fight against Quinton Jackson
in PRIDE. Mr. and Mrs. Silva will now decide the name of the
heir that will be the newest addition to the growing Chute Boxe
family (Chute Boxe master Rudimar Fedrigo's son Rigan was recently
born). FCF Congratulates Wanderlei Silva and his wife and hopes
to see the "Little Axe Murderer" come to the world
in great health!
In other small Chute Boxe notes, the week promises to be very
busy at training camp, with STORM Grand Prix coming up this Saturday
and the participation of one of the team's newest aditions, Jadson,
in an NHB event defending the team's flag for the first time
this Friday. However, Muay Thai and NHB events aren't the only
thing shaking up the Chute Boxe headquarters, as an interesting
surprise regarding the team will be revealed in the next "Brazilian
Beat" coming later this week. Don't miss it!
Source:
FCF |
|
Quote
of the Day
Take
your life in your own hands and what happens? A terrible thing:
no one is to blame.
Erica
Jong |
'The
Gracie Way!' A new book by Kid Peligro
Our
own Kid Peligro has recently completed a new book called 'The
Gracie Way'. The book has many interesting stories and great
backstage insights into Gracie family along with accounts of
some of their greatest battles.
The
book features pictures from some of the top photographers in
the world including Susumu Nagao, Luca Atalla, Ricardo Azoury,
Todd Hester & Mike McNeil, along with vintage family archive
pictures.
'The
Gracie Way' is a must for the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu/MMA afficionado.
For
a limited time you can pre-order your copy, autographed by the
author at www.mmamart.com with an expected ship
date of April 18th, 2003.
Source:
ADCC |
|
Roger
Gracie Receives Black Belt
Roger
Gracie, the great young fighter from Gracie Barra, has been promoted
to Black Belt. Roger, who is currently training a lot of no-Gi
at Renzo Gracie's new Academy in New York, was awarded his belt
by his Instructor Carlos Gracie Jr. Renzo had the honors of presenting
the belt to Roger on behalf of Carlinhos. Many had question why
Roger did not get his belt directly from Carlos Jr defore he
left Brazil; so we contacted the man himself and Carlinhos told
us: 'Of course he has been my student since he was 15 years old
and he was ready to be promoted but I was waiting until after
the 2003 Pan-Ams to promote Roger to Black Belt. Now, because
of a scheduling conflict, he may not be able to compete in it,
so I decided there was no reason to delay the promotion any longer
and called Renzo and asked him to give the belt to Roger on my
behalf!' And he continues: 'Besides, Renzo told me that everyone
at his academy was complaining about being smushed by a Brown
Belt, so I had to promote him!' quipped Carlinhos!
Roger
(shown r. winning the finals over Ronaldo 'Jacare') has won the
World Absolute Title in the Brown Belt division for the last
two years running and is one of the top young fighters in the
World.
The
question in everyone's mind now is: 'Will he be at ADCC 2003?'
And if so, the possibility of a HUGE rematch with 'Jacare' looms
large!
Congratulations
to Roger!
Source:
ADCC |
|
2003
Junior Nationals of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Due
to some scheduling conflict with the Easter weekend, I had to
move the 2003 Junior Nationals to June 7, 2003. However, MMA.TV
has made it a ranked event and everyone can download info about
the tourney from their tournament page.
I
am looking for the best Middle School and High School athletes
in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to come and compete for the Championship
Absolute Belts. The Cost is only $10.00 for preregistration,
can you beat that price? For more info contact me at tapuout247@aol.com .
Source:
ADCC |
Catching
Up With ROMI ARAM
On
paper Romi Aram versus Dave Strasser looks to be one of the more
exciting fights scheduled for UFC 42. Romi, the former KOTC Welterweight
champ, trains with former KOTC and current Gladiator Challenge
Lightweight Champion Javi Vasquez, former UCC Welterweight and
current KOTC Superfight Champion John Alessio, and KOTC standouts
like Art Santore. Fighting out of Millennia Jiu-Jitsu Romi sports
a perfect 6-0 record with his most recent win being against Joe
Stevenson and his highest profile one being Jerry Bohlander.
Now realizing his dream of fighting in the UFC for the first
time many are taking the perspective of Romi may have the training
partners and reputation for studying his opponents more than
most but will his lack of experience play a role.
KM:
I wanted to start by asking what you think of Dave Strasser.
RA: I actually had a chance to see him live in Japan at a Shooto
fight the same night Javi fought Rumina Sato (note: Shooto: Treasure
Hunt 7 6/29/02). I don’t know why but I was actually sitting
around watching his match. He just to me like all the other Mid-West
fighters; just very tough, good chin, good cardio, well rounded.
I really didn’t see that much of his standup, the fight
went to the clinch right away. His submissions looked really
smooth. He looked pretty relaxed. That was probably from all
the experience he has had. I’ve seen another video of his
fights and his standup is not bad either. Straight punches…
KM:
The few videos I’ve seen of his he seemed like a typical
Mid-West fighter as far as the wrestling base and good striking
but I don’t recall seeing him use submissions as much. I
think the ones I’ve seen have been more like HOOKnSHOOT
against Barros, which went to a decision I recall more defending
submissions. RA: He ended the guy with a rear naked choke.
KM:
What do you know about his last fight in Russia? RA: I looked
up on SHERDOG to find out what his background is, I know he has
a lot of fights. A lot of the guys he’s fought I’ve
never really heard of before. I know a lot of them were local
fights in his area. I think he started fighting back in ’96
or ’97.
KM:
The perspective I’m taking so far is he has four times the
experience and fights twice as often as you, starting in ’96.
RA: The way he beat his opponents isn’t marked; the way
he beat his opponents whether it was armbar or knock out. I don’t
really know much about what he has done to his opponents. I know
his last loss was to Ronald Jhun so I talked to Ronald and Ronald
said the same thing I knew; the guy is tough, pretty tough on
his back, really squirmy, good hip movement…he pretty much
told me what I already knew.
KM:
One thing everyone knows is how much you and Millennia Jiu-Jitsu
in general prepare for opponents. That is one thing that makes
you guys stand out. What have you learned about Dave? RA: Dave
is a long lanky Welterweight close to 5’10” or 5’11”.
He doesn’t really throw more than just straight punches
down the pike so I got to try to stay on the inside a little
bit; I can’t let him get that reach on me. He’s not
really a shooter and his boxing is more counter boxing, he doesn’t
push the action. He waits for his opponent to throw a punch and
takes it and counter punches. From what I’ve seen he gets
most of his takedowns off tie-ups and he throws knees off of
tie-ups. I watched that in the Japan fight. I’ve been working
on that and working on fighting out of tie-ups and defending
takedowns from tie-ups. He works the butterfly guard mostly.
His submissions on the ground aren’t very quick, he kind
of takes his time and paces himself when he goes for submissions
which is better for me because I’ve been doing grappling
pretty long so I’m good at countering submissions. If I
do get caught I get caught unexpectedly. If he’s slow on
his submissions I should be able to do a good job of staying
away from them.
KM:
How do you see this fight going? RA: I don’t really know
because you never know between styles. His style could be real
difficult and clash against mine and make the fight long and
hard or my style could be really effective against his. The tapes
I have seen of him I haven’t seen him fight a guy who ground
and pounds that much. I don’t know how he deals with striking
on the ground and I haven’t seen that many fights of him
in a cage so I don’t know how he deals with fighting off
a wall. There are a lot of things I’m going to end up finding
out in the first round.
KM:
He has 1” on you and it looks like most of his fights have
been at 180 (note: this interview was done before the one with
Strasser in which he corrected me he walks around at 172-174).
I’m wondering with that Mid-West wrestling background if
he’s going to be able to drop more weight than you. I can’t
see 1” and a couple pounds of weight being that big a deal
it made me wonder is this the first time we’re going to
see you on your back I a while. His career spans seven years.
Have you been looking at his more recent ones? RA: I don’t
really have access to that many of his tapes. I studied about
three of his tapes. I pretty much have an idea of his style.
He’s not really flashy at one thing, not great at one thing
but he’s good at everything. That’s pretty much the
way I break it down. As far as his cutting weight it doesn’t
really bother me that much unless the guy is cutting from like
200. When I saw him in Japan I think he went up to 170. He didn’t
look that big. He definitely had the height and everything but
he didn’t look that big. I’m usually not worried about
that because I cut so much weight myself I know I come into my
fights pretty big. Even if he has a couple pounds on me it’s
not going to matter.
KM:
The way I’m looking at this right now is it’s basically
the experience versus the training. He’s been fighting since
’96, averages four fights a year while you tend to average
two and have only been fighting about three years or so but you
have the higher profile training partners. I always raise the
point of the belt holders at Millennia and all that, the strategies
Millennia as a whole will take in different fights, obviously
preparing against specific opponents…the one criticism I
have based on the few tapes I’ve seen is I haven’t
seen him vary that much. It’s not like John Alessio that
will vary greatly in his fight against Black for instance or
like a Shonie Carter where you never know what to expect. RA:
That’s the same thing I got. I notice he doesn’t stay
on his feet too long. He’ll throw with you for a while but
eventually he’ll want to get it to the ground and work the
ground game. He has a few finishes; looking at his record he
has a few submissions but most of them are from decisions or
TKO.
KM:
What do you think of the perspective of it’s experience
versus training differences. Is that accurate? RA: I think it’s
pretty accurate.
KM:
Feel free to disagree with me. RA: That’s what I deal with
what I usually deal with. Most of the opponents I fight are pretty
tough and usually have more experience than me so that’s
something to take into consideration. Strasser has a lot more
experience than me.
KM:
A lot. RA: The way I look at it is it’s always what you’ve
done in the past, it’s what happens at the moment. The one
thing that he’s got with experience is he’ll probably
be able to stay relaxed and know how to pace himself. Sometimes
you see fighters who have fought as long as Strasser has and
every fight they make dramatic improvement. That’s where
you really see experience play a big role. I think Strasser’s
style is pretty much the same and since he’s not flashy
I have a really good idea what I’m dealing with. That’s
the most important thing to me; do I know what my guy is coming
with. Experience plays a role but to me if I know what my guy
is coming with and know what his weapons are and I studied him
pretty well I feel pretty confident.
In
part 2 we’ll hear still more on Romi’s strategy and
how the rest of Millennia is doing.
Source:
ADCC
|
Are
Facts Are Clear?
-
The fact is Murilo Bustamante earned the UFC Middleweight Championship
belt in a decisive KO win over Dave Menne on January 11, 2002,
at ¡§UFC 35: Throw Down¡¨ in Uncasville,
CT.
-
The fact is Bustamante successfully defended his title belt against
Matt Lindland on May 10, 2002, at 'UFC 37: High Impact' in Bossier
City, LA.
-
The fact is Zuffa Sports Entertainment, owners of the UFC, made
an offer to Bustamante following this successful title defense.
-
The fact is Bustamante declined the offer.
-
The fact is Bustamante has not defended the title belt for nearly
10 months.
But
then the facts become unclear. After his win against Lindland,
Bustamante understandably considered himself even more valuable
than before. He declined an offer from the UFC, apparently disliking
the dollar amount and the show/win payment format. While the
show purse and win bonus are standard operating procedures for
the UFC, as well as many other professional MMA organizations
like HOOKnSHOOT and KOTC, it just didn't sit well with the middleweight
champion.
After
months of negotiations, Bustamante manager Marcelo Tetel says
he was told by the UFC 'to feel free to find better options around.'
But 'that's not the way it happened,' said Dana White, President
of the UFC, 'Why would I do that? He is my title holder. He is
my champion.' Bustamante does has the right to seek out better
offers, while the UFC has the right to match them 'Tetel said
a Japanese organization had given them an offer' said White,
'if he received a better offer, he needs to give it to us in
writing and we have the right to match.'
In
the end of 2002, Bustamante was offered a fight for a Japanese
organization and his management offered the UFC the deal to match,
but 'that has not happened,' said White, referring to receiving
this offer from Bustamante management. When Bustamante apparently
experienced Visa problems, this Japanese deal became mute.
White
preferred not to go into details, but was firm stating 'everybody
knows... Murillo walked away from the title 6 months ago. Tetel
was on the internet and said unfortunately we couldn't come to
terms.' White publicly acknowledged that Bustamante is the best
fighter pound for pound in the world.
Whether
or not the Bustamante camp confirms that he walked away, one
cannot argue that it can be seen that he virtually walked away
from the title by not defending it. But unlike former lightweight
champion Jens Pulver, Bustamante is still under contract with
the UFC 'he is probably just going to ride the contract out and
make another deal with somebody else,' said White.
In
a final attempt to rectify the situation, the UFC presented Bustamante
with a single fight offer for UFC 42: Sudden Impact, where Bustamante
would fight middleweight contender Phil Baroni, but only if Baroni
would win over Lindland at UFC 41. Baroni did not win, so this
final attempt was mute.
Word
from the Bustamante camp is that they have another offer. It's
known Bustamante was recently at Pride and is reportedly very
close to a deal to fight in Pride 26 scheduled for June 8, 'he
could possibly have something... I wish him the best,' said White.
And
with the current contract ending on May 10 and with only 1 UFC
scheduled between now and then and with an obvious situation
where Bustamante gave up on the UFC and the UFC gave up on Bustamante,
both will be free to go about their business. This would leave
the middleweight division without a champion. "We have to
regroup and rebuild,¨ said White. And in rebuilding, the
UFC will probably go with a tournament to crown a new champion
as they did with the lightweight division when Pulver vacated
his title in early 2002, ironically, after the same UFC that
Bustamante won his title; while Bustamante may possibly fight
for another organization.
Source:
ADCC |
"I
Want My Belt Back!"
Interview with Rodrigo Minotauro Nogueira
Recovered from his last fight on Pride 25, when he lost his title
and heavy weight belt to Fedor Emilianenko, Antônio Rodrigo
Minotauro is a man who has just one objective in mind: getting
back his championship belt. We met him last week in a Brazilian
hospital called Barra D'or, in Rio de Janeiro, where he was getting
a medical check up. After the exams, he finally got a green light
to resume his training routine.
Asked
about the match that knocked him from him a two-years amazing
streak of invincibility in Pride, Minotauro admits he used a
wrong strategy. Now, he is face to face with the biggest challenge
of his whole life. He is training to prove to himself and to
world that he is really capable of retaking the PRIDE belt. Guys
like Mirko "Cro-Cop" Filipovic, Bob Sapp and Fedor
Emelianenko are in his way.
JM
Costa: Were you expecting the fight against Fedor would be so
hard?
Antonio
Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira: I knew that the dude,
besides being tough guy, has been training a lot to beat me and
he made a strategy to avoid my game. That day, I really couldn't
find myself in the ring. He was holding down my arm well and
kept the elbow closed. Every time I tried submit him, he took
out his elbow and found a way to hit me. But in anytime, he didn't
try to pass my guard or try any position.
My
strategy was to tire him down, to win during the 3rd round. He
was already tired when the fight ended. That day, his strategy
was better then mine. Now I have to train again, and with my
team, think of a new strategy for revenge. I want my belt back!
Costa:
It seems that the right jab he hit you right in the beginning
of the fight damaged your game 'til the end...
Minotauro: I wouldn't say that it was just the jab. In fact,
after the jab hit me, he came over me and I felt with my head
stuck between the ropes. This bothered my moves for some seconds,
and he took advantage of it to punch me three times.
Costa:
What did you learn with this defeat?
Minotauro:
This defeat means that I have to train even more. If I win the
next fight in August, probably against Miko Cro Cop, I must have
my revenge with Fedor, in the end of the year, to take the belt.
Costa:
Do you think Fedor can beat Sapp?
Minotauro:
I think they should put him to fight Sapp as soon as possible.
It's gonna be a tough fight. If he gets Sapp down, he will win.
If he keeps the standing game and felt under him, its going to
be harder, hard to predict.
Costa:
Do you think this fight was harder than your fight with Bob Sapp?
Minotauro:
I don't think so. Against Emelianenko, I was so much calmer.
No doubts, I was in a pretty much hard situation against Sapp.
Costa: A lot of people write us saying that you wouldn't win
Sapp in a revenge, because he has been training on the ground.
Sapp says that he will win this revenge. What do you have to
say about that?
Minotauro:
I think we can meet again during the Pride Grand Prix. How far
he trains on the ground, better is for me. He will be more confident,
and that will make himlose more easily. When he tries to put
a position, I will give him three others. I've trained Jiu-Jitsu
since I was four years old and there are decades between us.
About Sapp, he has a lot to do yet. The only tough guy in Vale-Tudo
he fought was me, and he didn't beat me. He needs to fight other
tough guys now and think about challenge me again later.
Costa:
What did Sapp tell you during your fight, before you submitted
him with the armbar?
Minotauro:
Dude, while standing, he talked a lot, but I admit it seemed
ironic. Instead of asking me how I was feeling, he had the attitude
like "Do you want me to hit you more?" I think he was
challenging me during the fight, but in the end he took what
he deserved.
Costa:
We received hundreds of e-mails supporting you after your fight
with Fedor. How the Japanese react to the defeat?
Minotauro: The Japanese got really shaken. I think they were
expecting some submission from me. When I passed in the hall
to leave the ring, I saw a bunch of them crying. Two days after
the fight, I went for sushi and several fans came to talk that
I still was the number one and they were sure I would submit
him in the revenge.
Costa:
Last year you trained really hard during the second semester.
You fought UFO and Dynamite in just 20 days father. What are
your plans for 2003?
Minotauro:
The truth is that I spent the first semester of 2003 hurt. I
felt horrible pain in my spine. The doctors treated me, and after
I was feeling well, I had to train twice as much. The two events
happened kind of at the same time. I did it and I don't regret
it. But this year I will try to relax and better choose my fights.
For now, I'm keeping my mind on the belt that Fedor has.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Quote
of the Day
Hide
not your talents, they for use were made. What's a sundial in
the shade?
Benjamin
Franklin
|
Fighters'
Club TV New Episode Tonight!
Episode
9 airs April 8th (Tuesday night) at
8:30 pm on Channel 52. It's a good one so don't miss it.
Episode
9 features:
More
Superbrawl 28 footage including:
-Falaniko Vitale vs. Tyrone "The Native" Roberts ("The
Chief's" little
brother) with post fight interviews of both fighters
-Egan Inoue vs. Yukiya Naito, including interview with Egan (Naito
was a little too
beaten down to talk--you'll see why)
-Tech of the Week, "Making the Band" Ikaika's big brother,
Haku Kahoano
demonstrating a bit of Muay Thai.
...and
on both episodes, your favorite two hosts, Mike Onzuka &
Mark Kurano
Any
suggestion, comments, complaints--email Mark at markk@flex.com
If you like the show, make sure to tell your friends to watch
it! Hell, even if you don't like the show, tell you friends to
watch it. |
Local
Power Puncher in Latino Mag
The
Bull Pen's Mark "El Toro" Moreno has a fight bio featured
in this months Mahagony/Latin Hawaii Magazine April issue. It
is a free magazine that can be picked up at Times Supermarkets,
Borders Books, some Libraries, and Safeway. Pick up a copy and
show the local retailers and publishers that featuring MMA fighters
will increase their distribution!
Mark
will also be fighting in the Gladiator's Challenge this weekend
in California! Also, scheduled to be fighting on this card is
808 Fight Factory's Jim Kikuchi. We wish them good luck in their
fights!
|
TITO
TELLS EVERYONE HOW MUCH IT TAKES TO FIGHT LIDDELL...$150,000
MMAWeekly's Ryan Bennett joined the fellas on 640AM's Mojo Radio
with host Jeff Marek last night and talked about our great sport
of mixed marital arts, when one caller joined the show out of
no where and that was Tito Ortiz.
Ortiz
told the world exactly what it would take to have him fight Chuck
Liddell. Ortiz said all it took was to pay him $150,000 to show
and another $150,000 to win.
Bennett
then asked why he was not fulfilling the final four fights of
the contract before renegotiating and he said that Ken Shamrock
and Tank Abbott both made more money than he did when he has
put his title on the line four straight times. He wanted to be
paid like the champion.
Ortiz
then said he would knock out Chuck Liddell after he got paid
what he deserved. A very interesting show and thanks to Jeff
Marek and the guys at Mojo radio for doing another bang up job
on Sunday nights featuring MMA.
Source: MMA Weekly |
The
Road to a Fourth Title! Interviewing 3X ADCC World Champion Royler
Gracie
As
announcer Bruce Buffer opens up with his patented voice to open
officially the 2001 ADCC World Submission Wrestling Championship,
a skinny guy warms up,
making circles his arms, a few steps away from the white square
area where the action will take place. The athlete's name is
Royler Gracie and his face shows no emotion. A few moments after
Buffer is done, he will fight, and he becomes like a machine,
ready like no one else, for anything that can happen in this
opening match. In the two days that follow that scene, Royler
barely breaks a sweat in beating four opponents to take his third
ADCC title in a row. Now, on the next 17 and 18 of May, at Ibirapuera,
Brazil, he will try to win the tournament for the fourth time
and in this exclusive interview, Gracie tells us what he thinks
about the championship, the foes and how he reviews the previous
years.
What
do you expect for the next ADCC World Submission Wrestling Championship?
Royler: The ADCC, in my opinion, is one of the most important
of all grappling tournaments. Not just because it is an international
championship but also because there are good money prizes. So
every good grappler in the world wants to compete in that tournament.
As it will be in Brazil of course the Brazilians will take advantage
on it. We will not have to go through a long trip, we will not
have time difference to adjust. Arriving from a long travel three
days before competing makes you tired. So if the tournament were
in Japan, it would favor the Japanese. So I believe the Brazilians
will have more chances now than in the last time, when they also
got until the finals. I don't know about the newcomers but there
are some old athletes, like the wrestler Joey Gilbert, who is
very tough; or Sasha (Alexander Palusky), the Russian, a guy
who trains this kind of style for a long time and for sure will
be able to give our athletes some trouble, with his leglocks
and kneebars; there
is also Baret, who fought against me in the last final. He's
very good and beat 2 or 3 Brazilians last time. He probably will
be among the finalists this year as well. Among the Brazilians there is this
kid who won the Brazilian trials [Rany Yahrya]. You know, our
trials are always tough.
Leonardo
Vieira applied to fight in your weight division. We don't know
whether he will be invited or not, but if so, would he be a dangerous
opponent? Royler: I don't know the names of the Brazilians who
will compete yet, so I can't give you a prediction right now.
Actually, I'm not worried about it, I'll pay attention to that
when I see the 16 names in the bracket. However, we can speculate
who will enter, if you want: Robinho [Robson Moura], for example,
got third in the last and probably will be invited; Soca [Alexandre
Carneiro], who beside me is the guy with the most titles in this
weight division, will probably be called again. I would think
he would be invited based on his past performances. Besides them,
there is Leozinho, Fredson Paixao, and many more. But you need
to keep in mind that they cannot invite only Brazilians, you
reach a very narrow list. There is me, there is the national
trials champion, and let's say, Robinho and Soca. If you open
this list for more Brazilians it will not get the international
status. And I know that Sheik Tahnoon and Guy Neivens don't want
to make the ADCC a Brazilian championship.
We
are a little more than one month away from the tournament. When
did you start to train? I started to train specifically for the
ADCC in the first week of April. From then on I stopped teaching.
I'm never totally out of shape as I keep training all year long,
warming up my body teaching, so one month and a half is time
enough to get in shape.
Did
you train a lot without gi before competing in Abu Dhabi? I started
to train without a gi six years ago and I think today I'm a pretty
tough guy without a gi. In these three years competing in the
ADCC I became a much more experienced fighter.
Could
you make a quick review of the previous years? When I went to
competed at ADCC the first time, in 1999, it wasn't the tournament'
first year. But people said it was already better organized than
in the 1998, when Soca won my category. In 1999, I fought against
him at the finals. In that year, I was a little anxious because
it was a different tournament in a different country and I did
not know what I should expect. And then I realized it was and
is a five star tournament where the athletes have all support.
And I became very impressed. Even though I spent 17 hours to
get there, I felt like I was in home, because we were very well
treated. I'm used to competing, so I know that most of times
the organization don't take care of the competitors. In Abu Dhabi
we only had to pay attention in fighting and, for some people,
in losing weight. You always watch people running in the eve
of the weight check in order to lose weight. It's not my case,
since I leave from Brazil with my weight accurate already, so
I only have to focus on my performance.
How
do you see the tournament being here in Brazil? When I came back
in 2000, I thought it would be like 1999, but it was much bigger,
specially about the worldwide media that the event attracted.
And in 2001 the things got better, so the prediction is to have
one event even better now. This idea of changing the championship
country through the years will attract even more media. Of course
Abu Dhabi is a neutral place. Holding it here in Brazil favor
the Brazilians, as when it goes to Japan will favor the Japanese
and so on due to a home field advantage but even that is overrated.
But we have to accept all this if we want make the tournament
more international.
What
was the difference among your performances through the years?
In the first year, I didn't know what to do. In the second, I
arrived there with a game plan built, and in the third this game
plan was even more well developed. Now, I'll be even more used
to the rules and I believe I'm a strong favorite, along with
others. But it is like a train. Once you put it on the trail
you can turn on the automatic pilot and let it drive the train.
So when you are more used with the environment, the rules, the
time and the kind of fight, it makes everything easier.
Source: ADCC |
Susumu's
Gallery Update
Hello,
We
have finally added UFC 40 & 41 photos on our site. Please
enjoy!
Visit Susumu's gallery at http://come.to/susumu. |
News
from Curitiba:
Muay Thai & NHB to Shake
Chute Boxe Hometown Soon!
The
months of April and May of 2003 will see plenty of fighting action
taking place in the city of Curitiba in Brazil, now known as
the home of the Chute Boxe team and birthplace of several top
fighters such as Wanderlei Silva, Murilo Ninja Rua and Anderson
Silva, starting with STORM Muay Thai Grand Prix in April, and
continuing with MECA World Vale Tudo 8 in May! MECA 8 will in
fact bring some interesting surprises for NHB fans at May 16th
and FCF brings you first hand those news; Along with the already
announced main event between Luta Livre legend and UFC veteran
Eugenio Tadeu facing Brazilian NHB veteran Marcelo Giudice, PRIDE
and UFC veteran Allan Goes was added to the card facing against
MECA 7 winner and K-1 Brazil veteran Carlinhos! The rest of the
tentative card, likely to be confirmed at anytime, includes MECA
7 veteran Rafael Capoeira having another chance against Marcelo
Dourado, UFC and IVC veteran Jorge Macaco Pattino matched up
against IVC veteran Claudinho, Chute Boxe black belt Israel Gomes
in a rivalry match against MECA veteran Bicudo, Claudionor Fontinelli
coming fresh from his win at Bitetti Combat 2 to fight against
Luis Alves student Peterson, Royler Gracie black belt Fabricio
Morango facing Vagao and of course Mauricio Shogun Rua coming
back to his second NHB match now likely against Brazilian Top
Team member Marcelo Alfaia, since Shogun is now in a different
weight division than his original opponent Roan Carneiro, also
from the BTT. The card is promised to have 10 fights, so promoters
are about to announce an opponent for Chute Boxe K-1 veteran
Nilson de Castro at anytime as well as announce an extra match
still in the works.
However, before May comes with NHB Curitiba will experience some
interesting Muay Thai action with the first ever STORM Grand
Prix. This next Saturday, April 12th four heavyweight fighters,
representing some of the best Brazil has to offer, will compete
on the brackets to become the first ever STORM Grand Prix champion.
The competitors on the brackets come from different parts of
the country including Helio Deep, from the state of Rio Grande
do Sul, Cresio dos Santos from Bahia, Julio Cesar "Jamanta",
who already competed in K-1 and will represent the Chute Boxe
team on the brackets, and a Luis Alves student who will replace
K-1 Brazil runner up Eduardo Maiorino, who isn't able to compete
anymore. Along with the tournament, the event will also feature
some single matches, with Chute Boxe Muay Thai stand out Marlon
Matias facing Tiago from the BVT academy, Edinei Marinho matching
up Julio Santos also from Bahia, Chute Boxe fighter Fabio Pelezinho
performing against Alex Vieira from Rio de Janeiro and most importantly
PRIDE, Shooto and MECA veteran Anderson Silva getting back to
his Muay Thai roots to face against San Marino! Anderson is without
a doubt the biggest attraction on the card that will also count
with some complementary matches, all being in five rounds of
three minutes each. The weigh-ins will take place this Friday
in Curitiba, and FCF is going to be there to bring you all the
details from the biggest Muay Thai event ever in Brazil!
Source:
FCF |
UFC
42: Sudden Impact
Welterweight
Championship Bout
Matt Hughes vs. Sean Sherk
Welterweight
Bout
Robbie Lawler vs. Pete Spratt
Light
Heavyweight Bout
Evan Tanner vs. Rich Franklin
Heavyweight
Bout
Wesley
"Cabbage" Correira vs. Sean Alvarez
Lightweight
Bout
Duane Ludwig vs. Genki Sudo
Lightweight
Bout (prelim)
Rich Crunkilton vs. Hermes Franca
Middleweight
Bout (prelim)
Mark Weir vs. David Loiseau
Welterweight
Bout (swing bout)
Romie Aram vs. Dave Strasser
To be held Friday, April 25 at AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami,
Florida and broadcast live on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m.
PST.
Source:
FCF |
|
Quote
of the Day
Great
ambition is the passion of a great character. Those endowed with
it may perform very good or very bad acts. All depends on the
principals which direct them.
Napoleon
Bonaparte |
Bull
Force Presents:
Kickin
It Again Results!
Palama
Settlement Gym, Honolulu, Hawaii
April 4, 2003
*Shawn
Taylor wins the Fighter of the Night Award
In the multifaceted sport of Mixed Martial Arts, fighters are
always looking to improve their over all performance by focusing
their training on specific areas. Many fighters have been known
to enter BJJ or submission grappling tournaments to improve their
ground game. And on the other end of the spectrum, fighters compete
in kickboxing matches to improve or test their stand up. Almost
half the fighters have fought at least one MMA match, so it was
going to be interesting watching them perform in the more strict
rules environment. MMA fighters won every match that they fought.
The event was put together by some people who love the sport
of kickboxing and want to bring it back to the lime light in
Honolulu. The match ups were very good, which can be seen by
every bout going the full three rounds and ending up in a judge's
decision except for the main event. Some of the highlights were
14 year old David Balicao's crisp punches and Jerome Kekumu's
accurate combinations. There were also a few wars like the Brandon
Absher-Jaime Galapia match and the Justin Dano-John Nerveza match.
They even had Vai Togia and Sheldon Abella, a couple of heavyweights
throwing down huge punches and kicks at each other. The main
event kept the crowd at the edge of their seat when Shawn Taylor
dropped Bryson with a right hand seconds into the first round.
He then dropped him again with a right kick to the head. Somehow
Bryson survived and relentlessly attached Taylor, winning the
second round, leaving the fight wide open. Taylor got the referee
stoppage when he seemed to get his second wind and put the pressure
on a tired Bryson. The production ran surprisingly smooth, considering
this was their first event. The next event is scheduled May 24th
and will feature younger fighters. If you are interested in some
great kickboxing, check out Derek Bright and Danny Kaheaku's
next event.
The referee and Miss Teen Hawaii
Kids Fight
125lbs
David Balicao (Hawaiian SD, 14 years old)
Def.
Zane Cabacugan (Hapkido TKD, 15 years old)
Via decision
Heavy
Kunta Edmonds (Kempo Unlimited)
Def.
Willie Chambers (Hawaii Tae kwon do)
Via decision
170lbs
Paul Laga (Bulls Pen)
Def.
Wayne Kamealoha (Hawaiian SD)
Via decision
170lbs
Harris Sariento (808 Fight Factory)
Def.
Craig Park (Hard Knocks)
Via decision
145lbs
Jerome Kekumu (Hard Knocks)
Def.
Edwin Cabacugan (Hapkido TKD)
Via decision
155lbs
Brandon Absher (Hawaiian Self Defense)
Def.
Jamie Galapia (Bulls Pen)
Via decision
Super Heavy
Vai Togia (Hard Knocks)
Def.
Sheldon Abela (Hapkido TKD)
Via decision
Semi Main Event:
150lbs
Justin Dano (Hawaiian SD)
Def.
John Nerveza (Bulls Pen)
Via decision
Main Event:
170lbs
Shawn "Tornado” Taylor
Def.
Bryson (Hard Knocks)
TKO via referee stoppage at 2:14minutes of Round 3.
|
USGWA
High School and Collegiate Nationals
Lake Orion High School, MI
March 29-30, 2003
Congratulations
to all the Hawaii women that competed and did Hawaii proud!
High
School Division
The Championship
Finals:
100-Damaris Barrios (San Diego, California) dec. Nicole Fonda (Kaaawa,
Hawaii) 3-3 2-OT tiebreaker
105-Sara Fulp-Allen (El Granada, California) dec. Jessica Hsieh
(Vallejo, California) 8-2
110-Debbie
Sakai (Mililani, Hawaii) pinned Caitlyn Chase (Bloomingdale, Illinois)
2:20
114-Caylene
Valdez (Honolulu, Hawaii) dec. Rachel Groft (Abbottstown, Pennsylvania)
4-2
118-Deanna Rix (South Berwick, Maine) dec. Manuelita Swartzlender
(Burns, Oregon) 7-0
122-Na' Tasha Umemoto (Portland, Oregon) pinned Jen Chu (Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania) 4:31
126-Iris Mucha (Anchorage, Alaska) dec. Hilary Lucarelli (Ishpeming,
Michigan) 1-0 OT tiebreaker
130-Madeline Brienes (San Leandro, California) pinned Othella
Lucas (San Diego, California) 3:47
134-Brandy Rosenbrock (Montrose, Michigan) dec. Vanessa Oswalt
(Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 8-5
138-Stefanie Shaw (Waterford, Connecticut) dec. Chelynne Pringle
(Hugo, Minnesota) 10-5
144-Heather Martin (Wellington, Ohio) pinned Anna Jenkins (Lake
Orion, Michigan) 1:27
152-Ali Bernard (New Ulm, Minnesota) dec. Shawn Swartzlender
(Burns, Oregon) 7-3
165-Samantha Lang (Tualatin, Oregon) pinned Misty Stalley (San
Mateo, California) 0:53
165+-Laura DiCesare (Monroe, Michigan) pinned Lizz Sanders (Newton,
Iowa) 5:08
100 lbs. (28 entries)
First Round
Naomi Karlen (Honolulu, Hawaii) pinned Summer Mercier (Dayton,
Oregon) 5:34
Bernadette Javier (Wahiawa, Hawaii) maj.dec. Maribeth Grim (Vallejo,
California) 17-6
Nicole Fonda (Kaaawa, Hawaii) pinned Alyssa Lampe (Tomahawk,
Wisconsin) 3:27
Sadie Kaneda (Honolulu, Hawaii) dec. Jen Hicks ( Bellevue, Ohio)
9-5
Venus Bravo (Honolulu, Hawaii)-bye
Second Round:
Karlen HI pinned Garcia OH 0:32
Javier HI pinned DiLauri NJ 3:59
Fonda HI pinned Grear TX 3:07
Conder WA inj.def. over Bravo HI
Rasmussen, MN dec. Kaneda HI OT 8-6
Quaterfinals:
Karlen HI maj.dec.Hills PA 13-4
Fonda HI dec. Javier HI 5-3
Semifinals:
Fonda HI dec. Karlen HI 11-4
Finals:
Barrios CA dec. Fonda
HI 3-3
2 OT tiebreaker
Consolation Finals:
3rd-Karlen
HI maj.dec.
DiNatale MN 8-0
9th-Kaneda
HI dec.
Hicks OH 13-6
105 lbs. (19
entries)
First Round:
Elizabeth Torres (Kahuku, Hawaii) pinned Ashley Marsell (Mt.
Vernon, Ohio) 0:27
Second Round:
Torres HI pinned Hanson CO 1:27
Quaterfinals:
Torres HI pinned Arnhold KS 0:58
Semifinals:
Fulp-Allen CA maj.dec. Torres HI 10-2
Consolation-Finals:
3rd-Torres
HI pinned
Bangert MI 2:44
110 lbs. (21 entries)
First Round:
Rachel Kelly (Pueblo West, Colorado) dec. Jaynee Kim (Aiea, Hawaii)
10-4
Brittany Owens (Amarillo, Texas) pinned Ashley Cardenas (Honolulu,
Hawaii) 0:24
Debbie Sakai (Mililani, Hawaii)-bye
Second Round:
Sakai HI pinned Pender IA 3:25
Quaterfinals:
Sakai HI dec. Dupont CO 5-1
Semifinals:
Sakai HI maj.dec. Watanabe CA 17-3
Finals:
Sakai HI pinned Chase IL 2:20
114 lbs. (27 entries)
First Round:
Judy Williams (Pennsylvania) dec. Cassandra Bohe (Waianae, Hawaii)
7-4
Caylene Valdez (Honolulu, Hawaii) pinned Jennifer Rozevink (Iowa
Falls, Iowa) 5:17
Second Round:
Valdez HI pinned Ayala NY 0:43
Quaterfinals:
Martell VT pinned Valdez HI 5:34 (error?)
Semifinals:
Valdez HI dec. De La Mora CA 9-3
Finals:
Valdez HI dec. Groft PA 4-2
118 lbs. (19
entries)
First Round:
Roslyn Maiava (Hauula, Hawaii)-bye
Second Round:
Maiava HI dec. Gonzalez CA 10-7
Quaterfinals:
Wood MI pinned Maiava HI 5:19
Consolation-Finals:
7th-Maiava
HI pinned
Ludwig CA 2:58
122 lbs. (31 entries)
First Round:
Lauren Primiano (Wahiawa, Hawaii) dec. Kaylee Johnson (Wasilla,
Alaska) 8-1
Danyelle Hedin (Kailua, Hawaii) maj.dec. Courtney Douglas (Wasilla,
Alaska) 12-4
Leilani Relator (Kahuku, Hawaii) dec. Krista Meyer (Orleans,
Michigan) 8-4
Second Round:
Umemoto OR dec. Primiano HI 9-4
Hedin HI dec. Woenkhaus IN 7-0
Relator HI dec. Myrice OH 7-1
Quaterfinals:
Hedin HI pinned Stokes OK 5:39
Semifinals:
Umemoto OR dec. Hedin HI 9-5
Consolation-Finals:
5th-Hedin
HI pinned
Relator HI 2:30
9th-Primiano
HI dec.
Peasley MI 7-2
126 lbs. (22
entries)
First Round:
Jasmine Norman (Holualoa, Hawaii) dec. Jennifer Peake (Hastings,
Michigan) 7-2
Janet Franklin (Tuba City, Arizona) pinned Krislyn Mostoles (Kurtistown,
Hawaii) 5:21
Second Round:
Norman HI pinned Franklin AZ 5:35
Quarterfianls:
Norman HI dec. Jablonski FL 6-4 OT tiebreaker
Semifinals:
Lucarelli MI dec. Norman HI 4-0
Consolation-Finals:
3rd-Ludwig CA dec. Norman
HI 5-1
130 lbs. (12 entries)
First Round:
Jazmine Cockett (Honolulu, Hawaii)-bye
Second Round:
Shepard TX pinned Cockett HI 3:21
Consolation-Finals:
9th-Cockett
HI pinned
Haver TX 2:14
138 lbs. (20
entries)
First Round:
Shana Simon (Hilo, Hawaii)-bye
Second Round:
Pirozhkov MA maj.dec. Simon HI 13-1
State Scores
State Points
California 181.5
Michigan 163.5
Hawaii
144
Collegiate
Freestyle Division
114 pounds
7th - Cathy
Migita (U of Hawaii)
dec. Everdith Landreau (Am), 9-5
154 pounds
1st- Stephanie
Lee (Hawaii)
Team standings
1. Missouri Valley, 44
2. Cumberland, 37 pts.
3. UM-Morris, 22 pts.
4. Pacific, 15 pts.
5. Neosho County, 14 pts.
6. Brock, 12 pts.
6. Menlo, 12 pts.
8. Guelph, 8 pts.
9. Hawaii,
6 pts.
Source:
USGWA Website/Ryan Olivares
|
UFC
42 Preview: RICHARD CRUNKILTON
Perhaps
the fastest and most exciting match at UFC 42 in Miami later
this month will be Richard “Cleat” Crunkilton against
Hermes Franca. Crunkilton started fighting back in 1999 just
one month before his 20th birthday in WEF in Florida. Now 23
years old this 5’ 8” 8-0 fighter finally makes his
UFC debut. His opponent, 29 year old American Top Team star and
HOOKnSHOOT 145 lb belt holder Hermes Franca, looks to be the
perfect match-up with Crunkilton. Crunkilton has 2”s and
is used to fighting 10 lbs heavier then Franca with most of his
early wins being by TKO and recent ones with more technique.
Franca at 6-0 started out winning by submissions and more recently
taking the HOOKnSHOOT belt from Anthony Hamlett by TKO. It’s
California versus Florida, AKA versus ATT, WEC versus HOOKnSHOOT,
and prodigal son versus local hero all rolled up into one.
KM:
I have tapes of you from WEF and I saw you at Reality Superfighting
back in 2001 but the only fight of yours in 2002 I’ve seen
was WEC 3 in CT. I noticed you had I think four other fights
in 2002? RC: Yeah, I fought in two shows in Lemoore, two WECs,
and Ultimate Athlete.
KM:
Ultimate Athlete was against Next Generation’s Bao Quach?
RC: Yeah.
KM:
As far as those of us fans that haven’t seen your fights
in 2002 how do you look back on the last year? What have we been
missing since the well-distributed tapes? RC: I’ve been
doing a lot of fine tuning on my striking and more technique.
KM:
For a while there you were having one fight a year and then something
changed in 2002. Not only do you have those five fights but all
of a sudden your fights ended quicker. RC: Yes.
KM:
In WEF 7 was a two round fight, WEF 10 was three round fight,
Reality Superfighting was a three round fight then all of a sudden
1st round 1 minute, 1st round 3 minutes, 1st round 2 minutes,
1st round 1 minute. What changed that allowed you to just explode
in 2002? RC: When I was in Florida I was training on my own,
I wasn’t really training. Then I said ‘hey, I want
to fight’ and moved out here to California. Now I’m
on a regular training schedule with real good trainers.
KM:
Weren’t you fighting out of AKA that entire time? RC: My
first fight with AKA was a while before Ultimate Athlete. The
show out in Colorado (note: Rumble In the Rockies 1/26/02).
KM:
Okay, that makes more sense. They polished you up. RC: Yeah.
KM:
Here you are now in the UFC. Congratulations by the way. How
do you feel about that? RC: Thank you. I’m really excited
about that. I’ve been waiting a long time.
KM:
What do you think about fighting Franca? RC: I’m excited,
I think it’ll be an exciting fight. I don’t know that
much about him; I know he does Brazilian jiu-jitsu and that’s
about it.
KM:
Have you seen any of his fights in HOOKnSHOOT? RC: No, I haven’t.
KM:
This one is in the 155 class. I think you have always been fighting
at 155. RC: Yep.
KM:
In HOOKnSHOOT Franca has been dominating at 145, he’s their
belt holder at 145. I’m thinking you’ll have the weight
advantage but if you haven’t seen those… RC: No I haven’t.
KM:
Okay. Now that you are training out of AKA what do you think
of the rest of the team? With you in the UFC here is the spotlight
on AKA, what do you want us to know about the rest of the team?
RC: Everybody on the team is great. We have top notch training,
all of us do. We all do our different styles and contribute our
little thing to the team.
KM:
Seeing Mike Swick out at WEC 6 I was surprised; it wasn’t
what I expected after seeing only a couple AKA fighters with
different styles. Has anything changed with AKA the past month
or two? RC: No, not really.
KM:
Who do you think we should be keeping an eye out for? RC: Swick,
Josh Thompson, Christian Wellisch, all of them.
KM:
So Bob Cook, Javier Mendez, and Lynne Schultz are the trainers
out there? RC: Yep.
KM:
I think the only videos out on you are Stomp In The Swamp, New
Blood Conflict, and Ultimate Athlete 2. I think those are the
only ones available to the public. Of those three if fans wanted
to check you out to preview you for UFC which are you most proud
of, which should they see to get an idea of what you are like
now? RC: I like the Ultimate Athlete and I like the first WEC.
I don’t think the WECs are available.
KM:
As far as the last one I saw of you, WEC 3 against Cruz Gomes,
what do you recall about that fight? RC: It was really quick.
Couple throws.
KM:
If I recall correctly it seemed like he came out a little faster
than you and I don’t recall who got the takedown but once
it went to the ground it seemed like it was all you. What stands
out to me looking at your record now is that was your longest
fight in 2002 (3:04). Was there anything unusual about that?
RC: No.
KM:
If not for that fight I would project this as both you and Franca
are known for explosive early endings, expect this one to go
quick or be exciting on the ground. Is that how you expect this
to go? RC: Yes, definitely.
KM:
Was there anything else you want to project to the fans at this
point. Here’s your spotlight. RC: I don’t know. Just
look forward to an exciting fight.
KM:
Any sponsors to thank? RC: Yes, Pain Inc.
With
Franca originally planned to fight KOTC champ Javi Vasquez until
Vasquez’s injury these three fighters show that the UFC
is still doing a great job of giving opportunities to the 155s
and not giving up on the weight class. The only downside to this
fight is it detracts from the rest of the card including such
deserving fighters getting their first shots as Romi Aram versus
Dave Strasser. With the likelihood of this bout being on the
prelims fans that can get tickets and go see it live would be
well advised to do so; this one is going to rock the house.
The
UFC’s next live PPV event will be UFC 42: Sudden Impact
at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST, Friday, April 25, from AmericanAirlines
Arena in Miami, Fla. The suggested retail price is $29.95. Look
for the UFC on the internet at www.ufc.tv.
Source:
ADCC |
Pan
American 2003 and First International Team Tournaments
Marcello
Siriema, the coordinator for the 2003 Pan-Ams, told us that this
year's event will probably break all participation records. As
of this time, the pre-registrations are 20% ahead of the best
ever and new signees are adding at a record clip. Marcello told
us that despite Visa difficulties for some athletes in Brazil,
the majority of the top echelon already had valid visas and will
be able not only to participate in the main event but also represent
Brazil in the first ever International Team Challenge against
what he called a very strong American Team! . For more info and
to check out the partial list go to CBJJ Pan Ams.
Source:
ADCC
|
Tito
Ortiz Controversy Continues
Despite
have four fights remaining on his contract with Zuffa, Tito Ortiz
reign as UFC Champion is in definite jeopardy.
Tons
of rumors involving Tito and the WWE flooded both pro wrestling
and MMA sites on Monday. This followed the WWE's WrestleMania
show where the announce team mentioned Tito during their main
event.
What
is evident is that Chuck Lidell is growing more anxious every
day in his quest for the UFC Light-Heavyweight Title.
Lidell
has take fight after fight to 'warm up' and stay in fighting
condition over the last year waiting on Tito to sign the contract.
It
is no secret that Ortiz has been unhappy with Zuffa as of late.
Just one month ago, Ortiz put out an open comment to the public
(check ADCC archives) that let his concerns be known about Zuffa
and the proposed fight with Lidell.
It
doesn't appear that the Lidell fight will take place anytime
soon or even at all at this point.
Ortiz
has four fights left and some of his recent actions have left
his fans wondering what is going on.
This
brings a bizzare twist into things. There is serious talk of
stripping Ortiz of his title and putting it up for grabs in Las
Vegas, NV in June.
Randy
Couture vs. Chuck Lidell is on the table and both have verbally
agreed to the fight according to sources. This would be the first
time Couture has ever fought at 205lbs.
Lidell
is sick of waiting and Zuffa is sick of making him wait. Many
are expecting a public announcement from Zuffa this coming week.
Tito
Ortiz is the fourth champion to have encountered problems with
Zuffa. He joins Murillo Bustamante (left for more money but has
yet to fight), Jens Pulver (left over money and has taken smaller
fights) and Josh Barnett (was negotiating with PRIDE at the time,
before he was stripped after a positive drug test).
Barnett
is the only former champion out of the three who is maintaining
a successful career doing pro wrestling.
For
both Ortiz and UFC, the upcoming weeks will be interesting to
say the least.
Source:
ADCC |
MECA
VALE TUDO Returns To Brazil
Meca Vale Tudo is back in the minds of the Brazilian MMA fans!
The next show is scheduled for May 23rd, at the Opera do Arame,
in Curitiba, one week after the ADCC tournament in São
Paulo. The idea is to have all the press and media who will be
in Brazil anyway for the ADCC show , to attend to the best Brazilian
MMA show as well!
The
rumors about the card are out there, with interesting fights:
Jorge
Guimaraes is not only the Meca promoter but he has his own TV
program about Mixed Martial Arts, Submission Wrestling, Muay
Thai and Jiu-Jitsu. Jorge
also has organized the Tow In World Cup in Hawaii and he spent
the last 3 months in Maui working on that event. After so much
time spent in Hawaii, word about his MMA show spread. He heard
of a guy on the North Shore, a feared 'Black Trunk' surfer named
Kala who was interested in fighting Meca.
The
other side of this taleis the World Champion at the last Tow
In World Cup, a Brazilian named Rodrigo Rezende who won first
prize last year. What few people knows is that Rezende is BJJ
purple belt currently training under Brazilian Top Team.
Needless
to say the matchup was perfect and something that will bring
a different flavor to the Meca show in May. Both surfers, I mean
fighters, confirmed the fight, so it's time to see who's is the
best surfer in the ring or the best fighter on the board....
Source:
ADCC
|
Best
of ADCC, Volume 3 - IT HAS FINALLY ARRIVED!!!
If anyone
gets this, please let me borrow it! This looks like some killer
matches.
Third edition of the RARE Collector Series 'BEST OF ADCC SUBMISSION
WRESTLING' Ships Next Week!
Special
pre-order pricing - available at the http://store.yahoo.com/fightworld2/
BEST
of ADCC VOLUME 3:
- Ricco Rodriguez versus Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira
- Jean-Jacques Machado versus Ricardo Arona
- Tito Ortiz versus Matt Hughes
- Genki Sudo versus Vitor Befort
- Baret Yoshida versus Wellington 'Megaton' Diaz
- Joe Hurley versus Fabiano Iha
- Vitor 'Shaolin' versus Rumina Sato
- Mario Sperry versus Larry Parker
- Mark Kerr versus Josh Barnett
- Rodrigo 'Cumprido' Medeiros versus Roberto Roleta Magalhaes
Hayato
Sakurai and many more!
The
first edition is sold out and history, the second edition will
join it as a 'collector's only' classic! Now the 3rd edition
is complete and ready to ship this coming week!
1.
More content than ever before!
2. New NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN matches from 1999!
3. All-region encoded (plays anywhere)
4. Save 20% (price increases in less than 10 days)
Special
pre-order pricing - available at the http://store.yahoo.com/fightworld2/
Source: ADCC |
K-1
'Beast' - Quick Results
K-1 'Beast'
April 6, 2003
Yamagata, Japan
The
them of the show was TEAM BEAST versus JAPAN, with Team Beast
being associates of Bob Sapp.
In
a bizarre turn, K-1 blackballed many of the press, including
high-ranking Japanese sports writers. The explanation was that
K-1 did NOT want results given out before their TV show aired
six hours later. Nikkan Sports as well as long time fight press
Bout Review were not permitted entrance to the show. This in
itself was a major story in Japanese press.
Tatsufumi
Tomihira over Chad Bannon via judges decisions of 3-0.
Yusuke
Fujimoto KO'd Kerry Karena in round 3 after a brutal hook.
Maurice
Smith defeated Tsuyoshi via majority decision of 2-0.
Cyril
Abidi defeated Shingo Koyasu by a unanimous decision with both
guys stealing the show. When the final bell sounded, Abidi kept
punching and kicking Koyasu which the crowd wasn't happy with.
Hiromi
Amada, as predicted, KO'd Tom Erikson.
Mike
Bernardo KO'd Tsuyoshi Nakasako.
Musashi
and Gary Goodridge went to a five-round draw.
Source:
ADCC |
Chirs
Brennan - back in KOTC!
One of the biggest surprises at March’s KOTC was seeing
Chris Brennan present during weigh-ins. Turns out Adam Lynne
was fighting, making big news as Next Generation’s return
to California’s biggest event. As for Chris himself after
losing his belt to Millennia Jiu-Jitsu’s John Alessio, he
dropped to 155 and has been seen mostly in Shooto. Until now.
KM:
You mentioned opening a new gym. What’s the situation? CB:
I am actually giving my Irvine gym to Jeremy Williams; he’s
my first student and he’s going to run that one and I’m
opening a giant school in Temecula, 600 sq ft school. I’m
actually partnering up with Brian Teegan from Metal Militia.
He kind of got into this sport and sponsored a couple fighters
who were bad seeds in this sport. He didn’t know anything
about the sport; he was just into watching it. He ended up not
sticking with those guys very long and he got a bad rap for it.
He’s a really good guy. In the freestyle supercross thing
they’re some of the best guys out there for sure. I partnered
up with him because I’m really into supercross and motorcross
and have been training some of the guys that are the top racers
in the world right now. Met up with Brian and he wanted to open
a gym but wanted to be a little more straight than the last guys.
We got to talking and now we’re building a giant school.
It’s going to be phenomenal.
KM:
All I know about Metal Militia was that ESPN piece that really
didn’t do well. CB: Like I said, he liked the fighting and
they were kind of the bad boys. He didn’t know much about
it. (They) weren’t out to improve our sport any, they didn’t
know anything about it.
KM:
So now he’s backing away from that reputation, trying to
start over. CB: Yeah.
KM:
When does that open? CB: We’re hoping for April 12th. That’s
our hopeful grand opening. The good thing about being partners
with him is he’s going to have Fox Sports 2 and Blue Torch
covering our grand opening. It’s going to be on ESPN and
he has the connections for free television so that will really
help our sport, not just my school.
KM:
How far is that from Irvine? CB: About 35 minutes. It’s
inland a little bit and South of my school. Temecula is dying
for a school; there are like five different groups of guys training,
some at a Tai Kwon Do place, some out of a garage, and they all
need unity. My school will be exactly that. We’ll have a
cage, double the mat space…
KM:
Are you still going to be doing most of the classes at the new
school? CB: I’ll do most of the classes at the new school
and I’ll be at the old school two days a week.
KM:
Here we are at KOTC. It seemed like there was a little tension
when you left KOTC… CB: We had a long talk. It actually
turned out well. During our last tournament (Westside Submission
Championships) I bumped my telephone and it called Terry. I swear
to God. I didn’t know it and it hung up and then a few minutes
later my phone rang at it (LCD display) said KOTC. I handed it
to my brother and said ‘here, answer that’ (both laugh).
He answered it and (Terry) said ‘I’m returning a phone
call’ so he gave it to me. I said ‘I think that was
a mistake, I bumped my phone, sorry about that’ and he said
‘okay’ and we got off the phone. A couple weeks later
he called me and that was the first time we talked in however
long it’s been, it’s been a long time. I think that
was kind of the icebreaker for us, which needed to happen, and
I’m glad it did. I missed fighting here, it’s my home.
I have a fan base here that is crazy. I love that. I’m glad
that we came to some terms and agreements and are gett |