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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
11/21/03
SuperBrawl
(MMA)
Neil Blaisdell Arena
11/9/03
Pride: Final Conflict
(MMA)
(Toyko, Japan)
10/4/03?
Pac Rim Jiu-Jitsu and Submission Grappling Tournament
(Sub Grappling & BJJ)
(Klum Gym, UH Manoa)
9/28/03
1st Annual Kauai "Grappler's Paradise" 2003 Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu tournament
(BJJ, Sub Grappling)
(Kauai)
9/26/03
UFC 44: Undisputed
(MMA)
(Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, NV)
9/21/03
3rd Annual Gracie Kauai Longman Jiu-Jitsu Tournament
Kauai Veteran Center, (BJJ, Sub Grappling)
(Kauai)
9/20/03
SuperBrawl
(MMA)
Neil Blaisdell Arena
9/13/03
NAGA - Hawaiian Grappling Championships
(Sub Grappling & BJJ)
(Farrington HS?)
In The Gym,
Monthly Smokers
Giraldi Muay Thai Gym
(Muay Thai, Halawa) |
|
August News Part
1
Quote
of the Day
"Happiness is not so much in having as sharing.
We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we
give."
Norman MacEwan
|
Rumble
On The Rock 3 Tonight!
Hilo is the place to be and we will be there covering the action!
180lbs
Mikey Pikey vs. Eddie
300lbs
Kona Bear vs. Patrick Fonohena
250lbs
Junior Dong vs. Anthony Billianor (Lockdown)
155lbs
Kaynan Kaku (Nova Uniao) vs. Kona
155lbs
Johnny Sampaio (Nova Uniao) vs. David Padilla
155lbs
Mark Moreno (Bulls Pen) vs. Deshawn Johnson (HMC)
140lbs
Iwi Okano (Nova Uniao) vs. Jamal Dequip
175lbs
John Naole (HMC) vs. Kaleo Padilla
170lbs
Royden Demotta (Nova Uniao) vs. Kyle Brees
170lbs
Ross Ebanez (Nova Uniao) vs. Shannon Ritch
170lbs
Renato "Charuto" Verissimo (Nova Uniao) vs. Ray Elbe
290lbs
Wesley "Cabbage" Correira (Grappling Unlimited) vs.
Steve Sayegh |
Fighters'
Club TV Episode 13 Released!
Fighters' Club TV Episode 13 will premier this coming Tuesday
(August 12) at
6pm on Channel 52
--It'll repeat for the next 4 Tuesdays, "same time, same
place."
This episode will feature:
-MMA rules and regulations explained and demonstrated by:
Ronald Jhun, Egan Inoue, Kai Kamaka and Sheldon Young
-Highlights from the Kaos Fighting Championships held at the
Dole Cannery
-Desi Miner vs James Stanford (plus intv. w/ Desi)
-John Naole vs Paul Laga
-Ronald Jhun vs James Meals (plus a joint intv. w/ both Ron and
James)
(remaining fights to be featured on a future episode)
-Intvw. w/ Kaos promoters Dennis Bonner and Kai Kamaka
and
of course, Hawaii's two favorite FCTV hosts, Mark Kurano and
Mike Onzuka
Please
send any questions and comments to any of us (Mike, Chris, Mark
or
Jason) at fightersclubtv808@hotmail.com
Or hot chics w/ resumes to the same address,
Attention casting department, Mr. C ;-) (PLEASE INCLUDE PICS)
Source: Mark Kurano
|
PRIDE
Interview: MURILO BUSTAMANTE!
First
of all, tell everybody about the deal! I came to Japan to corner
Arona and Minotauro. I knew Arona had been injured before he
left Brazil, but nobody thought it was a fracture. I knew that
Arona's injury was serious, but due to the fact he had already
skipped the last match against Overeem in May, we thought Pride
would make him fight anyway.
So
basically you didn't know you would fight? How would I know?!
When I left Brazil the word from Japan was 'Arona is having exams
to figure out exactly his real situation.'
When
did you get the news about the offer to fight? As soon as I got
to Japan, our representative told me that Pride was considering
me as a replacement.
Your
thoughts at that point? Well, I was happy in one way, because
I was flattered that Pride thought I was worthy. At the same
time, I was very disappointed because this was not the way I
was expecting to have my debut in PRIDE. We were working on an
appearance for the November show.
How
long did it take to confirm your name? It was a quick negotiation.
It had to be, nobody had time to think too much. They offered
me good things, and I will represent the BTT in the event. Things
worked out good for everybody. I think they have a good replacement,
and I have my compensation.
So
this is not a single fight contract? That's correct.
What
do you think about your opponent, 'Rampage' Jackson? Honestly
I don't know. Mario was responsible for Arona's preparation,
and I was focused more on Minotauro. Besides, we had a pretty
busy month: I was the main coach for fighters in Knock MMA, Heat
FC and Meca 9. I have prepared 10 fighters for matches, plus
Minotauro for PRIDE. So I didn't even see Jackson's tape, I only
have seen him fighting before. He's strong, he is a good wrestler
and he has good stand up, so I'm gonna have some hardwork to
do...
So
let's talk about the fight itself. How do you think it will unfold?
This is unpredictable. I had 2 days to work my mental game and
convince myself I was not coaching guys anymore! Now I am mentally
prepared and ready to step up there and compete. I'm gonna sleep,
and when I wake up tomorrow I'm will be fighting in the best
tournament ever seen. There the fight will unfold.
People
is saying that the short notice could be used as an excuse. Any
words? Short notice is short notice for me and for him. Do you
think he was expecting to facing me? As for my training, of course,
I was not training for thePride Grand Prix, it was more like
maintenance training, which is way different, but I'm feeling
prepared nonetheless.
So
no excuses... Well, I had the right to refuse this fight if I
didn't want to take it. I think I already proved that I don't
make excuses. When I was about to pull out my fight in my last
UFC title defense due to a finger injury, People from Zuffa asked
me to fight, saying that it would be a disaster for the show
to lose the main event a week prior. I fought and even if I had
lost no excuses were going to be made. I am not a boy, I am a
man and in my life there's no place or time for excuses or regrets.
How
are you feeling for the GP tomorrow? You know, it's weird. I
have a lot of pressure I put on myself, that motivates me. At
the same time, I am more relaxed. The ball is really in Jackson's
court and he is the one who has been 'in' all along, and it is
he who has to prove something. I just have to compete and do
my best, but I am going there to upset people...
Finally,
go and pick the 4 guys who you think will advance to the next
round? Man, it would be irresponsible of me to do that. The only
thing I know is, if I win my fight, my next opponent better bring
a gun with him, because you will have to kill me in November,
otherwise I'll take the whole thing.
Source: ADCC
|
Latest
Official PANCRASE Rankings (as of 8/4/2003)
[Open-weight]
the 10th Open-weight K.O.P. VACANT
#1 Yuki Kondo (PANCRASEism)
#2 Semmy Schilt (Holland/Golden Glory)
#3 Yoshiki Takahashi (PANCRASEism)
#4 Sanae Kikuta (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#5 Kiuma Kunioku (PANCRASEism)
#6 Nathan Marquardt (U.S.A./Colorado Stars)
#7 Josh Barnett (U.S.A./New Japan Pro-wrestling)
[Super
heavyweight(221lbs. and over)]
#1 Semmy Schilt (Holland/Golden Glory)
#2 Tim Lajcik (U.S.A./Gladiators Training Academy)
#3 Ron Waterman (U.S.A./Colorado Stars)
#4 Hideki Tadao (RJW/CENTRAL)
#5 Jun Ishii (Chojin Club)
#6 KENGO (PANCRASEism)
[Heavyweight(199lbs.~under
221lbs.)]
the 1st Heavyweight K.O.P. Yoshiki Takahashi (PANCRASEism)
#1 Tsuyoshi Ozawa (Zendokai)
#2 Katsuhisa Fujii (UFO)
#3 Jason Godsey (U.S.A./I.F. Academy)
[Light
heavyweight(181lbs.~under 199lbs.)]
the 2nd Light heavyweight K.O.P. Sanae Kikuta (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#1 Yuki Kondo (PANCRASEism)
#2 Ricardo Almeida (U.S.A./Renzo Gracie Jiu Jitsu Academy)
#3 Akihiro Gono (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#4 Nilson de Castro (Brazil/Chute Boxe Academy)
#5 Daisuke Watanabe (PANCRASEism)
#6 Ikuhisa Minowa (freelance)
#7 Yuki Sasaki (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#8 KEI Yamamiya (PANCRASEism)
#9 Evangelista Cyborg (Brazil/Academia Budokan)
#10 Osami Shibuya (PANCRASEism)
[Middleweight(165.7lbs.~
under 181lbs.)]
the 3rd Middleweight K.O.P. Nathan Marquardt (U.S.A./Colorado
Stars)
#1 Izuru Takeuchi (SK Absolute)
#2 Kiuma Kunioku (PANCRASEism)
#3 Kazuo Misaki (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#4 Chris Lytle (U.S.A./Ring Sports Palmers Gym)
#5 Hidehiko Hasegawa (SK Absolute)
#6 Shonie Carter (U.S.A./AIKI Training Hall) *up from #7
#7 Kosei Kubota (PANCRASEism) *up from #10
#8 Eiji Ishikawa (Pancrase GRABAKA) *IN!
#9 Yuji Hoshino (Wajutsu Keishukai GODS) *down from #6
#10 VACANT
[Welterweight(152.5lbs.~
under 165.7lbs.)]
the 1st Welterweight K.O.P. Kiuma Kunioku (PANCRASEism)
#1 Koji Oishi (PANCRASEism) *up from #2
#2 Takafumi Ito (PANCRASEism) *down from #1
#3 Kenichi Serizawa (RJW/CENTRAL)
#4 Hiroki Nagaoka (Rodeo Style)
#5 Satoru Kitaoka (PANCRASEism)
#6 Yuji Hoshino (Wajutsu Keishukai GODS)
#7 Takuya Wada (SK Absolute)
[Lightweight(141.4lbs.~
under 152.5lbs.)] VACANT
[Featherweight(under
141.4lbs.)] VACANT
Source: ADCC
|
Pedro
Rizzo talks about Pride GP
After
a bad year in 2002, it looks like the Ruas Vale-Tudo Team is
finally finding the path back to the victory. The team's top
representative Pedro Rizzo defeated Tra Telligman at the last
UFC, and other team members Gustavo Ximú, Alexandre Baixinho,
Renato Babalú, Antoine Jaude and Eduardo Simões
all got wins in their last vale-tudo events. During the last
Heat Fighting Championship, Pedro Rizzo talked to us about Pride
GP, his future in UFC and about the new era of Ruas Vale-Tudo
Team.
Speak
a little about your last fight versus Tra Telligman... 'The fight
happened as I thought it would, it developed the way I wanted.
In the 1st round I tried some different things, to ty to throw
him off balance. In the 2nd round I changed a little bit and
I took him to the ground to try and tire him a little, because
he was sharp with his boxing. I brought the fight again to the
feet to go for a KO. I didn`t connect with his chin, I hit his
forehead and it cut. The doctor stopped the fight, but if it
didn't stop there he would have been knocked out any way'
What
is your opinion on the fight between Gan Mcgee and Tim Sylvia?
'I don't have an opinion formed regarding that fight, it is a
difficult fight to speak about. Gan Mcgee is improving a lot,
but I think Tim Sylvia is a little better than he, I don't know.
But who win will have to hold this belt with everything they
have because I want that belt again'
What
your opinion on the fight between Rodrigo Minotauro and Ricco
Rodrigues? 'Minotauro has all the tools to win, he has 100% of
a chance at winning. Minotauro is a better striker than Ricco,
better grappler, and better fighter than him. I don´t see
how Ricco can beat Minotauro, only if he has bad luck. But a
fight is fight.'
When
will you return to the octagon? I will fight in november, I still
don't know with who the fight will be. I am waiting for the guys
at the Ultimate to announce against who I will fight.'
Do
you prefer to fight in ring or octagon? 'I like Ultimate, I like
fighting there. OTher rules, like not being able to knee on the
ground (in UFC) - it takes away a lot from the striker and it
gives an advantage to the grappler. Because if he shoots and
you 'sprawl', he does not have to worry about taking a kick to
the face, or a knee when he is underneath.
You
are a striker and another feared striker is having a lot of success
now, Mirko Cro Cop. What do you think of him? 'I think he is
doing well in his fights, he doesn't give easily in the stand
up game, but I think he still has not faced a great wrestler.
The only one that he faced was Fujita, and he hit that knee on
him, but he didn't fight a top guy like Couture or Coleman. He
also never faced a good guy at ground submissions like Rodrigo
(Minotauro), a fighter that will demand more from him than just
a stand up fight.
What
do you think about Cro Cop and Vovchanchin? 'I think it won't
be an easy fight, I think it will be a hard fight.
Emelianenko
Fedor is the top fighter in the heavyweight division at the moment,
how would you fight him? 'Fedor is a tough guy, he has heavy
hands, but he is not a great boxer. But he has heavy hands! He
is a tough fight, because he is good at wrstling, he wants to
stay on top, even against a Jiu Jitsu guy, he is OK on top and
does dmage becaue he hits so hard. I think the way to fight him
is to exchange blows with him, to avoid the takedowns. I don't
think it will be too difficult to avoid his takedowns, although
he is good at wrestling, I already wrestled with Couture, Matyushenko
and I learned. I guarantee I am better on the feet - with my
experience and everything.
Is
there any Heavyweight that you would like to fight? 'I want to
fight with the fighterswho have beaten me, and I want to fight
my way back to the top - whatever it takes.'
What
happened in your fight with Gan Mcgee. 'I lost that fight in
one second, I had not taken a punch the whole fight, I took that
punch in the nose and I could not continue in the fight. I have
been here beside myself, I want to fight himagain to prove that
it was only an accident and that on a normal day I would beat
him.
After
a bad year, the Ruas Vale Tudo Team are back on top. Talk a little
about that. 'I think the 'Ruas Vale Tudo' put an end to that
string of bad luck, I don't know what was happening. But recently,
Babalú won, Ximú, I am coming off a win. Everybody
winning motivates us, I think we learned a lot with our defeats
and we will return better, because everything that we passed
thru we used to gain inner strength.'
Source: ADCC
|
FIVE
AMERICANS GO TO PAN AM GAMES FREESTYLE FINALS, BUT SANDERSON'S
LOSS HAS WRESTLING WORLD ABUZZ
The
U.S. men's freestyle team may have placed five wrestlers in seven
weights in the finals of the 2003 Pan Am Games, to be held Friday
evening -- Stephen Abas at 55 kg/121 lbs., Jamill Kelly at 66
kg/145.5 lbs., Joe Williams at 74 kg/163 lbs., Daniel Cormier
at 96 kg/211.5 lbs., and Kerry McCoy at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. --
but the loudest buzz seems to be about one of those who only
made it to the bronze medal match: Cael Sanderson.
The
four-time NCAA champ from Iowa State never tasted defeat in his
illustrious college career. The international scene, however,
is proving to be something entirely different, with Sanderson
losing this year alone to three opponents from Cuba and Russia.
At
the Titan Games in February, Sanderson, wrestling at 84 kg/185
lbs., lost a 3-2 overtime match to Cuba's Yoel Romero, a 1999
World Champion, two-time World Cup champion, and three-time Pan
Am champion. It should be noted that Romero, who turned 26 in
April, has been wrestling on the international freestyle senior
level since 1997, just before he turned 20, and wrestled on the
junior level before that. This was the same period in his career
when Sanderson was focusing mainly on collegiate wrestling, where
the American folkstyle rules differ and place much more emphasis
on control than those in freestyle.
Sanderson
lost another one-point match a week later, on Feb. 22, at the
Kiev Grand Prix. There he fell by a 7-6 margin to Russia's Vadym
Tokaev, who was a 2002 World Military Champion.
At
the 2003 World Cup, Sanderson also lost to another young, rising
international star. Russia's Khadshimurad Gatsalov, a 20-year-old
who was a 2001 Junior World Champion, defeated Sanderson in yet
another one-point match, by a score of 8-7 in overtime.
In
this year's Pan Am Games semifinals, held Friday morning, Sanderson
got his rematch with Romero. With the match tied at 2-2 in overtime,
here is the description given by USA Wrestling of what happened
next:
'One
minute into overtime, Sanderson took a shot that began a wild
15-second scramble that ended with the two competitors going
off the edge of the mat. The officials on the mat called for
no scoring and the two wrestlers to begin again in neutral, but
FILA officials called for a replay. Following a long replay,
FILA officials concluded that Sanderson had barely exposed his
back in the scramble, giving Romero the third point he needed
to win.
“'I
think it was so close' Jones said. 'I don’t think the call
is right because I don’t think he exposed. I just don’t
think he exposed.'”
It
seems highly unusual that a FILA official who was not one of
those on the mat would call for a replay. This official has not
yet been identified, although it may have been FILA vice-president
Mario Saletnig, who, by the way, is listed on the FILA web site
as living in Florida. Saletnig had been cited as the FILA official
who rearranged the wrestling schedule following what was described
by USA Wrestling as an 'unauthorized' use of the arena on what
was supposed to be the final day of Greco competition.
Still,
Sanderson has been known to expose his back on occasion. The
only points he surrendered at the 2003 USA Wrestling World Team
Trials finals in his two matches with Lee Fullhart were for a
tilt that Fullhart got on a counter-move. Sanderson defeated
Fullhart 7-2 in that match, and then 3-0 to win the World Team
Trials finals. Fullhart had used a similar counter, a two-point
tilt, to win his first match against Sanderson in the best-of-three
series at the 2002 World Team Trials finals by a 3-2 score. There
again Sanderson came back to win the next two matches, 7-1 and
6-1, scoring numerous takedowns.
These
episodes do show, however, that Sanderson does have a history
of making mistakes, especially when it comes to giving up back
exposure under international rules. Such mistakes would not have
yielded points under collegiate rules in the American folkstyle
system. So Sanderson's adjustment to freestyle continues.
Nonetheless,
the direct intervention of FILA officials who were not officiating
that particular match does raise serious questions. At the 2003
European Greco-Roman Wrestling Championships in Belgrade, a major
criticism of the officiating was made by 'Mr. Wrestling,' Ali
Gümüs, the chairman of the Wrestling Commission of
the Association of International Sports Writers (AIPS). He wrote
on the AIPS web site that, 'At the event in Belgrade, once more,
it was apparent that some of the referees helped certain wrestlers
reach the gold medal. While other wrestlers trained for the whole
season in hopes of a medal, the referees’ favorites were
the ones who were able to receive them.'
He
then quoted FILA President Raphael Martinetti as assuring him,
'At this championship we fired fourteen referees. In future world
championships and the Olympics in 2004 in Athens, we will not
see the officiating errors of Belgrade.”
Maybe.
Here
is the USA Wrestling press release, taken from the USOC web site,
about the first session of day two of the 2003 Pan American Games
wrestling:
WRESTLING:
U.S. men’s freestyle team places five in gold-medal matches;
Sanderson loses in controversial finish at the Pan American Games
by John Fuller - USA Wrestling
Santo
Domingo, Dominican Republic - Five U.S. men’s freestyle
wrestlers earned trips to the gold-medal match at the Pan American
Games.
Wrestling
for gold will be Stephen Abas (Fresno, Calif./Sunkist Kids) at
55 kg/121 lbs., Jamill Kelly (Stillwater, Okla./Gator WC) at
66 kg/145.5 lbs., 2001 World bronze medalist Joe Williams (Coralville,
Iowa/Sunkist Kids) at 74 kg/163 lbs., Daniel Cormier (Stillwater,
Okla./Gator WC) at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. and 2000 Olympian Kerry McCoy
(Bethlehem, Pa./New York AC) at 120 kg/264.5 lbs.
The
other two wrestlers, Eric Guerrero (Stillwater, Okla./Gator WC)
and Cael Sanderson (Ames, Iowa/Sunkist Kids), will wrestle for
bronze following heart-breaking semifinal losses.
“Our
guys wrestled with a lot of spirit and heart. We wrestled the
American way,” stated U.S. head coach Zeke Jones.
“We
had a couple of matches that we dropped that were winnable. I
thought those two guys did everything they could on the mat.
It is just that sometimes things aren’t always in your control,”
Jones added, referring to Sanderson’s semifinal loss to
World silver medalist Yoel Romero of Cuba at 8 4 kg/185 lbs.
In
the match, Sanderson controlled the action, but trailed heading
into overtime 2-1. Sanderson had scored once on an ankle-pick,
and Romero had scored two takedowns off of Sanderson shots.
In
the overtime, Romero locked in the clinch first, but broke his
hold 30 seconds later, tying the match at 2-2.
One
minute into overtime, Sanderson took a shot that began a wild
15-second scramble that ended with the two competitors going
off the edge of the mat. The officials on the mat called for
no scoring and the two wrestlers to begin again in neutral, but
FILA officials called for a replay. Following a long replay,
FILA officials concluded that Sanderson had barely exposed his
back in the scramble, giving Romero the third point he needed
to win.
“I
think it was so close,” Jones said. “I don’t think
the call is right because I don’t think he exposed. I just
don’t think he exposed.”
Sanderson
will now wrestle Luis Felipe Vivenes of Venezuela for the bronze
medal.
McCoy
provided the first fireworks for the U.S. team, becoming the
first wrestler to earn a trip to the gold-medal match after pinning
four-time World medalist Alexis Rodriguez of Cuba with one second
left in the first period.
In
a scoreless tie, McCoy was called for passivity. Rodriguez attempted
a gut wrench from the par terre position, but McCoy stepped over
him and put him right to his back, earning the fall.
“I
felt like I was defending okay, but he wasn’t in the best
position,” stated McCoy, who defeated Rodriguez in their
last meeting at the Titan Games. “It was one of those things
that was 50-50, because if I moved my hips a half second too
early or a half second too late, he could have scored on me.”
McCoy,
a vocal leader of the U.S. squad, also felt that this match was
a good way to get the ball rolling for the U.S. team.
“We
set the tone a long time ago as a team. Our goal was seven golds
and seven golds. That is for here and the Worlds. If we wrestle
hard and we wrestle our best, we don’t get beat.”
Abas
continued his pure domination of this tournament, earning a 10-0
technical superiority win in the semifinals against Antonio Gonzalez
of Peru. Abas will next face reigning World Champion Rene Montero
of Cuba. Montero defeated Abas 3-2 at the Titan Games.
Kelly
had to wrestle back through the repechage round to earn his trip
to the gold-medal match. He defeated David Cubas of Peru and
Jhonny Jose Cedeno of Venezuela by a combined 12-0 score. Kelly
will wrestle Serguei Rondon of Cuba for the gold medal. Rondon
defeated Kelly 7-6 in overtime in pool competition.
Williams
suffered a major cut on his forehead to win 3-0 over Zoltan Hunyady
of Canada in the semifinals. Williams scored a takedown with
one second remaining to win the match in regulation.
The
only World medalist on the U.S. men’s freestyle team will
face Daniel Gonzalez of Cuba in the finals. Gonzalez placed eighth
at last year’s World Championships.
Cormier,
a native of Lafayette, La., won his final two pool matches to
advance to the gold-medal match as well. Cormier defeated Wilfredo
Morales of Cuba, a veteran of World Championships, by an 8-0
score to advance. In the match, Cormier scored eight takedowns.
Cormier
will wrestle Antoine Jaoude of Brazil for the gold medal.
'A
lot of good things are happening right now,' stated Cormier,
who has battled through two injuries and the loss of his three-month
old daughter within the last six weeks. 'Like everybody says,
after the rain, the sun is going to come out.'
Guerrero,
like Sanderson, also dropped a semifinal match to a top opponent
- World Champion Giuvu Sissaouri of Canada at 66 kg/145.5 lbs.
Leading
3-2 in the second period, Guerrero got caught in a front headlock.
Sissaouri rolled him for two points and a 4-3 lead. Sissaouri
won the match 5-3.
Guerrero
will face Luis Ortiz of Puerto Rico for the bronze medal.
The
team title will be on the line this evening between the U.S.
and Cuba. Each country has five wrestlers in the finals and they
face head-to-head in three of those.
Medal
matches will begin at 5:00 p.m. (EST) tonight at the Pebellon
de Combate in the Olympic Park.
Pan
American Games
at Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
August 7-8, 2003
U.S. Men’s Freestyle Individual Results
55
kg/121 lbs. - Stephen Abas, Fresno, Calif. (Sunkist Kids)
dec. Mischa Japaridze (Canada), 9-2; tech. fall Oscar Ruano (Guatemala),
10-0, 2:31; tech. fall Antonio Gonzalez (Panama), 10-0, 3:34
60
kg/132 lbs. - Eric Guerrero, Stillwater, Okla. (Gator WC)
dec. Geovanny Mora (Mexico), 9-2; tech. fall Nelson Rene Crisanto
(Honduras), 10-0, 1:55; lost dec. Giuvu Sissarouri (Canada),
5-3
66
kg/145.5 lbs. - Jamill Kelly, Stillwater, Okla. (Gator WC)
lost dec. Serguei Rondon (Cuba), 7-6, ot, 6:56; tech. fall Eddy
Agramonte (Dominican Republic), 11-0, 2:38; dec. Evan MacDonald
(Canada), 5-4; tech. fall Lucas Garraldo (Argentina), 11-1, 3:12;
dec. David Cubas (Peru), 4-0; dec. Jhonny Jose Cedeno (Venezuela),
8-0
74
kg/163 lbs. - Joe Williams, Coralville, Iowa (Sunkist Kids)
tech. fall Esteban Vera (Puerto Rico), 11-0, 5:47; tech. fall
Andy Cubas (Peru), 10-0, 3:41; dec. Zoltan Hunyady (Canada),
3-0
84
kg/185 lbs. - Cael Sanderson, Ames, Iowa (Sunkist Kids)
tech. fall Dario Garcia (Dominican Republic), 10-0, 2:46; tech.
fall Daniel Iglesia (Argentina), 10-0, 3:00; lost dec. Yoel Romero
(Cuba), 3-2, ot, 7:22
96
kg/211.5 lbs. - Daniel Cormier, Stillwater, Okla. (Gator WC)
pin Matthew White (Puerto Rico), 1:57; pin Randeep Sodhi (Canada),
2:28; dec. Wilfredo Morales (Cuba), 8-0
120
kg/264.5 lbs. - Kerry McCoy, Bethlehem, Pa. (New York AC)
pin Marcos Vinicius Oliveira (Brazil), 0:19; dec. Colbie Bell
(Canada), 9-0; pin Alexis Rodriguez (Cuba), 5:59
Source: ADCC/Eddie Goldman
|
K-1
August 15th:
Tournament Lineup and Matchups Confirmed
New York, NY - With all of the roster switches being made due
to last-minute injuries and a variety of other obstacles, it
has been hard for fans to decipher which world class combatants
will fill the eight spots in Friday, August 15th's K-1 "Battle
at the Bellagio" single-elimination tournament. At last,
though, there is clarity as both the participants and the quarterfinal
tournament round matchups have been determined.
The
roadmap for the tournament looks as follows:
Tournament
Bracket A:
1st
Match:
· Michael McDonald
Vs.
· Jefferson "Tank" Da Silva
2nd
Match:
· Raul Romero
Vs.
· Aziz "Boom Boom" Khattou
Tournament
Bracket B:
3rd Match:
· Remy Bonjasky
Vs.
· Vernon "Tiger" White
4th
Match:
· Rick "The Jet" Roufus
Vs.
· Gary "Smiler" Turner
The
event will mark the return of Roufus and McDonald, both of whom
fell victim to eventual champion Carter Williams during May's
K-1 USA elimination event. As the defending champion and the
2002 World Grand Prix Semifinals victor, McDonald was favored
to continue his dominance of North American K-1 competition three
months ago. A fired up Williams continued to outscore him for
the majority of three rounds until two of the three judges scored
the bout in favor of the K-1 newcomer. Roufus suffered an earlier
demise when he was caught with a right hand-roundhouse kick combination
that dropped him to the canvas. He stood up, but Williams barraged
him and sent him down for the 10 count at the 2:10 mark of the
first round.
K-1
fans had their first opportunity to see Bonjasky in action last
August when he took on 2001 World Grand Prix Semifinals champion,
Stefan Leko, in a five-round Superfight. The Dutch kickboxer
showed off his vibrant qualities, as he was able to neutralize
much of Leko's power with his speedy footwork. In the end, though,
the 25-year-old touted as the future of "The New Fighting
Sport" came up short on points after the final bell rang
and lost a unanimous decision to Leko.
Coming
off of a June 6th mixed martial arts bout in which he battled
Englishman Ian Freeman to a draw, King Of The Cage Lightheavyweight
champion Vernon White will get his first crack at a championship
in the sport that is comprised 100 percent of combat in the stand-up
position. In his recent outings, White has demonstrated his much-
improved stand-up fighting arsenal, a development that stems
from his work with Shark Tank trainer, Eddy Millis.
Jefferson
Da Silva's appearance will be his first in the United States.
Also known as "Tank," the Brazilian fighter earned
his entry into the Las Vegas loop after he captured the K-1 Grand
Prix Brazil elimination tournament championship on February 23rd.
Seemingly in peak condition, Da Silva was victorious over three
straight opponents in one night during the first-ever K-1 tournament
held in his country.
For
the first time since K-1 began its summer installment of K-1
action in 2001, Mexico will have a presence in the event when
Raul Romero will makes his way North for his first K-1 tournament
appearance. Romero boasts a chiseled, gladiator-like frame and
an aggressive fighting style that comes from his background in
Muay Thai kickboxing.
Both
Khattou and Turner became last minute additions to the tournament
earlier this week and gained their entries based on previous
merit. A 29-year-old native of Belgium, Khattou was last seen
in action during the K-1 Grand Prix in Fukuoka, Japan on July
13th During a Superfight, he inflicted enough punishment on Britain's
Pele Reid to render his opponent unable to answer the bell for
the final round of their matchup. Turner is a 10-year veteran
of the professional fight world, who is notorious for being able
to fight a distance of 10 rounds. Earlier this year, he became
the victor of the K-1 U.K. Grand Prix tournament when he defeated
three straight opponents. A championship round technical knockout
over longtime rival, Gordon Minors, highlighted his performance.
Source: Maxfighting |
Quote
of the Day
Dedication gives our dreams the wings to lift off and the strength
to soar.
|
Rumble
On The Rock 3 Weigh-ins tonight
Weigh-ins will be held at the Naniloa Hotel in Hilo at 5:00PM.
The Penn's put on a very professional event, so if you are on
the Big Island get down there and check it out.
|
Murilo
confirmed for Pride Gran Prix!
by: Marcello Tetel
After several meetings, BTT's Murilo Bustamante has signed to
replace Ricardo Arona in this weekend's PRIDE GP. 'Today, I have
already had a good training session of about 1 hour, to take
the jat lag off. I am feeling very well. I'm gonna take this
fight on short notice but, I'll be ready for him!' stated Bustamante.
Murilo
went to DSE office and had a meeting with Mr. Sakakibara in order
to solve the last minute details. 'I am getting into this mix
to help DSE, because this is not the best way to fight in Pride.
But my teammate is out, and I have to represent Brazilian Top
Team and prove that I can hang with the big boys here' continues
Bustamante.
Murilo
is already in competition mode: very quiet and focused. 'Finally
I got my chance in Pride. This didn't start the way I wanted
but the fans will have fun because the talking is over - now
I am ready to fight!'
Tomorrow
we will have the officoal announcementurin at apress conference,
to officially present Murilo Bustamante as the opponent for Quinton
Jackson at Pride Grand Prix!!
Source: ADCC |
1st
word on Cesar Gracie vs. Frank Shamrock!
by: Keith Mills
Team Cesar Gracie has been doing very well this year in their
homestate ofCalifornia, going 6-0 in WEC in March and 5-0 in
IFC in July. It’s not just the percentage of wins; Nick
Diaz is now in the UFC, and Gil Castillo is in WEC this weekend
before he takes on Frank Trigg IFC next September - these are
indicators os a high level of competition. Now rumors of the
instructor, Cesar Gracie himself fighting Frank Shamrock.
When
asked about this Cesar responded, “It’s going to happen
in November in Las Vegas. I believe it’s a new organization,
I don’t know that much about it. Basically the WEC asked
me first if I was interested in fighting Frank Shamrock in August
and I said I was. For whatever reason that kind of fell apart,
I guess Frank is not fighting for them anymore. He was going
to sign a contract, it didn’t happen. I got an e-mail saying
if I was serious to fight Frank to call their school so I did.
Frank called me a few days later at my school and asked if I
was interested in fighting him and I said I was. He told me it
would be in November in Vegas and we kind of agreed to it and
that’s where we’re at.” No word on if it would
be in Frank’s Shootbox show or some other new promotion.
When asked if it would be MMA rules under NV sanctioning Cesar
replied, “I’m imagining that is what the rules are.”
In
other Team Cesar Gracie news, Martin Armanderez was added to
the WEC card, Jake Shields is fighting in Shooto on the 10th,
Brett Bergmark fights in Last Man Standing on September 5th in
Albuquerque, and ADCC vet David Terrell will be fighting in Japan
later this year. Regarding Steve Heath’s injury that prevented
him from fighting Benji Radach in IFC last month Cesar says,
“He should be in a month or so much better. I’d like
to set up a rematch with him and Radach. There was a lot of anticipation
for that fight leading up to it and unfortunately (Heath) got
injured training with Nick Diaz. If we don’t get it we’ll
fight someone else.”
The
team also hosts the 4th Gracie Open submission tournament coming
up in September in Pleasant Hill. It was originally to be held
in August but the date has been changed. According to Cesar,
“last year we had over 350 competitors. David Terrell beat
Dean Lister.” Keep an eye out for an announcement of location
and date.
You
would think that this would make the gym unbearably chaotic but
actually Team Cesar Gracie, like Team Renzo Gracie on the East
Coast, are spread out over a couple affiliate schools. Steve
Heath teaches at the Stockton school, Antioch is the base of
Nick Diaz, David Terrell runs the Santa Rosa school, one in Sacramento,
the main gym in Pleasant Hill, and Fairtex with Jake Shields.
Despite the success Cesar remains humble saying only, “we
train very hard and the results show it.”
For
more information including location of the different gyms check
out http://www.graciefighter.com/.
Source: ADCC |
The
International SHOOTO Commission Presents
The Americas Rankings
With professional SHOOTO's expansion around the world (Europe,
Brazil, Hawaii, mainland U.S. and of course native Japan) the
time has come to grant recognition to the talent pool that exists
within each region, and develop a system that gives the athletes
a clear direction for becoming a "true" World Champion.
Additionally, the intention exists to help build anticipation
and guide match-ups as fighters work their way through the ranks
and drive toward a title shot.
Accordingly,
three global divisions have been defined and rankings in each
division have been formed. The regions are Europe, The Pacific-rim
and the Americas. In the Americas, which includes both North
and South America excluding the Hawaiian Islands (considered
part of the Pacific-rim), the ISC has detailed 5 criteria used
to determine eligibility for Americas rankings.
1. The competitor must have been born within the region and/or
have legally resided therein for a period of two or more years.
2. The competitor must be rated as Class-A by the ISC 3. The
competitor must have competed in a professional SHOOTO bout no
earlier than January 2002 4. The competitor must have competed
in the weight class in which he is being ranked 5. SHOOTO World
Champions are exempt from the regional rankings
The
rankings seen below reflect all bouts up through 7/31/02. They
will be re-evaluated on the 1st of each month, giving consideration
to the previous months results. To note: Performances in SHOOTO
bouts will be weighed most heavily (particular the most recent)
but victories outside of the SHOOTO circuit will be recognized
as well. At this point, only 5 places in each weight category
have been set, but that will most certainly expand in time.
Now,
without further ado.
Shooto
Lightweight - 65 kg (143.3 lbs)
1. Joao Roaque, Brazil 2-0-0
2. Bao Quach, U.S.A. 2-0-0
3. Ryan Ackerman, U.S.A. 2-3-1
4. Jeff Curran, U.S.A. 1-1-1
5. Joe Jordan, U.S.A. 3-1-0
Shooto
Welterweight - 70 kg (154.3 lbs)
1. Vitor 'Shaolin' Ribeiro, Brazil 3-0-0
2. Javier Vazquez, Cuba 1-0-0
3. Marcio 'Cromado'Barbosa, Brazil 3-3-0
4. Yves Edwards, Bahamas 2-1-1
5. Luis 'Buscape' Firmino, 1-0-0
Shooto
Middleweight - 76 kg (167.5 lbs)
1. Jake Shields, U.S.A. 2-1-0
2. Shonie Carter, U.S.A. 3-0-2
3. Ed Clay, U.S.A. 3-0-0
4. Gideon Ray, U.S.A. 1-0-1
5. Brian Gassaway, U.S.A. 1-1-1
Shooto
Light Heavyweight - 83 kg (183.0 lbs)
1. Dustin Denes, U.S.A. 3-0-1
2. Lance Gibson, Canada 2-1-0
3. Scott Henze, U.S.A. 3-0-1
4. John Renken, U.S.A.2-2-1
5. Curtis Stout, U.S.A. 1-1-1
Source: Richard Santoro, SHOOTO USA Commission |
SHOOTBOX
PRESS RELEASE
The
debut of Frank Shamrock's new ShootBox show is right around the
corner, on Saturday, August 23, at the Orange County Convention
Center in Orlando, Florida, during NAPMA's 2003 World Conference.
Here is the latest press release:
Frank
Juarez Shamrock rocks the combat sports arena with a whole new
sport for a whole new generation with “Shootbox”.
Shootbox
is more than your mixed martial arts event as this revolutionary
sport
removes the hindrances to full contact fighting. In this arena
it is up to the athletes, their skills in mixed martial arts,
physical endurance and strength, as well as outthinking their
opponent that will get them the win. In this new “Box”
gone are the days where an opponent can utilize a fence or rope
to gain position over his opponent. In this new arena, The “Shootbox”
truly tests the skills of mixed martial arts practitioners as
combatants will rely strictly on speed, balance, strength, agility
in true MMA combat.
“If
you have ever seen great champions compete in MMA, positioning,
use of your environment and patience were keys to success that
one combatant had over another” - Shamrock stated –
“In SHOOTBOX, I developed an arena that removes 2 main elements
that assists in favoring one over another, the cage and the ring
itself. In this new arena there are no rings and there are no
cages.
The athletes themselves will be challenged both physically and
mentally to compete at this level.
Aside
the physical characteristics that make up the Shootbox (no ropes
or cage), a new element that includes deduction of points for
“no action” will bring into play more of the “human
chess match” component. By deducting points to combatants
that look to tie a match up in stalemate, fighters are penalized
for those stall attempts resulting in more a planned attack with
your opponent. This will revolutionize the sport of mixed martial
arts as we know it now. SHOOTBOX is destined to be the biggest
sports entertainment development since the inception of wrestling
in our culture and “cagefighting” that became so popular
in the 90’s….Welcome to Shootbox !
For
more info on SHOOTBOX
www.shootbox.com
Source: Vikki VanHoosen - vikkiv@manicsports.com |
JUNGLE
FIGHT: WALLID ISMAEL BRINGS VALE-TUDO IN THE AMAZON
by: Marcelo Alonso / Team Tatame
After
many years prohibited in most states of Brazil, finally Vale-Tudo
starts to return to that land that it was born. Now besides Rio
de Janeiro (Knock), Natal (Heat Fighting Championship) and Curitiba
(Meca), Manaus, capital of Amazon state, will also receive an
MMA international event.
Jungle
Fight Championship is the name of the new show and it will be
promoted on September 13 by Wallid Ismail and Antonio Inoki in
the famous Amazon River. “We are planing 10 superfights
between American, Japaneses and Brazilian fighters. The event
will take place in a boat in the midle of the Amazon river for
a restrict audience of 200 VIP´s and the fighters will
arrive in the ring in small canoes with local indians. It´s
going to be a show for the history of MMA” guaranteed Wallid
revealing that the event will be broadcasted in the pay per view
sistem by Sportv.
By
the names confirmed in the card we have to say that Wallid is
right: “By now we have Rico Chiaparreli, Ronaldo Jacaré,
Fabrício Werdun, Carlão Barreto, Ricardo Moraes,
Marcelo Tigre, Evangelista Cyborg, Lioto Matida and the Japaneses
Nakanishi and Ishizawa. The winners will be part of the Inoki
Army, a team that will represent Mr. Inoki in all events around
the world” guaranteed Carlson´s black belt.
Last
two months Wallid is working hard not only in the promotion of
the event in Manaus but also seting up last details of Brazil
Dojo, the new Vale-Tudo Team that will be the branch of Inoki
Dojo in Brazil.
Names
like Ricardo Morais, Evangelista Cyborg, Marcelo Tigre, Alex
Sakada, Délson Pé de Chumbo are already in the
team. The trainers are Ricardo De La Riva (Jiu-Jitsu/Submission),
Darrel Gohlar (Wrestling), Luís Alves (Muay Thai) and
Paulo Caruso (Physical trainer). “Anyone can be in the team
the only request is not be “chicken”. We are preparing
missiles to the top fighters of each team”. promised Ismail.
Source: ADCC |
Bas
Rutten's Pride Grand Prix Breakdown
By Joe Hall
Liver shot!
Next
up in MaxFighting’s continuing coverage of this weekend’s
Pride Grand Prix is Pride commentator and colorful MMA personality
Bas Rutten. “El Guapo” comments on the intricacies
of each first round match, including the stellar single fights
also on the card.
Ladies
and Gentleman, Bas Rutten:
Chuck
Liddell vs. Alistair Overeem
Edge
on the feet: Overeem.
“Alistair
for sure because he’s from Holland, and he fights with the
top guys. I think they produce way better strikers than here
in the States. Let’s face it, the K-1, 10 or 11 times it’s
been won by Dutch guys.
“Alistair
is very wild. He’s like Gilbert Yvel. He comes out of nowhere
-- BANG, BANG, BANG! Chuck is a good striker. He’s going
to have to change his game plan. The one who broke his game plan
was Randy. It’s coming in with the left hook, left hook,
left hook. Against a striker like Alistair who will throw flying
knees from everywhere … I just see [Overeem] as a better
striker.”
Should
Liddell stand and trade with Overeem? No.
“It
wouldn’t be so smart. I think for Chuck, the key to success
here would be to take it to the ground. Hopefully go for a ground-and-pound.
I had people on the Internet saying that I somewhere stated that
Chuck’s unbelievable submission skills were going to work
circles around Alistair. But I said, ‘When has Chuck ever
won a fight by submission?’ Not that I would ever say anything
bad about Chuck because he is a great guy. He’s a great,
great fighter … but seriously, he’s never submitted
someone.
“I
think the gameplan for Chuck should be take it to the ground.
Why take any risk on the feet? Take it to the ground and then
ground-and-pound, or take it to the ground a couple of times
and win the fight on a decision. And maybe even with a submission.
He trains with great submission guys, so maybe he has a whole
arsenal we don’t know of.”
“Alistair
is working hard on submissions, too. We don’t know who has
the edge in submissions because Alistair has done some submissions
before. Chuck has fought real quality opponents, let me say that.
Alistair, he has too, but not as many as Chuck.”
Most
likely conclusion to the fight? If someone gets knocked out,
it will be Liddell.
“If
it [ends] by knockout, it would be a knockout by Alistair, I
think. On the feet it would probably be a flying knee to the
chest or to the head. He’s very tall and he knows how to
use his length like Semmy Schilt. There are good strikers, but
some people can just control their length. Alistair knows how
to do it, and everything he does is hard. It comes from out of
nowhere.”
Vanderlei
Silva vs. Kazushi Sakuraba
Any
chance this fight will end differently than the first two? Yes.
“There’s
always a possibility that Vanderlei might take this fight lightly
in the back of his head, which would be a very stupid mistake
to make against Sakuraba. The second time when Sakuraba fought
Vanderlei, he was getting into his groove again. You remember?
He started doing all his crazy stuff again. He started getting
in control; he took him down; he was in the mount. He was starting
to do the crazy Karate chops again. He was getting into crazy
Sakuraba mode again. If he can make the transition again, then
it could be a big upset. He could submit him. We don’t know.
Sakuraba is a strange guy, and even though he lost a couple of
times, it [was just] a broken bone. And then he lost on a broken
cheekbone. It’s not like you submitted the guy or KO’d
the guy.”
Prediction?
Silva.
“It
could be a surprise, but Vanderlei is on a roll. Normally, I
would say that Vanderlei is going to win this fight.”
Hidehiko
Yoshida vs. Kiyoshi Tamura
Most
likely conclusion to the fight? Yoshida by armbar.
Is
Yoshida that much better than Tamura? Yes.
“On
the ground, for sure. He’s going to take Tamura down. If
he’s fighting with the gi, we saw with Don Frye that you
can’t pull the arm out; it’s more difficult to escape
an armbar. The guy’s a world champion in Judo and a gold
medallist. Let’s face it man, those guys are good. Those
guys are real good. This guy is tough as nails.”
Strategies:
Tamura should keep it standing; Yoshida should get it to the
ground.
“After
the armbar against Don Frye, I said, ‘OK, [Yoshida] is legit.’
But he has to take the fight to the ground. If Tamura is smart
enough and he tries to keep it on his feet, I don’t know.
What Tamura really has is that left kick. If Yoshida is a little
smart, he’s going to block and counter with a right strike.”
Quinton
Jackson vs. Ricardo Arona*
*Although
Arona has withdrawn from the Grand Prix, here are Bas’ thoughts
on how a match between Jackson and Arona would have played out.
Edge
on the feet: Jackson.
“On
the feet, Quinton for sure. He’s one of the only ones from
mixed martial arts to go to K-1 and beat some people up, so that’s
pretty good. Arona is more technical on the ground, but I don’t
know if he can catch Quinton in a submission. And I don’t
know if he can take Quinton down.”
Prediction:
Jackson.
“I
just see Quinton as the winner. I don’t see Arona taking
Quinton down. On the feet I think Quinton can even knock him
out. Quinton’s working hard. This is a guy that’s getting
better every time you see him. He doesn’t stop, you know?
His stamina is good and he’s doing everything right.
“If
Arona can take the fight to the ground, and if he can get on
top -- pass the guard or something -- maybe he can go for submissions.
But Quinton’s not stupid either. He works on submissions,
too. Arona is just very strong, physically. He’s good at
submissions, but overall I see Quinton as the winner.”
Fedor
Emelianenko vs. Gary Goodridge
Who
hits harder?
“I
don’t know, man. This Fedor guy, he’s as tough as they
come. But you have to give it to Goodridge, he fought Mark Hunt.
Mark Hunt is a tough motherfucker, and he did good against him.
Mark Hunt whacked him a few times, but he survived, stayed on
his feet.
Strategies:
Fedor should ground-and-pound Goodridge; Goodridge should keep
it standing and slug it out.
“The
key to victory will be trying to go for takedowns for Fedor,
I think, and then ground-and-pound, like he does with everybody
because he’s unbelievable at it. But can he take Goodridge
down? Goodridge is doing good lately. He’s training hard
in muay Thai. He lost a lot of weight when he fought Mark Hunt.
He lost like 15 pounds; he’s in good shape.”
Prediction:
Fedor.
“This
is two brawlers against each other. Officially, I would say Fedor,
but never count Goodridge out because once he hits, he hits like
a motherfucker too.”
Mirko
“Cro Cop” Filipovic vs. Igor Vovchanchyn
Who
should be the favorite? Cro Cop.
“Because
I saw Vovchanchyn’s K-1 fight against Ernesto Hoost. I saw
his fights against other K-1 strikers, and compared to that he’s
really good but not a K-1 level striker. I think Cro Cop is.
He’s proven that he is. Vovchanchyn taking down Cro Cop
is not going to happen. Vovchanchyn should have worked again
on a different arsenal, because he’s had the same arsenal
for the last two years, three years. He’s got the overhand
right; he’s got the liver kick; he’s got the left hook;
that’s it. Cro Cop has been working on his boxing a lot.
He’s got a left kick from hell.
Prediction?
Cro Cop.
“I
see this fight maybe not a KO to the head because Vovchanchyn’s
so tough, but a KO to the legs or KO to the body could happen
coming from Cro Cop.
“Mirko
Cro Cop, he’s getting better and better. Shit, Heath [Herring]
couldn’t take him down. He’s getting very confident.
He could be the next heavyweight champion. Watch out for this
guy. He’s that good. He has the feeling for everything.”
Ricco
Rodriguez vs. Rodrigo Nogueira
Who
should be the favorite? Nogueira.
“Because
he knows how to box.”
Who
has the advantage on the ground? No one.
“Nogueira’s
ground game is very good. His takedown defense is very good.
I don’t know if Ricco can take him down. Ricco’s very
good on the ground too, don’t get me wrong. But I just think
they’re both equal on the ground.”
Prediction?
“Nogueira’s
going to win it on the feet. He just has better boxing skills.
You don’t develop boxing skills in two months. Ricco coming
off a loss -- every fighter who has been KO’d is going to
think about his last fight just before he steps into the ring,
trust me. That could [cause] him to try to run in for a takedown,
rush it, and that would be a major mistake against Nogueira.
“Ricco
should really try to stay focused. Hopefully he worked very hard
on his hands. And then just try to box some and then maybe go
for a takedown and try to get to side mount. But then again,
you’re fighting against Nogueira.
“Nogueira
has been in there with some tough guys. He was in there Fedor;
he hung in there with Heath when Heath was at the top of his
game. And he got the best of Heath in the punching exchanges.
Let’s face it, he’s boxed for a long time.
“This
is the card. Every single fight is very hard to call.”
Source:
Maxfighting |
PRIDE
Grand Prix News and Notes
By Yoshinori Ihara
PRIDE
heavyweight champion Emelianenko Fedor said he's in good condition
for Sunday's bout versus Gary Goodridge at a one-on-one yesterday
with the media in Tokyo, Japan. "He fought many great fighters.
He is a K-1 veteran, so he has good stand-up skill. But his grappling
is also good," said Fedor about Goodridge.
When
asked who the number-one contender to his heavyweight title was,
Fedor answered that the man whom he defeated in March to earn
the belt, Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira, should
be first in line. He also hopes that fellow Ukrainian Igor Vovchanchyn
defeats Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic on Sunday. It's believed
that if Fedor and "Cro Cop" win, they'll square off
in November in a championship bout.
Quinton
"Rampage" Jackson made his appearance in front of the
Japanese media on Thursday and said it doesn't matter who replaces
Ricardo Arona. Speaking publicly for the first time about the
injury, Arona apologized and expressed his disappointment about
not being able to compete. DSE has scheduled a press conference
on Friday in Tokyo to confirm Arona's replacement. It's believed
they'll announce Murilo Bustamante, Arona's Brazilian Top Team
teammate, as the last-minute replacement.
Source: Maxfighting |
Is
Nog a Must Win for Ricco?
by Ken Pishna
Going into a fight with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is anything
but a sure win for anyone and considering his status as one of
the top heavyweights in the world, a loss to him shouldn’t
be anything to be wary of. That might not be the case for Ricco
Rodriguez though.
Ricco
enters his bout with Nog sporting a record of 14-2. Those 14
wins include victories over Andrei Arlovski, Pete Williams, Tsuyoshi
Kosaka, and current UFC “Interim” Light Heavyweight
Champion Randy Couture. His losses are no less impressive at
the hands of Bobby Hoffman and UFC Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia.
So what’s the harm in Ricco fighting one of the most highly
regarded heavyweights in the world when he might not come out
on top?
You
might say nothing, but for Ricco, there’s actually a lot
on the line here. After his loss to Bobby Hoffman, he put together
a string of eleven victories that culminated in a win over Randy
Couture to become the UFC Heavyweight Champion.
With
the win over Couture, Team Punishment cornered the market on
the two most coveted divisions in the UFC. Ricco had realized
a dream, breaking down to tears in the ring. He wanted to carry
the belt with style and be the champion to cross over to the
hispanic community. Ricco felt that he could be one the fighters
to spearhead the mixed martial arts movement into mainstream
acceptance, but it wasn’t to be.
In
his first title defense, Ricco lost his belt and was handed a
crushing blow to his dreams when underdog Tim Sylvia KO’d
him just three minutes into their bout. Ricco took the loss to
heart and has rarely been seen and even more rarely heard from
since the defeat. He wasn’t supposed to lose.
Ricco
took this fight only three weeks out from the show and is coming
in with a surgically repaired knee. Add that to Nog’s status
as one of the top fighters in the world and the odds are stacked
pretty heavily against Ricco. A loss here could send Ricco reeling.
This
is a time when there are few shows and few slots to fill and
a lot of talented fighters wanting to fill those slots. The UFC
rarely gives a fighter with two losses in a row another shot
on pay-per-view without that fighter first scoring a couple of
big wins on a smaller show. With Pride following suit - DSE President
Nobuhiko Takada recently said that Pride fighters losing more
than one or two fights would not be invited back - the pressure
to win is greater than ever if a fighter wants to remain at the
top. Couple this with Ricco’s intense emotional response
to defeat and he really needs to win this one.
A
win against Nog would propel him back towards the top of the
heavyweight rankings and give him a tremendous amount of credibility
in his quest to be the champion again. A loss could send him
spiraling down, possibly out of the UFC, to earn his way back
up the ranks. The only thing for sure is that we’ll find
out, come Sunday, which way Ricco is headed.
Source: MMA Weekly |
SAKURAI
READY TO BUILD OFF MOMENTUM
You could say that Mach Sakurai is back on schedule after his
recent win over Dave Menne last month in Japan.
Sakurai
has agreed to sign a potential, long-term deal with DEEP that
has him starting the deal on 9/15/04.
"Mach"
will fight Chonan Ryo who is a student of Tamura. Chonan is described
as a wildly aggressive fighter and the crowd loves him. This
is a plus for DEEP to have two Japanese fan favorites squaring
off in the main event.
The
DEEP show combines pro wrestling with MMA but all matches are
legitimate! The characters of pro wrestling combined with the
unpredictable excitement of MMA makes are interesting shows and
high-grossing ticket sales.
On
this same show, we will see the return of Brad Kohler to MMA.
Kholer, the former UFC veteran is scheduled on the show to face
Dos Caras Jr
Source: MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
The only way to fail is to stop trying to succeed.
|
Rumble
On The Rock 3 Tentative Fight Card
Hilo, Hawaii
August
9, 2003
Get
your tickets today to check out this event. if you don't live
on the Big Island, start booking your flights. The Onzuka brothers
will be on hand to cover this event!
180lbs
Mikey Pikey vs. Eddie
300lbs
Kona Bear vs. Patrick Fonohena
250lbs
Junior Dong vs. Anthony Billianor (Lockdown)
155lbs
Kaynan Kaku (Nova Uniao) vs. Kona
155lbs
Johnny Sampaio (Nova Uniao) vs. David Padilla
155lbs
Mark Moreno (Bulls Pen) vs. Deshawn Johnson (HMC)
140lbs
Iwi Okano (Nova Uniao) vs. Jamal Dequip
175lbs
John Naole (HMC) vs. Kaleo Padilla
170lbs
Royden Demotta (Nova Uniao) vs. Kyle Brees
170lbs
Ross Ebanez (Nova Uniao) vs. Shannon Ritch
170lbs
Renato "Charuto" Verissimo (Nova Uniao) vs. Ray Elbe
290lbs
Wesley "Cabbage" Correira (Grappling Unlimited) vs.
Steve Sayegh
|
INTERVIEW:
PRIDE Champion VANDERLEI SILVA!
“I
will Kick asses!”
Text
by Alexandre Lobo photo by Marcelo Alonso.
It
is a few days from the Pride GP Middleweight first round, scheduled
for August 10th, and everybody is especulating who will win the
three fights and become PRIDE's 'grand' champion. In theory,
the title will be in good hands with anyone who comes thru this
rugged field of eight elite fighter.
However,
one fighter goes to this competition with a deeper responsibility
to maintain his image: the 'Axe Murderer' Wanderlei Silva. As
the Pride Middleweight champion, Silva is the man to beat for
the other seven, and he knows this will make it a tough tournament.
After almost a half year without fighting as he recover from
knee scopes, the brazilian fighter returns to Japan with the
same old hunger to fight and he announces: “I’m training
hard, and I will come back by kicking everybody's ass”.
Why
did you, the Pride Middleweight champion, decided to participate
in this Pride GP? Aren’t you afraid that your standing may
be affected if you lose the tournament? This was my fans desire,
they always want more from their idol. I’m a real fighter
and I want to show everybody that I’m not a legend. I’m
real and I don’t choose my opponents. I’ll show to
all of the world that it’s my time. I know that if I win,
I’ll become greater. I want to be respected for what I do
as a MMA fighter.
Being
the Pride Middleweight champion - do you feel more pressure to
win this GP? Sure, it gives me more responsibility, but it also
lets me be more confident. Truly, anyone of these guys have the
skills to be the champion. There are just top fighters in this
GP, so I want to bring my mental game as well.
And
how do you intend to win this championship? I’m preparing
myself like a madman and I’ll be ready to kick asses. It
will be the Chute Boxe way: a lot of agression. Anyone who will
fight me, will have to be more cautious. To win a tournament
format like this, the thing is not to hurt yourself a lot in
the first bout. After that, you need to be well-prepared and
of course, a little luck helps. However, I won’t get too
conservative in the ring and I’ll fight looking for a knock
out. My punching is much better now!
What
do you think about this third meeting with Sakuraba in a Pride
ring? People in Japan think that it was just a lucky thing my
other two victories. What can I do? Just fight again. I respect
Sakuraba a lot, he is a great fighter and I’m sure that
he will be there to put on a good show.
You
went half a year without fighting due to a knee injury after
the Pride 23 bout with Kanehara. How are you now? Although I’m
still doing the physiotherapy work, now I’m 100%. I had
a spectacular recovery after the surgery, so I spent just a month
away from thehard training routine and now I’m getting the
rhythm back again.
What
about your training routine for this tournament? All my teammates
helped me. I did some great Muay Thai training with Anderson
Silva. It was tough - I almost broke my nose! (laughs). Besides,
I trained Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with Cristiano Marcelo (Royler
Gracie black belt) and MMA with a lot of tough guys like Murilo
Ninja and Shogun. You could see in the fight against Cyborg (Meca
9) how tough this Shogun guy is getting. I can tell you by the
way. He is improving soon He will be a big star in the Vale-Tudo
world.
Besides
you, of course, who do you think will pass to the second round?
I think Liddell will beat Overeem and Yoshida will submit Tamura.
However, anything can happen in Jackson´s fight. He has
a hammer in his hand!
After
that little confusion between you and Jackson in Pride 23 and
hearing you now, I think that you prefer Jackson… If I have
to fight him, no problem. I want to kick his ass.
Leaving
the Pride GP aside, everytime Dana White, the UFC promoter, says
that his dream is to make a match between the UFC Middleweight
champion and the Pride Middleweight champion, you. Would you
like to fight in this scenario? I think it would be great. I’m
a fighter and a fight like that is always interesting. I want
to fight.
What
would you like to say to your fans?I appreciate that they support
me, because I need all the good vibes. In Japan, I’ll be
fighting for Brazil, and every bit of support helps!
Source:
ADCC
|
The
Ultimate Submission Showdown(TM)
When
Rorion Gracie talks about a new project people tend to listen!
Rorion has been actively working on a new concept for a Submissions
event but so far the only things to show were two ads in Grappling
Magazine saying:' No Gi, No excuses. Put up or shut up!'. While
he is still being tight lipped about details, the original creator
and founder of the U.F.C. said: 'Just wait Kid, Just wait! You
won't be disappointed!' Inside info has that this will be an
8 man Submission Grappling event with top names from different
Grappling styles. Rules will be similar to IGJJF events and most
things aaloowed such as slams, locks etc.
So
mark this date: October 11, 2003 at the James Armstrong Theater
in Torrance, California - The First Ultimate Submission Showdown
will take place. More details as they become available will be
released here, until then you can get some info at www.IGJJF.com
Source:
ADCC/Kid Peligro
|
More
on PRIDE's RICARDO ARONA Situation!
Friday
morning, BTT headquarters at AABB Lagoa - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil:
Everybody
was training hard because the feel of competition was in the
air. Three members of the Brazilian TOP TEAM had fought for the
new promotion HeatFC the day before. The following friday, 3
other teammates would be fighting in the Meca 9 event. The final
sparring session focused on Ricardo Arona, who would be departing
for Japan on Saturday and Paulo Filho, who is training for the
IFC 8 man tournament in September.
Paulo
attempted a takedown and Arona defended, immediately asking for
a time out. Arona hit the mat with anger and frustration - his
knee could not support his weight. Somebody provided ice and
the session was over.
The
day after, Arona prepared to depart at Galeao Airport with a
ball on his ankle......
He
said that although he applied the ice treatment all day long,
things were getting even worse.
Mario
Sperry called BTT's representative in Japan to upfate them on
the situation. Of course, after a 24 hour flight, the size of
Arona's ankle was increasing.
| |