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August News Part
3
Quote
of the Day
A professional is a person who can do his best at a time when
he doesn't
particularly feel like it.
Alistaire
Cooke, writer
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Sorry
about the missing news yesterday!
Chris dropped the ball on one of his three days to update the
page again. He will be whipped and stoned for that.
|
Team
HK Schedule Change!
Starting September 1st Team HK Jiu-Jitsu (the Relson Gracie UH
Association) has new hours. There will no longer be day classes
during the week.
The new schedule is...
Monday & Wednesday Nights from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
& Saturday Afternoons from 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
Instructors
taking over the classes while Todd opens his new restaurant "En
Fuego Grill & Poke" will be Shane Agena (brown belt)
and Brandon Bernardino (purple belt).
More
information about En Fuego Grill & Poke in the Kapolei Marketplace
is coming soon!
For more details check out
www.teamhk.net
or call Todd at 277-1128
|
Linebred,
LLC
Presents
AFC 4
AMATUER FIGHTING COMPETITION
RECRUITING
AMATUER FIGHTERS FOR AFC 4
If you are interested please call 306-9326
OR
FILL OUT AN APPLICATION ONLINE AT
WWW.AFCHAWAII.COM
Email: LINEBREDLLC@AOL.COM
WINNER WINS $1,000 PRIZE
Weight Classes: 200 lbs. & Under, 201 lbs. & Over
Don't
miss this opportunity to show your skills in a safe, entertaining,
and profitable setting!
Source: Event Promoter |
V
International Masters and Seniors Tournament
The
V International Masters and Seniors Tournament takes place today
at the Tijuca Tenis Clube. The traditional event has a host of
top names such as Carlos Gracie Jr, Fabio Gurgel, Macaco Patino,
Givanildo Santana, Wellington Megaton, Bebeo Duarte 7 Luis Palhares
fighting and showing the young guns that they are still competitive!
Results
and more details later!
Source: ADCC |
Dean
Lister Getting Ready for KOTC
ADCC
World Submission Wrestling Absolute Champion Dean Lister has
been working hard to defend his title at the upcoming KOTC event
taking place against James Lee. Dean confided: 'I ahve been training
hard with my partners and Brendt and Jocko are making sure I
am ready to rock. Royce Gracie will be in my corner as well!'
and he continued: 'I am going to have a few surprises and some
new moves to show. Be ready!'
The
event takes place at the Soboba Casino, Ca on September 5th and
will be on pay-per-view as well. For more information check out
www.kingofthecage.com/main.html.
Source: ADCC |
A
Few Stories, A Few Questions for Everyone
Part Two by Joe Hall (August 28, 2003)
Frank
Shamrock wanted to be an action star when he was growing up.
Don
Frye wanted to be a fireman, and then a cowboy, a then a world
champion and a good husband and father.
Other
mixed martial artists aspired to be schoolteachers and skiers
and standup comedians. Over the past three years I’ve quizzed
myriad MMA personalities, sometimes making seemingly irrelevant
inquiries and hoping to yield just a couple golden responses.
Childhood dreams is just one question I ask everyone that often
produces an interesting answer.
For
every interview I’ve done, numerous responses don’t
make the story but are instead recorded, transcribed and filed
away for a rainy day. Now it’s time to break into that treasure
chest once again and share some of the best stories and answers
I’ve been told. Some of these you’ve probably heard
before and others I’m sure you haven’t:
Many
of the most powerful and enrapturing stories come from Iowa and
the famed Miletich camp. Whether it’s Jens Pulver’s
title fight training camp or Tony Fryklund’s initiation
or Tim Sylvia’s development, each fighter has his own tale
of hellish torture.
I’m
convinced the worst of raconteurs can become a brilliant storyteller
by relating the tribulations of training in Iowa with those men.
Some are hush-hush on the details, but others offer astoundingly
vivid accounts of anguish and pain.
In
December of last year, UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia spoke
briefly but graphically with me on his first days in Iowa.
“I
couldn’t walk my first six months,” he said. “I
was living with Jason Black and Kelly Wiseman. I was just getting
the shit kicked out of me so bad in sparring, getting my legs
beat up that, literally, my roommates had to take my socks off
and put them on. I remember one day, I couldn’t stand up.
I was like, ‘Kelly, I can’t get my socks on, man.’
He said, ‘I’ll help you,’ and he put them on.
“My
legs would get so knotted up and so beat up. You wonder what
the hell you’re doing. It’s just day after day getting
the shit kicked out of ya. I’ve broke down crying many times.
Pat’s there -- [he] picks ya back up again. He’s like,
‘One of these days, it’s just going to happen. You’re
going to get tired of getting beat up, and you’re gonna
start handing out punishment.’ About eight months later,
finally, I started doing well. I came around. I lost the weight
and started getting motivated.”
I
asked Tim if through all the struggle and pain he had ever doubted
his desire to be a fighter. “It’s not that I doubted
that I wanted to be a fighter,” he said. “It’s
that I doubted my ability. Everybody is so good out here. I knew
what I wanted to do. I just wondered: Can I do this? Am I good
enough? Then I have a fight, and I walk through the guy. Then
I have another fight, and I walk through him. All these fights,
and I’m walking through everybody, and it’s like, ‘Shit.
I’m good!’”
Tim’s
first contact with the Miletich camp wasn’t much different
than yours or mine. He stumbled into them at a UFC and was very
much the awestruck fan. “We showed up at the arena like
two hours early,” he said. “I think [the arena officials]
thought I was Gan McGee, because I went to the door of the arena,
and they were like, ‘Oh, come on in.’
“They
let us in, and we were like, ‘Oh my god.’ It was Pat
[Miletich] and Matt [Hughes] and Tito and Frank [Shamrock]. You’re
so star struck. But who stuck out the most? Pat and the gang.
I asked Pat if I could get a picture, and he said, ‘You’re
a big sonofabitch. Do you fight?’ The guy I was training
with told him I had a big fight coming up and asked what it would
take for me to train with him. Pat said, ‘Come on out. You’re
more than welcome.’
“So
I got a plane ticket, went out there for 10 days, and I was just
in awe. The training we did was amazing. The first guy I rolled
with was Jeremy Horn. I sat down on the mat; Jeremy Horn walked
in; and I was like, ‘Oh my god.’ Pat said, ‘This
is Jeremy Horn,’ and I said, ‘I know who he is.’
I was 335 pounds; I was a big boy. I caught him in something
really foolish. Three minutes in, I caught him in a wristlock.
And he said, ‘Oh, you’re going to play like that?’
Then it was curtains for me after that.”
***
Long
before they became mixed martial artists, today’s fighters
were young and ambitious just like you and I were. Some planned
on a pugilistic future; others never dreamed of it.
“I
always wanted to be a world champion,” Jens Pulver once
told me of his childhood dream. “For the longest time, I
wanted to be a world champion boxer and then when I saw this
sport, I knew exactly what it was I was going to be a world champion
in, which was MMA.”
“I
always wanted to be an Olympic medallist,” said Matt Lindland,
“but it certainly wasn’t in wrestling. It was in Equestrian
events.”
Randy
Couture also wanted to be an Olympian in a sport other than wrestling.
The most revered fighter in MMA wanted to be an Olympic skier.
Top-five
welterweight Frank “Twinkle Toes” Trigg wanted to be
a lawyer when he was growing up.
Din
Thomas wanted to be a schoolteacher. In fact, he still wants
to teach: “I want to start off in high school teaching history
and then eventually be a college professor.”
Gutsy
lightweight Javier Vazquez, perhaps best known for his courageous
performance against Alberto Crane on a knee horribly damaged
in the opening seconds, wanted to be a rich and famous baseball
player.
“I
always kind of knew,” said Duane Ludwig, one of the most
dangerous strikers in the sport. “I was always getting in
fights. I always kind of knew I’d be a fighter. I never
wanted to be a fireman or anything like that. Since I was like
eight years old, I knew I was going to be a fighter.”
Mark
Coleman simply wanted to be the best: “I just wanted to
be the best in the world at something. Didn’t matter --
football, wrestling or baseball -- I just wanted to be the best
in the world at something that I did.”
“I
went through so many phases,” said David Loiseau, who fights
Jorge Rivera at UFC 44. “I wanted to be a pro boxer. Then
I wanted to be a rapper. Then I wanted to be a comedian. Then
I wanted to be a standup comedian. And then I went back to fighting
-- I wanted to be a fighter.”
***
In
October of last year I spoke with Kenneth Alexander, a promising
young fighter from San Diego, California. Kenneth had just returned
to the U.S. from Kyrgyzstan, where he had been stationed to provide
support for the troops in Afghanistan.
While
serving in the Middle East, he had pieced together makeshift
mats for ground training, found time for cardio workouts and
followed the sport on the Internet whenever possible.
Regarding
his return home, Kenneth said, “There’s no feeling
like walking off the plane and knowing that I’m walking
into the arms of my wife.”
After
relaxing with his spouse for a few days and visiting his mother,
Kenneth hit the gym to prepare for a rematch against Adam Durant
in Arizona’s Rage in the Cage. It was during this training
camp that he kindly spoke with me and compared the fear of walking
into a cage against the fear leaving home for a war.
“You
know what the cage is like,” he said. “It’s an
Octagon cage. You know how high it is. You know how wide it is.
There’s no surprises there. The only surprise is which limb
is your opponent going to try to hit you with.
“Going
to war, you can guess what the terrain is going to be like. You
can guess what the weather is going to be like. You can guess
where the enemy is going to come from, but there’s just
no guarantee on knowing. And war is to the death, not to the
victory.”
***
Here’s
a story you may have heard before. I had heard about it too,
but I couldn’t keep myself from inquiring into the details
of the time Matt Lindland unwired his own jaw:
“Matt,
I heard this wild story about how your jaw was wired shut and
you just ripped the wires out,” I said to him over the phone
a couple weeks before his rematch against Phil Baroni. “Is
that true?”
“That
was ages ago,” he responded with a laugh. A pause followed,
inducing in me the unmistakable feeling that something terribly
gory and wrong was about to follow.
“I
was out with some friends,” Matt began, “and a ruckus
got started in a bar. I got hit from behind with a pool stick.
I swore my teeth fell out of my mouth. That’s how it felt,
but they didn’t. It was just that my jaw was broken.”
Shew,
I thought, just a broken jaw. Maybe some splinters in your cheek
too, but nothing bad.
Matt
visited a doctor who wired his jaw shut, and he stepped on the
wrestling mat at the Olympic festival one week later.
That’s
a little insane, I thought to myself as he narrated the story
to me, but insane in a Rocky Balboa drink some egg yolk kind
of way. If your jaw gets smashed, just have it wired shut and
get back on the mat ASAP -- put that in one of those macho manuals
for manly men. Only problem is that respiration can be difficult
when your jaw is clenched and you’re in the midst of a competitive
wrestling match.
“I
could not breathe,” he told me, and I instantly pictured
a lanky Lindland struggling mightily to suck in some air, nostrils
flaring like those of a winded rhinoceros. “And every time
I’d wrestle,” he continued, “my mouth would get
hit by those wires. It was really tough to breathe, and I was
loosing all kinds of weight because I had to eat through a straw.
And so I just decided to take them out.”
He
had said that last line sort of matter-of-factly. “How’d
you get them out?” I asked. I knew good and well Lindland
had operated on himself, but I wanted to hear the face-wrinkling
conclusion from the man himself.
“Wire
cutters,” he said succinctly then chuckled as if there was
only one way to do such a thing. Well, duh. Just grab some nearby
cutters and clip the darn contraption out yourself.
Source: Maxfighting |
The
Iceman Returneth:
Catching up with Chuck Liddell
If there were any lingering questions about Chuck Liddell's career
after his loss to Randy Couture, he didn't waste much time answering
them.
Rocked
by the powerful knee strikes of Alistair Overeem in his opening
round match of the PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix tournament,
Liddell struck back hard. "The Iceman" returned several
blows of his own en route to an impressive first-round stoppage
to advance to the semifinals of the eight-man tournament where
he'll face Quinton Jackson in November.
Destroying
people is what Liddell built his reputation on in the past two
years, as he removed virtually every other light heavyweight
contender in UFC that stood between he and champion Tito Ortiz.
Unable to secure a title shot at Ortiz because of the champion's
controversial decision to not fight him, Liddell instead fought
Couture for the vacant title and lost in a surprisingly one-sided
bout.
He
has a lot to prove in the tournament. And for Liddell that's
when he's always been at his best.
"I
was just glad to be back fighting again," Liddell told Maxfighting.
"The guy came to fight and it was a good one. He came to
throw down."
Liddell
is more cocky about future opponents than present ones, as it
is not his trademark to boast, but merely exude confidence in
his ability without disparaging people. It was only after the
protracted delays in getting a shot at Ortiz brought out a detectable
animosity toward Ortiz. It may have been a distraction going
into the bout with Couture, but Liddell won't bite when offered
that as a reason for his loss.
"I'm
not gonna blame it that," he says.
Liddell
faces Jackson, a heavy-handed wrestler who strikes well, especially
on the ground, and is as hungry as he is. Liddell wrestles much
better than a guy who can strike so well; Jackson rains down
punches and kicks more competently than most wrestlers ever do.
It's a dream match but there's only room for one to advance,
and the ensuing battle should be a scorcher.
Jackson
and Liddell will produce the finalist, who'll face the victor
of the Vanderlei Silva-Hidehiko Yoshida bout that same night.
Given Yoshida's likely massacre at the hands of Silva, the Jackson-Liddell
fight is probably the best fight of the night, and whoever wins
it will most likely have to pay a steep price for the victory.
Both guys can take a lot of punishment, as well as give it out
in spades. Both are a big victory away from the superstardom
that would elevate them to being one of the biggest names in
the sport.
It
might be akin to a dogfight, where there is no real victor, only
a survivor and a savagely beaten loser. But it is what it is,
and the inducement of the $250,000 prize money for the winner
talks, and loudly.
"I
know Quinton is going to come to fight. But you know what, it
doesn't matter what he does," Liddell said. "I'm ready."
Buckle
up.
Source: Maxfighting |
NEW
FIGHTERS AND BROADCASTER POLL
We are just a couple of days before September, so we thought
it would be a good time to break our our new MMAWeekly Fighters
and Broadcasters Poll for September.
Just
a couple of notes. While Fedor is still the overwhelming choice
as the best heavyweight in the world, his next opponent, Mirko
Cro Cop has moved up to #2 this month.
Only
one vote seperates Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz in the Light
Heavyweight Division. And we see a new number one at 155 as Gomi
finally loses.
September
Rankings
HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION
(210-265
lbs.)
Emelianeko Fedor - 100 (10 first place votes)
Mirko Cro Cop - 89 Points
Josh Barnett - 82 Points
Minotauro Nogueira - 68 Points Tie - Tim Sylvia - 68 Points
Ricco Rodriguez - 61 Points
Gan McGee - 35 Points
Heath Herring - 22 Points
Vladimir Matyushenko - 21 Points
Pedro Rizzo - 15 Points
Frank Mir - 12 Points
Others receiving votes - Andrei Arlovski - 11 Points, Mark Coleman
(10), Justin Eilers (10), Wes Sims (2)
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS DIVISION
(205
lbs.)
Randy Couture - 94 Points (5 first place votes)
Tito Ortiz - 93 Points (5 first place votes)
Chuck Liddell - 73 Points TIE Vanderlei Silva - 73 Points
Quinton Jackson - 56 Points
Vitor Belfort - 50 Points
Ricardo Arona - 33 Points
Dan Henderson - 26 Points
Murilo Ninja Rua - 12 Points
Jeremy Horn - 11 Points
Rich Franklin - 10 Points
Others receiving votes - Jason Black (9), Babalu Sobral (8),
Kevin Randleman (8),
MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION
(185
lbs.)
Murilo Bustamante - 100 Points (10 first place votes)
Matt Lindland - 89 Points
Phil Baroni - 74 Points
Sakuraba - 53 Points
David Loiseau - 52 Points
Anderson Silva - 41 Points
Niko Vitale
- 25 Points
Phillip Miller - 22 Points
Ivan Salaverry - 21 Points
Paulo Filho - 20 Points
Others receiving votes - Joe Doerksen (17), Dave Menne (16),
Jorge Riviera (14), Benji Radach (13), Lee Murray (12), Tony
Fryklund (5), Jermaine Andre (2)
WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION
(170
lbs.)
Matt Hughes - 100 Points (10 first place votes)
Sean Sherk - 84 Points
Carlos Newton - 79 Points
Nathan Marquardt - 70 Points
Pete Spratt - 54 Points
Robbie Lawler - 41 Points
Jake Shields - 32 Points
Hayato Sakurai - 25 Points
Gil Castillo - 22 Points
Shonie Carter - 20 Points
Others receiving votes - Jason Black (18), John Aleesio (13),
Nick Diaz (5), Dennis Hallman (3), Jeremy Jackson (2)
LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION
(155
lbs.)
BJ Penn-
92 Points (9 first place votes)
Takanori Gomi - 90 Points
Caol Uno - 55 points
Duane "Bang" Ludwig- 48 Points
Din Thomas - 41 Points
TIE Genki Sudo- 37 Point TIE Yves Edwards- 37 Points
Joachim Hansen - 33 Points
Shaolin Ribeiro - (1 first place vote) 20 Points
Jason Maxwell - 15 Points
Matt Serra - 13 Points (Tie) Jens Pulver - 13 Points (Tie)
Other votes - Dokojonosuke Mishima - (10) Josh Thompson (9),
Hermes Franca (8)
Voters
include:
Fighters
- Chris Brennan, Josh Barnett, Pat Miletich, Dennis Hallman,
Matt Lindland, Steve Berger, Evan Tanner, Sean Sherk, Din Thomas;
Dan Henderson, Yves Edwards, Pete Spratt, Nathan Marquardt, Duane
Ludwig, John Alessio and David Loiseau
Broadcasters
- Eric Apple (King of the Cage), Randy Harris - (WTAN Sports),
Jeff Osborne (Hook N Shoot & Shooto); Ryan Bennett (IFC,
UCC, Shooto and WEC), Monte Cox (Extreme Challenge), J.T. McCarthy
(UCC), Joe Goulet (UCC), Joe Ferraro (UCC).
Source:
MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
"When I was a kid my parents moved a lot - but I always
found them."
Rodney Dangerfield
|
Nextel
Update
I know this has nothing to do with MMA news or rumors, but if
you have a Nextel, you can direct connect someone in Las Vegas
from here. How do I know? I got a direct connect from Rex in
Vegas. Bad news is that he apparently forgot about the 3 hour
time difference and called me at 5:30 am. Bastard ruined by beauty
sleep.
By
the way, more of Rex and Rene wedding pictures are up and split
up for faster loading pages for those with dial up (Shane).
http://www.onzuka.com/barnumwedding1.html
Mike
|
Interview:
The Machine Gun - RONALD JHUN
On
September 5th at Soboba Casino in San Jacinto, CA King Of The
Cage returns with another pay-per-view show, this one featuring
Ronald Jhun and John Alessio to combine their belts. Jhun has
had the KOTC Welterweight belt since defeating Shonie Carter
by decision in KOTC Sin City back in May. Just before the fight
we talked to Jhun about his record and his past so this catch-up
was mainly his thoughts on the Shonie fight and on Alessio.
KM:
Last fight of yours I saw was Shonie Carter in KOTC. Did you
have anything since then?
RJ: No. I’ve just been training, getting ready for this
fight coming up.
KM:
How has training been going?
RJ: Same as usual.
KM:
That was a really impressive performance against Shonie. You
showed the better striking, ground work, takedowns…there
was only one point where Shonie was working a kimura where you
looked in trouble. How do you look back at that fight?
RJ: I was pretty happy with the outcome. As far as the kimura,
I was just letting him do his thing.
KM:
Did you ever feel threatened by that?
RJ: Actually he was putting everything into it so I was just
letting him wear himself out. After he thought he couldn’t
get it he just gave up after that.
KM:
Did you think after that there was any point you weren’t
in control? To me it seemed like you had the rest of the fight.
RJ: Yeah, I think it was only that part where he had me in a
kimura I felt it could have went his way but the fight was pretty
much all mine. I pretty much dominated the fight.
KM:
Since that was a rematch of a draw in SuperBrawl were there any
feelings of redemption or closure?
RJ: Yeah. I actually wanted to finish the fight, either a knock
out or submission, but Shonie is a tough guy. I don’t think
anyone stopped him except Pat Miletich.
KM:
Most of his fights go to decision so it didn’t surprise
me that much. Any disappointment you didn’t finish the fight?
RJ: Not really. I actually was happy with my performance. I learned
a lot from that fight.
KM:
What did you learn from that fight?
RJ: No matter what I got to train hard, there is always room
for improvement. The scariest part about it is my best is yet
to come and I feel I’m just coming around now. I’m
excited for my next fight now.
KM:
Wasn’t your first against Shonie your first at 170?
RJ: Yeah. My very first time dropping down to 170.
KM:
Do you now feel comfortable at 170?
RJ: Yeah. Actually coming in at 170 the first time I wasn’t
even preparing for Shonie or anything, I was just worried about
making the weight. I guess the second time around I focused more
on working on my gameplan and strategy. Now I feel way comfortable
at 170.
KM:
Was that the first belt you ever won?
RJ: I actually won the IFC Middleweight title.
KM:
How long ago?
RJ: Probably two years ago.
KM:
How did you feel about wining the KOTC title?
RJ: To tell you the truth I was on cloud nine for a long time.
I finally came down. It kind of blew me away and didn’t
set in until later on I came home. It was a big accomplishment
from where I was and where I came.
KM:
Congratulations again. Now here you are getting ready to defend
that title against John Alessio. If I understand correctly they
are combining the two belts, Alessio’s Superfight belt and
your Welterweight belt. How do you feel about that?
RJ: Terry has been great with me. He has always welcomed me with
open arms and always had good things to say about me. KOTC has
treated me pretty good. I’m excited. I’ve seen John
Alessio from when he first started to now and he has come a long
way too. I think that should be a good fight all in itself.
KM:
You are known as very well-rounded while Alessio has been emphasizing
standup lately. Does that worry you at all?
RJ: Actually I’m kind of excited too because I’m working
on my boxing too.
KM:
Where?
RJ: I actually got a boxing trainer, a friend of the trainer
that trains BJ Penn. He’s bringing along professional boxing
sparring partners and I’ve just been getting knocked around
in there. Its pretty good. I’m thinking of trying out kickboxing
and maybe I’ll even move to boxing. I’m kind of excited
about this next fight, run in there and test how my boxing skill
is coming along.
KM:
This really does seem like it is going to be a standup war.
RJ: Yeah. A lot of guys I think now are cross training as far
as boxing, getting the standup, putting it together with jiu-jitsu
and wrestling and grappling. These guys coming up nowadays are
pretty much well-rounded.
KM:
You tend to be known as the most well-rounded of the KOTC Welterweights.
Alessio has been working his boxing and Diego Sanchez has been
doing a wonderful job on the ground, but you are known as the
best well-rounded. Are you worried at all about being able to
get Alessio to the ground if you get in trouble standing?
RJ: Not really. A lot of guys are telling me what my game plan
and strategy should be but like I tell them on every fight I
go in there and worry about my fight strategy, what I am going
to do and not so much what his strength and his weakness is.
I think that’s a difference as far as me mentally, going
in there and worrying about what I am going to do and not so
much what my opponent is coming at me. I’ll make the changes
in the fight if I have to.
KM:
You already fought on PPV in Vegas against Shonie. Is there any
pressure at all for defending the belt?
RJ: Not really. I don’t feel it now. I enjoyed myself the
last time I was out at Soboba. I think that is a pretty well
put-together facility. I don’t think the pressure is as
much as fighting at home. Blaisdell (Arena in Hawaii, home of SuperBrawl) is crazy, fighting
in front of 8000 people, all my family and friends…I think
I should be able to handle this pretty good.
KM:
Have you ever fought at Soboba or been at a fight there?
RJ: Yeah, I fought Dennis Hallman there (note: round draw in
KOTC 19 12/7/02).
KM:
So you know what the setting sun can be like.
RJ: Yeah. What is the weather like this time of year?
KM:
It was a little hot August 10th but not too hot. Nice breeze.
I have noticed the last two shows as Soboba the setting sun has
been a factor in some of the fights in the middle of the card.
I’m not sure if you and Alessio are last or second to last
and Dean Lister/James Lee are last. It probably won’t be
a factor to you two depending on how fast the prelims go. Any
concern about the blinding sun or anything like that? Did you
ever notice that before?
RJ: Yeah. I noticed I think of some of the DVDs that some of
the fights ended up with the sun.
KM:
I think I’ve only seen one fighter use the sun as a weapon,
like deliberately keep the sun behind him when he was facing
a striker. Do you have any objections or problems fighting outdoors?
RJ: Actually I kind of like it but the last time we fought it
was like 40 degrees so it was freezing. That was crazy, that
was an experience.
KM:
So basically what I am getting at is there isn’t anything
different for this show like nerves or the sun or the weather.
RJ: No.
KM:
Seems like you are finally getting the recognition you deserve.
How do you feel about that?
RJ: Feels like a long time coming. Good things come to those
who wait. I think it is also for the right reasons, for the adversities
I’ve been through, no matter what happens just keep pushing
forward.
KM:
Anything else you want the fans to know before this fight?
JH: I thank all my fans who helped me and support me. Without
them I wouldn’t be where I’m at. After all of this
I still give God all the praise and glory. He has been the center
part of my life.
For
more on this show check out www.kingofthecage.com. 808’s website
seems to be down at this time but for a gallery of shots from
the Jhun/Carter fight check out http://malarky.udel.edu/~keith/2003/kotc051603b.htm.
Source: ADCC
|
Terere
& Jacare Reply to Pe de Pano
A
few days ago ADCC News published a statement from current World
and ADCC Champion Marcio 'Pe de Pano' directed at two of the
best BJJ fighters in the World, Fernando 'Terere' & Ronaldo
Jacare' just prior to their appearance at the 3rd Black Belt
Challenge in Brazil. The statements were excerpts of an interview
with the champ that appeared in the August issue of Gracie Magazine.
In
the interview with Gracie Magazine, 'Pe de Pano' declared that
'Terere' had 'invented' a 'sudden cold' to avoid fighting him
and advised Terere to gain weight or take some 'steroids' before
facing him again! Pano went on to state that he'd rather die
than lose to Jacare and that Jacare 'did not know how to pass
guard!'
Well
it didn't take long for the pair to reply Pano's attacks. In
statements given to Luca Atalla/Gracie Magazine #79, both Terere
and Jaca had the following messages back to Pano!
'Terere':
'This 'Pe de Pano' is a real clown. I'll fight with those 242lbs
of butt meat anytime! Me and 'Jacare' are going to close his
coffin! I don't need to take any 'special products' to beat him.
Everyone knows that I sweep to the side! 'Pe de Pano was the
only guy in my life that I swept overhead!. I am waiting for
him with a smile on my face!!
Jacare
replied: 'The fighter gives his replies on the mat. I believe
Pe de Pano was unfortunate in his choice of words. Too arrogant
. . .If I don't know how to pass the guard, then I will practice
some more. Imagine when i get good at it . . . '
There
certainly will be more to this! Stay tuned!
Source: ADCC
|
Machado
Brothers 'Brazilian Brawlers' movie is released
Jean
Jacques Machado was all smiles telling everyone that their long
awaited movie Brazilian Brawlers was released and available now
on Blockbuster videos. Jean Jacques stated: 'This is a big step
in spreading BJJ to the masses. I had other projects in the works
as well!'
Besides
featuring all of the Machados, the movie also has Ricki Rocket
(Poison) & Dan Inosanto.
Be
sure to go and check it out!
Source: ADCC
|
KOTC
Interview: John Alessio (Part 2)
San
Jacinto, CA - The September 5th King Of The Cage card headlines
John Alessio and Ronald Jhun. Jhun is the Welterweight Champion
while Alessio is the Superfight Champion with the winner getting
both belts which will probably be combined into one. In part
one of this conversation Alessio talked about his recent boxing
training and his upcoming pro boxing debut in Vegas. Now he talks
about the Jhun fight.
KM:
Your next fight is against Ronald Jhun. My understanding of it
is they are combining your Superfight belt with his Welterweight
belt?
JA: I’m not sure what is happening but I believe whoever
wins will be crowned with both belts.
KM:
What are your thoughts on the possibility of losing your Superfight
belt?
JA: I’m not too worried about it. All I can think about
is gaining his belt. I’m not worried about that, I’m
going to be the Welterweight Champ in two weeks. A lot of people
I train with don’t feel like its going to go that long but
that’s what they said about the Chris Brennan fight and
I said ‘no, me and Chris Brennan are going to have a three-round
war’. That’s the same way I fell about Jhun. I never
try to squeak a decision, I go for the finish. I got 22 fights
and only 2 decisions. I’m confident in my striking. Ronald
Jhun seems to throw hard punches but they aren’t exactly
straight. My punch is straight and accurate and I think I’ll
be able to beat him to the punch. I feel confident he can’t
take me down when he gets into trouble on his feet. I feel confident
on the ground. I know Ronald Jhun is a really well-rounded fighter;
he’s a decent wrestler, he’s good at his submissions,
and he’s a decent striker which poses for a good opponent,
a good fight. I’m really not too worried about any of it.
KM:
He does seem like the most well-rounded of the KOTC 170s with
your emphasis being striking, Diego Sanchez being phenomenal
on the ground…what do you think of the perspective of people
starting to think of you more as a striker? Does that bother
you?
JA: No. Sure, they can think I’m a striker but if they start
thinking I’ve got nothing on the ground they got something
coming. I fought Ronald Jhun’s training partner Nassor Lewis
and I submitted him (note: KOTC 12 2/9/02 2:07 r1 by rear naked
choke). I fought John Crisostomo and he fought John Crisostomo
and we both knocked him out (note: Alessio SuperBrawl 2/8/00,
Jhun SuperBrawl 11/5/99). We got some similar opponents. I haven’t
fought Shonie and Shonie is a tough guy but that fight with him
and Shonie was very very close. Both fights with him and Shonie
were very close. It could have gone either way. Shonie lost that
point for a groin shot which makes you lose the round right there
but if that didn’t happen maybe Shonie would be champ and
I’d be fighting Shonie, I don’t know. It’ll be
a good fight. I like Jhun, he’s a really nice guy, but we’re
going to have to put that aside on September 5th and bang away.
After that I’m sure we can have a good time together.
KM:
How is the hand injury doing?
JA: 100%.
KM:
Totally healed recovered.
JA: Not even an issue. It’s posing me no problems.
KM:
You explained to me before but I didn’t have a tape running
about you are known as a Millennia Jiu-Jitsu fighter but this
entire time you’ve had your own team or school under the
name Bad Intentions. Can you clarify that?
JA: I still continue to train with Millennia. We’re one
big team basically, Millennia and Bad Intentions. We’ll
all train together. Every other day we’re with each other,
like Mondays they’ll come train with us and Tuesdays we’ll
go train at Millennia. Basically we just got two different spots.
Just a little bit different styles too. Millennia concentrate
on jiu-jitsu and we always concentrate a little more on counter
wrestling and standup. We work really good together as a team.
KM:
Nine months or so ago Millennia had five MMA belts among three
people and now its pretty much you are the last one left with
one belt. As far as the perspective of this being a low point
in the success of Millennia do you have a response? I think that’s
an insulting perspective myself.
JA: It’s definitely an insulting perspective and I disagree.
You can’t win every fight. When you are a champion you are
out there fighting good competition, you can’t expect to
win every single fight. Especially MMA, there are way too many
variables. You make one mistake and you could lose. Unfortunately
we lost a couple fights in a row but we’ve come bouncing
back. Our team did really good at the last KOTC where Chad Davis
won his fight and Art (Santore) won a couple fights in a row,
Javi is looking to make his comeback in the next couple of months
and he’s going to destroy somebody. Can’t win them
all, especially when you are fighting top competition. You can’t
really name one fighter that is undefeated at the top.
KM:
To me its what you learned from your loss and how it changes
you. If you don’t lose at the very least you don’t
know if you have faults in your game.
JA: Exactly. Every time I’ve lost I’ve learned something.
Back to the drawing board and improved on what I thought my weakness
was during that fight.
KM:
Speaking of Art Santore what is up with him? I haven’t seen
him fight in a while.
JA: He just fought on the last KOTC in Reno.
KM:
Oh, I missed that one.
JA: Yeah, beat Sean Gray beginning of the second or third round.
KM:
Who else should we be keeping an eye out for?
JA: Tony Paterra is making his comeback. He fought in UFC quite
a long time ago (note: UFC 20 5/7/99). He hasn’t fought
in four years…he’s making a return fighting Wes Combs.
KM:
Is that also on the 5th?
JA: Yep. And our guy Rick is making his debut.
KM:
Anything else to get across about the Jhun fight? I think this
is going to be a really exciting mostly standup battle.
JA: Its going to be a standup fight, that’s for sure. I’m
looking for a good clean fight between me and Jhun. We’re
both sportsmen and good athletes and I’m hoping we can put
on the fight of the night and please the pay-per-view fans and
the fans that are in the crowd live.
KM:
Its been seven months since your fight in the UCC (now TKO) and
a couple months more since your last KOTC. Do you object to the
term ‘comeback’?
JA: No, this is my KOTC comeback. I’m not coming back off
no loss, I’m just coming back.
KM:
‘Comeback’ seems to blow the injury out of proportion.
How about ‘return’?
JA: Yeah.
KM:
Any pressure in that sense?
JA: No, I don’t feel the pressure.
KM:
You’re not worried about ring rust or anything like that?
JA: No. I bang away with these guys every single day. All its
going to be is a different cage I’m in banging away. It
doesn’t mean nothing to me. Once the door shuts its on.
KM:
Any other sponsors besides The Octagon.com?
JA: Yeah. Cutting Edge Landscaping, Medicure.com, The One Lounge,
I’d also like to thank my boxing coach Mikhal Caldwell and
all my training partners and family.
For
more on John Alessio check out www.millenniajiujitsu.com. For more on KOTC
including tickets or directions check out www.kingofthecage.com.
Source: ADCC
|
ANTOINE
JOAUDE: THE BEST BRAZILIAN WRESTLER
Two
times ADCC champion (Arabic division) and the AFC's 225 lb World
Champion, Antoine Jaoude (Ruas Vale-Tudo) just got the silver
medal at the Pan-American Games, held in Santo Domingo, establishing
himself as the best Brazilian wrestler in the game today. In
this exclusive interivew for Team TATAME, he talked about the
Brazilian wrestling team at the competition and about wrstling's
development in Brazil. He also commented on his future in MMA
and his big dream: a chance to go to the Olympic Games. Now he
is training hard for the up coming World Wrestling Championship,
in New York. He will also look to defend his AFC World Title
in Florida.
What
do you think about the Brazilian wrestling team’s performance
at the Pan-American Games?
The campaign was good. For real, we don’t have much money
or support, and we have trained for medals. We don’t care
if it was gold, silver or bronze. I got a silver medal and we
had disputed two bronzes with Rodrigo Artilheiro and Juliana
Borges. They just debuted in international events, but unfortunately
we lost. Wrestling’s development is something we are doing
for the long term. We don’t have sponsors. We only count
with Brazilian Fights Association Confederation (CBLA) and the
Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB).
How
do see your performance at this Pan-American?
This was the 3rd medal for a Brazilian wrestler in the history
in the Pan-American Games. The first was in 1951 with Angenor
Baianinho, the second in 1987 with Beto Leitão. I was
2 times Pan-American vice-champion: 2000 in Santo Domingo and
2001 in Colombia. Brazilian fighters have been at the Pan-American,
but we don’t have a tradition. There are people in Brazil
that even don’t know I won the silver medal. Now, with the
CBLA and COB, I am sure we are going to develop wrestling. At
this Pan-American it was difficult to face Americans and Cubans
due to their training structure. The last time I competed was
in May and they do it all the time. This time I lost for Daniel
Morreti, who is the champion. I am happy about the silver.
Is
it true that American and Cuban wrestlers believe that Brazil
can bother them in few years?
Yes. The Confederation has been around two years and we have
showed our potential. They believe if we continue our work in
Brazil, over two or three years we will be able to face them.
We do enjoy fighting and have the fighting in our blood. We are
champions in different styles and it won’t be different
with wrestling. The goal is to develop the wrestler in Brazil
and at least chase after the bronze medal in every category of
the 2007 Pan-Americans.
What
are you plans for the future?
I am focusing on the next Wrestling World Championship held in
New York from September 11th to 14th. The first eight qualified
for the Olympic Games. In the beginning of 2004, there will be
three more three trials and I am all about that.
And
about the MMA events?
My priority is wrestling, but since I don’t have any support,
I fight MMA to support my training. I wanted to fight in the
last AFC held in July, but I was training for the Pan-American.
Now Beto Leitão, my matchmaker, is taking care of my return
to MMA, after this Wrestling World Championship.
Source: ADCC
|
Interview:
KOTC fighter Drew Fickett
George
Huus with Xtreme Sports News here with professional nhb fighter
Drew Fickett, who is coming off a recent victory over Dennis
'Superman' Hallman in King of the Cage.
G
How are you doing today Drew?
D Pretty good. I am still recovering mentally and physically
from my war with Dennis.
G
How does it feel to beat a UFC veteran and one of the best welterweights
in the world.
D I'm still pretty stoked about the big win and this has definitely
given me a lot of confidence with my career.
G
Where are you from originally?
D Tampa, Fl
G
Do you have any interests besides fighting?
D I enjoy playing the piano, plan on buying another one after
this fight. I also like to read and find auto mechanics super
interesting. I can also eat forever, I love food!
G
Do you find it hard to maintain a strict diet while you are training?
D Honestly, I do eat healthy, but I eat as much as I can probably
5 to 6 times a day.
G
I guess with your level of intensity in training and competition
you find a way to harness all those extra calories right?
D Yeah, I'm always hungry. I'm constantly asked by my friends
how can you eat so much and stay so lean. The answer I don't
eat fast food. That is the Fickett diet secret in a nutshell.
G
What is your martial arts background?
D I grew up doing Kajukenbo karate as a kid with Veon McCarrol,
then I began to wrestle my Freshman year in H.S., I boxed a little
bit after H.S. and did some submission wrestling at the Tucson
Judo club with Steve Owens, who is also Don Frye's instructor.
I wrestled one year at Pima Community College under my old H.S.
wrestling coach Joe Solorio until my season was cut short by
a brutal motorcycle accident in which I almost lost my life.
After 2 years of recovering from that I moved to Phoenix with
the goal of wrestling for ASU, but when that fell short due to
athletic eligibility I began training Jiu Jitsu with two time
world champion Gustavo Dantas and former pro fighter from AMC
Trevor Lally.
G
What is your next step in NHB?
D Right now I am really trying to get into the whole marketing
aspect of the sport, because that is where the money is.
G
Do you have any ideas for future opponents?
D More then anyone I want a rematch with Landen Showalter who
is my only legitimate loss.
G
Do you see yourself in the UFC someday?
D Definitely.
G
How do you feel about Jeremy Jackson getting the fight over you
in the UFC?
D From a personal standpoint I think it's pretty unfair, considering
I just beat the man who beat the man. I mean it's not like Jeremy
Jackson and Nick Diaz have been superstars their whole lives.
Their just like me and are beginning to get the recognition that
they deserve and I feel it should be my place where Jackson is
filling in, but politics are politics.
G
It must be hard to stay so motivated when you almost think that
your time has come and someone else gets the shot.
D You're telling me.
G
It is my understanding that you defeated an up and comer about
to make his UFC debut.
D Yeah, Edwin Dewees who is fighting Rich Franklin in the same
show as Jackson vs. Diaz.
G
Weren't you supposed to fight Jeremy Jackson in the upcoming
Rage in the Cage event?
D Yeah.
G
Why was that fight called off?
D Because Jackson went UFC and doesn't want to risk losing his
shot again!
G
Do you feel like Jackson would have been an easy fight for you?
D To tell you the truth I don't believe there are any more 'easy'
fights left for me after my latest victory.
G
What would you like to say to any possible sponsors that may
be reading this today?
D That I bring a lot of intensity to the fight and I am definitely
one of the most exciting fighters to watch in the sport today.
Because of my well roundedness in standup, ground and wrestling
I can keep the fight moving at a pace that is more then satisfying
for the fans. I am also very professional and easy to deal with.
I stand by my word. I would also like to thank my sponsors for
this last fight
WWW.DIGITIZEDGAMING.COM
, WWW.GDJIUJITSU.COM, ARIZONA COMBAT SPORTS
and FULL CONTACT FIGHTER (WWW.FCFIGHTER.COM)
G
Thank you for your time Drew and the best of luck to you and
your career.
D Thanks.
Source: ADCC
|
Quote
of the Day
"Happiness is good health and a bad memory."
Ingrid Bergman
|
1st
Annual Kauai "Grappler's Paradise" 2003 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
tournament Update!
We are in the process of putting together packages for all outer
island and out of state competitors. If you know of anyone willing
to help in this area, your help would be appreciated. Any kind
of help at this time would be greatly appreciated. I'm always
looking for volunteer judges, score keepers, etc, and I would
be willing to make your volunteering worthwhile, if you know
what I mean.
Due to popular demand the tournament has now been moved to Saturday,
September 27th in order to accommodate outer island, mainland,
and international competitors.
Also, the venue has changed to an outdoor site with a roof and
bleachers located at the Kapaa middle school. This venue has
awesome vieing and eliminates the problem of having to wait and
or compete in a hot gym environment. Mat space has also been
increased as well.
A no-gi division will also be added. Medals, prizes, and cool
tourny T's will also be provided!
Hope
to see you all there.
Space
is available but limited crashing at Kendall's place for the
Relson Gracie team members. Also, accomodations at a hotel that's
home to one of the clubs on the island is also be worked out
for a good kamaaina rate.
The after party will be at THE SHACK that Saturday night.
You
can call Kendall Goo at 823-6650 or email me at kendallg15@hawaii.rr.com
if you have any questions.
|
Interview:
AARON RILEY
Two
years ago Aaron was possibly the most scouted Welterweight, right
up there with Yves Edwards before Yves dropped to 155. Fighting
mostly in HOOKnSHOOT he amassed a 16-4-1 record and a reputation
as fearless, being described as fighting like a Mack truck in
fourth gear. Then came his big break in UFC 37 in May of 2002
which was also the debut of Robbie Lawler. In many fans minds
Lawler’s reputation was built on that fight with Riley as
their styles matched up so well. Since then Riley picked up a
win over Alexandre Barros, lost the shot at the vacant HOOKnSHOOT
Welterweight title to Chris Lytle, and most recently picked up
a win in Washington. Here we catch up with Aaron just a couple
days before he heads off to Mexico for another fight.
KM:
I heard we have possibly two fights with you coming up.
AR: Possibly.
KM:
Let me start with the Mexico show this weekend. What do you know
about your opponent?
AR: Really I don’t know that much other than what I’ve
heard Jeff (Osborne) say. That and the trusty Full Contact Fighter
website that every fighter goes to and checks out.
KM:
(laughing) you are good at that product placement.
AR: Outside of that I really don’t know all that much. Jeff
has videotape I’m going to check out before I head down.
Jeff and I are going to be leaving together so I’ll be at
his house the night before we leave so I’m going to watch
the video tape but I heard he’s stood up more so it kind
of looks like he prefers to stand up and fight.
KM:
That seems to play right to your strategy.
AR: Hopefully so.
KM:
I missed one of your fights! You fought in Washington about a
month ago.
AR: Right.
KM:
Can you walk us through real quick?
AR: The opponent was a state-wrestling champion that trained
with a jiu-jitsu club in Oregon. It was a Dennis Hallman/Anthony
Hamlett joint promotion. The opponent was Nick Gilardi. He was
a young tough kid that was looking to step up and make a name
for himself by fighting against an opponent that had a name so
to speak or a little bit anyway. That’s all that was. Then
I was preparing to come back to Indiana so I was looking to pick
up a little bit of cash by fighting. More than anything it was
about getting back in the ring and not staying out of competition
for too long.
KM:
Last time I saw you was when you lost the HOOKnSHOOT Welterweight
belt to Chris Lytle. I was trying to get a couple words off you
after the show but you weren’t up for it and I haven’t
heard of you since. How do you look back at the Lytle fight?
AR: Ummm (dramatic pause).
KM:
I think that is the only time I’ve ever seen you knocked
out. Even Robbie Lawler in your last UFC performance…
AR: I didn’t feel like I was knocked out. I was hit, stunned,
and dropped. I popped back up and was ready to continue the fight
and it was stopped. I can understand that from a safety point
of view. I’m sure it looked bad too because of the falling
forward after the shot but I felt I was able…I mean I had
my feet under me when I stood back up so I felt I was able to
continue. That was probably the worst performance I’ve ever
put out in any competition. There aren’t really any excuses
for it. I’d like a chance to maybe give a better performance.
There’s not too much to say on it really. I don’t know,
the stars weren’t aligned that night. Things didn’t
work out but it doesn’t really matter because nobody is
interested in hearing a fighter make excuses. I didn’t win
that night and maybe if I had a chance to fight him again maybe
things would go different but that’s all there is to say
on that one.
KM:
Now that I hear you are back in Indiana and going with Jeff down
to Mexico I’m pretty sure we are going to see you back in
HOOKnSHOOT again pretty soon. Any word on that so far?
AR: Not really yet. I’ve talked to Jeff about the possibility
of putting on an event in my hometown in the Cannelton/Tell City
area maybe the first week in December. That is something we were
just brainstorming about. We’ll just wait and see how that
would maybe pan out. That would probably be a smaller show though,
not the level of HOOKnSHOOT. Not to say the opponent wouldn’t
be but I’m sure it would be kind of a scaled down thing,
a couple local guys.
KM:
I heard rumors you may be going out to Moscow for 2Hot2Handle.
AR: Well, we haven’t really got anything finalized on that.
That was kind of a rumor I would say probably. That was Miguel’s
thing and there haven’t been any talks on that for a while.
Nothing is even close to being finalized on that. Really I haven’t
talked to Miguel about that for two months.
KM:
As far as the rumors of you dropping to 155 I hear that is unlikely.
AR: Not right now. These next two that are on the table are at
170.
KM:
You moved back to Indiana. What are your thoughts on that?
AR: It’s good to get back to home and be around the family.
I’ve been away from them for three years. I’m kind
of recharging my batteries a little bit and we’ll go from
there, see what kind of choices I might want to make career-wise.
I’m going back to what worked to start with in my career
you might say. Trying to take a few fights but not anything like
UFC. Kind of get back in the swing of things. When I went to
AMC I was out of competition for eleven months before I stepped
back in the ring. I think that really hurt me rather than helped
me because there was a factor of a little bit of ring rust. When
I got in the ring with Yves, not to say that Yves is not a top
caliber fighter or anything like that, I think it was tough coming
back in to the ring against a level of fighter like that when
I hadn’t really had any top caliber competition in over
eleven months. I don’t think that was really in my best
interest to do it that way.
KM:
Are you saying you are looking for more local fights to keep
the ring rust off?
AR: Right, and to work myself back up. I’d like to get a
couple of fights before I would step back into a UFC setting
or something of that magnitude.
KM:
Would it be accurate to say ‘to keep the ring rust off as
you change your training’?
AR: Yeah.
KM:
How would you describe leaving AMC and what your training opportunities
are in Indian now? We were talking before about my perspective
AMC wasn’t the right fit for you.
AR: Yeah, I don’t think it was necessarily. The gym had
changed a lot too since I first joined. Dennis Hallman was the
guy that actually introduced me to AMC so to speak. Dennis was
the one that invited me to Washington and the one I stayed with
for the first month I visited and when I moved for the first
month. After Dennis left it kind of lost something for me. Maybe
I should have just gone ahead and gone down there.
KM:
Were you tired of training at AMC, just want to move on, getting
homesick…why did you leave AMC?
AR: Really I wasn’t enjoying any aspect of being a fighter
anymore while I was training there. I guess the environment didn’t
suit me. Training used to be fun and the fighting of course was
the most fun thing to me before and it got to the point both
just lost any kind of appeal. It felt like work. Training especially
felt like work and fighting felt like work. It was no longer
fun.
KM:
How does that compare to your last fight in Washington and preparation
for this one in Mexico?
AR: Training for the last fight in Washington I trained at Charlie
Pearson’s gym, Pearson’s Black Belt Academy. Charlie
and I worked really well together and actually Dennis was coming
by quite often and bringing Benji (Radach) and his female fighter
Janelle because they all had fights they were preparing for.
The training was really fun and everything felt good and the
fight went well. The change in attitudes and latitudes helped
me out.
KM:
And training for this one in Mexico, is this any easier or pleasant
now that you are back in Indian?
AR: I’m kind of getting back to some of the things I did
before. I’m back to my boxing gym I trained at when I was
over here. Hopefully some people will see some things out of
me from the past when it seemed there was a little more boxing,
a little more powerful strikes. I think some of my game had changed
when I moved so hopefully I’ll get some of the stuff from
the past back.
KM:
Being a long-time fan that was one thing I noticed; that ferocity,
that tenacity that you used to show…you seemed to be more
hesitant. I remember one time it seemed like you were a couple
strikes away from a TKO and you were instructed to go for a submission.
The term we used was ‘don’t fix what ain’t broken’.
AR: That is the thing a lot of people said. Me and Matt have
different approaches. He is more of a technical fighter and my
style is different.
KM:
So it’s going to be a little while before most fans can
see that “The Old” Aaron Riley is back.
AR: Maybe. Its just going to be a ting where I’m going to
try to get back on track and slowly get back to where I was as
far as before I left and went to AMC. Before anyone even knew
I was going to AMC, Joe Silva was already interested in having
me in the UFC but then after I went to AMC a lot of things were
changed.
Stay
tuned as we continue to keep an eye out for Aaron on his climb
back to the top.
Source: ADCC |
Tyson’s
Time !
Submitted by: Luca Atalla
It’s
official! One day after Mike Tyson appeared in K-1 Bellagio in
Las Vegas and challenged the giant Bob Sapp on the ring, he signed
with the Japanese organization and will do his debut in MMA world
before the end of this year (probably on Dec. 31st). “Tyson
is one of our fighters now. I’m not allowed to announce
who is going to be his first opponent yet but, from now on, Tyson
will fight both K-1 and vale-tudo styles. He’s part of a
huge plan to create the greatest team of fighters on earth”,
says Sergio Batarelli, recently charged as general director of
MMA of K-1, a kind of vice-president of the organization.
Source: ADCC |
DANA
WHITE TALKS ABOUT U.K. AND T.V.
UFC president Dana White appeared on Monday's MMAWeekly Radio
Show and announced a massive awareness campaign that the UFC
will be running on national television to raise awareness about
mixed martial arts.
It
wasn't the announcement of a weekly TV deal as many fans were
hoping, but it was probably the next best thing as far as mainstream
awareness for the sport of MMA. The advertising campaign will
debut on September 5 in the form of a 30-minute infomercial that
will air on Spike TV and Comedy Central more than 250 times in
a two-week period.
Spike
TV is the new name for TNN and is also the home of the WWE, which
consistantly has one of the highest-rated shows on cable television
with WWE Raw. Dana White has said on the record that the UFC
is talking with Spike TV (and a few other networks) about a weekly
TV show for the UFC, and he reaffirmed those statements on Monday's
radio show.
The
UFC is not in negotiations to have a weekly TV show on Comedy
Central, but airing the infomercial on Comedy Central makes sense
because the network does extremely well in the 18-to-49-year-old
male demographic that is coveted by TV advertisers and is also
the primary audience for MMA.
Hosted
by respected Showtime boxing analyst Al Bernstein, the 30-minute
show will be called "From Spectacle to Sport" and will
educate people about what MMA used to be and what it is today.
It
is not known if the infomercial will be mentioned by WWE announcers
on Spike TV, but it certainly isn't out of the question given
the UFC's friendly working relationship with the WWE. The air
times for the "Spectacle to the Sport" show will be
advertised in commercials that will air on numerous TV networks,
including Fox, ESPN, and ESPN 2.
Dana White also announced that the UFC is back on its way to
pay-per-view in the United Kingdom.
Though
he couldn't reveal all of the details due to the fact that the
deal isn't completely done yet, UFC 44 will be available on pay-per-view
in London. Based on how well the London public responds to the
event, the same British partner company will hopefully pick up
future UFC events (starting with UFC 45) that would air throughout
the UK on traditional PPV and also on closed-circuit TV in movie
theaters.
Source: MMA Weekly |
BUSY
SCHEDULE FOR BABALU
Another UFC Veteran that continues to remain busy is Renato "Babalu"
Sobral. We are getting closer to the big IFC Light Heavyweight
Tournament where "Babalu" is set to meet Trevor Prangley
in the opening round, but there are also reports that "Babalu"
will headline another card.
Babalu
is expected to headline the upcoming Meca World Vale-Tudo in
December. Building on the success of past events, Promotion Organizers
are looking to complete negotiations in a deal that will have
"Babalu" face PRIDE standout Murilo Ninja.
For
now though Babalu will focus on the IFC Tournament that will
be held a week from Friday. His opponent will be up and coming
fighter Trevor Prangley. Here's the upcoming IFC tournament.
Get your tickets today!
Light
Heavyweight Tournament
Eliminator Fight 1
Renato "Babalu" Sobral vs. Trevor Prangley
Eliminator
Fight 2
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua vs. Paulo Filho
Eliminator
Fight 3
Michail Avetisyan vs. Jeremy Horn
Eliminator
Fight 4
Chael Sonnen vs Griffin
Source: MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
"Today's greatest labor-saving device is tomorrow."
Tom Wilson |
Fighters'
Club TV Episode 13 Tonight!
Fighters' Club TV Episode 13 will premiered Tuesday (August 12) at
6:00 pm
on Channel 52
Remember
it is a relatively new time slot so tell your friends that the
show is on at 6:00 pm and not 8:30 pm.
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)
-Interview with Kaos promoters Dennis Bonner and Kai Kamaka
and
of course, Hawaii's two favorite 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.
|
The
Brazilian Beat:
News, news and more news as plenty of event results set the tone
for this edition of the beat!
The last days saw plenty of events in all sorts of forms, from
Jiu-Jitsu competitions, to MMA rules involving no striking on
the ground, passing trough shows that ended up not happening,
the Brazilian scene was agitated by news and results, including
happenings on shows that didn't take place yet, but are getting
nearer and nearer as days goes by. So this edition of the Brazilian
Beat comes bringing you facts and news about the shows that are
now history, and those that will most certainly make history
in the following weeks, as one can never stop the rhythm, and
Full Contact Fighter makes sure the Beat is as loud as ever!
Enjoy!
As
it was planned Vitor Belfort went to the distant Brazilian capital
of Boa Vista, in the state of Roraima, up in the north of the
country to bring a student to fight at the 1st Octagon Vale Tudo
show, as well as attend as a special guest to the show. However,
things didn't turn well for Vitor's pupil, as Fortaleza lost
a judges' decision to local fighter Adriano Soares. Other than
that "The Phenom" told us that show was nice and a
good crowd showed up to watch it. Vitor also went on to say that
he is going to get married, officially, in October. Since he
is going to be preparing for his November UFC appearance, Belfort
will only have the wedding party with his fiancé Joana
Prado in December of 2003.
In his new venture, Mario Sperry is taking care of the final
details for the first edition of his MMA promotion, called Brazil
Super Fight. The show is scheduled for September 19th in the
city of Porto Alegre, and as "The Zen Machine" Takes
care of the last details regarding production, the card is also
being finalized despite some last minute changes, as Mario student
and MECA veteran Luis Britto withdrew from his fight against
Luiz Azeredo, also a MECA veteran, and a replacement is likely
to be announced at any minute. Still the highlights of the show
are the participation of Pancrase star Ikuhisa Minowa against
UFC veteran Macaco, HEAT veteran Eduardo Simoes in his second
MMA fight, as wll as Gilson Ferreira coming back to the rings
and MECA 9 winner Marcelo Alfaia trying to keep his streak going.
Here's the fighting card for the show:
Marcelo Grillo Alfaia (Brazilian Top Team) X Jose "Dragao"
Ricardo
Loke
"The Duke" Piclum (BTT Australia) X Eduardo Simoes
(Ruas Vale Tudo)
Haroldo
"Cabelinho" Bunn (Brazilian Top Team) X Leonardo Souza
(Kimura/Nova Uniao)</ | |