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February News Part 1

2/10/03

Quote of the Day

"Keep away from people who belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great, make you feel that you too can become great."

Mark Twain

Ricco Rodriguez (part 2)

Ricco Rodriguez is set to fight Tim Sylvia as his first title defense in UFC 41 on February 28th in Atlantic City. In part one we heard Ricco’s opinion on Sylvia and his own past. Now we hear a little more about the philosophy that drove Ricco from his days on Staten Island to his current status as the UFC Heavyweight champ and headliner of the next UFC card.

KM: How does it feel to be the champion right now? Congratulations by the way.
RR: Thank you very much. It feels phenomenal. I’ve worked so hard. My whole life has been showing people I can succeed in life no matter what it takes, coming from nothing and putting myself into something. That’s a great feeling. My whole life I’ve worked hard, coming from a deprived childhood and stress and living in the ghetto coming from Patterson, New Jersey. Being able to travel around the world because of jiu-jitsu for the Machado brothers since I started training, it’s taken me a long way. That philosophy of life has changed who I am. Being a kid from the East Coast with a little bit of anger and hatred inside and meeting the Machado brothers who are nothing but caring and giving brothers taught me a whole new path of life and jiu-jitsu changed my life. It’s taken me to where I am today.

KM: As far as your fight with Couture, how do you look back on that? Do you consider that the pinnacle of your performance, what you want the new fans to judge you on?
RR: Not necessarily because that was not my best fight. That was an impressive fight; I couldn’t have beat a better man for that title (but) I wasn’t really happy with my performance. There was a lot of political things going on backstage, there was a lot of pressure because it was my first title fight, and the fact I was fighting Randy Couture who was also a lot more prepared for this fight after losing to Josh Barnett. He had been more aware of what was going to happen and he was prepared in a different way. I fought a better Randy Couture but I don’t think it was a fight that everybody should remember in reference to is that going to be my best fight. It was a big stepping stone for me and I think people were impressed by the fact I fought a great fight and showed a lot of heart in that fight.

KM: It seems like you have pretty much done it all; you’ve been in Abu Dhabi, Pride, King Of The Cage, now the UFC as it’s champion…it seems like there isn’t much more for you to conquer. Are you getting jaded on this yet?
RR: I think there are a lot of things left for me to conquer. One is for me to take time and give back to a lot the communities, helping people. I’m really working on a book right now, training Vin Diesel for his movie, and I think this is going to take me into a whole other level and show people that they can do anything and become anything in life. It is all up to you and your personal power and will to succeed in life. This is all a stepping stone for me. 25 years old, I really believe you can succeed at anything in life and I want to show everybody that. Anything can be done with just opening your eyes and just dreaming a bigger dream. That’s what I’m doing. It’s not the end of the road for me. I plan on defending my title for another year and a half and then giving it up and moving on to something else and waiting for the sport to become one of the greatest things in the world.

KM: You really do make a good spokesperson. What is this about a book? Are you done writing your book?
RR: My book is actually in process. It will be finished in June and published in June. It’s pretty much going to be Ricco Rodriguez “How To Win a Street Fight” and it’s basically a concept of how you can succeed in anything in life no matter where you are, no matter what you do. It talks about motivation, it talks about weight loss, going out there and conquering anything you want to be in life. It talks about my struggles and my thing and how I conquered them and then it talks about people I’ve met, how I’ve been to Abu Dhabi, I’ve been to Japan, and how you need to take opportunities to their fullest. If you open doors for yourself you really need to take it to the next level. It’s going to touch so many things that I think people are going to be shocked when they actually see it. It talks about me and my daughter, how I was a single father for almost two years raising my child, talks about my family, the trials and tribulations that I went through…it’s just going to educate people; how to better themselves in almost every aspect of life whether it’s dressing well, remembering people’s names, just things people take for granted that took me where I am from a kid in New Jersey and New York.

KM: That will be out around June?
RR: It will be out in June.

KM: Do you have any sponsorships to thank?
RR: KMC Wheels, Sinister Clothing, and Spankys.

For more information check out www.riccorodriguez.tv, one of the better fighter websites with an informative bio, some video interviews, and even a link to Show No Pity’s forum. Also be sure to check your local listings for the pay-per-view of UFC 41 if you can’t make it there live, it’s going to be a great show.

Source: ADCC

OntheMat Releases New Videos

Our friends at OntheMat.com have just released a bunch of great videos for all the BJJ and Submission Grappling Afficionados. Gumby & Scotty have been busy filming and editing some great stuff. Here is a list of their new stuff:

Amazonas Lutas de Casadas - Straight out the Jungle! Where else you going to get footage like this? Great 9 fights unreal crowd. Jacare, Fredson, Pe de Pano, Robson Moura, Ninja, Terere and more! $25

Amazonas 2002

3rd Interestadual de Submission MG - One of Brazil's best & biggest no gi event in Belo Horizonte, MG. There is not much to do in Belo Horizonte so they train hard there. The big money brings out the big names to test their skills before the Abu Dhabi trials. Names like: Marcio Feitosa, Amaury Bitteti, Reinaldo Ribeiro, Jamelão, Erik Wanderlei & OTM's own Erik Owings! $25

3rd Inter Estadual

CBJJO - World Cup of Jiu Jitsu - This tape features the best matches from André Pederneiras's new event. Teams include Brazilian Top Team, Nova Uniao, Allicane and more. Fighters include: Bruno Bastos , Carlao Santos, Ricardo Vieira, Terere, Robson Moura, Jamelao, and more...

CBJJO World Cup

Plus plenty of other good stuff in the OTM store, lots of highlight footage, etc & check it all out and buy lots of stuff.

Source: Kid Peligro/ADCC

A Look At the 155 lbers in MMA (pt 1)

With the recent loss by Jens Pulver tp Duane 'Bang' Ludwig causing a shakeup in the 155 lbs. division, it is worth looking at several of the up and comers in the weight division.

Most fans and internet Top Ten lists consider the top figters at 155 lbs. to be BJ Penn, Caol Uno, Jens Pulver, Takanori Gomi crowding the top of the list. After that, many mention Matt Serra, Din Thomas, Dokonjonosuke Mishima, and Yves Edwards. With his recent stunning performance, look for Duane Ludwig to be mentioned with these fighters - and deservedly so!

Below is a compilation of 'up and comers' who just may be on the verge of cracking EVERYBODY's top 10!

Duane 'Bang' Ludwig: 'Bang' debuted for King of the Cage on 2/5/2000 and immediately made an impact! Four of his wins are by way of KNOCKOUT and why this fighter has gone overlooked is crazy. He has an overall record of 8-2 and hasn't had a loss in nearly two years. We all know the name, it's now time to see his face on the big show. His stand up is WAY OUT!

Vitor 'Shaolin' Ribeiro: You know it's coming and you know that's the submission he wants, but can you defend it? Well, if you ask the three fighters he's submitted, they would say no. Ribeiro's arm triangle choke is lethal! A JJ World Champion known for his discipline and technique, it is safe to say we have only scratched the surface of what he can do! A 6-0 record with victories in three respected organizations (Shooto, HOOKnSHOOT and WFA) has many wondering why he's not higher in the top ten. His wrestling skills are excellent and his BJJ skills are impeccable. 2003 should be his year!

Rich Clementi: Although he has never been seen by a televised audience, Clementi comes to fight. He is 9-4 but has an impressive six straight wins. How about this fact: Clementi's nine victories are ALL decisive (6 submissions and 3 KO's). Want another one? Clementi fought his first match at a remarkable 220 lbs. At 155, he has found his true fighting weight, adding conditioning to his list of pluses. He definitely comes to fight and when he wins, he leaves no questions. He officially gets his shot at 'big time' against Yves Edwards at the next UFC.

Hermes Franca: Since debuting on 11/17/01 for HOOKnSHOOT, Franca has became a fan favorite for many reasons. His quick finishes, exciting and aggressive style, not to mention his patented smile and backflip has made Franca a definite MMA prospect of the future. His 6-0 record boasts 6 submissions but says he wants a few more matches before he thinks about UFC. The HOOKnSHOOT Champion at 145lbs is gearing up to defend his title against the UK's Leigh Remedios in Florida set for March.

Later this week, we look at some other fighters in this division and where they stand.

Source: ADCC

ADCC's BEST OF VOLUME 3 - on the Horizon!

Another special edition DVD is being produced by FIGHTWORLD.com.

It's evident that interest in submission wrestling and ground-fighting arts is STILL gaining in popularity. BEST OF ADDC #1 sold all copes within 7 months of it's release.

The next time around, nearly double the amount of DVD's were made and in less than a year, the BEST OF ADCC #2 has less than 80 copies left for sale!

Still shocked, after being named a finalist at the 2002 DV FILM AWARDS, Fightworld and Excel DV are continuing production with more releases in 2003.

Next on the list is BEST OF ADCC #3. Get them while they last! 'We're producing more than the last batch but they just seem to keep selling' says Jeff Osborne (the video guru behind all of Fightworld's productions).

'I make it clear that it's a 'limited edition' DVD. Once, they're gone, they're gone! It's funny to hear that people were selling #1 for as much as $60 on the Net. The other factor is that we already have the largest wholesale commitment for this DVD than any previous titles' continues Osborne.

Wanna buy a 2001 ADCC Seven DVD Set? Good luck! These disappeared within just nine months after their release.

Fightworld expects to expand their DVD releases this year with more USMMA, HOOKnSHOOT, CageFighter Championships, ADCC titles and much more.

Here's a sneak peak at the lineup for the BEST OF ADCC #3:

(1) Fabiano Iha vs. Joe Hurley (1999)
(2) Mark Kerr vs. Josh Barnett (2000)
(3) Roleta vs. Rodrigo 'Cumprido' Medeiros (2000)
(4) Rumina Sato vs. Vitor 'Shaolin' Ribeiro (2000)
(5) Vitor Belfort vs. Genki Sudo (2001)
(6)
Baret Yoshida vs. Wellington 'Megaton' Diaz (1999)
(7) Matt Hughes vs. Tito Ortiz (2000)
(8) Mario Sperry vs. Oleg Taktarov (1998)
(9) Jean-Jacques Machado vs. Ricardo Arona (2001)
(10) Rico Rodriguez vs. Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Noguiera (2000)

The DVD is set for a March 2003 release date with a suggested retail of $24.95.

Source: ADCC

2/9/03

Quote of the Day

"My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure."

Abraham Lincoln

Super Brawl 28 Results
Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
February 8, 2003
by Chris Onzuka -
Chris@Onzuka.com


The much anticipated "come out of retirement" fight for Egan Inoue almost fell through when Shooto Champion Masanori Suda broke his nose in his last fight and decided that he needed more time to train for Inoue. Due to the fact that Inoue had been training hard for a fight with Suda, a replacement was brought in to fight Inoue. Yukiya Naito came down in weight in order to step up to the challenge. Naito comes from the same gym as Pride and KOTC veteran Akira Shoji and Shooto Champion, Caol Uno. Inoue would be too much for the upstart dominating him for both rounds. Inoue looks to have regained the fire for MMA or maybe it is just his focused desire to acquire the Shooto belt. The card was filled with local talent, spiced up with a couple UFC veterans and a fighter from Eddy Millis' Shark Tank. The evenly matched skill levels of the fighters were seen in the number of fights that went to the score cards. The crowd loved the return on The Chief Andre Roberts, even if he took out one of the local fighters. This match was set up to introduce Roberts to the Hawaii crowd and build anticipation for a match up with local favorite Cabbage Correira. After his fight, Cabbage came into the ring and they both agreed to fight each other. Niko Vitale continued his streak of impressive victories by submitting Andre's little brother Tyrone in under two minutes. It looks like Hawaii has a number of fighters that are on the brink of making the "big time."

170lbs 2x5 minute rounds
Brandon Keen 170lbs (Grappling Unlimited) 2-0
Def.
Tripstin Kerisiano (808 Fight Factory) 2-2
Unanimous decision after 2 rounds [(20-18), (20-18), (20-18)].

161lbs 2x5 minute rounds
Jay R. Palmer 155lbs (Universal Rough Houzers) 23-20
Def.
Harris Sariento 155lbs (808 Fight Factory) 1-4
Submission due to elbow dislocation at 1:36 minutes in Round 2.

143lbs 2x5 minute rounds
Justin Mercado 141lbs (Grappling Unlimited) 2-1
Def.
Dain Agbayani 141lbs (808 Fight Factory) 2-4
Unanimous decision after 2 rounds [(20-18), (20-18), (20-18)].

167.5lbs 3x5 minute rounds
Deshaun Johnson 165lbs (HMC) 4-3
Def.
Andy Wang 165lbs (Grappling Unlimited) 2-4
Majority decision after 2 rounds [(28-28), (29-27), (29-28)].

Heavyweight 2x5 minute rounds
Andre "The Chief" Roberts 366lbs (Team Extreme) 10-1
Def.
Ray "King Kong" Seraille 260lbs (Grappling Unlimited) 1-2
Submission via neck crank at 2:49 minutes in Round 1.

167.5lbs 3x5 minute rounds
Ronald Jhun 170lbs (808 Fight Factory) 16-9-2
Def.
Mike Panalber 170lbs (Shark Tank)
Unanimous decision after 3 rounds [(30-27), (30-27), (30-27)].

185lbs 3x5 minute rounds
Falaniko Vitale 185lbs (Grappling Unlimited) 13-1
Def.
Tyrone Roberts 185lbs (Team Extreme) 15-3
Submission via toe hold at 1:26 minutes in Round 1.

194lbs 2x5 minute rounds
Egan Inoue 182.6lbs (Grappling Unlimited) 13-3 Super Brawl Champion
def.
Yukiya Naito 194lbs (A3 Gym, Tokyo) 4-1
Unanimous decision after 2 rounds [(20-18), (20-18), (20-18)].

Ralph Gracie Academy Promotions

Ralph Gracie has just had a Black Day at his school. The Pitbull promoted 5 of his students to the Black Belt level. The new graduates are David Camarilo, Cameron Earle, Crosley Gracie, Kurt Ociander & Sapao. According to OntheMat's Gumby they are all going out celebrating tonight! The Bay area will never be the same after this.

Needless to say it was a long time coming for these five. Now their school has 8 Black Belts training (Batata and VanDamme) making it one of America's strongest!

Kid Peligro wants to send a big congrats to Ralph and his students for the enormous occasion!

Source: ADCC/Kid Peligro

The Brazilian Beat:
Chute Boxe Training Madness;
Belfort Training for June;
PRIDE Fighters Getting Ready; & RN Vale Tudo News
By Eduardo Alonso

February started with plenty of training action in Brazil. With UFC 41 and PRIDE 25 approaching, fighters such as Pedro Rizzo are preparing hard for scheduled fights, while others like PRIDE contenders Mario Sperry and Murilo Ninja continue to train looking for a shot at the upcoming PRIDE show. As training is still one of the main subjects of this edition of the Brazilian Beat, the Chute Boxe training camp is getting as hardcore as ever, with fighters literally missing the good times when they were on tough battles in NHB events, and Vitor Belfort getting ready for a upcoming June fight in the UFC. Well, training is never enough for a fight fan; therefore we also bring you news and results from RN Vale Tudo, a new small show in Brazil, as well as tidbits from other shows and news from Brazil! Enjoy your weekend and take a taste of Brazilian news, as Full Contact Fighter raises the volume, feels the groove and joins the beat!
Vitor Belfort wasn't allowed by the doctors to perform at UFC 42, since his knee isn't ready yet for a professional fight after the surgery. However, Belfort told FCF that he is training well and it's only a matter of time since he will be ready to perform in the octagon once again. "The Phenom" also said he will be likely fighting in the UFC in June, and he will have some great news to announce in March of 2003! Stay tuned!

UFC Heavyweight contender Pedro Rizzo is ready and anxious to face Vladdy Matyushenko at UFC 41. Rizzo told FCF he trained a lot standing up with K-1 fighter Peter Aerts, who left Brazil after training with Rizzo for around two weeks last Monday, and his hands are now sharp again. "The Rock" told us he would do sparring sessions with Aerts two times a day, for around 7 rounds of Muay Thai each. Pedro is already weighing 103 kg, and feels he is in the best shape he has been in a long time. This time the Ruas Vale Tudo fighter will leave for the USA just one week before the fight.

PRIDE fighter and grappling legend Mario Sperry is now practically 100% healed from the broken hand suffered at his win over Andrei Kopylov back at PRIDE 22. Sperry told FCF he is already punching with confidence again, despite some minor pain that still exists, and has been training very hard looking for a shot at PRIDE 25, where he plans to compete.

PRIDE Middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva is now slowly and gradually resuming his training after his serious knee surgery suffered in the end of 2002. Silva is now walking and moving without any problems at all, and has started to do some training in the mirror, getting himself ready to resume his full training routine in the coming weeks. "The Axe Murderer" is continuing to work on a series of projects in the meantime, and told FCF he delayed his seminars because he is preparing and designing a complete new seminar experience for the fans. Let's wait and see!

Speaking of Chute Boxe fighters, PRIDE contender Murilo Ninja Rua is completely recovered from the swollen and cut eye suffered against Kevin Randleman at PRIDE 24. Ninja submitted himself to a series of exams due to PRIDE's request and none of them showed any problems. The young Brazilian fighter is already training hard again and waiting for his next fight, while on the meantime planning to do seminars in the USA.

Brazilian Top Team member Hudson Rocha didn't exactly broke his hand at the Brazilian ADCC trials as was reported by all the media. Hudson's bone amazingly went out of his hand's skin, but without being broke! This is a totally bizarre situation, however Hudson is recovering now and according to his trainers won't miss his Hook N' Shoot appearance in the upcoming show.

UFC, PRIDE, IVC and MECA veteran Carlos Barreto had to give up on fighting the Second Submission Wrestling in Campos superfight against Alexandre Cacareco. Barreto decided to withdraw from the event due to his K-1 Brazil appearance in the 23rd of February, since he has training so hard for it that it would be too risky to risk an injury so near the competition. Reports have that Eduardo Jamealo will replace Barreto in the superfight of the event that is taking place right now in Campos. FCF will report the results in the coming days.

RN Vale Tudo, the small show put on by promoter Conrado, who also promotes Bitetti Combat, took place this last week and was a success! The show happened in the small city of Caico, on Brazil's northeast and served as a minor league for Bitetti Combat, helping new fighting talent of the Brazilian northeast to have a chance to appear. The card was full of local talent, what pleased the fans in the audience and the action itself didn't disappoint. On the most interesting fights of the card, Wallace [From Kimura, who is a Chute Boxe black belt from Rafael Cordeiro, however doesn't train at Chute Boxe anymore] demolished Fabiano, a local fighter from Caico. Dinarte took quick work of Tortinho. Sergio Capoeira, well known in the Northeast Jiu Jitsu circles, made his NHB debut beating Loca, a Mario Sucata student. The main event featured experienced fighter Aranha, who is from Caico, against Indio. Both guys won their fights at the last Bitetti Combat Nordeste and although Aranha won the fight on a judges' decision, Indio surprised the fans putting up a great performance in an exciting fight. Now all the efforts will be concentrated on the next Bitetti Combat scheduled to the end of March, and FCF is continuing to bring you all NHB action from around the world, no matter where!

Full Contact Fighter is truly everywhere and this last Friday FCF writer Eduardo Alonso, who happens to be writing this article, was a guest commentator at Premiere Combat/Sportv channel. The show featured a collection of Tito Ortiz's fights, and served as an opportunity to talk a bit about FCF's work and the international fans' view of the Brazilian fighters. It'll likely be aired in a month or so, and hopefully one day we will have more channels and TV shows devoted to NHB.

The training at the Chute Boxe academy is now more intense than ever! Due to a decision from Chute Boxe team coach Rudimar Fedrigo the training sessions now became even more hardcore, with the fighters training everyday with NHB gloves on, and giving their all in the sparring sessions! Things have been tough as the Evangelic Hospital in Curitiba is reported to have been receiving one new guest per week, courtesy of the Chute Boxe training. Anderson Silva took some stitches on the eyebrow, Young fighter Jadson [who lost to Cristiano Marcelo at MECA 7 and then decided to apply to join Chute Boxe] suffered convulsions and now Fabio Piemonte is spending a week in the Hospital as a result of a training session. Mr. Fedrigo told FCF he will now be receiving some protection equipment and then he wants the training to get even tougher! As always, everybody is invited to come and train at the academy.

Source: FCF

Gable is Interim FS Resident Coach

Dan Gable named Interim Head Resident Freestyle Coach for USA Wrestling

Wrestling legend Dan Gable of Iowa City, Iowa has been named as Interim Head Resident Freestyle Coach for USA Wrestling, announced USA Wrestling Executive Director Rich Bender.

Gable will coach the men's freestyle athletes who participate in the U.S. Olympic Training Center (USOTC) resident athlete program in Colorado Springs, Colo. He will also coach the many U.S. freestyle wrestlers who come to Colorado Springs from across the nation to train on a short-term basis.
The Resident Freestyle Coach position became vacant when Lincoln McIlravy, who served in the post for over one year, resigned his position in order to return to competition as an athlete. McIlravy will stay on with the program as a resident athlete.

'This is a great day for USA Wrestling,' said Executive Director Rich Bender. 'We are extremely fortunate to have somebody with Dan's proven success agree to lead this very important program though this transition. I am excited for USA Wrestling, and especially our resident athletes, who will have the opportunity to work and train with a true legend.'

Gable was a World and Olympic champion as an athlete, considered one of the greatest competitors in American history. As a coach, Gable was a record-setting college coach, and has served as head coach of three U.S. Olympic teams.
'I have never been very far away from our national organization over the last 30 years,' said Gable. 'This will enhance my ability to know the sport that much more. Much of my time now is away from the mat. I believe I will now understand how things take place and it will help me in my efforts to solve some of wrestling's issues.'

'This is a crucial time, to make sure wrestling in general has the best opportunity for the future. I feel that I can also bring some positive attention to USA Wrestling and the U.S. Olympic Committee. The bottom line is that USA Wrestling needs somebody right now, and I am a person that can meet those needs as well as anyone,' he said.

Gable currently works as an Assistant to the Director for the University of Iowa Athletic Department, and will remain in that position. He will periodically come to Colorado Springs and live at the U.S. Olympic Training Center during the period that he serves as the Interim Head Resident Freestyle Coach. Gable will work directly with USA Wrestling's talented National Coaching staff, including National Freestyle Coach Kevin Jackson and Freestyle Developmental Coach Dave Bennett.

'Dan Gable is a wrestling icon and an Olympic legend, and we proudly welcome him to the U.S. Olympic Complex,' said Lloyd Ward, Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Olympic Committee. 'His passion, intensity and energy for the sport of wrestling will have a significant impact on all of our Olympic wrestlers. I applaud Dan and USA Wrestling for making this commitment to help our athletes and prepare them for even greater success.'

He served as head coach of the 1980, 1984 and 2000 U.S. Olympic freestyle wrestling teams. The 1980 team was unable to participate in the Moscow Olympics due to the U.S. boycott of the Games. The 1984 U.S. Olympic team dominated the Games, winning seven gold medals and two silver medals. The 2000 Olympic team, which Gable coached with co-head coaches John Smith and Greg Strobel, won four medals including one gold medalist.

Gable also served as the head coach of six U.S. World teams (1977, 1978, 1979, 1983, 1994, 1999). He was the head coach of the 1986 U.S. Goodwill Games team. Gable will serve as the head coach of the 2003 U.S. World Cup team, his 11th assignment as a World Cup head coach.

He is considered the most successful college coach of all time, setting numerous career records as the head coach for the Univ. of Iowa. His Iowa teams won 15 NCAA team titles during his 21-year career, including an amazing steak of nine in a row from 1978-86. He retired from college coaching after winning the 1997 NCAA team title, with a record number of team points.
Gable was a 1972 Olympic gold medalist and 1971 World champion as an athlete, as well as a two-time NCAA champion for Iowa State Univ. Gable originally hails from Waterloo, Iowa.

During the time that Dan Gable is serving as Interim Head Resident Freestyle Coach, USA Wrestling will conduct a national search for a full-time coach to serve in the position. USA Wrestling hopes to name a new Resident Freestyle Coach this spring.

Source: Gary Abbott

UFC's Lightweight Contender DIN THOMAS (PT 1)
by: Keith Mills

In the ADCC News archives of May 31st and June 1st, Din Thomas spoke at length about his career up to that point, and the recovery from his surgery. Now after a rematch loss to Caol Uno in UFC 39, Thomas, the perpetually ranked top 5 Lightweight fighter, talks about his upcoming fight in UFC 41 against Matt Serra.

KM: How are things going down there? DT: Everything is great.

KM: Are you going to be training right up until the end or stopping a couple weeks out? DT: I’m pretty going to keep my rhythm.

KM: Do you feel prepared? DT: Yeah, I feel very prepared.

KM: How do you feel about this next fight? DT: I’m just glad to have another opportunity. I haven’t had the best luck in the UFC, we know that. I haven’t really had a good fight to really show myself and I’m looking to do that this time. I want to show the world what I got.

KM: What are your thoughts on Serra? DT: He’s good; good ground game, seemed to look good against BJ, pressed the fight. I have my hands full.

KM: He has a reputation for being very fast and very fluid but mainly BJJ. Does this worry you at all? DT: Not really. Honestly, I have the best BJJ guys in the world. Of course I could get caught, anybody can get caught on any given day, but he’s not going to trick me into anything. I got world champions that I’m training with now in jiu-jitsu so it’s not like he’s going to do anything to me that I’ve never seen before.

KM: Yeah, you’ve been training with the American Top Team for about a year now? DT: Yeah, about a year.

KM: How accurate a perspective do you think it would be if I took an approach like ‘American Top Team against Team Renzo Gracie’? Serra deviates enough from what we usually see from Team Renzo fighters that it may not be accurate. You’re not exactly a typical American Top Team fighter either. DT: It’s kind of weird. I’m going to represent American Top Team regardless. I didn’t really come from the same background as a lot of the guys on the team and they kind of adopted me and embraced me as one of their own so I’m going to represent them. Matt is from Renzo’s so I’m assuming he’s going to take on his name as well, so if you want to call it American Top Team against Renzo call it that and we’re going to see what prevails. I think they called us out a little while ago anyway and we’re going to see who’s got the better team.

KM: It seems like most of the people in the UFC at 155 have been mostly a grappling background and in that sense you have the reputation of being one of the stronger strikers in the 155 field right now but in the last couple of months we’ve seen more strikers coming down to 155 with Duane defeating Pulver or even Joe Stevenson dropping down. What do you think of the 155 division from that perspective? DT: I’ve always said it; I think the 155 lb division is the most competitive division. I think the guys are the most complete guys. With all these strikers we’re going to see a lot more grappling from me. (Both laugh) I’ve always been known as a striker but I think I can hold my own on the mat too. Going against a striker you may see a lot more ground work from me.

KM: One thing I’m looking forward to with this diversification of the weight class is see how you would do against someone who won’t keep it down, someone you can show something more against. DT: That’s why I think this is a really good opportunity for me and Matt because he is the type of guy who likes to go out and give it 100% regardless of the outcome and I’m the same way. It kind of sucks that we’re put in this position because we just want to put on a good fight, we don’t care if we win or lose. It sucks for us because the UFC put us in a position where we kind of have to win or we have to go home and watch from tv. I just hope Matt doesn’t say ‘I have to win, I’m going to be a little more conservative’ because I’m not going to try to do that. Regardless I’m going to try to put on a good fight.

KM: How much more pressure does that put on with that perspective of win or go home? DT: It’s never really going to put a lot of pressure on me in that sense. In the back of my mind I kind of still sense it but still there are other opportunities out there for me to fight if I lose but I really don’t think I’m going to lose. Even if, I just like to fight. If I have to fight in HOOKnSHOOT to build myself back up that’s what I’m going to do. I don’t try to look at the pressure, I never doubt myself or doubt my skills because of pressure. I don’t look at it like that.

UFC 41 takes place in Atlantic City, New Jersey on February 28th. For more information on Din Thomas check out www.dinthomas.com.

Source: ADCC

Martial Arts Action Movie Personality
Stephanie Cheeva to be Inducted into
International Martial Arts Hall of Fame

February 7, 2003, It was announced today that Martial Arts Action Movie
star Stephanie Cheeva has been chosen by the Hawaii Martial Arts International
Society to be inducted into the HMAIS "International Martial Arts Hall of Fame", Stephanie Cheeva , to her credit she is a 21 Gold Medalist, the titles of World Champion 1995, two time European Champion '92/'93, She is an eight time Bulgarian National Champion (1989 through 1995). She has starred in such movies as "Blood Justice" "Last Call", "The Ultimate Game" and "The Fine Art of Persuasion" as well as popular television shows "Nash Bridges", "Martial Law", "VIP" and "Crossing Jordan".

She will be in attendence with such notables as legendary Ultimate Fighting Championships "UFC" Competitor Dan "the Beast" Severn, Sifu Lamar Davis II head of the World Combative Martial Arts Federation and authority on the art of Jeet Kune Do, Grandmaster Frank Demaria head of the "American Center for Chinese Studies" and first organization to be directly associated with the
Shaolin Temple in North America, Neil Antin of the "Fight Channel", Steve Alley of "Martial Arts Radio" and many others that will be honored at this extravaganza.

"We at the Hawaii Martial Arts International Society are honored to have the opportunity to place Stephanie Cheeva among our prestigious Hall of Fame Inductee's, she is definitely a person worthy of such an honor", Stated HMAIS Chairman Professor Jaime Abregana Jr.

The Hawaii Martial Arts International Society 2003 4th Annual Hall of Fame Awards Banquet , you'll see the new inductions into the "International Martial Arts Hall of Fame" take place, it will be a who's who in martial arts event. This is part of an action packed weekend of events including the ever popular Legends & Masters Seminar, where you can learn from the most accomplished Pioneers, Grand Masters and Masters around today, also to top off this incredible weekend is an Open martial arts tournament entitled the "International Martial Arts Classic" this all takes place in Las Vegas Nevada , USA July 12 & 13, 2003 at the Sahara Hotel & Casino.

For more information contact call (808) 271-0225
www.hmaisociety.com www.stephaniecheeva.com

Visit www.hmaisociety.com for more Information & Updates!

Prof. Jaime Abregana Jr.
Hawaii Martial Arts International Society
P.O. Box 2106
Ewa Beach, HI 96706 - USA
(808) 271-0225

2/8/03

Quote of the Day

"My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure."

Abraham Lincoln

Media Alert!
Super Brawl Shown Live World Wide!


For the first time in history an MMA show will be shown live and uncut over the internet with a quality rivaling television!

On Saturday, February 8, thousand of fans will pack the Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii to witness 9 powerhouse bouts. You can pull up a ringside seat live, via www.superbrawltv.com and join them.

All this for just $7.95! Logon to www.superbrawltv.com Not only will you get to watch the live netcast, you can also watch the event “on demand” for the next 30 days! As well as dozens of hours of past Super Brawl fights including fighters like, Frank Shamrock, Pat Miletich, Josh Barnett, Heath Herring, Ricco Rodrigues, Ring Girls and much, much more!

That’s right…..All this for just $7.95! And the quality is outstanding! “I was amazed! I hooked my desktop up to my bigscreen and watched it like any other pay-per-view.” Super Brawl fan Andrew Riehle after watching the Super Brawl 26 delayed netcast.

Live Showtimes:

Hawaii/Maui (Blacked out on Oahu) -Saturday 7:45pm

Los Angeles- Saturday 10:45pm

Chicago- Sunday 12:45am

New York- Sunday 1:45am

London-Sunday 5:45am

Cairo-Sunday 7:45am

Moscow- 8:45am

Tokyo-Sunday 2:45pm

Melbourne- Sunday 3:45pm

Source: T. Jay Thompson

Super Brawl 28 Weigh Ins
Super Brawl 28 Is Tonight!

24-Hour Fitness Kapiolani
Honolulu, Hawaii
1:30 PM
By Michael Onzuka
Mike@onzuka.com

Just when you think things are going great, Murphy steps in. In a last minute training session, local upstart Kolo Koka hurt his knee in a freak heel hook accident and had to pull out of the event against Mark Moreno. I thought that was the fight of the card, two guys that like to bang. Promoter, T. Jay Thompson, is currently looking for a replacement for Koka, but was unable to find one at weigh in time. Also, there was a swap of fighters in the first match. Tripston Kerisiano will take teammate, Nassor Lewis' place against submission grappling based Brandon Keen. Other than that, the fight card remains intact as advertised.

Another interesting match up will be the return of Andy Wang who has lived in Hawaii for a while and is currently living in California and training with RAW. He showed major heart after taking a terrible amount of punishment from Tsuruya in his last Super Brawl appearance. Wang hopes to turn things around as he faces Deshaun "the best dressed MMA fighter since Shonie Carter" Johnson. Johnson is known as a stand up artist, but has been brushing up with his ground work as of late. If Deshawn can keep this fight standing, it may be very interesting.

Andre "The Chief" Roberts returns to action from a layoff from late 1999, a month after he had his UFC 21 war with Ron Waterman. Roberts is as big as they get and it shall be seen if experience will defeat youth as he faces a young and hungry upstart by the name of King Kong Seraille. Ron Jhun will try to continue to test the waters at a ripped 170 lbs after an exciting fight with Shonie Carter that ended in a draw. UFC veteran Tyrone Roberts accompanies his brother in the fight card taking on a local fighter that seems ready for the big show, Falaniko Vitale. Vitale is a well put together specimen and will be challenged by a veteran fighter in Tyrone Roberts.

Finally, Egan Inoue stated that he will only fight again if he can face the champion in Shooto. Inoue got really close, but Suda broke his nose in his last fight and wanted more time to prepare. Since Egan was already in shape, Egan agreed to take on Japanese upstart, Yukiya Naito from the A3 gym, who will attempt to make a major leap in the Shooto rankings if he pulls off the upset. One fight is left between inoue and his shot at a Shooto Champion. As the biggest draw of any MMA fighter in Hawaii, Egan knows that he will have the entire crowd on his side to cheer him to victory, but also knows that a loss may scrap his long laid plans on the road to the championship. Bone up on the blow by blow results in the next issue of Full Contact Fighter!

There are still tickets left so do not miss this evenly matched up card!

170 lbs 2x5 minute rounds
Tripston Kerisiano 168 lbs (808 Fight Factory) 3-1
vs.
Brandon Keen 168 lbs (Grappling Unlimited) 1-0

155 lbs 2x5 minute rounds
Jay R. Palmer Fashionably late as usual (no weight) (Universal Rough Houzers) 22-20
vs.
Harris Sarriento 155lbs (808 Fight Factory) 2-3

145 lbs 2x5 minute rounds
Dain Agbayani 146.2 lbs (at time of weigh in) (808 Fight Factory) 2-3
vs.
Justin Mercado 142 lbs (Grappling Unlimited) 1-1

165 lbs 2x5 minute rounds
Deshaun Johnson 160 lbs (HMC) 3-3
vs.
Andy Wang 164 lbs (Grappling Unlimited) 2-3

170 lbs 2x5 minute rounds
Mark Moreno 171 lbs (Bull's Pen) 3-1-1
vs.
TBA

Heavyweight 2x5 minute rounds
Andre "The Chief" Roberts 368 lbs (Team Extreme) 11-1
vs.
Ray "King Kong" Seraille 262 lbs (Grappling Unlimited)1-1

170 lbs 2x5 minute rounds
Mike Panalber 169.2 lbs (Shark Tank)
vs.
Ronald Jhun 170.8 lbs (at time of weigh in) (808 Fight Factory) 15-9-2

185lbs 3x5 minute rounds
Tyrone Roberts 184 lbs (Team Extreme) 15-2
vs.
Falaniko Vitale 184.8 lbs (Grappling Unlimited) 12-1

194lbs 2x5 minute rounds
Yukiya Naito 187 lbs (A3 Gym, Tokyo) 4-0
vs.
Egan Inoue 189.8 lbs (Grappling Unlimited) 12-3 Champion

Alessio Out, Vasconcelos In of KOTC Feb 21

Due to an injury suffered in his UCC12 loss to Jason Black, John Alessio has been forced to pull out of his February 21 King of The Cage bout against Shonie Carter. Replacing Alessio against "Mr. International" is the rAw Team's Fernando Vasconcelos.

Source: Maxfighting

UFC 41 Card Complete

The Rich Clementi vs Yves Edwards matchup reported on January 28th has been officially released as the 8th spot for UFC 41: Onslaught. The complete card is now:

Ricco Rodriguez vs Tim Sylvia

Tank Abbott vs Frank Mir

Phil Baroni vs Matt Lindland

BJ Penn vs Caol Uno

Vladimir Matyushenko vs Pedro Rizzo

Gan McGee vs "Cafe" Dantas

Matt Serra vs Din Thomas

Rich Clementi vs Yves Edwards

LAS VEGAS, February 4, 2003…Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight top contenders Matt Serra and Din Thomas will clash after Lightweight Yves Edwards battles Rich Clementi at UFC 41: Onslaught live on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST, Friday, February 28, from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.

An eight-fight card also will feature the long-awaited BJ Penn versus Caol Uno fight for the lightweight championship, the return of legendary Heavyweight Tank Abbott, who will meet jiu-jitsu submission specialist Frank Mir, and the first title defense by new UFC Heavyweight Champion Ricco Rodriguez against undefeated contender Tim Sylvia.

Live event tickets, $300, $200, $100, $60 and $30, continue on sale at the Boardwalk Hall box office in Atlantic City, at all Ticketmaster locations and at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets also may be ordered by telephone at 1-800-736-1420. Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino, Trump Marina and Trump Taj Mahal are the hosts of the event.

UFC 41: Onslaught will be available live on pay-per-view on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, Dish Network, Bell ExpressVu and Viewers Choice Canada. The suggested retail price is $29.95.

Serra (11-2-0 in mixed martial arts) of Long Island, N.Y., is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt trained by Renzo Gracie. He combines superb ground skills, including wrestling take downs and submissions, with an ever-improving stand-up game to push the action in all his fights. Serra and Thomas had been scheduled to fight each other last March in Las Vegas, but Thomas injured a knee in training. “Din is a tough fighter and has really improved since he’s been training with the American Top Team. We are going to have a very exciting fight,” Serra said.

Thomas (16-3-0) of Orlando, Fla., also utilizes jiu-jitsu submission techniques and a stand-up striking game to dominate opponents. With a like-new knee, Thomas readily admits his quality of training is greatly improved since joining ATT, the U.S. extension of the Brazilian Top Team. “The competition is very tough, even for an experienced, professional fighter. This kind of training will prepare me for Matt, who is really disciplined,” Thomas said.

Edwards (10-5-1) from The Woodlands, Tex., a suburb of Houston, is a Thai boxing-jiu jitsu fighter who is continuing to hone his boxing skills. In his last UFC fight, June 22 at UFC 37.5 in Las Vegas, he knocked out Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Joao “Perini” Marcos at 1:19 of the first round with a kick to the head. Edwards works with Kenny Weldon, the boxing trainer who helped build former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield’s career.

Clementi is a free-style fighter from Slidell, La., who will be making his UFC debut against Edwards. He has earned a 22-5-0 record in mixed martial arts fighting and has won eight consecutive fights. “Yves will be a great opponent for my UFC debut because I will have to utilize all my weapons to beat him. I feel my standup game is equal to his, but my ground game is superior. I am really looking forward to fighting him,” Clementi said.

Rodriguez (10-1-0), a Staten Island, N.Y. native, who now fights out of Las Vegas, has won 10 straight fights and captured the heavyweight crown from two-time former champ Randy Couture September 17 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. Sylvia (16-0-0), a native of Ellsworth, Maine, who fights out of Davenport, Iowa, is 6’8”, 260 pounds and his height and reach advantage helped him win a second round technical knockout September 27 over “Cabbage” Correira at the Mohegan Sun.

Tank (8-7-0) from Huntington Beach, Calif., says he is returning to do what he does best, “knock people out.” In Mir (4-1-0) of Las Vegas, he will be facing one of the UFC’s most promising young heavyweights. Penn (6-1-0) from Hilo, Hawaii, and Uno (13-4-2) of Kanagawa, Japan, earned the right to meet for the lightweight title with unanimous decision victories over Serra and Thomas respectively September 27 at the Mohegan Sun.

Source: Sherdog

HAWAII MARTIAL ARTS INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY
TOURNAMENT PROMOTIONS PRESS RELEASE # 1
HMAISociety 2003-2004
TOURNAMENTS & SANCTIONING
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFYING TOURNAMENTS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

The Hawaii Martial Arts International Society, along with Prof. Jaime Abregana Jr. (Pres.), and the Board of Directors for the HMAISociety, are proud to present, the opening of our 2003-2004 Tournament Season, and the 2003-2004 HMAIS World Championship Tour.

This years events (2003-2004 Season), will consist of State, Regional, or International Conference, martial arts tournament qualifiers, along with our HMAISociety World Championships Tournament.

Our purpose is to promote “Martial Arts Sporting” competitions that are both “Sanctioned and Rated” by the HMAISociety. During our 2003-2004 competition year, each “COMPETITOR” (Who is a member of the HMAISociety, and who competes in our “HMAISociety Sanctioned & Rated” events), will;

Accumulate “Division Points” per tournament placing or win.
Will compete for “Seeded Placements”, in our upcoming HMAISociety Tournament Conference events.
Will strive to achieve “HMAISociety World Champion” status in their respective divisions, at the end of our tournament season.

At the completion of our tournament season, the HMAISociety will honor our very best competitors with our coveted “HMAISociety World Champion’ awards, at our Annual HMAISociety Awards Banquet.

We are currently seeking Tournament Promoters, throughout the world that would like to have their respective tournaments “Sanctioned and Rated” by the HMAISociety.

Should you wish to join the HMAISociety, and / or wish to have your event “Sanctioned and Rated” by the HMAIS Sanctioning Committee, we would be most interested in talking to you.

Our Martial Arts Sporting Competitions will consist of the following;

Open Martial Arts (Karate, Kung Fu, Tae Kwon Do, etc…)
Mixed Martial Arts “Team” (Pankration, Sports Jiu Jitsu, Sambo, Judo, Greco-Roman, etc…)

Filipino Stick Fighting and Sayaw (Forms)

Our first tournament of the 2003-2004 season, will be our “HMAISociety Presidents Tournament”, which will be held at the luxurious Sahara Hotel and Casino, in Las Vegas Nevada, on July 13th, 2003.

This tournament event, along with our 4th Annual HMAISociety Hall of Fame Awards Banquet, and our Legends & Masters Seminars on July 12th 2003, will make a great, “Martial Arts Get-A-Way-Vacation Weekend”.

For the “Presidents Tournament” registration information, our Hall of Fame Awards Banquet, or our Legends and Masters Seminars events, go to our HMAISociety website at www.hmaisociety.com.

For membership in the HMAISociety , you may go online and register with us, in our “Membership” section.

Should you wish to become a Representative of the HMAISociety in your area, or you would like to be considered as a Conference, Regional, State, or International Director for the HMAISociety, please contact;

Prof. Jaime Abregana Jr. at our HMAISociety website

Latest Official PANCRASE Rankings
(as of 2/3/2003)

[Open-weight]
the 9th Open-weight K.O.P. Semmy Schilt (Holland/Golden Glory)
#1 Yuki Kondo (PANCRASEism)
#2 Yoshiki Takahashi (PANCRASEism)
#3 Kiuma Kunioku (PANCRASEism)
#4 KEI Yamamiya (PANCRASEism)
#5 Sanae Kikuta (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#6 Tim Lajcik (U.S.A./Gladiators Training Academy)
#7 Osami Shibuya (PANCRASEism)
#8 Katsuhisa Fujii (UFO)
#9 Ron Waterman (U.S.A./Colorado Stars)
#10 Jun Ishii (Chojin Club)

[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 Ikuhisa Minowa (PANCRASEism)
#3 Yuki Sasaki (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#4 Akihiro Gono (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#5 KEI Yamamiya (PANCRASEism)
#6 Ricardo Almeida (Renzo Gracie Jiu Jitsu Academy)
#7 Osami Shibuya (PANCRASEism)
#8 Mitsuyoshi Sato (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#9 Eiji Ishikawa (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#10 Daisuke Ishii (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) *UP from #4
#4 Chris Lytle (U.S.A./I.F. Academy) *DOWN from #3
#5 Yuji Hoshino (Wajutsu Keishukai GODS)
#6 Shonie Carter (U.S.A./AIKI Training Hall)
#7 Daiju Takase (Wajutsu Keishukai Tokyo Hombu)
#8 Takafumi Ito (PANCRASEism)
#9 Kosei Kubota (PANCRASEism)

[Welterweight(152.5lbs.~ under 165.7lbs.)]
the 1st Welterweight K.O.P. Kiuma Kunioku (PANCRASEism)
#1 Takafumi Ito (PANCRASEism)
#2 Koji Oishi (PANCRASEism)
#3 Kenichi Serizawa (RJW/CENTRAL) *UP from #4
#4 Hiroki Nagaoka (Rodeo Style) *DOWN from #3
#5 Satoru Kitaoka (PANCRASEism) *IN!

[Lightweight(141.4lbs.~ under 152.5lbs.)] VACANT

[Featherweight(under 141.4lbs.)] VACANT

Source: Mr. Oitate, Pancrase

The Top 5 Best of 2002 Part 3/5
Arnold "The Sushiboy" Lim

Part two is a goner and Part 4 is just around the corner. Here we kick it off with part 3 of 5 starting with the top 5 “Fights” of the year and the Top 5 Rivalries of 2002

Top 5 “FIGHTS” of the year

# 5 - Steve Vigneault defeats Jeromie Sills
UCC 10 “Battle for the Belts” June 15th 2002
Compared by many to a be a condensed Lawler Vs Riley battle, both Vigneault and Sills came with their banging shoes on. Both fighters hurt each other. Both fighters dished out and took punishment that would have felled lesser hearts. Both fighters put it all on the line. See this fight.

# 5 – Rodrigo Nogueira Vs Dan Henderson
Pride 24 “Cold Fury III” Dec 23rd 2002
Three words, Heart, Heart and Heart. Nogueira reportedly came in very ill for the fight and Henderson took the fight on less then Two weeks notice. Two weeks to fight the best fighter in the sport is cutting it tight. Dan Henderson will be remembered for the effort he put in on this night as he should be, and his gumby like rubber arm will be enshrined in the MMA hall of fame when he is retired.

# 3 - Rodrigo Nogueira defeats Bob Sapp
Pride “Shockwave” Aug 28th 2002
David Vs Goliath + Man Vs Monster + Speed Vs Strength = Nogueira Vs Sapp

# 2 - Robbie Lawler defeats Aaron Riley
UFC 37”High Impact” May 10th 2002
Everything that needs to be said about this Great fight has already been said. I will leave it at that.

# 1 - Mario Sperry Vs Murilo Rua
Pride 20 “Armed and Ready” April 20th 2002
This was Ninja’s coming of age fight in the Pride fighting organization. His relentless never stop, never give up attitude is what made this fight, that coupled with the heart of a lion on the part of Mario Sperry was enough to make this my personal favorite fight from the past year.

Honorable mention

Carlos Newton Vs Pele Landi Jons
Pride 19 “Bad Blood” Feb 24th 2002
This was another fight that went back and forth, both fighters had their opportunities but only one capitalized on it. Carlos Newton took a vicious knee to the teeth that his dentist felt back home in Canada, and still came back to win.

Joe Doerkson Vs Dennis Kang
UCC 11 “The Next Level” Oct 11th 2002
Not too many people got to see this battle but those who did were impressed with what they saw. Both fighters were knocked down at one point in the fight and this back and forth affair packed enough action in less then one round to make it close to getting to the top of the top fights of the year.

Top 5 rivalry’s of 2002

#5 – Chute Boxe Vs Top Team II - Murilo Rua Vs Ricardo Arona
Pride 23 “Championship Chaos” Nov 24th 2002
Not on the same level in terms of entertainment compared with Rua Vs Sperry but this fight was spiked with an even darker poisonous smack. Both fighters publically insulted and ridiculed each other. Promising lesson’s in respect and honor both fighters fought the tough fight and settled it in the ring.

# 4 – Don Frye Vs Ken Shamrock
Pride 19 “Bad Blood” Feb 24th 2002
Ken Shamrock seems to be in all the heated rivalries and this one was no different. Don Frye Vs Ken Shamrock was one of the most anticipated bouts of the year for all us old schoolers who had followed their careers for years. This fight was the headliner for “Bad Blood” and I couldn’t think of a more adequate name for the event.

# 3 – Chute Boxe Vs Top Team I - Murilo Rua Vs Mario Sperry
Pride 20 “Armed and Ready” April 20th 2002
I don’t need to tell you what I thought of this fight. It was a fight for the ages and the first time the two rival clubs had clashed in the Pride arena. This fight had everything a fight would need. The Rivalry between the two clubs ended with Nogueira publically weeping after the Sperry’s loss.

# 2 - Dennis Hallman over “Mad Dog” Hughes
MFC 3 “Canadian Pride” March 3rd 2002
The rear naked choke that Dennis Hallman slapped on Hughes ended the bitter words both fighters had exchanged. Both fighters had promised impressive victories. In Fact Hallman promised to take Hughes truck, family car, dog and his girlfriend. In the end he did take something that belonged to Hughes and that was his fighting shorts. To the surprise of Hughes, Hallman ripped them off his midsection after he won the fight!!!

#1 – Ken Shamrock Vs Tito Ortiz
UFC 40 “Vendetta” Nov 22nd 2002
Years of smack talk and verbal abuse came to a head on Nov of 2002. Both fighters had to be watched carefully as the preflight hoopla played out but was it really just hoopla? The bitter verbal battles had been played out and all that was left was the battle itself. Was the battle a product of the rivalry or the rivalry the product of a battle? You decide.

Honorable Mention

Phil Baroni Vs Matt Lindland
Josh Barnett Vs Nevada State Athletics commission
Osama Bin Ladin Vs George Bush

That was it for part three. Be sure to check back as we come back at you with part four of five which will look at more of the best of 2002. If you have agree or disagree with any of my picks don’t be shy, Yell Holler and let me know about it.Flame away, for MMARingreport this was “The Sushiboy”.

Source: MMA Ring Report

2/7/03

Quote of the Day

"Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I may not forget you."

William Arthur

Super Brawl 28 Weigh-In and Press Conference Today
24-Hour Fitness Kapiolani
1:00 PM

Super Brawl 28
Saturday, February 8, 2003
Neil Blaisdell Center
Fights start at 7:30 PM

170lbs 2x5 minute rounds
Nassor Lewis (808 Fight Factory) 3-3
vs.
Brandon Keen 170lbs (Grappling Unlimited) 1-0

161lbs 2x5 minute rounds
Jay R. Palmer 155lbs (Rough Houzers) 22-20
vs.
Harris Sarriento 155lbs (808 Fight Factory) 1-3

143lbs 2x5 minute rounds
Dain Agbayani 141lbs (808 Fight Factory) 2-3
vs.
Justin Mercado 141lbs (Grappling Unlimited) 1-1

167.5lbs 2x5 minute rounds
Deshaun Johnson 165lbs (HMC) 3-3
vs.
Andy Wang 165lbs (Grappling Unlimited) 2-3

165 lbs 2x5 minute rounds
Mark Moreno 165lbs (Bull's Pen) 3-1-1
vs.
"Ice Cold" Kolo Koka 165lbs (Grappling Unlimited)4-3

Heavyweight 2x5 minute rounds
Andre "The Chief" Roberts 366lbs (Team Extreme) 9-1
vs.
Ray "King Kong" Seraille 260lbs (Grappling Unlimited)1-1

167.5lbs 2x5 minute rounds
Mike Panalber 170lbs (Shark Tank)
vs.
Ronald Jhun 170lbs (808 Fight Factory) 15-9-2

185lbs 3x5 minute rounds
Tyrone Roberts 185lbs (Team Extreme) 15-2
vs.
Falaniko Vitale 185lbs (Grappling Unlimited) 12-1

194lbs 2x5 minute rounds
Yukiya Naito 194lbs (A3 Gym, Tokyo) 4-0
vs.
Egan Inoue 182.6lbs (Grappling Unlimited) 12-3 Champion

"15 Years of Hits"
Best of Flyin' Hawaiian Volume 3

Congratulations!

Tower Records Pearl Kai*
#3 in the Hawaiian Top Ten

and
#6 in Overall Store Sales

(ahead of artists like 2Pac, Aaliyah, Nelly, Tyrese, Missy Elliot, Eminem,
Christina Aguilera, Mariah Carey, Snoop Dogg, Shania Twain and Jay-Z)

*during the week of 1/27/03 thru 2/2/03

Mahalo for your support!

Visit the new website:
www.flyinhawn.com


Catching up with MATT HUME

Matt Hume made his return to MMA competition after a 5-year layoff at “HOOKnSHOOT: Absolute Fighting Championships 1” in Ft. Lauderdale, FL on December 13, 2002. With his first taste of the martial arts at age 4, Hume just wanted to have fun doing what he enjoys. Scoring the quickest win of the night, Hume pressed his will and defeated “Pain” Peters of Team UCC by arm bar submission at just 1:49 of Round 1. Hume had fun fighting along side the guys he has trained and liked having them in his corner for a change.

JC: Returning to competition after 5 years, you mentioned you would “press your will” in a fight. Would you explain? MH: Pressing my will in a fight is my way of controlling and dominating all aspects of the fight. It’s not a one-dimensional fight anymore.

JC: There was some taunting of your opponent during the fight. Would you explain?
MH: To smack talk me before a fight is okay, but not my corner men, who deserve respect. The smack talk was over and this is the introduction of what Matt Hume is about.

JC: Your post fight speech was all about respect. Would you elaborate?
MH: This is a business and we come in as fighters to entertain the crown, but we are martial artists and, respect, is what martial arts is about.

JC: We’ve talked about you taking it one day at a time. What’s next for you? MH: I’m going to Japan tomorrow. I’ll see how my body is when I get back from Japan.

JC: How is your body right now?
MH: I was in so much pain before this fight. I had a hamstring and groin pull and was in bed for 3 days. My guys got me warned up, but it was hard to get in there with my knee injury, which is not fully recovered. My muscles try to compensate for my injuries.

JC: You’re a trainer of champions and people in fighters. How are you feeling?
MH: I felt bad before this fight. My body didn’t feel good. I took this as a tune-up fight looking to take them one at a time. I wanted to honor Maurice Smith’s birthday and I wanted to honor the promoters of HOOKnSHOOT because they are really good people in this sport.

JC: You mentioned one more tune up fight. Who would you like?
MH: I have no idea.

JC: Is there anything you’d like to say?
MH: Thank you for supporting the sport and thank you for welcoming me back.

Mind and body must be in check, as Hume has been back to business running AMC and preparing for his next fight. On March 1, 2003, Hume meets Rick McCoy of Prodigy Martial Arts in Richmond, VA at the Lucky Eagle Casino in Rochester, WA. This will be the first time for HOOKnSHOOT in Washington State, as well as the first time for co-sanctioning between the U.F.C.F, HOOKnSHOOT and Washington State sanctioning. “Most importantly,” exclaims Hume, “it will be my first time to fight MMA in front of my hometown!”

Source: ADCC

Ronaldo Jacare changes Teams

O Tatame Website is reporting that JJ sensation Ronaldo 'Jacare' has switched teams and joined the new Master team. Apparently thinking that having one Jacare is good, then having two will be great, the kids at Master have a new one. The new team is shaping up as one of the strongest and most dynamic of modern times with people like Leozinho & Ricardinho Vieira, Rodrigo 'Comprido', 'Terere' and Damian Maia. Look for some big things from them!

Source: ADCC

2/6/03

Quote of the Day

"There is real magic in enthusiasm. It spells the difference between mediocrity and accomplishment."

Norman Vincent Peale

Full Contact Fighter's Fight Database Is Finally Up!
A few of you may have heard some buzz about FCF putting together a fight database. We have been working on it for one solid year. I have been collecting data for the past few years. It is finally up and released. It is the most comprehensive MMA fight database in existence and will only get bigger and badder. Check it out.

I want to encourage all the Hawaii fighters and others who have data that is not in the database to use the link on the Fighter Profile pages to help us fill in the blanks. We will be continuing to add pictures, interviews and fight pictures in the near future.

Email me your comments (good, bad and ugly) about the database. The FCF team (Mike, David, Joel, Tom & Chris) that worked on it tried to think of everything (within reason) when putting it together.

Due to popular demand
Fighters' Club TV episode VII will re-air on Ch. 52:


February 11 (TUE), 8:00 pm
February 18 (TUE), 8:00 pm
February 25 (TUE), 8:30 pm.

Episode VII features:

Your favorite 2 MMA hosts (Mike O. & Mark K.)

Superbrawl 25 highlights featuring-
-Eddie Yagin vs. Jin Kazeta (+intv w/ Eddie)
-Barret Yoshida vs. Jason Bress
-Egan Inoue vs. Martin de Jong (+intv w/ Egan re: fight analysis/retirement/his future)

Chris Onzuka will be making his FCTV debut as roving reporter conducting the interviews.

Technique of the Week: UFC, PRIDE, & Pro-Wrestling Champion, Don "The Predator" Frye

And, a FCTV exclusive interv. w/ Superbrawl Promoter T.Jay Thompson regarding the mysterious ring announcer, Tommy Dakota.

Any comments or suggestions--like us, hate us, want to feature more pretty sheelas:
contact us:
markk@flex.com

Source: Mark Kurano

Nogueira Brothers Likely Set for PRIDE 25!
By Eduardo Alonso

PRIDE 25, scheduled for March 15th, is a mere 6 weeks away and the card is finally starting to take shape. While many of the matches for the card are still being negotiated, FCF just found out that two matches are very likely to happen, and indeed almost ready to be announced, which will feature the Nogueira brothers from the Brazilian Top Team! PRIDE Heavyweight champion Rodrigo Minotauro Nogueira will finally face Russian fighter Emelianenko Fedor, in a hotly anticipated match-up with Minotauro's belt on the line. His twin brother, Rogerio "Minotoro" Nogueira, who just defeated Guy Mezger in a split decision at PRIDE 24, is also likely to appear on the card facing a student of Hidehiko Yoshida! The Japanese fighter who also has a black belt in judo and trains with the former Japanese Olympic Gold Medalist and current national NHB hero and weighs around 98kg. This will be the judoka's NHB debut, and those two matches are likely to be announced within the next few days in Japan. PRIDE 25 still holds lots of surprises and FCF will continue to keep an close eye on the developments.

Source: FCF

"Minotauro" vs. Fedor Official

The PRIDE 25 main event was officially announced today in Japan as Dream Stage Entertainment representatives confirmed that PRIDE heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira will face Ukrainian powerhouse Emelianenko Fedor on March 16 in Yokohama for his first title defense since winning the belt almost a year and a half ago.

Originally scheduled for December 23, 2002, the bout was pushed back when Fedor was forced to delay because of injury. The mid-March bout pits the best heavyweight in the world versus his stiffest competition to date in Fedor. The Russian Top Team fighter earned the title shot by stopping Heath Herring last November.

DSE also announced that Nogueira's twin brother, Rogerio, will face 23-year-old Judo standout Kazuhiro Nakamura as part of the under card.

Source: Maxfighing

Marcelo Tigre's Response to Attempted Murder Charges in Brazil
By Chris Onzuka -
Chris@Onzuka.com

Marcelo Tigre originally came to Hawaii in 1999 to fight Egan Inoue. After that controversial fight, Tigre racked up five wins, one against Joe Charles, before fighting Inoue's student, Cabbage Correira. Similar to his fight with Inoue, Tigre was disqualified for using tactics outside of the rule book. During that time, Tigre took a liking to Hawaii and stayed. Tigre put down some roots by opening up a school and trained himself and his students to fight. Tigre then competed in a Pancrase tournament in Japan, proving himself by KO'ing Tim Lajcik and then dominating Yoshiki Takahashi only to be disqualified yet again later in the bout. This time for allegedly eye gouging Takahashi. After that fight Tigre returned to Brazil. Tigre seemingly disappeared in Brazil until an article in the Brazilian newspaper, ''Correio Brazilaiense,'' in October 2002 reported that Marcelo Tigre and some of his friends had beaten a man and woman while in Brazil and were getting charged for attempted murder. Tigre recently returned to Hawaii for a couple of months to train before going back to Brazil. I got a hold of Tigre to get his response to these allegations. Tigre said that this became a big story for the paper, appearing on the front page. However, Tigre went on to say that, "the story was made bigger than it should have been." Tigre explained that this paper is known for embellishing the truth in order to increase newspaper sales. Tigre did admit to getting into a physical confrontation with the couple, but he was alone when it happened and the newspaper story left out the part where the woman stabbed him in the hand with a nail file. At the time of this interview, Tigre still has the remnants of that injury. After the details came out concerning this case, the newspaper followed up with a correction article due to the fact that both parties were not pressing any charges. A copy of the correction article could not be obtained, but Tigre told me that it appeared, like most corrections, as a small tidbit, placed deep inside the paper.

Marcelo has been working as security for politicians during the recent elections in Brazil, which is why he has not been fighting. Marcelo is excited and appreciative of his job because for the first time in his life he and his three children have medical insurance and a steady income. All that time away from the ring, has gotten Marcelo anxious to get back in and fight, which prompted his trip back to Hawaii. He also wanted to visit his friends in addition to getting in a couple of months of training before going back to Brazil. Tigre said that he did not want to fight in Hawaii anymore because he felt that he could not get a fair fight. "I have to fight three people in the ring; my opponent, the referee and the promoter." He went on to say, "I only want to fight in the big shows now, like UFC or Pride." Marcelo said that he will be prepared to enter the ring in February or March. "I feel good right now. I am in shape, but I want to train harder to beat everyone up." Tigre is in the Light-heavyweight category (under 205lbs) and wants to let all the promoters of the larger shows know that he is looking for fights.

Tigre has been known as a rule breaker, which has tarnished his previously undefeated record three times. I asked him if he felt like he would have trouble finding a fight because of this. Tigre responded by saying, "I respect the rules now. You know me, I just got a little crazy in the ring. I have been training for rules like the UFC and Pride. I can fight within the rules." That remains to be seen. The real question is if any promoter will give Marcelo Tigre the opportunity to prove that. FCF's Eduardo Alonso recently reported that Tigre may get his chance to prove himself in the next Mecca event, which is held in Brazil.

PRIDE's Future? Grand Prix 2003

Dream Stage Entertainment Confirms Several Pay-Per View Carriers To Feature PRIDE FC in 2003

Los Angeles, CA - January 30, 2003 - Evidence of growing interest in the world of mixed-martial arts and full-contact sports, Dream Stage Entertainment today confirmed the PRIDE Fighting Championships (PRIDE FC) event line-up for 2003. PRIDE FC will present a full schedule of action-packed events starting March 16th in Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan.

Discuss PRIDE's future in MMA in the MMA forum

"After a highly successful 2002 that included sell-outs for each event, we are looking forward to an exciting and even more successful 2003," said Yukino Kanda, Dream stage Entertainment's Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Talent Relations. A major highlight of 2002 was PRIDE FC being sanctioned by the respected Nevada Athletic Commission. "As a foreign-based company", says Kanda, "we are extremely proud that the Nevada Commission put its trust in us".

With its rapidly growing fan base in North America, PRIDE PC is gearing up for a banner year. Together with its pay-per-view carriers and partners, Dream Stage Entertainment will soon be able to bring the incredible excitement of PRIDE to virtually every cable and satellite home in the U.S. and Canada.

The tentative schedule of PRIDE Fighting Championships 2003:

March 16th
PRIDE Fighting Championships: Body Blow
Location: Yokohama Arena
PPV Carriers: DIRECTV, DishNetwork, Bell ExpressVu, Viewer's Choice Canada

May 24th
PRIDE 26*
Location: Osaka Castle Hall
PPV Carriers: DIRECTV, TVN, DishNetwork, Bell ExpressVu, Viewer's Choice Canada

August 10th
PRIDE Fighting Championships Grand Prix 2003: Opening Round
Location: Saitama Super Arena
PPV Carriers: DIRECTV, TVN, DishNetwork, Bell ExpressVu, Viewer's Choice Canada

November 9th
PRIDE Fighting Championships Grand Prix 2003: Final Round
Location: Tokyo Dome
PPV Carriers: DIRECTV, TVN, DishNetwork, Bell ExpressVu, Viewer's Choice Canada

Additional Events: TBA

For more information on PRIDE FC visit www.pridefc.com

*Event name TBD

ABOUT PRIDE FC
Originating in Japan, PRIDE Fighting Championships combine the most highly skilled MMA competitions with a 21st Century entertainment philosophy to create the next generation in cutting edge sports entertainment. PRIDE competitions include athletes from across the globe, including the United States, Japan, Brazil, Europe, Russia and many other countries. PRIDE allows techniques from a myriad of martial arts and combat sports, solidifying its place as an authentic and unique fighting style that is built on tension and excitement, appealing to the growing audience of 21st Century entertainment fans.

Source: ADCC

PRIDE Announces Main Events!

The two main events for PRIDE have been announced, and some of the other matches are coming to light as well. There appears to be pressure on PRIDE to do their largest event ever, both to alleviate pressure and to eat through contracts.

Rodrigo Nogueira and his brother Rogerio will co-headline PRIDE's first event since the untimely death of Nayoto Morashita. This is the first co-headline for the twins.

Rogerio Nogueira will face Kazuhiro Nakamura. Nakamura is a training partner and student of Hidehiko Yoshida and is said to have astounding Judo skills.

Speaking of Yoshida, many are saying that a match with Bob Sapp is in the works. Not sure what they mean by 'works' but this match doesn't seem competitive on paper. Many thought Yoshida asking to fight Nogueira was ridiculous but Sapp is nearly double his size!

Hardcore fans have been waiting for the Emelianenko Fedor vs. Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira fight since Fedor soundly defeated Heath Herring. It will now happen! Some are giving Fedor a good chance for victory. It will be interesting to see what sportsbooks do with this match alone!

How about this as a PRIDE bonus. Quinton Jackson vs. Kevin Randelman. Talk about an exciting fight! Both men walk the walk and talk the talk but it's been Randelman who has exploded on the scene lately with a new fire. This one will be VERY entertaining!

Bob Sapp vs Mirko 'CroCop' Filipovic is quite possibly the most marketable fight on the show. CroCrop has destroyed EVERYONE in his path and he's 'only a kickboxer'. Sapp is the hottest thing going so people will pay to see who is the king of PRIDE (aside from Nogueira).

Source: ADCC

Japan's Long Term Prospects in MMA Questioned

News for the MMA scene in Japan is NOT looking good. Word is that PRIDE, who normally books their shows months in advance, has nothing on the table after their scheduled May event.

This could be interpreted as bad news, or it could mean that PRIDE holding off to see how the next event does financially without Morashita's guidance.

The whole pro wrestling industry is in turmoil as well. The industry has suffered at the live gate, drawing record low crowds. So low that the longest running and (once) most profitable group, New Japan is reportedly cutting salaries and limiting the influx of foreign talent.

K-1 is also in danger of shrinking after the resignation and arrest of Ishii. With all these factors, once again, many performers/fighters are expressing private concerns about the longevity of K-1.

The DEEP organization has also scaled down their shows. The trend to use pro wrestlers, who reportedly ask for less money that established MMA fighters, has taken over. In it's early days, DEEP earned a reputation for offering many fighters VERY high paydays but the promotion quickly got smart. Those days are gone.

The bizarre twists of the last years have left MMA and pro wrestling blurred in Japan, and people often confuse the two. Sakuraba is a 'pro wrestler' but all of his fights are legitimate. Nobuhiku Takada, once considered a pioneer and legend, is billed as a 'shootfighter' but has never won a legitimate fight.

In all the bad news, it appears that former RINGS star Kiyoshi Tamura has the best shot at making anything happen with his new organization. With his brand of 'shooting,' Tamura has done what many haven't lately - he sold EVERY ticket to his first U-STYLE show, two weeks prior to the event!

It's unclear if U-Style will be 100% real or 'strong style' pro wrestling that just looks real. Many are leaning towards real but in the same sense, many have doubts. We shall see.

Aside from Bob Sapp, who has become more of a mainstream celebrity, the whole sports entertainment industry is taking a beating these days.

Source: ADCC

LIGHTWEIGHTS SERRA-THOMAS, CLEMENTI-EDWARDS TO CLASH AT UFC 41: ONSLAUGHT LIVE ON PAY-PER-VIEW, FEBRUARY 28
by: Keith Evans

8 Fights At Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City To Feature Penn, Uno Lightweight Title Bout; Tank Abbott’s Return; Rodriguez, Sylvia Heavyweight Championship

LAS VEGAS, February 4, 2003…Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight top contenders Matt Serra and Din Thomas will clash after Lightweight Yves Edwards battles Rich Clementi at UFC 41: Onslaught live on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST, Friday, February 28, from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.

An eight-fight card also will feature the long-awaited BJ Penn versus Caol Uno fight for the lightweight championship, the return of legendary Heavyweight Tank Abbott, who will meet jiu-jitsu submission specialist Frank Mir, and the first title defense by new UFC Heavyweight Champion Ricco Rodriguez against undefeated contender Tim Sylvia.

Live event tickets, $300, $200, $100, $60 and $30, continue on sale at the Boardwalk Hall box office in Atlantic City, at all Ticketmaster locations and at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets also may be ordered by telephone at 1-800-736-1420. Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino, Trump Marina and Trump Taj Mahal are the hosts of the event.

UFC 41: Onslaught will be available live on pay-per-view on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, Dish Network, Bell ExpressVu and Viewers Choice Canada. The suggested retail price is $29.95.

Serra (11-2-0 in mixed martial arts) of Long Island, N.Y., is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt trained by Renzo Gracie. He combines superb ground skills, including wrestling take downs and submissions, with an ever-improving stand-up game to push the action in all his fights. Serra and Thomas had been scheduled to fight each other last March in Las Vegas, but Thomas injured a knee in training. “Din is a tough fighter and has really improved since he’s been training with the American Top Team. We are going to have a very exciting fight,” Serra said.

Thomas (16-3-0) of Orlando, Fla., also utilizes jiu-jitsu submission techniques and a stand-up striking game to dominate opponents. With a like-new knee, Thomas readily admits his quality of training is greatly improved since joining ATT, the U.S. extension of the Brazilian Top Team. “The competition is very tough, even for an experienced, professional fighter. This kind of training will prepare me for Matt, who is really disciplined,” Thomas said.

Edwards (10-5-1) from The Woodlands, Tex., a suburb of Houston, is a Thai boxing-jiu jitsu fighter who is continuing to hone his boxing skills. In his last UFC fight, June 22 at UFC 37.5 in Las Vegas, he knocked out Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Joao “Perini” Marcos at 1:19 of the first round with a kick to the head. Edwards works with Kenny Weldon, the boxing trainer who helped build former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield’s career.

Clementi is a free-style fighter from Slidell, La., who will be making his UFC debut against Edwards. He has earned a 22-5-0 record in mixed martial arts fighting and has won eight consecutive fights. “Yves will be a great opponent for my UFC debut because I will have to utilize all my weapons to beat him. I feel my standup game is equal to his, but my ground game is superior. I am really looking forward to fighting him,” Clementi said.

Rodriguez (10-1-0), a Staten Island, N.Y. native, who now fights out of Las Vegas, has won 10 straight fights and captured the heavyweight crown from two-time former champ Randy Couture September 17 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. Sylvia (16-0-0), a native of Ellsworth, Maine, who fights out of Davenport, Iowa, is 6’8”, 260 pounds and his height and reach advantage helped him win a second round technical knockout September 27 over “Cabbage” Correira at the Mohegan Sun.

Tank (8-7-0) from Huntington Beach, Calif., says he is returning to do what he does best, “knock people out.” In Mir (4-1-0) of Las Vegas, he will be facing one of the UFC’s most promising young heavyweights. Penn (6-1-0) from Hilo, Hawaii, and Uno (13-4-2) of Kanagawa, Japan, earned the right to meet for the lightweight title with unanimous decision victories over Serra and Thomas respectively September 27 at the Mohegan Sun.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship, headquartered in Las Vegas, is the world’s leading mixed martial arts sports association. Owned and operated by Zuffa LLC, the UFC programs six live pay-per-view events yearly through cable and satellite providers. In addition to its U.S. distribution on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, Dish Network and TVN, UFC events are distributed internationally through British Sky Broadcasting, WOWOW, Inc. in Japan, Globosat in Brazil, Modern Sports and Entertainment in Scandinavia and Main Event Television in Australia. UFC licenses video games for all major playing platforms through Crave Entertainment and TDK Mediactive, Inc.

The UFC’s next live PPV event is UFC 41: Onslaught at 10 p.m.EST/7 p.m.PST Friday, February 28, at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. Locate Ultimate Fighting Championship on the internet at www.ufc.tv.

Source: ADCC

UFC CHAMPION RICCO RODRIGUEZ
by: Keith Mills

Ricco Rodriguez is the current UFC Heavyweight champion, a title he is set to defend against Team Extreme’s Tim Sylvia at the upcoming UFC 41 show, scheduled for February 28th in Atlantic City, NJ and on pay-per-view.

KM: Where are you in your training right now? RR: I’m training pretty well; I just got my training going on. I’m in camp right now.

KM: Are you going to stop training about a week or two out? RR: No, I train right up until the fight.

KM: I’ve been following your career since Abu Dhabi. I think Sean Alvarez and Bobby Hoffman were the only people to ever defeat you. Ever since Hoffman you have just been tearing through the competition. How do you look back on that period & Abu Dhabi? RR: I see it like this; I’ve lost once and I don’t ever want to lose again, that’s the bottom line. I’ve been robbed a couple times in Abu Dhabi and I felt the political stamp wasn’t on my side and I just make sure from there on out I never left it to the judge’s decision. I only ever lost one time in my life and that’s all I needed to and I swear again I will never have that feeling again. I do whatever I have to do to survive and basically my training and the people I train with help me to be successful where I’m at today.

KM: I heard that you are training out of Vegas now. RR: I train everywhere. I’m not at one particular place. I train with a couple people and I pretty much train with Saul Soliz, Mark Laimon, and pretty much jump from camp to camp. I train with Marvin Eastman, Tito, some guys out in Texas, and move around from place to place. I look for the best training partners and that’s the thing about me, I’m very mobile. I keep my doors open and being able to train with a lot of people is pretty much what has made me a better fighter today.

KM: I may be mistaken but my perception right now is around the time of UFC 32 you really started to seem like you were picking up training more with other people. That’s the point it really looked like your fighting style and your conditioning really started to come around. RR: You mean my entrance into the UFC?

KM: Yeah. I really started to notice in the fight with Monson in UFC 35 in January of last year. Several of us ringside were surprised you had your conditioning worked on in that time; you were lower weight and better shape and you were much more explosive. Once I started to look into it it looked like that turn around was around UFC 32. Was there some kind of turn around in that period? RR: I think the intensity training with certain people. When I trained for the Monsen fight in particular, training with Marvin Eastman, training with Mark Laymon, and having Saul Soliz. Those three guys really made the difference for me because one thing I learned training down there with John Lewis and those guys and including Tito was the conditioning being a big factor. Just working with Saul Soliz, Mark Laymon, and Marvin Eastman, they really picked up my intensity for that particular fight. Being that Jeff Monsen was a phenomenal grappler placing in Abu Dhabi, I knew I had to be prepared with someone who is very explosive, short, and compact so I used Marvin Eastman for that particular fight and then Mark Laymon for the submissions. Those two guys together really got my game on for that particular fight and I felt very comfortable in being able to try the flying knee and also the cartwheel guard pass and so forth.

KM: As far as your next opponent Tim Sylvia, this is your first title defense. What do you think of Tim? RR: I think Tim is a very unique fighter because of the fact of his size being 6’8” 270. He’s going to be very difficult to get inside and work with a lot of his distance and so forth and he’s trying to defend my shot. We all know what is going to happen here. He’s a great striker and I’m going to go for the takedown and he’s going to try to defend it. At the same time I’m not afraid to stand up with him. A lot of people think my stand-up is suspect, it’s just that I’ve had my differences during my fights but I’m willing to stand up with him and I’m just going to take it to him like nobody has ever taken it to him before. Bottom line is I’m going to put it to him and defend my title.

In part 2 Ricco talks more about how it feels to be the champion, his thoughts on his fight with Couture that gave him the belt, and even a book he is writing.

Source: ADCC

Strength Training for the Busy MMA Fighter
by: Mike Mahler

Training to excel at mixed martial arts can be a grueling endeavor that takes a great deal of time. Many of the MMA athletes that I work with often complain that they do not have time to lift weights and the ones that do have time, often focus on the wrong exercises such as: bench presses and biceps curls. Since time is a factor for combat athletes, I think that q good chunk of time spent on weight training should be spent on explosive exercises such as: dumbbell snatches, swings, and clean and jerks. In addition to building functional strength that will transfer to the ring, these exercises work just about all of the major muscle groups. Moreover, they teach you how to use your body as one unit and build a strong mind-body connection.

Exercises such as barbell power-cleans and snatches are also great. However, they require much more time to master and they are not very forgiving to beginners. You really need an excellent Olympic training coach to get you on the right. Since most MMA athletes probably do not have the time or desire to focus on exercises with a lengthy learning curve, dumbbell explosive training is the ideal plan to take advantage of. Dumbbells will give you all of the benefits of barbell explosive training without the wear and tear. Okay, enough of the pitch, lets get into the exercises:

One arm dumbbell swings

Take a fairly light dumbbell and swing it between your legs, quickly reverse the motion and snap through with your hips swinging the dumbbell to chest height. Once you get the hang of it, increase the weight and do ten repetitions with each hand. Make sure that you grip the dumbbell as tight as possible and get into a breathing pattern that is comfortable for you. Some people prefer to breathe out as they swing the dumbbell to chest height and then breathe in as the dumbbell swings down between the legs. Others prefer the reverse. Try both and stick with the one that feels most comfortable. Swings are an incredible and effective way to build the rapid hip movement that is used often in kicks and takedowns.

One arm dumbbell snatches

Dumbbell snatches are similar to dumbbell swings. However, instead of swinging the dumbbell out, pull it straight up as if you are starting a lawn mower and send it overhead in one motion. Like swings, make sure to snap through with your hips. Also, regarding breathing, breathe in as you snatch the dumbbell off of the floor and breathe out as you take the dumbbell back to the floor. Try doing 10-15 repetitions with each arm and you will feel like you just did several sprints.

Two dumbbell clean and jerks

Start by cleaning two dumbbells to your shoulders. From there, squat down a few inches and quickly reverse the motion sending the dumbbells straight up as if you are doing a military press. As the weights go up, jump off of the floor and when you land on the floor, squat down a few inches again. At this point the dumbbells should be locked out overhead. Lower the dumbbells to your shoulders, then to the floor and repeat. This is an incredible exercise for building shoulder endurance that will transfer to the ring. It will also increase speed and coordination. If you only have time to do one exercise, this is the one to do. It works just about every muscle in the body. If you want to lose weight fast, try doing twenty repetitions three times a week and reduce your caloric intake. Alternatively, if you want to gain weight, do the same thing and increase the calories.

Now if you still have some time left over to do a few other exercises. Try doing the “Turkish get-up” for an unbelievable core workout. Lie down on the floor and hold one dumbbell straight up as if you just did a bench press. Turn to the opposite side and use your free arm to help you get into the squat position. From there, stand up and then reverse the movement. Do about three to five repetitions and then switch arms. Make sure to keep your arm locked at all times. Failure to do so might result in an unexpected knock out. Make sure to start with light dumbbell and work your way up gradually.

Below is a sample program

Monday

3x10 (three sets of ten) one arm dumbbell swings
3x8-12 (three sets of eight to twelve) two dumbbell clean and jerks
3x5 (three sets of five) Turkish get-ups
Take one-minute breaks between each set and each exercise.

Thursday

5x5 (five sets of five) clean and jerks
3x10-15 (three sets of ten to fifteen) one arm dumbbell snatches
3x5 Janda Sit-ups (three sets of five) (no momentum sit-ups in which you only
flex your butt and stomach. Do not flex your hip flexors or forcefully press your feet into the ground.

If you have more time, you can do this program three to four times a week. Just work it into your routine as time permits. In the beginning, you will find the program challenging. However, you will adapt and will have real strength that will transfer to your combat sport. If you want to make the program more challenging, try using kettlebells instead of dumbbells. Kettlebells are iron balls with handles that range in weights from 36lbs to 88lbs. They will make all of the above exercises much more difficult and are also great fun to use. For more information on kettlebells, go to www.russiankettlebell.com.

Give this program a shot for five weeks and let me know how it works out for you.

About the Author

Mike Mahler is a strength coach and a certified kettlebell instructor based in Santa Monica, California. Mike has been a strength athlete for over ten years and designs strength training programs for athletes, law enforcement, and fire fighters. Mike is available for phone consultations and personal training in the Los Angeles/Washington DC area. For more information, visit Mike’s site at www.mikemahler.comor email Mike at mahler25@yahoo.com

Source: ADCC

2/5/03

Quote of the Day

"We must overcome the notion that we must be regular . . .
It robs you of the chance to be extraordinary and leads you to the mediocre."

Uta Hagen

Interview: Brazilian Trials Champion 65.9KG,
RANY YAHRYA

Date of Birth- 09/12/1984
Weight- 66kg
Height- 1,69cm
Team- Team Ataide Junior

FIGHTWORLD Brazil- Was this your first no gi competition? Rany Yahrya- I had taken part in two minor no gi competitions in Brasilia before.

FIGHTWORLD Brazil- What belt are you in Jiu Jitsu? Rany Yahrya- I am a
brown-belt.

FIGHTWORLD Brazil- When did you start in Jiu Jitsu? Rany Yahrya- Seven
years ago.

FIGHTWORLD Brazil- How did your interest in Jiu Jitsu arise? Rany Yahrya-I wanted to practice a Martial Art, so I grew up around Jiu Jitsu and when I took part in the events I knew I could get some recognition fighting Jiu Jitsu.

FIGHTWORLD Brazil- Are you arabic? Rany Yahria- My daddy is Syrian and
my mother is Brazilian, I was born in Brazil. This is good because I think I
can fight in Arab League too!

FIGHTWORLD Brazil- What are your titles in Jiu Jitsu? Rany Yahrya- I have won the MUNDIALS of Jiu Jitsu two times. I got my first MUNDIAL title when I was 14 years old. I am the youngest Jiu Jitsu world champion.

FIGHTWORLD Brazil- Why did you start training in Submission? Rany Yahrya- I prefer no gi, this is a kind of identification with myself. I have never had a good grip with the gi and I always liked training with heavier guys in my academy. I have always done better no gi. I also prefer no gi because I feel freer with the movements.

FIGHTWORLD Brazil- You live in Brasilia and this state is not known for Submission and Jiu Jitsu like Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo are. Did you expect to be invited for the Trials? Rany Yahrya- No, I did not think I would be invited. After I sent in my resume to the ADCC. I did not expect to be invited at all. So, I went on to extend my vacation in Bahia, out having fun every night. When I got the invite. I was still in Bahia, partying. I was surprised and this left me with only two weeks to prepare. I was confident and My Master Ataide Junior was confident too.

FIGHTWORLD Brazil- Neither you nor Marcos Galvao were picked as favorites to win. Did this help you to fight more relaxed? Rany Yahrya- I did not think about it. I only thought about fighting with my all strength and technique
and without worrying about who will be my opponent.

FIGHTWORLD Brazil- Did you know anything about the fighters you would face in the Trials? Rany Yahrya- No, I did not. I am always so confident in my game. I knew I could overwhelm my opponents just by playing my game. I needed to have confidence in the finals against Galvao. It was the only fight in my whole life where I thought I would tapout due to fatigue. Thank GOD and my Master Ataide Junior who always supports me. I was not conditioned very well for the event. I faced off against a fighter without joints in semifinals [laughs], so I went on to the finals exhausted.

FIGHTWORLD Brazil- [laughs] Fighter without joints? What do you mean? Rany Yahrya- I do not know his name (Luciano Azevedo/RFT), but I put two tight armlocks on him without feeling any pain he managed to free himself like
nothing had happened. I expended a lot of energy trying to submit him.

FIGHTWORLD Brazil- Your Master, Ataide Junior, was importance to you in your corner during the fight. Tell us about it. Rany Yahrya- He was very important. In the finals I was very tired because I was not prepared. So Ataide Junior inspired me and I was able to turn the score in my favor in the last minute.

FIGHTWORLD Brazil- What was your strategy to win at the Trials? Rany Yahrya- I did not adopt any strategy. Like I said before, I fought to submit or to win via the best way possible.

FIGHTWORLD Brazil- Have you been a fan of ADCC since the beginning? Rany Yahrya- I always like all kinds of fights and I paid attention to all events. ADCC is one of them.

FIGHTWORLD Brazil- With this tournament victory, you have opened the doors for all fighters from Brasilia. Do you realize that? Rany Yahrya- Yeah. Unfortunately we do not have as many fighters as Rio de Janeiro does. We are a small group and we are far from the places where big events happen. We still are young, but we have some weapons to show in near future.

FIGHTWORLD Brazil- You remained calm in all your fights and here in this interview too. You are only 18 years old, where is your excitement? [laughing] Rany Yahrya- I guess I still have not stopped to think 'I am in ADCC 2003'! I celebrated much after the final match. But, I think it will not hit me really until next week [laughs]. I am still anesthetized, at least for a while. [laughs]

FIGHTWORLD Brazil- Will you have new surprises to show in ADCC 2003? Rany Yahrya- I will go to win the tourney. I can surprise everybody just as I did here. If I lose there, it will be with honor. I will fight 100% to win and
if loose it is not because I was inferior to anyone.

FIGHTWORLD Brazil- What are you goals in Martial Arts? Rany Yahrya- Besides ADCC 2003 trophy, I would like to fight in a big NHB event. I already fought in NHB once and I won. It was 4 months ago. Right now I am totally focused on ADCC 2003. I have a good background to fight in NHB. I am already number one in Amateur Boxing at my weight under 73,5kg in junior category. By the way I beat in my first fight in this tournament, Hudson Rocha (BTT), who is a SHOOTO USA/HOOKnSHOOT winner.

FIGHTWORLD Brazil- So do you have any more weapons in your arsenal? Rany Yahrya- I am only lacking opportunities. We will use the Submission events to go on to fight in NHB. This is the Ataide Junior's intention.

FIGHTWORLD Brazil- Add anything? Rany Yahrya- I will train more and I will improve my gas. With these two stuffs on the verge. I will have cleaned up my techniques for the main event. I want to fight in ADCC 2003 10 times better than I fought in the Trials and I will have 4 months to work on my game. I would like to thank my master Ataide Junior who always supports me in everything I do. This was very fundamental for me also Brenno Gusmao for my conditioning and Lia Vianna is my nutritionist. Without Gusmao, I would not have had the gas to fight the last match and without Lia Vianna I would have to fight in under 76.9kg weight, because I was fat. [laughs]

FIGHTWORLD Brazil- Thanks for you time and good luck kid. Rany Yahrya- Ok, see you in ADCC 2003.

Source: ADCC

Extreme Challenge Promoter MONTE COX
by: Keith Mills

With the EXTREME CHALLENGE hitting Davenport, Iowa this weekend, promoter Monte Cox continues to be one of the busiest characters in MMA. We caught up with him, talked about the EC's Middleweight series and the rest of TEAM EXTREME.

Saturday February 8th - Stars & Stripes, Davenport, Iowa.

Doors open at 6 p.m. with the first bout at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at the door and at Gold's Gym of Davenport.

TOURNAMENT
Bracket A
Fight 1: Jay Buck vs. Forrest Petz
Fight 2: Kyle Jensen vs. Dennis Reed

Bracket B
Fight 3: Johnathan Goulet vs. Jason Rigsby
Fight 4: Brendan Seguin vs. Leo Sylvest

Alternate bout
Fight 5: Kurt Illemann vs. Spencer Fisher

Tourney semifinals
Fight 6: Fight1 winner vs. Fight2 winner
Fight 7: Fight3 winner vs. Fight4 winner

Tourney final
Fight 9: Fight6 winner vs. Fight7 winner

 

KM: So February 8th is the first of the Middleweights series. What can you tell us about that? MC: This is pretty straightforward. We tried this with the Heavyweights last year for Return Of The Heavyweights and it worked really well. We got Tim Sylvia out of it and not that much longer he’s fighting for the UFC title so obviously we helped discover somebody and then two other guys, Wiuff and Cabbage, got in also. It’s a successful venture for T.J. and I so we decided to do it with the 185 lb class because that is the class that is hurting the most. People came out of the woodwork to fight in the 185 lb class. I had probably forty applicants for the eight positions and that’s when we decided to go ahead and copy the Heavyweight tournament entirely and do the two eight-man tournaments. The only difference is the winners are only going to advance to an eight-man tournament in Hawaii. Sixteen-man was an adventure but a little too much. A lot of people getting hurt and that’s not what we are looking for.

KM: Yeah, Sylvia had four fights in two days out of that. MC: And Tim won all of those but we’re not going to do that. We have an eight-man February 8th at Extreme Challenge 49, we have the eight-man in Salt Lake City at Extreme Challenge 50… We are able to take four guys directly to Hawaii and the only two we know for sure are Doerkson and Stephane Potvin from UCC. Those two are in, we’ll take the top two finishers from the 8th and 23rd and we’ll look through those tournaments and hopefully find two other guys that we like, like someone who won but got hurt or someone who fought the eventual winner and had the best fight of the night but happened to be in the second round.

KM: Any plans on releasing the Hawaii show on video? MC: The Hawaii UCC is getting ready to be put on pay-per-view in Canada so we have to wait until after the pay-per-view. The Heavyweight stuff, that is already available on sale on Superbrawl.com.

KM: And this series is going to be available on video? MC: Yeah, we don’t spend a lot of money taping the first two rounds but we’ll do the full tape job for the final. We just can’t have that kind of budget to do the full job on the qualifying tournaments.

KM: Any word on who will be in the Utah show? MC: That is all full. Shooting from memory I know we have Dennis Kang, Griffin Reno, Todd Carney, Randy Rowe, Cruz Chacon for Ludwig’s camp, Tim I think it’s Graham from Liddell’s school, Brian Ebersole from IL, and Eddie Rolon.

KM: And Utah is the one where we have Jennifer Howe and Amanda Buckner. Any other bouts not in the tournament? MC: There will probably be two or three but they all will be local guys just to try to sell tickets, it won’t be anyone you know.

KM: What is up with Hughes and Sherk in UFC 42? Is that signed? MC: Signed on our end and I hear signed on Sherk’s end. We have (Tim) Sylvia fight in the next one (UFC 41) and they are still looking for someone to fight in the next one to fight Yves Edwards and Clemente is up for that, Clemente is fighting David Garner in the show in Louisiana, Franklin and Kerry Schall are fighting in the Above Ground Fighting in California on the 15th. That might be it.

KM: We don’t have anything for Pat or Jeremy… MC: Pat’s next fight hopefully will be against Trigg in the WFA and Jeremy is going to fight probably three times in two months. We’re hoping to have him fight Homer Moore for the UCC, maybe Alex Steibling up in Minnesota, and then he’s going to England to fight.

KM: What about Dave Menne? MC: We’re looking at Menne fighting in Minnesota also in April, possibly against Dennis Reed.

KM: In Brad Kohler’s show? MC: No, in the new show…the ICC.

KM: What is the ICC? MC: It’s just a new show that two people put together. They had their first show a couple weeks ago.

KM: Jeremy won that one, right? MC: Yeah, Jeremy beat Travis Fulton. Stopped him in a minute in the second round. It was a good show and they’re going to do another one and I’ll have some guys in that.

KM: What were you saying about England? Is that the show in April or May? MC: Yeah, it’s a combination show with three different promoters putting it all together. I want to say April 22nd, I can’t remember the date he gave me, but they want to have Jeremy and more, maybe Jason Black or someone like that too. WFA also we have Jermaine Andre fighting Lance Gibson.

KM: Isn’t that April? MC: They are saying April, we don’t know when exactly.

KM: Was there anything else you want to get across about the February 8th show? MC: I just think those tournaments are going to be exciting. I agree with most people tournaments aren’t really great for the sport, that fighters don’t fight at their full potential and maybe one guy is more tired or more injured than the other but at the same time they are still the best way for someone to get noticed and get recognition quick. It’s still a way for a big organization to look at someone and see them fight three or four times and decide is this a fluke or is this for real. We’re gong to put it on and see what happens and I think it’s going to make for some great fights.

Source: ADCC

K-1 World Max 2003

K-1 World Max 2003 will begin on 3/1/03 and will consist of an 8-man tournament and a superfight to headline.

The card is set for Tokyo, Japan at the Ariake Coliseum and will air on free TV.

This is K-1's first attempt at running an event without the guidance of Master Ishi. Ishi, who was forced into resignation last month after a federal investigation into his tax evasion charges.

K-1, like Pride, is having a difficult time in maintaining momentum after losing their top executives (one suicide and Ishi's resignation).

There are still inside sources in Japan saying that Pride may go with more Japanese fighters. There is talk of cutting the foreign roster by as much as 50-75% as well as a more realistic payscale.

One American and another Brazilian fighter, both compete for Pride on a regular basis, voiced their concerns.

'I'm very worried about the future of Pride. No one is sure what is going to happen' said a top Brazilian fighter.

'There may be a reason so many are turning to pro wrestling. The company is now questioning ever decision it makes' a top-ten American fighter recently said off the record.

If the card below is any indication, K-1 could follow Pride's footsteps. But traditionally, this tournament is reserved for mostly Japanese fighters and is one of the smaller K-1 events.

One thing is clear. It's now evident why Genki Sudo bailed out from his UFC fight.

Tournament: Masato vs. Genki Sudo
Tournament: Takehiro Murahama vs. TBA
Tournament: Kojiro vs. Kozo Takeda
Tournament: Takashi Ono vs. Takayuki Kohiruimaki
Superfight: Albert Kraus (Holland) vs. Mike Zambidis (Australia)

Source: ADCC

The Return of A Legend
A Q&A with Frank Shamrock

By Jason Probst

Frank Shamrock's star burned bright, and it tore through the mixed martial arts world at a time when the fledgling sport needed a star to carry it to a larger audience. Equal parts confident and charismatic, Shamrock emerged from the shadow of brother Ken and emerged as the UFC light heavyweight champion, seemingly retiring in 1999 after four defenses that left little doubt that he was the best mixed martial arts fighter in the world.

Unassuming and cerebral in his approach, Shamrock combined the science of collaborative training techniques from multiple disciplines, taking the solely effective parts from kickboxing, grappling and jiu-jitsu to create a style of fighting that was a stark departure from those who preceded him. Teaming up with Maurice Smith and Tsuyoshi Kosaka, Shamrock formed The Alliance, which served as the prototype cross-training model that's the standard today. It was a model virtually created from scratch that became a widely imitated formula.

He wasn't particularly imposing at first glance, but he was deadly effective. Arm barring touted Olympian Kevin Jackson in 16 seconds in his 1997 debut at UFC Japan, Shamrock followed up with a 24-second destruction of Igor Zinoviev to win the UFC title. He then defended with defenses against John Lober and Jeremy Horn before taking out Tito Ortiz in 1999 before retiring. There wasn't enough challenge to keep him around in the sport, he said, and he went into acting and other pursuits. The worst part about it was he was probably right.

The sport has since gone on without Frank Shamrock, and the UFC is enjoying the kind of success that seemed only a dream when he ruled the Octagon. With regular shows in Nevada and a bigger fan base than ever, UFC and mixed martial arts have obtained the critical toeholds of being sanctioned by state athletic commissions, and access to pay-per-view telecasts. Politicians once bent on banning the sport have since moved on to more feasible causes.

Tito Ortiz has since become the flag-bearer for the UFC, and he's bigger than ever off the heels of his destruction of Ken Shamrock last November in UFC 40. But that missing element in mixed martial arts was always Frank Shamrock, because too many people remember him and wonder how good he could've been had he stayed around. Last year Frank announced his intentions for a comeback fight against Ricardo Almeida, only to break his leg in training.

With his comeback fight scheduled for the WEC show March 27 in Lemoore, California, Shamrock still doesn't have an opponent but it's of little consequence in the larger picture. He wants to come back and restore the sport to what he feels it should have been, and spoke with Maxfighting.com to discuss his thoughts on coming back, Tito Ortiz, and the state of MMA.

Maxfighting: So you're back in the mix again. How's your training going?

Frank Shamrock: The sport doesn't mean anything anymore. Titles don't mean anything anymore. The world wants to see athletes and role models and stars and our sport in the process. They're just focusing on men fighting in a cage. People follow stories, things they can associate with. Very few people associate with two guys in a cage kicking the crap out of each other. The rest of the world thinks it's pretty far out.

Maxfighting: So what do you think is wrong?

FS: I just hope to bring a little more recognition and attention to the people in the sport. I speak to a large number of people. And the values and things I stand for, they speak to a large group of people. I'd like to see more of our athletes promoted that promote those values. I think the sport took a big crap for itself. Right now the sport's about money. I'm trying to make money too, and I'm not about to change who I am. This is a good sport. These guys are professional martial artists, and they need to be presented this way. I like Tank Abbot personally, but bringing him back is bad for the sport.

Maxfighting: Your formulation of the Alliance set a precedent, and now everyone's doing it. How much have fighters in MMA improved since you were fighting?

FS: They're most definitely better. I think that Maurice and I changed the sport by adding a huge amount of athleticism and teamwork and sort of communal training. We sort of changed the way the sport was done. Now there are teams and stuff like that.

Maxfighting: What were your thoughts on Ortiz and Ken?

FS: I knew exactly what was gonna happen. It was no surprise to me. I thought if Tito had bigger nuts he could've beaten Ken in the first round. I offered to train Ken, and then Tito asked me to train him. I think the fight was good for the sport. I don't know, it was a tough spot to be in. I've also helped Tito out in training. I knew what the result was going to be.

Maxfighting: How interested are you in fighting Tito again? He's now the biggest name in MMA, and the UFC's main guy, but if you're fighting people are going to want to see you guys do it again.

FS: It's not sort something I'm pursuing. I'm not getting back into the sport for the money. It's a fight for money. If we were fighting on the NBC it'd be vs. Tito. For me it's about me watching the last 9 years of my life be stepped on, and misrepresented.

Maxfighting: What organizations are you talking to and considering fighting for?

FS: Everybody has been kind enough to call me. The UCC, ICC, WEC, K1, everyone has contacted me. I am keeping an open mind for everybody except for the UFC.

Maxfighting: Why not?

FS: I don't think that they have the future of the athletes in mind. I didn't break my foot, ribs, leg, hand and everything else on my body to be flushed down the toilet because I won't sign my contract with them. And that's not how you treat a champion

Maxfighting: So what's your comeback plan?

FS: I start March 27. I just had a meeting on Friday. I'm looking for a high profile name opponent, eventually. But I'm trying to drill into them, "Guys, I broke my leg six months ago. I'm not ready for Godzilla just yet!"

Maxfighting: One of the things you were unique at was getting caught in a bad position and getting out of it. How did you get so effective at that?

FS: A lot of it is the team I've built and the training system I've created. We should start our training from the worst position first - fully mounted. Then we play with it. And we find some solutions. Then we do it. If it works we add it, if not we throw it out. I've been to a lot of gyms where a lot of guys wrestle and want to just get me in an arm bar. In my gym (San Jose, American Kickboxing Academy), I come in and tell guys, "What can you show me?" Everybody leaves there with something new. That's the key. That's the difference between martial arts, and the current state of MMA, and it's small and it's tight, but it's not represented properly.

Maxfighting.com: How's your team shaping up?

FS: My trainers are Javier Mendez, "Crazy" Bob Cook, and we have 30 pros who train there in San Jose. We've got Paul Buentello, Christian Wellisch, Josh Thompson, and Rich Crumpleton is one of our young stars. They're all training in our system of sharing the knowledge and building on it.

Maxfighting: So would you ever fight for the UFC again?

FS: I can say right now if the UFC showed up at my door with a million dollar check I wouldn't be fighting for 'em. The world I come from, you walk into gym, take your shoes off, you bow and show respect. If someone lets you use their body you let them use their body, and they use yours. They are the biggest force in the world. They are mixed martial arts. This is not a battle that I chose, or one that I care to participate in. My goal is to make this the biggest sport in the world. It just takes one guy, an Oscar De La Hoya, to make this sport. But I'm not gonna sacrifice who I am to do it.

Max: How long until you get back to top form?

FS: I think it's gonna take me a couple of fights. Right now I've been sitting at a computer for six months. I can type 60 words a minute! My timing is a little off. But my brain is so strong. I trained Thursday until I vomited until the middle of the exercise. I think I need a couple fights to put me back into the A league. In 1997 I knew more about fighting and training than anybody in the world; I called everybody up and talked and said what does your guys weigh, and how much to fight him?

Max: Have you and Ken talked since his loss to Ortiz?

FS: I haven't talked with Ken. I think that he should retire for the sake of his name. It's not like he's over or it's over or whatever. When he signed that fight I told him through the grapevine, "Don't take the fight." If he'd have pulled it off it would've been the greatest coup in fighting. But I knew what was going to happen. Now if you attach a value to that he's probably lost 75% of his name value. When you're 50-60 years old and trying to make a buck, your name is what you're going to fall back on.

Max: How much better has Tito gotten since you fought him?

FS: Tito's gotten a lot better. His striking has gotten a lot better. His cardio and muscular conditioning has definitely gotten to the next level. I think his app. To strategy in fights has gotten a lot better. You can tell that he's diced a fight up in ten different sections, and then just jumps on it and is relentless until it breaks. That is one thing I've always done. I think Tito has developed that same competitive focus on making people make mistakes and capitalizing on those. A real champion runs a race and hears a breath from someone and they're tired and he turns it on. Tito is a real champion, he's a good guy personally and he's a good representative

Max: Putting the UFC aside, let's say you fought Tito again. How would you approach that?

FS: I would approach it in much the same way. I would fight more to avoid the takedown. When I fought Tito the first time I wanted to take it to the ground and tire him out. I knew he would be intimidated in standing up with me. My whole game was to stand up to bang and force him to take me down and expend that energy. I just let him take me down. If I fought Tito again I would not only stand up, I would sprawl. Tito is still scared to get hit. Tito is still not comfortable getting hit. It takes a long time to get comfortable with it. Some people aren't comfortable getting hit. He has still got that little bit of that, "If you hit me good, I'm gonna come apart" thing.

Max: Ken dropped him in the early moments with a pretty good right hand, but Tito recovered. He was still strong.

FS: Yeah, it was kind of a half-shoulder, half-arm punch. But Ken knocked him down.

Max: How do you feel about the 24-30 hour window between the weigh-ins and the fight?

FS: The biggest I've ever been is 194 for John Lober the first time I fought him. I've never weighed in without my clothes. I've never wanted people to know what I weigh, because if you're bigger than the other guy, you're going to feel more confident. I've used every trick in the book. Weighing in with clothes on, sneakers, you name it.

Max: Why don't you drop to 185 and fight middleweight? That would be a good weight for you and you would be that much more effective against the smaller guys.

FS: 185, that's definitely where I'm gonna head. In the earlier days, when I fought Kosaka he was 240, no one really thought so much about. If you equate it to boxing, weight makes a big difference. Boxing really knows about the weight. In the early days of mixed martial nobody knew what an effect it had. We're just figuring it out about the sport. My guys joke that I should drop to 170.

Max: You could do that, but then you'd be One Legged Shamrock.

FS: Yeah! Definitely 185 is where I'm headed. I can make that weight easy. I'd skip breakfast. When I fought K-1 kickboxing I was 183. I had a light dinner, skipped breakfast, and soup for lunch. And I never had to cut weight.

Maxfighting: How do you feel about the weight that a light heavy like Ortiz takes into the ring against you after making the 200-lb. limit? It's been raised to 205 now, so he'd be even bigger.

FS: I weighed in fully clothed and was about 192. He probably entered the ring about 218 lbs. I knew that fight was either to end in 30 seconds, or go long. In fact, when I studied Tito, I went back and studied electrolytes and what that would do to you with a big weight gain after dehydration. I just knew that I would beat him.

Source: Maxfighting

2/4/03

Quote of the Day

"My goal is simple. It is complete understanding of the universe,
why it as it is and why it exists as all."

Stephen Hawking

Fighters' Club New Episode to Air Tonight!

Fighters' Club TV episode VII airs tonight @ 8pm on Channel 52.
It will repeat next week also--same time/same station.


Episode VII features:

Your favorite 2 MMA hosts (Mike Onzuka & Mark Kurano)

Superbrawl 25 highlights featuring:
-Eddie Yagin vs. Jin Kazeta (+ interview with Eddie)
-Baret Yoshida vs. Jason Bress
-Egan Inoue vs. Martin de Jong
(+ interview with Egan re: fight analysis/retirement/his future)
All interviews conducted by FCTV's roving reporter--Chris Onzuka

Technique of the Week: Don "The Predator" Frye

And, a FCTV exclusive interview with Superbrawl Promoter T. Jay Thompson regarding the mysterious Tommy Dakota.

Source: Fighers' Club

Luis "Limao" Opens Another Location in Maui

Luis 'Limao' Heredia has added a new location in Maui,Hi. Limao, a Rickson Black Belt is now teaching at North Shore Movement Arts at the Haiku Market Place Cannery. 810 Haiku Rd # 230. For information contact (808) 575-5093.

Source: ADCC

Tita Benaion teaching at Relson Gracie Titusville Affiliate

Sidney "Tita" Benaion is sitting on the couch, third from the right, inbetween Relson & Fredson Alves. The Hobbit King is on the far right.
We met Tita (pronounced Chita, not Tita, you mokes and blala's) in Columbus, Ohio. He is a very nice guy, although we haven't had the opportunity to train with him. He is a friend of Freson Alves, so he must be a good guy. What's up to all our friends in Columbus (while we mentioned it)!


Royler Gracie black belt Sidney 'Tita' Benaion will be in Titusville, Pennsylvania the weekend of February 17 to 21, 2003. Straight from Brazil, Tita will be holding Gi and No-Gi classes as well as offering privates throughout the weekend at the Relson Gracie Training Association, Titusville Chapter, 10939 Skyline Drive. Contact Pat Madden at 814-571-6067 to reserve a space for a class or private.

Source: ADCC/Kid Peligro

To Crown A Lightweight Champion...
by: Joseph Cunliffe

When contract negotiations failed between Zuffa Sports Entertainment and UFC Lightweight Champion Jens Pulver, the UFC was left with a gap to fill, as Pulver vacated the title after UFC 35 to pursue opportunities elsewhere.

With the title dormant for half a year, Zuffa had a decision to make in replacing their champion. “We had a vacant title,” said Joe Silva, Director of Talent Development for Zuffa/UFC, “so we put together a tournament consisting of four of the top lightweights in the world.” Those top lightweights were BJ Penn, Matt Serra, Din Thomas and Caol Uno.

At UFC 39: The Warriors Return, we saw Penn, Serra, Thomas and Uno participate in a 4-man lightweight tournament for the right to compete for the vacant UFC Lightweight Championship previously held by Pulver. Props were given to Silva for developing a tournament, “so that we would crown a worthy champion,” he said.

Both coming off Unanimous Decision wins over their opponents at The Warriors Return, 24-year-old Penn of Hilo, Hawaii meets 27-year-old Uno of Kanagawa, Japan for the vacant UFC Lightweight Championship at UFC 41: Onslaught. Penn and Uno had suffered loses to Pulver in their quest to sport the Lightweight Championship belt. These two top contenders previously faced each other at UFC 34: High Voltage, with Penn being victorious over Uno by a vicious first round KO.

Penn, known as The Prodigy, is a veteran of 6 UFC’s. Sporting a UFC record of 5-1-0, Penn is a powerful striker and grappler who was the 1st non-Brazilian black belt to win the World Championships in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Penn made his UFC debut on May 4, 2001, at UFC 31: Locked and Loaded, where he defeated wrestler Joey Gilbert by Referee Stoppage due to punches. Penn followed up that win on June 29, 2001, with a sudden and violent Referee Stoppage against Din Thomas at UFC 32: Showdown in the Meadowlands. If that wasn’t enough, in their first meeting on November 2, 2001, Penn KO’ed Uno at just 0:11 of the first round with a flurry of punches at UFC 34: High Voltage. Penn experienced his first -- and only UFC loss to date -- on January 11, 2002, by Majority Decision to Jens Pulver at UFC 35: Throwdown. Returning to his winning streak on May 10, 2002, Penn defeated Paul Creighton at UFC 37: High Impact by TKO. Penn then went on to defeat Matt Serra on September 22, 2002, at UFC 39: The Warriors Return by Unanimous Decision to earn the right at this title fight against Uno.

Uno is a veteran of 5 UFC’s. Sporting a 3-2-0 record, Uno is a highly technical grappler and striker who also utilizes his extensive wrestling experience to submit opponents. Uno is an Abu Dhabi veteran, placing 2nd in the 1999 ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championships. Uno made his UFC debut on February 23, 2001, at UFC 30: Battle on the Boardwalk, where he lost to Jens Pulver in a match to crown the first UFC under 155 pound Champion by Majority Decision. Uno returned on June 29, 2001, at UFC 32: Showdown in the Meadowlands to defeat Fabiano Iha by Referee Stoppage. Uno then suffered an 0:11 KO loss to Penn in their first meet on November 2, 2001, at UFC 34: High Voltage. But Uno returned on May 10, 2002, at UFC 37: High Impact to defeat Yves Edwards by Unanimous Decision . Uno continued his winning streak by defeating Din Thomas by Unanimous Decision on September 22, 2002, at UFC 39: The Warriors Return to earn the right at this title fight against Penn.

This highly anticipated match will pit 2 of the best lightweights in the world against each other to crown a lightweight champion.

UFC 41: Onslaught will take place on Friday, February 28, 2003, at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ. For more information, check out www.ufc.tv.

Source: ADCC

Kid Peligro Jiu-Jitsu News

Kid Peligro is happy to report that his friend Angela Gracie has moved to Australia where she plans to wed her beau Luke Beston. Kid Peligro Jiu-Jitsu News is somewhat responsible for the two meeting in cyberspace (long story). Angela is one of the grandaughters of the belated Grandmaster Carlos Gracie and had been living in Hawaii for the past few years while managing some of her famous relatives careers etc.

Kid wants to be the first to congratulate the new pair to be and just has one question for Luke: 'Is it going to be Luke Beston-Gracie or you are going to keep your maiden name?' :)

Source: ADCC

Kid Peligro Jiu-Jitsu News
IGJJF Open Final Day Saulo vs Pe de Pano

The final day of the First IGJJF Open concluded yesterday at the Cal State Domingues Hills U. with some incredible fights and two newly promoted Black Belts. In front of a host of celebs like Ed O'Neil - TV, musicians Ulises Bella - Ozomati, Rakaa Taylor - Dilated Peoples, Jose fraguas - Grappling Magazine & Black Belt including Royce Gracie, Romero 'Jacare', Pedro Sauer, Rodrigo Medeiros, Pedro Valente, Rigan Machado, Renato Magno, Caique Elias, Franco De Camargo, Pedro Carvalho, Mario Aielo, Aloysio , Patricia & Joao Silva, Cleber Luciano, Franjinha Miller, Fabio Santos, Wander Braga, Kiko, Rodrigo Antunes, Mikah, Juliano Prado and a few others whose name escape me but I'll be sure to hear from :) !

The last day consisted mostly of third place matches and finals. In the Black Belt lights, Amal Easton defeated a game Rodrigo Teixeira by points in a great battle full of positional exchanges. The light finals saw Nino Schembri submit former student Cameron Earle by arm bar.

The heavyweight dream match featuring Marcio 'Pa de Pano' Cruz v Saulo Ribeiro was a 35 minute war that in the end had Pano as the victor by a 12 x 0 margin. The score however didn't reflect the actual match with Saulo sweeping Pano three times and Pano returning fire with great pass attempts and some sick guard moves. In the end, the weight difference was too much and Pano took the loot. Saulo and Pano are definetely two of the best in the World today and everyone that saw the match will atest to this!

Other exciting matches saw Ryron Gracie win the overall title by submission only to be matched by brother Rener. Their efforts did not go unnoticed as they were later awarded their well deserved Black Belt by Grandmaster Helio Gracie. Good job guys! Brown Belt Thiago Vella continued to show his technique on the way to two great wins and the trip to Rio.

The match of the evening was between Paragon's Jeff Glover and Dennis Asche from the Machado Team. Glover, demonstrated an incredible amount of heart and technique while fighting against a heavier and very skilled fighter. After a wild several minutes when he was about to lose by points, Glover somehow 'Houdinied' a triangle choke on his opponent that was so tight he almost tapped, but instead lifted and slammed Glover to the mat. Glover injured himself and failed to continue but the crowd rewarded his effort with a wild ovation.

Rorion, Rose and the crew are all to be congratulated for a great tournament!

Source: ADCC

Submission Wrestling World Championships
A Look At Who Is In!

5th World Championships in ADCC's Submission Wrestling Scheduled For May 17th and 18th, 2003 in Sao Paulo, Brazil

The 16 man tournaments of the Submission Wrestling World Championships have featured the top grappling martial artists in the world throughout the first 4 editions. In keeping with tradition, the full field is a closely guarded secret, known only to the inner circles at the Abu Dhabi Combat Club.

However, heading into the 5th Submission Wrestling World Championships, the ADCC has developed the regional qualifying tournaments to account for a quarter of the invitations issued. Along with the returning champions, four qualifying tournaments allow us our clearest picture of the upcoming championships! So for those keeping track... Who is in so far?

2001 CHAMPIONS:
65.9 KG & under: ROYLER GRACIE (Brazil)
66-76.9 KG: MARCIO FEITOSA (Brazil)
77-87.9 KG: SANAE KIKUTA (Japan)
88-98.9 KG: RICARDO ARONA (Brazil)
99 KG & Up: MARK ROBINSON (South Africa)

NORTH AMERICAN TRIAL CHAMPIONS:
65.9 KG & under: EDDIE BRAVO (JJ Machado)
66-76.9 KG: PABLO POPOVICH (American Top Team)
77-87.9 KG: DAVID TERRELL (Cesar Gracie JJ)
88-98.9 KG: DEAN LISTER(City Boxing)
99 KG & Up: MIKE WHITEHEAD (Victory Athletics)

AUSTRALIAN TRIAL CHAMPIONS:
65.9 KG & under: CHRIS DERKSON
66-76.9 KG: GEORGE SOTIROPOULOS
77-87.9 KG: TRAVERS GRUBB
88-98.9 KG: ANTHONY PEROSH
99 KG & Up: SOA PELELEI

EUROPEAN TRIAL CHAMPIONS:
65.9 KG & under: TEEMU LAUNIS (Finland)
66-76.9 KG: JUSSI TAMMELIN (Finland)
77-87.9 KG: ROBERT SULSKI (Poland)
88-98.9 KG: ILIR LATIFI (Sweden / Albania)
99 KG & Up: MIKA ILMAN (Finland)

BRAZILIAN TRIAL CHAMPIONS:
65.9 KG & under: RANY YAYHRA
66-76.9 KG: DANIEL MORAES (Gracie)
77-87.9 KG: RONALDO 'JACARE' (Gracie)
88-98.9 KG: ALEXANDRE 'Cacareco' FERREIRA (RUAS VT)
99 KG & Up: MARCIO 'Pe De Pano' CRUZ (Gracie)

Source: ADCC

K-1's Ishii Arrested

The former K-1 president, Kazuyohsi Ishi, who recently resigned from K-1, was arrested on Monday, February 3rd in Tokyo, Japan. The arrest stems from a prolonged investigation for tax evasion and fraud charges.

Japanese news sources are reporting that the Tokyo Tax Bureau finally made an arrest after nearly a 6 month probe into Ishii's personal and business dealings.

Ishii had resigned from K-1 after internal pressure from the company and the ongoing investigation that tarnished his reputation in the news.

There are more details that will surface. But it appears that the investigation will have penalties for tax evasion totaling approxinmately $1.7 million dollars. The initial amount in question was believed to be $4-6 million.

Ishii has ducked legal problems for a long time, however it appears Ishii has run out of time. More details in the next few days, as they become available.


Source: ADCC

2/3/03

Quote of the Day

"Use what talent you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best."

Henry Van Dyke

Warriors Of The Ring II

Maui War Memorial Gymnasium
Wailuku, Maui
February 16, 2003

Warriors of the Ring returns for their second event. The first event brought in the largest crowd of MMA fans that Maui has ever seen and for this show it looks like the promoters wanted to appease Maui fight fans by filling the card with Maui fighters. Get your tickets early and get a good seat because the event is only two weeks away.

Preliminary Bouts:

1. Scott Tam (Maui Full Contact) vs. Charles Hendrickson (Freelance)

2. Ednor Lat (Maui Full Contact) vs. Robert Billianor (Lockdown Unlimited)

3. Keola Cabalero (Wailuku Kickboxing) vs. John Nerveza Jr. (Bulls Pen)

4. Lucky Keefner (Maui Full Contact) vs. Paulo Lupi (Brazilian Freestyle J.J.)

5. Patrick Clark vs. To be announced opponent

Co-Main Event:
6. Anthony Billianor (Lockdown Unlimited) vs. Palmer Fuga (Kona Boxing Club)

Main Event:
7. J.R. Baraldon (Maui Full Contact) vs. Tien Nguyen (Wailuku Kickboxing)

Source: Event Promoter

Ultimate Fighting Championship's Dan "the Beast" Severn to be honored by the HMAIS

January 16, 2003, It was announced today that legendary UFC Competitor Dan "the Beast" Severn will be honored by the Hawaii Martial Arts International Society in Las Vegas , NV on July 12, 2003. He will be inducted in the Hawaii Martial Arts International Society's prestigious Martial Arts Hall Of Fame. "His background is nothing less than amazing and we are honored to have him among our elite group" Stated HMAIS Chairman Professor Jaime Abregana Jr.

Dan Severn is among several well known martial artist that are being honored at the HMAIS Banquet. Each honoree is chosen from a sizeable group and then examined thoroughly by the Hall of Fame Committee before chosen.

The Hawaii Martial Arts International Society 2003 4th Annual Hall of Fame Awards Banquet is part of an action packed weekend of events including the ever popular Legends & Masters Seminar, where you can learn from the most accomplished Pioneers, Grand Masters and Masters around today, also to top off this incredible weekend is an Open martial arts tournament - this all takes place in Las Vegas , Nevada , USA July 12 & 13, 2003 at the Sahara Hotel & Casino.

For more information contact call (808) 271-0225 or visit our website at www.hmaisociety.com

Visit www.hmaisociety.com for more Information & Updates!

Prof. Jaime Abregana Jr.
Hawaii Martial Arts International Society
P.O. Box 2106
Ewa Beach, HI 96706 - USA
(808) 271-0225

Source: Prof. Jaime Abregana Jr.

2/2/03

Quote of the Day

You don't get paid for the hour. You get paid for the value you bring to the hour.

Jim Rohn

IGJJF Update

Relson Gracie Hawaii student, Harris Brumer won his first two matches (first one by points and second one by arm bar), but lost on points in his third. Gracie Austin's Phil Cardella went in with a bad knee and it cost him his first match unfortunately. Kamole Jiu-Jitsu's Eben Kaneshiro performed well winning his first match. Ralek and Rener Gracie had wars and came out on top.

IGJJF - The Experiment Worked and How ! ! !
by: Kid Peligro

Day one of the First IGJJF Open just ended and the general consensus is that the new rules worked GREAT! The goals of attaining fast paced matches with objective of submission was acchieved and well proven with a large number of submissions in the various matches.

Day one highlights included Ryron Gracie submission win in the semifinal against a very large Kurt Osiander- Ralph Gracie brown belt (sorry I didn't get your name). Daniel Mc Gowan continuous display of tecnique in the purple along with Ralek Gracie who submitted his semi as well. Another sensational match, in the Blues saw Paragon's Jeff Glover submit wunderkid Johny Orozko via arm bar.

The big question going into everyone's mind was if the rules would work for the Black Belts however . . . and they did. In the lightweights Nino Schembri won his first match by submission against a tough Black Belt from Pedro Carvalho Team while Cameron Earle submitted Amal Easton with a knee bar, in a very tough match that had Amal ahead by points up to that point.

The heavies opened with Fabio Leopoldo surprising Macaco early with a clock choke for the submission. The opposite bracket opened with Marcio 'Pe de Pano' Cruz defeat of Gabriel Vella (above) by a score of 14 x 0. That score however does not reflect the true spirit of the battle. Vella maintained good posture as he attempted to passPano's guard forcing the current World Absolute champion to display all of his 'Dammed Guard' repertoire to contain Gabriel's attacks. After some time hwoever Pano began to impose his game as he showed why he is the Champ.

The match of the night however was semifinal number two, featuring Saulo Ribeiro against Fabio Leopoldo. The 28 minute battled saw both warriors exchange great attacks and attempted subs, including Fabio's 'exequiel' choke, two clock chokes and a lower leg attack, while Saulo countered with a back assault of his own. At one point after some 20 minutes the two fighters smiled at each other acknowledging their effort. After a rule reversal Saulo had Fabio in his guard and in a lighting quick move caught Fabio with an arm-lock. A serious point here is the fact that they both deserved to win, this time Saulo capitalized on the opportunity but huge kudos go to Fabio for his demonstration of skill and heart!

If you missed to day, you better not miss tomorrow as Saulo v Pe de Pano has the potential to be the battle of the century! Of course there will be many other great matches to witness as ewell.

Be there early as the matches will start at 10:00 sharp! ! ! And check out the mini-gallery below! Full report on Monday!

Source: ADCC

Edwards In A Whole New Fight


What was supposed to be a replacement for Josh Thomson in a 155 LB bout at UFC 41 against the enigmatic Genki Sudo has turned into a whole new fight. Instead of a Thomson vs. Sudo, it's now Yves Edwards vs Rich Clementi. Edwards last bout was in the UFC ended with a bang as he almost kicked the head off of Joao Pierini back at UFC 37.5. Clementi is coming in with a 9-4 mark and all 9 wins are by KO or tap out.

Other fighters that were approached by Zuffa before Clementi were Ray Cooper and Rich Crunkilton, but both had obligations that would not allow them to participate in the event with only one month's notice. Clementi was able to back out of his prior fight obligations with another promotion as they had found a suitable replacement for him.

Genki Sudo, claiming injury and unable to participate on the February 28th card, showed up at a K-1 press conference, not long after bowing out of the UFC, announcing his involvement in the K-1 grand Prix, taking place only one day after his formerly scheduled UFC appearance. His claimed hip injury now comes into question. Genki's camp announced that his doctor explained that his hip injury could become aggravated if he grapples, but not by kickboxing. Expect the Sudo-Thomson fight to take place at UFC 42.

Source: MMA Ring Report

Sean Sherk Interview Part 3
by: Keith Mills

KM: Your last two fights in the UFC. I personally missed both of those. The Jutaro Nakao one in UFC 36 Worlds Collide, how do you view that fight now?

SS: I think it was a good fight. I watched the tape quite a few times and Nakao was a very passive fighter so he was backing up a lot on the feet. What he wants people to do is get frustrated and make a mistake and that’s when he’ll finish you off. That’s what he did against DeSouza (UFC 33 9/28/01), that’s what he did against LaVerne Clark (HOOKnSHOOT 5/26/01), that’s what he did against Miletich (Super Brawl 11 2/2/99)…I knew that coming in. My thing was I was going to push the pace and not make any mistakes. He’s backing up on the feet so I’m going to set up my shots, get him on the ground, and nullify his game. On the ground he wanted to hold a lot, hold my head and kept his guard real tight, and tried to hold onto my arms. I was able to keep the fight pretty active.

KM: I noticed that one ended in a decision. In your early career up to 2000 or so you seemed to get a lot of decisions and then you went on a string starting around 2001 of submissions, TKOs, a draw…you have that one decision in a run of non-decisions. Was that a disappointment that you didn’t get a finish?

SS: I really wanted to finish but Nakao has never been finished in 30 fights (Note: Nakao lost in Shooto by submission in ’96 and TKO in ’00). He’s fought Sakurai, some great great fighters and nobody has ever finished him. He’s not an easy guy to finish. Given the rules like you can’t knee on the ground to the head…I might have been able to get a finish if that was the case but Nakao did a really good job of hanging in there, especially on the ground where I can really light people up once I get them down. He kind of nullified my ground and pound. I did get some good digs in on him though.

KM: Was it in any way a redemption to go back to getting a TKO against Benji Radach?

SS: Yeah, definitely. That’s what I wanted. I don’t want decisions, I hate winning by decision. The crowd don’t like it, the UFC don’t like it, I don’t like it so I want to try to go out there and finish everyone I fight. That definitely felt good. Out of my three UFC fights I have one decision and two finishes.

KM: That is a reason I was asking about being off for 2000 because that seemed to be the turning point. I was wondering if you changed anything in your training in that time. You suddenly went from a run of decisions to a run of TKOs.

SS: I think I just got better over that period of time. When I first started fighting when I’d punch on the ground it wasn’t as effective. I wasn’t aiming. I was just throwing punches to throw punches and I didn’t care where I was hitting the guy. Now I actually aim for eyes and jaw, try to cut him and try to knock him out. Now I actually have focus when I’m throwing punches on the ground. Back then I didn’t. That’s probably what made a difference right there.

KM: How do you look back at the Benji fight?

SS: That was a good fight; Benji is really tough. I didn’t realize he was as good of a wrestler as he was. Got a really good sprawl, surprisingly strong for a guy who is 6’1 170 but he also dropped from 190. It was a good fight; he was sprawling and throwing punches. As soon as I got it on the ground I was able to take control at that point.

KM: I noticed you have three submissions; the keylock in your first Ultimate Wrestling in ’99, I saw the Tiki shoulder dislocated slam the internet lists as a submission, and then UCC6 a rear naked choke. We’re not used to seeing wrestling based fighters doing rear naked chokes. Did you pick up anything different going into UCC?

SS: I work a lot of submissions but I just don’t really get a chance to use them. I’m not going to give up my position to go for a submission, I’d rather just punch somebody but the guy gave me his back so it was just there. I won that last fight the same way, by rear naked choke.

KM: Oh, the one in Ultimate Wrestling in December. So how does it feel to get a couple submissions on your record?

SS: Feels good. I love putting a submission on a guy and watching them tap out.

KM: What was your perception of the UCC?

SS: I think UCC is a great show. When I fought there they had like 7500 people, it was a packed house. They did the pay-per-view thing, had a packed house, treat the fighters really good so I thought it was great. They did all kinds of great things for me. The promoters of the show brought VCRs up to my room and brought video tapes of the guy I was fighting so I could watch them and study them for a few days.

KM: I’ve never heard of anybody doing that before. How do you feel the 170 class as a whole looks right now?

SS: I think it’s diverse. I think 170 is probably one of the toughest divisions out there right now. There are so many tough guys that can pretty much do it all. It’s definitely a tough weight class, not an easy weight class by any means. I consider myself to be kind of small for the weight class because these guys are dropping from 190. I’m 175 on a heavy day so I’m not really dropping too much weight.

KM: That is one of my concerns is that Hughes is very good at dropping the weight and getting it back again. How do you feel about that prospect?

SS: That’s something I’ve dealt with ever since I’ve been fighting at this weight class so it’s not going to change now. I know Hughes is strong but I don’t think he’s going to overpower me that much. It’s not like I’m a weak guy either. I’ve been wrestling for twenty years and I lift weights every single day so I think I’ll be comparable, even giving up five pounds.

KM: Considering (Matt Hughes’ manager) Monte Cox used to manage you are there any hard feelings or tension over this?

SS: I don’t think so, there is not with me. We’ve talked a few times since then and everything seems good. There are no hard feelings with me. Basically I had to leave; I needed to fight in the UFC and that wasn’t happening. Duane Zinkin is my manager now.

With the bout official look for Sean to finally get a title shot against his old teammate at UFC 42.

Source: ADCC

The Brazilian Beat
by Eduardo Alonso

MECA 8 in the Works;
Barreto Ready to Debut K-1 style;
Anderson back in STORM!

After a short hiatus, the Brazilian Beat is once again back in great fashion! January comes to an end with an avalanche of news about fighting events appearing everywhere in Brazil, giving hope that 2003 will be an even better year than 2002 for fight fans and professionals in Brazil. The eighth edition of MECA World Vale Tudo already has a date and is in the works, bringing some exciting action in the month of April! Bitetti Combat Nordeste is planning another edition of the event for March, and this time in bigger style. Submission wrestling continues to ride Abu Dhabi's wave in the country and all the big names of the sport are about to compete once again in Campos. Stand-up fight fans will have their hands full with K-1 Brazil and the STORM Grand Prix coming up, bringing two great attractions to the ring with NHB fighters Carlos Barreto and Anderson Silva appearing in the respective events! Well, now that we've given you a taste of what's in this edition of "The Beat" don't hesitate and get into the rhythm for a long and lasting Brazilian Beat, courtesy of Full Contact Fighter!

The 8th edition of Brazil's premiere NHB event is already scheduled and in the works! MECA World Vale Tudo 8 will take place on April 26th, once again at the Palacio de Cristal in Curitiba, the same venue where all the previous editions of the show were held, and the event promises some intense battles! FCF found out some of the matches that will take place on the card, and they look very interesting on paper. The long awaited match between Ryan Gracie's student Marcelo Giudice and Luta Livre legend Eugenio Tadeu is now confirmed by the promoters. Giudice challenged Eugenio inside the ring during MECA 7, and Tadeu promptly accepted the challenge, now the fight is on for MECA 8 as the main event!

Tadeu vs. Giudice is not the only match scheduled so far for MECA 8 in April 26th, another very interesting fight will be the return of the Chute Boxe prodigy Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, brother of PRIDE fighter Murilo "Ninja" Rua, who will be facing MECA veteran and Brazilian Top Team member Roan "Jucao" Carneiro in another Chute Boxe vs. BTT classic. Another BTT member, who will also be returning to the MECA ring, after his win at MECA 7, is Haroldo Cabelinho Bunn, who will face MECA 5 winner Katel Kubis. MECA 6 winner Daniel Acacio will face off against Barra Gracie fighter Cristiano Lazarini. The card will also feature Chute Boxe fighter Israel facing MECA veteran Bicudo, and Chute Boxe master Cunha making his MECA debut! Jorge Macaco Patino will also appear on the card and Claudionor Fontinelli will perform as well to show everybody deserves a second chance in life. The promoters are planning a 9-fight card, and FCF will continue to keep a close eye on the developments.

3-time PRIDE winner Ricardo Arona is continuously training hard in the city of Niteroi, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, getting ready for the challenges that lie ahead in 2003. Arona is waiting for a possible appearance at PRIDE 25 in March, and continues to look for a shot at the PRIDE Middleweight belt. In the meantime, Ricardo told FCF that he is also preparing himself for his Superfight against Mark Kerr at the Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling tournament in Sao Paulo in May, and he guarantees he won't disappoint his fans.

UFC Heavyweight contender Pedro "The Rock" Rizzo is also training very hard for his bout at the next UFC against Vladimir "The Janitor" Matyushenko. Rizzo has been training as hard as ever and could be seen at the Abu Dhabi Brazilian Trials in great shape. Pedro told FCF he is already weighing what he plans to weigh on the day of the fight and is taking this fight very seriously as a new beginning for him in the UFC.

Speaking of Pedro Rizzo, his long time friend and K-1 superstar Peter Aerts is once again in Brazil training with the Ruas Vale Tudo team in Rio de Janeiro. Aerts told Full Contact Fighter he is taking the chance to once again practice some more ground fighting and NHB style, and he is looking to possibly sign a deal to make his NHB debut in 2003! However K-1 is still in his plans as well, and in the meantime, he guaranteed Rizzo's hands will be sharp for his bout against Vladdy.

After the success of the first Bitetti Combat Nordeste, promoters Conrado and Jiu-Jitsu black belt Amaury Bitetti are already working on the next edition of the event. Bitetti Combat 2 is likely to take place on March 20th or 21st of 2003, once again in the beautiful city of Natal, and some fights are already in the works. Bitetti Combat winner Silmar Rodrigo will face NHB veteran Johil de Oliveira, Capoeira [Not the same guy who fought at MECA 7] will fight against Paulo Guerreiro, and the card will also include some Brazilian Top Team members, NHB veteran Mario Sucata, and even the chance of Marcelo Tigre appearing on the card. FCF will stay tuned and bring you the latest about Bitetti Combat 2 in the next editions of "The Brazilian Beat".

Still on the Bitetti Combat subject, promoter Conrado is also putting on a sort of circuit, with small shows going around the Northeast of Brazil to develop talent and give young local fighters a chance to appear. The best fighters will perform in Bitetti Combat in the future and the first event following this project is happening on the 31st of January, in a small city called Caico. The show is called RN Vale Tudo, with the main event being a fight between two winners of the first Bitetti Combat Nordeste. Aranha, who has a similar style to Wanderlei Silva, facing Carlos Indio, who scored the quickest knockout in the Bitetti Combat show. FCF will bring you the results in the next "Brazilian Beat".

Carlos Barreto
Promoter Sergio Batarelli is also working hard with his effort to bring K-1 to Brazil. In fact, the K-1 Brazil event is scheduled for February 23rd in Sao Paulo, at the gorgeous Maksud Plaza Hotel, with an eight-man tournament, including MECA veteran Carlinhos and more importantly IVC, PRIDE, UFC and MECA veteran Carlos Barreto will be in the brackets! Barreto will fight against a boxer named Luis Aparecido dos Santos in the first fight. This will be Barreto's Pro Muay Thai debut. In addition, the event will also have an alternate fight between Pantera Negra and Michael Bulla and a special fight for the Brazilian WKN Muay Thai championship between Marfio Junior and Alexander da Silva. FCF will be there covering all the action.

Already training hard for his K-1 debut, Brazilian Top Team member Carlos Barreto spoke with FCF during the Brazilian Abu Dhabi trials and told us he is feeling very confident about his Muay Thai skills. His training with professor Paulo Nikolai has been sharpening up his stand-up abilities a lot, and he will enter the tournament looking for knockouts and thinking about taking the trophy home! Barreto is also preparing for a submission wrestling bout against Alexandre Cacareco in early February and wants to fight a lot of NHB in 2003, since he told FCF he now understands the need to be aggressive and put a show for the fans, because according to him everybody wants to see an exciting fighter, and that's what he became. Let's keep following his steps!

After the Abu Dhabi Brazilian Trials, all of the submission wrestling fans in Brazil are now focused on the Second Submission Wrestling competition in Campos, Rio de Janeiro, scheduled to happen on February 7th and 8th of 2003. Besides the superfight Between Carlos Barreto and Alexandre Cacareco, and all the big names entering the main brackets in each weight division such as De La Riva, Johil de Oliveira, Gustavo Ximu, Vinicius Draculino, Eduardo Jamelao, among others, the Absolute division is looking great with competitors such as Alex Negao Paz from the BTT, ADCC Brazilian trials champion Marcio "Pe de Pano" Cruz, Roan Carneiro, Alexandre Cacareco Ferreira, Mario Sucata, Eduardo Jamelao and more names to be announced! FCF will continue to bring you the submission wrestling action happening in Brazil.

Chute Boxe fighter and NHB veteran Fabio Piemonte has been training hard in Curitiba and is preparing for his comeback. According to the Chute Boxe team coach Rudimar Fedrigo, Fabio has been training as hard as ever both standing up and on the ground, and is polishing his skills and improving his cardio to make a comeback in the heavyweight division and appear in NHB events still this year. Fabio, who already fought against PRIDE fighter Gilbert Yvel in the past, is reported to now have way better ground skills than before, and we will continue to follow his development.

Early April will bring a great stand-up event in Brazil with the first ever STORM Muay Thai Grand Prix! The Beautiful Opera de Arame in Curitiba will once again hold some fierce Muay Thai action on April 5th of 2003, but this time in a way bigger fashion. The STORM Grand Prix will feature two tournaments, one for fighters up to 85 kg and another for fighters above 85kg, plus three single fights. Chute Boxe master and Promoter Rafael Cordeiro is already working on a open TV deal to be announced soon, and there's a chance that SPORTV will also broadcast the event, which will have K-1 veteran Jamanta representing the Chute Boxe academy in the above-85kg class, and none other than PRIDE fighter Anderson Silva representing the team in the up-to-85 kg class! Anderson, in spite of all his NHB success, loves Muay Thai and still has a K-1 dream on his mind, therefore he insisted on being part of the STORM Grand Prix, which will bring the very best Muay Thai fighters Brazil has to offer to Curitiba and FCF will surely be there as well!

Source: FCF

Where Do We Go From Here?
By Mike Sloan (
Mike_sherdog@hotmail.com)

One minute and thirteen seconds. That’s all it took for, hands down, the best lightweight of the mixed martial arts world to be defeated. Dethroned. Dismantled. Destroyed. Ouch. Where do we go from here? Better yet; where do Duane “Bang” Ludwig and Jens “Little Evil” Pulver go from here? The possibilities, as they seem, are endless. In one of the most shocking upsets in recent MMA history, the entire spectrum of the lightweight division has been totally shaken, as well as stirred.

Step inside the realm of MMA’s lightweight division. Before that blustery January night in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, inside the Pierre Charbonneau Center, Jens Pulver solitarily sat atop the mountain of the world’s best 154 pounders. On a wondrous unbeaten streak that perpetuated more than three years, more than 1,095 days, Pulver was invincible. Amid that streak, he walked through John Lewis, Caol Uno, Dennis Hallman, Takehiro Murahama and BJ Penn. Most thought he was unbeatable because of his raw punching power and ground defense skills that are second to none. Others thought it was his undying thirst and unnerving hunger to be the best.

Pulver had been praying for an opponent with the balls to actually stand in there and bang with him. Well, he finally got what he begged for; an opponent who stood there and Banged with him. After Pulver just missed with a left hook, Ludwig countered that with a crushing left hook that instantly dropped Little Evil. As he was falling, though, Pulver shot in for a takedown, but was far too woozy to execute it. Ludwig was able to sprawl away from the shoot and scramble back to his feet. Pulver then entangled himself into the ropes, prompting the referee to halt the action and reset the fighters in center ring. Pulver, staggering towards Ludwig as though he was stepping in holes, was able to block a high left kick from his determined foe, but never saw the crippling right cross that ended the fight. Once it connected, Pulver was out like a light and crashed onto the canvas and partially through the ropes. Within a mere seventy-three seconds, the reigning monarch of the lightweight universe was disposed of and sent rummaging through his head to clear the cobwebs.

From here, Ludwig has nowhere to go but down, if you think about it. He just scorched the cream of the lightweight crop. The best guess is that the UCC offers Ludwig a hefty pay raise and a lucrative contract, if K-1 doesn’t get to him first. Actually, Shooto and/or Pride might come calling now that he’s hot stuff. However, if Ludwig doesn’t like what he sees on the aforementioned MMA platinum platter, there’s no doubt that my boys over at Zuffa will come calling, not using 1-800-Collect, either. Here they have the man who just beat The Man, who, in turn, beat their proverbial Prodigy, the one that was to be bigger than Tito Ortiz. Now, UFC has thrown together a killer rematch between BJ and Uno, with the winner getting Pulver’s vacated title. Wouldn’t it be great if Ludwig signed on to face the winner? It’d be MMA’s true lightweight champ against Zuffa’s newest titlist. There’s not a chance in hell that Uno would even dare to stand toe-to-toe with Ludwig. Hell, after what Penn did to him several months back in just eleven seconds, (and let’s face it; Penn has nowhere near the explosive standing firepower that Ludwig has) that’d be like strapping chum to his chest and leaping head first into a lagoon full of bull sharks. And if Penn would get a crack at Ludwig, it’s doubtful he’d stand up with him for too long. Either he’d be blasted out of the ring like Pulver, or he’d successfully shoot early and capitalize on his superior ground skills.

As for Pulver, there is no way in the world that this minor glitch in his prerequisite plans of MMA immortality will submit him for long. He’s probably either in the gym beating up on everyone in the Miletich camp as you read this, or letting his emotions out on some sucka in SOCOM. He’ll assuredly gun for an immediate rematch with Ludwig and if the UCC is as smart as they appear to be (considering what they’ve achieved thus far), they’ll sign that fresh new contract in blood. Can you imagine the numbers the rematch would generate? Sure, it wouldn’t come close to a Felix Trinidad/Oscar De La Hoya rematch, but it’d be enormous to the MMA community. Like Pulver said after the jostling defeat, “Three years undefeated, I guess it has to come to an end sometime. What happened last time I lost? I dominated the world.” And dominate he did. We’ll just have to wait with baited breath for what unfolds hereafter.

So, what does this all mean? Well, it certainly means that, unfortunately for Jens and his fans, he is no longer the lightweight top dog. After being ousted in such the manner that he was, it’s unthinkable to rank him at the #1 spot. Pulver has been the undisputed king of the second smallest weight class in our beloved sport through virtue of the Mixed Martial Arts Media (MMAM) ranking system, the only votes that count. Until now, there was no question as who was at the top. It has been Jens all along, and beneath him was a mixture of the now-usual suspects of Penn, Uno, Takanori Gomi, Dokonjonosuke Mishima, and Din Thomas. Hell, Duane Ludwig wasn’t even ranked among the top ten on that coveted MMAM list!

In my eyes, Ludwig catapults himself from obscurity (vote-wise) to the #1 spot. If you beat the number-one guy, you should, in turn, be number-one, correct? I think so. Even though Ludwig is primarily a Muay Thai/kickboxer, he has a storied history in MMA. A veteran of both King of the Cage and Gladiators Challenge before taking out Pulver in the UCC, Ludwig has only lost a few times. Sure, he hasn’t feasted upon the stunning competition that the others have, but handing losses to guys like Charles Bennett, Thomas Denny and Ressen Messer isn’t too shabby. Now, does he belong above such names like Penn, Gomi and Uno? That certainly leaves a gaping room for debate considering the level of opposition those in question have faced. One would think it’s a no-brainer to rank Gomi and Penn above Ludwig, but is that fair? When Hasim Rahman, a virtual nobody to the general public, thwarted Lennox Lewis when they first met, he was automatically the world’s top heavyweight in boxing. Even though we in the MMAM don’t issue the fighters actual championship belts (yet), Ludwig should be ranked #1.

I’m sure this is utter blasphemy around most MMA internet circles, and there’s no question I’ll receive a ton of hate mail for this article, but let’s face it; Duane Ludwig is, right now, alone atop the steep alpestrine cliff that is the lightweight division.

Source: Sherdog

2/1/03 Happy Chinese New Year

Quote of the Day

You don't get paid for the hour. You get paid for the value you bring to the hour.

Jim Rohn

Kung Hee Fat Choy
Happy Chinese New Year


Logan & Katelyn at 9 months (and yes, they are part Chinese)

When we were traveling with some fighters on the big island at BJ Penn's event, it was pointed out by HMC's David Yeung that there are very few Chinese guys in MMA. Kind of weird, but true. For those few and the proud, Onzuka.com wishes you and everyone else a Happy Chinese New Year!

The Pacific Fighting Championships
are coming together

PFC will be the first MMA event to be held on Oahu under the stars. It will take place at the Waikiki Shell Amphitheatre. Due to scheduling conflicts, the PFC has been moved to April 17th.

The PFC's card is almost complete, but they are still looking for a few professional and amateur fighters. They are especially looking for heavyweight fighters. Call the matchmaker, Brennan Kamaka at (808) 696-7844 if you are interested in fighting in the event.

SuperBrawl 28 Line-up
Saturday, February 8, 2003
Neil Blaisdell Center
Fights start at 7:30 PM
Get your tickets now!

170lbs 2x5 minute rounds
Nassor Lewis (808 Fight Factory) 3-3
vs.
Brandon Keen 170lbs (Grappling Unlimited) 1-0
Two young aggressive fighters who are looking to move up the Super Brawl ranks. The more experienced Lewis has a solid wrestling background and does not like to give his opponents a second to breathe. Keen, a Grappling Unlimited student, has solid ground skills and has been working on his stand-up. Experience will be the edge in this fight. Lewis 3-2 favorite

161lbs 2x5 minute rounds
Jay R. Palmer 155lbs (Rough Houzers) 22-20
vs.
Harris Sarriento 155lbs (808 Fight Factory) 1-3
The always game Palmer will once again step between the ropes. He has fought all levels of fighters with mixed success. Sarriento has recently moved to the 808 Fight Factory camp and thinks the new training environment will be a plus . Pick 'em Even Odds

143lbs 2x5 minute rounds
Dain Agbayani 141lbs (808 Fight Factory) 2-3
vs.
Justin Mercado 141lbs (Grappling Unlimited) 1-1
Agbayani has a striking background who is becoming well versed on the ground. Mercado will try to negate Agbayani's experience with quickness and aggressiveness. Pick 'em Even Odds

167.5lbs 2x5 minute rounds
Deshaun Johnson 165lbs (HMC) 3-3
vs.
Andy Wang 165lbs (Grappling Unlimited) 2-3
This will be a great contrast in styles. Johnson is a "tough as nails" brawler who is rapidly developing his grappling skills. Wang is a Jiu-Jitsu specialist with limited striking. Look for Johnson to win a stand up battle or Wang to submit Johnson on the ground. Pick 'em Even Odds

165 lbs 2x5 minute rounds
Mark Moreno 165lbs (Bull's Pen) 3-1-1
vs.
"Ice Cold" Kolo Koka 165lbs (Grappling Unlimited)4-3
This has the ear-markings of a great fight! Both young fighters have tremendous striking ablilities and have shown great chins. Both are also picking up the ground game quickly. The edge in power will go to Moreno, while the edge in experience is Koka's. This one will be close. Pick 'em Even Odds

Heavyweight 2x5 minute rounds
Andre "The Chief" Roberts 366lbs (Team Extreme) 9-1
vs.
Ray "King Kong" Seraille 260lbs (Grappling Unlimited)1-1
Everyone likes to see the big guys bang! Roberts is a world class fighter who has seen success in the UFC Octagon. He has a brawling style and will mix it up with the best of them. Kong will have to weather an early storm and pick "The Chief" off later in the fight if he expects to upset the veteran. Roberts 6-1 favorite

167.5lbs 2x5 minute rounds
Mike Panalber 170lbs (Shark Tank)
vs.
Ronald Jhun 170lbs (808 Fight Factory) 15-9-2
Panalber is a young game fighter who is looking to make a name for himself. A win over Jhun would certainly do that. Jhun has looked very sharp at his new weight of 170lbs. A win here would surely set up a rematch for the Super Brawl belt with "Mr. International" Shonie Carter in March. Jhun 2-1 favorite

185lbs 3x5 minute rounds
Tyrone Roberts 185lbs (Team Extreme) 15-2
vs.
Falaniko Vitale 185lbs (Grappling Unlimited) 12-1
Tyrone Roberts is a UFC veteran with tremendous wrestling and striking skills. He has KO power in both hands as well as the ability to take an opponents down at will. He is ultra-aggressive who will "brawl" with anyone. Vitale went undefeated in 2002 and wants to start the year off in the same fashion. UFC scouts are watching this fight closely. An impressive performance may land this local boy in the "big show". Pick 'em Even Odds

194lbs 2x5 minute rounds
Yukiya Naito 194lbs (A3 Gym, Tokyo) 4-0
vs.
Egan Inoue 182.6lbs (Grappling Unlimited) 12-3 Champion
Naito is all that stands between Inoue and his shot at the Shooto Champion, Masanori Suda. Naito is a rising star in Japan who can fight both standing and on the ground. He will also have a weight advantage over Inoue. Although known for his grappling, Egan's has won his last two fights by knock out (one with punches and one headkick) and it will be interesting if he continues his striking ways. Whether standing or on the ground, the smaller Inoue will have to use his quickness to his advantage. Inoue 3-2 Favorite

Source: T. Jay Thompson

The Arnold Schwarzenegger
World Gracie Submission Championships

The Arnold Schwarzenegger World Gracie Submission Championships are just around the corner. Here are some of the updates for this year's event:

** Relson Gracie has decided to allow neck cranks in this year's event. Please note that the neck cranks WILL NOT BE ALLOWED FROM THE GUARD! This will be explained in detail at the event!

** We have been gathering a list of some of the teams that will be represented and they are a virtual "who's who" among the BJJ community. Teams from the following associations will be there: Relson Gracie, Royce Gracie, Renzo Gracie, Royler Gracie, Rickson Gracie, Ribeiro Brothers, Machado Brothers, American Top Team, Pedro Sauer, Jorge Gurgel, Caique, Rodrigo Vegis, The Alliance, and many others!

** As in past events, all the matches will refereed by EXPERIENCED Black Belt instructors! Rolker Gracie, Robin Gracie, Roberto Marques Da Silva, Randy Bloom, Marcio Simas, and Caique, just to name a few.

** We are currently working on securing prizes to be given to the winner in both the Gi and No-Gi divisions!

These are just some of the things were are working on to make this years Arnold Schwarzenegger World Gracie Submission Championships the best ever!

Dustin Ware
Assistant Coordinator
www.gracieworlds.com

Source: Ultimate Athlete

UCC 12 - A Look Back!

Montreal, Canada-Miletich Martial Arts fighters went 1-2 last weekend in UCC 12 with Jens “Lil’ Evil” Pulver losing to Duane “Bang” Ludwig and Anthony “The Freak” Fryklund losing to David “The Crow” Loiseau while Jason Black defeated John “The Natural” Alessio in three of the four belt bouts.

Ever since UCC 11 last October Miletich Martial Arts have been a major part of the lineup with the original UCC 11 show scheduled to have Black, Fryklund, and Pulver along with Jeremy Horn and Jesse Jones. Although the card was split due to multiple fighters becoming injured, UCC 11 was when Jones lost his Middleweight belt to Loiseau while Horn defeated Christophe Midoux in the main event for the World Light Heavyweight belt.

For UCC 12 Fryklund was taking on Loiseau to try to bring the World Middleweight belt back to Bettendorf while Black was fighting Alessio for the World Welterweight belt and Pulver was the 4-1 favorite to claim the vacant World Lightweight belt over Duane Ludwig.

Anthony Fryklund started out in ’97 with his UFC debut which resulted in a win over Donnie Chappell and a loss to Kevin Jackson. He came back in ’01 and proceeded to tear into a year and a half long winning streak including UCC 8 where he beat Jonathan Goulet, UFC 37.5 where he picked up a TKO over Rodrigo Ruas, and the famous keylock over Zach Light in WEC 4. Fryklund came out the aggressor but throughout the fight he had trouble with Loiseau’s standup, taking a couple kicks, a knee to the midsection, and eventually a forearm that opened a cut that would end the fight. Fryklund, not seeming to realize the danger of his head wound, definitely didn’t want to stop and vocalized his feelings in the middle of the ring before Pat Miletich seemed to talk some sense into him and the Freak we all know and love calmed down and even showed great sportsmanship when obviously still upset he placed the belt on Loiseau himself. The Freak losing this one isn’t a knock on him for not doing a good job at all, it’s credit to Loiseau for being such a great striker.

One of Miletich Martial Art’s secret weapons Jason Black may not be as familiar a name to many fans as it should be but all that should change with his win over Alessio. Alessio went into this fight not only with the UCC World Welterweight belt but is also the proud owner of the KOTC Superfight belt which he has had ever since beating Chris Brennan. Black is no stranger to the pressure bouts with his very first fight being a win over HOOKnSHOOT standout and UFC vet Steve Berger in addition to himself being a vet of WFA 1 & 3 and UCC 8. Alessio seemed to have the strategy of constantly backing up on the feet, keeping Black away from him and counter punching while Black was trying to close the distance for the takedowns from the very beginning. In round 1 Alessio was successful in this strategy causing visible damage to Black’s face while Black chose to go for more body shots. Starting in round 2 Black’s strategy came on-line and near the end he managed to score a takedown but it was round 3 that seemed to be all Black as he repeatedly took down Alessio and landed a couple shots on his way to a decision victory. Although many of the fans booed Alessio for being boring and retreating it was a very effective if not overly exciting way to beat Black, something that nobody has yet been able to do. Alessio should have won round 1 with Black winning round 3 so the decision apparently fell to Black’s takedown in round 2.

Jens Pulver was by far THE name on the card. Two-and-a-half year winning streak, former UFC Lightweight champion from the time the belt was issued until he walked away from the bargaining table, #1 ranked Lightweight fighter in the world, and 4-1 favorite Pulver was looking to take the vacant Lightweight belt from the sights of Bas Rutten trained Ludwig but anybody who has seen Ludwig in KOTC knew he would be a challenge. Unpredictably it was Ludwig’s first knockdown of round 1 that stunned Pulver who managed to return to his feet only to be knocked down quickly with a straight right that ended the fight at a little over 1 minute. Ludwig may have been the better man that night but you can be sure Pulver’s reputation is barely tarnished and with the lack of hard strikers at 155 Pulver will be a force to be reckoned with for a long time to come.

Also on the card Jermaine Andre lost a decision to Steve Vigneault but although Andre is still listed in several places as being a Miletich Martial Arts fighter he lives in St. Louis and doesn’t train in Iowa nearly as much as the rest.

Next up for Miletich Martial Arts and Team Extreme we will see Tim Sylvia take on Ricco Rodriguez for the Heavyweight belt in the UFC February 28th, Jeremy Horn hopefully twice before the end of the summer, Pat eventually in the WFA for his fight against Trigg that was postponed last November, and Hughes defending his belt against Sean Sherk in UFC 41. Many of these fighters are expected to attend and are rumored to even be available for autograph signing in Extreme Challenge next weekend in Iowa.

Source: ADCC

UFC 40: Vendetta - Post Fight With Andrei Arlovski

A vastly improved Andrei Arlovski of Minsk, Belarus met cage veteran Ian Freeman of Sunderland, England in the octagon on November 9, 2002, at UFC 40: Vendetta. The 23-year-old Arlovski exhibited major improvements in this match lasting just 1:25. The former World Sambo Champion utilized a new aggressiveness, stand up combinations and overall physical conditioning to add another “W” to his record. “Just doing my job,” he said, Arlovski controlled the match from beginning to end. A fierce cage competitor, the 249 pound fighter sees himself as a very calm and peaceful person in everyday life. I caught up with Arlovski for this post fight interview just before he departed the United States.

You’re coming off a win at “UFC 40: Vendetta” against England’s Ian Freeman. Please tell me about the match.
I expected him to try and break distance in the first seconds of our fight and get me to the ground, so I controlled the situation and stopped his intension. I then used combinations of punches and low kicks... you saw the rest.

How did you feel at the moment Referee Larry Landless stopped the match at just 1:25 and awarded you the KO win over Freeman?
I felt very satisfied because I did my job.

Of your matches I’ve seen (UFC 32, 36 & 40), you were clearly more aggressive in this match. Where did this aggressiveness come from?
From my desire to win.

Your stand up was better then ever, with quick hands landing great combinations. How have you trained stand up differently?
Indeed. I paid more attention to boxing and worked on both hand combinations.

Although heavier, at 249 pounds, then in past UFC matches, you appeared in better physical shape for this match. What do you attribute this too?
To my endurance training.

What are your thoughts on the “thumb in the eye” call by Freeman?
I didn’t notice that during the fight. If it happened – it was not intentionally.

What is your professional MMA record?
9 fights (6 wins – 3 losses)

Tell me about the Police Academy and how you took a required Sambo class, then started serious training?
That’s right – at the Police Academy it was required to take Sambo class. So, I started to do Sambo and soon became a 2 Time World Champion.

How did you come to start MMA late at 20?
I was a World Sambo Champion and I loved to watch MMA/NHB fights. So, in 1998, I decided to give a try.

What does it mean to hold the rank of International Master Of Sport (Sambo)?
It is not really easy to get such rank in the country where Sambo is a National Sport. I’m very proud to have it.

You played soccer before martial arts. Do you still play soccer?
No.

What do you do outside of MMA?
If you are asking me about my hobbies, then - nightclubs, girls, reading books.

What is next for you?
My next fight.

What is one thing about Andrei Arlovski that would have people saying, “Hmmmm... I didn’t know that?”
That in everyday life I am a very calm and peaceful person.

Is there anything you’d like to say?
See you next time in Octagon!

Source: ADCC

From The Mount

Since Tito Ortiz seems content to delay his fight with Chuck Liddell, it led me to wonder: what exactly keeps him up nights about Liddell. He's beaten top strikers like Vanderlei Silva, outwrestled Vladimir Matyushenko, and looked better than ever against Ken Shamrock. But perhaps it's just that Liddell could well play Holyfield to his Tyson, luring Ortiz into costly assaults and traps. That's the only way I can figure it. Styles make fights in mixed martial arts, too, and perhaps Liddell is the exact kind of guy to beat an Ortiz.

Like Holyfield, Liddell isn't as powerful as his foe. But a guy like Ortiz, who is so used to physically dominating people, might run into the antidote, and that's Liddell's clearly superior standup game. When Tyson ran out in his first fight with Holyfield, he cracked him with a perfect right cross in the opening moments. Holyfield buckled, moved out of trouble, and kept fighting. The fact that he didn't crumble and kept fighting back unnerved Tyson. Now, Ortiz is no front-runner like Tyson, but to beat him you've got to survive an intense opening assault. Chuck seems crafty and experienced enough to do just this. Liddell might run into some tough moments, but remember that Frank Shamrock did against Ortiz, but outlasted him at the end.

Ortiz' cardio is better these days, and I'd still take him over Liddell, but the fact is that Ortiz still needs a defining fight against a top rival in his prime. Ken Shamrock, clearly past his, was not that opponent. Vitor Belfort and Ortiz could never seem to stay injury-free long enough to meet. Liddell is that man, and the credibility of Ortiz, and the UFC to a larger extent, depends on the light heavyweight champion meeting Liddell.

Short shots:

How long until we have the first mixed-gender MMA fight? It will happen eventually, you know. Somebody will figure out a compelling enough story line to make an obscene matchup of a 200-lb. female against some 150-lb. dude, maybe an ex-boyfriend chef type or something.

Watching an old IFC video of Igor Vovchanchin-Fred Floyd, it was amazing to see Igor at a svelte 207 lbs. If the guy had stayed in shape and kept his weight down, how good a light heavyweight could he have been? At one time, Vovchanchin was the textbook anti-grappler, a capable, strike-from-anywhere fighter that gave standup stylists a glimmer of hope that they could compete with grapplers. Someday when we're old and gray we'll point to the capable Russian as an example of how to do damage from any position, no matter how unenviable it seems.

On another, it's a bittersweet observation that MMA has been around long enough to consider some guys less than what they used to be - even shot fighters. Guess it's got that in common with boxing, finally.

Have you ever analyzed the improvement curve of MMA? If you sit around and watch old UFCs (call it pre-UFC 20) and note that most of the guys who won then couldn't beat most of the guys that lose in today's UFC, you know what I'm talking about. Will there be a day, say, in ten years where everyone in the weltwerweight division would probably beat Matt Hughes? Or all the heavyweights would beat Ricco Rodriguez? Don't laugh. It's feasible.

I would pick all of the better middleweights - Murillo Bustamante, Phil Baroni, Dave Menne, and Matt Lindland - to beat Royce Gracie, who seemed invincible when he was dominating the early UFCs. The improvement curve is flattening out, obviously, but the plain truth of it is that the earlier someone starts cross-training in the myriad disciplines demanded of an MMA fighter, the better they'll be in their physical prime in the mid-20s. I get the feeling that wrestlers will always be a force to reckon with, as it's easier to pick up some standup late in life after being a grappler, than vice-versa - but imagine how good that wrestler would be if he'd taken standup early in life as a kid.

That kid is out there now, and many more like him. He'll probably be an improved version of Bustamante - wicked striking skills that mirror those of a decent Thai boxer, and top-level submission abilities. Scary.

Source: Maxfighting