The
man who trims himself to suit everybody will soon whittle himself
away.
Charles
Schwab
IGJJF
Line Up Announced - O Bicho vai pegar -
The Big Cats are on the prowl
GENERAL EVENT INFORMATION
DATE:
February 1-2, 2003
Starts at 10am
Doors open at 9am
EVENT LOCATION:
California State Dominguez Hills
Main Gym - Torodome
1000 E. Victoria St.
Carson, Ca. 90747
For a map, click
here
There
are many reasons to attend the inaugural IGJJF Open Tournament
this Saturday and Sunday at the Cal State Domingues Hills. You
will have the opportunity to perhaps witness the birth of a new
Jiu-Jitsu revolution with the new IGJJF 'motion' rules. Of course
you also will be seeing the legendary Grandmaster Helio Gracie
in person. As if that was not enough, organizer Rorion Gracie,
the man that created the U.F.C. has given the most compeling
one of them all . . . the greatest line-up of fighters ever seen
outside Brazil! Rorion released the names of the competitors
already signed up and stated: 'I am very excited that these World
Class fighters stepped up to the plate, demonstrating they have
embraced this new concept. These pioneers have come to test themselves
under the most exciting set of rules, that reward attacking and
submissions and the ultimate goal is of course benefitting Jiu-Jitsu
as a sport and a fighting style! We have no less than 5 World
Champions, the best in the World , competing here!' And he continues:
'We also have many of the top schools sending strong teams: Ralph
& Charles Gracie, Relson Hawaii, Caique, Cleber/Paragon just
to name a few!'
1-
Marcio 'Pe de Pano' Cruz
2- Saulo Ribeiro
3- Gabriel Vella
4- Fabio Leopoldo
5- Jorge 'Macaco' Patino
6- Van Damme
Yes
my friends, if you are not there you'll miss all the fireworks!
Imagine: Pe de Pano and Saulo - No time limits - go for broke
match! If you miss it, the only option left will be buying the
OntheMat DVD when they release it. Of course ADCC News, Grappling
Magazine and Gracie Magazine will be there documenting every
move. Be there!
Source:
ADCC/Kid Peligro
Super
Brawl Super Stars
"Egan Inoue Returns"
Airs in Prime Time!
A one hour special featuring an in depth look into the life of
Mixed Martial Arts fighter Egan Inoue will air 5 times in the
next week. Hawaii local WB affiliate, K5 will be airing Super
Brawl Super Stars "Egan Inoue Returns" on Saturday
night at 9pm, immediately following the much anticipated University
of Hawaii basketball game versus rival Tulsa. K5 will also air
this special on Wed. night at 9pm. The show will be repeated
Tuesday, Wed., and Thursday night at 12:30pm.
The one hour show will feature interviews, lifestyle segments
on Egan Inoue, as well as three complete fights including the
never before aired battle between Egan Inoue v Martijn De Jong.
The show will also have a short feature on Super Brawl Super
Star, Falaniko Vitale.
All airings should help fill the Blaisdell Arena on Saturday
night, Feb 8, when Egan Inoue will fight Japan's Yukiya Naito.
Source:
Promoter
2002
Shooto Official Awards
SHOOTO
released their end of year awards for 2002. Another great year
for Japan's most respected MMA organization.
[MVP]
Takanori Gomi
[Semi-MVP]
Hiroyuki Abe
[Best
Tecnicque]
Masahiro Oishi
[Most
Improved Shooter]
Tatsuya Kawajiri
[Best
Foreign Fighter]
Vitor 'Shaolin' Ribeiro
[Rookie
of the Year]
Kuniyoshi Hironaka
[Best
Bout in Japan]
Takanori Gomi vs. Dokonjonosuke Mishima
[Best
Bout outside Japan]
Stephen
Paling
vs. Kazuhiro Inoue
[Best
KO at standing]
Hiroyuki Abe
[Best
KO on the gound]
Norifumi 'KID' Yamamoto
[Best
Submission]
Alexandre Franca Nogueira
[Best
Bout in Amateur Shooto]
Seigi Fujioka vs. Hiroyuki Takaya
[Best
KO in Amateur Shooto]
Kenji Osawa
[Best
Submission in Amateur Shooto]
Takeshi Sato (= Heat Takeshi)
[Distinguished
Persons] *Persons of Merit
Kazuhiro Kusayanagi
Hiroshi Tsuruya
Richard Santoro
Martijn de Jong
Source:
ADCC
Pre
Notes: ADCC Brazil Trials Champion
Ronaldo JACARE
This
young man will be the next big thing. Mark my words.
Mike
The
fans and critics alike are calling Ronaldo JACARE the phenomenom
of the competition. A highly decorated brown belt, with a reputation
for 'submitting everybody', JACARE showed an attacking style
that wore out his opponents.
The
highly anticipated match between Maragarida Pontes and Jacare
developed in the second round. Pontes came thru a very hard bout
against the game Pitbull, but was still the favorite going in.
Jacare met Pontes head on. A long feeling out process saw no
give in either fighter. Pontes tried the first shoot, and Jacare
sprawled and held him off. Maragarida would lose a point for
going to his back, but the match came to it's feet quickly -
a mistake by Margarida that Jacare would never give back.
When
it went to the ground, a mad scramble resultsed in a full 30
seconds of action off the mat. The reset when the action slowed
resulted in no points, with the match working it's way back to
the feet. JACARE would hold of Pontes desparate attacks until
the end and advance. In the finals he met rugged Bruno Bastos,
but JACARE is known for his full tank of gas - you could see
him wearing Bastos out in the long bout, and he earned points
and stayed active until the end of the 20 minute time limit.
Your
resume, please?
Three times BJJ World Champion
Three times BJJ National Champion
What
are your expectations regarding the trials, besides being champion,
of course?
I expect to fight against the best fighters and make good fights.
What
do you think of the ADCC's effect on the Martial Arts rivalries
in Brazil?
I think these rivalries depends a lot on the fighter. Some fighters
just don't care about the rivalry, for them it never exists.
On the other hand, there are some guys who really enjoy the rivalry
and won't do anything to make this situation better.
Who
do you think is the man to beat in your weight class?
I have heard that Fernando 'Margarida' Pontes is in. I think
everyone will be tough however.
Talk
about your training regimen?
In the morning I work 1 hour and 40 minutes working on weights.
In the afternoon I train judo and jiu-jitsu. At night I train
2 hours without the gi.
Source:
ADCC
LINEUP
SET FOR COLLEGE WRESTLING
ALL-STAR CLASSIC, FEB. 3
By: Eddie Goldman
College
wrestling's all-star meet is almost here. On Monday, Feb. 3,
top wrestlers from all around the U.S. will gather at the University
of Delaware for the 2003 Cape Cod Potato Chips/NWCA All-Star
Classic.
There
will be an Internet pay-per-view delayed webcast of this event.
LiveSportsVideo.com will be showing all the matches from this
event on Wednesday, Feb. 5, as a 'Pay-2-See' event for $10. They
will also show the Midlands Tournament as a bonus. For more information,
go to: www.LiveSportsVideo.com.
Here
is the current lineup for the NWCA All-Star Classic, with the
wrestlers' rankings from W.I.N. Magazine included:
2003
CAPE COD POTATO CHIPS / NWCA ALL-STAR CLASSIC
February 3, 2003
Bob Carpenter Center, University of Delaware
Newark, Delaware
125
- #1 Chris Fleeger (Purdue) vs. #2 Travis Lee (Cornell/Hawaii)
133 - #5 Kevin Black (Wisconsin) vs. #6 Witt Durden (Oklahoma)
141 - #6 Mike Maney (Lock Haven) vs. #5 Dylan Long (Northern
Iowa)
149 - #4 Jake Percival (Ohio) vs. #7 Dustin Manotti (Cornell)
157 - #3 Scott Owen (Northern Illinois) vs. #2 Keaton Anderson
(Ohio State)
165 - #3 Troy Letters (Lehigh) vs. #5 Johnny Clark (Ohio State)
174 - #1 Greg Jones (WVU) vs. #2 Chris Pendleton (Oklahoma State)
184 - #1 Jessman Smith (Iowa) vs. #2 Clint Wattenberg (Cornell)
197 - #3 Jon Trenge (Lehigh) vs. #1 Muhammad Lawal (Oklahoma
State)
285 - #1 Steve Mocco (Iowa) vs. #2 Tommy Rowlands (Ohio State)
285 - #9 John Testa (Clarion) vs. #10 Matt Feast (Penn)
Coaches:
Craig Turnbull (West Virginia), Russ Hellickson (Ohio State),
Jeff Swenson (Augsburg), and Ray Kowatch (Ashland)
Here
is the official press release issued by the National Wrestling
Coaches Association (NWCA) about this event:
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 22, 2003
NWCA
Announces Cape Cod Potato Chips / NWCA All-Star Classic Tentative
Lineup
NCAA Champions Jones and Rowlands headline lineup
The
National Wrestling Coaches Association is pleased to announce
that an impressive lineup of Division I wrestlers have accepted
invitations to compete at the 2003 Cape Cod Potato Chips / NWCA
All-Star Classic. The 37th Annual All-Star Classic, which is
being hosted by the Delaware Wrestling Alliance, will take place
at the University of Delaware’s Bob Carpenter Center on
February 3 at 8 p.m. The event will also feature a marquee high
school event at 5p.m. featuring the defending Pennsylvania, New
Jersey and Delaware State team champions.
The
Cape Cod Potato Chips / NWCA All-Star Classic pits the nation’s
top collegiate wrestlers against each other in challenge matches
that is often seen as a preview of the upcoming NCAA finals.
The 2002 All-Star Classic at Hofstra University saw three wrestlers
go onto capture NCAA titles in March.
This
year’s lineup will feature two returning NCAA Champions
and five current number one ranked wrestlers. There are currently
five matches featuring the number one and two ranked wrestlers
in the nation according to Amateur Wrestling News. The lineup
is tentative and could be subject to change in case of injuries
to participating wrestlers.
Headlining
the lineup is returning NCAA Champions Greg Jones of West Virginia
University at 174lbs and Tommy Rowlands of Ohio State University
at 285lbs.. Jones is currently ranked one nation with a perfect
15-0 record this season. Jones will meet second ranked Chris
Pendleton of Oklahoma State University, who is also undefeated
at 14-0. Rowlands, who is making his third consecutive appearance
at the NWCA All-Star Classic, is currently ranked second in the
nation with a 23-2 record. He will renew his rivalry with Steve
Mocco of Iowa. Mocco is currently ranked first with a 16-0 record
and defeated Rowlands at the Midlands Championships 4-2. Rowlands
and Mocco is a repeat of last year’s NCAA finals, which
Rowlands won on the tiebreaker.
There
will be three other matches that will see the number one versus
number two wrestlers meet. At 125lbs, number one ranked Chris Fleeger of
Purdue will meet Cornell University’s second ranked Travis
Lee. Fleeger is currently undefeated at 15-0 while Lee is 18-0
on the season. At
184lbs, Jessman Smith of Iowa will look to defend his number
one ranking versus Cornell’s second ranked Clint Wattenberg.
Smith defeated Wattenberg in the finals of the Midlands 5-4.
The final number one versus two match will take place at 197lbs.
Number one ranked Muhammad Lawal of Oklahoma State will battle
Lehigh’s second ranked Jon Trenge.
Cornell’s
Dustin Manotti at 149lbs and Lehigh’s Troy Letters at 165lbs
were the lone freshmen selected to compete in this year’s
event. The fifth ranked Manotti will meet fourth ranked Jake
Percival of Ohio University while fourth ranked Letters will
wrestle fifth ranked Johnny Clark of Ohio State.
The
remaining lineup includes: Second ranked Witt Durden of Oklahoma
meeting fourth ranked Kevin Black of Wisconsin at 133lbs, third
ranked Dylan Long of Northern Iowa meeting fourth ranked Mike
Maney of Lock Haven at 141lbs and second ranked Keaton Anderson
of Ohio State wrestling third ranked Scott Owen of Northern Illinois
at 157lbs.
In
keeping with the tradition of a local feature match, the Delaware
Wrestling Alliance invited Clarion’s John Testa to meet
Penn’s Matt Feast at 285lbs. Testa grew up in Newark, DE
and went to school at St.. Mark’s High School.
“On
behalf of the NWCA Board of Directors, I would like to thank
the athletes and coaches for competing in this signature event,
we truly could not make these events a success without their
support,” stated Mike Moyer, Executive Director of the National
Wrestling Coaches Association
This
year’s Cape Cod Potato Chips / NWCA All-Star Classic is
unique as it marks the first time the event is being brought
to a campus that currently does not sponsor wrestling. The Delaware
Wrestling Alliance is presenting the event to help bring wrestling
back to the University of Delaware. The DWA’s success is
predicated on their ability to demonstrate a strong commitment
from the wrestling community in the Middle Atlantic Region.
“The
NWCA BOD will be forever grateful for the relentless efforts
of the DWA to host our signature event in an attempt to restore
an intercollegiate wrestling program to the campus of University
of Delaware. We would like to ask that the entire wrestling community
in the mid-Atlantic region supports the DWA's efforts by ensuring
that we have a sell-out crowd,” commented Moyer.
A
special prelude to the Cape Cod Potato Chips/NWCA All-Star Classic
will be six-team high school event at 5p.m. The feature match
will be Pennsylvania State Champions, Easton High School versus
New Jersey State Champions, Abesgami High School. The two other
duals meets will highlight four Delaware schools as Delaware
State Champions St. Marks High School will meet William Penn
High School while Delaware State Runner-up, Caesar Rodney High
School will meet Sussex Central High School.
Tickets
can be purchased for the Cape Cod Potato Chips / NWCA All-Star
Classic by visiting the DWA’s website at www.beastwrestling.com.
For more information, please call 717-653-8009.
Source:
ADCC
Q&A
with Pedro Rizzo
MF:
How has your recovery from your broken nose gone?
Pedro Rizzo: Well, my fight was on September 27, and I had surgery
October 10. The bone of my nose was totally separated from my
face. When the surgery was done, the doctor said one month without
training, because I couldn't breath much due to an inflammation
of my nasal pathways.
MF:
So it wasn't hurt too badly?
PR: I broke my nose, but I didn't split it. The bone that was
broken is a bridge to the brain. The punch that Gan McGee landed
was straight, but it had a side pressure such as a cross. When
the first round finished, I felt my bone totally free and then
I said: 'Marco Ruas, I cannot proceed.'
MF:
Was it difficult facing a taller opponent?
PR: I trained with taller sparring partners who put pressure
all over me. I trained Muay Thai, wrestling, Luta Livre and boxing
with many people who were taller than me. That was a lucky punch,
and it happens with anyone who enters the Octagon. I think McGee
didn't realize he'd landed, because when I ate that punch and
when I collided against the fence, he still was in the center
of the Octagon with a look on his face like, 'I did that?'
MF:
Do you consider McGee a tough opponent?
PR: He's a good fighter, but technically he's limited. He needs
to improve if he wants to be a UFC champion. He's still young
and he'll improve.
MF:
Did you feel like you were in your best shape for the fight against
him?
PR: After the fight against Andrei Arlovski, I had surgery on
my hand and I had taken some medicine and had trouble losing
weight. I think I wasn't at an ideal weight, but I had trained
hard like always. It happens. I only hope this lack of luck ends
soon.
MF:
What was your strategy in the fight?
PR: I didn't know much about him. I thought he'd try to take
me down. I landed some low kicks as bait to see what he'd do,
and, to my surprise, he didn't block my low kicks. I know my
kicks are hard, and, when he accepted them, I thought I'd play
this type of game. But he got that lucky punch. McGee said he
was looking for my kicks to land that punch, but I don't believe
that.
MF:
Now that the fight is over, do you feel that your strategy was
a good idea?
PR: I never imagined that in the remaining 10 seconds I'd eat
that punch.
MF:
Did you know after the first round that you wouldn't be able
to continue?
PR: When the round finished I walked to my corner and I put my
hand on my nose. It was on the right side of my face and then
it passed to the left side, so I felt I was out of action. Leon
Tabbs said I was in no condition to fight.
MF:
How frustrating was that loss?
PR: All defeats are frustrating but that was especially. I was
growing, and, if I had won, I would have fought against the winner
of Randy Couture versus Ricco Rodriguez, I think. I lost the
opportunity of fighting for the title in February and now I fight
against the tough Vladimir "The Janitor" Matyushenko.
Once more I'll have to prove my value.
MF:
Will your training change because of the loss to McGee?
PR: I do not think my training was bad. Everything was hard and
my sparring sessions were tough. I just lost. I will keep my
head raised, and I will try to revamp at UFC 41.
MF:
Did you expect to return to the UFC so soon?
PR: The UFC promoters asked me if I'd be OK by February, and
because I have determination in my veins, I wanted to fight as
soon as possible.
MF:
What should fans expect from you in your return?
PR: I learn with the defeats and for some reason it helps me.
I'll step in the Octagon more relaxed.
MF:
How much longer do you plan on fighting?
PR: I am 28 years old and I can fight the top heavyweight fighters
around the world. I am at the same level of the top fighters
from the UFC and PRIDE, so while I am feeling like that, I will
continue fighting.
MF:
What is your goal in mixed martial arts?
PR: My goal is, of course, the UFC heavyweight belt. I still
have many things to show in the Octagon.
MF:
Do you believe that it is still possible to become the UFC heavyweight
champion?
PR: I've been in the UFC since 1998. I think that I am always
among the best fighters. I want to give excellent performances
to the fans, but I want to be champion too.
MF:
Whom would you like to fight after your match against Matyushenko?
PR: Of course, I would like to fight whoever has the heavyweight
belt. In my opinion, Rodriguez is the favorite against Tim Sylvia,
but if something does not run like it should, my goal will be
to fight Sylvia.
Source:
Maxfighting
J.G.’s
“Tito Ortiz vs. Chuck Liddell” Mailbag
Compiled
and Edited by Josh Gross (January 28, 2003)
In
the wake of Chuck Liddell’s response directed at Tito Ortiz’s
refusal to ink his name to a contract that would secure an April
25 title defense versus the UFC’s light heavyweight perennial
number one contender, many of MaxFighting’s faithful responded
with their take on the situation. Most, as you’d imagine,
labeled Ortiz a chicken (or worse). A handful showed limited
support for the “Huntington Beach Bad Boy,” but they
were few and far between.
For
the most part, you guys simply wanted to state your disappointment
that the best match up currently possible in the UFC appears
like it won’t be taking place for a while, if at all. What
are the ramifications? Where do Ortiz and Liddell go from here?
If they did fight, what would happen? Those questions, along
with a few non-Liddell-Ortiz queries are explored in the latest
edition of J.G.’s Mailbag.
GRADE-SCHOOL
TACTICS?
I
just wanted to compliment you on a great article. Its apparent
that Tito has been ducking Chuck for a long time now and Chuck
has just been sitting back waiting his time while Tito has been
acting like the fourth grade bad kid when you would have a substitute
teacher. Zuffa of course, is the substitute teacher letting the
little unruly student play Mr. Bigshot. This is the reason I
have such a problem with Tito. It isn't because he doesn't fight
well or anything like that, the guy is like an out of control
kid who always has to be in the spotlight. When someone challenges
his spotlight he doesn't know what to do and he comes up with
crazy excuses and Zuffa backs him up. I am a hardcore fight fan
and I know we are why the sport is where it is at right now.
It is not where it is at because ESPN documentaries, Carmen Elektra
or Tito Ortiz. I hope Zuffa gets some back bone and gives Tito
an option fight Chuck by June or leave. This is unfair to all
the hardcore, pay-per view buying fans like myself. Tito acts
like he cares so much about pleasing the fans but he will not
even fight in the fight everyone wants to see. O well Sorry Josh
I get carried away, not to many people to talk too about NHB
in western PA. -- Charlie Smith
What’s
up Western, PA! Hello from sunny Los Angeles. It was a balmy
80 degrees on Super Bowl Sunday. Anyhow, enough gloating.
Don’t
be so sure that Zuffa is turning their back to Ortiz’s act.
A year ago I was the first to say that Ortiz was clearly their
flag barer and that the UFC went above and beyond the call of
duty to coddle him.
While
Tito was laid up following surgery, Liddell should have faced
Belfort for an interim title last June. When I suggested the
idea in an article, UFC matchmaker Joe Silva shot me down. He
said it was a silly idea and that the UFC would never have interim
titles. Well, Joe, never say ‘never.’ Had he listened
then, Ortiz would have far less leverage to play the schoolyard
bully.
Think
about it, why should he be concerned that his actions would be
penalized? There is no sanctioning body forcing him to face Liddell.
It’s already proven that the UFC titles have little value.
A champion today is gone tomorrow -- at least that was the blueprint
in 2002. It’s simply a money issue. He thinks his name is
as big as the UFC’s. Of course, he’s wrong. As much
as I look forward to the day when the fighters’ names are
larger than the promotions they fight in, the sport’s not
there yet. Tito fails to realize this.
In
the end, I think we’ll see some kind of deal. Chuck will
wait and he’ll get his fight.
MOTIVES
MAKE THE WORLD GO ‘ROUND
Hi
Josh: I just finished reading your article on the fight (or lack
thereof) between Liddell & Ortiz. I can't believe that Tito
is showing a little bit of bitch in his heart. I've never viewed
Ortiz as the greatest UFC fighter (not by a longshot), but I
expected him to except the best possible challenges, as a way
to show support to the fans who support his chosen career, as
well as proving to himself that he's the top fighter in his division.
I'm
incredibly disappointed. Is Tank still fighting Frank Mir in
February? I suppose that'll be my highlight for the UFC in the
foreseeable future, since Tito is pretending to be injured. :::Shakes
head in disgust::: Take Care Josh -- MJM
Ortiz
may have disappointed a lot of people by not accepting the bout
versus Liddell, but he’s not a bitch. Come on man. He’s
got his reasons for not wanting to fight Chuck -- fear isn’t
one of them, though reality might be -- but on any given night
the guy is still one of the most dominant mixed martial artists
on the planet.
Styles
make fights, and fights make careers. For Ortiz to be the fighter
he thinks he is, he must fight Liddell this year. The crappy
thing for him: he’s got a serious shot of losing should
he finally accept to fight “The Iceman.”
RESPECT
THE MOHAWK
I
have been a fan of MMA and the UFC ever since it started. I have
seen all of Chuck’s fights as well as Tito's. I have read
the articles and seen the press and the hype and tend to agree
with Chuck. In that I believe that Tito is genuinely afraid and
his over inflated ego will not allow the most public and brutal
beating of Tito's career to take place. Chuck has a lethal stand
up game and is an awesome wrestler. Not taking anything away
from Tito... but he is no Liddell!! TITO SHOULD BE MADE FIGHT
LIDDELL AND TAUGHT SOME RESPECT. -- Bruce
Tito’s
not afraid of Chuck. The guy isn’t afraid of anyone. He
may be afraid of losing. He may be afraid of getting hurt. But
he’s not afraid of any fighter. Wary? Concerned? Hesitant?
Sure. But you really think Tito is scared to step in the ring
with anyone? Come on, the guy fought Vanderlei Silva, Vladimir
Matyushenko, Evan Tanner and other tough dudes.
That
said: Tito, do us all a favor and sign the damn contract.
FINALLY,
AN E-MAIL (MOSTLY) ABOUT THE IN-RING FIGHT
I've
noticed Tito's biggest weakness is his chin. Chuck's best weapon
is his punching power. I think Tito knows that Chuck is more
than capable of beating him and I don't think Tito wants to fight
Chuck because it will be Chuck digging Tito's grave after the
fight. -- Ken
I
think it’s fair to say that Tito’s chin has been exposed
in the past, though he’s very similar to Vanderlei Silva
in that he recovers well after taking a solid shot. He took a
huge flying knee from Yuki Kondo and acted as if he hadn’t
been touched. He took a shot square on the button from Ken Shamrock
and instantly recovered. And he also took a hard punch or two
from Silva.
That
said, “The Iceman” is infinitely more dangerous than
any of those guys because not only can he KO you with either
hand, he can stay on his feet long enough to hit you more than
once.
Chuck’s
biggest danger to Ortiz is his ability to wrestle and stay standing
in striking range. Because it’s on his feet that he’ll
beat Tito. I don’t doubt that he’s skilled from the
bottom and could survive a fight from his back but Liddell won’t
win the fight from there, just like Tito won’t win a fight
fought primarily on the feet.
APRIL
FOOLS
I'm
such a lemming. I read Tito's rebuttal and started believing
it is just a timing issue, but going back over your article,
I realize that Tito would have one more month to recover and
two full months to train. Hopefully your article, and others
like it, will anger the Champ enough to bring him out. Fact is,
injuries happen, but he could solve everything now by signing
for June. You guys do good work. -- Morgan Washick
Morgan,
injuries happen and should be dealt with properly when they do.
As my old high school football coach once asked me: “Are
you injured or are you hurt?” Being sore is part of the
business, and I’m sure no one knows that better than Ortiz.
However, using soreness as an excuse in January for a fight in
April is shoddy at best.
His
right hand was very swollen when I saw him after his fight versus
Shamrock in November, but it wasn’t broken. Hell, he wasn’t
close to 100 percent following ACL surgery prior to his fight
versus Shamrock and he still stepped in to fight. During the
rehab period he boasted at how quickly he was recovering. Tito
is an elite athlete, which is why his injury claims raise serious
doubts as to his motives surrounding a Liddell fight.
If
it takes Liddell calling Ortiz out to compel the UFC champ into
taking a fight he should want, Tito has more serious problems
than a sore hand and knee.
ENOUGH
WITH THE COMPLAINING…SOMEONE FIGHT ALREADY
Not
to say I am Joe Pro MMA fan-but I personally think Tito Ortiz
can beat Chuck. Not saying it wouldn’t be a great fight,
but recently he hasn’t fought anyone as good as Ortiz. Although
Ortiz hasn’t had many fights recently either. But rather
than complaining about belts and #1 contenders, why don’t
Chuck try to get a match with Wanderlei Silva. I mean I think
Liddell, Silva, and Ortiz could be the top 3 at that weight in
MMA. Plus fighters don’t get more aggressive than Silva,
so rather than complaining why don’t he put on a great fight
with one of the best out now. Thanks and I'm out like Tank Abbott
will be in UFC 41. -- No Name Given
Chuck
hasn’t fought anyone as good as Tito? Come on. Are you really
going to make me type out a list of their opponents the past
eighteen months. Fine
Understanding
that Ortiz missed most of 2002 here are their respective opponents…
Tito
Ortiz: Elvis Sinosic, Vladimir Matyushenko, Ken Shamrock
Of
course Tito could beat Chuck. If they fought ten times I say
they split the results right down the middle. Would a Liddell-Silva
fight be just as great? Sure it would. But Liddell has more than
earned his shot at Ortiz and the UFC light heavyweight title,
and he needs to do that first.
If
Silva continues to win in Japan -- and that’s not a sure
thing considering potential 2003 bouts versus Ricardo Arona,
Quinton Jackson and/or Kevin Randleman -- it would be excellent
to see him face the winner of Liddell-Ortiz, assuming it happens
soon.
WHOLE
LOTTA “BLACK”
Just
wanted to write and tell you that I enjoyed your article today
about Jason Black. He is a fighter that I have heard of often
and wondered about, but he never really gets much press. It was
nice to learn a little about his background. I have a few questions
about the article I hoped you could answer. Did Black place nationally
in wrestling at the D-III level? What is the bad blood between
him and Antonio McKee? This is the first that I had heard anything
about that. Also I would like your opinion on something. You
made a statement about a Miletich-trained fighter always being
prepared. Well, what happened to Pat against Lindland? He not
only got embarrassed, but he cost me some money. It seems that
everyone's opinion is that Matt was just too big. I just don't
buy that. Remember he wrestled in the Olympics at 167.5 lbs.
not to long ago, and I have read where Miletich walks around
at 190 lbs. I don't think there was that much of a weight difference
on the night of the fight. Thanks for taking the time to read
my email and keep up the good work. Also congratulations on the
editor's position at Fightsport. It is a great magazine. I just
wish it was monthly. -- Justin
Justin,
thanks for the props on the article. Monte Cox e-mailed me and
mentioned that Black isn’t the most talkative guy in MMA.
He didn’t hold back when I spoke to him. Maybe I have a
magic touch or something.
Anyhow,
from what I remember I believe he was an All-American at the
D-III level at least once and maybe twice. The bad blood between
he and McKee stems from their fight at WFA I. By most accounts,
Black fought the worst fight of his career. McKee is extremely
frustrating to face. The guy can hold down anyone and I guess
his style and demeanor didn’t sit well with Black. He says
he doesn’t care about fighting McKee again; something tells
me he’s not being entirely honest.
When
Miletich faced Lindland he was completely overmatched. Sometimes
it’s not your day, and clearly Lindland has Pat’s number
last March. In reality, Miletich was forced to 185 because of
Hughes. While it’s true that Lindland wrestled at 167.5
pounds, he’s much larger than Miletich. When you see the
two stand next to each other you quickly realize that.
Oh,
and thanks for mentioning the FightSport gig. It’s something
I’m really excited about and, if all goes the way I hope
it does, I think you guys will really love the direction of the
magazine in 2003. If you do, I have a good feeling we’ll
go monthly in 2004. Of course, your input is always appreciated!
MORE
“BLACK”
Josh,
great article on Jason Black! This guy doesn't get enough press!
Thanks for your efforts to keep us posted! By the way, I believe
it's Ottumwa, IA. Cheers! -- Mike
I
think you're right about Ottumwa -- I must have been trying to
fill my weekly quotient of errors. Useless fact time: Did you
know that “Radar” from the television series M.A.S.H
is supposed to be from Ottumwa? Anyhow, Black is the real deal
and his win over John Alessio on Saturday should propel him into
the top 10.
MILK
CARTON ALERT
I’m
a loyal follower of MMA but was curious about three fighters
in particular that seem to have fallen off the face of the earth.
One of these is Tre Telligman. It seems that he finally got his
career on the right path by defeating Igor Vovchanchyn but then
I haven’t heard about him since. Also, what happened to
Mikey Burnett? He seemed to be a force to be reckoned with out
of the Lion’s Den, giving Pat Miletich all that he could
handle plus scoring two victories in other UFC competitions.
Lastly, Ausserio Silva, whom I believe is 2-0 in Pride competition.
Do you know the whereabouts of these three athletes? Thanks in
advance! -- Eric Sczublewski
Tra
shifted his focus from MMA to boxing, and had some success. He
was featured on at least one or two televised cards. The last
time I spoke with him was this summer while I was in Dallas to
watch Ken Shamrock prepare for his November bout versus Tito
Ortiz. He was in good spirits and is definitely still involved
in the fight game.
I
saw Mikey Burnett at UFC 36 and he said that his fighting days
were more than likely over. Mikey’s life has not gone without
its share of problems, but he seems to be in a good place these
days. He currently lives in Oklahoma.
Ausserio
Silva is scheduled to return to action soon. He tore up some
knee ligaments and had surgery, which is why you haven’t
heard from him in a while. I saw him fight live twice and the
guy is a wrecking machine. Hopefully the knee surgery doesn’t
slow him down too much.
Source:
Maxfighting
1/30/03
Quote
of the Day
The
secret of success is making your vocation your vacation.
Mark
Twain
Relson
Gracie in Austin, then on to the IGJJF
Relson
arrived in Austin, Texas for two seminars. The first one at Dell
computer company and the second at The Hills Fitness Center.
Relson will then fly the Rorion's International Gracie Jiu-Jitsu
Tournament. Relson will meet up with Harris Brumer (Relson Gracie
Hawaii), Phil Cardella (Relson Gracie Texas) and Lionel Perez
(Relson Gracie Jacksonville, Florida) who are confirmed to test
their skills and lead the Relson Gracie team in this tournament.
Good luck guys!
I
will also be in California for the tournament. I will be there
for business and am leaving early to catch the tournament and
support our team.
Mike
More
BOB SAPP News
We reported last
week that Japanese celebrity, Bob Sapp, was preparing for a musical
release. This week, more details have surfaced about the CD.
A monstrous push
is being planned for Bob Sapp's debut album/CD.
Is Japan ready for
a 350lbs version of James Brown? Apparently they are, according
to Sapp's producers in Tokyo.
Neptune, a major
player on FujiTV, says their television hosts are ready to hype
up the album of Sapp's 'musical skills' on their highly rated
TV show.
Neptune is also
a partner with Sapp in the venture and says they expect to sell
over 1,000,000 copies of the CD entitled 'Sapp Time!'. Sorry
Hammer.
For Life Music Entertainment
will release the CD in early March are expecting it to win several
music awards...yes, you just read that right.
The CD will run
about $9 U.S. dollars and features songs written by Sapp himself.
Source: ADCC
Post-Fight
Q&A with Duane "Bang" Ludwig
Maxfighting:
Congratulations on a huge victory, what does this mean for you?
Ludwig: It means that now I'm finally a world champion. It feels
good to be a world champion and it felt good to beat Pulver.
Maxfighting:
You said after the fight that you had fulfilled a promise you
made a while back?
Ludwig: My mother passed away when I was 16. No one in my family
has really done anything with their lives, and I wanted to be
the first to make something of myself. So I made a promise to
her, through prayers, that I would win a world title for her.
And I did, so that one was for my mom, it felt good.
Maxfighting:
Does this win change your focus from K-1 to MMA?
Ludwig: My goal from the beginning has always been to win K-1
and I still want to do that. I started MMA as a hobby just to
mess around and try it, but now I'm a world champion in MMA.
So maybe I just shouldn't try so hard in kickboxing and I'll
win a world championship. I want to win the K-1, but after that
I'll probably just do MMA.
Maxfighting:
Did Pulver being such an accomplished world champion ever intimidate
you?
Ludwig: Actually no, I was pretty comfortable. I knew he was
going to try to stand up for a while, at least until I hit him
a few times, so I knew I had a minute or two. I felt pretty confident
that I would be able to land a couple punches. He's one of the
best fighters in the world, but I knew he couldn't stand up with
me.
Maxfighting:
Were you ready for the ground?
Ludwig: Yeah, I've been working on the ground a lot, with Shane
Pitts and Nathan Marquardt, and one day a week with Jeff Badard
and the wrestlers down at the Olympic Training Center. I still
would have had a hard time with him on the ground, of course,
but I would have been comfortable.
Maxfighting:
Your ground game has been in question for a long time, ever since
your loss to Eric Payne. How much has your style changed since
then?
Ludwig: I'm a lot better on the ground. For that fight I did
a lot of stand up, I was still kind of arrogant at the time,
but now I'm on the ground like a motherfucker. If any of you
guys think you can take me down and submit me, you're going to
have a lot more trouble than you think.
Maxfighting:
How did you improve your standup for this fight?
Ludwig: I hooked up with Trevor Wittman (a pro level boxing coach)
about four or five months ago. He's really brought a lot to my
game, there's just so much more to boxing that I didn't know,
and I've been striking for years. He's opened my eyes to different
elements of the sport. I feel a lot stronger and more confident
with my hands. My speed has always been there and my timing too,
but the power has not been there in my hands. Now it's all there,
I feel a lot better.
Maxfighting:
Will your new skills help you in K-1?
Ludwig: It will change things a lot. Before, I used to use my
hands to set up kicks and knees or score points but now I can
knock 'em out. So it may change my game a little bit. In my last
Thai boxing match in December I almost KO'd the guy with my hands.
Maxfighting: You showed your power against Pulver, is that your
fastest KO?
Ludwig: Yeah, I think so! In MMA or kickboxing that's my fastest
KO, and it's only the second from punches, all my others have
been from knees or kicks.
Maxfighting:
So what went through your head during that minute?
Ludwig: It's funny, I'd been boxing for four months, training
to circle left, then the first thing I do is circle to my right.
I'm going into his power, which is the wrong thing to do, but
because I did that, it gave him a chance to throw his power hook.
That was a blessing and a mistake, I'm not supposed to go that
way, but it made him open up with his hook so I could counter
with the right cross. So we circled and he throws the left hook
and I lean away, I see the opening. Then he throws it again and
I threw my right and he went down. Then I try to get away but
he grabs my feet so I sprawl out into a north south position.
I tried to control his hips with my right hand while I was delivering
shots with my right. I must have thrown 20 or so but I didn't
want to tire myself out. I didn't want to punch myself out so
I thought about choking him, but then I thought I better not
so we stood up. He got both under hooks on me so I pummeled in
and got my hips back. He was just stalling cause he was still
rocked so the ref separated us and I could see he was wobbling.
I knew right then that I could get the KO, so I threw a right
cross to the stomach and a left head hook, then I clinched for
a knee, but he got out. So I threw a left high kick and a right
cross after that, and the cross landed for the KO.
Maxfighting:
And then you did the jump splits?
Ludwig: They don't call me "lil Bas" for nothing! That
was a tribute to one of my favorite fighters and trainers, Bas
Rutten, just a way thank him and joke around.
Maxfighting:
How did it feel to have Bas in your corner?
Ludwig: It feels real good, it makes me feel confident and believe
in myself a little more. Everything Bas tells me I believe because
he's been there, he done it. If someone's trying to tell me a
combo or something that works and they've never fought before
I don't believe in it as much, even from a good trainer. But
if someone has been there, I trust in what they have to say,
I take it to heart more.
Maxfighting:
Bas says you learn like a machine, you catch on really quick
standing and on the ground, what makes that possible?
Ludwig: I've always been shown a lot of techniques and I just
take what I feel will work for me. I think Bas and I fight similarly,
so whatever combos he shows me feel comfortable right away. In
fact, we were practicing the right cross left hook combo in the
dressing room just 10 minutes before the fight, and then it actually
worked. I have a lot of confidence in what Bas says and when
you have confidence in something it will usually work. As for
the ground game, I'm an athlete and I pick things up quick when
I put my mind to it.
Maxfighting:
You beat the top 155 lb fighter in the world, there are going
to be a lot of guys wanting a shot at you. Are you ready to take
on the likes of BJ Penn, Matt Serra, and other top grapplers?
Ludwig: If they don't stand up with me, if they're always trying
to shoot or stay away, then of course it's going to be harder
for me to throw my strikes. My grappling isn't world-class caliber
yet, but I think it will be there shortly. As long as I work
the sprawl I'll be fine. I'll strike with anybody, but it could
be dangerous for me to fight those guys. If they have a good
shot I could be in trouble, but if they don't, then they're in
trouble. But styles make fights and that's what happened the
other night. Jens tried to trade with me and it didn't work out
for him. A better game plan might have been for him to take me
down, but he said he would stand up with me and he did and I
respect that because I could have gotten KO'd just as easily.
If my timing was off he would have gotten me with the left hook
instead of me hitting him with my right, and I would have been
the one sleeping, but it didn't happen that way, so I'm thankful.
Maxfighting:
Who do you want to fight next?
Ludwig: It's not about fighting a person to me right now, it's
about winning the K-1 max. I'd like to fight Masato again, I'd
like to fight Gong again, and that's really it. I'm not really
gunning for anyone, they're gunning for me, I think I just signed
a death warrant.
Maxfighting:
So did you like fighting in Canada?
Ludwig: I had a good time, but it was cold as hell. I think I
left the hotel room four times. I was surprised at how good the
Canadian fighters are. Some of those guys should be in the UFC
or Pride, they are definitely world class fighters. The UCC was
a good production too, they treated us really well. I was a little
worried going up, but turned out they had a good thing going
and I'm glad I was a part of it.
Maxfighting:
Do you have anything else to say to your fans?
Ludwig: To my fans… thanks for supporting me. Hopefully
I made some new fans out of the people who doubted me. If not,
hopefully I will in the future. I'd also like to thank all the
people who have gotten me here: Octagon.com, they have been there
since the beginning; Hybrid fight wear; GLC 2000, that stuff
really works; Fairtex equipment; Dakota Steakhouse; Brothers
Barbeque; Martialartsradio.com; GoldenPalace.com; the UCC and
Jens for giving me the opportunity; all my training partners,
Nathan Marquardt, Jeff Badard, Shane Pitts, Bas Rutten, Trevor
Wittman, my manager Sven Bean, all my fans, my family, and of
course the man above, Jesus… thank you.
Source:
Maxfighting
TUNE-IN
ADVISORY
UFC HEAVYWEIGHT RANDY COUTURE TO FLEX BRAIN POWER ON 'WEAKEST
LINK,' FRIDAY, JANUARY 31
Former
Ultimate Fighting Championship Two-Time Champion To Test Trivia
Brawn On Syndicated Spin Off Of Popular NBC-TV Game Show
LIVE EVENT TICKETS NOW ON SALE!
Will
brushing up with FCF help Couture's chances on Weakest Link?
Las Vegas, January 28, 2003…Former two-time Ultimate Fighting
Championship (UFC) Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture of Portland,
Ore., will flex his trivia brawn Friday, January 31, as one of
six contestants on the syndicated, daily version of the popular
NBC-TV game show "Weakest Link." The show airs nationally
at different times in all major U.S. television markets.
Viewers should check local listings for the time in their market.
As a UFC fighter, Couture will compete as part of the show's
"dangerous jobs" theme against five contestants whose
occupations put them in at-risk situations. Contestants first
work together to answer a series of general knowledge questions
to reach a money goal within a time limit each round. At the
end of each round, they vote to eliminate the fellow competitor
they deem to be the weakest link in the chain. Those eliminated
leave with nothing. In the final round, the two players left
battle it out head-to-head in a best-of-three shootout until
one wins. The other leaves with nothing. In Friday's show, Couture
will compete against a rodeo cowboy, a female fire-eater, a drag
racer, a female stunt person and a female boxer who is also a
sheriff.
Couture, 7-4-0 in mixed martial arts fighting, held the UFC Heavyweight
Championship from December 1997 to October 1998 and from November
2000 until March 2002. He is a former four-time national champion
in Greco-Roman wrestling and was a three-time All-American wrestler
at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Okla., where he earned
a bachelor's degree in foreign language (German) and literature.
Source:
FCF
LUTA-LIVRE'S
MASTER, JOAO RICARDO (BUDOKAN)
After
our last interview with Master Joao Ricardo, FIGHTWORLD Brazil
received 26 emails from fans asking for more about Master Ricardo.
So here is a second interview!
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: How did you do in ValeTudo events when you fought? Joao
Ricardo: When I began in ValeTudo I had only background on Karate,
so I liked to fight on the feet. I trained a lot on the punching
bag, so when I stepped into the ring I would like to fight free.
I liked fighting what I trained, so I never was submitted by
anyone. My victories were always via KO, TKO or doctor/referee
stoppage
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Which was your record in ValeTudo? Joao Ricardo: I fought
18 times with 2 defeats, 1 draw and 15 victories.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: What happened in your two defeats? Joao Ricardo: When
I lost my first fight I did not know what ValeTudo was. I had
gone to do a Karate exhibition and in this same place there was
a ring where it would happen to be a ValeTudo event. I had started
my Karate exhibition and one of the fighters who was supposed
to fight did not show up. So I replaced him, I think that I did
good, but with one minute left in the fight, my opponent got
the mount position and my corner threw the towel. The second
one I lost via decision against a fighter who was 15kg heavier.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Did not these events have weight class? Joao Ricardo:
Nope. I never fought against anyone who had the same weight as
me. I was always the lightest and shortest guy there.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: What about the rules? Were they always like IVC rules?
Joao Ricardo: Each event had its own rules. When I lost to the
guy who was 15kg heavier, in the rules meeting it was confirmed
the punches would be legal. However when I stepped in to the
ring things changed and palm strikes were only allowed, no punches.
Now, can you imagine landing palm strikes when you are the lightest
fighter... ...it is hard to do any damage. That was very bad
for me.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Out of your victories, which was the most important?
Joao Ricardo: I like my all victories, but there is one where
there was alot of pressure on me because I was going to fight
a local idol in Goiania who had beat everybody he had fought.
He was higher and heavier than me and everybody who saw me was
expecting me to get massacred but when the fight began I landed
a jab and a straight, followed by a huge knee which broke his
nose and the fight lasted less than 1:30
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: You said you first trained in Karate, so how did Luta-Livre
come into your life? Joao Ricardo: A funny thing is I did not
like to train Luta-Livre [laughs]. I had an academy with Johil
de Oliveira's father and I did not like when he called me to
train on the mat with him, I was practically forced trained by
him. However when I started to fight ValeTudo, I realized that
I needed to train Luta-Livre.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: I thought that Roberto Leitao Sr had introduced you to
Luta-Livre. Joao Ricardo: I met Leitao Sr first time at a Karate
event where a student of mine already knew him, so he introduced
me to Leitao Sr. We set up a traning session in Pedro Gama Filho's
academy where Leitao Sr gives classes. When we I began our training,
Leitao Sr beat me 5/6 times in 5 minutes. That was so strange
for me since I thought I knew something, so I kept training with
him and I started to lose less to him. After I gained more background
in Luta-Livre an impressive thing happened. Nobody want to train
with us, we had to expand after only 6 months because everybody
from Luta-Livre, Judo and Jiu Jitsu came to our academy and when
they did not tapout for me they tapout for Leitao Sr. In 1977
I formed BUDOKAN Academy and Leitao Sr came to my academy to
train sometimes and it was during that time that I formed a good
team.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Was there a rivalry with Jiu Jitsu guys? Joao Ricardo:
Nope, there was not rivalry. This began with other generation
of Luta-Livre and Jiu Jitsu, and it was nonsense.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: So, was there close doors matches and brawl in the street,
which was common with the Generation that had this rivalry? Joao
Ricardo: I never had this problem. When I trained Wrestling,
great Jiu Jitsu names were from the same team as me, such as
Peixotinho, Rolls Gracie and Carlos Gracie Jr.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Master Ricardo, can you explain what Leitao Sr means
to Luta-Livre? Joao Ricardo: He is kind of Luta-Livre's scientist.
anybody who does not think and say this does not know his past,
well go to train with him nowadays, he is still in action. Leitao
Sr knows everything about Luta-Livre/Submission. He tales great
pleasure in teaching, he knows a lot and Luta-Livre is his flag.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Is it true that a good part of Ruas VT system's fighters
trained with you? Joao Ricardo: Marco Ruas prior UFC 7 had trained
at
BUDOKAN, Renato 'Babalu' Sobral won a 8 man tourney training
at BUDOKAN and Antoine Jaoude also trained here.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: BUDOKAN was basically Luta-Livre taught by you and Muay
Thai with Luiz Alves. Why did Alves leave, to form Boxe Thai
Team? Joao Ricardo: Alves and Narani had an Academy named NAJA
and they called me to teach Luta-Livre because they did not know
nothing on the mat. So I started giving classes, after sometime
I stopped and they closed the academy's doors. Alvez formed a
new academy named Boxe Thai and then, he came with his students
to train Luta-Livre here at BUDOKAN and my Luta-Livre students
trained Muay Thai with him. We got several champion, mainly at
the Universal ValeTudo Fighting. Alvez already was Luta-Livre
black-belt and Muay Thai coach and he decided to form his own
team. There was not any misunderstanding between us, he only
preferred to be alone, we are friends still.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Do not you think both team were weakened by this? Joao
Ricardo: The fighters who were champions during that period,
they did not fight again. Boxe Thai team is standing out from
the others because Rodrigo
'Minotauro' Nogueira, Rogerio 'Minotoro' Nogueira and Jose Mario
Sperry are training there.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Who these champions(BUDOKAN/Boxe Thai union) were? Joao
Ricardo: Dario Amorim, Angelo Sergio, Artur Mariano and 'Pinguim'.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Why not THE PEDRO? Joao Ricardo: THE PEDRO never represented
BUDOKAN/Boxe Thai in any competition.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: THE PEDRO was a very strange fighter, good size and good
weight. However sometimes he was horrible to watch. Why was he
like that? Joao Ricardo: THE PEDRO was considered a weak fighter
when he came to train with me. After sometime he became regular
fighter with some skills, because I adopted some of the moves
to fit his style of fighting. He wasn not strong on the feet
- nor with kicks or punches - however he had strength on the
mat. So he won 4x UFV and IVC 3 champion, and I think he was
robbed at IVC 1. If we make were to make a graph about his fighting
career, he did very well at first and then he dropped off. I
did not get to train with him again and he began to perform week
again.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Did not he like to train? Joao Ricardo: He had left BUDOKAN
and he did not have a coach. He needed a coach, because his mind
was weak. I knew how to support him and what to say to him to
get him to train hard.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Why did he leave? Joao Ricardo: Because he did a fakefight
against Carlos Barreto (BTT) and I did not know at the time.
But when I found it out, I kicked him out of BUDOKAN because
it was not good for our team to be associated with such fights,
we only fight real fights. I fought in a ring, where I bled,
so I cannot accept such an attitude like that.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: You have a new pupil who showed himself to be very skilled
in Copa BUDOKAN 12. Can you introduce him to the fans? Joao Ricardo:
His name is Alessandro Leal and he is 1-0 in NHB. He is one of
our top Luta-Livre fighters, I knew that he would fight well
at Copa BUDOKAN 12, but he surpassed my expectations. He fought
alot of tough fighters who could not put him in danger. He beat
the experienced Carlos Danilo in the final easily and for sure
Leal was the most outstanding fighter of the competition.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: If someone was to watch the Copa BUDOKAN for the first
time, they would probably say that Luta-Livre is basically takedowns
and when the fight hits the mat you try to be on top. Joao Ricardo:
Well, in reality almost all martial arts were created with the
intention of self defense and Luta-Livre is no exception. So
if Self Defense is your goal fighting on the bottom would be
a place where you would want to end up. I'm just following this
reasoning with my rules.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Is this the reason Jiu Jitsu never won a tourney in Copa
BUDOKAN? Joao Ricardo: I never realized that, but it can be.
If you pull to the guard it is -1 point and body-slams are allowed.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Are not body-slams dangerous in a Submission event like
Copa BUDOKAN? Joao Ricardo: Not really because you only need
to open your guard. We have never had problems with these kind
of issues in 12 years of hold the event
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Luta-Livre and Jiu Jitsu are always compared, mainly
in Submission events. Can you to do any comparison between both?
Joao Ricardo: I do not know how to compare. Luta-Livre was always
without any gi, so it is so hard to grab your opponent due to
perspiration. I do not know if the best fighters from are Luta-Livre
fighting in these events and the rules are not good for us.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Why is Copa BUDOKAN so popular with the fighters if it
does not pay money? Joao Ricardo: I would like to run a Pro Copa
BUDOKAN event where all fighters would receive prize money. However
I do not get sponsors to do that, the event has gotten better
lately due to the press like ADCC News, TATAME Magazine, GONG
Kakutougi and Kakutougi Tsushin who are always covering our competition.
Of course the fighters are better too, they train Wrestling and
they do not stall the fights, that had been a problem in the
past.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Besides Leal, who really stepped it up in this last event
and showed their stuff? Joao Ricardo: All the champions, Antoine
Jaoude, Gesias Cavalcanti, Marcelo 'Zulu' Santos and Maicon Alarcao.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Do not you think Luta-Livre is lacking role models? Joao
Ricardo: There are a lot of reasons. The main is that some fighters
who were from Luta-Livre do not represent this martial art as
much as they could. Ruas and Rizzo always trained Luta-Livre
but they never spoke about it, the same for Gustavo 'Ximu' Machado
and 'Babalu'. Our only representatives who speak on Luta-Livre
do not fight any more, they were Hugo Duarte and Eugenio Tadeu.
I hope Alexandre 'Pequeno' Franca Nogueira does not change his
fight style for another name and forget his Luta-Livre roots.
Here in my academy we train Muay Thai and Boxing, but we are
representatives of Luta-Livre.
FIGHTWORLD
Brazil: Last words Master? Joao Ricardo: I want every new Luta-Livre
fighter to keep himself training alot. The fighter who train
much will grow in his physical power and fighting ability, his
personal life and family life. I, such as a Master, do not want
only fighters, I want pupils with character and GOD bless everybody.
Source: ADCC
Pre
Notes: ADCC 88-98.9 KG
Brazilian Champion CACARECO
Returning to the Submission Wrestling Wolrd Championships in
2003 will be Alexandre Cacareco Ferreira. The stand out finished
3rd in 2001, and entered the Trials this year to assure his spot
back in the rugged 88-98.9 KG weight class.
Talk about why you
think you were invited?
Twice I have wont the Campos Submission Wrestling Championship,
and I think my recent performance against Paulao Filho in another
Submission Wrestling Championship also helped me a lot.
Did you expect to
be invited to fight in the trials?
Yes, I did. Actually I had my hopes to be invited right thru
the main event, but I respect the rules and I'm here.
What are your expectations
regarding the trials, besides being champion, of course?
I hope I can win against a big name via submission and I also
hope that the trials are be better than ever.
Did you think that
an event such as this could be responsible for the end of the
rivaries that went on between martial arts in Brazil?
I feel very happy about the end of this rivalry, but I think
it finished a long time ago between top fighters.
Out of all of the
opponents in your category, who do you see as the toughest?
I'm not afraid of anyone. A rematch with Paulo Filho could be
really good. Fabio Leopoldo is a great fighter too.
How is your training
routine for the event?
Really hard. Technical trainings in the morning and cardio condition
improvement in the afternoon.
Pre
Notes: ADCC Qualifier & UFC Competitor
Alexandre Dantas 'CAFE'
Returning to the
UFC at UFC 41: Onslaught will be Alexandre 'CAFE' Dantas. He
had an exciting debut against Yuki Kondo in his debut UFC bout,
and this time he ruturns as a heavyweight.
He fought in the
ADCC Trials, in the over 99 KG division. Despite a loss in round
one to Antoine Joaude insiders are saying that Cafe looked good
with the added weight. Cafe is walking around at 230 lbs, and
retains his HIGHLY technical style in JJ. Just 24, the young
fighter has been training in Boxing for his UFC debut, and has
been working on his competition mind set.
Your resume, please.
2x BJJ World Champion
BJJ Cyclone Cup Champion
2x BJJ Panamerican Champion
Did you expect to
be invited to fight in the trials?
Yes, I did.
What are your expectations
regarding the trials, besides being champion, of course?
Besides being champion I expect to be part of good fights.
Out of all of the
opponents in your category, who do you see as the main one?
They are all good fighters. I can't tell you just one.
How is your training
routine for the event?
I prepare my cardio conditions three days a week and I train
a lot of jiu-jitsu in the remaining days. I have been boxing
a lot for my UFC match coming up , as well.
Source: ADCC
Ultimate
Fighting Championship's Dan "The Beast" Severn to be
honored by the HMAIS
January
21, 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 "International 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. Other dignitaries to be honored are Professor
"Bud" Estes, Dr. T.R. Crimi Ph.D, Master Jorge Penafiel,
Dr. Gaudiosa Linda Ruby and many others.
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.
COLLEGE
WRESTLING WRAPUP: THOUSANDS WATCH OKLAHOMA STATE WIN TWO AND
REMAIN UNBEATEN
By: Eddie Goldman
Wrestling before crowds of 2,862 fans on Saturday and 3,202 on
Sunday at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Oklahoma, the top-ranked
Oklahoma State Cowboys remained unbeaten on the season with lopsided
wins of 29-9 over Oregon State and 33-5 over Oregon.
Oklahoma
State University (OSU) 33
University of Oregon (UO) 5
Sun., Jan. 26
133- Johnny Thompson (OSU) dec. Jason Harless (UO), 15-8
141- Zack Esposito (OSU) fall Casey Hunt (UO), 3:36
149- Jerrod Sanders (OSU) dec. Tony Overstake (UO), 9-3
157- Shane Roller (OSU) fall Chet McBhee (UO), 2:15
165- Tyrone Lewis (OSU) dec. Luke Larwin (UO), 10-4
174- Shane Webster (UO) dec. Chad Reid (OSU), 7-3
184- Brett Munson (OSU) dec. Tony Rolen (UO), 3-0
197- Muhammed Lawal (OSU) fall Elias Soto (UO), 2:54
285- Michael Christian (OSU) vs. Neil Phillips (UO), 8-3
125- Martin Mitchell (UO) dec. Skyler Holman (OSU), 8-6, sudden
victory
Oklahoma
State (OSU) 29
Oregon State (OS) 9
174- Jake Huffman (OS) dec. Chad Reid (OSU), 11-5
184- Jed Pennell (OS) dec. Jake Rosholt (OSU), 12-11
197- Muhammed Lawal (OSU) m.d. Jason Lovell (OS), 19-7
285- Andy Bowlby (OS) dec. Willie Gruenwald (OSU), 3-2
125- Skyler Holman (OSU) dec. Michael Delaney (OS), 3-0
133- Johnny Thompson (OSU) dec. Tim Norman (OS), 10-5
141- Zack Esposito (OSU) m.d. Mike Unger (OS), 18-5
149- Jerrod Sanders (OSU) dec. Tony Hook (OS), 6-2
157- Shane Roller (OSU) fall Brian Kuhrkoop (OS), 3:27
165- Tyrone Lewis (OSU) fall Matt Ellis (OS), 4:06
The
Cowboys return to action on Feb. 1 when they travel to Cedar
Falls, Iowa, to take on Northern Iowa. For more information,
go to OSU Athletics at: http://www.okstate.com
IOWA
CLOBBERS #8 ILLINOIS AND #22 WISCONSIN
Second-ranked
Iowa won nine of ten matches in dual meets against both Illinois
and Wisconsin this weekend. Both matches were held at home, in
Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Iowa
40, Illinois 4
Sun., Jan. 26
133 Cliff Moore (I) dec. Mark Jayne (IL), 10-4
141 Luke Moffitt (I) maj. dec. Cal Ferry (IL), 11-3
149 Ty Eustice (I) pinned Tony Pedrosa (IL), 6:46
157 Joe Johnston (I) dec. Alex Tirapelle (IL), 4-2
165 Matt Lackey (IL) maj. dec. Jason D'Agata (I), 18-6
174 Tyler Nixt (I) dec. Brian Glynn (IL), 8-4
184 Jessman Smith (I) pinned Pete Friedl (IL), 1:54
197 Ryan Fulsaas (I) dec. Tyrone Byrd (IL), 10-9
Hwt. Steve Mocco (I) pinned Chris Little (IL), 3:59
125 Luke Eustice (I) won by forfeit
Iowa
34, Wisconsin 3
Fri., Jan. 24
197 Ryan Fulsaas (I) maj. dec. Lee Kraemer (W), 12-4
Hwt. Steve Mocco (I) maj. dec. Justin Staebler (W), 16-6
125 Luke Eustice (I) dec. Tom Clum (W), 10-4
133 Cliff Moore (I) dec. Kevin Black (W), 5-0
141 Luke Moffitt (I) dec. Tyler Laudon (W), 12-7
149 Ty Eustice (I) dec. Ed Gutnik (W), 3-1
157 Joe Johnston (I) pinned Chris Borchardt (W), 2:23
165 Kelly Flaherty (W) dec. Jason D'Agata (I), 10-4
174 Tyler Nixt (I) maj. dec. Ryan Flaherty (W), 21-9
184 Jessman Smith (I) maj. dec. Ralph DeNisco (W), 9-1
Iowa
will resume competition Friday, February 7, at Michigan State.
Top-ranked wrestlers Jessman Smith and Steve Mocco are scheduled
to compete in the Cape Cod Potato Chips/N.W.C.A. All-Star Classic,
Monday, February 3, at 8 PM EST, at the University of Delaware.
Smith is set to face Cornell's Clint Wattenberg at 184, while
Mocco is scheduled to face Tommy Rowlands of Ohio State at heavyweight.
Smith is 3-0 against Wattenberg, while Mocco is 4-2 vs. Rowlands.
OKLAHOMA
FALLS TO MISSOURI, 25-20
Third-ranked
Oklahoma split five of the ten matches with #20 Missouri Sunday,
but fell 25-20 as Missouri combined three pins and a major decision
to earn the victory on bonus points.
125
Pounds: Bo Maynes (30-4), OU dec. Mark Bader (7-6), Missouri,
4-1
133 Pounds: Witt Durden (16-3), OU tech. fall Chris McCormick
(5-5), Missouri, 23-8
141 Pounds: Teyon Ware (21-4), OU dec. J.P. Reese, Missouri,
8-3
149 Pounds: Jeremy Spates (8-3), Missouri maj. dec. Danny Rubenstein
(3-7), OU, 16-5
157 Pounds: Kenny Burleson (13-1), Missouri dec. Rafael Maturino
(15-14), OU, 3-1
165 Pounds: Tyron Woodley (11-3), Missouri fall Wes Roberts (15-12),
OU, 2:47
174 Pounds: Robbie Waller (23-5), OU fall Matt Turner (5-7),
Missouri, 6:08
184 Pounds: Scott Barker (6-1), Missouri fall Derrick Brown (2-6),
OU, 1:29
197 Pounds: Tom Grossman (14-1), OU dec. Dante Stone (8-6), Missouri,
7-4
Heavyweight: Kevin Herron (12-2), Missouri fall Jake Hager (1-3),
OU, :56
The
Oklahoma Sooners will travel to East Lansing, Mich., to take
on Michigan State Feb. 2.
#6
OHIO STATE BEATS #7 CORNELL FOR SECOND TIME IN A WEEK
Ohio
State traveled to Ithaca, NY, on Sunday, Jan. 26, to face Cornell
for the second time in a week. They had defeated Cornell in the
National Duals last week in their own hometown, Columbus, Ohio.
But the end result wasn't much different this time, as Ohio State
won six of ten matches to take the dual meet by a 22-15 score.
No.
6 Ohio State 22, No. 7 Cornell 15
125 pounds
– Travis Lee (Cor/Hawaii) maj. dec. Rob Rosenfeld (OSU),
16-5
133 pounds - Alejandro Alvarez (Cor) maj. dec. Nathan Costello
(OSU), 19-7
141 pounds - Jeff Ratliff (OSU) maj. dec. Byron Warner (Cor),
17-7
149 pounds - Dustin Manotti (Cor) dec. Josh Daugherty (OSU),
9-4
157 pounds - Keaton Anderson (OSU) dec. Gabe Webster (Cor), 5-0
165 pounds - John Clark (OSU) dec. Scott Roth (Cor), 14-8
174 pounds - Anthony Magistrelli (OSU) dec. Tyler Baier (Cor),
6-4
184 pounds - Clint Wattenberg (Cor) maj. dec. Casey Kaputska
(OSU), 7-2
197 pounds - Anton Talamantes (OSU) dec. Matt Greenberg (Cor),
5-3
285 pounds - Tommy Rowlands (OSU) pinned Buck McLamb (Cor), 3:58
Ohio
State will return home for matches with #24 Indiana on Thursday
at 7:30 PM EST and two-time defending Big Ten and NCAA champion
#4 Minnesota on Sunday at 2 PM EST.
Cornell
will return to action at the Friedman Wrestling Center on January
31, when it opens the 2003 Ivy League season against defending
champion #23 Pennsylvania at 7 PM EST.
#8
ILLINOIS DROPS TWO
Before
losing to Iowa on Sunday, #8 Illinois also lost to # 10 Michigan
Friday night at home. Michigan won six of the ten matches.
No.
10 Michigan (6-4, 1-1) def. No. 8 Illinois (6-2, 1-1)
133: Foley Dowd (UM) dec. Mark Jayne (ILL), 10-4
141: Clark Forward (UM) dec. Cal Ferry (ILL), 7-1
149: Ryan Churella (UM) major dec. Tony Pedrosa (ILL), 16-7
157: Alex Tirapelle (ILL) dec. Ryan Bertin (UM), 3-2
165: Matt Lackey (ILL) major dec. Mike Kulczycki (UM), 20-8
174: Brian Glynn (ILL) dec. R.J. Boudro (UM), 3-1
184: Pete Friedl (ILL) dec. Willie Breyer (UM), 9-5
197: Kyle Smith (UM) dec. Tyrone Byrd (ILL), 4-1
HWT: Greg Wagner (UM) dec. Chris Little (ILL), 6-2
125: A.J. Grant (UM) dec. Kyle Ott (ILL), 3-2
(All
rankings are from W.I.N. Magazine's rankings of Jan. 21, 2003.
Compiled from various press releases and college wrestling sources.)
Source:
ADCC
1/29/03
Quote
of the Day
I
believe that it is better to tell the truth than a lie. I believe
it is better to be free than to be a slave. And I believe it
is better to know than to be ignorant.
H.
L. Mencken
Matt
Serra Interview
UFC:
What are your thoughts on the fight with BJ Penn? Do you agree
with the judges’ decision?
Matt:
It was a tough fight. I definitely thought that I pushed the
action in the fight and I thought I should’ve got the decision
because if I fought the fight that he wanted to fight, we would’ve
just been staring at each other across from the cage. There wouldn’t
have been a fight. I thought I pushed all the action. But, I’m
not going to sit here and b**** about it and whine about being
robbed. It’s not like that at all. But, I think after they
gave him the decision, he should’ve handled himself better
afterwards.
UFC:
BJ recently made some comments on the internet about how he only
trained one week for his fight with you. What do you have to
say to that?
Matt:
BJ has a problem giving credit to anybody else. If something
goes wrong, it’s not the real BJ Penn. It’s always
some excuse. Look at his fight with Pulver, he said he over-trained.
Now with me, he says he under-trained. I found his comments really
disrespectful. It was a really close fight, a lot of people thought
it should have gone the other way. The crowd, the online voters…
I think I did the right thing after the fight. I gave him respect
and I though I did the right thing by him. And then for him to
go online and say ‘Oh, I only trained a week for the Serra
fight,’ he sounds like a little punk. Is it just me or every
time this guy has a tough fight, he whines like a little b****.
UFC:
What are your thoughts on Din Thomas?
Matt:
Din Thomas is tough as hell. He was doing great with Uno. He’s
been working with the American Top Team, so I think he switched
up his game plan and showed he has good jiu-jitsu. He almost
had Uno in that triangle in the second round. But, I think with
the right gameplan, every round would have been like the first
and he would have taken Uno out. He’s very dangerous. He
definitely has more balls than BJ Penn. He could definitely hurt
me given the right opportunity. It’s going to be a very
exciting fight. I don’t need to trash talk this fight at
all. The fight will sell itself. We’ve got our backs against
the wall, so we’re going to try to take each other’s
head off.
UFC:
How does it affect your preparation knowing that a loss could
set you back?
Matt:
That depends on what you mean, and it depends on what you’re
in it for. Myself, I’m in it for the fight. I love to fight
and I love fighting for the UFC. If something goes wrong…
And, in this game, no matter how prepared or confident you are,
and I am confident… Anything can happen. You have to know
that going in. If you go in there worried about not making mistakes,
you’re going to look like Penn lately – concentrating
too much and letting your ego get to you. That’s not me
man. I’m there because I love to fight. Regardless of what
happens, I’m still going to fight. I never let that get
to me. If you let that happen, you’re not having fun any
more. I’m in there because I like to fight. I go through
hell in training, and when I get in that cage, I’m ready
to fight. Once you start letting the pressure get to you and
you start thinking ‘I have to win. I can’t make any
mistakes,’ it can really affect your performance.
UFC:
How have you been training to prepare for your upcoming fight?
Matt:
I’m training with all my guys at Serra Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
in Long Island. I’ve got a lot of tough guys out here I’m
rolling with. My brother, my students… I’m seeing Renzo
Gracie in Manhattan. I’ll be working with him a lot over
the next couple of weeks. I’ve also got my cardio, conditioning,
and striking coach Ray Longo in Minneola. He’s been getting
me in really good shape. We’ve been doing some really hard
sparring. You know, it’s the same routine. It never gets
easier. We always up the ante. I always try to improve on my
last fight. I know I’m not perfect. I’m not BJ Penn
who walks around trying to think ‘I’m the prodigy.
I can do no wrong.’ I can look at my last fight and point
out some mistakes. And I’m going to work on those. I’m
just constantly trying to improve.
UFC:
Who do you think will win the lightweight title fight between
Penn and Uno?
Matt:
Talent-wise, BJ’s got him. But, when it comes to heart…
Uno’s definitely got the bigger heart. I think the longer
it goes, the worse it will be for BJ. Uno’s best chance
is in the later rounds. On paper, I would say BJ. But then again,
I thought Din Thomas was going to take out Uno. A lot of times
I see Uno fight, I think he’s going to lose. I love the
guy and I think he’s amazing. He’s always fighting
tough guys, and usually he comes out on top. It’s a hard
one. If BJ doesn’t get too mental, he should be able to
win it.
UFC:
What do you think about Genki Sudo?
Matt:
Ah dude, I’m waiting for that one. I hope all goes well
with my next fight, and I’m not looking past Din Thomas,
but that’s a fight that people want to see. Crazy stuff
will come out of that fight. That guy’s a wild one. I think
that would be a sick fight.
UFC:
Are you still looking to do more grappling competitions, or are
you focused totally on fighting now?
Matt:
I love fighting and I love improving in all different aspects
in the fighting game. I’m definitely up for Abu Dhabi. I
believe I’m going back this year. I’ll already be in
shape from my upcoming fight, so I’ll just do more jiu-jitsu
and jump in there. But, right now, I’ve got Din Thomas.
That’s one guy you don’t sleep on. So, I’m just
concentrating on him right now.
UFC:
What did you think of Din Thomas’ improved jiu-jitsu skills
against Uno? Were you surprised?
Matt:
I wasn’t that surprised. I saw their first fight, and I
figured the second would be the same. I thought he was going
to sprawl and brawl. That’s what he’s going to try
to do to me. That’s basically the game plan of everybody
I fight. He definitely showed his skills have improved on the
ground. The reason I didn’t think he had the right game
plan was because Uno’s fought Rumina Sato and he’s
been in just about any submission you can think of. He’s
pretty hard to submit. I’m sure Din’s going to make
the proper corrections though. He’s going to be tough, and
I know he’s going to try to stay on the feet and take me
out. But, he’s got balls, so it wouldn’t surprise me
if he tried to take me down or even go for a flying triangle.
UFC:
What are your thoughts on the return of Tank Abbott?
Matt:
I think it’s fun. If he’s in shape and he’s been
training, who knows? Even if he did drink the week before, he
always adds a little bit of fun to the game. It’s good to
have that. It would be great if he trained properly and did the
right thing. He’s a funny guy. It should be fun. They should
have him do some more commentary. I was always a big fan of his
commentary.
Source:
UFC.tv
UFC
Pre Fight Interview:
Heavyweight Contender TIM SILVIA
Tim
Sylvia is busy preparing for his title shot in UFC on February
28th against Ricco Rodriguez. Although Tim won the Extreme Challenge/Super
Brawl Heavyweight tournament series last year most fans are only
familiar with his debut in UFC 39 and question Sylvia getting
a title shot after only one fight in the UFC, but as he explains
below people that hold that perception are in for a surprise.
KM:
Are you going to be with the rest of Team Extreme in Canada this
weekend for UCC? TS: No, I’m not. I need to stay here and
train.
KM:
Yeah, you only have about a month or so left before UFC. Your
fight is against Ricco Rodriguez? TS: Yes it is.
KM:
This will be your second UFC fight. TS: Yes, it will be.
KM:
What are your thoughts on where you are in training right now?
TS: My training is going excellent. I train with the Miletich
guys so everyone here is awesome. They are really putting me
through the ringer right now getting me ready for this fight.
KM:
You are Heavyweight and pretty tall, it seems like you’d
have a hard time with training partners. TS: Not at all. We got
Justin Eilers who is the middle linebacker for Iowa State who
just moved here, been training with us pretty hare. He lives
with me now. He’s 6’3 245. He’s been helping me
a lot. Unfortunately he just broke his hand last week. Andre
Roberts is in town, the Big Chief. He’s a big body which
helps. He’s not the skill level that we are all right now.
We have Matt Hughes who has no problem with me on the ground
at all.
KM:
Really? Even at his 170 to your, what, 240? TS: I’m 250
right now. Matt Hughes is incredible, no-one has any idea how
strong this kid is. Matt is incredible, just amazing. Of course
Jeremy Horn, everybody knows about Jeremy Horn. Then my roommate
Robbie Lawler (speaking in background) is saying he’s amazing.
You know how exciting he is in the ring? Times that by two living
with the kid.
KM:
So you don’t have a problem with training partners at Miletich’s.
Sorry, that was a misperception on my part. I’ve only seen
you fight once at IFC “Battle On The Boardwalk”. TS:
I’m sorry about that.
KM:
(laughs) I remember that was a really short fight: that you were
the towering giant that had to stoop down to get in the gate
and didn’t seem to have any problems with the Randy Durant.
TS: No, none at all. The guy was really really low skill. He
actually came out here: he was out here for one day, couldn’t
take it. It was too hard for him.
KM:
That was only your third fight? TS: Yeah. My second pro fight.
KM:
Was the loss to Jorge Rivera, which I believe is your only loss,
your first pro fight? TS: That was an amateur show. I had to
pay to get in that event.
KM:
You are kidding me. TS: No, my first two fights I had to pay
to get in and it was all amateur stuff. Open hand standing up
and on the ground, no knees or elbows whatsoever, basically a
grapplers (show). If you didn’t grapple you weren’t
going to survive those kinds of events. Grappling with open-hand
strikes.
KM:
So really you are undefeated as pro. TS: Absolutely, yes.
KM:
Where are you originally from? TS: I’m from Maine.
KM:
And now you are living in Iowa. TS: Yeah, I’m living up
in Iowa. It will be two years in March.
KM:
You hit the world stage in the Extreme Challenge Return Of The
Heavyweights tournament series. I was at the first one where
you had a single bout, not part of the tournament. TS: I wasn’t
even in the tournament at all. What happened was Meat Truck and
Tom Sauer had come down to Iowa to train with us and get ready
for those. Kerry Schall was in the Iowa one and Tom Sauer was
in the Utah one. Meat Truck and I were beating on Tom pretty
good and he just realized he wasn’t ready for it and he
pulled out. That’s when Monte put me in the Utah show at
the last minute.
KM:
And you won that one. TS: Yeah, I walked through everybody.
KM:
Can you help us identify what it was that made it so easy for
you…was it the height advantage or the training? TS: The
training. Like I said, I didn’t even know I was in the tournament
until three weeks out. I was just training really hard. We work
on you really hard five to six hours a day most of the time five
days a week and then maybe once on the weekend. You are always
ready for anything at anytime. I didn’t realize how good
I was: I thought I’d have problems in Utah and I walked
through it pretty quickly and then I thought ‘Hawaii is
going to be pretty tough’ and I walked through everybody
in Hawaii as well.
KM:
And that was one fight on the 26th and three fights on the 27th,
so that was four in two days and made it look like a warm-up.
TS: Yeah, it was all TKOs and one KO.
KM:
What were you thoughts on winning that? Were you relieved it
was over with, surprised it was easy… TS: Both. It is the
biggest highlight of my career, winning the Super Brawl tournament.
KM:
More of a highlight than the UFC debut? TS: Yeah, because it
was a big stepping stone for me. The winner of that was going
to go to UFC or Pride.
KM:
Was UFC your first fight in a cage since IFC? TS: No, right after
Hawaii Monte put me in one more show to get me used to a cage
again and I fought in a cage about a month and a half before
the UFC. I fought in Gladiators Challenge out in California in
a cage as well.
KM:
I’m sorry, that is one that I didn’t see on your record.
TS: I won the Gladiator Challenge Super Fight championship.
KM:
Do you still hold that? TS: Yeah, I do. I never defended it.
They tried to get me to defend it a couple times and they tried
to pay me crap money. We’re not going out there for $500.
KM:
So what are your thoughts on fighting in the next UFC? TS: Looking
forward to it. Everybody has been criticizing me for getting
a title shot so soon and only being in the UFC once but my record
speaks for itself. Right now I’m probably one of the highest
decorated Heavyweights in the UFC. I have more wins than Ricco
has I believe and Ricco has one or two losses. I’m looking
forward to fighting Ricco, I’ve wanted to fight Ricco for
a while. He’s a tough guy, he’s earned his respect
in the ring, but I have problems a little with him outside the
ring. Not to me directly but towards my team: he’s disrespected
my team and he’s been real cocky around me and stuff. He’s
great on the ground, he won Abu Dhabi, but stand-up skills are
definitely questionable and is he going to be able to get me
down. That is the question.
KM:
He went from a string of submissions and decisions until he got
in the UFC and went on a string of TKOs. Does that affect your
training at all, that he has such a solid submission background?
TS: No, doesn’t affect my training at all. I’m working
on the ground a lot but I’m still going to punch his ears
off.
KM:
I haven’t heard of you going for submissions but training
at Miletich I can’t imagine Ricco surprising you. TS: He’s
not going to have anything for me I haven’t seen before.
KM:
Who do you train with that you think is closest to Ricco’s
style? TS: A guy named Nate Schroeder. He’s been with Pat
since the beginning. Jeremy Horn on the ground is better than
Ricco. We got so many guys that are great strikers.
KM:
With Pride sucking up all the top notch Heavyweights is there
a lack of good opportunities for Heavyweights as a whole right
now? TS: No doubt about it. Most average fighters in the world
are at 170 and 185. Being a Heavyweight is kind of abnormal,
especially being 6’8.
KM:
You were mentioning Ricco disrespecting the team and I remember
Black at UCC 11 saying a similar thing about Alessio. It seems
that is something the Miletich team as a whole take seriously,
take personally. TS: We’re a big family. It’s not just
that we all fight for the same guy, we’re all very close
here. We’re like a pack of dogs: if you mess with one of
us you mess with all of us. You disrespect one of us you better
hold on because a dog will be nipping at your ass. We don’t
like it.
KM:
Once the fight is over is that behind or does it linger around?
TS: It’s behind. Nobody holds grudges here. We don’t
care about that stuff: we just care about our team, we train
hard, and look forward to the next fight.
Source:
ADCC
Pancrase
2/16 Event Lineup
PANCRASE
2003 HYBRID TOUR
SUNDAY,FEBRUARY 16,2003
DOORS OPEN: 3:00PM FIGHTS START: 4:00PM
GRAND CUBE OSAKA (OSAKA,JAPAN)
Lineup
Subject TO Change:
AMATEUR MATCH PANCRASE GATE 2x5 MIN ROUNDS
TBA
PRO-MATCH
#1 FEATHERWEIGHT 2x5 MIN ROUNDS
YOSHIRO MAEDA (P'S LAB OSAKA) vs SHIGEYUKI UMEKI (SK ABSOLUTEj
PRO-MATCH
#2 WELTERWEIGHT 2x5 MIN ROUNDS
YUJI HOSHINO (WAJUTSU KEISHUKAI GODS) vs TAKAKU FUKE (PANCRASE
OSAKA)
PRO-MATCH
#3 OPEN-WEIGHT 2x5 MIN ROUNDS
KENGO (PANCRASEism) vs KOJI OKUYAMA (CMA KYOTO SEIKEIKAN)
PRO-MATCH
#4 MIDDLEWEIGHT 2x5 MIN ROUNDS
KOSEI KUBOTA (MIDDLEWEIGHT 9TH RANKED/PANCRASEism) vs HIDEHIKO
HASEGAWA (SK ABSOLUTE)
PRO-MATCH
#5 WELTERWEIGHT 2x5 MIN ROUNDS
KENICHI SERIZAWA (WELTERWEIGHT 4TH RANKED/RJW/CENTRAL) vs ROLAND
FABRE (FRANCE/FREELANCE)
PRO-MATCH
#6 LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT 2x5 MIN ROUNDS
AKIHIRO GONO (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT 4TH RANKED/PANCRASE GRABAKA)
vs CHAEL SONNEN (U.S.A./TEAM QUEST)
RIZZO-MATYUSHENKO,
MCGEE-DANTAS ADD HEAVYWEIGHT ACTION TO UFC: 41 ONSLAUGHT LIVE
ON PAY-PER-VIEW, FEBRUARY 28
8 Fights At Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City To Feature Rodriguez,
Sylvia For
Heavyweight Title; Tank Abbot’s Return; Penn, Uno Lightweight
Championship
LIVE
EVENT TICKETS NOW ON SALE!
LAS
VEGAS, January 23, 2003…The Ultimate Fighting Championship
(UFC) is adding more heavyweight action to its Friday, February
28, eight-fight card that will be live on pay-per-view from Boardwalk
Hall in Atlantic, City, N.J. Veterans Pedro Rizzo and Vladimir
Matyushenko will clash in one feature match while exciting battlers
Gan McGee and Alexandre Dantas will meet in another heavyweight
fight.
With
Heavyweight Champion Ricco Rodriguez defending his belt for the
first time against Tim Sylvia in the main event and legendary
heavyweight Tank Abbott returning to fight Frank Mir, the Octagon
will be exploding with plenty of power punches. Not to be missed
among the heavyweights is the co-main event, the long-awaited
meeting of BJ
Penn and
Caol Uno for the lightweight championship.
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 host 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.
Rizzo
(11-4-0 in mixed martial arts) from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and
Matyushenko (13-2-0) a native of Retchisa, Belarus, who now fights
out of Los Angeles, are both cagey veterans looking for an eventual
shot at Rodriguez’ belt. The winner will definitely be in
the picture. Rizzo, “The Rock,” is a kickboxer known
for his takedown defense and punching power, who has defeated
many of the UFC’s top heavyweights, including Tank by knockout
in his UFC debut at Ultimate Brazil in October 1998. Former UFC
champions who have fallen to Rizzo’s excellent stand up,
brutal leg kicks and outstanding takedown defense include Mark
Coleman, Dan Severn and Josh Barnett (his only MMA loss). Top
contenders Tra Telligman, Tsuyoshi Kosaka and Andre Arlovski
also have been stopped by his punching power.
Matyushenko,
“The Janitor,” is a world class wrestler with outstanding
punching power and a very tough chin. He began his UFC career
in the light heavyweight division, but moved up to heavyweight
at UFC 40: Vendetta, November 22 in Las Vegas, where he defeated
powerhouse Travis Wiuff by submission due to strikes in the first
round. But one of the best performances of his MMA career came
at UFC 33: Victory In Vegas in October 2001. With just two weeks
to prepare (due to injury to Vitor Belfort), Matyushenko met
Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz for the title. Although
he lost the fight by decision, Matyushenko went the full five
rounds with Ortiz and served notice he was a force to be reckoned
with in the UFC.
McGee
(11-1-0) of San Luis Obispo, Calif., and Dantas (3-1-0), from
Rio de Janeiro, both have the talent to rise to the top of the
heavyweight division. McGee, “The Giant,” at 6’10”,
265 pounds, is currently the biggest UFC heavyweight. Although
he is a tremendous puncher, he readily acknowledges that his
real strength is wrestling and ground and pound. The only blemish
on his record is an early career loss to former champ Barnett
and he is coming off a first round victory over Rizzo at UFC
39: Warriors Return when he broke “The Rock’s”
nose with one punch.
Just
23, “Café” Dantas is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black
belt and a masterful submission artist who is both a Brazilian
national champion and a World champion. He has been mainly competing
in jiu-jitsu tournaments and finished second in the 2001 World
BJJ Tournament and won every tournament he entered in 2002. He
said he knows McGee is a “big guy who can hit hard. But,
I’m 6’2”, 238 pounds and also have a long reach.
I will have some secrets ready for him.” His unique nickname
means “coffee” in Portuguese. In Brazil when fighters
start in the jiu-jitsu academy those who are easy to defeat are
called “milky coffee.” Because he started beating everyone,
they named him “Café.”
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 27 at
the Mohegan Sun. 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., is returning to re-claim
a top spot in the heavyweight division. 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 Matt Serra and Din 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.
The
UFC’s current pay-per-view event is Ultimate Knockouts 2,
which premiered Friday, January 17, and is available until February
6 on DIRECTV. It re-captures the UFC’s most memorable knockouts.
Viewers should consult local listings. The suggested retail price
is $9.95. 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
Sean
Sherk versus Matt Hughes Signed For UFC 42!
Sean
Sherk is busy training for his next fight, which was just revealed
to be for the UFC Welterweight belt against Matt Hughes in UFC
42 rumored to be in Las Vegas possibly in April although no solid
news on the date is available at this time. Since this interview
was done both fighters signed their contracts.
KM:
Right now the rumors are your next fight is going to be Matt
Hughes in UFC 42. Is there anything else coming up?
SS: That is pretty much the thing right there. I’m just
waiting for the contract to come. Soon as it does then I’ll
sign it and we have a signed agreement.
KM:
What are your thoughts on fighting Hughes?
SS: I think it’s going to be a big challenge for me. We’re
pretty much both the same style, he’s supposed to be really
strong which is one of my virtues; strength and great wrestling
ability. I think it’s going to come down to who wants it
more.
KM:
We haven’t really seen Hughes take on too many fighters
like him. Several of the fighters we’ve seen him against
in the UFC have had completely different styles while yours is
the closest to Matt’s.
SS: I agree totally, yeah. You hit it right on the head. Newton
is a great jiu-jitsu guy. Sakurai is great jiu-jitsu and great
stand-up but I don’t think he’s fought a really good
wrestler in the UFC. I’m sure he has in the past, but as
far as the UFC competition I don’t think he’s fought
a great wrestler.
KM:
I think after that Sakurai was saying he didn’t give enough
respect to wrestling and Hughes was saying a lot of it was the
strength and weight difference. How do you feel you match up
to Hughes?
SS: Pretty much the same. We both like to fight on the ground,
we both like to use our wrestling to control a fight, so as far
as our styles go it’s pretty much the same. I guess it’s
going to come down to who works other areas.
KM:
I can’t see him do any of the airborne slams we’ve
seen him pull off against some of these non-wrestlers. The only
person to beat Hughes has been Hallman and Hallman doesn’t
really have that style. I take it you have seen the Hallman fights…
SS: Yes.
KM:
Was there anything that you learned from them, any differences
in your training?
SS: Well, I know that the first time Hallman beat Hughes was
one of Hughes’ first fights, so he didn’t really have
a very good knowledge of submissions. The second time he beat
Hughes he was transitioning; I think Hughes double legged him
and sent to pick him up and Hallman transitioned to an armbar,
I think in mid-air. Hallman is a great submission guy and that’s
how he caught Hughes, just off a transition. He knew Hughes was
going to shoot in and pick him up and he went straight into an
armbar. I can definitely learn from that but I also think Hughes
is a much much better fighter now. I think this past year he’s
become a way better fighter. I’ve seen some of his old fights
compared to his new fights and they are just night and day difference.
KM:
It’s difficult to draw comparisons to you considering you’ve
never lost. You have one draw! It’s not like we can look
at it and say Hughes seems to show a potential weakness to Hallman’s
tactics but we can’t do the same with you because you have
never lost. One thing that bothered me a little bit was is we
don’t see you getting the recognition you deserve. In my
opinion why didn’t we see you vs. Hughes back in 40 or even
before that. Weren’t you on the undercard at 30?
SS: Preliminary. I’ve been preliminary every time.
KM:
I’m sorry, preliminary. Preliminary three times. Here it
is you have an undefeated record, 22-0-1…I’m surprised
we didn’t see you against Hughes earlier. Do you have any
misgivings as far as not being given the respect you deserve?
SS: I’m trying to keep an open mind on the whole thing.
It would be great but I’ll get it when I earn it. I think
I’ve earned it already but I guess I’ll just wait my
turn. I’m not going to get all angry.
Sherk
finally gets his chance to fight Hughes in UFC 42 rumored to
be in Las Vegas but first up is UFC 41 in Atlantic City, NJ on
February 28th. Also keep an eye out for the DVD releases of UFC
39 & 40 tentatively in February since 40 has Hughes/Castillo
and 39 might show the preliminary bout with Sherk/Radach.
Source:
ADCC
Ken
Shamrock - Back To Pro Wrestling
The
questions appeared to have been answered regarding the future
of Ken Shamrock. There were rampant rumors that Shamrock was
retiring from MMA and the UFC. While no one could confirm the
rumors as 100% true, many insiders took it as the truth.
KenShamrock.com's
email has been down for a while (it was flooded with email after
the Ortiz fight). There has been no update on the site for months
now but word is Shamrock will reappear in Japan.
No.
Not with Pride or any MMA group but New Japan. This seems to
be the new hang out for MMA bad asses who've solidified their
reputations in the past.
Shamrock
is regarded as a pioneer of MMA and helped spearhead the fighting
game in Japan as one of the originals in Pancrase.
New
Japan welcomes Shamrock who will debut as a heel (bad guy). He
has a VERY interesting partner. Rumors have it that Wallid Ismail
will join the stable of 'bad guys' with Shamrock and others.
The
contract stipulations weren't made public but being that Shamrock
is considered a legend, you can bet it's very nice. This could
keep Shamrock busy until his late 40's. Many wrestlers live off
their past reps and make incredible salaries and can be set for
life if they make wise choices. Shamrock can accomplish this
with ease.
Look
for Mark Coleman and Kevin Randelman to also join the crew being
trained by Perry Saturn (former WWE).
Source:
ADCC
Wrestling
legend Dan Gable named as head coach of the U.S. team
Wrestling
legend Dan Gable of Iowa City, Iowa has been named as head coach
of the U.S. team that will compete in the 2003 World Cup of Freestyle
Wrestling at Bank of America Centre In Boise, Idaho, April 5-6.
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.
The
World Cup features dual meet competitions between six nations,
with a team champion determined. In addition, individual medalists
are awarded, based upon the results in each weight class. Traditionally,
many of the world's best international freestyle wrestlers participate
in the event.
'The
World Cup is one of the major events in wrestling; it is high
on the ladder,' said Gable. 'Usually, our No. 1 wrestlers compete
in the World Cup. This is an important event.'
Gable
will be coaching his 11th World Cup team, the most World Cup
assignments of any U.S. coach.
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 five U.S. World teams (1977,
1978, 1979, 1983, 1994, 1999). He was the head coach of the 1986
U.S. Goodwill Games team.
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.
'Since
2000, I have not been an official coach for a U.S. national event,'
said Gable. 'With the Olympics getting close again, I am getting
excited again. I have been involved in the last nine Olympic
Games, and it is good for me to take this on right now. I like
to stay close to wrestling at this level.'
Joining
Gable as assistant coaches for the U.S. team are Greg Randall
of Boise, Idaho and Shawn Charles of Lincoln, Neb.
Randall
became the head coach at Boise State Univ. at the conclusion
of the 2002 season, after 10 years as an assistant coach under
Mike Young. During Randall's time at Boise State, the Broncos
have become a nationally-ranked ower on an annual basis. Randall
competed for Gable when he was a three-time NCAA All-American
at the Univ. of Iowa, including two NCAA runner-up positions.
In freestyle, Randall won the Pan American Championships, and
placed second at the U.S. Nationals and U.S. Olympic Festival.
Charles
is currently the assistant wrestling coach at the Univ. of Nebraska.
He also served as assistant coach for Central Michigan Univ.,
as well as at Iowa State and Phoenix College. Charles also served
as the club coach for the Univ. of Oklahoma. He was a four-time
NCAA All-American for Arizona State Univ. In freestyle wrestling,
Charles won a U.S. Nationals title, and qualified for the U.S.
national team a number of times.
Tickets
for the World Cup are now on sale.
All-session
tickets for both individuals and groups are on sale. The competition
will be held Saturday, April 5 and Sunday, April 6. There will
be our sessions of action, featuring the best international freestyle
wrestling teams in the world, including the host United States.
All-Session
tickets for adults cost just $69, and include great seats for
all four sessions of action, and a free ticket to the *Champions
Clinic.*
All-Session
tickets for youth (ages 2-18) cost just $59, and include great
seats for all four sessions of action, and a free ticket to the
'Champions Clinic.'
For
groups of 10 or more individuals, there will be a $4 discount
on each All-Session ticket for the entire group.
Fans
can order their tickets in a number of ways. Tickets are available
via telephone at (208)331-TIXS, via the internet at www.idahotickets.com
or in person at all Select-A-Seat locations.
The
event is being organized by Star USA, a nationally-respected
firm which has presented numerous major Olympic sports event
across the nation.
The
weekend will begin with a major youth wrestling competition,
the World Cup Kids Open, set for Friday, April 4. Young wrestlers
will be able compete in the tournament, then watch the world's
best athletes at the World Cup. Medals from the World Cup Kids
Open will be presented during the World Cup of Freestyle Wrestling.
Participants must be USA Wrestling members. For information on
the youth tournament, contact R.J. Scott by phone at (208)587-9720
or via e-mail at rjscott64@cs.com.
Fans
can stay where the teams stay at the Grove Hotel in Boise. Call
the Grove Hotel at (208)333-8000 and ask reservations for the
World Cup rate.
The
host United States has recently dominated the Freestyle World
Cup, winning 10 of the last 13 team titles, including the most
recent World Cup held in Spokane, Wash. in 2002. Russia won the
1992 and 1998 World Cups, and Iran was the champion of the 1996
World Cup.
For
more information on the World Cup, contact Gary Abbott of USA
Wrestling at 719-598-8181.
Source:
ADCC
IGJJF
Rorion Gracie Quick Chat
While
attending Prof. Helio Gracie's seminar and IGJJF referee's rule
meeting this past weekend, Kid got a chance to ask Rorion a few
questions about this eekends IGJJF Tourmanent.
KP:
Rorion how are the final preparations for the tournament coming
along?
RG: Things are looking great! It will be a wonderful event. The
referee meeting helped to clarify to all those who were present
that these new rules will prevent stalling. As long as the competitors
are chasing victory through submission or points awarded for
clearly dominant positions -- they will not be affected by the
rules at all! It will be like a training session they have at
their own school, where nobody worries about who has one more
point or an advantage, in other words, at your school you don't
stall!
KP:
I heard that some of the best in the world are coming is it true?
RG: Yes! Some of the world's best will be displaying their talents
this weekend. Plus we have new people signing up everyday. There
are a few known competitors from a few schools which are regular
in the BJJ tournament circuit, who are expected to sign up till
Friday 31, at the weigh in. It would be a pity if these competitors
who regularly lend credibility to their schools as a result of
their victories, decided not to participate in this event and
missed this opportunity to discover their true effectiveness.
A lot of people will be curious about their reason. After all,
the trip to Brazil to train with Grand Master Helio Gracie is
a prize money can't buy, the registration fee has been lowered,
the rules were developed only as a back up, to make sure the
action doesn't stop. To be a part of this tournament is to strength
Jiu-Jitsu as a whole -- the art we all practice because it exemplifies
effectiveness. Keep in mind, that in the end, it is just another
day on the mat.
KP:
Considering what you have accomplished in the past with the creation
of the UFC I think I'd be crazy not to check it out! But can't
you at least tell us a couple of names ???
RG: Show up and you won't be disappointed! See you there :)
Source:
ADCC
1/27/03
Quote
of the Day
Work
as though you would live forever, and live as though you would
die today.
Og
Mandino
Giraldi
Muay-Thai Moves!
GIRALDI MUAY-THAI has moved from Kalakaua Boxing Gym, 720 McNeil
St in Kalihi to Halawa Valley, 99-1421 Koaha Place Bay # 5, next
to OICA Poison Ink Custom Printing.
GRAND OPENING will be in March 2003
The new school has 5,000 square feet of training area and 1,000
square feet in Camp accommodations. If you have any questions,
please contact Tony Giraldi by e-mail: giraldimuaythai@yahoo.com or 808-623-6238.
Source: ADCC
Out
with the Old, in with the New!
Young Guns Show their skills and shine at the ADCC Brazilian
Trials
By Eduardo Alonso
Jacare
hits a flying armbar
The anticipated Brazilian trials for the Abu Dhabi 2003 tournament,
to be held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in May of 2003, matched some
of the most respected and talented grapplers in Brazil against
each other, battling for only five spots in the upcoming ADCC
event and gathered a cast of stars both on and off the mats.
Although the crowd was composed of only 500 guests, a lot of
well known faces from the fight game were present to witness
the trials, and champions like Brazilian Top Team members Murilo
Bustamante, Mario Sperry, Rodrigo and Rogerio Nogueira, Carlos
Barreto, ex-BTT members like Allan Goes and Ricardo Arona, Ruas
Vale Tudo stars such as Pedro Rizzo and Gustavo Ximu, wrestler
Darrell Gholar, NHB veteran Ebenezer Braga, Jiu-Jitsu icon Fabio
Gurgel, SHOOTO's newest star Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro
and even K-1 superstar Peter Aerts were on hand! If this list
impresses you, the names competing were impressive as well, including
the likes of BJJ world champions Marcio Cruz, Fernando Margarida,
Fernando Terere, and other famous fighters such as Alexandre
Cacareco, Ricardo De la Riva, Antoine Joaude, Alexandre Café
Dantas, Johil de Oliveira, Roberto Godoy and the newest Jiu-Jitsu
sensation Ronaldo Jacare among others. Needless to say, the technical
level was very high and some tough battles were fought.
The highlights of the event were the amazing comeback by Rany
Yahrya in the under 65.9 kg class final, guaranteeing his title
in the very end of the match, Daniel Moraes putting a show against
Johil de Oliveira in the first round, and then beating a tough
Fernando Terere and getting his title against Marcelinho in the
up-to-76.9 kg class, Ronaldo Jacare and Fernando Margarida battling
in the most anticipated fight of the day, with Jiu-Jitsu brown
belt Jacare once again proving his talent and winning the up-to-87.9
kg division, Alexandre Cacareco simply dominating the up-to-98.9
kg class and securing his place in the main brackets in May and
Marcio "Pe de Pano" Cruz reigning supreme in the over-99kg
division, ending the day of fights in Rio de Janeiro with the
five champions of the Brazilian trials smiling with their eyes
already set on Sao Paulo in May 17 and 18 of 2003! Don't miss
a full report in the next issue of FCF!
ADCC
Brazilian Trials Champions:
(Qualified for the Abu Dhabi World Tournament in May)
Under 65.9 kg - Rany Yahrya - Jiu Jitsu
Under 76.9 kg - Daniel Moraes - Jiu Jitsu
Under 87.9 kg - Ronaldo Jacare - Jiu Jitsu
Under 98.9 kg - Alexandre Cacareco - Luta Livre
Above 99 kg - Marcio "Pe de Pano" Cruz - Jiu Jitsu
Source:
FCF
UCC
12: Adrenaline - Ludwig KOs Pulver
Former
UFC champ Jens Pulver is sent down in round 1 by a kick/punch
combo in his bout with Duane "Bang!" Ludwig.
Earlier
in the evening, Jason Black remains undefeated as he eeks a decision
over John Alessio, and UFC vet Tony Fryklund is stopped in the
first round by David "The Crow" Loiseau
Source: Sherdog
UCC
12: Adrenaline Ends with a “Bang!”
By John Hanlon
Montreal,
Quebec -- Duane Ludwig scored a first round knockout of Jens
“Lil Evil” Pulver, the number one lightweight fighter
in the world 1:13 into round one Saturday night inside the Pierre
Charbonneau Center. Ludwig dropped Pulver for the second time
with a straight right, winning the UCC world lightweight championship.
“No
one can stand with him,” said Bas Rutten, Ludwig’s
corner man after the victory, “He is like a computer; you
tell him something and he does it. Perfect!”
Both
men circled the ring to open the fight, Pulver looking over confident,
Ludwig looking brutally calm. “Lil Evil” struck first
with a glancing left hook; from then on it was all Ludwig. “Bang”
fired back with a left cross that dropped Pulver, but as he was
falling, instinct took over and he reached for a double-leg.
Ludwig sprawled and began landing some shots from the top.
As
Pulver drove deeper for the single, Ludwig scrambled back to
his feet and the fighters clinched in the corner. Pulver, trying
to regain his composure, grabbed the ropes, forcing the referee
to halt the action. As they were separated, Pulver was still
feeling the effects of the previous left. Stumbling, the ref
pointed Pulver in the right direction. Ludwig capitalized on
his dazed opponent. After a left high kick that was partially
blocked, Ludwig landed a straight right that crumbled Pulver
down and through the ropes onto the ring apron.
“I'm
disappointed. I don’t know what I just did,” said a
dejected Pulver afterwards, “Three years undefeated, I guess
it has to come to an end sometime. What happened last time I
lost? I dominated the world.”
In
the co-main event, David “The Crow” Loiseau retained
the UCC world middleweight championship when the doctor declared
that Tony “The Freak” Fryklund was unable to continue
due to a massive cut.
“The
Freak” came out looking to press the action and muscle Loiseau
around. “The Crow” calmly fended off the flurries of
Fryklund. After spinning Fryklund with a glancing head kick,
Loiseau landed a Thai kick to the mid section.
Loiseau,
using his lightening fast hands, kept “The Freak” at
bay with counterpunching. As the fighters clinched, “The
Crow” sent Fryklund reeling with a right forearm. Backing
away, Fryklund regained his senses.
While
locked up in the corner, Loiseau cleared his right arm and landed
a wicked forearm to the forehead of Fryklund, causing a two-inch-long
gash. Straight out of Steven King’s “Carrie,”
Fryklund was drenched in blood running down his face and chest.
This was one of the bloodiest fights in MMA history. The doctor
had no choice but to call the action at the end of round one.
After
years of hard work and little recognition, undefeated Jason Black
from the Miletich camp captured the UCC welterweight championship
when he outlasted a backpedaling John “The Natural”
Alessio for the split decision.
Round
one saw Black chasing the ever-circling Alessio. Quickly into
the first round, Alessio landed a left hook the opened a small
cut under the right eye of Black. Always the aggressor, Black
lunged forward with off balanced punches, as Alessio remained
content to counterpunch and dance.
Black,
following the instructions from his corner, began to cut off
the ring in round two, allowing for more engagement. However,
Alessio continued to get the better of the exchanges when he
dropped Black, who sprung right back up, with a left hook.
“The
Natural” had slowed his pace in the beginning of the third
round allowing Black to shoot in for a single-leg, which he finished
in side control. Black began working knees and elbows, but Alessio
skillfully work the action back to the feet. Black, shooting
under a right from Alessio, double-legged straight into side
control. Undaunted, Alessio once again worked his way to back
to his feet, only to be double-legged yet again. This time Black
trapped the arm of Alessio and landed some solid knees and elbows
right up until the final bell.
Entering
the ring donning a Viking headdress and battle-axe, Stephane
“Nordic Thunder” Laliberte battled Mark “The Machine”
Hominick for the Canadian super lightweight championship.
Liliberte,
whose unorthodox style rattled Hominick early, throws punches
from left field. Each blow that Liliberte wailed was a total
haymaker. Unsure of how to combat the spinning back fists and
winging lefts and rights, Hominick jumped to guard, where Liliberte
continued to flail punches. Bleeding from two small cuts, Hominick
attempted a heel hook and ended up in the guard of Liliberte.
After landed some shots, “The Machine” backed out of
the guard.
Looking
much more composed on his feet, Hominick dodged all the sloppy
strikes from Liliberte while landing crisp counter shots. Following
a failed takedown attempt by Hominick, “Nordic Thunder”
began to rain down vicious rights. In the blink of an eye, “The
Machine” shifted his hips and secured an armbar, forcing
Liliberte to tap 4:43 of round one to preserve his title.
In
the best fight of the evening, Jermaine “Bam Bam” Andre
squared off against Canadian slugger Steve Vigneault. After landing
a front kick to the sternum of Vigneault, Andre looked to work
from the clinch.
Both
men traded right hooks to the body, and one minute into the contest
Vigneault’s ribs were visibly bruised. Each warrior hammered
away from the clinch with knees, punches and elbows. As soon
as Vigneault gained control with a strong forearm to the head,
“Bam Bam” ducked under a looping right, securing a
double-leg and slammed his opponent in the middle of the ring.
Blood dripped from Andre’s nose as Vigneault regained his
feet, sending the Canadian crowd into a tizzy at the end of the
round.
Round
two found the men back in the clinch trading blows when Vigneault
landed a left uppercut and right forearm. Andre immediately attempted
a takedown, but fell to guard instead. As Vigneault passed to
half guard, Andre swung his leg around and applied a heel hook.
Scrambling to get free, Vigneault moved the fight back to the
clinch. From there Andre landed an accidental knee to the groin
of Vigneault.
After
a brief respite from the referee, Vigneault countered with a
clean uppercut after “Bam Bam” landed a solid leg kick.
Seconds before the bell, Vigneault used an inside trip from body
lock to gain the takedown.
Content
with the clinch, both fighters locked up to begin the third round.
Vigneault gained double under hooks and executed a body lock
sweep. From inside of Andre’s guard, both men effectively
struck. Andre then used an elevator sweep to land a heel hook
in the transition. Vigneault defended by rolling with the lock
until he wiggled free.
After
more trading from the clinch, Vigneault took Andre down. Impressively,
Andre finished the fight by landing more effective shots from
his back, including a few slide elbows. Vigneault won the war
by unanimous decision.
Georges
St-Pierre dominated Thomas “The Wildman” Denny in 170-pound
action. Following a fast, low single, St-Pierre controlled the
action from side mount. Here St-Pierre landed knees and elbows
while working for a key lock.
Denny
had no answer for St-Pierre’s single-leg takedowns in round
two. While working the ground-and-pound, St-Pierre landed a knee
to the face of Denny, opening a cut above his right eye. The
referee halted the action 4:25 of round two.
Kultar
Gill from Lance Gibson’s Pankration, quickly disposed of
Donald Ouimet at the 1:56 mark of round one via rear naked choke.
Gill scored a body-lock takedown into mount. From there he punched
at the face of Ouimet until he gave up his back.
Looking
for revenge from a previous loss to Pain Peters, Dany Laflamme
won a unanimous decision in the first main card fight of the
evening. After a takedown from Peters, both fighters scrambled
with Laflamme ending inside the guard. Imploring the “Mongolian
chop,” Laflamme pounded strikes from the guard of Peters.
Round
two began with Peters looking winded. Halfway through the round,
Laflamme locked on a side choke from mount; fortunately for Peters
the action spilled under the ropes and the referee called for
a restart. Moments later, while in the mount raining down punches,
Laflamme got tangled in the ropes and the ref once again restarted
the action.
Showing
tremendous heart, Peters, who was so gassed he could barley walk,
continued to slug it out with Laflamme. Twice in the third round
Laflamme acquired mount, only to be denied by the ropes. Miraculously
with 10 seconds left, a completely drained Peters landed a triangle
choke, but he was too exhausted to finish.
Joel
Pigeon made quick work of Dirk Waardenburg. Not concerned with
the leg kicks of Waardenburg, Pigeon fired straight rights over
the top. After catching a kick, Pigeon swept the leg of Waardenburg
and took mount. Tapping out 1:38 into round one from strikes,
Waardenburg concedes to Pigeon.
Five-foot
eleven-inch Stephane Vigneault towered over his 5-foot 4-inch
opponent, Shane Rice. Trying to avoid the reach advantage, Rice
quickly took Vigneault down, where he worked some ground-and-pound.
Rice,
unable to trade with Vigneault, was content to attempt a shot
and then flop to guard. While butt scooting, Vigneault peppered
the right leg of Rice with kicks. Vigneault wins the unanimous
two round decision.
Samuel
Guillet kicked off the event with a second round TKO of George
Peters, brother of Pain Peters. The opening round saw both fighters
landing stiff jabs in an even battle of strikes. Both fighters
were bloodied when Guillet landed a four-punch combo that staggered
Peters into the ropes. Unable to capitalize on the reeling Peters,
Guillet continued to trade left jabs. Peters, who seemed gassed,
showed a lot of heart by continually pressing forward.
The
second round opened up with Guillet working the clinch and getting
a sweep from body lock. The referee stood the fighters back up
because Peters used the ropes to deter the slam. The action went
back and forth on the feet, with both combatants showing the
wear and tear of battle. Guillet landed a right hook the knocked
Peters senseless. Before the ref could halt the action, Guillet
landed three more shots flush to the face of the slumping Peters.
The fight was stopped 2:10 of round two.
Source: Maxfighting
Dale
Earnhardt Jr. Quick Report
The
Dale Earnhardt Jr event took place Saturday in No.Carolina in
front of 1500 spectators. The 350+ competitors battled into the
dawn, with the event ending after 1:00AM. Despite some first
year blunders and some very dubious decisions (to say the least)
on refereeing, the first event most be deemed a success.
In
the Superfights Saulo Ribeiro defeated Todd Margolis by 5 x 0.
Marcelo Clemente and Mark Laimon ended in a draw after some incredible
disputes in points etc and Daniel Moraes beat Jorge Gurgel by
points.
The
team results had Royce Gracie No Carolina in first followed by
Relson Gracie Team. Despite some of the negatives, the Earnhardts
were totally stoked and promised to be back next year with a
bigger and better event!
Source:
ADCC
Pancrase
- Complete Results!
1/26/03 - Korakuen Hall (Tokyo, Japan)
PANCRASE
results are in featuring Renzo Gracie stand-out students. Gabriel
Vella and Joe D'Arce had their first international MMA bouts.
Vella
reportedly had a great showing against Yuki Kondo while D'Arce
suffered a ref stoppage in his bout that was said to be exciting.
COMPLETE
RESULTS:
Reiji Shimabukuro defeated Hideaki Hirayama with a KO punch at
1:02 of the first round. This was a featherweight amateur match.
-
Shigeyuki Umeki defeated Yohei Tagami by majority decision.
- Yushin Okami defeated Hikaru Sato by unanimous decision.
- Satoru Kitaoka defeated Hiroki Nagaoka via unanimous decision.
- Takuya Wada drew Koji Oishi after two rounds.
- Eiji Ishikawa defeated Ichiro Kanai by a unanimous decision.
- Daisuke Watanabe defeated Kingdom Heavyweight Champion Hidetada
Irie in 4:18 by KO.
- Kazuo Misaki defeated 2002 Pan-Am Jiu-Jitsu Medalist Joe D'Arce
(Renzo Gracie Brown Belt) in the round 2 at 4:51 by TKO from
continuous punches.
- Yuki Kondo drew with 2002 Pan-Am Jiu-Jitsu Medalist Gabriel
Vella.
Source:
ADCC
Pre
Notes:
ADCC Qualifier 65.9 KG Champion RANY YAHRYA
Young
RANY YAHRYA was certainly one of the surprises of the tournament.
In a that featured some top talent, few gave the 17 year old
from north Brazil much credit. He unleashed a game too active
to score points against, while showing himself able to score
in a variety of ways - he seemed to score at will, and even moved
to many scoring positions while the points were not in effect.
Which
tittles were you credited for to be a part of this trials?
Jiu-Jitsu World Champion 99-02
Jiu-Jitsu Panamerican Champion 99-00
National Champion 2000
Did
you expect to be invited to fight in the trials?
No, it was a surprise for me!
So
you are happy to be picked?
It's a big pleasure! It's already a victory for me just to be
invited to compete.
What
are your expectations regarding the trials, besides being champion,
of course?
I just want to do my best.
Did
you think that an event such as this could be responsable for
the end of the off-ring rivalry that went on between martial
arts in Brazil?
Yes, because it's such a big event
Out
of all of the opponents in your category who do you see as the
main one?
I think it is Ricardo De La Riva. He is a legendary name.
How
is your training routine for the event?
Jiu-jitsu training twice a day and a conditioning workout every
day as well.
Source:
ADCC
The
World According to BOB SAPP!
BOB SAPP, the busiest man in Japan has been on a moneymaking
roller coaster!
1/17/03:
Earns an astounding $85,000 for his pro wrestling match with
Ernesto Hoost at WRESTLE-1.
1/20/03:
Sapp did a commercial appearance for a slot-machine type game
in Japan earning over $40,000 just for saying one line on TV.
1/20/03:
Sapp and K-1 officials announced the K-1 Grand Prix Series 2003
to start in mid-March.
On
the same day, PRIDE also made a preliminary announcement that
they would make an offer both Sapp and 'Minotauro' Nogueira to
fight once again for the PRIDE title. The proposed match would
take place on 3/16/03. Should this match happen, look for a VERY
lucrative payday for both fighters.
1/24/03:
Sapp did another promotional appearance for Nissin.
Nissin
is one of the largest makers of fried noodles in Japan. So what
did Sapp do? In typical fashion, Sapp devoured 20 cups of noodles
(normally feeds around 12 people). Sapp is apparently one of
the company's new spokesmen.
Later
he announced he would attempt to break the world noodle-eating
record when he returns to Japan.
Returns?
Yes, Sapp left Tokyo, Japan yesterday for the SuperBowl.
1/26/03:
Sapp arrived in the San Diego, CA. and will the host of the SuperBowl
that airs on Nippon TV (one of the largest networks in Japan).
Sapp
made public claims in Japan (before leaving) that his popularity
is going to take off in the U.S. as well. Currently Sapp is in
negotiations with New Japan, K-1, Pride, Wrestle-1 and a future
fight in the sport of Sumo.
Source:
ADCC
Lewis-Klitschko
fight collapses
Lennox
Lewis could face a rematch with Mike Tyson for his next fight
after talks over a proposed bout with Vitali Klitschko collapsed.
The
WBC heavyweight champion had been expected to take on Ukrainian
Klitschko, the WBC's number one contender, on 12 April in Las
Vegas.
But
Judd Burnstein, Lewis' attorney, has revealed that the Briton
will watch how Tyson fares against Clifford Etienne in Memphis
on 22 February before deciding on his next move.
Source:
ADCC
1/26/03
Quote
of the Day
"It
is surprising what a man can do when he has to,
and how little most men will do when they don't have to."
Walter Linn
Sensei
Juji Looks at the ADCC BRAZIL TRIALS
BRAZIL
TRIALS - Early Round Energies Lead to Slower Finals
There is a great pictorial by our friend Denis Martins on
ADCC's news page.
Perhaps
it was the heat, or the toll of several epic battles in the opening
rounds, but several of the finals of the Brazilian Trials proceeded
in an anticlimatic fashion.
The
tournament had a lot of late drop outs, but with a reported field
of 900 applicants, organizer Marcello Tetel was able to fill
the field with a strong cast of players. Several big names reportedly
pulled out in the last days, including returning champions Robson
Moura, Leo Santos, Nino Schembri and JJ star Rodrigo 'Comprido'
Medeiros, causing the field to grow more open - the day would
be dominated by new faces!
The
rule meeting and weigh ins were run at Ricardo De La Riva's ACADEMY
1 on Tuesday, January 21st. The meeting covered a lot of detail
about Submission Wrestling, and many of the Brazilian players
adopted well in the competition to the nuances of the sport.
The long layoff with no 'OFFICIAL' Submission Wrestling matches
going on world wide was used by the ADCC to develop an international
field of judges. It does appear as if the field will have to
shake off some ring rust from the long layoff of playing the
rules.
HIGHLIGHTS
UNDER 65.9 KG
In
round 1, all eyes were on legendary Ricardo De La Riva, who took
on Luciano Azevedo. De La Riva would lose a point going to his
back, and despite a relentless, flowing game, Azevedo stayed
safe and scored the huge upset.
Rany
Yahrya and Hudson Rocha were off at 1 million miles an hour,
but Rocha would break his hand in the fight. Fabio Melo and Marcos
Galvao both advanced by beating Flavio Cabraland and Carlos Lemos
Jr respectively.
In
the semifinals, Azevedo would lose to eventual champion Yahrya,
while Melo would be taken out by Galvao. The opening two rounds
were highlighted by very fast transitions by the little guys
- a real high level pace that showed that the little guys can
provide a highlight real when they want.
Yahrya
and Galvao took several breathers throughout the finals, nervously
waiting for the 10 minute points mark. Yahrya had been getting
point scoring positions throughout the competition, at times
for no regards whether the ADCC rules awarded points or not.
In the finals, he seemed to let Galvao wear himself out, then
when the points came on, he scored several times. From there,
the young 17 year old hung on for the much deserved win - Yahrya
came from no where to take the tournament - one of the surprises
of the day.
HIGHLIGHTS
66-76.9 KG
Fernando Terere would enter the tourney as the favorite, and
he would get thru the first round by taking out Rafael Abi Rihan.
eventual champion Daniel Moraes would defeat tough Johil de Oliveira
and Marcello Garcia would make quick work of Aloisio Barros,
ending it with a rear naked choke. Marcelo Zulu would outlast
Luis Buskape in a war which saw Buskape sink several submission
holds. Zulu survived, and got a big takedown for the score and
the advance.
In
round 2, Fernando Terere would be smothered by Daniel Moraes,
whose intelligent, 'stay safe if your ahead' game is reminiscent
of champion Royler Gracie.
Marcelo
Garcia would wear out Marcelo Zulu with a huge triangle. Though
Zulu would not tap, he was gassed for the rest of the fight,
allowing Garcia to dictate the pace and launch attacks - Garcia
advanced in impressive fashion.
In
the finals, Marcelo Garcia would come out and take a minus point
for his first attack on Daniel Moraes, whose style is very much
'win first'. With first blood drawn, Moraes played conservative.
Garcia picked up the pace and went at Moraes, showing a deep
game, a lot of positions and heart. He didnt repeat his mistake
that cost him a point, but he was unable to score either. Unfortunately
for Garcia, Moraes was able to hold off his attacks and not lose
any points. He advanced 0 to -1.
HIGHLIGHTS
77-87.9 KG
Ronaldo Jacare would take out Rafael Correa in round one, while
Marcel Fereira of TOP TEAM would defeat Marcello Salazar
Favorite
Fernando Margarida would wage a heated battle against Marcello
Pitbull. Pitbull showed a lot of knowledge of the rules, benefitting
from questions asked at the rule meeting. For his part, Margarida
missed the rule meeting, and seemed to burn off energy needlessly
at times. Margarida would eventually impose his will, getting
thru to face Jacare in the highly anticipated match of round
2.
Marcello
Grosso would go to war with Bruno Bastos, with Bastos outlasting
the game late replacement.
Fernando
Margarida taking on Ronaldo Jacare was a Jiu Jitsu dream match
- both men had unbeleiveable records and were building HUGE reputations.
A 1 minute stretch of the match took place off the mat, as both
men went at each other once they locked up on the ground, transitioning
like mad. A difficult reset ensued, but both men worked back
to theie feet still even at 0-0. Maragarida would not be able
to get Jacare down, and he lost a point for going to his back
at one point. Jacare would hold off Margarida in the end, advancing
into the finals looking very strong.
Marcel
Ferreira would succumb to Bastos in the other semi. Bastos was
very strong also, unleashing a patient game with a lot of wrestling.
In
the finals, 'Jacare' would stun Bastos early, landing a very
precise flying triangle and then transitioning into the arm bar.
Bastos fought it off valiantly, but he was facing a really focused
champion to be. Bastos worked hard for the takedowns, but he
could not get Jacare down. Jacare won running away as Bastos
wore out, Jacare's gas tank seemed to never empty.
HIGHLIGHTS
88-98.9 KG
On his way to the title, Alexandre 'Cacareco' Ferreira took out
Andre Castro and Claudio Godoy in the first two rounds.
The
first round would have Godoy take out Maxwell Carvalho, Fabio
Leopoldo defeating Marcello Brigadeiro and Roan Carneiro defeating
Roberto Godoi.
The
second round bout featuring Fabio Leopoldo versus Roan Carneiro
would lead to fireworks. An intense staredown preceded the match,
and the opening minutes saw a head tie up lead to slapping and
a near fight. The referee and judges kept order, warning both
competitors. The match continued heatedly, but under control
until Leopoldo slipped in a choke for the finish - he held on
a little extra, letting Carneiro know about it - Roan was hot,
but in control afterwards.
In
the finals 'Cacareco' was having fun! Leopoldo would take it
to him, but Cacareco is near impossible to take down, and is
extremely difficult to submit. Leopoldo went straight at him
throughout the fight, in one of the few hard finals. His corner
implored him 'trust your guard' but Leopoldo would not take the
minus points out of pride. 'cAcareco' executed his takedowns
well, at times taling a negative 1 and standing back up, to score
more takedown points. In the end, Leopoldo was worn out by 'Cacareco's
sheer power. Ferreira returns to ADCC!
HIGHLIGHTS
OVER 99 KG
Antoine Joaude and Cafe Dantas waged an epic battle in round
one. Joaude, a 2x Arabic Division Heavyweight Champion while
'CAFE' lost in the finals of the 2000 American Qualifiers to
PRIDE World Champion Rodrigo 'MINOTAURO' Nogueira. Both would
score points on each other, and both would threaten enough to
score advantages on several positions. Eventually, Joaude won
the war of attrition, as Dantas was unable to keep the pace up
until the end.
Luis
Guilherme and Rodrigo Artiliheiro battled for 15 minutes, with
Artiliheiro winning on advantage. Fabiano Sherner took out Paulo
Cury.
'Pe
De Pano' Cruz looked a little out of shape, heavier in the middle
than during his 2001 ADCC appearance. He fought the solid Mario
Sukata thru two overtimes. No points were scored in the first
two rounds - Sukata worked from top position throughout, but
it was Cruz who was more active from the bottom. He broke thru
and scored points in the last 5 minutes, but he was tired.
Cruz
would take out Rodrigo Artiliheiro quickly getting much needed
rest, while Joaude and Scherner headed into another war. Scherner,
from TOP TEAM, had a strong guard for a big guy, proving elusive
for Joaude to score points against.
Joaude
worked from the top throughout, until Scherner got top position
on a reversal into a footlock. The position was held for over
3 seconds, however reversal points were not awarded. Scherener
won on advantage for that position, after a long stalemate battle
of two worthy fighters.
In
the finals, Pe De Pano would wait for the points, then took it
to Scherner in spurts, scoring points and staying ahead.
CONCLUSIONS
Ronaldo
JACARE was certainly the star of the tournament - fast, strong,
talented, relentless, mean - all these words describe the young
fighter.
Heading
into the World Championships, scheduled for May 17-18th, 2003
in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the Brazilian Team looks to be poised to
defend the home turf. With stars and champions such as Royler
Gracie, Ricardo Arona, Mario Sperry, Marcio Feitosa, Jean Jacques
Machado and many others likely to be in the field as well as
the 5 qualifiers just crowned, it will be hard for another country
to break the Brazilian dominance at the 5th Submission Wrestling
World Championships, however the newer players did show a lot
of Jiu Jitsu habits that might be exploited by more veteran ADCC
players.
Source: ADCC
BTT
Getting Added Press in Japan
This past week, a team of reporters from the Japanese Magazine
NUMBERS were in Rio de Janiero to interview and feature PRIDE
World Champion Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Noguiera and the Brazilian
Top Team.
What
makes the coverage noteworthy is that NUMBERS is a Japanese Sports
magazine that covers more than just fighting. Estimated distribution
is 200,000 every two weeks. This is great news for the BTT, who
is continuing to grow as the TOP Brazilian Team in Japan.
As
for Mario Sperry, he is a big part of the feature as well. Mario
looked in phenomenal shape, and word is that his training is
harder than it has ever been. Speaking to the man himself, Sperry
humbly says 'I am pushing hard to fight in March - I am really
wanting to be back in the ring at PRIDE'.
Look
for more on BTT in NUMBERS.
Source: ADCC
The
Top 5 Best of 2002 Part 2/5
Arnold "The Sushiboy" Lim
Part
one is a distant memory and Part 3 is on the horizon. Here we
kick it off with part 2 of 5 starting with the top 5 Submission
Escapes of the year and the Top 5 Worst Beat-downs of 2002
Best
Submission Escapes of 2002
#
5 - Alexander Otsuka out of Sanae Kikuta armbar attempt
Pride 20 “Armed & Ready” April 28th 2002
Alexander withstood a full on armbar for what seemed like an
eternity as Kikuta looked to take Otsuka’s arm home with
him as a trophy. I don’t know how he withstood the pain
of the armbar for as long as he did. I actually went out of my
way to time it and it lasted approximately one whole minute!.
I actually left the room when he locked the armbar and went to
pee, when I came back it was just getting out. It was either
really good submission defense on the part of Otsuka, really
good pain tolerance on the part of Otsuka, and or poor execution
on the part of Kikuta. Either way props to Otsuka.
#
4 – Kelly Dullanty out of a Matt Serra submission attempt
UFC 36 “Worlds Collide” March-22-2002
I have personally never seen a fighter get out of so many fully
sunk life squeezing submissions in any single fight in my life.
I think Dullanty lost the battle but gained my respect by showing
off a heart that many fighters lack in this day and age.
#
3 - Kaoru Uno out of a Din Thomas triangle choke
UFC 39 “The Warriors return” Sept 27th 2002
It looked to me like the Triangle choke that Din Thomas had locked
on Kauru Uno’s head was one that he would hold on to. Uno
thought otherwise and fought out of a triangle choke that myself
and everyone else watching with me though was the end of the
fight.
#
2 - Dan Henderson Out of a plethora of Nogueira Arm Submissions
PRIDE 24 “Cold Fury III” Dec 23rd 2002
This fight is a submission escape clinic, there are a handful
of fighters in the world that could hang with Minotauro in a
fight. Natural Middleweight Dan Henderson was not supposed to
be one of them. It just goes to show what heart and a little
training can do. Henderson showed a Heart that few can match,
a rubber arm that fewer can match, and the tenacity that puts
fans in the seats.
#
1 - Andrei Semenov out of an Ivan Salleverry triangle/armbar
UFC 37 “High Impact” May 10th 2002
Frank Mir was right when he called Semenov “Houdini”.
Houdini slipped out of numerous slick submission attempts and
a handful of very bad positions. At one point Semenov got out
of a Triangle/ armbar that looked like it must have snapped something
in his arm. I don’t know if he got out, or his arm was doing
a “Gumby” impression, but he did look worse for the
wear after the fight.
Worst
Beatdowns of 2002
#
5 - Ivan Saleverry over Andrei Seminov
UFC 37 “High Impact” May 10th 2002
I am one of the people that believe that a fighter should be
given the opportunity to work themselves out of a bad position.
I think that stopping the fight should be proactive and fighter
safety should be number one, but nothing is worse then an early
stoppage. I have no problem saying that this fight went on a
little too long. I believe that the ref handling this fight even
got reprimanded for the job he did. Having said that, I want
to se Seminov back in the UFC soon, very soon.
#
5 - Don Frye Vs Yoshihiro Takayama
Pride 21 “Demolition” June 23rd 2002
Put Hockey gear on both of these guys and this fight would not
look out of place played on a Hockey rink in the National Hockey
League. Both guys locked up, stood toe to toe and let the hockey
fans in themselves show their true colors. Was it a good example
of MMA probably not… but who is complaining. I don’t
think the NHL is complaining either.
#
3 - Fedor Emelianenko over Heath Herring
Pride 23 Championship Chaos II Nov 24th 2002
The way this fight took place was as shocking as the outcome.
Fedor crushed Herring and did to Herring what not even The Minotaur
could do. He stopped Herring in his tracks. I could not believe
what I was seeing. He put it to Herring early and never relented.
Give Herring credit. He took a royal beatdown, looked worse for
the wear but still tried to make something happen. It didn’t
happen this night.
#
2 - Tim Sylvia Over “Cabbage” Correira
UFC 39 “The Warriors return” Sept 27th 2002
Over almost two rounds Tim Sylvia turned “Cabbage’s”
Head into sauerkraut. Sylvia used his long reach to keep Cabbage
at bay and punished him with punch after punch to the face. There
was NO quit in Cabbage and he kept on coming like all good Cabbages
do. Sylvia’s knuckles took a beating in their own right.
I don’t know if Tim Sylvia’s knuckles will ever grow
back.
#
1 - Frank Trigg over Dennis Hallman
WFA Level 3 Nov 23rd 2002
This was the most savage groin Kick I have ever seen in an MMA
bout. Frank Trigg came at Hallman from across the cage with a
front kick that I had to grimace through many a time on the big
screen. Hallman took a bag of ice and inserted it directly into
his shorts for five whole minutes but could not continue. He
lost due to “Abandonment” I wouldn’t call it Abandonment
I think a more accurate description would be castration.
Honorable
Mention
Tony
Fryklund Rodrigo Ruas
Renato Sobral Elvis Sinosic
Heath Herring over Kotchkine Iouri
Vanderlei Silva over Hiromitsu Kanehara
That
was it for part one. Be sure to check back as we come back at
you with part two of five which will look at the Top 5 Worst
Beatdowns, and Top 5 Submission escapes of the year 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
1/25/03
Quote
of the Day
"Oh,
my friend, it's not what they take away from you that counts.
It's what you do with what you have left."
Hubert Humphrey
ADCC
BRAZILIAN TRIALS - 5 MORE REGIONAL CHAMPIONS CROWNED!
by: Marcello Tetel
As a little addition to the commentary by Tetel, everyone
should know Pe de Pano as probably the best sport Jiu-Jitsu heavyweight
in the world right now so he should need no elaboration other
than he is a finisher and always pushes fights. If you have not
seen him fight yet, he is very entertaining to watch. Cacareco
is a machine. I (Mike) flew back from Brazil with purple and
brown belt World Champion (and also 3rd place as a black belt
in 2002), Gustavo Dantas, who told me that Cacareco is incredibly
smooth technician and a takedown machine. Daniel Moraes should
be a familiar face to Hawaii submission grapplers. He had an
impressive win over Baret Yoshida in the Pac Rim and has been
on a tear on both the sport Jiu-Jitsu and submission wrestling
circuit. He is a very young guy whose technique has just gotten
better and better. He has incredible base for a Jiu-Jitsu guy
and has taught at the Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Main Academy for
a while on his stay here. Ronaldo Jacare was a star at the 2001
Mundials by fighting something like 8 or 9 matches and finishing
all by submission in the purple belt division. He repeated himself
this past year in the brown belt division and I think only two
guys did not get submitted by him, his semi-final match in the
absolute and final, where he lost in a killer match with Roger
Gracie. I met him at a restaurant in Brazil and he exutes power
and is a very nice guy. He will be a major force as a black belt
in next year's Mundial and should be watched very closely. He
is one of the few guys in Jiu-Jitsu that has a complete grappling
game, good on his back, good on top, very good at takedowns,
and is a major finisher. Rany Yahrya is the wild card of the
group and I do not know much about him so he will be a fresh
face in the ADCC tournament.
The
ABB Lagoa complex in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil hosted the second
edition of the Submission Wrestling World Championships BRAZILIAN
QUALIFIERS. With Brazil the host nation for the 5th SUBMISSION
WRESTLING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, these 'trials' were highly anticipated.
PIC
(By Denis Martins): The 5 Champions on the podium, after the
work was done! Two Time Champion Marcio Cruz (99KG), Alexandre
Cacareco (88-98 KG), 17 year old upstart Rany Yahrya (under 66
KG), Ronaldo 'Jacare' (77-87 KG) and Daniel Moraes.
Here
are the complete results - much more to come from Rio de Janeiro:
up
to 66 kg - 1st Round:
1: Ricardo De La Riva X Lucano Azevedo
2: Rany Yahrya X Hudson Rocha
3: Fabio Melo X Flavio Cabral
4: Marcos Galvao X Carlos Lemos Jr
Semifinals:
Luciano Azevedo X Rany Yahrya
Fabio Melo X Marcos Galvao
Final:
Rany Yahrya X Marcos Galvao - Yahrya - Champion
up
to 77 Kg:
Fernando Terere X Rafael Abi Rihan
Daniel
Moraes
X Johil de Oliveira
Marcello Garcia X Aloisio Barros
Marcelo Zulu X Luis Buskape
Semifinals:
Fernando Terere X Daniel
Moraes
Marcelo Garcia X Marcelo Zulu
Final:
Daniel
Moraes
X Marcelo Garcia - Moraes - Champion
Up
to 88Kg:
Fernando Margarida X Marcello Pitbull
Ronaldo Jacare X Rafael Correa
Marcello Grosso X Bruno Bastos
Marcel Fereira X marcello Salazar
Semifinals:
Fernando Margarida X Ronaldo Jacare
Marcel Ferreira X Bruno Bastos
Finals:
Ronaldo Jacare X Bruno Bastos - Jacare - Champion
up
to 99 Kg:
Alexandre Ferreira X Andre Castro
Claudio Godoy X Maxwell Carvalho
Fabio Leopoldo X Marcello Brigadeiro
Roan Carneiro X Roberto Godoi
Semifinals:
Alexandre Cacareco Ferreira X Claudio Godoy
Fabio Leopoldo X Roan Carneiro
Finals:
Alexandre Cacareco X Fabio Leopoldo - 'Cacareco' - Champion
99
Kg and Above:
Marcio
Pe de Pano
X Mario Sukata
Luis Guilherme X Rodrigo Artiliheiro
Fabiano Sherner X Paulo Cury
Antoine Jaoude X Alexandre Cafe Dantas
Semifinals:
Pe de Pano X Rodrigo Artilheiro
Fabiano Sherner X Antoine Jaoude
Finals:
Pe de Pano X Fabiano Sherner
- Champion - Pe de Pano
Fastest
Submission Marcello Garcia - Rear naked Choke in 43 seconds
Best Match of the Competition - Marcos Galvao X Fabio Melo -
Semifinals of 66kg
Best takedown - Alexandre Cacareco in the Finals X Fabio Leopoldo
Most technical fighter - Rany Yahrya
Source: ADCC
UFC's
SEAN SHERK
by: Keith
Mills
Sean Sherk is a fighter the fans only watching Pride and UFC
may have missed partly because his fights in the IFC have all
been preliminary matches but fans of the up-and-comer shows like
KOTC and UCC have been following this guy for a while. Standing
5’7 and fighting in the diverse 170 lb Welterweight class,
this thirty year-old native of Minnesota has been all over the
map from Pancrase to Extreme Challenge.
KM:
How are you doing?
SS: I’m doing good. Just doing what I’m always doing:
training, trying to get ready for my next fight.
KM:
How does it feel to be undefeated?
SS: It’s a great feeling. There is definitely some added
pressure on me because of that but it’s a great feeling.
I’m competing in this sport to win and that’s basically
what it comes down to. I’m going to be training harder than
ever to get another win out of this.
KM:
According to an on-line database it looks like you started out
in ’99 and were fighting almost once a month and then 2000
you only had one fight. In 2001 you were back to fighting almost
once a month. What happened in 2000?
SS: That’s when I was working full time. I bought a house
in 1999 plus I got bumped on third shift on my job. I was working
every single weekend seven days a week saving money and then
once I got everything back to where I wanted it I started training
and fighting every single month.
KM:
I noticed fighting once a month or so before 2000 it was in events
like Extreme Challenge. That Extreme Challenge, wasn’t that
a tournament over two days? Wasn’t that the one where you
were supposed to take on Alessio but he was injured so there
was no final?
SS: Actually he wasn’t hurt; he said he was too tired. He
said, ‘I wish I could fight but I’m too tired’.
Allright, I’ll take it.
KM:
So 1999 was more grass roots type shows and then in 2001 you
were back to fighting once a month but it was shows like UFC
30, King Of The Cage, UCC, even Ultimate Wrestling. When I first
saw that I wondered if you changed management of changed schools.
SS: My first beginning fights were set up by Greg Nelson who
was my trainer, the guy who got me into mixed martial arts. After
that UFC 30 Monte Cox started setting me up with fights. He’s
the one who got me into UFC 30, KOTC, Pancrase…Ultimate
Wrestling was me, I just wanted to stay busy and fight at home
in front of my friends and family. I did get a new manager in
2002.
KM:
And that’s the time we started seeing you back away from
fighting once a month or so. I only see two listings, UFC 36
and 39. Was that all you had in 2002?
SS: I fought December 7th here in Minnesota.
KM:
That’s not up yet. How did that go? You won, right?
SS: Yeah. 2 ½ minutes, I choked him.
KM:
Who was your opponent?
SS: John Alexander. It was more or less a tune-up bout because
I knew I was either going to be fighting in the UFC in February
or April and I didn’t want to take five or six months off
without a fight. UFC allowed me to fight in Minnesota.
KM:
How does it feel to break up the higher profile and pressure
shows with something like Ultimate Wrestling? I’ve only
seen one Ultimate Wrestling but enjoyed it, that considering
the venues they are pretty well done.
SS: Yeah. It felt good. It was great to fight here in Minnesota.
I have so many people coming to watch; it was like 1500 people
packed into this place. It was about as full as it can get. When
I walked out when they called my name the place just totally
erupted. That was an awesome feeling but also there is pressure
on top of that to perform good because I know everyone is there
watching me. All in all it was really good, it was fun. I want
to fight frequently; I don’t like taking 5-6 months off
because I think there is a lot of ring rust that starts to happen.
KM:
What do you think the ideal time between fights is?
SS: I’d say two maybe three months, depending on the opponent.
I’m getting ready to fight Hughes now and my last fight
was December 7th so that gave me about four to four and a half
months. That’s an ideal time.
KM:
I noticed you are coming up on 30 years old now. I was wondering
with once a month if we are going to start seeing injuries like
when Pat was fighting once a month or so and he kept fighting
with injuries. I was wondering if that was a conscious decision
on the slowing down from once a month.
SS: Definitely I’ve been able to heal some injuries by taking
some time off but it wasn’t a conscious decision, the reason
why I did it. The reason I did it was I signed a three-fight
deal with the UFC and I started fighting exclusively with them.
Normally they don’t let their fighters go elsewhere and
if you do go elsewhere you are fighting at your own risk so I
just chose to stick with them because it took me so long to get
my contract with them. I didn’t want to blow it.
KM:
Your next fight would be the third on your three-fight contract;
UFC 30 wasn’t part of that?
SS: I had a one fight deal at UFC 30, so the first one was UFC
36.
In
part 2 Sean talks more about his recent fights primarily in the
UFC, his methods of victory, and his rumored next opponent.
Source: ADCC
Second
Professional Jiu-Jitsu League Ground Impact 02 (GI 02)
by: Haruo Matsukura
**
Black Belt Leve Division **
Leonardo Vieira (Aliance) vs. Mitsuyoshi Hayakawa (Strapple)
**
Black Belt Pena Division **
Alexandre 'SOCCA' Carneiro (Gracie Barra) vs. Yuki Nakai (Paraestra)
**
Feminino Purple Belt Pluma Division **
Megumi Fujii (AACC) vs. Ayumi Sato (Paraestra Fukushima)
**
Brown Belt Feather 8 man Tournament **
Koji Asakura (Paraestra Ikebukuro)
Hidenori Hayashi (Gracie Barra Shikoku)
Takashi Watanabe (Paraestra Nigata)
Hiroshi Umemura (ALIVE Komaki)
Toshiyuki Wado (SSS Academy)
Taba Agnaldo Masao (INFIGHT)
Hiroyuki Abe (AACC)
Katsunori Kataniwa (AXIS Jiu-Jitsu Academy)
Source: ADCC
ADCC's
Brazilian Qualifier RICARDO DE LA RIVA
by: Marcello Tetel
Quick Notes From RICARDO DE LA RIVA, whose 1 ACADEMY hosted the
weigh ins for the second edition of the Brazilian Trials. De
La Riva was seen jogging prior to the weigh ins, cutting the
last 300 grams for the competition. De La Riva is best known
for having defeated Royler Gracie - a picture of the moment hangs
suspended on his academy wall. His return to competition after
years of teaching was highly anticipated.
What
titles were on your resume that you think helped you be a part
of this trials?
Third place BJJ World Championships.
Did
you expect to be invited to fight in the trials?
Yes. With over 900 applicants, it was an honor to be picked.
What
are your expectations regarding the trials?
I'm glad just to be competing.
Did
you think that an event such as this could be responsable for
the end of the off-ring rivalry that went on between martial
arts in Brazil?
No.
Now
that the opponents are revealed, is there anyone you are leery
of?
All of them, this competition will certainly be tough.
How
is your training routine for the event?
The usual, a lot of jiu-jitsu, at my school, with my students.
Good
Luck. Thanks.
Source: ADCC
Seguin
picked as favorite in Extreme 49 tournament
DAVENPORT, Iowa -- When promoters Monte Cox and T. Jay Thompson started putting on
tournament series, they did so with one thing in mind -- to find
future stars in the sport.
To
say the least, the events have done that, producing 10 fighters
who have gone on to compete in the UFC, including Ricco Rodriguez
and Tim Sylvia, who will fight each other for the UFC heavyweight
title on Feb. 28.
'We
intentionally don't allow UFC or Pride veterans into the events
because they are designed to discover new talent... to give unknown
guys some exposure,' Cox said. 'If there has ever been a division
that needs more stars, it's the middleweight division. Hopefully,
we can find a few surprises in this year's series.'
Extreme
Challenge 49, set for Feb. 8 in Davenport, Iowa, and Extreme
Challenge 50, set for Feb. 23 in Salt Lake City, are the 8-man
qualifying events for the series, which finishes with Super Brawl
24, set for May 9 in Honolulu, Hawaii. The top two finishers
in each qualifier advance to Hawaii event where they will be
joined by four other fighters picked by the promoters.
This
year's series is being sponsored by MMA Weekly.
According
to adds set by TheGreek.com, there is a clear favorite in the
Extreme Challenge 49 event. Brendan Seguin of Detroit has been
made a heavy favorite to win the 8-man event.
Also
competing in the main draw are Jay Buck of Chicago, Jonathan
Goulet of Victoriaville, Forrest Petz of Cleveland, Ontario,
Ryan Jensen of Goodridge, Minn., Dennis Reed of Muscatine, Iowa,
Jason Rigsby of Ottawa, Ill., and Leo Sylvest of Indianapolis.
Since
selecting the competitors for the tourney, only Joe Doerksen
has pulled out due to injury. He was replaced by Petz.
Alternates
are Kurt Illemann of Sarnia, Ontario, and Spencer Fisher of Davenport,
Iowa.
In
a feature bout, Jason Medina of Moline, Ill., will face 'Pain'
Peters of Toronto.
The
event will be held at Stars & Stripes nightclub in 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.
For
more information, contact Monte Cox at 563 332-2075.
The
draw:
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: Brandan 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
Feature
bout
Fight 8: 'Pain' Peters vs. Jason Medina
Tourney
final
Fight 9: Fight6 winner vs. Fight7 winner
Source: Event Promoter
Recording
Artist BOB SAPP
Yes, it's true! According to Japanese newspapers, Bob Sapp will
release a CD in mid-March and has the backing of HUGE Japanese
TV shows to push the release.
When
will the headline machine quit making so many headlines in Japan?
Who knows?! Sapp has become a marketing genius and has conquered
the three ring circus of MMA, K-1 and now is getting into pro
wrestling more seriously.
Sapp
ended up 'losing' a pro wrestling match to Ernesto Hoost who
rolled him up and pinned him at the WRESTLE-1 show. And the rumors
are true of Sapp dancing and singing to the tune of Madonna's
'Holiday' as he entered the ring.
In
his bizarre and almost daily TV appearances Sapp joked about
having amnesia and thought he was in Korea.
Is
this another publicity stunt or media 'circus'? Yes. Sapp then
climbed a 60 foot circus tent for his latest publicity stunt
which made headlines around Japan.
Sapp
underwent several hours of extensive pro wrestling training and
spoke of only sleeping a maximum of four hours since he's been
in Japan.
He
also stated that, as of late, his sleep was ranging from two
to three hours a day.
Eventually,
this will take a major physical toll on Sapp if he doesn't slow
down. In the meantime, he is the equivalent of a Brad Pitt or
Michael Jackson celebrity (minus the dangling baby).
Source: ADCC
Frank
Shamrock to Return in March
Former UFC champion and renowned MMA figure Frank Shamrock has
informed MaxFighting that he has signed a contract to return
to the ring wars in a World Extreme Cagefighting show on either
March 28 or 29 at the Palace Casino in Lemoore, California. His
opponent, to be determined, is expected to be from California.
Negotiations
are underway to air the March show on either ESPN2 or Showtime
Event Television. Shamrock, who said he has "a lot of fighting
left" in him, was expected to fight last year against Ricardo
Almeida, but a broken leg put him out of action.
Source: Maxfighting
IOWA
AND MINN. COACHES SUSPENDED BY NCAA FOR ONE MEET
By: Eddie Goldman
When the University of Iowa wrestles Wisconsin at home this Friday
night, Jan. 24, and the University of Minnesota hosts Michigan
State this Saturday, Jan. 25, both of these storied teams will
be without their coaches. The 'reason,' if you don't mind using
that word for something that seems most unreasonable, is that
Iowa's Jim Zalesky and Minnesota's J Robinson violated some NCAA-mandated
rule at their dual meet on Feb. 1, 2002, known as the Border
Brawl, by agreeing to start the meet at the lowest weight, 125
pounds, and not randomly selecting a weight at which to start.
The
NCAA bureaucrats must be pleased with themselves for enforcing
another one of those many rules that only seem to hurt wrestling.
Oh, by the way, they have since changed that rule to allow coaches
to do precisely what Zalesky and Robinson did. Now, if both coaches
agree beforehand, the meet can start at 125. So suspending the
coaches now for technically violating another one of their ridiculous
rules is just mean-spirited, vindictive, shortsighted, and yet
another slap at the sport of wrestling.
'Obviously,
it was not a good rule because it changed. If [Zalesky] and I
had not agreed to start at 125, the rule would not have changed,'
said Robinson in a press release. 'There were two main reasons
why we did it. First, it was easier to market the meet, promoting
the fact that the premiere match at heavyweight would come last
in the dual. Second, the powers that be wouldn't listen to us.
How do we, as coaches, draw attention to issues in which nobody
will listen to us? Finally, we did something about it and somebody
listened. Now the rule has changed.'
The
NCAA bureaucrats rake in millions while they police their 'student-athletes'
to make sure that they are not getting free hamburgers or sneakers
from someone. They refuse to move the NCAA Div. I national championships
to a time not right in the middle of the March Madness basketball
frenzy. Wrestling seems like such a big bother to them, even
though their accountants have shown year after year that this
event is one of only four of the 84 NCAA national championships
that make a profit, and the only individual sport to do so (the
others being men's basketball, baseball, and men's ice hockey).
And
these 'I was only following orders' types also did not take into
account what else happened at that meet: the Border Brawl drew
a crowd of 15,646 fans to the Target Center in downtown Minneapolis.
This set an NCAA record for wrestling dual meet attendance.
I'd
be giving Coaches Robinson and Zalesky awards for what they did,
instead of suspending them. Perhaps the NCAA can set up a committee
and have about 86 conferences in the sunniest resorts of America
to mull this over, and maybe come up with a recommendation about
the time that J Robinson VI is coaching at the University of
the Moon.
Source:
ADCC
1/24/03
Quote
of the Day
If
you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost;
that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them.
Henry David Thoreau
COUTURE
READY TO RESUME TRAINING
He survived a career ending injury to his eye sockets and he's
now ready to come back. MMAWeekly.com has learned that Randy
Couture has received approval from his doctor and can now start
participating in full contact drills immediately.
Couture
told MMAWeekly that he is working with his doctors on "drills
to increase the strength in his eye socket." Randy is currently
working out and training with Matt Lindland to get Lindland ready
for his upcoming fight against Phil Baroni at UFC 41.
One
other interesting note about Couture's time off from the ring.
He landed a contestant roll on the television show "The
Weakest Link." Couture not only participated on the show
that will air on Friday January 31st, (This is the syndicated
show with the guy named George not the bitch lady) but Couture
WON the game. He went against a drag racer, a female boxer, a
stunt woman, a guy who ate fire and other "extreme"
jobs. That was the theme of the show. Check your local listings
for when the "Weakest Link" syndicated show airs in
your area on Friday January 31st.
Source: MMA Weekly
Baroni/Lindland
Won't Be 'Winner Take All'
After all the trash-talk between the two, the Phil Baroni vs.
Matt Lindland "Winner take all" stipulation will not
happen for their February 28th fight on the UFC 41: Onslaught
pay-per view.
Originally,
the two challenged each other to put their fight purse for the
match on the line where the winner gets both, but neither fighter's
lawyers could come to an agreement.
In
related news, Phil Baroni will be a guest on WrestleZone Radio
this coming Friday night.
Source: MMA News
Ricco
Rodriguez Speaks On Tank, UFC 41, More
Current UFC Heavyweight Champion Ricco Rodriguez has a new interview
posted up on UFC's official website(www.ufc.tv). Inside he comments
on how he grew up in the projects of New Jersey and how today's
fans and fighters don't give him enough respect. He also comments
on how hard it is for him to get in shape because he comes from
an obese family.
Ricco
also comments on his toughest fight to date which he stated was
his first UFC fight against Andrei Arlovski and that it took
a lot of heart to beat him.
The
champ also mentions how he defeated PRIDE's Heavyweight champion
Antonio Nogueira at Abu Dhabi in 2000 by knee bar. He stated
that PRIDE's Heavyweight division is all hype and that they all
would not be as effective in the octagon.
He
also states that he has a lot of respect for Josh Barnett, but
believes he shouldn’t have trashed talked the UFC and drop
the belt the way he did.
Ricco
then goes on to bash Tank Abbott and says he’s nothing more
than a barroom brawler and says he would pound Tank with ease.
Ricco
concludes his interview with a brief opinion on his opponent
for UFC 41: Onslaught, Tim Sylvia. He mentions that Sylvia is
well-trained fighter and will be a big challenge for him. Sylvia
is currently training with the Miletich camp. His team of trainers
so far has consisted of Pat Miletich, Matt Hughes, Jens Pulver,
Jeremy Horn, and even former UFC Heavyweight champion, Randy
Couture.
Ricco
went on to say that Sylvia completed a task that he wasn’t
even able to complete, by winning a SuperBrawl Tournament, which
is notorious for bringing out good fighters. Rodriguez said he
would not take Sylvia lightly at all. And finished his interview
by saying "I’m going to keep beating everyone including
the guys people want to think are better than me and when they
go down everyone’s going to want to be my friend. "
Source: MMA News
Ricco
Rodriguez Interview On UFC.tv
UFC: Some
members of the MMA press have given you a hard time.
Ricco:
I have a problem with some of the press out there. I was reading
FightSport magazine and they were talking about the Couture fight
and said,
“Ricco
Rodriguez looked totally amazed when referee John McCarthy stopped
the fight” and I’m like, “Is this guy kidding
me?”. Randy said, “Stop. No more.”
Why
would they say I looked shocked? I knew he was hurt. That’s
why I don’t like to do interviews. These guys don’t
know what they are talking about.
I
am the most underrated fighter out there. People don’t give
me my due. There are a lot of guys out there with PHDs. That’s
Player Hater Degrees. I am the world champion and I’ll just
have to keep beating people until they have to give me the respect
I deserve. Bottom line is I’m beating everyone they put
in front of me.
UFC:
Some people say that you are cocky.
Ricco:
When you come from the east coast people automatically expect
that you will have an attitude. People don’t know me. I’ve
battled criticism all of my life.
I
came from nothing. I grew up in New Jersey in the projects. The
worst neighborhoods.
The
neighborhood was so bad I was forced to stay in all the time.
We lived on top of a funeral home.
My
whole life I was told I was a bum. That I would never be anything.
Nobody knows about my good side. They don’t know how I have
spent my off time coaching a high school wrestling team, that
I take care of my family. I send money home to my mother.
Nobody
knows that I have a five year old little girl. I became a father
at a young age and I was determined that my child would have
all the things I didn’t.
I’m
a guy who has accomplished his dreams at 25 years old. What people
don’t understand is that I’ve never been handed anything.
Everything that I’ve got I’ve worked for. I did it.
No one else. I moved to California with $150 in my pocket not
knowing what to expect.
I
didn’t have a father growing up. I didn’t have all
the things that other kids had. They think I’m this cocky
guy who walks around like I’m a bad ass. That’s not
true. If you took two minutes to meet me you’d become my
friend. I’m a nice guy.
UFC:
Some of the criticism is that you don’t look like a bodybuilder.
Ricco:
I come from an obese family. I was competing in jiu-jitsu and
was an active person and I weighed 300 pounds. Some people have
health problems. I went beyond the health problems and took it
to a different level. I worked out hard, lost 50 pounds, and
showed everyone how dedicated I am to this sport. There is a
difference between being a bodybuilder and being a professional
fighter. So many fighters out there look great but they have
no cardio. An out of shape fighter could not have gone 23 minutes
with Randy Couture and beaten him. I lost fifty pounds without
drugs or operations. I did it the old fashioned way, through
hard training and diet. I changed my lifestyle so that I could
prove that I am the best fighter in the world.
UFC:
What was your toughest fight?
Ricco:
“I think my first fight in the UFC was my toughest fight.
Let me tell you, Arlovski is a guy I will definitely be rematching
this year. I’d like to see him and Gan McGee fight. I would
not know where to put my money on that one because I see more
heart in that kid Arlovski than I do in McGee. When I fought
Arlovski I was knocked down in the second and I showed my heart
when I came back and finished him in the third. It was the toughest
fight of my career.”
UFC:
Talk about your fight with Randy Couture
Ricco:
There is a reason why heart is tattooed on my leg. In the first
two rounds I got pounded.
Two
weeks before the fight I tore my knee out. There was excess blood
in there, fluids from the swelling. When Randy took me down and
we landed there was so much pressure being compressed from my
back, my knee and then Randy Couture is way up on top of my knee.
It got squished and there was nowhere for that excess fluid to
go so it caused instant pain but once my knee was out it was
all right. That was the end of the second. At the beginning of
the third I see Randy raising his arms up and I’m like,
“whatever.” He thought I was done and tried to end
it. The third was close but I definitely came back in the fourth
and I finished it in the fifth.
When
he gave up the first thing that went through my mind was, “I
did it.” Everything I had worked so hard for. Losing the
weight, traveling around the world. I lived out of a suitcase
for nearly two years. Training with guys like the Machado brothers,
Mark Kerr, Saul Soliz. Going to Japan to train with Sakuraba.
Tito Ortiz. A lot of people bet against me. I proved to everyone
I was the best. I am the UFC World Champion.
UFC:
Some say UFC’s Heavyweight division is weak compared to
Pride’s
I
don’t think Pride’s heavyweight division is that great.
They have Nogueira. They have the Russian, Fedor. Pride is a
different kind of show. If they had to go under Nevada rules
they couldn’t have matches like Shoji VS Semmy Schilt. The
UFC heavyweights would demolish the Pride heavyweights with the
exception of a few. Pride knows how to sell tickets to the Japanese
public. I respect that but in the UFC the top guys have to fight
legitimate guys. The UFC is more like boxing. Lennox Lewis as
world champion has to fight real guys, not cheeseballs.
UFC:
What do you think of Antonio "Minotauro" Nogueira?
Ricco:
He fought Bob Sapp who is a huge guy who has a lot of potential
but he was basically just thrown into MMA. Sapp fought two undersized
Japanese fighters before taking on the much more experienced
Nogueira. Nogueira struggled to beat Schilt. He struggled to
beat Dan Henderson who can fight at 185 pounds. He went to a
draw with Kosaka who I finished in the second round.
I
took on Nogueira at Abu Dhabi in 2000 and I submitted him in
1:37 with a Kneebar. I’d love to fight him. He can’t
take me down. I don’t think his standup is better than mine
and if it is I can take him down at will. People talk about what
a great grappler he is but when we grappled I submitted him.
When it comes to grappling I won the Abu Dhabi championship and
I won the Mundial World championships more times than he has.
I
have not had to show that much of my grappling skills in the
UFC because I have everything else so tuned up.
A
match in the UFC against Nogueira wouldn’t last long at
all. I’d double leg him and take him to the cage and elbow
him to death. I don’t think he’d be prepared. He’d
have nothing for me. The cage is an element I have learned from
the best, which is Tito Ortiz, and people don’t understand
that the cage is a different atmosphere. He’d have a better
chance in the ring because they would keep pulling him back to
the center which I still wouldn’t be worried about because
once we both started sweating it would be over.
I’m
not taking anything away from Nogueira. He has worked hard for
everything that he’s got but I don’t think that he’s
faced a guy like myself with the aggressiveness I have, the training
partners I have. I work out with great fighters like Tito Ortiz
and the Machados. I am a complete fighter. I’m not going
to do like Heath Herring and come at him with karate kicks. I’ll
be double legging him. He’s got to deal with my elbows,
with my knees. If he gets me in half guard three elbows to the
face will change his half guard for life. If everyone would really
sit down and do a pro and con list they would realize I should
be the favorite in that match. If guys like Enson Inoue or Dan
Henderson, who is 185 pounds, are taking him down imagine what
I will do at 250 pounds. I’ve got the size, the cardio,
excellent grappling, and excellent striking on the ground.
UFC:
What are your thoughts on not getting to fight Josh Barnett?
Ricco:
I’ve always had a lot of respect for Josh Barnett and Matt
Hume. I am very open with them. I talk with them. Josh had his
reasons for leaving the UFC. He did what he wanted to do and
I respect that but I don’t respect how he dropped the belt
like it was nothing.
I’ve
worked my whole life for that belt. He trash talks the UFC and
then leaves it?
Let
me tell you something, your career came from the UFC. Don’t
bite the hand that feeds you. If you want to negotiate for more
money, god bless you but don’t disrespect where you came
from. You want to go to Japan? I’ve already been there.
If you become a star in Japan whoop dee do. Come back to America
and no one will even know who you are. I’ve already done
all that. When the sport breaks big and UFC is huge and you’re
going to say, “I fight for Pride” and they’re
gonna say, “Who?”.
I
want to fight Josh more than anything, especially after the trash
talk he’s done on the internet lately.
Josh
and I are very similar fighters. To me Josh would be a tougher
opponent than Nogueira. I think the toughest fighters are in
the UFC. I’m not kissing anybody’s ass.
I’ve
been in both organizations. I know what’s going on. I seen
the politics and been behind the scenes. The bottom line is Josh
is a very dangerous fighter. I do think he lets his emotions
get the best of him. I know Josh could have beaten Pedro but
he wanted to be the glory boy and show the world that he’s
a great standup fighter. He looked great in the first round and
then in the second he got knocked out. He’s a great fighter
but he put himself in a bad position. He worked his way back
up, got his title shot, and then got popped for juice. He made
his bed so now he has to lay in it. If he’s smart he’ll
come back to the UFC. If he’s the bad ass he says he is
he should come and get his belt back.
UFC:
What do you think about the return of Tank Abbott?
Ricco:
Tank who? All I know is he is a disrespectful, fat slob. I have
no respect for him because he is the most unprofessional athlete
I have seen in my life, if you can consider him an athlete. How
can Tank come and disrespect the UFC heavyweight division when
he's never won a UFC title? He thinks he's going to beat me?
I don't think he is going to beat anybody in the UFC. The UFC
isn't handing him a free fight. I think Frank Mir is going to
walk right through him. I think Frank will beat him in two minutes.
Tank
appeals to the fat, beer drinking, bar fighting people all over
America. He wasn't anything special. He wasn't a martial artist.
He was a barroom brawler and that's why people love him. I think
he's just a loud mouthed redneck. He's a Huntington Beach wannabe
tough guy. That's his gimmick. That's his image. He has to play
that part because there's nothing else to him. His pro-wrestling
career didn't go really far did it? If I fought Tank I would
kick his ass all over the ring. If he was on the ground and I
was punching him in the face I would stand back up just to let
him walk around. That's how bad I'd beat him. It would be so
bad people would be like, "Oh man, Ricco beat up an old
guy." I'd hurt him so bad he'd never fight again. That's
the bottom line. Tank never won a title back in his day. What
makes him think he's going to win it against today's modern gladiators?
He can't compete with us. He'd better wake up. Tank, thank the
UFC for getting you some money to put in your pocket. We wish
you well. You're going to fight your one fight and then we're
never going to see you again. It was a great run buddy.
UFC:
What do you think of you’re your UFC 41 opponent Tim Sylvia?
Ricco:
You know I came from SuperBrawl. I wasn’t even the champion.
I lost my first fight there. This kid won the SuperBrawl Tournament
so believe me, SuperBrawl is the place where a lot of the top
guys come out of. When someone wins an old-school tournament,
you had better take them seriously. He’s 6’ 8”
265 pounds. That’s an awkward person. Look how difficult
Schilt was for Nogueira. Sylvia trains with Pat Miletich who
was the first UFC 170 pound champ, Jens Pulver who was the first
155 pound UFC champ, Matt Hughes who is the current UFC welterweight
champ, Jeremy Horn who took Nogueira to a close decision, and
on and on. Those are major red flags. He knows this is his big
shot. He’s got tons of potential. He’s working with
a great crew. I hear Randy Couture is going to train with him.
He’s going to come after me 100%. I’m not taking him
lightly.
I
don’t take anyone lightly. I’m not going to go down
like that. I’m going to keep beating everyone including
the guys people want to think are better than me and when they
go down everyone’s going to want to be my friend.
Source: UFC.TV
Vitor
Belfort To Return For UFC 42
UFC and PRIDE legend "The Phenom" Vitor Belfort is
rumored to be set for his return to the octagon for UFC 42. Belfort
is coming fresh off a great showing against Chuck Liddell at
UFC 37.5, which ended in a loss. Belfort is best known for his
KO of Tank Abbott at UFC 13. He has also beat big names like
Vanderlei Silva and Heath Herring.
Belforts
opponent is rumored to be Lions Den alumni Vernon White. White
is a submission fighter who struggled early on in his career
in Pancrase, but has really come in to his own as of late in
KOTC. Tiger will meet his toughest challenge to date in Vitor
Belfot as he makes his debut in the UFC at UFC 42.
Source: MMA News
Vanderlei
Silva Returning To PRIDE Early
Vanderlei Silva told the Japanese press that he is currently
planning on returning to fight for PRIDE on May 25th for PRIDE
26. Many assumed with Silva's recent surgery he'd be out until
the late Summer, but he is now determined to return at the 5/25
show. In another Silva related note, Vanderlei attended Naota
Morishita's funeral on January 16th and will be returning to
his home in Brazil tomorrow.
Source: MMA News
Bob
Sapp/Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira Rematch?
As a way of compensating PRIDE for running a show so close to
their March 16th show, K-1 is offering Bob Sapp for a match against
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira for the PRIDE Heavyweight title rematch
in the future.
Source: MMA News
1/23/03
Quote
of the Day
One
machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can
do the work of one extraordinary man.
Elbert
Hubbard
LIDDELL
VS ORTIZ STILL COULD HAPPEN
You've seen the various reports by now, that Tito Ortiz did not
accept the latest contract offer from the UFC regarding his fight
with Chuck Liddell at UFC 42. Now despite what has been printed,
MMAWeekly.com talked with people who are close to both camps
and we have learned that the fight still COULD happen, it just
might not be at UFC 42.
Liddell's
trainer John Hackleman told MMAWeekly late last night, that he
was still cautiously optimistic that a deal still could be reached.
He told MMAWeekly.com that "it just might not happen at
UFC 42."
MMAWeekly
then talked with a member of the former Team Punishment and he
said "There's more to the situation than people know. Does
Tito want to fight Chuck? Yes. Will he do it for what the UFC
offered him in the last contract....no. Not to mention he has
some injuries."
The
UFC Champion has told any one who wants to listen that he won't
fight Liddell for "average" money. Ortiz has said on
numerous occassions that it would have to be for "significant
money". There are two spins on the situation.
Some
insiders believe that Ortiz not only doesn't want the fight,
but he won't fight Liddell no matter what. This insures him of
keeping his belt as some people believe the only guy that has
a chance to beat him is Chuck.
Other
people believe that Tito will fight "The Iceman" and
is just stratigically driving up the price so he can make a big
pay day no matter what. In any case, judging from what the former
Team Punishment member said and even what Liddell's trainer said,
despite previous reports it's believed that a deal will get done,
but fans may have to wait a bit longer than early anticipated.
Either way, Ortiz not signing a contract has hurt his status
with the fans and this could be a public relations nightmare
of how he is perceived in and out of the MMA community.
Source: MMA Weekly
ADCC
Brazilian Trials Complete - 5 More Qualify For World Championships
January 22, 2003 - ABB Lagoa, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
Congratulations
to our friends Daniel Moraes and Pe de Pano!
The
grappling world saw one of the top Submission Wrestling competitions
ever held as the ADCC´s Brazilian Trials crowned 5 new
Qualifier Champions who are heading to the World Championships
in May of this year.
HUGE
surprises, upsets and revalations!
There
will be tons of details, news, highlights and pics from this
incredible competition in the days to come - the website crew
is in transit, and will be unleashing complete coverage in the
days and weeks to come.
Congratulations
to all the competitors, and to the champions:
under
65.9 KG - Rany Yahrya
66-76.9 KG - Daniel
Moraes
77-87.9 KG - Ronald Jacare
88-98.9 KG - Alexandre ´Cacareco´ Ferreira
99 KG & over - Marcio PE DE PANO Cruz
Source:
ADCC
Professor
Helio Gracie Speaks
Everyone
knows that hanging around Grandmaster Helio Gracie is a huge
priviledge, after all how many times in your life do you have
the chance to hear stories directly from the mouth on the man
that created a sport??? Today was no different as we report an
interesting conversation that took place between Professor Helio
and one of the Black Belts that went to the Gracie Academy to
sign up for the Black Belt division.
The
person was stating that many of the Black Belts worry about competing
and losing as it may reflect bad with their own students. Professor
Helio with a stunned look old him: 'Son, after I beat Kato
in Brazil, all the Country press tried to stop me from fighting
against Kimura. They told me 'Helio, you have already defeated
the World Champion runner-up! He was 20 pounds heavier than you.
Why risk losing? You should quit when you are ahead! You already
accomplished something tremendous!' I told them 'I am entering
this match against Kimura knowing that I am going to lose, but
I want to fight him to find out how he is going to beat me! So
son, when you fight, you find out more about yourself. If you
win you know you are on the right track, if you lose, then learn
why you lost and try to improve the technique!'
His
son Rorion, who was nearby listening to the entire exchange added:
'Nowadays, the younger generation of fighters is not as worried
about winning or losing. They love to fight and fight often.
They know that if you compete enough you will have your share
of both but in order to get better and improve you need to fight!'
Source:
ADCC
Dale
Earnhardt Jr about to go off
The
Dale Earnhardt Jr Classic is going down this Saturday in Concord,
NC. The event will have the presence of course of Dale Jr along
with otehr celebs including Royce Gracie. The event willhave
many Superfights including recent ADCC Brazil winner Daniel Moraes fighting Jorge Gurgel,
six times World Champion Saulo Ribeiro v Todd Margolis and Mark
Laimon v Marcelo Clemente.
With
all the stigma surrounding PRIDE and it's future, let's take
a look at the positives that could happen.
Kazushi
Sakuraba will be headlining PRIDE 25 provided his injuries are
healed. With just 7 weeks away, it will be interested to see
if Sakuraba can pull it off.
Other
big matches that are being proposed and are tentative:
Rodrigo
'Minotauro' Nogueira vs Emelianenko Fedor. This one is sure to
take the cake as far as the pace goes.
Nogueira
is the ultimate transition-submission fighter and Fedor is a
mean machine when it comes to quick aggression and constant offense.
This has the makings of a match of the year candidate.
Bob
Sapp vs Mirko 'CroCop' Filipovic will be one to watch as well.
'CroCop' has destroyed many in MMA but it will be interesting
to see if he can 'pick on someone his own size'or bigger. Okay,
a lot bigger.
Mario
Sperry vs Dan Henderson has the makings of another show stealer.
Henderson was simply phenomenal in his fighter with Minotauro.
Taking the fight on two weeks notice and giving up over 35lbs....give
the guy some credit. Sperry has always looked polished and his
standup just gets better every show. Not sure who to pick in
this one.
Other
matches that are rumored:
Ausserio Silva vs Hirotaka Yokoi
Nino Schrembri vs Tokimitsu Ishizawa
Tom Erikson vs Gilbert Yvel
Kenichi Yamamoto vs Paulo Filho
Ron Waterman vs Takashi Sugiura
The
remaining schedule for the year appears to be this:
PRIDE 26 May 25, 2003 at Osaka Castle Hall.
PRIDE GP 2003 opening round in August 2003.
PRIDE GP 2003 Finals in August 2003.
PRIDE 27 Final show of the year in November.
Source:
ADCC
Tim
Sylvia - Ready for Ricco
After
raining down dozens of punches on Wesley "Cabbage" Correira at UFC 39, Tim Sylvia
notched his first UFC win in the second round of an auspicious
debut. Fittingly, the action-packed slugfest was the lead-in
to Ricco Rodriguez' title-winning triumph over Randy Couture.
Not missing a beat, the UFC has tabbed Sylvia as the challenger
in Rodriguez' first defense February 28, and with his potent
striking skills, the 6'8 Maine native feels very confident going
in against the UFC heavyweight champion.
"I
feel pretty good about the fight after seeing Ricco's standup
(against Couture)," Sylvia told maxfighting.com. "He
can't stand up with me. He doesn't like to get hit." Training
with Team Miletich, Sylvia's daily regimen begins with an hour
of weights, then light sparring, mixed with grappling and endurance
drills.
After
that, it's plyometrics in the afternoon, and then two hours of
wrestling in the evening. It's the kind of daylong training to
keep a tall heavyweight light on his feet, and ready for the
kind of intense ground attack Rodriquez brings to the equation.
Knowing the other guy's motivation is a big part of any fight,
and Sylvia figures Rodriquez has no illusions about where his
best chances lie in retaining his belt and keeping his superstar
status intact. Especially after his showing against Correira, where he punished
the Hawaiian with Thai kicks in addition to good combination
punching - Ricco will want to make it a ground fight. Sylvia
is sure of that.
He
keeps his ground skills sharp rolling with the denizens of Team
Miletich. Next week, he'll add sessions with the Augustana College
wrestling crew, and Couture and Matt Lindland arrive to help
as well.
Despite
getting a title fight after his debut appearance, Sylvia is matter-of-fact
about the state of the division, which isn't as talent-packed
as it used to be.
"I
really just looked at it as another fight, another top guy to
beat. I don't care about the belt. If I get it, awesome, if I
don't, I don't. Ricco's a tough guy. He's been put in against
tough guys, though Pete Williams wasn't the Pete Williams I remember,"
he said. "My record stands for itself. I'm 15-0, everyone
has been saying I don't deserve it? But am I gonna say no to
a title shot?"
One
development of the lackluster status in the division is the return
of Tank Abbott, whose bout against Frank Mir on the February
28 show ushers in what UFC brass are hoping will be another ratings
boost. The always-exciting Abbott may not capture the attention
of hardcore fans, but he figures to make action now that he's
back in the mix. But for Sylvia that's just past glory masquerading
as present relevance.
"I
didn't care if (Tank) got a shot before me. I pray before he
wins. Then if I win I'll give him a title shot," Sylvia
said. "I think he's terrible. Then I can lay a beating on
him, send him home, and he can spend the rest of his life watching
the UFC on his couch."
"It's
probably gonna be boring," he added, analyzing the Rodriguez
match. "I'll beat him at the standup. And then it'll go
to the ground. He's gonna try and take me down, ground and pound
me and submit me."
Sylvia
is not fazed by Rodriquez' penchant for exotic moves. Unafraid
to try high-risk moves like cartwheel guard passes and flying
knees, the champion's bag of tricks does not impress the challenger.
"You
don't do that kind of stuff in a fight. You do it in practice,"
he said. "It won't work with me."
Source:
Maxfighting
W.I.N.'s
NCAA Div. I Wrestling Rankings - Jan. 21 release
Below
are W.I.N. Magazine¹s NCAA Division I team wrestling rankings.
The rankings are formulated on input from coaches across the
country and by analyzing past results. Teams are ranked according
to placement potential at the NCAAs.
W.I.N.¹s
Top Twenty-five
1.
Oklahoma State (1st)
2. Iowa (2nd)
3. Oklahoma (11th)
4. Minnesota (3rd)
5. Lehigh (5th)
6. Ohio State (6th)
7. Cornell
(4th)
8. Illinois (8th)
9. Arizona State (14th)
10. Michigan (10th)
11. Iowa State (15th)
12. West Virginia (12th)
13. Nebraska (7th)
14. Central Michigan (9th)
15. Michigan State (20th)
16. Boise State (21st)
17. Northern Iowa (16th)
18. Purdue (18th)
19. Penn State (13th)
20. Missouri (19th)
21. Hofstra (17th)
22. Wisconsin (22nd)
23. Pennsylvania (NR)
24. Indiana (24th)
25. Kent State (NR)
Source:
ADCC
“Black”
and Blue
You’ve
got 17 wins in 18 fights, the only blemish coming by way of draw.
You train with the best welterweight in the world, under the
guidance of one of the great 170-pounders of all time. You’re
one of the most dominating ground-and-pounders at 170 pounds.
Yet
you’re not ranked Top 10 at your weight. Lost in the shuffle?
Despite
what seems like an obvious “yes,” 30-year-old Jason
Black says that couldn’t be further from the truth. “I
don’t feel like I’m taking a backseat to anybody,”
he told MaxFighting five days out from a UCC title shot versus
John Alessio in Montreal. It’s that “I don’t give
a damn” attitude that’s helped Black flourish in Davenport,
Iowa’s Miletich Fighting System gym, a place where ego has
little to no shelf life.
“I
get my ego settled and handled to me everyday by (Matt) Hughes
and Pat (Miletich) and Jens (Pulver) and Jeremy (Horn) and Tony
(Frykland), so being 17-0-1, I don’t even think about that,”
he says of a record that, for the most part, has been a rarity
in mixed martial arts. “I’m more worried about how
to stop them from kicking my ass everyday.”
His
concern is genuine, though as his experience in the fight game
grows and his level of competition increases, so to does the
chance that his undefeated record will vanish. For now, says
Black, his standing amongst other welterweights is not a major
concern, and you tend to believe him considering he spars and
trains with Hughes -- the best the sport has to offer -- on a
weekly basis. And when he’s not going at it with the undisputed
king of the 170-pounders, he’s got guys like Robbie Lawler,
Pulver and Frykland to contend with.
“It’s
insane,” he laughs. “It’s like having five big
brothers that enjoy kicking the shit out of you. Usually big
brothers wait ‘til you do something before they kick the
crap out of you, these guys, man, they’re up for brawling
all the time. At the same time, they help you. They’re not
just there to stomp on you, but they definitely kick the crap
out of you.”
So
when it comes time to put that stellar record on the line, as
he did last November versus Chad Saunders in Las Vegas, Black
takes solace in knowing that he won’t have to do it versus
the Hugheses, Pulvers and Lawlers of the world.
Alessio,
however, is no slouch and the Canadian is more than familiar
with the Miletich Brand of fighting -- especially considering
that before turning 21 he faced Miletich in the UFC. To think
that Alessio isn’t looking at this fight as some modicum
of redemption would be naïve, yet Black is quick to dismiss
that Alessio’s past, present, or future will do much to
dictate what happens in the UCC on Saturday.
“Really,
I don’t follow John’s career. I’m more interested
in Jason Black’s right now,” he explains, adopting
a third-person reference usually reserved for high-rent pro athletes.
That
said, much of the MMA world would undoubtedly be interested in
Black should he defeat a fighter that, like him, has been on
a tear as of late. Winning his last six contests before the limit,
Alessio was on fire in 2002 and the UCC champion is well aware
that there’s far more at stake than a chance at payback.
“I’m
expecting him to come out and try to stand up the whole fight,”
Black predicts. “We’re expecting a lot of kicks because
I haven’t had a lot of kicks thrown at me so I think he’s
gonna try to go in uncharted waters. We’re working on defending
that and I just think he’s going to want to keep it standing
because all the fights I’ve won have been ground-and-pound.”
“He
doesn’t have a chance down there to tell you the truth,”
he continues. “Whether he knows it or not, he doesn’t
have too big a chance standing up [either]. So we’ll see.”
An
unprepared Miletich-trained fighter is a one that doesn’t
have a fight signed, so working under the assumption that Black
will be ready to compete when he steps into the ring is not out
of bounds. For him, though, there’s never enough preparation:
“I always want two more months to train,” he says.
At
best, he’ll have three more days. He shouldn’t need
it. Measured against past fights, Black notes that he’s
in comparable, if not better shape. From a supremely harsh personal
critic -- “I’m my worst critic,” he says -- that
translates to “I’m more than ready.”
He’ll
never say it out loud, though, which is what makes Black an unassuming
killer in the ring. It takes a special sort to relish battles
of attrition, and he fits the bill. Content to grind out wins
while demoralizing opponents, Black has, with the exception of
a draw versus Antonio McKee, has been perfect to this point.
But now is when things get interesting.
For
the former 167-pound Division-III wrestler from Buena Vista University,
taking on the opposition has always been about “owning the
guy. Taking it to him. Hoping he can’t keep up with my pace…
Trying to crush him right away so he doesn’t have the will
to come out in the beginning of the second round.”
Easily
misconstrued for reckless, Black’s goals are far from. In
reality, his actions in the ring are controlled mayhem. For that
reason, though the draw stands out like a mustard stain on a
white t-shirt, he’s less than interested in getting a second
chance at McKee.
“I
have a lot of problems with that,” he says of a potential
rematch. “He’s not somebody I respect as a person or
as a fighter. I hear he’s a hell of a nice guy and funny
and stuff. But my impression of him was about the exact opposite
as that.
“I
wouldn’t be focused on the fight. I’d be more wanting
to kill him instead of fight him. He’s a good fighter but
he’s got a mouth. He’s not someone I want to fight.”
Originally
from Ottumah, Iowa -- of the town’s 30,000 or so residents,
roughly 29,000 love to scrap, he says -- Black has carried his
midwestern ruggedness into a new arena and has been extremely
successful. From his first bout as a professional versus Steve
Berger to Saturday’s upcoming contest versus Alessio, the
goal has always been the same: to improve and, in the end, be
the best fighter he could be.
Sure
it’s debatable whether he’s even the second or third
best fighter in his gym, but considering the company that’s
no dig. Says Black: “I’m just working to be as good
as I can get.”
Source:
Maxfighting
1/22/03
Quote
of the Day
Success
is the maximum utilization of the ability that you have.
Zig
Ziglar
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
'Limao
Heredia's New Academy in Maui
Rickson
Gracie's Black Belt, Luis 'Limao' Heredia has relocated! Limao,
one of the best instructors in the World is now teaching out
of the Shape Maka Fitness in Kahului, Maui. The Fitness center
is also the home of one of the best boxing programs in the Islands.
Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson were training there at times.
Limao
will not only teach you all the great details and positions but
will also introduce you to his innovative X-Training program
involving Jiu-Jitsu, hiking and surfing! To contact him call
(808) 877-9717 or stop by Mon - Fri from 12:00 - 2:00 or 7:00
- 9:00 at 250 Alamaha ST # N3
Source:
ADCC
Thawed
Out -- Ortiz Leaves "Iceman" Hanging
Now
it starts to get interesting. Long standing number one UFC light
heavyweight contender Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell, expected
to finally get his overdue shot at the title held by Tito Ortiz,
suffered yet another disappointment Monday night, when Ortiz
opted out of his April 25 defense, citing injuries to his left
knee and right wrist.
"I
waited a long time for this," an obviously disappointed
Liddell told MaxFighting. "I've been patient. He got up
in the ring after I fought Vitor (Belfort) and started talking
about how he was going to beat me. All of a sudden it's time
to put up and he doesn't want to do it."
"I
know all along he's never wanted to fight me," said "The
Iceman".
Liddell
officially earned number one contender status after decisioning
Vitor Belfort in June of last year. With Ortiz sitting ringside
recovering from ACL surgery, Liddell floored Belfort in the third
round. The flash knockdown secured the victory and established
Liddell as the rightful competitor to Ortiz’s light heavyweight
crown.
Ortiz,
acting as if he’d scored the victory, jumped -- gimpy leg
and all -- into the ring with Liddell. Ortiz’s overture,
said Liddell, was less about congratulating him on the victory
as it was about trying to steal his limelight.
Unable
to publicly lay claim to the fighters’ friendship as the
reason why the two hadn’t previously fought, Ortiz took
an offensive tact when asked about the supposed-to-be coming
challenge.
It
didn’t sit well with Liddell, or those close to him.
“He
jumped in the ring and talked about how he was going to beat
me,” Liddell recalled. “And it didn’t bug me as
much as it bugged most of my friends. A lot of my friends afterwards
got really pissed off about that. Whatever. He was pumping his
fight for Ken. A lot of that stuff I let slide because I didn’t
really care. I waited my time and he was going to give me the
shot. But now if he doesn’t give me the shot to prove to
everybody that I am going to beat him -- and I know I’m
going to beat him and he knows I’m going to beat him --
I just think it’s wrong.”
Ortiz
returned to action in November versus an outgunned Ken Shamrock.
The victory, coupled with Liddell’s knockout of Renato “Babalu”
Sobral -- a fight many inside the UFC offices did not want Liddell
to take for fear that a loss would throw the potential fight
versus Ortiz for a loop -- meant that the contest could no longer
be denied. Or so it was thought.
April
25, 2003 was marked on the calendar. Liddell turned in his bout
agreement. Ortiz did not.
“I just don’t understand why he won’t fight me,”
he said. “He’s a fighter. He’s a champion. I’ve
been the number one contender for a long time and I’ve done
nothing but make my position better since I’ve been waiting.
I don’t know what else he wants me to prove. I’m the
number one contender for him. Why doesn’t he want to fight
me? Even if he thinks I’m going to beat him, if that’s
what it is, then he should still step up and fight. I’m
a fighter. I’ll fight anybody. I’ll fight him anywhere,
anytime.”
Now
Liddell, the UFC and its fans are left to ponder what’s
next. UFC president Dana White reserved comment, though it’s
clear that the Las Vegas-based promoter is extremely upset. “It’s
a big fight for them, too,” said Liddell when asked about
the UFC’s reaction. “I don’t see them not being
upset about it. I think they’re as disappointed about this
as I am.”
Meanwhile,
Liddell left little doubt as to what he felt should happen to
Ortiz should he continue to deny the unquestioned number one
contender his shot. “I think they should strip him, but
I don’t think they will,” he said. “But that still
doesn’t matter. If they strip him I still don’t get
to fight him. A belt’s just a showpiece to show where you’re
at. Without fighting him I don’t get approval the way I
should be. I want to be the number one fighter in the world,
and I want to do it not just because people think I’m good,
I want to do it because I beat the best guys in the world.”
Many
would disagree that Liddell needs to beat Ortiz to be considered
champion. While other UFC weight divisions have fallen prey to
contract squabbles and new fighters have replaced former champions,
“The Iceman” has long been considered to the UFC’s
uncrowned king. But that’s not good enough for Liddell,
one of several reasons he continues to be a fan favorite.
It
appears as if Ortiz was intent on keeping him the king without
a crown -- at least as long as he’s around. But Liddell,
who up until this point chose to stay quiet in all matters Ortiz,
has had enough. “I’d like to back those people [who
supported me] up and prove it by taking Tito out,” he explained,
giving way to frustration. “Even if it’s a non-title
fight, I’ll fight him. I don’t care. Whatever. I just
want to beat him.”
Though
Ortiz played up their friendship over the past two years, Liddell
holds a different opinion about their now-strained relationship,
particularly in light of Monday’s news. “I mean, I
like him, I like his wife. In private they’re nice people.
But, I don’t hang out with him on a regular basis. There’s
a lot of friends here I’d have a hard time fighting, but
I wouldn’t have a problem fighting him at all.”
In
spite of being extremely aggravated with Ortiz, Liddell has made
no effort to contact him and ask why he’ll have to continue
waiting. “I don’t want to talk to him right now,”
said Liddell. “If he’s not going to fight me I got
nothing to say to the guy. I’m 33 now and I’ve got
quite a few years left to fight, but still, I’m not getting
any younger. I don’t want to wait around another two years
to fight him.”
Officially,
Ortiz claimed injury, however according to Liddell, UFC doctors
found nothing wrong with either Ortiz’s knee or wrist following
an examination on Friday. In his mind, the alleged injuries just
don’t add up.
“I
don’t see it,” said Liddell playing doctor. “He
didn’t break his hand. He says his hand is still sore, but
he didn’t break his hand. Gan (McGee) broke his hand in
September and he was helping me spar in October.”
For
now, the fight appears to be dead in the water, though Ortiz
is said to be planning on a June return, a proposal that doesn’t
sit well with Liddell. “What do you mean maybe in June,”
Liddell exclaimed. “Should I keep waiting? Then it’s
going to be maybe in November; maybe in 2005. I’m not going
to wait for anybody to fight.”
“If
he’s not going to fight me April 25th, what’s another
month going to matter?”
Liddell’s
first shot at Ortiz was almost at UFC 33 following Belfort’s
cancellation to due a last-minute injury. “All the way back
to UFC 33, Dana got up there [at the press conference] and said
that nobody last minute would take this fight and only Vladimir
would take the fight,” he remembered. “I was sitting
at the room, looking at him thinking ‘What are you talking
about? I was the first guy you guys called and I said ‘Yes,
no problem.’’ There were no negotiations about more
money, no nothing. I just said fine, I’ll take it. And he
said ‘no.’
The
quiet killer from San Luis Obispo, Calif. has been lying in wait
ever since, but it seems like he can no longer willingly delay
his chance at being the rightful owner to the title as World’s
Best Light Heavyweight Fighter.
“It’s
putting what I want to do on hold,” he explained. “It’s
makes it a lot more difficult for me. I haven’t sat down
and thought of my options now. They sat down and told me he was
going to fight me. I believed he was actually going to step up
and fight me, so now I don’t know. We really have to go
back and think about what I’m going to do.
“As
much as we do this for us, I love to fight, that’s why the
big fights are made. It’s good for the fans. These are the
fights they want to see. That’s part of the reason we’re
out here making money, at least for me, doing what we love. I
love fighting. I love training. I love doing all this stuff.
Because of the fans I keep doing it and get paid well to do it.”
A
fighter in every sense of the word, Liddell has attempted in
vain to understand why Ortiz has played games. He hasn’t
come up with a logical reason other than “The Huntington
Beach Bad Boy” must not think he’s that bad.
“I
don’t quite understand it. Either flat out say you’re
not going to fight me, but don’t keep pushing off saying
‘I’ll fight him later.’ Either fight me or don’t.”
“I
told them all along that he doesn’t want to fight me. You’re
going to have to make him fight me. They’re finally starting
to believe me.”
Unfortunately,
so is the rest of the mixed martial arts world.
Source:
Maxfighting
PRIDE
Update
Naoto Morishita was laid to rest last Thursday morning as over
1,500 attended his services.
It
was a 'who's who' of MMA and pro wrestling as dozens of fighters,
friends and family packed the Aoyama Hall to say good-bye to
the man who revolutionized Pride.
MMA
people included Hidehiko Yoshida, Kiyoshi Tamura, Don Frye, Mark
Coleman, Vanderlei Silva, Sakuraba, Takada, Gary Goodridge and
several others.
Great
Sasuke, a major masked pro wrestler in Japan, along with Tatsumi
Fujinami of New Japan and Keiji 'Great Muta' Mutoh with Wrestle-1
were among the pro wrestling legends in attendance.
Master
Ishi of K-1 and their entire management were present along with
DEEP and a long list of friends Morishita had developed working
relationships with (when everyone said he couldn't).
A
press conference was held after the funeral. Pride announced
that their upcoming Grand Prix tournaments and even their 3/16/03
show were in question when it came to matchmaking and talent.
With
all that Morishita brought to the table, he was clearly the king
of getting sponsors. It's evident that it will take a strong
man to fill these shoes with all that has happened.
Pride
will undergo a company facelift and complete reconstruction and
start with a clean slate when it comes to matchmaking.
Source:
ADCC
Projections
for Shooto's First Quarter Looks GOOD!!!
After
having capped of the year with a very memorable finale, promoters
within the Shooto circuit are
already kicking off the New Year with some top shelf line-ups.
Set for January 24th is a very interesting match-up between Naoya
Uematsu and Joao Roaque from Nova Uniao. Uematsu was once regarded
as Shooto's next big star, but after returning from a bout with
a life threatening illness, he hasn't seemed to be up to his
old standard. Hopefully it is just a matter of getting back in
to the swing, but this in no time to be testing yourself and
trying to get back in gear, particularly when your opponent is
Joao Roque. Roque is no stranger to Japanese audiences having
put a beating on Hisao Ikeda and Uchu Tatsumi, and submitting
Takehiro Murahama. But this will be his Shooto debut and it could
really put him on the map with the sport. Also on that card is
the very seasoned and very accomplished Chris Brennan taking
on Takaharu Murahama. Brennan is making his second
Shooto appearance in Japan and his second at 70 kg. He took current
Shooto Champion Takanori Gomi the distance and threaten to finish
the champ on more than one occasion. He is taking a step down
in competition with Murahama but you can never count out the
unorthodox and unpredictable Japanese fighter. Riding along with
Brennan to Tokyo is Erica Montoya. Still a
teen, she has already made a huge splash in the Full-Contact
Martial Arts world with some very strong performances all over
the world. She is most definitely one of the top female fighters
in the
business. We are looking forward to seeing her in action.
February
6th is the next event scheduled and its main event features Shooto
up-and-comer Kuniyoshi Hironaka against the stalwart veteran
John Renken. This is a drop in weight for the Tennessee based
pastor who is also a Shooto promoter. This along with the fact
that his wife is expecting a baby and he is running an event
just 3 week earlier, shows that he most certainly has his hands
full. Hironaka is the young lion, coming in hot off of his 2002
rookie tournament championship and a win against another young
gun in Cesar Gracie student Nick Diaz. Can the experience and
poise of the ring-savvy veteran put Hironaka in his place???
Things
continue in February with an exciting card stacked with talent.
Former rankers Kohei Yasumi and Takeshi Yamazaki square off in
a bid to re-establish themselves as top fighters. A pair of Shooto
Featherweight bouts feature top ten rankers vying for the top
contention spot currently held by Masahiro Oishi. Fifth ranked
Ryota Matsune goes in against 6th ranked Kimihito Nonaka, while
number 2 ranked Kentaro Imaizumi takes on 8th Suichiro Kastumura.
Then, as the main-event of that already packed card, is American
Top Team stand-out Dustin Denes (who is ranked 3rd in the Shooto
Light Heavyweight division) standing up against long time ranker
Shiko Yamashita (ranked 6th). Dustin is 3-0 in Shooto having
bested rankers Scott Henze (who drew with Yamashita) and Izuru
Takeuchi. Shiko who has been hovering in the middle of the rankings
for some time really has to be on his game.
It
doesn't stop there. This exciting Shooto action spills over into
March with 4 cards set around the
world. March 2nd will see international action with an official
Shooto event put on in Norway by Real
Fighting Promotions. Then Tennessee Shooto will be back with
a card tentatively set for match 15th, and then it is back to
Shooto's motherland with a pair of events on March 18th and 30th.
Rumina Sato is set to get back into the ring on the 18th. This
is exciting for everyone, but as of yet an opponent has not been
named. Rumina has been on a roller coaster lately and people
are hoping that he can get a hold on his game and the winning
track. Finally March 30th has a full card already and features
a host of the less known very skilled athletes on the Shooto
scene. It should be a great one.
This
first quarter is looking good and there are high expectations
for success. We will be back with a full report and analysis
on how things have played out. see you then.
Source:
Rich Santoro
1/21/03
Quote
of the Day
A
mediocre idea that generates enthusiasm will go further than
a great idea that inspires no one.
Mary Kay Ash
Harvard
quarterback
sacks Wall Street
for job in Hawaii This
is not only your Hawaii boy makes good story. This bright (and
soon to be rich) young man is the son of a Casca Grossa de Jiu-Jitsu
(Relson Gracie Aiea Association) student, Keith Rose. You can
bet the farm that he is proud as possible and probably glad to
have his son come home to Hawaii.
Neil Rose
turns down six figures
for a chance to remain in the islands
It's
a new ballgame for Harvard University quarterback Neil Rose.
Numbers
flash across computer screens rather than on the backs of football
jerseys. The playing field is the stock market instead of the
gridiron. And he's analyzing bulls and bears rather than opposing
defenses.
In
the 12th-floor office of Honolulu investment counseling firm
Cadinha & Co., Rose is far removed from Wall Street in his
new position as a portfolio manager and analyst. But he'll take
a break beginning Jan. 27 to strap on his pads one final time
for the Feb. 1 Hula Bowl on Maui.
"Playing
quarterback at Harvard was more educational than anything else
I've ever been associated with for so many reasons in terms of
the way I think or the way I view the world," said the 22-year-old
Rose. "You realize you make a difference. You have to be
up to date, prepared and you're also responsible for moving other
people. Eventually, that will come in handy down the line when
I'm in a position where maybe I get to lead a project and see
it through."
Rose,
a University Laboratory School valedictorian, graduated cum laude
this month with a degree in economics and had offers from major
investment banks and brokerages on Wall Street. His highest offer
was just over $150,000, he said. But Rose, resisting temptation
to run with the football, er, money, decided to return to Cadinha,
where he worked as an analyst during the summer of 1999 and the
spring and summer of 2002.
A
brain drain in reverse, if you will.
"I love Hawaii and everything, but, honestly, when I left
for college, I thought I'd stay there because I thought there
were no opportunities in Hawaii," Rose said. "It's
just my generation. The mindset is to go away and stay there
because people feel there's nothing here. After awhile in college
and working with (Cadinha) a little bit and staying in correspondence,
I learned there was significant opportunity at this firm. So
it was really the firm that brought me back."
Not
that Rose didn't have ample opportunities to go elsewhere. He
said Harvard attracts recruiters like ball carriers draw tacklers.
"They
come in with formal offers written up," Rose said. "Just
about every bank, and then you've got the money management firms.
All the big players. You can go to Smith Barney, Morgan Stanley,
Goldman. We're lucky in that we're in a position where we can
work where we want."
For
Rose, that turned out to be at Cadinha, which has 22 employees,
about 500 clients and manages more than $600 million in assets.
"I
was thinking about what I could put my name on, what I could
feel good about doing," Rose said. "And, in the end,
Cadinha's service and philosophy is something that I really believed
in. I couldn't say that about a lot of the other opportunities
I had."
Besides
his two stints with Cadinha, he spent the summer of 2000 with
Bear, Stearns and Co. in Boston working as an intern in institutional
equities and then in the summer of 2001 was an analyst in investment
banking with Bear, Stearns in New York.
It
was that experience that convinced him he might like working
for a smaller, growing company.
"You're
grinding numbers 100 hours a week in a cubicle," Rose said.
"You learn a lot in finance but you're really not leading
anything. It takes years and years to do that.
"One
of the privileges in coming back here is that Cadinha is in a
situation where they can do some exciting things and I felt I
could contribute more to that progress than at a bigger, more
established investment bank."
Wall
Street's loss turned out to be Cadinha's gain, much to the delight
of Cadinha Chief Investment Officer Brad Totherow.
"I
was very surprised (he came back here)," Totherow said.
"It's not often that we get a talent coming out of Hawaii
like this in terms of a scholarly athlete, as well as his academia
in terms of what he's done in his short career."
Rose
is humble when it comes to talking about his academic and athletic
achievements at the Cambridge, Mass., campus. While that may
be his nature, it also might stem from the company he kept at
Harvard.
"Everyone
there seems to be very talented at something," Rose said.
"You have world-class musicians, you have Hollywood actresses,
you have kids who have formed new drugs and other achievements
in sciences. Pretty much what I brought to the table was I could
throw a football. So people loved me for that and I loved everyone
else for everything they did."
Still,
Rose was hardly just a face in the crowd. He was both quarterback
and captain of the football team, led the squad in 2001 to its
first unbeaten, untied season in 88 years and was the recipient
of a handful of awards and honors. He finished his career sharing
or owning 18 school records, including 5,949 passing yards and
41 touchdowns.
Harvard
head football coach Tim Murphy said the extra dimension Rose
brought to the football field will serve him well in his new
career.
"Neil
was like having a coach on the field in terms of his preparation,
grasp of the game plan and ability to perform under pressure,"
Murphy said. "That's the kind of guy I want handling my
money."
Source:
Honolulu Star-Bulletin
LINDLAND,
BARONI TO WAGE MIDDLEWEIGHT RE-MATCH WAR AT UFC 41: ONSLAUGHT
FEB. 28 LIVE ON PAY-PER-VIEW IN ATLANTIC CITY
Rodriguez
To Defend Heavyweight Belt Vs. Sylvia; Tank Abbott Returns; BJ Penn, Caol Uno To Meet
For Lightweight Crown
LIVE EVENT TICKETS NOW ON SALE!
LAS
VEGAS, NEV., January 20, 2003... Ultimate Fighting Championship
(UFC) middleweights Matt Lindland and Phil Baroni will wage a
re-match war in one of the featured fights at UFC 41: Onslaught
live on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST, Friday, February
28, at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.
The eight-fight card also will feature the first title defense
by new UFC Heavyweight Champion Ricco Rodriguez against undefeated
contender Tim "The Maine-iac" Sylvia; the return to
the Octagon of legendary heavyweight Tank Abbott, who will fight
Frank Mir, and the long-awaited meeting of BJ Penn and Caol Uno
for the lightweight championship.
Live event tickets, $300, $200, $100, $60 and $30, are now 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.
Lindland (8-1-0 in mixed martial arts) from Eagle Creek, Ore.,
and Baroni (6-1-0) from Las Vegas via Long Island, N.Y., first
squared off November 2, 2001, at UFC 34: High Voltage in Las
Vegas. When the smoke cleared, Lindland had withstood three rounds
of power punches but held on for a majority decision victory.
It was Baroni's first, and only, loss and he has been simmering
since.
"That fight was a case of me being young, unprepared and
cocky. I learned a lesson. Now it's time for redemption,"
Baroni predicts.
He makes no bones about wanting the UFC middleweight belt and
put the lesson to practice in his next two fights. On May 10,
he met Amar Suloev, a world ranked Russian middleweight, at UFC
36: High Voltage in Bossier City, La. Suloev lasted only 2:55
with Baroni before the fight was stopped due to punches. That
technical knockout was followed by one of the UFC's quickest
and most exciting knockouts of the year when Baroni met former
middleweight champion Dave Menne September 27 at UFC 39: Warriors
Return at the Mohegan Sun. Menne was gone in 18 seconds.
"I want my belt," he told the sold out crowd and issued
a direct challenge to Middleweight Champion Murilo Bustamante.
But, he will have to go through Lindland to get it, and Lindland
can't wait to get back in the Octagon with Bustamante. The only
loss on the former U.S. Olympic wrestling silver medalist's record
came at the hands of Bustamante in their May 10 title fight in
Bossier City. But Lindland got right back in the championship
hunt with a dominating, three-round unanimous decision over talented
Ivan Salaverry September 27 at the Mohegan Sun.
"I've accomplished things in competitive athletics that
Baroni will never approach," Lindland explains. And, in
the war of words, he gets the last one, "I'll beat him again,"
he said.
Rodriguez (10-1-0), a Staten Island, N.Y. native, who also fights
out of Las Vegas, has won 10 straight fights and captured the
heavyweight crown from two-time former champ Randy Couture September
27 at the Mohegan Sun. Sylvia (16-0-0), a native of Ellsworth,
Maine, who fights out of Davenport, Iowa, is a strong striker
and grappler who won a second-round TKO September 27 over "Cabbage"
Correira
at the Mohegan Sun. At 6'8", 260 pounds, he is one of the
biggest heavyweights in the UFC and trains with one of the top
teams in mixed martial arts, Miletich Fighting Systems.
Tank (8-7-0) from Huntington Beach, Calif., is returning to re-claim
a top spot in the heavyweight division. He is renowned for his
knockout power and during his UFC career has recorded some of
its most memorable KOs. 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
Matt Serra and Din 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.
The UFC's current pay-per-view event is Ultimate Knockouts 2,
which premiered Friday, January 17, and is available until February
6 on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, TVN and Bell ExpressVu. It re-captures
the UFC's most memorable knockouts. Viewers should consult local
listings. The suggested retail price is $9.95. 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.
Source:
UFC
THIS
WEEK'S COMBAT SPORTS SCANDAL IN JAPAN
By: Eddie Goldman
The
scandals in the combat sports in the land of the rising sun seem
to escalate every time the sun does rise there.
On
Friday, Dec. 27, 2002, Japanese prosecutors indicted Kazuyoshi
Ishii, head of K-1, and his company on charges of allegedly failing
to pay 60 million yen (about USD$500,000) in corporate taxes,
and of allegedly failing to declare some 160 million yen (about
USD$1,355,000) in corporate income. Ishii was forced to quit
his post.
Next,
on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2003, Naoto Morishita, the president of
Dream Stage Entertainment, the parent company of Pride, was found
dead in his Tokyo hotel room. Initial reports said that this
was a 'suicide,' reportedly over a dispute with his mistress.
But no suicide note was found, and just hours before Morishita
had given a very upbeat assessment of his company's plans for
2003 at a press conference. No facts to substantiate that his
death was not a suicide have yet emerged, although the sports
newspaper Naigai Times did run a headline on Jan. 11 asking,
'Morishita Killed?' According to Dave Meltzer's Wrestling Observer
Newsletter, which tracks very closely what happens in Pride,
'Within the industry, it seems few are accepting the suicide
as the cause of death.' In other words, even though there is
no proof, many suspect that Morishita was whacked by a Japanese
version of Tony Soprano. Perhaps police investigations will clear
all this up, and perhaps not.
Now
comes yet another reminder of how things are too often done in
the combat sports in Japan.
In
sumo wrestling, the popular Yokozuna Takanohana had been attempting
a return to action after missing many bashos due to a knee injury.
He rejoined the circuit this month at the New Year Grand Sumo
Tournament, but injured his left shoulder, had to skip two days
of the tournament, and lost two matches to lower-ranked wrestlers.
On
Monday, Jan. 20, Takanohana announced his retirement. The Japan
Sumo Association accepted his retirement, according to press
reports. But according to the Japanese muckraking publication
Weekly Post, the Japan Sumo Association had wanted to keep Takanohana
around as long as possible because of his popularity, even though
his skills were diminishing because of injuries. Takanohana was
only one of two active Yokozunas, and the only one of Japanese
origin. The other is Musashimaru, an American who was born in
Samoa and grew up in Hawaii.
According
to the Weekly Post, Takanohana 'realized it and refused to accept
any favors that the JSA attempted to give.' The article went
on saying that he 'stood firmly against any behind-the-scenes
attempt by the Association to arrange rigged matches for him.'
In
other words, Takanohana allegedly stopped any attempts of the
Japan Sumo Association to fix matches in his favor.
(Note:
The English-language version of this article in the Weekly Post,
at http://www.weeklypost.com/030120/030120c.htm#grandparents, mistakenly attributes
these comments to Wakanohana, also a Yokozuna and Takanohana's
older brother, but who already retired a few years ago. Next
to this article is a photograph of whom they meant to cite in
the English language article, Takanohana.)
She
wrote, 'In recent years, reports of yaocho have circulated more
and more. Keisuke Itai publicly apologized for his own participation,
and went further by pointing the finger at greats like Ozeki
Chiyotaikai and the Hawaiian
giant Akebono,
who later denied any wrong doing.' She added that, 'Neither Wakanohana
nor his brother was ever implicated.'
In
addition, she reported, 'Four years before Itai dropped the bomb,
his trainer, Onaruto Oyakata, and another insider, Seiichiro
Hashimoto, went public with allegations linking sumo to the underworld,
and claiming that yaocho had reached plague proportions. The
JSA dismissed the accusations as 'scurrilous lies,' but the plot
thickened when later both informants died within hours of each
other. Itai denied any foul play, but yaocho remains a concern.'
Apparently
'yaocho,' foul play, and underworld involvement continue to remain
a concern in the combat sports world in Japan.
For
background, I strongly recommend the book 'Tokyo Underworld'
by Japanese-based American author Robert Whiting.
Source:
ADCC
UFC´s
PPV Numbers on the Upswing?
It is evident that Ken Shamrock was a major plus for Zuffa when
it came to drawing back the hard-core UFC fans from the mid-1990's.
Not
only does this rank fourth among the all-time North American
sports entertainment records (WWF and WCW included) for gate
receipts but the buy rate increased by over 180%.
A
similar increase for PRIDE happened when they promoted the Shamrock/Frye.
Many believe this was also due to Shamrock's appeal.
Many
people believe the fight was one-sided and Ortiz was a monster
favorite. But it was factor of 'what will happen after the fight'
that made people want to see this fight.
Shamrock
gained more respect for passing the torch to Tito when many thought
respect would have been checked at the door.
While
people are still raving about the last UFC, Shamrock has yet
to make a public statement about his future. Many are speculating
but only he knows.
There
have been rumors that he will walk away from the sport and rumors
that he would be willing to fight Tank Abbott in a 'legends match.'
Whatever
his decision, he was part of the biggest main event (in many
aspects) in the history of MMA.
While
the non-boxing record was broken in Nevada one of the more shocking
facts was overlooked by MMA fans.
Out
of all the events that WWE (formerly WWF) has ran throughout
their history, only three events outdrew the UFC Vendetta show.
WRESTLEMANIA 3, 5 and 17. Quite an accomplishment when WWE has
8 hours of TV a week advertising their show and UFC has nothing.....yet.
Source:
ADCC
DON
FRYE: 'PREDATOR' Update!
Don Frye underwent shoulder surgery several weeks ago, due to
injuries from fighting and pro wrestling. The injuries were considered
serious, and word is that Frye was seriously contemplating retirement
from MMA. Many close friends of the 'Predator' were saying he
was done with the sport.
There
has been a change of heart on the 'Predator's' retirement thoughts.
Frye
reportedly lobbying for a rematch with Hidehiko Yoshida, after
losing to an armbar that caused minor damage to Frye's arm.
Many
will always question the fight, suspecting a worked fight but
many connected with Frye says the fight was legitimate. This
is why he wants a rematch. Frye is requesting the Yoshida fight
take place in Pride on the 5/25/03 Osaka Castle Hall event. It's
doubtful that Yoshida will accept the challenge.
Expect
Frye to continue his VERY comfortable six-figure salary in pro
wrestling if the rematch doesn't happen. Frye has worked for
New Japan for the last four year and became very successful.
With all the shakeups in Japan in the pro wrestling industry,
Frye is caught in the middle.
He
could leave New Japan for a job with WJ Pro League (an offspin
of New Japan headed up by former wrestlers).
Source:
MMA Weekly
Interview:
HOLLAND's GILBERT YVEL
Dutch
Pride veteran Gilbert Yvel talks to Carl Fisher, Turku, Finland,
January 11th 2003
Gilbert,
what brings you out there to Finland?
Well, I have small injury that is limiting my training, so I
have decided to come out here with Martijn to corner him and
take time out from Holland to chill out and relax and get to
meet the promoters out here and maybe organize some seminars
in the future.
How
do think Martijn will do here?
To be honest I have been training on my own and have not seen
him train but he is always ready you know and I am sure he will
do well today, he’s a very good ground fighter and has a
chance to show what he can do.
Where
are you injured Gilbert?
On my knee and neck after the fight with Ray Sefo in the K-1,
I have torn something in my knee and I have a little problem
in my neck and I think I will be fully fit in about six months.
Last year was a very bad year I had a lot of personal problems
and with my manager as well and I hope this year will be better;
when I get fit again I plan to destroy every opponent I face
in the ring. I am now only training in the Vale Tudo style as
I think I will do better in this style.
So
no plans to fight K-1 again?
I will do K-1 again but only with more notice as I had two weeks
to prepare for the fight against Sefo which is too short man.
I am training again in Holland and am concentrating on the ground
game as well as trying to get my body in good shape. In the past
I used to train one day in this and one day in that and it was
wrong, so I am now training the whole package from striking to
takedowns and flowing into submissions on the ground.
Which
shows do you want to fight in when get better?
There is a contract ready for me in Pride and I’d love to
fight in the WFA for John Lewis; I have not seen any of the shows
but I have trained with John and the guys in Vegas and John has
become a good friend to me and it would be an honor to fight
out there.
What
was your toughest fight last year?
Good question (laughs) it would have to be Bob Schreiber at 2H2H,
that was a war. I wasn’t prepared as much as I would have
liked and he is one of the only guys to have knocked me down
in my career and we were at one fight each so this was the decider.
One group was cheering for me and one for Bob and we are the
biggest fighters in Holland so the pressure was on for that fight.
I won on the day and proved to all the fans who the best fighter
was.
What
was it like to fight Bob?
Man, you can throw your ten best shots and then another ten for
good measure and he’s still going strong and as he was going
down he’s shouting to himself come on Bob and growling and
he’s still coming at you, he’s your worst nightmare
in the ring (laughs).
Source:
ADCC
RESULTS:
IOWA TAKES THIRD AT NATIONAL DUALS
By: Eddie Goldman
CONSOLATION SEMIFINAL RESULTS
Iowa 18, Minnesota 18
125 Luke Eustice (I) dec. Bobbe Lowe (M), 10-5
133 Ryan Lewis (M) dec. Cliff Moore (I), 4-1
141 Luke Moffitt (I) maj. dec. Tommy Owen (M), 11-1
149 Jared Lawrence (M) maj. dec. Ty Eustice (I), 9-1
157 Luke Becker (M) maj. dec. Joe Johnston (I), 16-6
165 Jacob Volkmann (M) maj. dec. Blake Anderson (I), 8-0
174 Tyler Nixt (I) dec. Matt Nagel (M), 11-4
184 Jessman Smith (I) maj. dec. Josh McLay (M), 13-4
197 Damion Hahn (M) dec. Ryan Fulsaas (I), 5-3
Hwt. Steve Mocco (I) tech. fall Jacob Lininger (M), 22-6
*Iowa wins on criteria, since Mocco scored the only four-point
technical fall of the dual
CONSOLATION
FINAL RESULTS
Iowa 34, Ohio State 10
125 Luke Eustice (I) pinned Nathan Castello (O), 2:33
133 Cliff Moore (I) pinned Rosenfeld (O), 2:42
141 Luke Moffitt (I) pinned Jeff Ratliff (O), 2:46
149 Ty Eustice (I) won by forfeit
157 Keaton Anderson (O) dec. Joe Johnston (I), 8-2
165 Johnny Clark (O) maj. dec. Blake Anderson (I), 14-6
174 Tyler Nixt (I) tech. fall Anthony Magistrelli (O), 24-9
184 Jessman Smith (I) dec. Casey Kaputska (O), 9-3
197 Anton Talamantes (O) dec. Ryan Fulsaas (I), 5-3 sv
Hwt. Steve Mocco (I) dec. Tommy Rowlands (O), 4-3
2003
Final National Duals Div. I Standings:
1. Oklahoma State
2. Oklahoma
3. Iowa
4. Ohio State
5. Minnesota
6. Cornell
7. Arizona State
8. Michigan
Top
Wrestlers of the NWCA National Duals (as voted by the participating
coaches):
Division
I: Clint Wattenberg, 184 Cornell
Division
II: Paul Carlson, 157 N. Dakota State
Division
III: Marcus LeVesseur, 157 Augsburg
(Compiled
from various press releases and college wrestling sources.)
Source:
ADCC
OKLAHOMA
STATE TOPS OKLAHOMA 27-6 TO WIN NATIONAL DUALS AND REMAIN UNDEFEATED
By: Eddie Goldman
The clock struck midnight at about 4:20 PM EST on Sunday, Jan.
19, for the Cinderella-like run by the Oklahoma Sooners at the
2003 Cliff Keen/NWCA National Duals. The unseeded Sooners had
made it to the finals against their top-ranked, top-seeded, and
undefeated in-state rivals, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, with
a series of upsets in the preliminary rounds.
But
it was at that time, down 15-6 and needing some upsets in the
three remaining matches to make yet another comeback, that the
magic ran out. At 184, #4 Josh Lambrecht of Oklahoma unexpectedly
forfeited to #7 Jake Rosholt of Oklahoma State, making the team
score 21-6, and putting the victory out of reach. No announcement
was made at the time as to the reason for Oklahoma's forfeit.
Even Oklahoma State head coach John Smith said after the meet
that he didn't know if the forfeit was the result of an injury
to Lambrecht. Nonetheless, the forfeit clinched the Cowboys victory.
As
this meet started, however, the outcome was definitely in doubt
during the early matches. In the opening match, at 125, #11 Bo
Maynes of Oklahoma squeaked past #6 Skyler Holman of Oklahoma
State, 6-4, in a sudden victory overtime. Maynes has beaten Holman
before, but this was a mild upset that got Oklahoma off to a
positive start.
At
133, #3 Johnny Thompson of Oklahoma State dominated #2 Witt Durden
of Oklahoma, winning by a 6-1 score, for Thompson's eighth straight
victory over Durden. Thompson scored in all three periods.
With
the meet tied at 3-3, the 141-pound showdown between two freshmen,
#13 Teyon Ware of Oklahoma and #2 Zack Esposito of Oklahoma State,
seemed to become pivotal in determining this meet's, and this
tournament's, outcome. Esposito went into this match 16-0, and
was the favorite. Ware started the season as a redshirt, but
was activated because Oklahoma's Nate Parker, ranked second in
the pre-season poll, ran into difficulties resulting in him leaving
the team and the school.
Esposito
went up 2-0 with an inside trip in the first period, but Ware
battled back with an escape and a counter-takedown to go up 3-2.
Esposito escaped to make it 3-3 at the end of the first period.
Esposito got a reverse in the second period, followed by an escape
by Ware, making it 5-4 for Esposito going into the third period.
Ware chose bottom for the third, and escaped to knot it up at
5-5. Both men tried to score in the closing seconds, but couldn't,
so it went to the one-minute sudden victory overtime.
Neither
man was able to score in the overtime, so next up was the 30-second
tiebreaker, one of the most bizarre situations in college wrestling
under the NCAA-mandated rules. There is a coin toss if there
are no takedowns in the match to determine who choses top or
bottom. The bottom wrestler has 30 seconds to escape. If he does,
he wins. If he does not escape, the top wrestler wins. But since
Esposito had the first takedown, he had the choice of position.
He chose down. Usually the bottom man escapes -- but not this
time.
Esposito
looked set to escape in the opening seconds, but Ware was able
to hold on to block any reversal or escape. A stalemate was declared
with 17 seconds to go. Next Ware broke Esposito down, and was
able to ride him out in the time remaining.
Thus,
freshman Teyon Ware of Oklahoma won the match by the tiebreaker,
ending the undefeated run by freshman Zack Esposito of Oklahoma
State.
That
put Oklahoma ahead 6-3, with several tough matches ahead. But
Ware's upset was the end of this remarkable run for the Sooners,
as they were unable to win any more matches. Despite not scoring
any bonus points, the solid Oklahoma State lineup, with all ten
wrestlers ranked in the top 20 and nine of ten in the top ten,
proved too much for the Cowboys.
The
final score was 27-6, as the Oklahoma State Cowboys took the
team title at the National Duals.
Iowa
took third place in the Div. I tournament by defeating Ohio State,
34-10, in the consolation bracket. This meet was capped off by
another much-anticipated heavyweight match between rivals Steve
Mocco, a sophomore at Iowa, and Ohio State's Tommy Rowlands,
a junior and defending NCAA national champion. Mocco was able
to score a reversal after a third period takedown by Rowlands,
to take yet another nailbiter, 4-3. Mocco, who fell to Rowlands
in last season's NCAA finals, remains unbeaten this season. Expect
these two to face each other again, and again, and again.
The
outstanding wrestler award for the Div. I tournament went to
184-pounder Jessman Smith of Iowa.
National
Duals Div. I Finals
Oklahoma State 27, Oklahoma 6
125 #11 Bo Maynes (Oklahoma) dec. #6 Skyler Holman (Oklahoma
State), 6-4 sudden victory overtime, 3-0 Oklahoma
133 #3 Johnny Thompson (Oklahoma State) dec. #2 Witt Durden (Oklahoma),
6-1, 3-3 tied
141 #13 Teyon Ware (Oklahoma) dec. #2 Zack Esposito (Oklahoma
State), 5-5 tiebreaker, 6-3 Oklahoma
149 #6 Jerrod Sanders (Oklahoma State) dec. Danny Rubenstein
(Oklahoma), 10-5, 6-6 tied
157 #4 Shane Roller (Oklahoma State) dec. Rafael Maturino (Oklahoma),
7-3, 9-6 Oklahoma State
165 #2 Tyrone Lewis (Oklahoma State) dec. Wes Roberts (Oklahoma),
3-2, 12-6 Oklahoma State
174 #3 Chris Pendleton (Oklahoma State) dec. Robbie Waller (Oklahoma),
6-4, 15-6 Oklahoma State
184 #7 Jake Rosholt (Oklahoma State) by forfeit #4 Josh Lambrecht
(Oklahoma), 21-6 Oklahoma State
197 #1 Muhammed Lawal (Oklahoma State) dec. #16 Tom Grossman
(Oklahoma), 12-7, 24-6 Oklahoma State
285 #18 Willie Gruenwald (Oklahoma State) dec. Jacob Hager (Oklahoma),
6-5, 27-6 Oklahoma State
TheMat.com
has a special section with all the results of the National Duals
at:
