July News Part 1
Quote
of the Day
"Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest
later."
Og Mandino, 1923-1996, American Motivational Author, Speaker
|
Pride
Grand Prix Update
DSE/PRIDE announced match up of PRIDE GP .
Here
is first match ups;
Kazushi
Sakuraba vs. Wanderlei Silva
(Takada Dojo) (Chute Boxe Academy)
Quinton
Jackson vs. Ricardo Arona
(Team Oyama) (BTT)
Hidehiko
Yoshida vs. Kiyoshi Tamura
(Yoshida Dojo) (U-FILE CAMP.COM)
Alistair
Overeem vs. Chuck Liddell
(Golden Glory) (The Pit Fight Team)
PRIDE
GRANDPRIX 2003
Date: August 10th 2003
Place: Saitama Super Arena
Open:13:00 Start: 15:00
And,
Mr.Sakakibara /President of DSE spoke that All match is probably
7 or 8 matches, and one fight middle weight fight and it is maybe
Gracie family in., and 3 or 4 heavy weight fights, Fedor, Mirco,
Herring, Nogueira is ready to fight. But, it will not happen
Fedor vs Mirco this time.
And,
he said about prize money as follows;
1
st : 20,000,000 yen
2nd : 5,000,000 yen
3rd : 2,500,000 yen (2 fighters)
Source:
Koichi "Booker K" Kawasaki
|
Call
Him Igor, but Don’t Call Him Outside
From Russia, With Bare Knuckles
ew deserve a more fearsome reputation than Igor Zinoviev, a 36-year-old
Russian with a military-issue crew cut and a body that most closely
resembles a cinder block.
He's
a Soviet-trained expert in several martial arts, a former Red
Army commando, and a veteran of illegal bare-knuckle fights held
in discreet locations in the outer boroughs. For three years
in the late 1990s, he was a middleweight champion in the more
regulated form of this sort of scrapping, known variously as
extreme fighting, ultimate fighting, no-holds-barred, or mixed
martial arts. He's spent the past few years as a personal trainer,
a bodyguard, and a stuntman for television shows, preparing intently
for the day when he might regain his crown.
It's
quite a life story, the kind that leads most to imagine Zinoviev
as a snarling automaton who is forever asking people to step
outside for an Eastern Bloc ass-kicking—a combination of
Chuck Zito and Drago from Rocky IV. But the truth is—how
should I say this?—he's the nicest guy you'll ever meet.
"He's shy," says one acquaintance. "A great guy,"
says another. "A gentleman." Three days a week, he
visits a small martial arts school on a forlorn stretch of Bath
Avenue in Brooklyn, patiently instructing Russian teenagers in
the self-defense techniques he's spent a lifetime honing. "I
don't do it for the money," he says with a smile.
Zinoviev
grew up dirt-poor in St. Petersburg, Russia. Stricken with meningitis
as a child, he wasn't able to walk until he was four years old.
In an attempt to strengthen his weakened leg muscles, he would
paddle around a local pool for hours on end. By his early teens
he was a talented enough swimmer to be enrolled in a Soviet sports
academy. Over time, he grew more interested in studying judo
and boxing, drawn by the camaraderie of gym life and the exhilaration
of hand-to-hand combat. He also started winning a lot of competitions.
When he reached military age, Zinoviev was taken into the Soviet
army, where he was trained as a member of an elite special-forces
squad. "It was like a SWAT team here," he says. For
two years, he participated in actions throughout the Soviet Union,
defending airports against terrorist attacks and busting illegal-immigration
rings. Following his discharge, he spent four years on a municipal
police force doing much the same kind of work.
After
the fall of Communism, he ran into an American businessman in
a Turkish bath. A fluent speaker of Russian, the businessman
struck up a conversation with the six-foot-tall Adonis who had
branched out to study sambo, jujitsu, and kickboxing. "You
should come to America," the man said. "I could get
you some fights."
Zinoviev
bid do svidanya to his father and brother and arrived in New
York carrying little more than a gym bag of clothing. He was
eager to connect with the American businessman and engage in
prize-brawls of the sort portrayed in the movie Fight Club. But
the businessman was nowhere to be found. "So I found the
fights through my own connections," says Zinoviev. They
were held in warehouses in Brooklyn and Queens and attended by
moneyed clientele eager for blood. "It was rich people with
cigars," he recalls. He participated in about 10 fights,
he says, winning all but one of them. Asked about the atmosphere,
Zinoviev refers to the primeval ferocity displayed in the movie
starring Edward Norton and Brad Pitt: "That's the way it
was."
In
1995, he opted to try his hand at the above-ground form of this
fighting during the World Extreme Fighting championship in Madison
Square Garden. But New York officials put a stop to the affair—mixed
martial arts continues to be illegal in New York—and at
the last minute the venue was switched to Wilmington, North Carolina.
He faced a Brazilian jujitsu master named Mario Sperry in a caged,
circular ring, a match-up in which Zinoviev was thought to be
a huge underdog. For much of the battle the tenacious Sperry
wrapped Zinoviev in a succession of grappling holds, in hopes
of forcing the Russian to cry uncle. But Zinoviev jarred himself
free and cut Sperry above the eye with a blow that drew blood,
ending the fight.
"It
was a great upset, one of the defining moments of the sport,"
says Joel Gold, editor and publisher of Full Contact Fighter
magazine. "Mario was the king from Brazil. He was this superstar.
You know what made the victory greater? Here was a guy who didn't
speak much English and was quiet and intense—there was a
mystery about him."
Zinoviev
successfully defended his title until 1998, when the extreme-fighting
organization went under. "He always maintained his composure
and was able to measure his opponents with deadly accuracy,"
says Brett S. Atchley, a writer and photographer for Ultimate
Athlete magazine. In March of the same year, Zinoviev challenged
Frank Shamrock, the holder of the middleweight title of the Ultimate
Fighting Championship, but lost the bout in 24 seconds to a fighter
who's regarded as one of the best in the history of the sport.
Nagging injuries and management problems have kept Zinoviev from
mounting a full-scale return to the fight game. Besides, he has
found other ways to seek his fortune in America. Wasn't it inevitable
that he would wind up as a Manhattan personal trainer?
"I
remember when I first met him," says Alex Reznik, founder
of Complete Body Development, a Manhattan-based outfit that offers
a battalion of trainers—many of them (including Igor) former
athletes from the Soviet Union. "I watched him train at
a gym and I was afraid to approach him. He was killing the bag.
I thought, 'He's gonna kill my clients.' They are professionals—dentists,
lawyers. Then I found out that he taught kids. Then I thought,
'He can't be too bad.' And the first clients he had fell in love
with him."
Zinoviev
also branched out into bodyguarding, protecting the likes of—
well, Zinoviev would prefer if the names of celebrity employers
remain off the record. Then stunt work for television shows like
Oz and Homicide came his way. For fun, he goes deep-sea scuba
diving, shark fishing, and snowboarding with his nine-year-old
son.
That's
not to say that's he's given up on returning to the ring for
another chance at glory. He trains as hard as ever and professes
to fear no opponent. "I'm ready to fight," he says.
"If I get a good deal, I'm definitely gonna fight."
Would he like to fight Shamrock? "I would like to,"
he says. "I don't care. I'll fight anybody."
|
UFC:
November Event Impossible To Predict?
September
Event Solidified by COUTURE-ORTIZ Main Event - November May be
Constrained by Contract Obligations
With
the announcement of the RANDY COUTURE-TITO ORTIZ bout, ZUFFA
has added a main event that everyone wants to see for the September
event. So what is in store for November? Impossible to say, as
ZUFFA has always produced surprises, but there are a few items
that can be counted on:
The
main event will most likely feature 170 lb champion Matt Hughes.
As champion, ZUFFA is obligated to keep Hughes busy, and he needs
to fight per his contract. His opponent will be harder to predict
- naturally, the rematch with Dennis Hallman has been talked
about, but it would be impossilbe to etch Hallman-Hughes in stone
yet. Hallman is set to appear in the September UFC, against rising
name Jeremy Jackson. If Jackson and Hallman both get to UFC undefeated
(both are signed for other bouts in between at other events),
look for Hughes to get the winner. If either guy falters, ZUFFA
will have to go elsewhere for a Hughes opponent.
Another
fighter expected to return for the November UFC is American TOP
TEAM's Din Thomas. Thomas is coming off a high profile win over
Matt Serrain his last UFC appearance, where he looked good. If
he wins his upcoming match on another show (against Steve Berger)
look for Thomas to be back.
Despite
not throwing a punch in 2 bouts, it appears that ZUFFA is obligated
to bring Tank Abbott back for one more bout. Though signing him
to a 3 fight deal may have seemed like a good idea, his return
has not had the impact desired. Look for ZUFFA to bring back
Abbott for his 3rd fight in November, then they will likely discard
him.
Another
high dollar obligation is Pedro Rizzo. Rizzo is on the last match
of his landmark contract. It was rumored that ZUFFA offered to
buy Rizzo out of his contract, but Rizzo doggedly wants to fight.
Perhaps a Rizzo-Tank rematch is in the works? Don't laugh - there
first bout was one of the highlights of the year 1998, and at
this point, it would be foolish of ZUFFA to use up one of the
newer heavyweights they are developing (Mir, Cabbage, etc.) to
fight Rizzo or Tank.
Other
names in the mix for this event are 'The Prodigy' BJ Penn, who
has not been seen in a while, and Kimo.
With
ZUFFA still working to seal the location for the September event,
it is unclear where the November UFC 45 will be held.
Source:
ADCC |
From
the Mount: Summer Thoughts
And so, the slow summer months creep along, with nary a major
MMA event in sight. Those of us lucky to catch a small-time show
in person during the dog days of mid-year can fall back upon
a booster shot while the big PRIDE and UFC shows approach, but
some short thoughts are never absent during the long road to
satiation.
The
September 26 UFC 44 card will pit Randy Couture, "interim"
light heavy champ, against Tito Ortiz, "reigning" champ.
Whatever the terminology you prefer, Couture's victory over Chuck
Liddell suggests that Ortiz may have been better off fighting
"The Iceman" instead of Couture, whose dominance of
the excellent Liddell gives credence to the bumper sticker that
declares, "Age and Treachery will always overcome Youth
and Skill."
It's
a hard-nosed match up of two master ground-and-pound stylists,
and seems a bigger version of the excellent Sean Sherk-Matt Hughes
match up at UFC 42. Couture might be the one man at 205 that
is strong and crafty enough to put Tito on his back -- something
displayed even less often than Ortiz showing willingness to fight
Liddell.
"I
wasn't surprised by Randy's victory over Liddell," Ortiz
said on a teleconference call announcing the fight last week.
"He used the exact strategy I would." This is akin
to Oscar De La Hoya explaining Bernard Hopkins' strategy over
Felix Trinidad as similar to his own, except that De La Hoya
at least got into the ring with his nemesis before he ran from
him.
But
enough shots at Ortiz. He's back, happily, because the sport
can use him. He has a lot to prove, and has usually come up big
in those situations. He should make a tough fight for Randy,
but I think Randy is simply too strong, too early, and has enough
mental toughness to take the fight in the opening battle and
never relinquish it. And as an 8-5 underdog he's a great bet
to make those of us money who subscribe to the notion that sometimes
mental toughness (brought on, no doubt, by Age and Treachery)
will overcome youth and skill, because Couture has a lot of the
latter two while noticeably retaining the former. His top-notch
Greco and dirty-boxing skills will give Ortiz a tough time in
the opening forays, and it will be interesting to see how deep
Ortiz is willing to go down into the well to dig out the victory.
Gan
McGee also gets a heavyweight title shot at Tim Sylvia. Recently
I told Sylvia that it would resemble a fight between two NBA
players who actually COULD fight, given their heights of 6'10"
and 6'8", respectively. Sylvia liked the analogy, and because
he's somewhat tighter in the standup game, I go with him. The
champion doesn't over-commit to his punches, instead letting
his range and reach do the work for him, and he throws compact,
short shots that do the job. His takedown defense should be tested
against the powerful McGee. It's a nice argument for super heavyweights,
but the UFC has enough vacant belts as it is.
Certainly
PRIDE's eight-man 205-pound tournament is a doozy if there ever
was one. The current seven entrants are Quinton Jackson, Vanderlei
Silva, Chuck Liddell, Alistair Overeem, Kazushi Sakuraba, Hidehiko
Yoshida and Ricardo Arona. The eighth fighter will be added soon,
and we can only hope that the rumors that it might be a Gracie
are true (nothing like some old-school cred to add spice to the
mix). The Grand Prix kicks off August 10 in the beginning of
a two-event tournament format. This is truly a murderer’s
row of entrants.
A
look at the PRIDE eight-man tournament and the current crop of
seven fighters:
Quinton
Jackson
What he brings: A top-pedigree wrestler with good striking skills
is rare, and Jackson is the new breed of wrestlers who actually
look forward to trading strikes on the feet. Nasty attitude and
a brawler's disposition make him a good bet to do very well in
the tournament. Also lives in Orange County, a hotbed of stale
suit-and-tie yuppies, which keeps him edgy and motivated during
training. I once asked Quinton if he was fitting into his new
environs (he's part of Team Oyama), and he replied, "Fuck
no!" with nary a pause. You got to like that. Think Clubber
Lang in Rocky III.
What
he'll need to win it all: Might be most vulnerable against a
pure submission type like Arona, but anything short of a well-schooled
and strong-willed submissions foe will be running smack-dab into
Jackson's strengths. Tough to out-grapple and heavy-handed, Jackson
isn't likely to quit or be knocked out easily.
Prediction:
Goes at least to the quarterfinals and maybe the finals depending
on the draw and whom he faces. But either way seems destined
to raise his stock competing against the best in the division.
Vanderlei
Silva
What he brings: PRIDE 205-pound champion still feels he has a
lot to prove, and this is his opportunity to do so. Great striking
ability with hands, feet and knees, and is emblematic of the
CHUTE BOXE team he represents - jiu-jitsu skills with Muay Thai
mayhem in his heart.
What
he'll need to win it all: Since Vanderlei can end fights quickly,
don't be surprised if he comes out gunning especially if matched
against someone with weak standup in the opening round. Probably
looking to make a statement since his opposition has been somewhat
weak of late.
Prediction:
A finals berth. Anything less would be considered a failure.
Probably the odds-on favorite to win it, but the tournament format
means anything can happen.
Chuck
Liddell
What he brings: "The Iceman" may have fallen to Randy
Couture, but this tournament will show why Tito Ortiz did not
face him. He's tough to take down for just about any 205-pound
fighter and his combination of scrambling to the feet and striking
effectively is potent. Also should be very hungry to redeem himself
after loss to Couture where he was a 3-1 favorite and most assumed
he would win easily.
What
he'll need to win it all: Somebody who reads too much into the
Couture bout and tries to replicate what Couture did. In doing
so, they might be taken out with a trademark Liddell counter-shot
or lured into costly assaults that spell defeat.
Prediction:
Wins first round, and loses close decision in second to either
Silva, Jackson, or Arona, depending on who has more gas down
the stretch.
Alistair
Overeem
What he brings: 6'4" Golden Glory fighter is a rangy, capable
striker with 16-3 record, beating largely unknowns of varying
class and quality. A light-heavy version of Semmy Schilt, with
better ground game and submissions.
What
he'll need to win it all: Somebody silly enough to trade with
him.
Prediction:
Could win in first round as long as he doesn't get Jackson, Silva
or Arona. But a striker like Overeem can win a fight even while
losing it badly, and his striking and size advantage brings welcome
element of danger against whomever he faces.
Kazushi
Sakuraba
What he brings: Legendary submissions game, though with serious
mileage on it. Experience against bigger fighters still counts,
though.
What
he'll need to win it all: Someone to take him lightly and try
and submit him quickly. Sakuraba is a master of the transition
from defense to offense on the ground, and could surprise someone
who doesn't bring their "A" game.
Prediction:
Beaten badly in first round unless matched with a gimme. Is a
beloved hero in Japan, but you'd hardly know it considering the
bigger foes PRIDE seems to enjoy putting him in with.
Hidehiko
Yoshida
What he brings: Olympic-level submissions skills, but very green
in MMA. Fight with Don Frye was impressive but Yoshida may be
in way over his head here.
What
he'll need to win it all: Serious luck of the draw. A pure submissions
specialist could get sucked into a duel for a tapout, but it's
hard to envision anyone in this crop not maximizing their advantages
by pounding Yoshida and using MMA tactics to give him a nasty
introduction and object lesson that Judo is indeed different
than MMA.
Prediction:
Gets beaten in first round unless he's a lot better than can
be expected. If he wins at least one fight, will have huge momentum
to build on because the Japanese love upstart heroes.
Ricardo
Arona.
What he brings: Top-notch grappling as Abu Dhabi Superfight champion,
and geared to use it in MMA. At 8-1, his sole loss is a decision
to Emelianenko Fedor, the uber-heavyweight of PRIDE. Two decision
wins over Jeremy Horn, and recent wins over Dan Henderson and
Murilo Rua are credentials that cannot be ignored.
What
he'll need to win it all: May be important to him to obtain top
position in early fights to avoid the "lay and prey"
syndrome that may get victories early but costs him in the end
with too much punishment received.
Prediction:
Should advance at least to second round, meeting Jackson or Silva
in a pick'em dream fight.
Source: Maxfighting |
K-1
WORLD GP 2003 in FUKUOKA
Date : July 13, 2003
Place : FUKUOKA Marine messe
7th
Match:5R
Francisco Filho VS Mike Bernardo
(Brazil / Kyokushin Kaikan) (South Africa)
6th
Match:5R
Ernesto Hoost VS Cyril Abidi
(Holland / Vos Gym ) (France /Challange Boxing Marseilles)
5th
Match:5R
Semmy Schilt VS Remy Bonjasky
(Holland / Golden Glory) (Holland / Mejiro Gym)
4th
Match:5R
Alexey Ignashov VS Jan "The Giant" Nortje
(Belarus / Chinuk Gym) (South Africa / Steve's Gym)
3rd
Match:5R
Michael Mcdonald VS Gordan Jukic
(Canada / Free ) (Croatia)
2nd
Match:5R
Pele Reid VS Aziz Khatou
(UK) (Bergium / Center Gym)
1st
Match:5R
Ray Sefo VS Tatsufumi Tomihira
(New Zealand/ Fight Academy) (Japan / SQUARE)
Source:
Koichi "Booker K" Kawasaki
|
Quote
of the Day
"I have great faith in fools. My friends call it self-confidence."
Edgar Allan Poe |
Pete
Spratt on TKO and training with Chris Brennan
Erroneously reported as September 7th, the next TKO show in Montreal
is actually scheduled for September 6th. Headlining this card
is Pete Spratt fighting Canadian Welterweight Champion George
St. Pierre. Spratt won his UFC debut against Zach Light at UFC
37.5 and is coming off a huge win over Robbie Lawler at UFC 42,
where Lawler verbally submitted in the second round due to Spratt's
powerful kicks. Although previously Spratt's ground defense was
in question, (see his loss to Carlos Newton), he is now with
Chris Brennan training for his next fight in Canada.
KM:
So what do you think of George St. Pierre so far? PS: You know
what, when I got offered the fight that was the first time I'd
ever heard anything about him. I don't know what St. Pierre brings
to the table. I know what I bring to the table and I think I
have the experience edge. I'm looking forward to an exciting
fight.
KM:
He's the Canadian Welterweight Champion… PS: I believe so.
KM:
This is in September so we still have a little while. Have you
started training for this yet? PS: No, I only train twenty days
out from a fight. If I train any longer than that I peak and
then I go down and then I have to get back up. Three weeks is
all I'm going to train for the fight, that's all I train for
any of my fights. I like to be at my best and I should be healthy
in contrast to my last fight with Robbie Lawler where I got bit
by a brown recluse (spider) and I had day surgery ten days prior
to the fight.
KM:
And still beat him. PS: (smiling) Yes, I still won…
KM:
I hear you were a little upset about the fans' reaction for not
giving you the respect you deserved for that win. PS: I read
an interview where Robbie Lawler said my kicks had nothing to
do with him being hurt. I was thinking about retiring before
that but with comments like that I still feel I have things to
prove in this game and that's what I'm going to do. That's going
to keep me motivated to continue to fight to the best of my abilities.
KM:
How do you look back on that Lawler fight? PS: The fight went
exactly how I trained for it. Robbie didn't do anything different
than what I trained for and quite honestly it was the perfect
training camp and the perfect time for me to fight Robbie and
win. Everything fell in place. On any other day it could have
been a different outcome but that particular day everything fell
into place.
KM:
Your next fight is in TKO instead of UFC. PS: I may be back in
the UFC in November. What I understand is Hallman is probably
next in line to get the title shot against Matt if he gets past
Jeremy Jackson but if he looses to Jeremy Jackson I think I'm
next in line to get a shot at Matt. Matt stated that he wanted
to fight me anyway. Maybe that is something that can happen,
we'll just wait and see.
KM:
You are in town right now helping Chris Brennan train for his
next fight. How is that coming? PS: That is going to be good.
I'm going to put Chris trough the ringer for the next five days.
I want to see Chris improve on his striking. I don't think his
striking is as good as it could be. I'm one of the best strikers
in the sport and he brought me out to help him bring his game
to another level in striking. That's what I plan on doing.
KM:
Are we going to see more training from you? PS: Yeah, you are
going to see a lot more of me and Chris getting together and
training, doing some things together. See if we can learn something
from each other's game. I'm just looking forward to helping Chris
train and get him ready for his next fight.
KM:
Anything else? PS: I'd love to thank my sponsors, especially
my new sponsor I just picked up Ideal Roofing. Of course the
people that have been there from the beginning Sherdog.com, Tapout,
and Cutting Edge Karate. All those guys have been doing everything
they can to support me and keep me in this game and keep me fighting.
To all you fans I want you to know I'm in it for the long haul
and you're going to see a lot more people getting hurt once they
step into the octagon with me.
Source:
ADCC
|
Europe's
EXTREME FORCE: JASON BLACK Interview!
At
14-0-1 Team Extreme's Jason Black is on a roll. He started out
last year with a win over James Meals in Extreme Challenge before
winning his UCC (now TKO) debut against Ivan Menjivar and really
cracking the big time with a win over Chad Saunders in WFA last
November. In January of this year Black took the UCC Welterweight
belt from defending UCC Champion and current KOTC Superfight
Champion John Alessio in a breakout show for the UCC. Now Black
is getting ready to take on Michael Johnson of London Shootfighters
in Extreme Force in London.
Black's
opponent Johnson is riding a three-fight winning streak in Millennium
Brawl, a London based show. He has won those three fights by
arm bar, keylock, and triangle choke.
KM:
What are your thoughts on your opponent so far? JB: To tell you
the truth I really don't know anything about the guy. He's like
3-1 or 4-1, supposed to be pretty good at jiu-jitsu and my understanding
is pretty good at standup too. I can't really get pinpointed
on anything and haven't been able to get a tape of him because
nobody over there is co-operating. It's not like they are across
the street and I can drive over and grab it. We're just hoping
that when we get over there we can get a tape of him. If not
I'll just have to thrash him like everybody else.
KM:
When do you leave for London? JB: We leave Thursday.
KM:
Are you going to get a chance to see any of the other fights?
JB: I don't know why I wouldn't be able to.
KM:
I wasn't sure if you'd stay in the dressing room until you fought
and not even sure where you are in the night your fight lies.
JB: I'm sure with all those guys on the card I'll be one of the
first fights.
KM:
So what are you looking forward to the most? JB: The paycheck.
(Both laugh). I don't care where I fight. I can fight at the
gym or I can fight in Holland…anywhere, it doesn't matter
to me. I go to fight, not to travel. I don't do any of the sightseeing
when I go over because I'm there to fight. When we were in Hawaii
we were there five days and I was in my room the whole time or
I was working out. I don't care about the sights.
KM:
The way I'm expecting this to go is with most of his record being
submissions but he doesn't have the wrestling you do I expect
this to be a battle decided by takedowns. JB: We're hoping it
will be. If he has great standup that's okay, I don't care. As
far as submissions go that is pretty much usually in the gym
and hardly comes out in a fight unless the guy just screws up.
KM:
You're not doing anything different training wise? JB: No, I
don't care what this guy is supposed be good at, I'm going to
train for what Jason is good at. For me to worry about what he
is good at is ridiculous. It would be nice to know if he is standup
or ground but that is just a heads up going in. I'm going to
do the same thing no matter what.
KM:
Are you wrapping up your training now? JB: Pretty much. I'll
hit it hard Monday and Tuesday, get some work in on the pads.
I've been rolling really hard with Jeremy (Horn) just trying
to get in shape.
KM:
Who will be cornering you? JB: Jeremy will be. Jeremy and a guy
named Spencer Fisher.
KM:
Your last fight was UCC in Canada against Alessio. What were
your thoughts on that fight? JB: I knew that John would be hard
to stand up with but I didn't know it was going to be a track
meet. If I had the fight all over again I'd thrash him because
I wouldn't chase him down. I got too narrow minded and that was
all wrong. He was able to pick me apart with jabs and stuff.
I fought really bad. I was talking to Jeremy about it. He didn't
do anything to win, he just stayed back and jabbed and threw
a couple punches here and there. If I hadn't made the fight active
people would have got up and left and got a beer or something.
KM:
I'm not trying to get between you guys or start trouble but in
a piece on John Alessio a couple weeks ago he was talking about
a rematch. JB: He lost, why would I give him a rematch right
away? I don't think he deserves a rematch. He's the one that
made it a boring fight and ran. He has to prove that he's worth
it.
KM:
I thought it fair to give you a chance to respond to Alessio's
comments. JB: You can tell John he still owes me $400 on the
phone bill from when he was living with me. If he wants to come
down and fight about that I'm more than willing to give him a
shot at that.
KM:
Any thoughts on fighting in London? You are turning into the
international fighter with your last one in Montreal and this
one in London. JB: Well, we can't get anybody in the States to
pay us money.
KM:
Any final thoughts or sponsors to thank?JB: I'd like to thank
the guys from thesupplementzone.com. He's been sending me all
my supplements trying to help me keep healthy and strong. The
guys from International Sportswear. They sponsored us in the
UCC and are real enthusiastic about putting clothes on our backs
and everything.
Source:
ADCC |
Joe
Stevenson getting ready for KOTC 155 belt fight
On
August 10th Joe Stevenson fights Thomas Schulte for the Lightweight
belt. Stevenson is currently ranked as the #2 contender behind
former champion Javi Vazquez but Vazquez is still out recovering
from a knee injury. Stevenson is the former Welterweight champion,
having lost that belt to Romi Aram last October. Schulte just
won the belt last month by defeating MASH's John Mahlow in New
Mexico, making this his first title defense. In the rest of the
field Mahlow is ranked #3 contender, Ruas Vale Tudo's Robert
Emerson #4, Bao Quach formerly of Next Generation comes in at
#5, Charles 'Crazy Horse' Bennett surprisingly at #6, and Chris
Brennan himself at #7.
Since
losing the Welterweight belt to Aram Stevenson has picked up
two wins in Gladiator Challenge and one in KOTC in Las Vegas
in May. In the May KOTC Stevenson choked out Thomas 'Wild Man'
Denny in just 0:31 of round 1. Denny was shooting in for a double
leg when Stevenson caught him in a guillotine choke before jumping
into guard on Denny while still standing. Right after they hit
the ground Denny had to tap out.
KM:
What do you think about fighting for the belt?
JS:
I think it's an awesome opportunity. I'm happy I get a shot right
away when I cut. I'll try to knock him out.
KM:
This is your first fight at 155.
JS:
I was supposed to have two this month but the guys both dropped
out.
KM:
Have you made 155 yet?
JS:
Last time I made it physically was like three years ago. I'll
make it. Right now I'm standing at 165-170.
KM:
What do you think of his living at a higher altitude and the
blood doping effect that has?
JS:
I don't fear him. I'll just go out there and do what I do best.
Just balls to the wall.
KM:
Did you see the last fight he had?
JS:
I have the tape, yeah.
KM:
What did you see out of that so far? Any opportunities?
JS:
He doesn't look too strong on his feet. I know his strong points
are his ground. I'll try to keep it on my feet, that's about
it.
KM:
Any changes in training?
JS:
I've been doing boxing like six months. Just focusing on my hands.
KM:
Where have you been boxing?
JS:
My trainer. WDC Training Center with Irvine Downs. He won Golden
Gloves three times, really good guy.
KM:
Anything else to get across right now?
JS:
If they want to see a fight I'm going to whup his ass.
This
KOTC will be the one at Soboba Casino. For more information check
out www.kingofthecage.com
Source: ADCC
|
Brazil
and Japan ready for SHOOTO weekend
SHOOTO Japan organization will have an big weekend with two great
events. The action will start on Saturday with SHOOTO Brazil
making history, since they have organized a pro event with 5
Class B matches, besides the 10 Amateur matches that will bring
a lot of entertainment to the Brazilian SHOOTO fans.
Without
letting the action come down, the attention will be focused on
the other side of the World with SHOOTO in Tokyo Koruaken Hall.
This event will mark the debut of two SHOOTO Brazil champions
- Luciano Azevedo and Aritano Barbosa - besides Marcio Cromado's
fighting against Takaharu Muharama. 'Cromado' is in do or die
time with a record of 2-3; a new defeat can put him out of top
10 SHOOTO ranking. And of course keep your eyes peeled over the
main event where the veteran Jutaro Nakao will face the undefeated
Team Scandinavian member, Sauli Heirimo.
SHOOTO
Brazil July 12th
Place: Instituto La Salle, Niteroi – RIO DE JANEIRO
Preliminary
Match:
Leonardo Nogueira (WFC - Pequeno) x TBA
SHOOTO
Am, class c (2x4 rounds minutes)
Bantamweight
[-56]
Aroninha (WFC - Arona) x Serginho (Team Marcelo Aguiar)
Featherweight
[-60]
Faisca (WFC - Pequeno) x William 'Parrudinho' (UA Fight Team)
Featherweight
[-60]
Kickboxer (WFC - Tuniko Junior) x Raul Carneiro (UA Fight Team)
Lightweight
[-65]
Maicon Alarcao (Sensei) x Igor (Team Marcelo Aguiar)
Welterweight
[-70]
Felipe (RFT) x Will (UA Fight Team)
Middleweight
[-76]
Gesias Cavalcanti (Sensei) x Fernando Cesar (Nova Uniao)
Lightheavyweight
[-83]
Antonio Sergio (Brazilian Fight) x Diego (RFT)
Cruiserweight
[-91]
Erick (WFC - Pequeno) x Thales Leite (Nova Uniao)
Class
B (2x5 rounds minutes)
Cruiserweight
[-91]
Peter Rollof (Team Eugenio Tadeu) x Tiago 'Marreta' (WFC - Pequeno)
Welterweight
[-70]
Fabricio 'Bicudo' (WFC - Toniko Junior) x China (DNA)
Lightheavyweight
[-83]
Luis 'Besouro' Jr. (UA Fight Team) x Julio (Ilha Governador)
Middleweight
[-76]
Xandinho (Team Ze Marcelo Jiu Jitsu) x Gustavo 'Careca' (Team
Eugenio Tadeu)
Super
Fight: Superheavyweight [+110]
Walter 'Aba' Farias (WFC - Toniko Junior) x Rafael Carino (Nova
Uniao)
SHOOTO
July 13th
Place: Tokyo Koruaken Hall
(Class
B 2 x 5 minutes rounds)
Featherweight [-60.0Kg]
Seiji Otsuka (PUREBRED Omiya) x Luciano Azevedo (RFT)
Featherweight
[-60.0Kg]
Hiroki Kita (PARAESTRA Tokyo) x Akitoshi Hokazono (Cobra Kai)
Lightweight
[-65.0Kg] 2003 Rookie Tournament 2nd round
Hatsu Hioki (ALIVE) x Hiroyuki Takaya (Tanaka Juku)
Featherweight
[-60.0Kg]
Hiroshi Komatsu (Cobra Kai) x Aritano Barnosa (RFT)
Welterweight
[-70.0Kg]
Mitsuhiro Ishida (TOPS) x Naoki Matsushita (ALIVE)
(Class
A 3 x 5 minutes rounds)
Lightweight [-65.0Kg]
Naoya Uematsu (K'z FACTORY) x Jin Kazeta (Philoctetes Niigata)
Welterweight
[-70.0Kg]
Marcio 'Cromado' (RFT) x Takaharu Murahama (Wild Phoenix)
Middleweight
[-76.0Kg]
Jutaro Nakao (STG Osaka) x Sauli Heirimo (Team Scandinavian)
Source: ADCC |
WATERMAN
TO RESURFACE AT IFC
The IFC is heading to Denver and looking to make a big splash
right away. They have already announced that their inaugural
event in Denver will take place on September 6th at the Pepsi
Center. The event will consist of an 8-man Light Heavyweight
Tournament to lay claim to Chuck Liddell's recently vacated title,
as well as, several single bouts that will feature some of the
more high profile mixed martial artists from the Denver area.
And now you can add Ron "H2O Man" Waterman to that
list of Denver area fighters.
Many
people have wondered just when Waterman would reappear after
his surprising submission victory over Valentijn Overeem in his
Pride debut last December. MMAWeekly's Ken Pishna spoke with
the IFC's Paul Smith last night, who was able to shed a little
light on the subject. He confirmed that Ron Waterman will indeed
be fighting on the card at the Pepsi Center in September. As
of last night, an opponent was yet to be signed, but heading
the list of hopeful opponents was none other than fellow UFC
veteran Dave Benateau.
Though
Benateau has been away from the ring and/or cage for a while
now, due to his law school studies, he has been training hard
and would make a good opponent for Waterman. Currently though,
neither Benateau nor anyone else had been officially signed to
face Waterman. Waterman joins fellow Denver fighters 5-time King
of Pancrase Nathan Marquardt, 2-time UFC veteran Brad Gumm, top
female fighter Amanda Buckner (though she recently moved back
home to Maine), and local fan favorite, heavyweight fighter Tony
Zamora, as well as a stacked Light Heavyweight tournament.
The
tournament, which is the feature of the show, brings in some
of the top light heavyweights from around the world. Jeremy Horn,
Renato "Babalu" Sobral, Mauricio "Shogun"
Rua, Paulo Filho, Falaniko
Vitale,
Mike Van Arsdale, Trevor Prangley, and Michail Avetisyan, will
all compete to see who will be the next IFC Light Heavyweight
Champion. The winner may also have to face none other than one
Chuck Liddell down the road if he decides to come back to try
and reclaim his vacated belt.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill
of creative effort."
Franklin D. Roosevelt
|
Fighters'
Club TV Episode 12 Tonight!
Fighters' Club TV. Episode 12
Premiers Tuesday, July 8th at our NEW TIME!
6:00pm on Channel 52.
It'll repeat on the following 3 Tuesdays (July 15, 22, &
29), "Same
Bat-time, same Bat-channel"
This
is one of our best Episodes yet, featuring:
Highlights
from Superbrawl 29 (9MAY03)
-Kuniyoshi Hironaka vs. Mark Moreno
-Kolo Koka vs. Billy Rush
-Stephen "Bozo" Paling vs. Mark Hominick (+ interv.
w/ "Bozo")
One
the best fights ever in Hawaii...
-Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto vs. Jeff Curran (+ interv.
w/ "Kid")
-Egan Inoue vs. Masanori Suda (presented in a multi-angle play-by-play
interview w/
Egan)
-Chris Onzuka interviews Phil Baroni (Don't miss this one!)
Mike's
Technique of the Week
-featuring local fan favorite and UFC Veteran, Falaniko Vitale,
demonstrating his deadly
toe-hold
and
of course, Hawaii 2 favorite Hosts, Mark Kurano and Mike Onzuka
I
know what you're thinking, these guys probably never screw up
and hit everything on the first take right? Well, watch this
episode and see our blooper reel under the credits. This episode
may answer your questions why Mike looks so stiff (because
he is trying not to bust out laughing).
Let
your friends know that this is definitely a "DO NOT MISS"
Episode!
questions,
comments, chics (resume w/ picture/s) to:
fightersclubtv808@hotmail.com
(we answer all our mail)
|
PACIFIC
FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS POSTPONED!
"BATTLEGROUNDS"
Due to a double booking of the facility PFC BATTLEGROUNDS we
have to be postponed. First of all I would like to apologize
to all the fighters and trainers who was preparing for this event.
I tried to look for new facility but had no luck due to short
notice. This is the first time this has happen so I was a little
shock about the whole thing. I will keep you all updated on any
updates about the new dates. AGAIN MY APOLOGIZES...
Source:
The Promoter |
Masato
does Japan Proud at World Max 2003 Final
Saitama,
JULY 5 -- Twenty-four year old Masato worked through a tough
eight-man elimination tournament to win the second annual K-1
World Max Final at the Saitama Super Arena. The K-1 World Max
features fighters in a 70kg and under weight class; the bouts
are fought under regular K-1 rules.
The
"Silver Wolf" Masato had lost just once in K-1 since
2000, in last year's World Max Final against eventual Champion
Albert Kraus. But Masato's first fight opponent Mike Zambidis
of Greece also brought an impressive record into the ring, 38
wins in 41 bouts -- the last of the victories an upset KO against
Kraus this March. Zambidis started out strong here, taking advantage
of Masato's relatively relaxed defense to step in with quick
hard hooks and body blows. But Masato got through with a left
knee late in the first to score a down, and it was lucky for
the Japanese fighter that he did, because he would very much
need that point later. Masato's low kicks were good, but really
Zambidis was in control the next two rounds, punishing Masato
with body blows and roundhouses. But Zambidis could not get the
down he needed to equalize. At the end of this thrilling contest,
one judge scored for Zambidis by a point, but two had Masato
up by one. A rare split decision that had to be a terrible disappointment
for the very determined Greek fighter.
"I
was in the hospital with stomach flu before I came to Japan,
and I lost a couple of kilograms," explained the sportsmanlike
Zambidis after the fight. "So I wasn't 100% today, but even
still I did think I won the last two rounds, guess I was wrong."
The
second bout featured Sakeddaw Kiatputon of Thailand and Brazilian
Marfio Canoletti. Neither of these Muay Thai fighters brought
much K-1 experience to their clumsy dance. Invisible forces caused
Canoletti to fall down at the opening bell, and things just got
worse from there. Kiatputon was assessed a yellow card and a
warning for elbows, but Canoletti was unable to turn this into
an advantage. The Brazilian was constantly jostling, deking,
but never able to mount any sort of effective attack. Kiatputon
was not a lot better, really the television editors had a hard
time finding a single clean strike to feature on the between-round
highlights. Judges finally determined that at least Kiatputon
had undertaken some reasonable attempts at kicks, and so he got
the unanimous decision, but the biggest winner here was Masato,
who would meet the feckless Thai in the semis.
The
next fight was much better, as veteran Kozo Takeda, 30, met American
Duane Ludwig. The experienced Takeda was technical and fast but
Ludwig stayed with him. The first round was close, Takeda snapping
in low kicks and combinations, Ludwig answering in kind, and
throwing some good punches, looking quick on his counterattacks.
At the bell Ludwig was up by a point on one card. Early in the
second, it was one of these Ludwig counters, a big left hook
to the jaw, that caught Takeda unprepared and dropped him to
the canvas. Takeda turned slowly to a semi-crouch and looked
ready to make a valiant attempt to beat the count, but then collapsed.
An impressive KO victory for Ludwig, who looked to be fresh for
the semis.
Defending
World Max Champion Albert Kraus met fellow Dutchman Andy Souwer
in the last of the first tier bouts. Many insiders were picking
Souwer, at 20 the youngest fighter in the tournament, to upset
the field and win it all today. But Kraus had other ideas, and
late in what as otherwise a polite first round, he got in with
a left and then a right to stun Souwer badly. Kraus followed
up with a right good pummeling, but the challenger somehow stayed
on his feet. Only when he dropped his guard did the referee step
in to call a standing count. Afterwards, Kraus resumed the attack,
and Souwer just made it out of the round. Wisely, his corner
decided not to answer the bell for the second, and Kraus, who
would also be fresh, was through to the semis.
After
the bout Souwer would protest that there was elbow contact in
the Kraus blow that did the damage. "I hope," he said,
"that I will have the chance for revenge."
In
the first of the semifinals, Kiatputon looked better than expected
against Masato, but was still badly outclassed. The Thai fighter
threw high kicks and straight punches which missed and missed,
while Masato was happy to stay outside with low kicks, occasionally
stepping in with quick punch combinations. It was late in the
second when a Masato left scored a down, and seconds later when,
as the two were close, a Masato left uppercut dropped Kiatputon
for good.
In
the second semi, Kraus showed that age and experience are two
very different things. Although he is two years younger than
Ludwig, Kraus has been in the thick of a K-1 tournament before,
and here he fought the consummate tournament bout -- relaxed
but focused, racking up points, looking for chances. Ludwig used
his long reach to come at Kraus with straight punches in the
early going; Kraus answered by coming in low with quick punch
counters. When Ludwig tried the knees late in the first, Kraus
answered with a right hook from inside for a down. Kraus controlled
the fight -- pushing Ludwig without rushing him, blocking well,
knowing when to open up and attack. In the second, Kraus got
in with body blows, scored a second down; and in the third, with
Ludwig's corner screaming for him to "gamble!" and
the fighter attempting to land high kicks, Kraus coolly brought
a left hook in to score his third down. This time Ludwig did
not get up, and fans had the dream final.
Albert
Kraus and Masato fought a fairly even, and very intense first
round. Masato's main attack was with low kicks, while Kraus,
always leaning forward, kept coming in with good quick punch
combinations. It looked like Kraus wanted nothing but a KO here,
and so he mostly ignored Masato's low kicks, dodged the punches,
and made with counterattacks in the form of smart punch combinations.
The tactic was not entirely ineffective, as he was ahead by a
point on one judge's card after the first. But all those kicks
were taking their toll, and when Kraus started dancing in the
second, in what might have been an attempt to signal that his
legs were fine, it looked more like his legs were in fact not
fine. Backed into the corner, Kraus stumbled early into the round,
and pulled his leg up awkwardly after a Masato kick a little
while later. He then moved in with a more aggressive punching
attack, and this is where the battle turned.
Masato
found his chance when he was able to block a Kraus right punch
headed for his head, and quickly respond with a tight left hook
that caught Kraus on the side of the jaw, sending the Dutch fighter
falling. For an instant it looked like Kraus might find his feet,
but he did not, and hit the canvas. Masato looked on as the count
progressed, and although Kraus just barely made it up to his
feet, the referee didn't like the far away look in his eyes and
wisely decided to end the fight. For the first time ever, Japan
had a World Champion in K-1 competition.
"I
focused on boxing training these last months," said a beaming
Masato post-tournament, "going to the Watanabe Gym four
times a week. The good thing was that my sparring partners there
were always strangers, so it was good practice for meeting someone
for the first time, like tonight." Masato agreed with a
reporter's suggestion that the Zambidis fight had been close,
"It was a tough bout, he is a good fighter, and it left
me very tired."
Masato
said he plans to bank most of the 10,600,000yen (US$90,000) prize
money he earned in winning the World Max, although he has earmarked
a chunk of it for his trainer.
In
a Superfight on the card, Japan's Takashi Ohno had to be surprised
at the acrobatics of opponent Serkan Yilmaz. Anyway, everyone
in the arena was. From the first bell, the handsome Turk with
the sculpted Roman face pranced into a display of double and
triple spinning kicks that was more suggestive of a dance routine
than a K-1 attack. But this was not the Ballet Comique de la
Reyne, this was a real fight, and as the Ohno's bloody face testified,
it involved hard and accurate kicks. When Ohno retreated to the
ropes late in the first, leaving Yilmaz little room to unleash
his artistry, the Turk's response was a one-two straight punch
combination which dropped Ohno for a down. As the fight progressed,
Ohno adjusted his style, coming in faster, dropping back when
it looked like Yilmaz was about to erupt. Ohno won the last round
on all three cards, but this was too little too late, and Yilmaz
took the unanimous decision.
In
the Reserve Match, Kazuya Yasuhiro's quick fists earned him a
second round down against Russian fighter Viatcheslav Nesterov,
and the local boy held on to win by unanimous decision..
The
World Max 2003 Final drew a crowd of 15,600 to the Super Arena,
and was same day broadcast across Japan on the TBS network.
Source:
Maxfighting |
DANA
WHITE INTERVIEW
MMAWeekly's
Ivan Trembow had a chance to sit down and talk with UFC President
Dana White about many subjects. Including if the UFC is in any
financial trouble, whether Vince McMahon has contacted the UFC
about buying the company and much more. This interview exclusive
is our Interview of the Week here at MMAWeekly.com
Interview
with UFC President Dana White
Ivan
Trembow: The Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter recently reported
that Vince McMahon was once interested in buying the UFC, but
chose not to pursue it because he knew that his name being attached
to the UFC would kill any chance the UFC has of getting mainstream
media credibility. The same report also said that Vince McMahon
may be interested in buying the UFC at some point in the future.
What is your reaction to a report like that?
Dana
White: There have been a lot of people interested in buying the
UFC. We've had a lot of offers on the UFC... specifically Vince
McMahon... I don't know, I don't really want to comment on that.
There have been a lot of people interested in buying the UFC.
There has been a lot of interest since the day we bought it.
Ivan:
Has Vince McMahon or the WWE made any formal offers to buy the
UFC in the time that Zuffa has owned it, or sent out informal
feelers to get a sense of how interested Zuffa would be in that
kind of deal, or anything like that?
Dana:
I'll put it this way. Vince McMahon has been very cooperative
with the UFC. We've had commercials run on his Raw show, and
lots of things like that. He controls who advertises on his shows.
I'll just say that he has been very supportive of the UFC.
Ivan:
But with the news story specifically saying that Vince McMahon
wants to wait until the UFC has built up its mainstream media
credibility before he tries to buy it... do you think he just
wants to help build up the UFC so that he can later buy it once
it has more mainstream credibility?
Dana:
I think we've got a ton of mainstream credibility. Right now,
as far as sports credibility, I think we've got a ton of it.
Look at where we were three years ago.
Ivan:
It's better than it was three years ago, but it's still nowhere
near what we'd all like it to be. I mean, just recently the guys
on Pardon the Interruption were talking about Toughman events
and they said, "They don't have doctors at Toughman shows,
and people are getting killed all over the place... and man,
that Ultimate Fighting stuff is even worse," and both hosts
agreed about it.
Dana:
Yeah, but you also have things like on HBO's Real Sports where
they did a piece on Toughman, and afterwards Bryant Gumbel was
like, "That's just like Ultimate Fighting, right?"
And the guy said, "No, Ultimate Fighting is a real sport."
Ivan:
Yeah, and he said they're trained athletes. So Frank DeFord was
able to make that distinction between Toughman and MMA on Real
Sports, but the vast majority of the mainstream media isn't able
to do that, with the typical example being Michael Wilbon and
Tony Kornheiser on Pardon the Interruption. I think when the
Torch Newsletter says that Vince McMahon wants the UFC to have
more mainstream media credibility before he tries to buy it,
that would mean that most media outlets would accept the sport
or at least know something about it. So with the WWE cooperating
with the UFC and being very supportive of the UFC, as you put
it... does that relationship have anything to do with the fact
that both the UFC and WWE use Team Services as a consultant and
PR firm?
Dana:
Not really, I don't think so. Nah.
Ivan:
How do you respond to reports that doom and gloom are awaiting
Zuffa and the UFC in the future?
Dana:
Well, I heard that Jeff Osborne went on MMAWeekly's radio show
and said that the UFC is broke and will be out of business within
a year. We definitely don't have as much money as Jeff Osborne
does, but I think we're going to survive. (laughs)
Ivan:
I think Jeff Osborne was focusing more on the pay-per-view buyrates
and how they haven't been that good...
Dana:
Buyrates have been an issue for us since Day One, and that's
the part of the business we're trying to build. There's no doubt
about it that the buyrates are pretty low. We're basically a
start-up company. You know, that's the way we looked at this
company when we bought it. If anybody thinks that when we got
into the UFC, we thought we were going to be making huge amounts
of money right off the bat, there's no way. This is an uphill
battle, but let me tell you something. This is going to be a
battle long after Zuffa is gone and somebody else owns the UFC.
This sport is decades and decades away from being at its highest
point of popularity. Everybody's waiting for us to become mainstream
tomorrow, but it's not gonna happen. It's going to take years
and years and years and years, and this is a battle that will
be fought long after I'm gone and Lorenzo's gone. It's a battle
that will take decades and decades. This isn't something where
we think we're going to make millions of dollars in the next
few weeks. We're trying to build the sport.
Ivan:
Is that something that would be at least a couple years from
now, as far as somebody else owning the UFC? Or is it possible
that it could be late this year, or early next year, or anywhere
in that timeframe?
Dana:
It could be tomorrow, or it could be ten years from now. I've
said this since Day One and I'll say it again. My house isn't
for sale right now, but if somebody walked up to me and gave
me the right number for it, I'd probably sell it. It's the same
thing with any business. Right now, as far as we're concerned,
we're not interested in selling the UFC, and we're definitely
not going out of business. Jeff Osborne is crazy to even say
something like that. "Oh, I heard their buyrates have only
been 35,000 lately." And what do you think the buyrates
have been this whole time? First of all, the final buyrate isn't
even out for UFC 42 yet. I wish we could get the buyrates that
quickly... and second of all, what does he think we were doing
before that? Two hundred thousand buys? And for Jeff Osborne
to say that the sport itself is dying, that's absolutely ridiculous.
That's one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard.
Ivan:
How you would describe the state of MMA as it stands right now?
Dana:
The sport is stronger than it's ever been right now in terms
of mainstream growth. There are a lot more of the smaller promotions
out there putting on shows, and there are more cases of MMA getting
TV coverage. The sport is definitely not dead. It's stronger
than it has ever been, but we're one of those sports that's definitely
dangling and walking that line. You know, let's say somebody
died in this sport, on any show anywhere. That would be a huge
blow. There are just so many different things that could happen.
This is a struggling, fighting, growing sport. If anything came
that easily, everybody would be able to do it. It's not going
to be easy. The way I look at it is... I work my ass off on this.
This is all I do, I'm working 24/7, I travel all the time, I'm
gone from home for a month at a time sometimes. It's a fight,
just like building any small business. That's what we're trying
to do.
Ivan:
The UFC's goal of signing a national TV deal is something that
we've talked about before, and what I'm hearing is that TNN is
now a viable option, whereas it wasn't before. The WWE's very
favorable TV contract with Viacom expires in two years, and Viacom
has like 95 percent of the leverage in that relationship right
now. So the WWE could technically veto any pro wrestling or MMA
company from having a show on TNN or any other network owned
by Viacom... but they probably wouldn't because Viacom could
put enough pressure on the WWE to prevent them from doing that.
Combine this with your statement a few minutes ago that the WWE
has been very supportive of the UFC, and it's looking like more
and more of a possibility that the UFC could very well have a
national TV show on TNN at some point. Is TNN/SpikeTV specifically
looked at as a potential home for the UFC?
Dana:
Every network is looked at as a potential home for the UFC. There's
no doubt about it. We're out there, and we've been working on
these deals for a long time now. (long pause) I'm going to tell
you right now, we have TV offers on the table right now. It was
definitely a lot harder and a lot more work than we thought it
was going to be. When we first started out, things started cruising
and we were getting a lot of things done quickly, and we thought
it was very possible that a TV deal was right around the corner.
But I wasn't going to cut a bad TV deal just to get on TV. You
have to think long-term, and you have to make your business work
long-term. If you cut a bad TV deal... once you cut a bad deal,
it's very hard to go back and get a better deal. You can't go
back and get a good deal once something like that happens. That's
why I was so horrified at the possibility of the WFA paying for
the TV time to be on national television.
Ivan:
You mean because TV companies would then expect the same thing
from all MMA organizations?
Dana:
Yeah, it's insane. That would have destroyed everything.
Ivan:
Do you still plan to run smaller shows with fights that are taped
specifically to air on free TV, as you said in an interview with
me earlier this year? Also, you're talking about a TV deal almost
as if it's in the past tense, like it "was" a lot harder
to get a deal than you thought it was going to be, and you also
said that you have offers on the table right now. Are you at
the point now where one or more of those offers is a good deal
or is close to what you hoped for in a TV deal?
Dana:
Yeah, we're almost right where we had hoped to be. People don't
realize how long it takes to make a good deal and everything
that goes into it, but we're going to have some big announcements
this summer that fans are going to be very happy to hear. This
sport is far from dead. It's bigger than it has ever been right
now, and hopefully we can keep the momentum going and keep moving
forward.
Source:
MMA Weekly |
RENZO
UPSET WITH PRIDE
During
an official interview of Pride Grand Prix 2003 participants,
over and over, Renzo Gracie interrupted the other fighters who
were talking with the media.
He
got the microphone and asked several times
for the matchmaker of Grand Prix, Nobuhiko Takada, to put him
on the Grand Prix card. But Renzo basically only managed to upset
Takada, who said, " Renzo, Renzo... Please, don´t
disturb the interviews, because I know who I will call, ok??
You
are staying boring!! Please, don´t disturb anymore..."
The local TV (NHK 1) transmitted the interviews on the "Pride
Program," that goes every Thursday in Japan in the morning.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill
of creative effort."
Franklin D. Roosevelt
|
Picnic
was a Success!
We have finished another Academia Casca Grossa de Jiu-Jitsu picnic
and we had a pretty good turn out. We were there from about 8:15
am to 8:00 pm so it was a all day affair. We got to have some
competitive volleyball games and finally a return to water football
where we all laid some good hits on each other. Stay tuned for
our next outing.
|
Worlds
nears! Everyone is going to Rio!
With the 2003 World BJJ TournamentGracie Barra, Gracie Humaita,
Carlson Gracie, Nova Uniao & BTT are already seeing a great
increase in the 'foreign legion' department as fighters from
all around the globe are beginning to make their way for the
biggest BJJ show on earth.
Leaving
to Brazil from the US this Wednesday is 'Megaton' Dias soon to
be followed by Cleber Luciano to add their names to the fracas.
The big names will be there, Marcio 'Pe de Pano', Saulo Ribeiro,
Rodrigo 'Comprido', Leozinho Vieira, Marcio Feitosa, Gabriel
Vella, Fabio Leopoldo, Fredson Paixao, Fernando Terere, Carlos
'Escorrega' and many others are For information and to sign up
for the event go to CBJJ.com
Source:
ADCC
|
SPRATT
SIGNS TO FIGHT IN UCC'S NEW TKO PROMOTION
(Montreal, Canada) – The anticipation has been building
for months and the suspense is finally over as TKO finally announces
GEORGES “RUSH” ST-PIERRE’s opponent for TKO 13
Ultimate Rush™: Texas’s own PETE “THE SECRET WEAPON”
SPRATT, one of the best strikers in the game, who just recently
defeated UFC’s phenom Robbie Lawler in Miami, Florida.
“This
will be a great fight, as a fan I’m really looking forward
to this one; it will be a war” said TKO president Stephane
Patry. “This will be St-Pierre’s biggest test, and
a chance for Pete Spratt to show why he’s one of the most
dominant welterweight fighters in the world right now –
the perfect example of a striker vs. grappler war – it will
definitely be an Ultimate Rush for the fans when these two collide!”
added Patry.
TKO
13: Ultimate Rush™ will feature 9 bouts including one World
championship fight and three Canadian championship bouts. Die-Hard
fans will also have the chance to see some of the hottest future
stars in Canadian MMA as TKO will present an extra 8 undercard
bouts from 5pm to 8pm – just before the start of the main
Pay-per-view card! A total of 17 action-packed MMA bouts in ONE
NIGHT!
Source:
MMA Weekly |
'Other'
Hughes set for Extreme Challenge in Chicago
After spending time helping his twin brother keep in shape, Mark
Hughes has gotten the itch to fight again.
Although
he is a UFC veteran, Mark Hughes has been happy to play a supporting
role and watch brother Matt win the UFC welterweight championship
and single-handedly clear out the 170-pound division.
However,
it will be Mark Hughes getting onto the ring at Extreme Challenge
51, scheduled for Aug. 2 at Sportsplex in St. Charles, Ill.
'I've
been training a little and thought it would be fun to do again,'
he said. Mark will be facing Leo Sylvest, a winner of three straight
bouts, who represents Integrated Fighting.
Mark's
lone UFC appearance was a decision victory over Alex Steibling
in UFC 28.
In
addition to the Hughes-Sylvest bout, Jeremy Horn will make his
first-ever appearance as a middleweight (185 pounds) when he
takes on William Hill. It will be Horn's 16th fight in the Extreme
Challenge.
'I'm
hoping this division is kind of a new start for me, so it makes
sense to go where I started my career,' Horn said.
Sportsplex,
the host for the event, is an indoor soccer facility in St. Charles,
a suburb of Chicago.
'I
haven't been doing many events lately, but Jeff Curran wanted
to team up on an event and I thought this would be fun,' said
promoter Monte Cox. 'When it started, I really didn't expect
it to be such a strong show.'
In
the main event, Jason Medina of Miletich Martial Arts will face
Gideon Ray of Hackney's Combat in a battle of up-and-coming welterweights.
The
undercard features many of the top young fighters in the Chicago
area. Also competing is Mark Homnick, the UCC Canadian champion.
Doors
will open at 6:30 p.m. with the first bout starting at 8 p.m.
Tickets
for the event are available at numerous sites, including the
Sportsplex (630) 762-8100; Linxx Academy (815) 356-0454; Hackney's
Combat (630) 351-1209; and Combat-Do/All-American (708) 222-8100.
The
lineup:
Ron Fields vs. Terry Martin
Drew McFedries vs. Steve Dau
Mustafa Hussaini vs. Eddie Wineland
Mark Homnick vs. Tommy Lee
Bart Palaszewski vs. Tom Kirk
Mark Hughes vs. Leo Sylvest
Jeremy Horn vs. William Hill
Jason Medina vs. Gideon Ray
Source:
ADCC |
Pancrase
7/27 Event Complete Lineup
PANCRASE 2003
HYBRID TOUR
~HEAVYWEIGHT KING OF PANCRASE TITLE DEFENSE~
~NEO BLOOD TOURNAMENT 2003~
SUNDAY,JULY 27,2003 ~DAY EVENT~
DOORS OPEN; 12:30PM
FIRST FIGHT; 1:00PM
KORAKUEN HALL (TOKYO,JAPAN)
PRO-MATCH
#1 ~FEATHERWEIGHT FIRST ROUND 2x5 MIN ROUNDS~
MIKI SHIDA (P's LAB TOKYO) vs REIJI (HYBRID WRESTLING MUGEN)
PRO-MATCH
#2 ~FEATHERWEIGHT FIRST ROUND 2x5 MIN ROUNDS~
YOSHIRO MAEDA (P's OSAKA INAGAKIGUMI) vs TAKAHIRO SANEHARA (TEAM
SHINAGAWA)
PRO-MATCH
#3 ~WELTERWEIGHT FIRST ROUND 2x5 MIN ROUNDS~
KENJI ARAI (PANCRASEism) vs TAKAHITO IIDA (A-3)
PRO-MATCH
#4 ~WELTERWEIGHT FIRST ROUND 2x5 MIN ROUNDS~
NAOKI SAKI (FREELANCE) vs DAISUKE HANAZAWA 13 (MMA DOJO COBRAKAI)
PRO-MATCH
#5 ~MIDDLEWEIGHT FIRST ROUND 2x5 MIN ROUNDS~
SEN NAKADAI (PANCRASEism) vs MASAKATSU OKUDA (SHINBUKAN)
PRO-MATCH
#6 ~MIDDLEWEIGHT FIRST ROUND 2x5 MIN ROUNDS~
ICHIRO KANAI (PANCRASEism) vs YUICHI NAKANISHI (FREELANCE)
SEMIFINAL
~LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT 2x5 MIN ROUNDS~
MITSUYOSHI SATO (PANCRASE GRABAKA) vs JOHN LOBER (2x1996 I.F.C.
HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION/iU.S.A./TEAM MACHINE)
MAIN
EVENT ~HEAVYWEIGHT K.O.P. TITLE DEFENSE~
YOSHIKI TAKAHASHI (1ST HEAVYWEIGHT K.O.P./PANCRASEism) vs TSUYOSHI
OZAWA (HEAVYWEIGHT 1ST RANKED/ZENDOKAI)
PANCRASE 2003
HYBRID TOUR
~NEO BLOOD TOURNAMENT 2003~ FINAL
SUNDAY,JULY 27,2003 ~NIGHT EVENT~
DOORS OPEN; 5:30PM
FIRST FIGHT; 6:00PM
KORAKUEN HALL (TOKYO,JAPAN)
PRO-MATCH
#1 ~WELTERWEIGHT 2x5 MIN ROUNDS~
MINORU OZAWA (V-CROSS) vs MANAO KUMAGAI (ZENDOKAI)
PRO-MATCH
#2 ~LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT 2x5 MIN ROUNDS~
OSAMI SHIBUYA (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT 10TH RANKED/PANCRASEism) vs
SHUNICHI AKIMOTO (WAJUTSU KEISHUKAI IWATE DOJO)
PRO-MATCH
#3 ~MIDDLEWEIGHT 3x5 MIN ROUNDS~
EIJI ISHIKAWA (PANCRASE GRABAKA) vs HIDETAKA MONMA (A-3)
PRO-MATCH
#4 ~LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT 3x5 MIN ROUNDS~
KEI YAMAMIYA (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT 8TH RANKED/ PANCRASEism) vs NATHAN
MARQUARDT (3RD MIDDLEWEIGHT K.O.P./U.S.A./COLORADO STARS)
PRO-MATCH
#5 ~NEO BLOOD TOURNAMENT FEATHERWEIGHT FINAL 2x5 MIN ROUNDS~
FIRST ROUND MATCH #1 vs FIRST ROUND MATCH #2
SEMIFINAL
~NEO BLOOD TOURNAMENT WELTERWEIGHT FINAL 2x5 MIN ROUNDS~
FIRST ROUND MATCH #1 vs FIRST ROUND MATCH #2
MAIN
EVENT ~NEO BLOOD TOURNAMENT MIDDLEWEIGHT FINAL 2x5 MIN ROUNDS~
FIRST ROUND MATCH #1 vs FIRST ROUND MATCH #2
Source:
ADCC |
Quote
of the Day
"Each of us must do massive right thinking,
take massive right action and get massive right results, right
here, right now."
Mark Victor Hansen American Motivational Speaker, Author
|
Picnic
and BBQ on July 6th Today!
Everyone:
We are having one of our outings that we normally do for our
Academia Casca Grossa de Jiu-Jitsu on a three day holiday. As
always, everyone from Aiea, as well as any Relson affiliated
school is welcome to hang out, talk story, play volleyball and
water football, and spend time with your families. We encourage
you to bring the wife/girlfriend and kids for a day of sun (hopefully)
and fun. This will give everyone a chance to get to know each
other outside of class and increase the strength of our team.
We normally set up camp at the key hole in the middle of Ala
Moana Beach Park, right next to the tennis courts. It is the
only spot that actually cuts in to the park.
We need people to come early to reserve our spot. As you can
probably tell, Lisa and I (and Brandon) are tired of always being
the ones that come early to set up.
It is a potluck so bring whatever you want. If you want to let
me know what you will bring, I will keep a tab and email everyone
again with the list so far so there are minimal duplications.
Sorry about the late notice. We were debating on having on the
4th of July, but the last time Lisa, Brandon, and I showed up
at 4:00 am and had to wait in line to get in the park. Once we
got in, it was already packed and reserved so we decided to move
it to Sunday so it should be less crowded and easier to get our
spot. Plus, parking was insane even if you were parking at Ala
Moana Center and walking over. Also, this date will allow you
to spend time with your family on the 4th. Please email me back
to let me know if you are thinking about coming so I can get
a feel if we should put up the volleyball net and everything.
Here are the details in summary:
When: Sunday, July 6th
Where: Ala Moana Beach Park in the Key Hole
Time: 7:00 am - whenever
What to bring: Potluck, anything you want.
Hope to see you there!
Thanks!
Mike
|
RANDY
COUTURE Speaks Out About TEAM QUEST Rising Stars!
by: Keith Mills
Most
fans know the name Team Quest mainly as Randy Couture, Matt Lindland,
and Dan Henderson but there are many more. With news of Randy
appearing everywhere this update focused more on the team itself
and took place at King Of The Cage where Team Quest fielded Nate
Quarry and Buck Meridith.
KM:
You won the UFC Interim Belt. What are your thoughts on that
now? Has the effect worn off? RC: No, I don't think it ever wears
off. I'm pretty excited about it, it was a great fight. It couldn't
have went any better.
KM:
You took Liddell right out of his gameplan. RC: Anytime you get
to execute a gameplan that well on a night like that where everything
comes together it's a lot of fun.
KM:
Is there a new trainer or boxing coach at Team Quest? RC: We
got a guy we've been working with a little while named Dave Hagen.
He's an older kickboxer, doesn't do any competition now but has
a lot of experience. I do a lot of mits with him and then Mo
Smith again. Worked a lot with Mo again for a couple weeks on
my standup and will continue to progress there I think. Add that
to the wrestling skills and it makes a pretty good combination.
KM:
I guess we won't see you defend the belt until November or so?
RC: I think it's going to be September. I think Tito is going
to step up so we're looking forward to that.
(Note:
this update was conducted before the recent UFC press releases)
KM:
Does the rest of the team have access to the same trainers you
do? RC: Yes, they do. Dave Hagen is a member of our school. Nate's
been working a lot with him and our younger guys have been getting
some time with him too. Nate's been up with me to train at Mo's
school and some of the other guys like Evan Tanner have as well.
It's been a nice relationship and we'll continue to foster that
in the future.
KM:
At the Excalibur show in Richmond last summer Nate and Greg Piper
really impressed me and you said you had other up-and-comers
that weren't ready yet. I heard Piper cut his knuckle? RC: Cut
his knuckle. He was working as a butcher and had an accident.
He's back punching again and doing a lot of things with his arm
tied behind his back (both laugh). Made his other hand pretty
dangerous. He's still teaching a lot of classes for us and he'll
back in there. We have a really good group of guys, six or seven
guys that are just phenomenal, coming along really well.
KM:
Nate has had a couple fights since Excalibur that I missed. What
is your perspective on how he's advanced since Richmond? RC:
He just continues to get more experience. More the dealing with
the adversity of the fight. Each time we're stepping him up in
bigger shows. Obviously this is a little bigger show than some
of the others he has been in. The more we get him accustomed
to that pressure and dealing with that then that'll allow him
to go out and execute the technique that we know he has. He has
been working on all parts of his game but especially his stand-up.
His last fight in Gladiator Challenge was 1:20 KO, pretty nasty
knockout with his right hand. It was an awesome fight.
KM:
Anybody else new to us ready to come out of Team Quest? RC: I
think Chael Sonnen is right there. He fought in Pancrase (2/16/03
draw vs. Akihiro Gono), he fought in that Hitman Production show
in California and beat Renato Babalu. He showed great improvement
and a lot more commitment to his training this last year and
he's ready to do whatever we want him to do. We have a Heavyweight
Brian Stromberg that is one of those guys that works a full-time
job and still finds time to train. He's been in a couple of the
Idaho shows and having some really good success. One of those
guys that just loves to fight.
KM:
What was his background? (Note: at the time I didn't realize
Stromberg fought in WEC in March.) RC: He was a football player
and he's been doing this for about six years. He's been training
with us pretty consistently for over a year now. We have a couple
young guys; Dennis Davis who is the Full Contact Fighting Federation
Lightweight Champion, a little dynamo who is also one of our
instructors, and then another kid Chris Leben who is another
20 or 21 year-old kid who just won the Light Heavyweight championship
for that same federation in OR. He's a Tasmanian devil, just
will not quit so he's pretty fun to watch too.
KM:
What about the rumors of Team Quest in UCC (now TKO). RC: I haven't
been approached by anybody in UCC. I called him for a while but
didn't have much success getting through to him. Since then I've
heard some not very good things about the way he runs his show
so I don't know if I'd take the risk of putting any fighters
in that show at this point or not.
KM:
I was getting a little confused when we started seeing Dan Henderson
getting more involved with training some of the fighters down
here (California). We're wondering if you are going to start
a franchise. RC: That's an idea, something that is in the works.
We'd like to open a school in the Temecula area and use Dan's
expertise. He has a few really good fighters. Art (Sanotore)
and Buck (Meridith) is making his debut here tonight (KOTC 25).
Heath Simms has fought for us in the past. If we can find somebody
we can feel comfortable managing the gym we'd like to open a
branch down here.
KM:
Anything else from the team perspective to get across? RC: We
just started promoting our own show in OR. It's called Sportfight.
Matt Lindland, myself, and Robert are putting that on. We just
had our first one a Sunday ago and it went really well. It's
pretty small right now but went without any glitches and was
a good show. We're going to do another one on the 23rd of August
in Portland.
KM:
Anybody set for that one? RC: We're working on the card right
now. Just started this week.
KM:
How can fans or prospective fighters find out more? RC: Go to
our website www.teamquestfightclub.com. It has a schedule
on there of all of our camps and shows. Everything we are going
to be putting on is on that website.
Source:
ADCC
|
Boxing:
Lewis set for Klitschko rematch
by: BBC Soort
World heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis says negotiations for
a rematch with Vitali Klitschko are already under way and the
fight is likely to take place on 6 December.
Lewis
beat Klitschko after gaining a sixth-round technical knock-out
in Los Angeles two weeks ago.
The
Briton was then expected to turn his attention to a big-money
bout with Roy Jones Jnr.
Jones
has captured the imagination of the boxing public after stepping
up from the middleweight division to claim the WBA heavyweight
title last March.
But
Lewis says a second fight against Ukrainian Klitschko is what
really interests him.
'I'm
opting more for the rematch - I enjoyed that fight,' he said.
'They
(Klitschko's camp) should agree to it. If not, then we will have
to look at other options, like Roy Jones, or call it a day.'
One
obstacle to a rematch could be the condition of Klitschko's left
eye.
The
Ukrainian required more than 50 stitches to gashes above and
below the battered eye that ultimately resulted in the fight
being stopped.
'We
want our own independent doctor to go there and check the eye
and if he will be available,' Lewis said.
Source:
ADCC
|
AMAR
SULOEV: Looking For Revenge!
by: Stanislav Khramov
One of the top Russian middle weight fighters Amar Suloev (Red
Devil FT) has told organizers the Mix-Fight Championship M-1
'Russia vs World' that he wants to organize a rematch with American
sportsman Phil Baroni. Amar Suloev met hithe first time at on
tournament UFC 37 - High Impact. Since then, Suloev has won 2
fights in convincing fashion.
The
first fight with Baroni ended in defeat for Amar Suloev. Suloev
speaks 'I think thatI began fight very well. Even it seemed that
Phil Baroni's condition and experience were less than my level
of preparation. But I admit to a tactical mistake, and luck just
turned to face Phil Baroni.'
Now
Amar Suloev it is ready to repeat the fight. Suloev has offered
the organizers to fight for free if they can organize this fight
with Baroni. The match is hoped for on Mix-Fight Championship
M-1 'Russia vs World - 6' scheduled for October 11, 2003 at sports
Arena 'Lujniki' in Moscow.
Organizers
of the M-1 were rather interested with this offer and they are
ready to listen to an offer from the manager's Phil Baroni.
All
questions and offers for the organizers of the event please send
e-mail stas@reddevil.ru to Stanislav Khramov.
Source:
ADCC |
HEAT
FC Coming to Make Some Noise, STORM Around the Corner, Belfort
Everywhere and Silva Looking for Knockouts!
By Eduardo Alonso
The Brazilian Beat:
July is beginning, bringing a new promotion to add even more
spice to the Brazilian NHB scene. Heat Fighting Championship
is coming up with some interesting facts and a complex project,
not to mention a solid card, looking to take back Brazil to its
deserved status in our sport, and alongside with MECA contributing
to spread MMA to all corners of this country. If a fan can't
ask for more than that to being his month, July will also bring
STORM Muay Thai with the already traditional BTT x Chute Boxe
rivalry translated in the final match of the event, as well as
developments for the next MECA edition, promising to add even
more to th |