To
succeed... you need to find something to hold on to, something
to motivate you, something to inspire you.
Tony Dorsett
Marcel
Suehiro Places 8th in NAIA
Relson
Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and Shobukan Judo student as well as McKinnley
High graduate, Marcel Suehiro is currently in Embry-Riddle University
wrestling and doing quite well. Check out what I found on him
lately! Thanks to Meaala for pointing me in the right direction!
Southern
Oregon 18, Embry-Riddle 15
Ashland, Nov. 22, 2002
133 - Nolan Harris (S) dec. Brian Love, 7-1
141 - Colin Murphy (S) dec. Sterling Cornfield, 8-3
149 - Danny Cadwallader (E) dec. Waylon Alsbury, 4-3
157 - Joe Calavitta (E) dec. Jimmy Grochowsky, 13-10
165 - Brian Wilson (S) dec. David Rivera, 9-3
174 - James Mannenbach (S) dec. Jensen Jobe, 6-4
184 - Jaime Hernandez (E) dec. Abe Ewing, 12-6
197 - Michael Augustson (E) dec. Colin Davis, 10-5
285 - Mike Whitehead (S) pinned Aaron McKeever, 1:24
125 - Marcel
Suehiro (E) dec. Marc Harris, 7-2
Match official: Lester McFall
Attendance: 400
2003
46th Annual NAIA Wrestling National Championships
Bison Fieldhouse
– Great Falls, Montana
Hosted by Montana State University - Northern
March 7-8, 2003
The VI Copa Pacifica got of today with a BANG. The two superfights
had everything anyone could want in a match.
Rener
Gracie submitted (foot-lock) Jorge 'Macaco' Patino. The fight
opened up with Macaco getting ahead via takedown. After a slow
moment and a restart Macaco got 2 more points by takedown. Another
restart and Macaco pulled the half-guard. At that point Rener
immediately started searching for Macaco's leg. Macaco completed
a beautiful reversal to get ahead 6 x 0, but as Macaco would
later admit, Rener accepted the reversal in order to attack the
foot. After a struggle defending, Macaco submitted to Rener's
foot lock.
'Xande'
Ribeiro defeated Ryron Gracie points 8 x 0 (reversal and 2 guard
passes)
In
a very exciting match, one which the score did not fully reflect
the action, Ryron and Xande exchanged attacks and positions,
with the more experienced 'Xande' taking advantages of the openings
to score the points. After the match 'Xande' complained about
his forearms, which were double the normal size: 'My forearms
feel like rocks!'
Everyone
had a great time and props go to all the fighters for getting
it on!
Source:
Kid Peligro/ADCC
PANCRASE
3/8 Quick Results!
Differ
Ariake - Tokyo, Japan
1.
Masahito Wachi defeated Masahiro Watanabe by default when Watanabe
was said to have pneumonia.
2.
Kenji Arai over Naoki Seki in 1:20 of round one with a rear naked
choke.
3.
Jun Ishii defeated Jason Godsey in the 2nd round in 1:51 via
submission from strikes.
4.
Kazuo Misaki & Yuji Hisamatsu went to a two round draw.
5.
Yuki Kondo defeated Sumio Koyano in 3:58 of round one when Koyano's
corner threw in the towel.
6.
In the KOP Middleweight Title Match:
Nathan Marquardt KO'd Izuru Takeuchi in 1:29 of round one with
punches on the ground.
Source:
ADCC
MARQUARDT
BREAKS HAND IN WIN
MMAWeekly's Ryan Bennett reports that Nathan Marquardt is on
his way back to the United States and not only is he coming back
with another impressive win but he is also coming back with a
broken hand.
It's
not known when he broke the hand, but he had to be somewhere
in the beginning of the fight since he made it a quick night,
getting the KO win at 1:30 into the fight.
It's
unknown how long he will be out for, but traditionally it's one
of those injuries that takes at least five or six months to heal
properly. We will keep you informed right here at MMAWeekly.com.
Source:
MMA Weekly
Where
Do We Go From Here?
The State of the Sport After UFC 41
Dang,
I was wrong. Dang! Wrong again! @#&%!! Wrong AGAIN! What
the hell went wrong at UFC 41? Or better yet, what was I thinking?
Here I am, laying down my Pickin’ and Grinnin’ picks
and about to gloat because I got them all right. Well, I only
picked five fights correctly. Shows how much I know. Okay, okay,
I’ve been humbled about my mis-picks, but that burning question
is begged to be asked: Where do we all go from here? What happens
to the UFC’s heavyweight division? What about the third
installment of Penn/Uno? Was Mir’s loss to Freeman at UFC
38 really a fluke? If only the crystal ball wasn’t so foggy…
For
starters, let’s take a gander at the main event of UFC 41;
Ricco Rodriguez vs. Tim Sylvia. Virtually nobody gave Sylvia
much of a chance to win partly in fact due to the level of opposition
that he’s been feasting on. Sure, he was 16-0 coming in
to the biggest fight of his pro MMA career, but did he have enough
ammo to topple Rodriguez, who was making the first defense of
his heavyweight crown? After Rodriguez dominated Randy Couture
at UFC 39, most thought he was the world’s #2 or 3 heavyweight,
with only a matter of time before he vaults himself atop of the
mountain of big guys. He was supposed to feel out the much larger
Sylvia, take him down and pound away for a sure victory. Well,
chum, things don’t always happen like they should.
Ricco
had fits trying to take down the behemoth Sylvia and had the
guts to try and trade blows with him standing up. As Ricco backed
away with his guard dropped just a bit too far, Sylvia uncorked
a crippling straight right, dropping the champ onto the mat.
Sylvia, smelling blood, pounced on his woozy foe and unloaded
vicious bombs until referee John McCarthy pulled him away. Just
like that, Sylvia was crowned the new UFC heavyweight champ by
pulling off a pretty major upset.
On
the other end of the heavyweight circle, the return of Tank Abbott
was, shall we say, just a tad anticlimactic. Many people, myself
included, thought that Frank Mir had too many weapons at his
disposal to have a hard time with Tank, but would wind up being
blasted out early. We were dead wrong. Frank took Tank down,
tried a fake shoulder lock and applied a sick heel hook, forcing
the bad street brawler to tap. Damn, we were all set for a showdown
with Ricco and Tank, but Sylvia and Mir had to go and ruin everything.
How great! Now things are actually starting to heat up in the
heavyweight ranks after all.
With
a so-so, yet winning, effort against battle-worn Pedro Rizzo,
powerhouse Vladimir Matyushenko will undoubtedly have to wait
a few more UFCs before he gets a title shot. And speaking of
Rizzo, why the @#*& does he always fight so cautiously??
The guys can knock out a rhinoceros with his fists and kick a
hole in the trunk of a sequoia! What gives, Pedro? Either way,
though, it sure does make the division much deeper with the huge
underdog winning the title. Then again, it might make it look
much shallower because the “unknown” guy who’s
very tall is the champ. Aargh… My brain is aching!
It
appears evident that Zuffa will toss together the strangely riveting
Mir/Sylvia championship, probably as the chief undercard bout
to Ortiz/Liddell at UFC 43. Can Mir withstand the incoming hailstorm
of fists from Sylvia and win yet another TapOut of the Night
award? Who knows? Only time will tell. For right now, though,
all my scrilla is on Sylvia.
Shifting
gears, let’s scroll down to the lightweights. The entire
lightweight title hubbub was supposed to be settled when BJ Penn
and Caol Uno squared off in their much-anticipated rematch. The
winner of the bout would be granted the crown vacated by the
bolting Jens Pulver and the experts’ were split as to who
would win. Half favored Penn by knockout, the other half had
Uno by decision. Their fight was memorable, going back and forth
both on the ground and on their feet, but after all was said
and done, it was pretty clear as to who should have won. Penn
did more damage, landed more punches (though he was leg kicked
quite a bit) and out-grappled the Japanese star. Aside from that,
Uno’s face was almost as hideous Ken Shamrock’s was
after UFC 40. Unfortunately for Penn and MMA fans, the judges
scored it a draw, setting the stage for Penn/Uno 3 sometime later
this year.
Penn
looked flat for much of the fight, but he still should have been
granted the decision. I don’t know what it is, but he just
doesn’t have that fire he used to once have. And Uno made
the mistake of trying to trade punches with Penn. He should have
just kept his distance and kicked away at BJ’s legs. Oh
well, I guess he’ll just have to wait until next time. Yves
Edwards looked great in his win, but I don’t see him beating
either Uno or Penn, same with Matt Serra. Everybody is anxious
to see Genki Sudo fight again, so who knows? Maybe at UFC 44
or whenever Penn and Uno square off again, there will be another
mini tourney for the lightweights. Maybe even Pulver will come
back and try to claim what is rightfully his. Oh, and one more
thing before I get to Baroni getting beaten; does anybody really
want to see another Penn/Uno? Make your voices heard on the Sherdog
Forums.
And
finally, everybody rejoiced with Matt Lindland after his winning
effort in the war against Phil Baroni. Easily the most hated
man in MMA, Baroni did everything he could to back up all the
trash talk, but Lindland was simply too much for him to handle.
Seeing Baroni lose, to most, was like when Muhammad Ali got whipped
by Joe Frazer back in ’74. Tons of people prayed for Ali
to get his clock cleaned and he did. Tons of people prayed for
Lindland to fix Baroni’s wagon, and he did. He’s never
done anything bad to me, but I understand why everybody wanted
him to eat leather and take a beating. Lindland took no prisoners
and dished out a good ol’ fashioned whuppin’ on the
New York Bad Ass, placing himself firmly in the #2 spot in the
middleweight ranks. Kazushi Sakuraba is #3. All we need now is
for Murilo Bustamante to get off his behind and re-sign with
Zuffa! Murilo, what are you waiting for? In the meantime, if
Zuffa doesn’t strip Bustamante of his title, Lindland has
a few options. He can wait for Bustamante to resign and face
the likes of Phillip Miller or even Mark Weir, two excellent
match-ups. Or he could face Ivan Salaverry again or Dave Menne,
seeing that Lindland will not fight Baroni again.
Now,
if Bustamante reneges and flies the Zuffa coop, Lindland can
go to Japan and fight the cream of the Pride crop. Fighters like
Sakuraba, Paulo Filho, Anderson Silva and Jose ‘Pele’
Landi-Jons are all there, ready to be dueled. Hmm. Decisions,
decisions, decisions for Lindland. Hopefully we’ll all get
lucky and Bustamante resigns with Zuffa, or at least fights sometime
this year. I certainly hope he doesn’t fall into the same
Vitor Belfort coma of fighting once every, oh, 520 days. Bustamante-
Come back!
Source:
Sherdog
GOOD
NEWS AND BAD NEWS
MMAWeekly.com has made plenty of calls within the past week about
official numbers from UFC 41 and we are finally starting to get
those numbers from our contacts regarding last weekends event.
The
good news for the UFC is another great LIVE gate for Zuffa. UFC
41 had another sellout crowd and if your counting at home, that's
the FIFTH consecutive sell out in the past five UFC's. The last
sell out crowd in Atlantic City, brought in a just over a million
dollar live gate to Zuffa. The live attendance figures have been
off the chart recently and some insiders believe that Tank's
latest apperance could have factored into the numbers.
With
that said, it looks like the return of Tank did not help at all
with pay per view buys. MMAWeekly.com talked with our contacts
at Direct TV as well as a few people within the cable industry
late last night, (Saturday Night) and it looks like when it's
all said and done, the UFC will have sold between 57,000 and
59,000 pay per view buys from UFC 41. That is drastically down
from UFC 40 as "Vendetta" drew close to 150,000 pay
per view buys.
Zuffa
has to be scratching their head a bit trying to figure out why
they had such a huge live gate, but the pay per view numbers
for some reason didn't transfer over from the live gate.
Source:
MMA Weekly
Interview
with Matt Lindland
Some
say he couldn't do it, some said that his first fight was a fluke.
This past weekend Matt Lindland answered all his critics and
showed the world that he is one of the best fighters at 185 pounds.
Lindland sat down and talked with Ryan Bennett about his biggest
win to date in his professional fight career.
Ryan
Bennett: So you got to be a pretty happy guy right now, how are
things?
Matt Lindland: Good, I just got back from the Portland Trailblazers
basketball game and it's been a great weekend.
Ryan:
Did you get noticed at the NBA game?
Matt: Not really, I had a guy I had not seen before that said
"good job" and there was a couple of guys that I went
to high school with that said, "That's Matt Lindland"
but that's about it.
Ryan:
Give me your impressions of the fight with Baroni, you have to
have a big smile on your face.
Matt: Yea I'm excited about it. Getting a win in the UFC is always
good. Every fight in this UFC at this level is a big fight. There
aren't any little fights anymore in the UFC.
Ryan:
A lot of people said coming into this fight that Phil Baroni
is a better fighter now, that your first fight was when he wasn't
very good, etc. Did that piss you off going into this fight?
Matt: I'm still looking for the excuses to come. The first fight
he couldn't even admit that he lost. I think he still denies
he didn't lose. I think he will have an excuse for this fight,
like he was hurt, or his hand was hurt, whatever. I know before
the fight he was letting everyone know how hard he was training.
The excuses will start coming whether it's if he came into the
fight injured or whatever. He can't and probably won't accept
that I'm a better fighter than he is.
Ryan:
How much sweeter is it for you to beat Phil Baroni a second time?
Matt: To me it doesn't matter, but he makes it such a big deal
that it actually makes it a bigger deal for me. I actually had
a lot of fun with the banter and smack talk going back and forth.
I don't think I could talk like that to a lot of other fighters.
I can't throw insults at other guys, but I think he opens himself
up to that, so he made it easier for me and made it more fun.
I wanted to put a beating on him.
Ryan:
Did you have a chance to watch the fight yet?
Matt: Yea I did actually.
Ryan:
Tell me your impressions of the fight. What did you like and
what didn't you like?
Matt: I liked everything about the fight. I was watching the
fight thinking I could have thrown my lead right here or thought
I had a lot of opportunites to throw some more standup that I
didn't take advantage of. My goal was not to use the stand up
to win the fight. I just wanted to use it enough to get in and
take him down. In the third round I was going to do a little
standup because he wasn't aggressive. I knew he had to come at
me for me to get under him. It wasn't like I could just shoot
in on him. I did take advantage of the beginning of the third
round. I was a bit disappointed in the call for both of us to
stand up by Big John (McCarthy) becaues I just felt like I was
landing the best three or four elbows of the fight and I had
so much momentum at that particular time...
Ryan:
Why do you think then he had you guys stand up at that point
of the fight?
Matt: I really don't know. Maybe John wanted to make sure Phil
didn't have any excuses. The only thing I can think of is that
he was thinking you guys need to stand up so Phil doesn't have
any excuses why he lost the fight. I don't think John intentionally
tried to screw me there, I think he felt it may be more exciting
for the fans I guess, or Phil, it was weird.
Ryan:
It was a bit strange and I know John and think he is the best
in the business, but it seemed you even had a shot to finish
him at that point...
Matt: I did too. What can you do.
Ryan:
Speaking of that third round, he ended that round with those
wicked body shots. What were you thinking at the end of that
fight?!
Matt: I was thinking, man this round is over, what the hell is
taking so long. (laughs) I shot in and there was six seconds
left on the clock and he sprawled, so there had to be 6,5,4,3,2,
and the fight has to be over. Then it was like, hello wake up
the guy ringing the bell. Those last six second must have taken
30 seconds. In the first round those punches really didn't have
much steam so I wasn't worried. Body shots aren't going to finish
a fight anyway...
Ryan:
So you are telling me those body shots didn't hurt?
Matt: No. They look great and he's yelling like he was doing
something but they didn't really hurt. I remember after the fight
I felt fine and I remember thinking when I wake up in the morning
I'm going to be hurting, but I was actually fine when I woke
up. They didn't hurt at all when I woke up.
Ryan:
At the press conference you thanked a few people including John
Hackelman from the Pit Fight Team. Are you part of that team
now?
Matt: I actually said my new adopted team. I then thanked Randy
(Couture) and Dan (Henderson) for being my cornerman and supporting
me. I just wanted to thank John and the guys who really helped
me out.
Ryan:
So you are still a part of Team Quest...
Matt: Absolutely I am.
Ryan:
What's next for you now...
Matt: I don't know. Let's call Dana (laughs) and see what's going
to happen. I would like to know. I would love to fight in April.
I just don't really know who is out there to fight. It seems
like we have answered a lot of questions in this division so
it's hard to say who is still out there.
Ryan:
I just found out that Jeremy Horn is coming down to 185 weight
division. What about a guy like that...
Matt: Really? That's great. That guy is a submission expert.
He is SO slick. I had no idea.
Ryan:
Yea one of my guys just found out and I think that would be great
for the division.
Matt: It would be. I would like to see him fight somebody in
the UFC if that happens, because I feel like I've proved myself
as the guy who gets the next title shot. He would be great at
that weight. He's a great fighter.
Ryan:
One more question about Baroni. We saw what he did to Dave Menne.
We saw what he did to Suloev. Why is it that you were able to
neutralize Phil Baroni? It seems you have his number.
Matt: I think he caught Menne. I don't that would happen every
time he fights Dave Menne. That's the nature of the sport. Sometimes
you are going to get quick knockouts and sometimes you don't
have it that day. As far as Phil goes, I think he didn't train
much on the ground for this fight. I'm guessing because I don't
watch guys train, but it didn't look like he anticipated this
fight being on the ground long. You would think he would have
planned for something like this, but I really don't think he
did. He didn't prepare what could happen on the ground. He was
so confident that he could get the job done by standing up. Those
other guys you mention didn't get out of the first round with
him. Let's see how they do with Phil Baroni in round two or three,
it could have been a different fights for those guys you mentioned.
Ryan:
What happened to the t-shirt at the weigh-in that said I got
beat by a hillbilly?
Matt: Some Japanese photographer picked it up and I caught him
wearing it after the fight (laughs)
Ryan:
That's hilarious! (laughs)
Matt: Yea I actually signed that shirt!
Ryan:
I was just thinking that, make some of those, sign it and it
will be a big hit on ebay.
Matt: I've got two more, so maybe I should do it....Yea it was
funny it said "I just got beat down by a hillbilly AGAIN."
It was funny.
Ryan:
How did that come about?
Matt: You were there at the first weigh-in for our first fight
and you saw the stunt where he tried to reach out and grab my
neck...so I anticipated something so I just threw him off and
came a little prepared. I showed the press the shirt and said
I have a gift for Phil and threw it at him. He threw it back
to me, so I told one of his corner guys, Give this to Phil, it's
a gift from me. Big John got the interception, Lorenzo held it
up for everyone to see, then he grabs that from Lorenzo and stomps
on it, he was pissed. It was beautiful. But you guys didn't see
the shirt I put on after the fight...
Ryan:
No I didn't what did it say...
Matt: It said I just beat Phil Baroni AGAIN and all I got was
this lousy T-Shirt.
Ryan:
Funny stuff. Well congrats that was a huge win for you and I
look forward to seeing what is next. Thanks Matt I always appreciate.
Matt: You got it Ryan. I will let you guys know what's up next
for me right here at MMAWeekly.
Source: MMA Weekly
3/9/03
Sunday's
news has been posted early because we have a "business meeting"
tonight and will probably not be in any condition to update the
site tomorrow morning. We are bidding one of our best friends adieu as he takes the
beaten down and arduous path that has left many a man curled
up in the fetal position in the corner of a shower cowering.
The institution that is called marriage. I am going into the
"business meeting" with a separated rib, but I will
try to perservere and struggle through it, being the trooper
that I am.
Chris & Mike
"Taking one for the team"
Quote
of the Day
It
takes less time to do things right than to explain why you did
it wrong.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Fighters'
Club TV Make Up Show
Due to last Tuesdays Preempting of Fighters' Club TV episode
8 for City
Council coverage, Olelo Ch. 52 has added an additional time to
this coming
weeks schedule:
3/11/03
Tue Midnight (Monday night turning into Tuesday morning)
3/12/03
Wed 11:30pm
<<<ADDED ON FOR THOSE OF YOU SHOULD BE AT PRACTICE ON
TUESDAY NIGHTS>>>
3/25/03
Tue 11:00 pm
4/1/03 Tue 3:00 pm
Episode
8 features:
Superbrawl
28 footage
-Andre "the Chief" Roberts vs. Raymond "King Kong"
Seraille (w/ post fight intvs)
-Ronald "the Machine Gun" Jhun vs. Mike Panalber (w/
post fight intv)
Technique of the Week
-Don Frye demonstrating a viscious no-gi Judo Takedown (+ exclusive
intv.)
introducing our new female co-host, kickboxing and TKD instructor,
Jocelyn Soriano
Any
suggestion, comments, complaints--email Mark at markk@flex.com
Women,
think you got what it takes to host a show? Please contact our
talent scout Chris at chris@onzuka.com
Source:
Mark Kurano
Frank
Shamrock Makes His Return to MMA
World Extreme Cagefighting - “Return of a Legend”
March 27th 7:30P.M.
The Palace Casino, Lemoore, CA.
MAIN
EVENT
Bryan Pardoe vs Frank Shamrock
SUPERFIGHTS
Jeremy Jackson vs Shonie Carter,
Justin Wiemen. vs Gil Castillo
Broadcast
your thoughts on Frank Shamrock returning against Bryan Pardoe
in the MMA forum.
FEATUREFIGHTS
Christian Wellisch vs TBA
Donald Rugebregt vs Tony Alanis
Randy Rowe vs Chris Sanford
Caleb Mitchel vs TBA
Mike Swick vs Kengo Ura
Brandon
Wolff (from Hawaii, but now fighting for rAw) vs Eric Wrey
Sammy Sleezer vs John Appleby
Ed Wedding vs Doug Evans
PRELIMINARY
TBA vs Mike Castillo
Steve Cutler vs Chris Williams
Source:
Sherdog
3/8/03
Quote
of the Day
The
shy man will not learn; the impatient man should not teach.
Hillel
Giraldi
Muay-Thai Grand Opening!
Giraldi
Muay-Thai, Hawaii, USA
99-1421 Koaha Place, Bay 3
Aiea, HI. 96701
Tel: (808) 487-0678
Grand Opening March 2003
We
have moved from Kalakaua Boxing gym to our new location in Halawa
Valley, next to OICA Poison Ink. New facility a 5, 000 square
feet gym. We provide top professional training to meet your needs
for Men, Women and Childen to improve health, build strength,
cardio-vascular drills, street-defense, intense amateur and professional
competition and unarmed combat.
Gym
established by Step-Father/Coach Charlie Jauit, former Thailand's
World Bantamweight Muay-Thai Champion. This is Hawaii's ONLY
authorized gym. Tony Giraldi, the ONLY Certified Trainer under
Mr. Jauit.
CHAMPIONS:
Professional-Maurice Travis, 10-time World Muay-Thai Light Middleweight
(Hawaii's First) and Yobo Dela Cruz, Mixed Martial Arts Hawaii
Futurebrawl. Amateur-Ben Yelle, 2002 IKF USA National Muay-Thai
Light Middleweight (Hawaii's First).
TOP
CONTENDER: Amateur-Elias Oxendine, 2002 IKF USA National Muay-Thai
Light Middleweight, Bronze Medal, 2001 USA National Muay-Thai
Light Middleweight, Silver Medal.
LAW
ENFORCEMENT: We have trained members from the U.S. Marshal Service
SWAT, U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Special Forces.
Mahalo
for ALL your help promoting Martial Arts in Hawaii. Coach Tony
Giraldi.
Source:
Tony Giraldi
Championship
Bout Postponed!
Looks like all the fans looking forward to the much anticipated
Super Brawl match between Super Brawl Champion Egan Inoue and
Shooto Champion Masanori Suda will have to wait 6 more weeks!
6
more weeks to unify the belts. The bout was initially scheduled
for March 22 with both combatants agreeing to terms. But the
bout will now be held on Friday night, May 9.
It
seems the Shooto Champ may be trying to play head-games with
Inoue. In an e-mail sent to T.Jay Thompson (Super Brawl promoter)
on Thursday, Suda's management stated Suda needed more time to
prepare. No further information was made available.
When
contacted Egan Ioue replied, "Maybe he is just scared. If
he is trying to play mind games with me it is not working. I
understand he holds the Shooto belt, but a professional fighter
should be prepared. I am working a full time job (at Merck Pharmaceuticals),
raising a family and still found the time to train. But it's
O.K., maybe he just wants to hold onto his belt for a few more
precious weeks. I will be here waiting on May 9."
Thompson
stated, "These things happen in the fight game. I never
have a dull moment. I am just disappointed that the fans will
have to wait till May 9 for this spectacular event." To
ensure the May 9, date, Suda has now signed a contract with a
considerable penalty if he misses the May 9th date for any reason.
Ticket
holders to the March 22 event can return or trade their tickets
in at the Blaisdell box-office.
Source:
Event Promoter
Joe
Hall's February Notebook
From
Javier Vazquez's valiant performance in King of the Cage to the
return of Tank Abbott at UFC 41, another month of mixed martial
arts is ready for the history books. Before the 28 days are filed
away, join me as I take a look at how February 2003 unfolded
in the sport.
TANK
TAPS; SYLVIA TAKES TITLE (UFC 41 on Feb. 28)
Months
of hype became 46 bubble-bursting seconds at UFC 41. That's how
long it took Frank Mir to spoil the ballyhooed return of Tank
Abbott to the Octagon. After misfiring with a couple heavy right
hands, Abbott found himself caught in an omoplata shoulder lock
while simultaneously falling victim to a nasty toehold. At first
glance, it looked as though Tank may have tapped quickly to the
submission, but a second viewing revealed the sickly angle at
which his foot was torqued.
With
the majority of UFC viewing audiences deflated from Tank's sputtered
comeback, Tim Sylvia demolished Ricco Rodriguez in the main event
to capture the heavyweight title. It was clear early that Rodriguez
was in trouble after Sylvia almost effortlessly thwarted his
attacks. Rodriguez shot for a takedown; Sylvia threw him to the
ground. Rodriguez attempted an armbar; Sylvia dumped him on his
head. Forced to stand, the inevitable came quickly for Rodriguez,
as Sylvia sent a right hand straight down the pipe and turned
out his opponent's lights.
Perhaps
it's the Curse of Pulver. "Little Evil" unfailingly
defended his lightweight title when he was in the UFC, and now
he, his curse or something, is defending the gold in his absence.
A four-man lightweight tournament to crown a 155-pound champ
was initiated in September; but after five months and a hard-fought
25-minute final between BJ Penn and Caol Uno, no one has been
able to claim Pulver's belt. Penn deserved a narrow decision
at UFC 41, but the always crafty Uno kept the fight close and
a rare draw was the result.
Matt
Lindland said he would, and he did. For the second time, the
Olympic Silver Medalist stuffed a sock in the yapper of Phil
Baroni. The only middleweight bout at UFC 41 belonged to the
better wrestler, Lindland, who used his grappling prowess to
ground his opponent and smother him with an onslaught of punches
and forearm strikes. Baroni never quit, though his defeat via
decision was thorough and unrelenting.
Pedro
Rizzo's struggles continued in the opening bout of the pay-per-view.
Vladimir Matyushenko scored several takedowns early in their
heavyweight bout, forcing Rizzo to fight his typical inhibited
style. Other than a few leg kicks, Rizzo did little en route
to losing a unanimous decision. He has now lost four of his last
five fights.
GUTSY
VAZQUEZ GOES DOWN; HOFFMAN'S BACK (King of the Cage 21 on Feb.
21)
Out
of the cage, into the cage. Bobby Hoffman, released from prison,
returned to mixed martial arts competition at King of the Cage
21. "The Bad Seed" retained his KOTC heavyweight crown,
which had been stripped and vacated while he was in prison, by
winning a four-man heavyweight tournament. Neither Sam Sotello
nor Jason Godsey mounted much of an attack against Hoffman, who
stopped Sotello via injury and Godsey with strikes.
The
star of the show was undoubtedly Javier Vazquez. Although the
fighter from Millennia Jiu-Jitsu lost his lightweight championship
to Alberto Crane, he gained a wealth of fans thanks to his courageous
effort in the cage. Seconds into his title defense, Vazquez slipped
and tore his ACL, among other things. Over the next 14 minutes
and 45 seconds, he delivered a performance as inspiring as any
in mixed martial arts' young history. It wasn't enough to hold
onto his belt, however, as Crane won a split decision.
In
other action, controversy shrouded the welterweight showdown
between Shonie Carter and Fernando Vasconcelos. The first round
belonged to Vasconcelos, who not only out-grappled Carter, which
was expected, but also out-struck the veteran fighter on the
feet. A different story was told in the second five minutes,
with Carter corralling his young foe and battering him for much
of the round. Although most expected it, there would be no third
round. Carter was given the win after Vasconcelos refused to
fight for another five minutes, saying only two installments
were in his contract.
BUCK,
KENNEDY GET 3 WINS IN 1 NIGHT (Extreme Challenge on Feb. 8 &
23)
Once
at the heart of the sport, tournaments have nearly vanished in
modern mixed martial arts. Multiple fights in one night won't
fly with most athletic commissions, and few fighters are on board
with the idea of several battles in a few hours. Monte Cox has
resurrected the format, however, for consecutive years. In early
February, an intriguing field of eight middleweights were summoned
to Iowa to see who'd be the last man standing at Extreme Challenge
49.
Favorite
Brendan Seguin submitted Leo Sylvest and stopped Jonathon Goulet
to make it to the finals. Opposing him was Jay Buck, who beat
a pair of tough 185-pounders, Ryan Stout and prospect Kyle Jensen.
In the end, Buck ran the table, stopping Seguin in the second
round. Both Buck and Seguin qualify for the final eight-man middleweight
tournament to be held in Hawaii in May.
Joining
Buck and Seguin in the Aloha State will be Tim Kennedy and Cruz
Chacon, who met in the finals of late February's Extreme Challenge
50 middleweight tournament. Kennedy beat Ryan Narte in the opening
round and defeated a talented Jason Miller in semifinals, before
running the gauntlet with a stoppage win over Chacon in the finals.
Chacon was 2-1 on the night, defeating Griffin Reynaud and knocking
out Eddy Rolon. Dennis Kang was also in the tournament, but dropped
a barnburner to Miller in the first round when he submitted to
a rear naked choke. In other action, top-notch women mixed martial
artists Jennifer Howe and Amanda Buckner stood toe-to-toe in
an enlivening battle that Howe won via knockout.
IN
THE NEWS
Tank
Abbott made a guest appearance on Fox Sports Net's The Best Damn
Sports Show, Period! on February 21. The streetfighter from Huntington
Beach, California, discussed his then-upcoming return to the
UFC, threw a verbal jab at Tito Ortiz, and punted the head of
a manikin.
WINS,
LOSSES AND FIGHTS OF NOTE
On
the UFC 41 undercard, Din Thomas stopped Matt Serra's takedown
attempts to win a split decision; Gan McGee spoiled the heavyweight
debut of Alexandre Dantas by knocking him out late in the first
round; and Yves Edwards consistently beat Rich Clementi to the
punch standing, before he submitted him with a choke in the final
round.
Takanori
Gomi, the No. 1-ranked lightweight in the world, submitted Nick
Ertl with an armbar in a Shooto bout on February 23. At the same
show, American Top Team's Dustin Denes stopped Shikou Yamashita
on a cut, and undefeated welterweight Akira Kikuchi beat Toru
Nakayama.
Ricardo
Almeida returned to Pancrase on February 16, where he won a unanimous
decision over Ikuhisa Minowa. In other bouts, Akihiro Gono drew
with Team Quest's Chael Sonnen.
Hawaii
hosted Super Brawl 28 on February 8. In the main event, hometown
product Egan Inoue set up a showdown with Shooto champion Masanori
Suda by winning a unanimous decision over Yukiya Naito. Falaniko
Vitale and Ronald Jhun were also victorious, with wins over Tyrone
Roberts and Mike Penabler, respectively.
In
other fights at KOTC 21, Joey Villasenor impressively defeated
Tony Galindo in a middleweight match, and unlimited class champ
Jimmy Ambriz submitted Johnathan Ivey.
Evan
Tanner scored a win on February 15, when he used an arm-triangle
choke to submit Shannon Ritch.
UFC
legend Dan Severn dropped a 15-minute decision on February 22
to Ulysses Castro .
Tim
"Obake" Catalfo defeated James Daniels with a neck
crank at the World Extreme Fighting Championships on February
8.
Before
his quality showing in the Extreme Challenge 50 middleweight
tournament, Jason Miller won a rubber match against rival Todd
Carney via TKO on February 1.
Veteran
fighter Adrian Serrano submitted to a series of knees delivered
by Steve Friedrichs in Extreme Combat Minnesota on February 14.
AND
THE AWARDS
FIGHTER
OF THE MONTH: Javier Vazquez. Like a scene from a Rocky movie,
he redefined heart in his gutsy performance at King of the Cage
21.
SUBMISSION
OF THE MONTH: The vicious toehold Frank Mir slapped on Tank Abbott.
KNOCKOUT
OF THE MONTH: Tim Sylvia's smashing right hand that floored Ricco
Rodriguez.
UPSET
OF THE MONTH: Tim Sylvia's victory over Ricco Rodriguez.
Source:
Maxfighting
TWO
FAMILIAR FACES CALLING SHAMROCK'S COMEBACK
It's been a long time since we saw Frank Shamrock fight. It's
also been a while since we heard Jeff Blatnick call a fight.
MMAWeekly.com has learned that Blatnick and former UFC Broadcaster
Ryan Bennett will join forces to call Shamrock's first fight
back in mixed martial arts on March 27th.
Many
people know Bennett as one of the best post fight interviewers
in the business, but few know the fact that he is one of the
more underrated play by play voices in the sport as he has done
play by play for the IFC and WEC.
A
lot of people have wanted Blatnick back in the UFC Broadcast
booth for quite some time. He will make his way back to the MMA
broadcast booth for the first time since UFC 32. While they won't
be working on the sidelines of the UFC, fans will be able to
listen to two of the better voices and ambassador's of the sport
on March 27th for World Extreme Cagefighting VI.
The
card is starting to take shape as Frank Shamrock, Shonie Carter,
Gil Castillo and Shooto fighter, Kengo Ura, will all be competitng
on the card. It's also been confirmed that Randy Couture and
Chuck Liddell will be by to check out the action, so some big
names will be at WEC on the 27th.
Bryan
Pardoe (Team Pain Inducer) vs Frank Shamrock (A.K.A)
Chandler, AZ __________________San Jose, CA
200lbs/6’2 ____________________199lbs/5’10”
Team Pain Inducer______________ AKA
Super
Fights
-
Jeremy Jackson vs Shonie Carter
-
Gil Castillo (Cesar Gracie) vs TBA (Justin Weimen is rumored,
but WEC told MMAWeekly.com that he hasn't been signed and a few
other fighters wanted to fight Castillo, stay tuned)
Feature
Fights
-
Christian Wellisch (A.K.A) vs TBA
-
Donald Rugebregt (Team Elite) vs Tony Alanis (Ochoa Martial Arts)
-
Randy Rowe (Dogpound) vs Chris Sanford (Ceaser Gracie)
-
Caleb Mitchel (Ceaser Gracie) vs T.B.A.
-
Mike Swick (A.K.A) vs Kengo Ura (RAW)
-
Brandon Wolff (RAW) vss Eric Wrey (A.K.A)
-
Sammy Sleezer - (A.K.A) vs John Appleby
-
Ed Wedding (RAW) vs Doug Evans
Preliminary
Matches
-
Mike Castillo vs TBA
-
Steve Cutler vs Chris Williams
Source: MMA Weekly
Phil
Baroni Comments On Loss To Lindland
After what seems to be an early candidate for fight of the year,
and an all out war at UFC 41: Onslaught, MMANews.com's John Hartnett
caught up with Phil Baroni to get his thoughts on the Matt Lindland
fight. "The only thing I can say is congratulations to Matt
Lindland, he did what he had to do. He did what he had to do
to pull out the fight, that's it. That's really all I have to
say, you know? I take my hat off to him."
Does
Phil Baroni want to fight Matt Lindland for a third time to get
a decisive winner as both fights ended in pretty close decisions?
"I'll see him again, that's all. Hopefully, I'll see him
again. I congratulate him and he did a good job. That's all I
really have to say."
When
asked if he still wanted to fight Murilo Bustamante, Baroni told
us, "Hope so. Hope it works out that way, you know? If I
ever have the title, the number one contender in my mind, no
matter what happens, is Matt Lindland. That's who I'd like to
fight, you know? I understand if he has the title he's not gonna
want to fight me because he beat me twice. Other than that, in
my mind, when I become the champion, I would like to fight Matt
Lindland. To be the best in the world, you have to beat the best
in the world. Right now, Matt Lindland is two up on me."
It
takes a hell of an athelete to be able to talk the kind of trash-talk
Phil Baroni is known for and be able to back it up when crunch
time arrives. Above and beyond that, it takes a true professional
to be able to accept a loss and deal with it like a professional.
We learned this past Friday night that Phil Baroni is not only
a great athelete and a true warrior, but he's also one hell of
a class-act as well.
Source:
MMA News
2003
BIG TEN WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS FACTS
The
2003 Big Ten Wrestling Championships take place this Sat., March
8, and Sun., March 9, as a prelude to the 2003 NCAA Div. I Wresting
Championships, March 20-22. The Big Ten Championships feature
second-ranked Iowa, third-ranked Minnesota, and many of the top
college teams and wrestlers in America. The event will take place
at the University of Wisconsin Field House in Madison, Wisconsin.
This
event is crucial for all these teams and wrestlers for the NCAA
Championships. The top seven wrestlers at the Big Ten's in each
weight class qualify for the NCAA Championships, plus two additional
wildcard qualifiers chosen by the coaches. That means that this
event will determine just how many wrestlers will represent each
school at the NCAA's.
The
pre-seeds, listed below, reflect the growing parity in college
wrestling. Of the number one seeds in the ten weight classes,
three are from Iowa, two from Minnesota, with one each from Purdue,
Indiana, Ohio State, Illinois, and Michigan State. Two defending
NCAA champions, Luke Becker of Minnesota at 157 pounds and Tommy
Rowlands of Ohio State at heavyweight, are actually seeded second
in their weight classes at this event.
The
schedule for the 2003 Big Ten Wrestling Championships is:
Session
1: Saturday, March 8, 11 AM CST
Session 2: Saturday, March 8 6 PM CST
Session 3: Sunday, March 9 12 NOON CST
Tickets
can be purchased at the UW Athletic Ticket Office (Gate B of
the Kohl Center), online at www.uwbadgers.com, or by calling
1-800-GO-BADGERS (1-800-462-2343). A sellout is expected, although
there are reports that some tickets remain. All-session ticket
prices are $30 for adults and $20 for youths (ages 2-17) and
college students. Single session tickets are $10.
There
will be a live radio broadcast and webcast of the Big Ten's by
the Iowa broadcast team of Morrie Adams and Mark Ironside on
Iowa City's AM-800 KXIC.
125
Pounds
1. Chris Fleeger, Purdue
2. AJ Grant, Michigan
3. Nick Simmons, Michigan State
4. Luke Eustice, Iowa
5. Twan Pham, Illinois
6. Tony Black, Wisconsin
7. Adam Smith, Penn State
8. Bobbe Lowe, Minnesota
133
Pounds
1. Ryan Lewis, Minnesota
2. Cliff Moore, Iowa
3. Foley Dowd, Michigan
4. Mark Jayne, Illinois
5. Josh Moore, Penn State
6. Greg Schaefer, Indiana
7. Tom Clum, Wisconsin
T8. Shane Martin, Michigan State
T8. Rene Hernandez, Purdue
141
Pounds
1. Coyte Cooper, Indiana
2. Scott Moore, Penn State
3. Derek Phillips, Minnesota
4. Jeff Ratliff, Ohio State
5. Ryan L’Amoreaux, Michigan State
6. Luke Moffitt, Iowa
7. Clark Forward, Michigan
T8. Cal Ferry, Illinois
T8. John Giacche, Northwestern
149
Pounds
1. Jared Lawrence, Minnesota
2. Ty Eustice, Iowa
3. Karl Nadolsky, Michigan State
4. Ryan Churella, Michigan
5. Tony Pedrosa, Illinois
T6. Dan Jankowski, Purdue
T6. Ed Gutnik, Wisconsin
8. Nate Galloway, Penn State
157
Pounds
1. Keaton Anderson, Ohio State
2. Luke Becker, Minnesota
3. Alex Tirapelle, Illinois
4. Gray Maynard, Michigan State
5. Joe Johnston, Iowa
6. Ryan Bertin, Michigan
7. Nate Wachter, Penn State
8. Clovis Crane, Purdue
165
Pounds
1. Matt Lackey, Illinois
2. John Clark, Ohio State
3. Jacob Volkmann, Minnesota
4. Oscar Santiago, Purdue
5. Doc Vecchio, Penn State
6. Jason Erwinski, Northwestern
7. Mike Kulczycki, Michigan
8. Matt Anderson, Iowa
174
Pounds
1. Tyler Nixt, Iowa
2. Ryan Lange, Purdue
3. Blake Kaplan, Ohio State
4. Brian Glynn, Illinois
5. Rashad Evans, Michigan State
6. Brady Richardson, Indiana
7. Josh McLay, Minnesota
8. Pat Owen, Michigan
184
Pounds
1. Jessman Smith, Iowa
2. Mark Becks, Penn State
3. Ty Matthews, Indiana
4. Ralph DeNisco, Wisconsin
5. Pete Friedl, Illinois
T6. Ben Wissel, Purdue
T6. Casey Kapustka, Ohio State
8. Nate Mesyn, Michigan State
197
Pounds
1. Nik Fekete, Michigan State
2. Damion Hahn, Minnesota
3. Ryan Fulsaas, Iowa
4. Anton Talamantes, Ohio State
5. Pat DeGain, Indiana
6. Kyle Smith, Michigan
7. Tyrone Byrd, Illinois
8. Jon Bush, Purdue
HWT
1. Steve Mocco, Iowa
2. Tommy Rowlands, Ohio State
3. Garrett Lowney, Minnesota
4. Pat Cummins, Penn State
5. Greg Wagner, Michigan
6. Justin Staebler, Wisconsin
7. Israel Blevins, Purdue
8. John Wechter, Michigan State
BIG
TEN DUAL MEET STANDINGS
FINAL
BIG TEN DUAL MEET STANDINGS
BIG TEN OVERALL
Teams W L T Pct. W L T Pct.
Iowa 7 1 0 .875 17 3 0 . 850
Minnesota 7 1 0 .875 16 5 0 .762
Michigan 6 2 0 .750 11 6 0 .647
Michigan State 6 2 0 .750 10 6 0 .625
Illinois 5 2 0 .714 11 3 0 .786
Ohio State 4 4 0 .500 12 7 0 .632
Purdue 3 5 0 .375 15 6 0 .714
Penn State 3 5 0 .375 11 8 0 .579
Indiana 1 6 0 .143 16 9 0 .640
Wisconsin 1 7 0 .125 9 7 0 .563
Northwestern 0 8 0 .000 5 12 0.294
Nine
of the 11 Big Ten schools are ranked in the Top 25 in the Feb.
25, 2003 rankings by W.I.N. Magazine. Six of the top ten teams
are also Big Ten teams:
2. Iowa
3. Minnesota
5. Illinois
6. Michigan State
7. Michigan
9. Ohio State
12. Penn State
17. Purdue
22. Wisconsin
Source:
ADCC
CAN
UNDEFEATED OKLAHOMA STATE WIN BIG 12 AND NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS?
COACH JOHN SMITH SPEAKS
By: Eddie Goldman/ADCC Wrestling Editor
They
are a team that has had as close to a perfect season thus far
as you can have in college wrestling: 17 dual meets, 17 victories.
All ten wrestlers are ranked in the top 20, with a whopping four
at number two, and one each at numbers three, four, and five.
Junior Tyrone Lewis finished the season undefeated at 165, while
second-ranked junior Johnny Thompson is the defending NCAA champion
at 133.
They
are the team to beat, these remarkable Oklahoma State Cowboys,
who dominated from start to finish this season, after being ranked
behind the two-time defending NCAA champions, the Minnesota Golden
Gophers. Yet head coach John Smith knows better than to take
anything for granted in the post-season tournaments, beginning
with the Big 12 Wrestling Championships this Saturday, March
8, at the Hearnes Center at the University of Missouri in Columbia,
MO.
Oklahoma
State, he stressed in a national teleconference last week, is
'trying to win a conference championship that we lost last year.
We are not the defending conference champions. So that's something
that becomes a little bit more important going to conference.'
In-state rival Oklahoma won last year, but Oklahoma State does
remain the favorite at this year's Big 12's.
'Obviously
we have pretty high expectations here,' he said. 'Putting ourselves
in position to win the conference and national championships
is one of our goals every season. Sometimes that's not realistic,
but this year I've really felt like a lot of things came together.
I think the guys that we were really hoping would mature and
gain confidence during the season, it's happened for us. And
as long as we continue to maintain those confidence levels, as
well as the drive that we have as a team, we're going to be in
good shape. But obviously this is the time that it counts.'
This
is not the first time under Coach Smith that Oklahoma State went
undefeated. In fact, they did it in 1997, 1998, and 1999. But
in none of those years did they win the NCAA national championships,
and they have not done so since 1994. He did emphasize that those
accomplishments should be put into perspective.
'I
don't make any excuses for us going undefeated three years in
the 90s. Nor am I going to say that we weren't happy to see us
go undefeated,' he said. 'I think it's a very tough thing to
do. I think that instead of looking at it in a way that we didn't
go on and win, but look at in a way as, we were never favored
in the beginning from '97 to '99, those three seasons. We never
really were favored from the beginning. Some of those matches
that we won, we were upsetting people the majority of those big
matches. I think there's only one year in there that we actually
went into the national championship favored, and it was actually
in Iowa, where we were favored to win. But I keep hearing those
questions come up. But what people don't understand is the fact
that those teams back then were pretty incredible, how many teams
they upset. And that's something that we're proud of. Obviously
we would have liked to have gone into a national championship
and won.'
He
sounded like he felt the media treated those three undefeated
seasons as more or less failures because they were not capped
off by national championships, and he may have a point. He again
said that an undefeated season, even without winning the NCAA's,
'should be celebrated,' and that 'the media should look at an
undefeated season like an incredible' feat.
'I
don't think people understand how difficult it is to go undefeated,'
he continued. 'Look at OU [Oklahoma] or Bobby Douglas's teams,
injuries, there's so many ways you can lose. So I think in wrestling,
we've played it to be, 'Can they go on to win the national championship?'
Well, it doesn't matter. Regular season's over. What that team
has done during regular season ought to be given a lot of credit,
especially [to] go undefeated. Minnesota's done it once in their
two years that they've won it. Those are incredible feats. For
us, that's what we're looking to do. And then we'll make that
next step. And for us it's only about the Big 12 right now. That's
a tournament that we did not win last year. It's something that
we want to gain back. And for us to look any further than that,
when you have to qualify through that, would be crazy.'
He
also explained some of the unique circumstances during those
years. 'Back in the 90s, as the staff, I never envisioned those
teams to go three years undefeated. We were looking at one of
the strongest teams from the University of Iowa, the year that
we wrestled in Waterloo [1997], and it was Dan Gable's last year.
For him, I think they made us the favorite, to kind of make it
a little more -- and he had four returning national champions,
and I didn't have any. But I kind of let it happen, let it play
out.'
The
subject seemed to bother him, perhaps because some have actually
questioned whether or not Oklahoma State can win when the chips
are down.
'I
don't ever make excuses for those 90's. That was incredible for
those teams. I know what I had, and it was just an incredible
thing to see those guys go undefeated,' he reiterated. 'Yeah,
we would have liked to have won all three conference championships
that year and won a national championship or two, but I know
what I had.'
This
year, he seemed to imply that he has a more talented team.
'This
is a little different makeup of the team,' he said. 'I think
that there's lot more individual focus, as there is team focus,
although there is a lot of team unity there. And we've had to
battle a lot individually. And I think the comfortable thing
about this team is that we've struggled at times together, even
with some wins. I think we've walked away from a few matches
with a little bit of disappointment. And in some ways that's
as good as a loss.'
Perhaps
this mix of such a balanced, talented lineup, along with the
stigma, however undeserved, of not being able to win the 'big
one,' will motivate this year's crop of Oklahoma State Cowboys.
They are by far the favorites at both the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments.
If they wrestle like they did all season, they should take home
both titles. It's really now up to them.
Here
are the rankings of the Oklahoma State wrestlers, according to
the Feb. 25 W.I.N. Magazine rankings:
Here
is the Oklahoma State Wrestling 'Season in Review,' from an Oklahoma
State press release:
Blessed,
is what sums up John Smith¹s 11th season as head coach of
the Cowboy wrestling team.
Oklahoma
State entered the year ranked second behind defending National
Champion Minnesota. But when Iowa went into Minneapolis and defeated
the Gophers, OSU went to the top.
Ten
times this year the Cowboys held their opponents to single digits.
The closest any team came to OSU was Bedlam-rival Oklahoma. The
Sooners came within seven points of OSU, but the Cowboys were
without the help of two All-Americans.
Three
times the Cowboys defeated teams by 35 points, and eight times
they won by 25 points or more.
OSU
stormed out to a 6-0 record heading into the NWCA National Duals.
Three of the wins came against top-five opponents; Oklahoma,
Minnesota and Iowa.
The
Pokes traveled to Norman and defeated the Sooners, 23-16. OSU
fell behind 16-3, but came roaring back winning the final five
matches to record the victory.
The
Cowboys took a 4-0 record into the new year after defeating Boise
State, 27-12, in Provo, Utah.
OSU
opened up the new year by traveling to Minneapolis, Minn., to
take on third-ranked Minnesota. The Cowboys rolled into the Target
Center and won eight of the 10 bouts en route to the 26-6 victory,
their largest margin of victory since the 1991-92 season when
they defeated the Gophers 48-0 in
Minneapolis.
The
'Dynasty Dual' highlighted the nation¹s top two teams with
OSU and Iowa. The dual marked the first 1-2 matchup since the
1997-98 season when OSU traveled to Iowa City, and defeated the
Hawkeyes, 22-18.
OSU
won six of the 10 bouts en route to the 24-15 win over the Hawkeyes.
Zack Esposito sparked the Cowboys to victory after using a lateral
drop to pin Luke Moffitt, to put the Cowboys on top for good.
OSU
strung four consecutive wins at the NWCA National Duals to capture
its seventh team title. The Cowboys defeated Northern Iowa, Arizona
State, Ohio State and Oklahoma before coming out with the championship.
The
Cowboys remained undefeated after defeating Oregon State and
Oregon the following weekend.
The
Pokes tested their top ranking when they traveled to Iowa to
take on Northern Iowa and Iowa State for the last road trip of
the season.
Johnny
Thompson and Tyrone Lewis each recorded pins to lead Oklahoma
State to a 30-14 victory over Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls.
The
Cowboys moved to 3-0 in conference after defeating Iowa State
in Ames. OSU won eight of the 10 bouts en route to a 26-9 victory
over the Cyclones.
OSU
finished the year with three home duals, including a pair of
conference match-ups with Nebraska and Oklahoma. The Cowboys
recorded three falls in a 34-6 romp over the Huskers, and defeated
OU 38-3 to extend their winning streak over the Sooners to nine.
The
Cowboys capped off their perfect season with a 27-9 victory over
No.10 Michigan State.
For
more information on Oklahoma State Wrestling, go to:
There
are two kinds of people, those who do the work and those who
take the credit. Try to be in the first group; there is less
competition there.
Indira Gandhi
ADCC
SUPERFIGHT IN JEOPARDY - KERR INCOMMUNICADO!
May
17th and 18th, 2003 - Sao Paulo Brazil - 5th ADCC Submission
Wrstling World Championships
'The
SUPERFIGHT has been two years in the making, Ricardo Arona to
challenge the returning superfight champion Mark Kerr. starts
Guy Neivens, the organizer of the ADCC Submission Wrestling World
Championships. 'We know that Arona is training like crazy, and
ready to go. It has been weeks, we have not had any contact back
from Mark Kerr. We are at the point that the match probably won't
happen.' concludes Neivens, who has organized the championships
since the 1st edition in 1998.
Since
the start of the superfight tradition, when Japan's Enson Inoue
challenged Brazil's Mario Sperry, the superfight has been one
of the highlights of tyhe ADCC event.
'The
winner of the prior superfight defends his title against the
winner of the rugged ABSOLUTE tournament from the year before'
explains Neivens. 'That is what makes this match so intriguing.
Sperry was the first to win his division and the Absolute, and
Kerr and Arona have both equaled that feat. It really is a battle
that we wanted to see.'
Kerr
is an undefeated 13-0 in ADCC rules, while Arona is right behind
him at 12-0. It would be a shame if ther match did not happen,
but with the event only a few months away, it is time to start
finalizing competitors. Rumor is that the first official invites
are going out as well.
'For
now, the SUPERFIGHT can be saved' states Neivens in closing 'but
it is in jeopardy'.
If
you are out there Mark, please contact the ADCC as soon as possible!
thecohiba@yahoo.com
Source: ADCC
NEW
Relson Gracie Black Belt - Phil Migliarese
by: Joseph Cunliffe
There’s a new black belt in Philadelphia and you know him
as Phil Migliarese. Beginning his journey in 1991, the then 15-year-old
Migliarese was a mat rat, hungry to learn Jiu-Jitsu and Relson
Gracie was eager to teach “he showed me moves until my brain
started to hurt,” said Migliarese, “and without ever
expecting reimbursement.” Migliarese started in BJJ to learn
how to fight, admitting he used to get picked on in his youth.
Trying karate and other martial arts first, he always felt that
something was missing, but “Jiu-jitsu gave me a sense of
confidence,” he said, “because it dealt with the reality
of a real fight.”
Having
trained under Relson Gracie from day one, a surreal Migliarese
looks at receiving his black belt directly from his mentor this
past weekend at the Gracie Worlds in Columbus, OH as an honor
“because he has always believed in me as a student and has
always treated me like a son.” Gracie is a champion and
has the highest standards for his black belts, “I not only
had to be able to prove myself in tournaments, but I also had
to prove myself as a teacher and as a person,” said Migliarese,
who also received a diploma from the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation,
which recognizes him as a black belt worldwide. But wearing a
black belt to Migliarese means “that I have to work harder,”
he said, as he reflected on something Helio Gracie once told
him: when I made it to black belt I felt like it was only the
beginning of my understanding of jiu-jitsu. Migliarese feels
the same way, “Jiu-jitsu evolves with time,” and he
knows if you stop studying, you will fall behind.
And
it wasn’t an easy journey “he (Gracie) really made
me work,” but as a result “I now have a successful
school” where Migliarese has the ability to teach Gracie
Jiu-Jitsu to “a bunch of talented fighters.” Owning
Balance Studios and Ashtanga Yoga in Philadelphia with younger
brother Rick, students can expect high level instruction “I
and my instructors maintain a high level of jiu-jitsu and believe
that the student is the boss, not the instructor,” he said.
The facility is a family atmosphere, where attention is paid
to each and every one of their students so they understand “another
thing that Relson has taught me.”
Balance
Studios is located at 109-115 South 24th Street in the Northern
Liberties section of Philadelphia. You can find the brothers
instructing 6 days per week in Gracie Self-Defense and Sport
Jiu-Jitsu, Women’s Self-Defense, Ashtanga Yoga, and Kids
classes. Private instruction is available by appointment with
Phil and Rick too. Migliarese knows he has not taken this journey
alone and would like to thank his brother Rick, and all of his
other family and friends, on and off the mat. For more information
on training with Migliarese, check out www.BalanceStudios.net or call 215-636-9661.
Source: ADCC
Relson
Gracie Promotion Correction
It
was reported here in Kid Peligro News that Relson had promoted
two of his students ot the ranks of Black Belts. Kid omitted
to report that two other deserving reps had the same honor, Jeff
Hudson who teaches at his Culumbus, Ohio training association
and Andre Derizans who teaches at his North Shore Oahu training
Association in Hawaii, Andre is also well know as a recording
Reggea artist with his music beeing recorded by Pato Banton and
Cidade Negra to name a few, Andre is also the first brazilian
black belt promoted by Relson.
Apologies
for the omission! And big thanks goes to Johnny Lopes and everyone
else that email with the heads up and the info.
Yeah
Kid was just checking if you were all paying attention to his
news :)
Source: ADCC/Kid Peligro
PRIDE
FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS ANNOUNCES FIGHT CARD FOR BODY BLOW
Heavyweight
Champ Antonio Rodorigo Nogueira To Defend His Title In PRIDE
25
Los
Angeles, CA – March 4, 2003 – PRIDE Fighting Championships
has announced seven of the eight exciting bouts for PRIDE FC
Body Blow. The event, scheduled to take place in the Marin Yokohama
Area on March 16th, will showcase the highly anticipated PRIDE
Heavy Weight Championship bout between Antonio Rodorigo Nogueira
and Emelianenko Fedor. In addition to the title match, Kazuhiro
Nakamura makes his PRIDE FC debut against Rogerio Nogueira.
“We
are thrilled to be starting off the year with the PRIDE FC Heavyweight
Championship match,” said Yukino Kanda, PRIDE FC’s
Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Talent Relations. “Nogueira
and Fedor are both exhilarating fighters to watch.”
The
confirmed event card to date is:
…
Antonio Rodorigo Nogueira (Brazil) vs. Emelianenko Fedor (Russia)
… Dan Henderson (USA) vs. Shungo Oyama (Japan)
… Kazushi Sakuraba (Japan) vs. Nino “Elvis” Schembri
(Brazil)
… Rogerio Nogueira (Brazil) vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura (Japan)
… Kenichi Yamamoto (Japan) vs. Alexander Otsuka (Japan)
… Carlos Newton (Canada) vs. Anderson Silva (Brazil)
… Alex Steibling (USA) vs. Akira Shoji (Japan)
… Quinton Jackson (USA) vs. Kevin Randleman (USA)
PPV
PREMIERE DATE: March 16, 2003
PREMIERE TIME: 9:00 PM EST, 6:00 PM PST on
PPV (North America): March 16th 9:00 pm EST, 6:00 pm PST on DIRECTV,
DishNetwork, Bell ExpressVu, Viewer’s Choice Canada
PPV (Japan): March 16th Live on SkyPerfecTV
PPV Price: $29.95
*Please
note that the fight card is subject to change
ABOUT
PRIDE FC
Originating in Japan, Pride Fighting Championships combine the
most highly skilled MMA competitions with a 21st Century entertainment
philosophy to create the next generation in cutting edge sports
entertainment. Pride competitions include athletes from across
the globe, including the United States, Japan, Brazil, Holland,
and many other countries. Pride allows techniques from a myriad
of martial arts and combat sports, solidifying its place as an
authentic and unique fighting style that is built on tension
and excitement, appealing to the growing audience of 21st Century
entertainment fans.
Source: ADCC
UFC
42 Card Preview
UFC
42: SUDDEN IMPACT; APRIL 25, AmericanAirlines Arena, MIAMI, FLA.
COMPLETE
CARD - SUBJECT TO CHANGE:
Welterweights:
Matt Hughes vs. Sean Sherk
Welterweights: Robbie Lawler vs. Pete Spratt
Heavvyweights: Randy Couture vs. Andrei Arlovski
Heavvyweights: Sean Alvarez vs. Wesley “Cabbage” Correira
Light Heavy: Mike Van Arsdale vs. Rich Franklin
Middleweight: Mark Weir vs. David Loiseau
Lightweight: Hermes Franca vs. Rich Crunkilton
Reportedly
the Genki Sudo vs. Josh Thompson fight postponed from the last
show may also be on this card. Latest word on another rumored
9th match is that Romi Aram vs. Amaury Bitetti may be off, due
to Bitetti’s doctor advising against the weight drop. Romi
is reportedly still on the card, but another opponent has not
been brought up.
On
the undercard, Crunkilton/Franca looks to be exciting with American
Top Team’s Franca tearing up the HOOKnSHOOT scene and securing
the 145 belt there. AKA’s Crunkilton first burst onto the
scene in the glory days of WEF, while he most recently fought
in WEC last year.
Cabbage
is back!
He has only lost to current UFC champ Tim Sylvia in the past
year and a half, while Sean Alvarez comes from Team Renzo Gracie
where he owns his own academy. His resume includes an Abu Dhabi
submission over Ricco Rodriguez and the UCC Heavyweight belt
in MMA.
Weir/Loiseau
might just steal the show. Loiseau is the UCC champ while Weir
is the British fighter that fought Miller at UFC 40. Both are
exciting, quick, and very talented.
Tickets
are on sale now. For more information check out www.ufc.tv.
Source:
ADCC
"Javier
has Heart"
Arnold "The Sushiboy" Lim
In light of the incredible performance by Javier Vazquez at the
past King of the Cage "Invasion" event against a very
tough Alberto Crane, I wanted to get feedback from various Mixed
Martial Arts personalities that saw the performance and were
impressed with his performance. Here I have compiled quotes from
various MMA personalities that range from MMA commentators, to
Promoters, to MMA reporters. Everyone seemed to have a slightly
different take on the situation and the outcome of the fight,
but one feeling was unanimous, “Javier has Heart”.
Quote
1
“Sitting
ringside, I could not believe what I was watching. Javi Vazquez
showed the kind of determination and heart that legends are made
of. Alberto Crane is the real deal on the mat and Javi hung in
there with a blown out knee and nearly stole a decision. I don't
see how anyone could say Javi won that fight but I can tell you
one thing for certain, although he lost his belt and tore up
his knee in the process, Javi showed more of what he is made
of in those gut-wrenching 15 minutes than he had in all of his
previous fights. I will always be a fan after that performance,
Javi you are an inspiration and I hope you get well soon.”
Greg
Savage
Author of the “Savage Truth” columns on Sherdog.com
Quote
2
“Unbelievable,
it is something you write a book on.”
Terry
Trebilcock
Promoter for the King of the Cage, On what he thought of Javier
Vazquez’s heart.
Quote
3
"The
guy completely tears his ACL in the first what, 15 seconds of
the fight ? Then not only continues the match, but goes for the
win every chance he gets! He even knees Crane to the head WITH
the knee that was blown out, that alone blows me away!
Vazquez
is the definition of a fighter, he was injured right off the
bat,
and it was an injury that would stop most people dead in their
tracks
(...myself included as I've torn my ACL as well) but he keeps
going?
Unreal, look up 'heart' in the dictionary, you'll see a pic of
Javier
Vazquez right beside it! I've had the chance to roll with Javi,
this guy
is UNREAL on the ground, in fact, he is SURGICAL on the mat.
No knock on Crane of course, that kid showed the world what he's
made of, best of luck to him in the future as well.
Vazquez
WILL return, and no doubt get his rematch with Crane to show
the world why he's the man at 155 to fear. Ask him to show you
one of his high, mid, or low level trajectory elbows...LOL !!!
Inside joke between Javi and me, he knows what I'm talking about!
Get
better Javi, your still the champ in my books.”
J.T.McCarthy
UCC Fighter-Commentator-and Host of the Universal Combat Challenge
Quote
4
Javi
showed the heart of a Kamikazee Pilot, No one could have a bigger
heart. They gave their lives.
Jeff
"Sherdog" Sherwood,
Owner of Sherdog.com
Quote
5
Javier
Vazquez's display on Friday night was as inspirational a performance
as any athlete in any sport has ever delivered. Show that battle
and that exhibition of guts to even the sport's most ardent opponents,
and they'd have no choice but to recognize how the fighter's
never-say-die effort stacked up against other -- probably much
more famous -- gutsy sporting efforts. I applaud Vazquez for
being the mixed martial artist, particularly when it would have
been perfectly acceptable for him to shut down and fight another
day.
Nothing I can say or do can match the weight or credence of what
the other esteemed MMA personalities such as Josh Gross and Sherdog
had to say about Javier’s performance. It just goes to show
you that everyone understands that most great fights begin and
end with the size of the fighters hearts. It takes two to make
a great fight, but it only takes one heart to make a memorable
moment. To one of the most memorable moments in MMA history,
my hat is off to Javier "Showtime" Vazquez.
Last
weekend's UFC was indicative of the good, the bad, and the ugly
things that are today's UFC.
The
Good: With a well-landed right hand bomb, Tim Sylvia enlivened
a stagnant heavyweight division and ended the tenure of Ricco
Rodriguez in the ex-champ's first defense. "The Maine-iac,"
a 5-1 underdog, proved impossible to take down and took Ricco
out in a devastating display of power. With Josh Barnett's departure
from the UFC last year, it seemed that Rodriguez was the natural
sort of champion to carry the UFC's flagship division. Instead,
what happened was what will transpire to almost anyone fighting
at the game's top level: you'll lose.
The
ones that fight through numerous challengers - Frank Shamrock
comes to mind here - and beat them all convincingly are the truly
great ones. There are no easy fights in the UFC, and I think
Ricco will be back and be a champion again someday; Matt Hughes
had his Dennis Hallman; Vanderlei Silva had his Vitor Belfort,
and so on. Let's not be so quick to write off Ricco. He simply
lost to the better man that night, and hey, the heavyweights
are exciting again.
The
Bad: The draw between B.J. Penn and Caol Uno was a monkey wrench
in an otherwise excellent lightweight tournament designed to
crown a successor to the departed Jens Pulver. The UFC has little
option but to do it again, but maybe they should make a "no
draw" rule for scoring rounds. Nevada's boxing judges have
this virtually removed from their plate of options; any judge
that scores more than one round even, per year, is probably not
going to keep judging fights at their current level. It's excusable
to score a 12-round boxing match even, but in a 5-round mixed
martial arts fight that's between two evenly matched world class
scrappers, scoring any round 10-10 virtually assures a deadlocked
scorecard at the bout's end.
The
draw result was just another growing pain indicative of UFC's
transition into mainstream sport. Between that, last minute cancellations,
and weigh-in controversies, soon it'll be more like boxing than
you could ever imagine. Hopefully these will be proactively addressed
and mitigated before they adversely affect the sport, which needs
to continue positive steps forward to solidify and increase its
fan base.
The
Ugly: While Sylvia's dethroning of Rodriguez was a welcome development
in a bout mostly taken for granted as successful defense for
Ricco, it does create another false start in the development
of the UFC's most important commodity: a dominant heavyweight
champion. Like boxing, the UFC thrives when its big guy is an
established dominant monkey, knocking off challengers and making
a name for himself, and consequently, the sport. But a look at
the history of the UFC heavyweight champion reveals a recurring
problem: nobody seems to stay on top long enough to create the
mystique and aura desperately needed for the UFC to grow. It's
not a problem among hard core fans, who understand the nuances
that come into play and the arduous task of building a win streak
when there are no easy fights for a champion (or seemingly easy
fights that are anything but, as was the case in Rodriguez' first
defense this weekend).
Take
a look at the lineage of the UFC heavyweight title belt, beginning
with the tournament that resulted in Bas Rutten being the first
belt holder:
Bas
Rutten: Defeats Kevin Randleman, never fights in UFC again. Defenses
made: 0.
Kevin
Randleman: Beats Pete Williams for vacant crown left by Rutten.
Decisions Rizzo, then loses to Couture. Defense made: 1.
Couture:
Beats Pedro Rizzo twice before losing to Barnett. Defenses made:
2.
Barnett:
Stripped of title for testing positive for steroids after beating
Couture. Defenses made: 0.
Rodriguez:
Beat Couture for vacant crown vacated by Barnett - and lost in
first defense vs. Sylvia. Defenses made: 0.
That's
five title reigns and three successful defenses (not counting
Sylvia, who hasn't had the chance to defend his belt yet, though
his ascension further illustrates the flux involved with the
championship). That's simply not what the UFC needs to augment
its brand value. The sport needs a heavyweight champion that
makes a half-dozen or more title defenses to create a sense of
continuity and dominance. The UFC flirted with this when Frank
Shamrock turned back Igor Zinoviev, John Lober, Jeremy Horn,
and Tito Ortiz. Then, of course, he disappeared. Just at the
time when your coworker at the water cooler knew who he was……….
The
UFC needs long-term champions. There's nothing more frustrating
on a personal level than mentioning an upcoming UFC to a potential
buddy to buy the fight.
He
asks, "Oh yeah, isn't so and so the champ?" and when
he's an iteration or two behind, you may lose a potential fan
(and somebody to chip in on the telecast). Part of this is because
there are no easy fights, nor should there be; the losses of
its key champions is something the UFC has been able to afford
in lower divisions, with lingering negative effects. When a Jens
Pulver or a Frank Shamrock leaves for greener pastures, it's
bad enough. But when the UFC can't muster up the dollars to get
the top name types of fighters to ensure better action and a
longer reign - imagine how much Noguiera would help in creating
this badly needed mystique - it's a sort of self-perpetuating
problem. Call it chicken-egg accounting, but until somebody can
be acquired to take over the flagship division, and create a
Tyson-like aura of menace that attracts a recurring fan base,
the ill effects of a rotating door heavyweight champion will
only continue to plague UFC.
Tim
Sylvia could prove to be that guy. He's an honest, no-nonsense
type that continues to improve under the tutelage of Team Miletich.
At 6'8 and markedly strong, his ability to shuck off Rodriguez'
patented takedowns, coupled with his solid striking abilities,
might change things. Certainly there's compelling fights to be
had against Gan McGhee, a rematch with Ricco, or whomever. But
it'd be key for somebody, somewhere, to rule the most important
division, and stick around so people would know who the players
are.
The
hard-core fans will always buy the UFC provided decent matchmaking.
It's the casual fans that need to recognize the names, and correlate
the ongoing story lines, to buy a telecast. Otherwise they'll
move on to more familiar pursuits such as boxing or whatever
furnishes them with a basic level of understanding who the top
dogs are. You hope Sylvia or someone very soon is that guy, especially
with Murillo Bustamante possibly moving on and 185-lb. division
looking like a wasteland with nobody to fill his considerable
shoes. Soap operas can afford the constant rotation of main characters
moving in and out of the camera eye. The UFC can't, particularly
where the big guys are concerned.
Short
Thoughts: In matching red-hot Robbie Lawler against Pete Spratt,
it appears that UFC is going to avoid the mistake they made in
dissipating the momentum Phil Baroni built up en route to challenging
Murillo Bustamante only to lose to Matt Lindland, a guy Busta
beat. I can't figure out why Spratt, who was handily tapped by
Carlos Newton in UFC 40, deserves a shot at the 170-lb. division's
young phenom more than Newton does. But maybe that's why I'm
not a matchmaker.
Anyways,
Lawler figures to have the advantage against anyone that isn't
top-notch in the division, but you wonder - if he keeps winning,
what will UFC do with him when Hughes, a champion not likely
to move for reasons both biological (he makes the weight easily)
and logical (Bustamante might be too strong for him) - is between
him and the title shot he deserves? Team Miletich might be too
good for its own good.
When
it comes down to it, outside of Sean Sherk, the best current
challenge to Hughes is Newton. He was marvelous in both his defeats
to the powerhouse Hughes, so much so that it's hard to imagine
him going away. I'd like to see Lawler beat him instead of Spratt.
Until then, he certainly does occupy a curious position if he
keeps winning, because Hughes seems to be unbeatable at this
point, and if he disposes of Sherk, you can bet nobody beats
him for a couple years.
Speaking
of moving up in weight, it's hard to imagine who the first fighter
to win titles in two weight classes might be. The big jumps in
size make it tough to consider, whereas in boxing a fighter has
half the poundage jump available to him with three times as many
belts to choose from.
Just
last week, Chuck Liddell or not, many people believed that Tito
Ortiz might be capable of winning the heavyweight crown, especially
since it's said that he gets the better of Rodriguez in their
training sessions. But really, with 250-lb. people like Sylvia,
McGhee, and the like, he might be safer tangling with the capable
Iceman, who at least is his size. Bustamante, in losing a decision
to Liddell in UFC 33, proved how difficult it is for a great
middleweight to move up in weight. Hughes is massively strong
at 170-lbs., but I can't see him beating Bustamante. And it's
scary to think of what Hughes would do to any 155 lb. guy. Just
a thought, but then again, this weekend proved how easy it is
to be wrong in predicting anything that happens in the Octagon.
Source:
Maxfighting
The
Savage Truth: "UFC 41 - The Flavor of the Month"
By Greg Savage
First
off has to be my take on Atlantic City. What in the world is
going on here folks! I am at the beach and there is freakin snow
everywhere. That’s not how it’s supposed to be, I live
in Huntington Beach and it never snows here. Did I mention it
was like 30 below? Or at least it felt like it for this California
boy.
Standing
outside the airport in the snow, for 45 minutes, waiting for
a cab didn’t help matters. I knew we were in trouble when
the kids started running up to Sherdog yelling "Frosty."
Hopefully the UFC can get the schedule right next time—winter
shows in Florida or Vegas and save the spring or fall slot for
the northeast.
Now
that we got that taken care of, on to the show we go. Shocked
beyond belief is the only way I can put it. I even noticed in
my review of the event that I pondered that, after submitting
Tank Abbott in the blink of an eye, Frank Mir might have been
the man to give Ricco a run for his money. Umm, yeah.
What
I meant to say was Tim Sylvia, yeah that’s it. Come on?
Who in their right mind picked the “Grizzly Bear,”
I mean “Maine-iac?” Congratulations to those of you
who went on the record with your Sylvia pick, both of you. I
saw you guys working. That was one of those “I will pick
this guy since no one else thinks he will win and just in case
he does I will look brilliant” picks. Well done, mission
accomplished. Hell, the only thing more surprising than Sylvia’s
stunning win was the fact that my pal actually bought a round
at the bar after the event. I guess there is a first time for
everything.
I
wonder how long “The Maine-iac Grizzly Bear” (oh, that
rolls off the tongue nicely) will get to cinch the UFC gold around
his waist since the recent past has not been too kind to the
champs. I hope for his sake and the UFC’s as well, he can
bring some stability to the picture. The Heavyweight Champion
turnstile that has been spinning out of control since the Barnett
suspension has put the clamps on any effective marketing of what
should be the most noticeable personality in our sport.
A
big congratulations to Tim Sylvia whom I am sure is enjoying
his huge win, made all the more sweet when you add in the fact
that just about everyone gave him little or no chance to pull
off the big upset. He, who laughs last, laughs hardest. I think
I heard that somewhere before.
And
my hometown legend, Tank, going down in just 46 seconds, man
that was tough to watch. After all the hype, to have such an
anti-climactic ending left all in attendance feeling a bit cheated.
Too bad for the UFC, the man with more charisma and fan appeal
than their entire roster of fighters combined, happens to be
a 37-year-old brawler whose best days are behind him.
I
am sure Tank will be back but I also wonder what kind of impact
he can have in the quickly evolving atmosphere that is the UFC
heavyweight division. I will guarantee one thing, Tank will always
be a fan favorite, win or lose, because of the highlight reel
KO’s and the verbal gems he drops whenever he gets on the
mike.
People
love his blue collar, pound em’ into the ground type of
style and he summed his whole image up best with a post fight
quote, “I don’t like to lose that way, but I am not
too sure I would want to win that way either.” Classic Tank,
and that’s why he is loved and hated for that matter.
That
brings us to my prediction of an Uno win. As much as I would
like to say that fight was a draw, I just can’t bring myself
to say it. BJ won rounds one, four and five with Uno taking two
and three. It should have been scored 48-47 in Penn’s favor
but thanks to the shoddy judging, BJ will go home empty handed
and the title will hang in limbo for another few months until
everyone can agree on what to do with it. Penn-Uno III anyone?
It
is cliché but when it comes down to it, any fighter that
allows the judges to decide their fight only have themselves
to blame when it doesn’t turn out the way they want. That
said, I still would be pissed off if I felt I had won three rounds
and my opponent had won two and I had to watch my title belt
go back into the box instead of going home with me.
So
after the press conference I roll back into the media room to
send my in my review and low and behold they have all the results
printed out with the judges names and round by round scoring.
So I start looking them over and notice that the guy who scored
the fifth round of the Penn-Uno fight 10-10 was the same guy
who scored the Serra-Thomas fight 30-28 in favor of “The
Terror.”
So
I start asking around, “Does anyone know who this Steven
Wright guy is and what is his background?” One of my smartass
friends who works for the UFC tells me, “He is a stand up
comic. Haven’t you ever heard of him?” I just chuckled
and told him, “No s***, that explains the scores.”
Well
it looks like the card for UFC 42 is taking shape with the following
matches either inked or in the works: Hughes-Sherk, Lawler-Spratt,
Couture-Arlovski, Crunkilton-Franca and Cabbage-Sean Alvarez.
Can’t wait to make my way down to the Sunshine state for
some exciting UFC action. But for now the road trip from hell
is over, nothing on the docket until WEC 6, the return of Frank
Shamrock, on March 27 in Lemoore, CA. I still don’t think
I will believe he is fighting until I see them close the cage
door behind him. Here’s to Frank’s return and four
weeks without having to get on a plane.
Tank
will NOT be cutting to 185 to face Baroni, according to Greg
Savage.
Source: Sherdog
3/6/03
Quote
of the Day
"Bad
habits are like chains that are too light to feel until they
are too heavy to carry. "
Warren Buffet
Ryan
Gracie Black Belt Dino at TeamHK Academy
On Friday, March 7th, Dino, a Ryan Gracie black belt, will be
teaching a seminar at Todd Tanaka's TeamHK Academy in Puck's
Alley. You can go to Team HK's web site (http://www.teamhk.net) to get directions.
The seminar will be at 12:00PM (noon) and will cost $20 for non-students,
$10 for students. Come by and get a chance to learn from a Gracie
Barra black belt.
BUSHIDO:
The Way of the Warrior
July, 2003 - Maui, Hawaii
"Frank Shamrock seeks Fighters"
For
Immediate Release - March 4th, 2003: Frank Shamrock is currently
recruiting for his dynamic circuit - Bushido: The Way of the
Warrior, coming to Maui in July 2003. Planning 3 big events in
Maui this year he expects to recruit THE BEST discovered or undiscovered
talent Hawaii has to offer. This Extreme MMA and Muay Thai Fighting
event will bring the best fighters in the islands and abroad
to compete for vacant Championship titles in this revived spectacular
event sure to please all Mixed Martial Arts fan.
To
be eligible for competition and to make your spot in history,
please go to the official Bushido Website for info and updates
on this special event.
World
Championship Boxing
Saturday, March 8, 2003
9:45PM EST
Wladimir Klitschko vs. Corrie Sanders
Klitschko
is 6'6" and 243lbs and has a record of 40-1, 37 KO's.
Klitscko is deemed the only legitimate contender to Lennox Lewis'
belt and has defeated Chris Byrd, Francois Botha, TKO'd Merciless
Ray Mercer last June in the 6th round. This is why Klitscko is
called the Next Big Thing.
Sanders
is 6'4" and has a record of 38-2, 28 KO's
Sanders has beaten Bobby Czyz and the only man to beat Klitschko,
Ross "The Boss" Puritty, but loss to Hasim Rahman
Source:
HBO
PRIDE
FC Body Blow Card
Heavyweight Champ Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
to Defend His Title in PRIDE 25
Los
Angeles, CA – March 4, 2003 – PRIDE Fighting Championships
has announced seven of the eight exciting bouts for PRIDE FC
Body Blow. The event, scheduled to take place in the Marin Yokohama
Area on March 16th, will showcase the highly anticipated PRIDE
Heavy Weight Championship bout between Antonio Rodorigo Nogueira
and Emelianenko Fedor. In addition to the title match, Kazuhiro
Nakamura makes his PRIDE FC debut against Rogerio Nogueira.
"We
are thrilled to be starting off the year with the PRIDE FC Heavyweight
Championship match," said Yukino Kanda, PRIDE FC's Vice
President of Sales, Marketing and Talent Relations. "Nogueira
and Fedor are both exhilarating fighters to watch."
The
confirmed event card to date is:
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Brazil) vs. Emelianenko Fedor (Russia)
Dan Henderson (USA) vs. Shungo Oyama (Japan)
Kazushi Sakuraba (Japan) vs. Nino "Elvis" Schembri
(Brazil)
Rogerio Nogueira (Brazil) vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura (Japan)
Kenichi Yamamoto (Japan) vs. Alexander Otsuka (Japan)
Carlos Newton (Canada) vs. Anderson Silva (Brazil)
Alex Stiebling (USA) vs. Akira Shoji (Japan)
Quinton Jackson (USA) vs. Kevin Randleman (USA)
Event Information:
PPV PREMIERE DATE: March 16, 2003
PREMIERE TIME: 9:00 PM EST, 6:00 PM PST on
PPV (North America): March 16th 9:00 pm EST, 6:00 pm PST on DIRECTV,
DishNetwork, Bell ExpressVu, Viewer's Choice Canada
PPV (Japan): March 16th Live on SkyPerfecTV
PLACE: Marin Yokoama Arena (Yokoama, Kanagawa-Pref., Japan)
PPV Price: $29.95
*Please
note that the fight card is subject to change
Source: FCF
3/5/03
Quote
of the Day
"A
prudent question is one-half of wisdom."
Francis Bacon
Helio
Gracie Interview
Through
OntheMat, I’ve gotten to live the life, do things and meet
people that would make me the envy of many inside or outside
of the sport. Yet as I prepared to do this particular interview,
I actually had trouble sleeping, as I was a bundle of nervous,
excited energy. Helio Gracie is a name that should be familiar
with anyone that visits the site, as well as anyone who follows
the sport, who along with his legendary brothers was one of the
original founders and innovators of Brazilian Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.
Helio Gracie has had a remarkable career that has spanned well
over seventy years; we’ve all heard the stories –the
adaptation of technique in the early days of the academy, the
historic “Gracie Challenge matches including the bout with
Kimura, his legacy in his famous sons –all things we have
heard and relished countless times. I had figured that I, along
with most of us, have heard it all, and thus prepared a series
of questions and headed off to the Gracie Academy.
When
I got to the Academy I was quick to realize how wrong I had been
–there were MANY things I did not know or was even remotely
aware of. Rorion greeted me and gave a tour of the Gracie Museum.
I highly recommend that anyone who is remotely a fan of the sport
and is interested in the history of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu pay the
Gracie Museum a visit, as it is a veritable treasure trove of
memorabilia and artifacts. Pictures and newspaper clippings documented
the rise of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu from it inception at the original
academy with all of the brothers, to the famous challenge matches
(did you know Helio had his first public match at the age of
18 and wore standard trunks as opposed to gi?) to stories of
the Gracie Academy to the spread of Jiu-Jitsu through the Ultimate
Fighting Championship and beyond. Things like the gi that Helio
wore during his battle with Kimura were also preserved there.
Best of all was the tour and descriptions that Rorion gave, you
could see in his face and hear in his voice his genuine enthusiasm
when talking about the history of the sport and in particular
of the tales of his father.
After
the tour, Helio went to put on his gi and prepare himself for
the interview. I immediately wanted to ask a million more questions
than the ones I had prepared. But time was precious and I ran
with what I had –about twenty questions that were originally
designed for people who were familiar with who Helio Gracie was
and were also fans and/or practitioners of Jiu-Jitsu (an additional
five questions were reserved for the release of the 1st IGJJF
tournament). As I speak little Portuguese and Helio speaks no
English, Rorion was to act as the translator for the interview.
It is worth noting that neither Helio nor Rorion had any prior
knowledge of what I was going to ask, and the interview as you
it presented here is as how it went with minimal editing for
technical purposes.
The
interview was conducted in the large training area upstairs at
the Gracie Academy. At one point Rorion had to take a phone call
that left Helio and I sitting alone on the mats together. With
the aforementioned language barrier I couldn’t really say
anything so I simply found myself staring at him in awe, the
man who had seen and done so much within the sport I’ve
pretty much dedicated my life to. His gi was clean and white;
his belt was bright red with eleven stripes on it, including
a gold stripe at the bottom. I think he caught me staring because
he just looked at me with his piercing eyes, which are remarkable
even to this day, then smiled, and we shared a good laugh. That
made my week.
Due to last minute programming changes at Olelo, Fighters' Club
TV episode 8 was postponed (along with all the other Tuesday
night shows) for coverage of our City Council "in action."
The schedule remains the same from next Tuesday, and we'll probably
get a special airtime sometime before then to compensate us for
the "fiasco" this Tuesday. I'll update you asap received.
Source: Mark Kurano
Hollywood
Taking a Look At MMA?
There
is an apparent pilot that has been inspired by the 'Smashing
Machine' (The HBO Documentary on Mark Kerr) that is lining up
to go into production soon.
The
Wrestling Observer reported the potential name for the pilot
'The Baddest Man on the Planet', but no official name has been
released. The format being thrown around in Hollywood is to pick
16 to 20 men from around the world to competed under MMA rules.
This would be tournament style and would take place over a 3-6
month period.
The
show would most likely cover the lives of the fighters inside
and outside the ring. At this point we don't know of any confirmed
fighters or anyone in negotiations.
The
goal is to attract fans of the WWE and UFC to a weekly TV show.
The show would try to product top 'good guys' and top 'bad guys'
and eventually have the two meet in the 'season finale.' The
thought is the champion would return for a second season to defend
his championship.
It's
unclear if the producers are looking for established MMA competitors.
Being that the show is focusing on the 'real life' aspect, many
would believe that the producers wouldn't care if they had the
top fighters or not. This would allowed a lower-cost production
(especially if the producers have no interest in the 'sport'
of MMA).
There
is also a MMA-type show that is in production for a TV pilot
that features 'worked' matches. Worked meaning, predetermined
or fixed outcomes.
While
this formula works in Japan, this is the U.S. and blurring the
lines with WWE and UFC would not be good in many aspects.
Source: ADCC
On
the Fence 1.33
Post-UFC 41 Rants and Raves
Commentary by Jake Rossen
After
three months of anticipation, UFC 41 is now one for the books,
and the fallout may prove to have more effect on the promotion
than any event since the doomed September '01 card.
Their
highly expensive acquisition of Tank Abbott was decimated in
seconds by a newly revitalized Frank Mir; their lightweight champion
remains non-existent; Pedro Rizzo blew yet another chance to
impress; a complete stranger to fans is now their heavyweight
champion. And oh, yeah: the historic (and excellent) fight between
Roy Jones and John Ruiz will likely cut into profits motivated
by Abbott's return. It's a special freebie edition of On the
Fence. Advice on what to do next inside! Get a Dana White (motivation)
Decoder Ring with Proof of Purchase!
TALKING
HEADS
Where
to start? Mike Goldberg has been a staple of the production broadcast
team since 1997. He's obviously comfortable and (usually) well-versed
in the action. Familiarity breeds comfort. I like the guy. The
fact that he's currently the only trained broadcaster appearing
in the telecast is laughable.
Ken
Shamrock, when not getting water or dog food thrown in his face,
and subsequently boiling with a kind of rage usually only seen
in cartoon characters, is an affable personality. He certainly
has little to no trace of speech difficulties after a decade
in competition, a good sign for all the athletes in MMA. (Listening
to Holyfield, Freddie Roach or even Emmanuel Steward talk is
an exercise in patience.)
Problem
is, he appeared to have little time for learning fighters' names
- calling Matt Lindland "Landland" and "Landless"
- and seemed under the assumption that the title battle between
Caol Uno and BJ Penn already had a title holder in Penn. Considering
all the times Penn has gone to the well, that's an easy enough
mistake to make. But I'd like to see Shamrock do more homework
before settling in behind the mic. The idea is sound: he's a
familiar face to longstanding and casual fans, and they're likely
to be attentive to what he says.
While
Shamrock fills the "I've Been In There" capacity and
grants perspective from a fighter, commentating teams are usually
three-man setups. You have the trained broadcaster, the fighter/athlete,
and the pundit, who can articulate his opinions and share insight
while sometimes playing favorites. Larry Merchant fills this
seat in HBO boxing productions, and it appears Joe Rogan may
do the same for the UFC starting in April. Rogan brings a kind
of excitability that appeals to a younger demographic, certainly
a far cry from the monotone of Merchant.
This
team has possibilities, but I never pass up a chance to mention
that Bruce Beck was the best thing to ever happen to a UFC booth.
His timing and delivery was impeccable. He injected Super Bowl
excitement into every bout. I wish he would adopt me. Etc.
Whatever
the case, Zuffa needs to settle on a team and stick with them
indefinitely. Playing broadcast musical chairs is an embarrassment.
Fans like to see and hear constant hosts, especially when fighters
come and go.
In
a "Fool Me Once" blunder Zuffa seems to love perpetuating,
they brought in yet another mannequin in an effort to up the
sex factor of the broadcast. What, guys in tights doesn't do
it for you?
It's
possible Lisa Dergan may be able to tie her corset and chew gum
at the same time, but her vacuous personality is a killer. Why
must appearing in Maxim be a prerequisite for interviewing fighters?
Is there a single person out there who will order a show based
solely on the fact that she'll get four minutes of screen time?
At least Carmen Electra had some name value.
Of
all the various people installed in this position, Frank Shamrock
was the most relaxed and personable, followed by Ryan Bennett.
Dergan's sex appeal adds nothing to the production and only serves
to take away from it with her Amateur Night interactions. Get
someone in there fast on their feet and informed. If being curvaceous
is a requirement, I fail to see why someone like Erin Toughill
couldn't be considered. She's tough, she's sexy, and she certainly
knows a wristlock from a wristwatch.
'BYE,
PEDRO
How
many chances does this guy get? Oh, I know: as many as his longstanding
contract requires.
Not
since Jens Pulver has the UFC seen a fighter as apologetic about
his own performances, vowing to do better next time, and then
immediately breaking that promise. It used to be that Rizzo would
only choke during title shots, and then proceed to bust heads
in his road back to a belt. Now, with disappointing showings
against Gan McGee and Vlady Matyushenko, his shelf life may finally
have expired.
Rizzo
is a hard hitter and possesses the tools to leave bodies in the
Octagon. Against Matyushenko he planted his feet and did nothing
to try and win the fight. I can't profess to know what's going
on in his head. I do know we will likely see an interview with
Rizzo where he assures us he will come out swinging next time.
I also know that it won't happen.
LOSING
THE LIGHTWEIGHTS?
In
the wake of a rather bogus judge's decision that saw the plodding
fight between BJ Penn and Caol Uno rendered a draw, there are
now murmurings that the UFC may do away with the lightweight
division. It's a rather bizarre decision without obvious cause.
Is
it time constraints? With five classes and only six shows a year,
matchmakers scramble to devote equal time to all sizes. But with
television pending, one would think that they would utilize all
their resources to create content.
Is
it money? Lightweights are paid in relation to their box office
potential, and the fact is, the masses are simply indifferent
to smaller guys in combat sports. I've said this from the beginning,
especially when Zuffa made Pulver/Penn a main event. I can't
see how it's a budget killer.
Is
it interest? While fans don't go crazy over lightweights, they
also don't turn their backs to them. Frustration? The division's
biggest star, Penn, seems so lackadaisical about fighting that
it must grate their nerves somewhat. Others, like Uno, Serra,
and Thomas also seem to like playing for points. It appears that
the lightweights have a disproportionate amount of fights go
to the judges.
I
don't know what the answer is. At worst, I see the UFC shelving
the class until television hits. It's a credible and necessary
segment of the sport, and its absence would be jarring.
As
for Penn: I hope the disappointment of the decision might force
him into becoming pro-active towards a win in the future. He
seems to not even want to be in the ring. Whatever problems are
present, I hope he resolves them soon. His talent is undeniable.
BARONI
& TANK
Maybe
they used up all their energy talking.
Two
of the most vocal competitors in the sport were rendered silent
on Friday. Baroni suffered a near-repeat of his first encounter
with Lindland, just as most predicted. While his strikes are
painful just to look at, they weren't utilized to much effect
against Olympian Lindland. While I admire Matt and his skill,
I admit to being disappointed in the outcome solely because Baroni
and Murilo Bustamante would make for compelling television. If
that's what Zuffa was building towards, promoting a rematch here
was absurd. Lindland is a bad match-up for all except the champ.
While
Lindland was unable to finish Baroni, thus retaining interest
in Phil, there is no possible way Tank Abbott could have been
handled more easily. In less than a minute, he was tied into
a pretzel by Frank Mir and felled by the unlikeliest of submissions:
the toe hold. Immediately, fans were critical of Zuffa's matchmaking,
acknowledging Abbott's limited chances of winning and wishing
he had been given a stiff.
Fact
is, Mir looked susceptible to Abbott's brand of brawling, and
was as good a fight as any. Abbott swears he'll be back, and
despite appearances, I don't know that the loss will be as devastating
to his drawing power as one might think. Despite hobbling over
to the microphone for an interview, fans cheered him and booed
the winner. Tankamania appears to be alive and well. Here's hoping
Zuffa matches him against someone who will provide some fireworks
and a little bit more entertainment value for viewers.
TIM
WHO? OH, THAT TIM
There's
no doubt in my mind that Zuffa has little to no conception of
what a main event is supposed to represent. In a 500-channel
universe, asking someone to pay thirty bucks for a PPV event
is like asking if they might be willing to extract some of their
own teeth. The incentive needs to be great. Thanks to pre-scripted
plans, the WWE can pull off huge main events without much effort.
Thanks to huge prize purses, so can boxing.
Despite
being in direct competition with these attractions, the think
tank at ZLLC somehow figures that Sylvia/Rodriguez and Hughes/Sherk
are on a par. It was thought that UFC 40 proved the point that
big marquee bouts have a direct and positive impact on business.
Yet here we are well into 2003 with no appealing mega-events
on the horizon.
Thanks
is due in part to the UFC refusing to compromise their undercards.
Let's face it: while boxing telecasts have fights people don't
even bother watching, the UFC has always been able to produce
well-rounded attractions.
The
solution is clear: have three balanced cards a year, with no
clear superfight. For the other three events, dumb down your
undercard and reduce it to exciting up and comers, freeing up
the budget for a marquee fight that gets the mainstream press
and fans buzzing. When confronted with this idea before, UFC
reps insisted that contracts prevented them from glossing over
its regulars to make room for this kind of strategy. With their
recent announcement of concentrating on single-fight commitments,
this should no longer be at issue. To survive in a highly competitive
pay-as-you-go environment, this move isn't voluntary. It's necessary.
As
for the Sylvia/Rodriguez main event: a mauling. Sylvia seems
to be hinting at MMA turning the same corner that boxing did
a couple of years ago, with heavyweight fighters hovering over
6'5" and inching towards 260 lbs.
ANTI-ORTIZ
CAMPAIGN
Zuffa's
new attitude towards Tito Ortiz can be summed up in one word:
Rowwrrrrr.
Thanks
to his shy approach to signing a fight with #1 contender Chuck
Liddell, Ortiz has been subject to a subversive smear campaign
on Zuffa's time. First Tank Abbott referenced the matter on Fox's
"Best Damn" sports show, though the audience had no
clue what he was talking about. Then time-conserving producers
managed to squeeze in a sit-down with Liddell himself during
Friday's PPV, expressing disappointment over the situation. Was
Ortiz given a chance to go before cameras and explain himself?
Did he refuse?
I
dunno. What I do know is that Zuffa is again paying the price
for promoting one fighter out of the dozen they have that are
equally marketable. Ortiz is the proverbial monster with a mind
of his own. They made him, and now they appear to want to break
him. Expect the situation to get uglier.
FINAL
THOUGHTS
How
Springer-esque.
With
four decisions in eight fights, UFC 41's fighters flirted with
disaster. Tank's return was as anticlimactic as was possible.
Numerous UFC belts remain in flux. As does the commentating team.
All of this may be rendered a moot point once the numbers come
in: I expect the Roy Jones fight to have done very well, and
most curious buyers probably picked the sport they were more
familiar with.
The
Zuffa regime has opened doors never thought possible for the
sport of MMA. It wasn't long ago where things like PPV and Vegas
venues were considered pipe dreams at best. Now it's all taken
for granted.
But
opening doors is one thing. Capitalizing on the resulting exposure
is another. Despite great strides taken, this promotion still
cries out for some creative direction. And until that happens,
the sport will forever remain on the fringe of success.
Who
would've thought Vin Diesel would have the wisest words on the
matter? "Give us the big fights. That's what we come to
see."
Indeed,
Triple-X. Indeed.
Source: Maxfighting
3/4/03
Quote
of the Day
"The
victory of success is half won when one gains the habit of setting
goals and achieving them. Even the most tedious chore will become
endurable as you parade through each day convinced that every
task, no matter how menial or boring, brings you closer to fulfilling
your dreams."
Og Mandino
Fighters'
Club TV episode 8 premiers from this Tuesday night (March 4)
Fighters' Club TV episode 8 premiers from this Tuesday night
(March 4) on
Ch. 52 at 8:30pm. Here's this month's airing schedule:
Superbrawl
28 footage
-Andre "the Chief" Roberts vs. Raymond "King Kong"
Seraille (w/ post fight intvs)
-Ronald "the Machine Gun" Jhun vs. Mike Panalber (w/
post fight intv)
Technique of the Week
-Don Frye demonstrating a vicious no-gi Judo Takedown (+ exclusive
intv.)
introducing our new female co-host, kickboxing and TKD instructor,
Jocelyn Soriano
Any
suggestion, comments, complaints--email Mark at markk@flex.com
Women,
think you got what it takes to host a show? Please contact our
talent
scout Chris at chris@onzuka.com glad to
help out where and when I can ; )
Relson
Gracie Promotes Two Black Belts
Scott
Devine has been one of the longest students Relson ever had and
definitely trained longer and more consistently than anyone.
This was a long time coming. Scott was also one of the founding
members of the Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Aiea Academy (now called
Academia Casca Grossa de Jiu-Jitsu). He and his family are close
friends to EVERY "old timer" in Hawaii. Congratulations
Scott, Angie and the kids!
Relson Gracie promoted Scott Devine and Phil Migliarese to the
ranks of Black Belt. Scott is one of the few original people
who was with Relson from the start in Hawaii. He trained under
Relson's guidance for 9 years in Hawaii before receiving his
Brown Belt. After some interesting issues out in Torrance, CA.
Scott started the Relson Gracie Association in Jacksonville,
Fl close to where his parents live. Scott has a wife 5 children
and a full-time job yet always seems to make the time to teach
and share his knowledge and experience with others.
Thanks
to Garth Spendiff for the insight on Scott!
Big
congrats!
Source: ADCC
NJ
State Speaks On UFC Lightweight Scene!
by: Keith Mills
With the surprising outcome of the Penn/Uno Lightweight belt
at NJ's UFC 41 last Feb. 28th, fans are left wondering how the
lightweight scene will continue from here. Although it is too
early to say for sure, taking a look at precedents set in the
boxing world provides clues for what to expect. Deputy Attorney
General Nicholas Lembo is not just a huge fan of boxing and mixed
martial arts but is also the current spokesperson for the New
Jersey Athletic Control Board, the governing body of sport fighting
in New Jersey.
“In
boxing we used to have a thing called the New Jersey Championship,
which means you were the champion from New Jersey,” says
Lembo, “We used to have rules where it was a draw after
twelve rounds you’d fight up to three more rounds and see
if you could determine a winner after each of those rounds. ESPN
in the 80s also used to have an ESPN Championship and they’d
make you fight an extra round if it was tied. Maybe that’s
something the UFC wants to consider; it’s currently not
in their rules. Boxing has moved away from that though and it’s
a draw, it’s still vacant.”
Mr.
Lembo goes on to say, “In 2001 the Light Heavyweight title
was vacant and it was Lou DelValle vs. Bruno Girard. They fought
to a draw so the title remained vacant. The biggest name fight
is probably Lewis and Holyfield but they already had belts; that’s
the distinction. They already had belts so they kept them.”
For
the Penn/Uno II championship fight at UFC 41, the final scores
were 48-46 Penn, 48-48, and 48-47 Uno. “A ten point must
means somebody has to get 10 points not counting referee point
deductions. 9 or less to the loser except for a rare even round.
That’s exactly the way the rule reads.” Of the four
sanctioned judges used that night, three “are routinely
UFC judges, the fourth has scored a lot of martial arts”,
according to Mr. Lembo.
Regarding
what the strategy is likely to be Mr. Lembo said, “Trying
to overturn a judge’s decision just based on the scores,
I’m not ever aware of that happening.”
Fans
are already speculating on if Penn/Uno III would be for the belt
in three months or if the fight would be Penn against a top contender.
With the first Penn/Uno fight back in November 2001 resulting
in a Penn KO in just 0:11 seconds, chances are they will pull
in a top contender to fight Penn for the belt. In the past ZUFFA
pulled in Hayato Sakurai to fight Matt Hughes, so the have a
precedent.
Beyond
the UFC, the other two consistently ranked top Lightweights are
Takanori Gomi and Jens Pulver. Gomi may be unlikely to fight
outside Shooto, but Pulver hasn’t yet signed a contract
with that organization. Another potential include Duane Ludwig
who recently picked up the UCC belt by beating Pulver and is
sitting on a 9-2 record and a 5-fight winning streak stretching
back almost two years.
The
UFC crew deserve extra credit for addressing the situation surrounding
the Din Thomas and Matt Serra fight, originally ruling it a decision
for Serra. Mr. Lembo explains, “On the scorecard you’ll
assign a fighter either the left side or the right side of the
scorecard. Let’s say it’s me and you. I’m on the
left you’re on the right and that’s the way it is.
That’s the way one judge did it the first two rounds. In
the third round in that fight for some reason he flipped Serra
and Thomas. I guess you could say it’s still our error because
we should have looked closer. That’s just a mistake and
it was corrected, that’s all it was.” Before the crowd
cooled down the situation was addressed, Din was announced the
winner, and a situation most promoters would have taken a couple
days to rectify was already history.
Although
the UFC hasn’t been to New Jersey since UFC 32 in June of
2001, there have been plenty of sanctioned MMA shows in the Garden
State, including shows put on by Lou Neglia, Kipp Kollar, and
D. Benjamin Brown. Add to that the amateur MMA shows and the
grappling tournaments the state has been looking at sanctioning
and its obvious New Jersey is developing a pool of MMA experience.
Source: ADCC
More
Shakeup of the Japanese Scene
2003
started on a major negative note in the Japanese MMA industry,
with the arrest of K-1 President Master Ishii and the untimely
death of PRIDE President Nayoto Morashita.
The
continued spiralling downfall of Japanese sports entertainment
continues, as WRESTLE-1 canceled their 4/16/03 show due financial
reasons and poor ticket sales. The last WRESTLE-1, headlined
by the Ernesto Hoost and Bob Sapp impromptu match, had horrible
ticket sales and reviews.
In
a hint of how twisted things have become, Bob Sapp is the main
booker/matchmaker for both K-1 and WRESTLE-1, despite being on
the Japanese scene for roughly a year. Reportedly, Sapp received
over $80,000 just for the WRESTLE-1 match against Hoost. Hoost,
who had never done ANY sort of scripted wrestling, was reluctant
to do the match but accepted a reported mid-five-figure payday
for the three minute match.
Sapp
will use the time to train for his PRIDE match against Mirko
'Cro Cop' Filipovic. The match could quite possible be the largest
grossing main event in PRIDE history given Sapp's growing popularity
in Japan. Sapp has taken the fight very seriously and has been
training extensively in Muay Thai for the last several weeks.
Sapp's
bizarre popularity continues to grow as he graces the covers
of almost every type of magazine in Japan. There have been cooking
magazines, toy magazines and cat magazines, to name a few! Yes,
it seems odd, but Sapp is a cat lover, who owns a very rare African
cat breed and was recently featured in a Japanese magazine.
Source: ADCC
The
Brazilian Beat:
by Eduardo Alonso
Bitetti Combat 2 news, Nilson back in MECA, Sperry Back to Abu
Dhabi and SHOOTO Coming to Brazil
The beginning of March signals that annual period of partying
and no worries in Brazil -- Carnival! However for most NHB fighters,
like Anderson Silva, there's no such break and training sessions
continue strong in training camps all over the country. March
promises intense battles indeed, with the second edition of Bitetti
Combat Nordeste including some "last minute" surprises
on the card. Other events such as MECA World Vale Tudo 8 and
STORM Grand Prix are also in the works and news about those events
are popping up all the time! March will also see the first-ever
official SHOOTO competition in Brazil and a Brazilian Top Team
member headlining an NHB event in Argentina, so let's not waste
any more time 'cause it's carnival time! All that news, plus
much more, are in this edition of the Brazilian Beat, since Full
Contact Fighter sets the rhythm Carnival style as the beat never
stops in Brazil during this time of the year!
The second edition of Bitetti Combat is quickly approaching and
some changes are being made on the card, due to some unfortunate
incidents. NHB veteran Mario Sucata will no longer be competing
on the card because he traveled to Holland, to train with the
Golden Glory team and prepare himself for an NHB event in Russia.
However, promoters Conrado and Amaury Bitetti managed to work
around the problems and MECA 7 winner Evangelista Cyborg, who
scored the quickest KO ever in MECA history, is now going to
face MECA and Bitetti Combat veteran Lucas Lopes on Bitetti Combat
2 on March 20th. Besides this fight, the NHB debut of Fernando
Terere facing tough fighter Tibau, and the return of Johil de
Oliveira squaring off against WVC and Bitetti Combat veteran
Silmar Rodrigo are still confirmed for the card.
Brazilian
Top Team member Roan "Jucao" Carneiro will be making
his first international main event in NHB this March 15th in
Argentina. Carneiro will be on the main event against an Argentinian
Muay Thai and Tae Kwon Do champion. The event will feture both
NHB and Muay Thai fights, and goes to show that NHB is slowly
conquering all corners of the globe. Jucao, who won a fight at
MECA 7, is also scheduled to face Chute Boxe prodigy Mauricio
"Shogun" Rua at MECA 8, likely to be held in May of
2003.
The
first ever STORM Muay Thai Grand Prix is coming up and promoter
Rafael Cordeiro is taking care of the final details for the event
that will feature two tournaments, one for fighters up to 85
kg and another one for fighters above 85 kg, as well as some
single bouts. One fighter that is likely to appear on the above
85 kg is K-1 Brazil runner up and future K-1 USA participant
Eduardo Maiorino. Maiorino is a Artur Mariano student who displayed
a solid performance at K-1 Brazil, and will likely ending up
meeting against K-1 veteran and Chute Boxe fighter Jamanta during
the STORM Grand Prix, in what promises to be a great fight. Despite
that the main attraction at the always gorgeous Opera de Arame
this April in Curitiba will be PRIDE veteran Anderson Silva competing
on the up to 85 kg tourney, as well as a single bout featuring
future K-1 fighter and Chute Boxe stand out Marlon Matias.
Speaking
of Anderson Silva, the MECA and PRIDE veteran is preparing hard
for his upcoming PRIDE 25 fight against Carlos Newton. Despite
the fact that Brazil is under its traditional Carnival time,
where all the country becomes a huge party once a year, Anderson
continued his training routine and took no break in order to
be ready for his third PRIDE fight. After his bout with Newton,
Anderson will focus once again in his Muay Thai training to capture
the STORM Grand Prix title, since he still loves Muay Thai more
than anything else.
The
state of Rio de Janeiro will hold the first ever SHOOTO event
to be hold in Brazil. At March 15th the city of Niteroi, right
next to the city of Rio de Janeiro, will hold an Amateur SHOOTO
event with six weight divisions tournaments, counting with four
fighters per division. Besides those tournaments the event will
aso feature some SHOOTO Grappling single bouts, like Submission
Grappling matches, with the highlight being Alexandre Pequeno
Nogueira facing Rodrigo Pagani from Gracie Humaita. The event
will serve to select Brazilian Fighters to compete in Japanese
SHOOTO events.
Chute
Boxe fighter Nilson de Castro is no longer going to fight in
2Hot2Handle this March in Holland. Apparently the promoters decided
to use a local fighters' only card, therefore the IVC and MECA
veteran will not participate in it. Nilson, who also won a K-1
fight in Japan, is continuing to train hard and now will be appearing
at MECA 8, likely against Brazilian Top Team member Jorge Navalhada
in yet another great match up for a solid MECA 8 card that already
counts with Roan Carneiro vs. Mauricio Shogun Rua, Eugenio Tadeu
vs. Marcelo Giudici, Haroldo Cabelinho Bunn vs. Katel Kubis,
and the participations of Jorge Macaco Patino among other surprises.
FCF will continue to keep you posted on the developments.
Despite
several talks whether UFC champion Murilo Bustamante will or
won't return to the UFC to defend his belt, nothing is certain
at this point. Bustamante's management is still considering all
the options and Murilo's desire remains to get back to the Octagon
as soon as possible, therefore a rematch against Matt Lindland
is still possible for the future, and FCF will continue to check
the status of negotiations.
Speaking
of the UFC, curiosity runs high about Ruas Vale Tudo fighter
Pedro Rizzo's contract status after his decision loss to rAw
team member Vladimir Matyushenko. Rizzo is reported to still
have two fights left in his UFC contract and now we will all
have to wait and see what his, and UFC's next steps are going
to be. Pedro will be back to Brazil shortly and FCF will talk
to him to see what's on his mind.
Brazilian
Top Team member, PRIDE veteran and former Abu Dhabi champion
Mario Sperry told Full Contact Fighter he is going to be back
at the Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling World Championship this
year! With the Abu Dhabi tournament being held in Brazil for
the first time ever, this coming May, "The Zen Machine"
confirmed to us his participation entering the brackets of his
weigh division, showing once again that Sperry doesn't fear top
competition! Besides the Abu Dhabi tournament, Sperry is continuing
to train hard for NHB looking for a PRIDE fight as soon as possible.
Source: FCF
Drawing
a Jumbled Picture
By Josh Gross
More
than a year after Jens Pulver last defended his crown, “Little
Evil” sat alongside the ringside media and $300-a-ticket
attendees, resigned at watching two fighters he’d previously
beaten square off for the title he was synonymous with since
its inception.
The
judges (or God’s, depending on whose Karma is being bandied
about), however, saw fit to “draw” out the lightweight
picture for several more months, leaving a title, a division
and a tormented set of fighters in limbo.
BJ
Penn and Caol Uno, two of the best lightweights in the short
history of mixed martial arts, fought an interesting, technical
25-minute contest while Pulver watched intently. When the five-round
skirmish came to an end, it appeared Pulver’s title -- one
UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta said had to be “won in the ring”
(unfortunately the same can’t be said when the subject of
losing it comes up) -- would finally be worn around someone’s
waist.
Nope.
Through
it all, three fighters have been at the center of the lightweight
soap opera:
Pulver,
his influence in the 155-pound division severely diminished since
walking away from the UFC in hopes of greener pastures (and larger
paychecks), still remains the only 155-pound champion in UFC
history.
Penn,
the fighter earmarked as Pulver’s heir, saw the belt slip
through his hands yet again. (The first time came last January
when he lost to Pulver by decision.) This time, his fate having
more to do with the scoring at cageside and his inability to
fight a complete fight than the person standing across from him,
Penn left many feeling frustrated.
Uno,
as shy an individual outside the fighting arena as he is a competitor
inside it, fell short a second time at claiming the title he’s
eyed since leaving SHOOTO. His effort was tremendous, a never-ending
pursuit at victory, but that was not the night’s story.
Not when it seemed the man he faced could turn up the heat whenever
he wanted.
So
where does this leave the lightweight division? Sadly, the answer
may be “gone.”
At
least that’s what UFC president Dana White hinted at Thursday
while speaking with a local Atlantic City scribe. It just so
happened that I was in the media room -- not surprising during
UFC’s (I barely saw London last summer, choosing, to be
kind, the cozy confines of the press room) -- when White put
forth a response that had only been a recently circulating rumor.
Five
weight divisions; six events a year; eight fights per event:
You do the math. With the belt still in purgatory, the chances
that a champion will be crowned any time soon are about as good
as the Chicago Cubs winning a World Series in my lifetime. Possible,
but highly unlikely.
After
his performance on Friday, Penn should be UFC champ. He clearly
won rounds one, four and five, versus Uno’s second and third
rounds triumphs. 48-47 Penn should have been the correct outcome.
Instead three judges saw three completely different fights (48-47
Uno, 48-46 Penn, and 48-48 respectively) and the resulting draw
left many wondering how, exactly, that could have happened. “I
felt he (Penn) came out on top,” UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta
expressed at the post-event press conference, “unfortunately
the judges did not.”
Now,
Uno must cope with the reality that a “third time’s
the charm” scenario may not be possible; Penn has his psyche
to coddle, fully aware he gave away rounds two and three (and
more than likely, the victory); The UFC’s future plans at
155 are more in flux than ever; and Pulver, understanding the
saga continues -- more bizarre the longer he’s away from
the belt, by the way -- can only sit on the outside and watch.
Fun,
ain’t it?
“I’m
just going to see what’s going to happen,” Penn said
afterwards. “Of course it bothers me. I’m sad. There’s
nothing I can do.”
Not
right now at least.
The
Hawaiian had every shot to do something during the fight. Clearly
dominant in round one, Penn failed to capitalize on his early
success. Instead, he shut down, becoming more like the reserved,
plodding Post-Pulver fighter seen in recent bouts, instead of
the unrelenting Penn fans fell in love with.
High-level
competition, he said, has been reason for much of the change.
However, that’s a tough argument to sell. Penn’s talents
seemingly exceed any fighter at 155, but the questions surrounding
him have always been directed at his mental toughness. As displayed
versus Uno, he’s nearly two separate fighters. And it cost
him dearly Friday.
Penn
walks away from Friday’s bout having learned another valuable
lesson about fighting (fans often fail to remember his limited
in-ring experience). “Finally people got to see my heart,”
he said. “No one ever got to see it. Everybody thought ‘Oh,
he doesn’t have heart.’ Well, you saw it tonight. I
had to come back man. It taught me a lot about myself.”
He should have left with much more.
“I’m
sad, man,” expressed Penn. “I don’t know what
to say. I want to take the belt. I don’t know what I have
to do.”
As
MaxFighting Editor Thomas Gerbasi put it, all signs point to
Penn’s “spotty performance” as the reason he can’t
call himself UFC champion. Sure, the judges were schizophrenic
in their decision, but Penn is as equally culpable.
“I
think I got tired or something,” he recalled of his second
and third round malaise. “I felt my blood sugar drop, but
I don’t know. He’s tough man. I didn’t know how
good he (Uno) was. He kept getting stronger and stronger, and
then I was like… ‘just win the fight already.’
“I
didn’t know Uno was as good as he was because, in actuality,
Uno and I never fought before. That fight [at UFC 34] was not
even a fight. I was very surprised by Uno’s skill.
“To
come back in the fourth and fifth round, that’s the hardest
thing I’ve had to do in my whole life.”
While
he takes solace in his closing performance, it’s easy to
point to his response is the truly frustrating thing about Penn.
It seems, when he wants, as if he’s damn near unbeatable.
Though a 10-minute drop in energy is blamed for his mid-fight
collapse, the fact remains that was able to turn it on when he
had to.
“It
was weird,” he recalled of his two-round slumber in the
ring. “I was getting bodylocked and slammed around. I was
getting my ass kicked. Second and third [rounds] went by and
I thought ‘man, fourth and fifth I have to win. He’s
kicking my ass.’”
And
he did. Overwhelmingly. But, to Uno’s credit, Penn couldn’t
put away the crafty and tough Japanese fighter. And the judges
were left to decide the winner. “That was a world title
fight,” emphasized Penn. “I know it was a close fight.
But I won three rounds and he won two. It was close fight. I’m
not going to sit here and tell you I blew him out of the water,
but I know I won three rounds and he won two. He won the second
and third and I won the first, fourth and fifth. Everybody here
knows it.”
Most
pundits also believe that the only person who can beat Penn is
Penn. But he’s learning, particularly in terms the mental
portion of the fight game, and he freely admits it. “This
is all stuff that should have been taken care of in the amateurs,”
he said. That’s no longer an option. If his goal is really
to force himself into the apparently uninviting confines of Pulver’s
belt, and it appears it is, there can be no more excuses. None.
Source: Maxfighting
3/3/03
Quote
of the Day
"Man's
mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original
dimensions."
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
AFC
is looking for fighters over 201lbs We are looking
for fighters in the 201 & over weight class. If anyone is
interested, please fill out the online application at www.AFCHAWAII.COM or call 696-5502 and
an application can be mailed to them.
The
Amateur Fighting Championships will take place on Saturday, March
29, 2003. The event starts at 6:00PM.
TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW!
$20 Advance
$25 at the door
Mahalo
Source: Monica Cooper
UFC
42: A Look At The Welterweights
by: Keith Mills
UFC 42 is only a few weeks away, as ZUFFA proceeds with their
April 25th Miami, Florida event. The news of the main event between
Matt Hughes and Sean Sherk has been out for a couple weeks. This
will be Matt’s first test in the UFC facing another fighter
with an extensive wrestling background, while Sean’s unbeaten
record inside and out of UFC have left him the #1 contender.
At
the post-UFC 41 press conference in Atlantic City, ZUFFA's Lorenzo
Fertitta announced that Pete Spratt will take on Robbie Lawler
at UFC 42 as well. Spratt is coming off a loss to Carlos Newton
in UFC, 40 but has earned a reputation as a feared striker. His
resume includes fights succh as UFC vet Steve Berger, KOTC Welterweight
contender Ronald Jhun, and Extreme Challenge tournament winner
Cruz Chacon. With a listed record of 11-5-0, he has twice the
matches that Lawler has. Although he is known for his powerful
striking he was also the only fighter at UFC 37.5 to win by submission,
over Zach Light by armbar in 2:25 of round 1.
Lawler
may be less experienced, but is undefeated both amateur and professional.
In the nine months he has been a UFC fighter, Lawler has a decision
victory over Aaron Riley in UFC 37, TKO’d Steve Berger a
month and a half later in 0:27 of round 2 in UFC 37.5, and most
recently KO’d Tiki Gohsen in UFC 40. There is no dispute
Lawler is known as an exciting striker, with all but his decision
to Riley ending with strikes and only the Riley and Berger fights
making it out of the first round.
Both
fighters spoke at the post-fight press conference that followed
UFC 41. They showed respect and smiled at each other, but both
also stated they expected one to walk out and one to be knocked
out.
Recent
confirmed news had King Of the Cage Welterweight Champion Romi
Aram vacating his belt to fight in the UFC, believed to be UFC
42. At the time the rumor was Romi would fight Dennis Hallman,
one of two people to ever beat Hughes. Another rumor has Amaury
Bitetti taking on Aram at 170 lbs, although as of this weekend
that has not been confirmed.
In
the 155 lb class, another rumor has Romi’s fellow Millennia
Jiu-Jitsu teammate Javi Vasquez taking on Hermes Franca of the
American Top Team. Hermes holds the HOOKnSHOOT 145 belt, a weight
in which he normally fights. With Javi’s torn ACL incurred
during his fight in King Of The Cage on February 21st this fight
is definitely off, but it shows the seriousness with which the
American Top Team and Millennia Jiu-Jitsu are being taken. Latest
word is that Richard Crunkilton will get the match with Hermes.
All
of this together Miami will be a tour de force for the Welterweight
division, a strong followup to UFC 40 in that respect. Tickets
are on sale now for Friday, April 25th at the American Airlines
Arena. Tickets range from $30-300. For more information check
out www.ufc.tv or Ticketmaster.com.
Source:
ADCC
UFC
41 Leaves The Lightweights in Flux!
by: Keith Mills
To fans of the Lightweight division, UFC 41 was surprising in
it’s depth, with three fights at 155: Din Thomas vs. Matt
Serra, Yves Edwards vs. Rich Clementi, and the championship bout
between Caol Uno and BJ Penn. The plan was for this to be the
show that would finally decide who would wear the belt vacated
by Jens Pulver. Alas, that was not to be.
The
first fight in the Lightweight division saw Yves getting the
choke in the 3rd round. Yves is back in the UFC, and Clementi
was introduced to a higher level. After Serra/Thomas, te announcers
called a decision for Serra, but the call was soon overturned
when it was determined there was a miscalculation with the judges
sheets. Din was announced the winner. Good effort to correct
an eroor, a hurdle ZUFFA rectified in a reasonable amount of
time uinder difficult circumstances.
Then
came Penn/Uno.
The
first time these two met it was decisive, with Penn knocking
out Uno is just 11 seconds in UFC 34. The rematch saw five full
rounds, as these two battled back and forth. Even though New
Jersey and the UFC utilize a 10-point must system it is still
possible to end up with a draw, and that’s exactly what
happened this night: Penn/Uno 2 was ruled a draw. This hasn’t
happened in the UFC since converting to a 10-point must system,
and it is unclear how ZUFFA will proceed with the division.
The
UFC were by no means happy about how the Thomas/Serra and Penn/Uno
fights ended and the judges role in them. At the post-fight press
conference Lorenzo Fertita explained, “I gotta be honest
with you, when they announced the decision in the Din Thomas
fight I spilled my drink. I was shocked that Din didn’t
win the fight. What came out was that they had miscalculated
the scoring and obviously Din won the fight. Tonight after they
announced the decision in the Penn/Uno fight I was also as shocked.
I though BJ won but we had three judges and they scored the fight
the way they saw it. I don’t know what we’re going
to do from here; I’ll have to sit down with Dana White and
we’ll have to figure out what the next step is. As of right
now the title is vacant. Our philosophy is you have to win the
title in the ring, you can’t give it to somebody.”
“It
just shows it’s my belt”, says Jens Pulver who was
also in attendance at the press conference. “I definitely
think I need to come back and do something after the fight I
had with Ludwig. I got caught but again it’s a different
show. I lost to Din outside the UFC and came back into the UFC
and went back to dominate the way I do. I think when they’re
done punishing me for my lack of loyalty and they decide ‘let’s
get Jens back in there’, let me fight for that belt, let
me clear out the weight class, let me get back to fighting the
way I wanted to…like I said before there were some decisions
we made before and it’s all come full circle, I think it’s
been rectified. If they would just realize that I’m the
man for the job and I realize this is the show for me I think
we should be able to come together and I can go back to dominating
and defending my belt. That’s exactly what it is.”
With
the April show in Florida too close to train properly for this
level of fight it looks like either the ruling has to be overturned
or the title will have to stay vacant for another three months.
Stay tuned as we pass on any updates as the come out.
Source:
ADCC
Sylvia
Shocks Ricco, Mir Makes Short Work of Tank at UFC 41
By Thomas Gerbasi
ATLANTIC
CITY, Mar. 1 - Who said the UFC's heavyweight division was boring?
Barely
champion for six months, heavily favored Ricco Rodriguez paid
a dear price for trading punches with 6-8 challenger Tim Sylvia,
as a series of brutal right hands knocked the Staten Island native
down and out at 3:09 of the first round before a packed (and
shocked) house at the Boardwalk Hall.
Sylvia,
the former 'Grizzly Bear' now going by the moniker 'The Maniac',
showed his ferocity once he got Rodriguez hurt with a stiff right
hand shortly after the midway point of the first.
But
it was almost a short night for Sylvia himself when, after some
tentative punches thrown by both fighters, Rodriguez was able
to secure an armbar two minutes into the contest.
Sylvia's
strength allowed him to escape, and Rodriguez continued to stand
with the challenger, a decision that led to the unbeaten and
unheralded Sylvia being declared champion, a victory that gives
the Miletich Fighting Systems camp its second current UFC titleholder
(Sylvia joins welterweight king Matt Hughes).
Rodriguez,
who was tended to by ringside physicians for a couple of tense
minutes after being knocked out, will now look to regroup in
a heavyweight division that is suddenly interesting again.
In
the much ballyhooed co-feature, Tank Abbott learned first hand
how far the UFC has evolved since his last Octagon bout in 1998
when he was tapped out by Jiu-Jitsu ace Frank Mir in a mere 46
seconds - a devastating blow to the marketing campaign that centered
around Abbott's return and an expected future title shot.
"My
submissions are devastating," said Mir, who was making his
first appearance since a stoppage loss at the hands of Ian Freeman
last July. "When I'm on, they don't go that fast."
Mir
was right on both counts, weathering a couple of Abbott haymakers
to take the original UFC bad boy down to the mat and quickly
securing not only an omo plata, but also an ankle lock. The ankle
lock proved to be the finisher, as Abbott tried in vain to escape,
but with no options left, he tapped.
Abbott
was typically devastated.
"I
got caught," said Tank. "S**t happens. He can meet
me in the bar later."
BJ
Penn and Caol Uno showed the best of what the UFC lightweight
division had to offer in their battle for the lightweight title,
but at the end of five rounds of intriguing action, Jens Pulver's
championship remained vacant after a draw was declared.
Both
fighters came to win, with Penn looking to repeat his first round
blitz of Uno, and Uno looking to bring a UFC title home to Japan.
In the end, it was Uno's valiant desire to avenge his loss and
Penn's measured, but spotty performance that produced the stalemate.
Penn
dominated the first round of the title bout, even slamming Uno
and getting his back twice, but the Japanese star turned the
tables in the second frame, surviving a couple of Penn right
hands to decisively take the second frame with a series of leg
kicks and takedowns.
Uno
continued to open up in the third, looking more relaxed by the
second as Penn's workrate dropped. Late in the round, Uno attempted
his first submission of the night, almost catching Penn with
a reverse triangle choke, but the Hawaiian escaped and briefly
got his foe's back before Uno turned the tables and ended the
round with a little ground and pound.
Penn
returned from his slumber in the fourth frame, dominating the
action standing and on the ground, leaving Uno cut over the left
eye and looking worn out for the first time in the fight.
In
the decisive fifth round, Uno traded with Penn for the first
two minutes, but Penn's superior firepower carried the action.
The two clinched against the cage for a brief respite before
resuming hostilities. With under two minutes remaining, Penn
took Uno down, but both were soon back on their feet, Uno landing
the bigger shots in the closing seconds with two big left kicks.
The
just draw was scored 48-47 Uno, 48-46 Penn, and 48-48.
Prior
to tonight's middleweight contest, the trash talk flew fast and
furiously between Matt Lindland and Phil Baroni. Well, in a twist
rarely seen in the fight game, the match actually surpassed the
hype, with Lindland pounding out a decisive three round decision
over 'The New York Bad Ass' in an early candidate for Fight of
The Year.
Lindland
opened the bout by driving Baroni to the fence and slamming him
to the canvas, where he proceeded to pound him relentlessly.
Baroni fought his way back up and looked to end the bout with
his patented punching power, but Lindland absorbed each blow
and came back with flurries of his own, delighting the packed
house.
After
more toe-to-toe action, Lindland slammed Baroni again and battered
the hometown favorite with an assortment of punches, forearms
and elbows.
The
second round followed the same pattern, with Baroni absorbing
copious amounts of punishment but refusing to give in to his
nemesis, who defeated him by decision in late-2001.
Submission
attempts by Lindland in the second fell short, and Baroni was
actually able to avoid a rear naked choke attempt and slam Lindland,
but Baroni's success was short lived, as 'The Law' was in control
at round's end.
Down
on the scorecards, Baroni laid it all on the line in the final
round, even scoring a series of unanswered blows on his foe as
the seconds ticked away, leaving him seconds short from what
could have possibly been an amazing comeback.
All
three judges scored it 29-28 for Lindland, scores that may have
been too close given 'The Law's early dominance.
Perennial
heavyweight contender Pedro Rizzo saw his hopes of a future title
bout dashed even further as he suffered his second consecutive
loss, this time via a three round unanimous decision to Vladimir
Matyushenko.
Scores
were 30-27 and 29-28 twice in favor of 'The Janitor' who survived
cuts over his right eye and on his nose to gain the victory.
Showing
a more aggressive streak, Matyushenko displayed a wide array
of wrestling skills and even some standup punches and kicks in
subduing Rizzo, who was unable to cope with his stronger foe.
Rizzo,
coming off a stoppage loss to Gan McGee, was forced on the defensive
for much of the bout, rarely unleashing his devastating leg kicks
until late in the third round, when Matyushenko, dominant on
the ground and against the cage, had already built a substantial
lead on the scorecards.
In
a bout shamefully relegated to the preliminary portion of the
card, top lightweight contenders Din Thomas and Matt Serra battled
on fairly even terms for three rounds with Serra initially eking
out an unpopular three round split decision - a verdict which
was turned over minutes later due to an announced miscalculation
of the official scorecards.
Thomas,
representing the American Top Team, showed stellar defense throughout
the contest while Serra, in typical fashion, aggressively stalked
his foe. Most impressive was Thomas' control of the stand-up
action, where he was able to dominate exchanges with crisp punches
that left Serra bruised and off balance.
Serra
was more active in the bout's many clinches, but "The Terror"
was unable to score a takedown until the closing moments of the
bout, a fact that kept him from performing in his usual dervish
fashion, and which convinced the fans in attendance that the
Floridian earned the victory. Even with the bout being a stone's
throw away from Serra's Long Island, NY home, boos rained throughout
the arena when the original decision was announced.
Shortly
after the bout's conclusion, with both fighters back in the locker
rooms, ring announcer Bruce Buffer re-announced the scores as
29-28 twice, and 28-30 for Thomas.
Heavyweight
contender Gan McGee followed up his victory over Pedro Rizzo
with another first round stoppage, this one over Alexandre "Café"
Dantas. After a slow start in which Dantas seemed content just
to survive against "The Giant", the Brazilian dropped
to the mat and tried to secure McGee's ankle. McGee kept his
cool, and when he found his opening, pummeled Dantas with a series
of blows that brought referee John McCarthy in to halt the contest
at 4:51 of the opening frame.
In
the lightweight opener, Texan Yves Edwards was impressive in
scoring a three round submission victory over Rich Clementi.
"I'm
back," said Edwards. "I had something to prove to get
myself back on the main card."
Controlling
the bout from the outset, Edwards opted to keep matters standing
and effectively shut down Clementi's ground game by landing the
harder strikes, the effects of which showed on 'No Love's battered
face. Late in the third, Edwards scored a full mount on Clementi,
and soon secured his back, where a rear naked choke ended the
bout at the 4:06 mark.
Source:
Maxfighting
3/1/03
Quote
of the Day
To
live in the presence of great truths and eternal laws, to be
led by permanent ideals - that is what keeps a man patient when
the world ignores him, and calm and unspoiled when the world
praises him.
Friday,
February 28, 2003, “UFC 41: Onslaught” at the Boardwalk
Hall in Atlantic City, NJ.
The
live event production looks PHENOMENAL. The fights have been
mainly decisions on the PPV, and more methodical than explosive.
But the last two closed the show strong!
UFC
Lightweight Championship Bout -- 5 Rounds
BJ Penn vs. Caol Uno:
After
5 very hard fought rounds, Penn played methodical and at times
did not get off but he was stronger, while Uno fought hard the
whole time, even in defense. 1 judge had it even, 1 for Uno and
the other for Penn. We have a draw!
UFC
Heavyweight Championship Bout -- 5 Rounds
Ricco Rodriguez, Champion vs. Tim Sylvia: Sylvia by KO in RD
1.
Ricco
got hit in the chin flush and went down. He ate two on the floor
before they stopped it.
UFC
Heavyweight Bout -- 3 Rounds
David “Tank” Abbott vs. Frank Mir:
Abbott
swung a few times and waded into Mir's guard. He stayed safe
for 40 seconds. Mir finished with a toe hold, very fast.
UFC
Middleweight Bout -- 3 Rounds
Matt Lindland vs. Phil Baroni: Lindland by Judges Decision.
UFC
Heavyweight Bout -- 3 Rounds
Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Pedro Rizzo: Matyushenko by Judges Decision
UFC
Lightweight Bout -- 3 Rounds
Matt Serra vs. Din Thomas: Thomas by Judges Decision.
Matt
Serra wins after 3 rounds by Split Decision.
The
growd goes nuts and is very disapproving despite Serra being
a hometown boy for the most part. From all accounts this was
a bad decision and Din Thomas dominated the fight.
So
it goes. Maybe we'll get to see this one on the PPV and get a
look for ourselves. Maybe Serra was getting a little payback
for the decision that Penn got in their last meeting.
Source:
Sherdog
One of the judge's scores were reversed and it was later announced
that Thomas won the decision.
UFC
Heavyweight Bout -- 3 Rounds
Alexandre “Café” Dantas vs. Gan McGee: at 4:49
of Round 1, Gan McGee by ref stoppage due to strikes.
UFC
Lightweight Bout -- 3 Rounds
Yves Edwards vs. Rich Clementi: Edwards by rear choke, RD 3.
Source:
ADCC
Rickson
give's Axis Japan's instructor Black Belt
Hot
off the presses, Rickson Gracie recently gave the Faixa Preta
(black belt) to Taka Watanabe, Gracie Japan/Axis Jiu-Jitsu's
instructor. Watanabe has helped BJJ grow tremendously in Japan,
along with the efforts of Yuki Nakai and his Paraestra Academy.
Congratulations Taka!
Crowd
Knows Best:
Fans Cheer Sylvia Upset & Lindland-Baroni Classic
Jeer Thomas-Serra Mix-up and Bouts A-Lacking
By Loretta Hunt
11,707 spectators proved they knew the sport of MMA tonight,
as they filled the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey
to catch UFC 41: Onslaught. The audience didn't miss a beat when
it came to the action--and the lack of it at times. They applauded
"fight of the night" participants Matt Lindland and
Phil Baroni for portraying the sport at its action-packed best
and showed their disapproval at the bouts that deserved to be
so. They cheered as young heavyweight stud Frank Mir handed it
to flashback fighter David "Tank" Abbott in under a
minute. They even knew that something was wrong when lightweight
Matt Serra was awarded the victory over Floridian Din Thomas,
despite Serra being the local favorite. (The decision was reversed
due to a scoring discrepancy, the first time in UFC history such
an occurrence has taken place.) Truly, this East Coast group
of fans knew where it was at and as the UFC promotion begins
to show sure signs of progression, they are surely along for
the ride.
Here's
a brief breakdown of tonight's fights:
The
main event spelled upset tonight as 5 to 1 underdog Tim Sylvia
quickly dismantled heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez in his
first title defense. Sylvia was taking a gamble with this being
only his second UFC fight to date, and honestly, few thought
he could pull off the win against the well-rounded Rodriguez.
But in the few seconds following the bell, Rodriguez was feeling
the counter-puncher's power, when he ran into a looping right
hook from the 6'8" Sylvia. Rodriguez shot in for the takedown,
but quickly changed tactics, pivoting Sylvia into his guard.
Almost securing the arm bar, Sylvia muscled his way out and Ricco
had no choice but to stand. Sylvia counterpunched every blow
Rodriguez fired off, catching the champ with a beautiful right
cross that floored his opponent. Sylvia jumped into Rodriguez's
guard to follow up with two more punches and a superfluous third.
Although the official ruling was a TKO at 3:09 into round one,
make no mistake. Rodriguez was knocked out cold. Miletich Martial
Arts adds another belt to its mantle.
This
reporter wrote last night that both BJ Penn and Caol Uno had
the tools to take the lightweight crown, so it would come down
to who wanted it more.
Penn and Uno after the fruitless battle
This reporter was evidently wrong, for the battle for the title
came and went, and neither fighter left with the belt. With the
scores of 28-27 (Uno), 28-27 (Penn), and 28-28, the UFC announced
its first-ever draw for a championship bout. As predicted, both
fighters played out a technical game of stand-up, takedowns,
and countless rear naked choke escapes (how does Uno do it?).
Penn led early on, landing choice shots and taking down Uno at
will. Uno turned up the heat to take round two and three with
takedowns of his own and a back triangle choke attempt, but Penn
stayed calm and worked free. Uno started to show some wear and
tear with a cut above his left eye that Penn had inflicted from
some shots while in the Japanese escape artist's guard. On their
feet, Penn continued to throw the combos, but chose to follow
up with takedowns instead of more shots. With round four going
to Penn, it all came down to the fifth and final round, which
was indeed a close one. With no victor named, the road to the
title took a strange turn, leaving both the competitors and their
audience perplexed. The big question is now what will happen
next? At the post-fight conference, Lorenzo Fertitta addressed
these concerns as best he could, but admitted that he wasn't
sure exactly what the next course of action will be for the weight
class. Through an interpreter, Uno seemed willing to match again
with Penn, but Penn himself was a bit more ambiguous. Officially,
the UFC lightweight title remains vacant for a while longer.
Frank Mir
It took Frank Mir forty-six seconds to legitimize this sport
(once again). Dodging an early barrage of wild, furious and fast
strikes a la Tank Abbott, the Las Vegas native shot in for the
takedown, but settled for Abbott in his guard. With a quick omaplata
to tie up Abbott's arm, Mir violently flowed to a figure-four
toe hold till Tank tapped like a baby. Tank was more successful
with the realm where he still reigns king-- the post-fight interview.
After Mir was rejected by the fans for his comments, Tank left
the Octagon to thunderous applause when he said he'd meet everyone
at the bar later. Oh Tank!
Baroni-Lindland
2 was even better the second time around. Probably the closest
a professional fight could look like to a street brawl, while
still being orchestrated by two extremely skilled technicians,
Matt Lindland and Phil Baroni delivered the goods in spades.
A play-by-play analysis might not do this masterpiece of a fight
justice, because it wasn't just the moves that made this fight
so good. With little love between them, this match was pure grudge,
felt by every punch, kick, and takedown these two superior athletes
executed. One could almost feel the heat coming off the Octagon
as Lindland and Baroni locked up. Lindland was methodical in
his efforts to neutralize Baroni's frenetic power and made crucial
strides in the opening moments to ensure he could control the
pace of the fight.
Matt Lindland
Shutting down any freakish knockouts, a savvy takedown allowed
Lindland to pin his opponent against the fence, but amazingly,
Baroni kept swinging the whole way down. This sequence spoke
volumes for how the rest of the battle would go. Round one was
a show-stopper alone, and fans were lenient when the men hit
a slight lull in round two to gather their strength back. Round
three was shades of their very first third round together over
a year ago, Baroni landing bombs that would leave any normal
man senseless. With three unanimous scores of 29-28, Matt Lindland
successfully closed the "Baroni" chapter in his life.
But if these guys want to go at it one more time, we'll surely
tune in again.
In
a disappointing match-up, veterans Vladmir Matyushenko and Pedro
Rizzo should have delivered a more rousing match-up, but both
fell short. Matushenko started strong, taking down the Brazilian
with his sharp Greco-Roman skills and working elbows from side
control. Rizzo warmed up into some strikes in the second round,
but Matyushenko continued to get Rizzo to the mat and slowly
chipped away at him. Rizzo was caught in the turtled position
more than once in his constant struggle to get to his feet, but
thwarted danger each time when Vladdy did not take advantage.
Rizzo was too little to late in the third when he finally fired
off something substantial and wholly deserved his fourth loss
in five outings. The real losers were the fans though. With all
its potential, this match-up simply did not cut it. Zuffa is
now legitimately under the gun to convince UFC audiences why
Rizzo still deserves to walk among its elite.
In
the third preliminary bout of the evening, Matt Serra's hand
was the one raised in victory, while opponent Din Thomas stood
in absolute shock. Serra had been awarded the majority decision,
but again the crowd new best. They booed till their faces turned
blue, as American Top Team led Thomas from the arena backstage
Judge Doc Hamilton immediately went to the commission's table,
sure that something was off after hearing the announced scores.
Further inspection revealed that he had transposed his scoring
in the final round, accidentally giving Serra's column the winning
score of ten instead of its intended slot to Thomas. Setting
a precedent for the sport, the New Jersey State Athletic Commission
deemed the decision be reversed, and UFC president Dana White
personally reported the change to Thomas and his team. As for
the fight itself, Sera continues to strengthen his standup efforts
and displayed a relentless spirit in his pursuit to get his opponent
to the ground. (To his credit, he did not stop.) Thomas simply
would not budge, and although he played a relatively cautious
game, he had his moments--dominating the second round with close-range
hooks and eking out the third using punches with his formidable
reach. Of special note, both fighters remained consummate professionals,
even when a fireworks display atop the entrance ramp accidentally
went off amidst their fight. Thomas wins via split decision.
Gan McGee
Gentle Giant Gan McGee had the upperhand in this bout from the
get-go. With his unconventional stand-up (at 6'10", he doesn't
have to block his chin or face as readily as others), Dantas
had nothing on his feet and immediately shot in for his first
single-leg takedown attempt. He backed McGee to the fence, but
with the crowd pleading for more action, the referee quickly
separated the two fighters. McGee hunted Dantas on his feet,
and two more attempts to go down to the mat were futile. Entwined
against the fence again, Dantas jumped to guard and went for
the heelhook, but couldn't get McGee off balance to finish the
hold. McGee quickly unlocked the puzzle though, closing enough
space to reign down a slew of strikes. Dantas was knocked unconscious
almost immediately at 4:51 of round one.
With
his walkman blasting, Rich Clementi made his way down the fighter's
ramp, flanked by the Miletich team. Opponent Yves Edwards, cornered
by heavyweight champ Rodriguez, was ready to go. Both these two
up-and-comers went to work right away, landing decent exchanges
whenever they got close enough. Edwards had the upper hand though,
landing hard knees everytime they clinched and displaying an
air of hard-earned experience to Clementi's first time jitters.
Clementi held his own on his feet, but eventually wanted to get
the action to the ground, as Edwards began to gain some rhythm
standing with a couple of his patented high kicks and quick punching
combos. He did ground Edwards briefly in the second, pinning
the Texan's arm behind him along the fence, before Edwards reversed
and rode out the bell. Edwards worked his way to full mount in
the third, and Clementi replied by giving his back. Hooks in,
Edwards laid down the punishment before switching to the rear
naked choke that ended it all at 4:06. After a rocky start with
the organization, Edwards evens his UFC record to 2-2.
Source:
FCF
Let
The Onslaught Begin!
UFC 41 Weigh-Ins Are History
By Loretta Hunt
The official weigh-ins for UFC 41 "Onslaught" were
held earlier this evening at the Trump Plaza and Casino in Atlantic
City, New Jersey -- and while for the most part were uneventful
by "Las Vegas" standards--did still attract a small
crowd of spectators hoping to catch some pre-event fireworks.
There was not much explosiveness to speak of, but that did not
spell disaster for Zuffa who managed to still pull a couple of
surprises from their sleeves.
For
starters, male fans will be especially pleased to welcome former
Playboy Playmate and FOX Sports Network sports journalist Lisa
Dergan into their homes as she becomes the UFC's first-ever female
post-fight interviewer (and yes, she's a knockout in her own
right.)
Boxing great Feliz Trinidad will also handle the commentating
for the UFC's Spanish-speaking audience, along with female fighter
Erica Montoya who is tearing up the 125-pound scene in Japan.
For us English-speakers, it can be confirmed with 100% certainty
that Ken Shamrock will indeed join Mike Goldberg in the announcer's
booth. Shamrock is in great spirits and says he is looking forward
to sharing his knowledge of the game with the viewers once again.
As
for the weigh-ins themselves, with the New Jersey Athletic Commission
out in full-force and known throughout the "biz" for
being one of the toughest commissions around, the proceedings
were slow moving at first as the fighters and their cornermen
completed their necessary paperwork. There was a bit of restless
angst among the fighter's camps, knowing that some of the fighters
were anxious to hit the scales and then the buffets--but once
the weight tallying was underway, it was smooth sailing.
The
first couple to makes their way to the stage were heavyweight
champion and Las Vegas native Ricco Rodriguez and his challenger,
Miletich Martial Arts-bred Tim Sylvia. Rodriguez looked poised
and readied as he weighed in at 238 pounds. The "Maine-iac,"
whose second UFC fight to date might deliver him the ultimate
prize if he plays his cards right tomorrow night, came in at
252 pounds. Rodriguez, however, will be one tough customer.
Lightweight
contenders BJ Penn and Caol Uno will reach the end of the road
tomorrow night when they clash for the vacant 155-pound title.
Hawaiian implant Penn, cheered on by his loyal crew from Hilo,
came in at a light 152 pounds. Japanese superstar Caol Uno came
in on the dot at 155 pounds. It is a second shot at the crown
for both these men and it inevitably comes down to who wants
it more, for both these specimens surely have ample skill to
take it all.
The
third-to-last fight on tomorrow night's pay-per-view telecast
may very well be the most anticipated of all among the general
masses for one reason alone. Win or lose, it's Tank-time tomorrow
night, when he takes on young 23-year old stud Frank Mir. Mir
calmly worked his way onto the stage, weighing in at a fit 250
pounds, then quickly backed up to let his rambunctious opponent
claim the spotlight. Through the irony of it all, today marked
the first weigh-in ever for returning David "Tank"
Abbott, whose fifteen appearances inside the Octagon are the
most ever accumulated by any competitor ever for the sport. Tank
soberly stepped onto the scales in his socks and a T-shirt and
when heckled by the crowd to remove his top, declined by saying
he was wired with a microphone. Although his slimmest yet at
248 pounds, don't be fooled. His trademark pot belly will also
be making the trip down the fighter's ramp tomorrow night.
No UFC weigh-in would be complete without a little drama and
middleweights Matt Lindland and Phil Baroni filled the quota
easily. The story wasn't their weights--they both came in at
184 pounds. It was the way they acted afterwards when Lindland
presented an embroidered T-shirt for Baroni to don after their
fight was through. Without looking at it's message, Baroni angrily
threw it back at Lindland and like a game of "hot potato,"
Lindland tried to toss it right back. Referee "Big"
John McCarthy stopped it all by grabbing the shirt and handing
it to UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta, while the two men separated
to exit the stage. But the audience was eager to see just what
the shirt said, so Fertitta gladly held it up for all. Baroni,
as serious and emotionally-charged as ever, stormed over to Fertitta
and yanked the T-shirt from his hands--spitting on it before
throwing it back in Lindland's direction. Lindland had already
left the stage, but it appears that the damage this Team Quest
fighter hoped to incur with his eloquent Internet trash-talking
has been done.
Brazilian
veteran Pedro "the Rock" Rizzo will meet a Russian
rock of his own tomorrow in Vladmir Matyushenko. It's do or die
for Rizzo, with his last three UFC appearances all coming up
short. Rizzo is obviously aware of this stark reality--he came
in the sveltest he has in as many fights, winning today's "most
improved" award hands-down. At 230 pounds, educated fans
will be able to see the difference in his face alone (he looks
five years younger easy). Matyushenko, who hopes to enjoy a smooth
ride to a title shot since jumping up to the heavyweight division,
was in good form as he came in at 218 pounds. This fight is the
"hidden gem" of the group and among the fighter's camps
has been deemed the match-up to watch. Rizzo is likely to push
this fight to its very limits--he really has no other choice.
Lightweights
Din Thomas and Matt Serra made their weights respectively at
155 and 154 pounds. Thomas, who has recently joined Florida's
American Top Team was quiet and reserved, showing little emotion
as he walked through the paces. Opponent Serra was loud and boisterous
as he encouraged the mostly subdued East Coast crowd to cut loose,
but paid his respect to formidable foe Thomas as they turned
into their staredown together.
Quiet
giant Gan McGee was next to weigh-in at 264 pounds. At 6'10",
it is hard not to notice his towering frame. Brazilian Alexandre
"Cafe" Dantas, a dark horse at 231 pounds, last appeared
at UFC 27 as a light-heavyweight (yes, under 205 pounds), taking
a loss to Yuki Kondo. McGee is coming off a devastating knockout
win over Pedro Rizzo at UFC 39. With little memory of his last
performance, Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Dantas is starting
with a clean slate.
Dubbed
as the "Battle of the Nice Guys" by this reporter,
lightweights Yves Edwards and Rich Clementi were the final pair
to weigh-in. Edwards looked ready at 154 pounds, while Clementi
came in just a pound heavier. Edwards is fast becoming the "go
to guy" on the UFC roster--this is the second time he will
be replacing an injured fighter. Being the only "newbie"
to the card tomorrow night, Clementi, (formerly of New Jersey,
but currently residing in Louisiana) has the power of the Miletich
team behind him and plans to move up to the Iowa camp next month
now that his career seems to be kicking into high gear. The prelude
to UFC 41 ended with applause for these two youngsters, but the
audience's praise quickly grew to acknowledge every single fighter
that had stepped onto the scale today. Another weigh-in for the
books, it's on to the "Onslaught" tomorrow night.
Source:
FCF
Under
the Microscope
Taking a closer look at Penn/Uno II
By Mike Sloan
Eleven seconds. Eleven. Count it out along with me: 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11.
Don't forget to say 'Mississippi' while you count the numerals.
Eleven ticks of the stopwatch. That's all it took for Caol Uno
to get bombarded inside the Octagon and blasted into dreamland.
After a flailed-but-failed kick directed at BJ Penn's mug, Uno
was stricken by seven furious fists and the fight was over. Uno
slumped up against the fence in a wrecked heap, one eye shut,
the other crossed into his nose. In one of MMA's quickest and
most brutal knockouts in history, BJ Penn solidified himself
as the lone threat to king Jens Pulver's lightweight crown.
BJ
was supposed to do to Pulver what he did to Din Thomas and Uno,
wresting the title from "Little Evil" that many thought
was already his, just on lease. BJ was the cream of the crop
in the lightweight spectrum and after seeing what he did to Uno,
one of the world's best, who would argue? Uno, on the other hand,
was left to scrounge around on the mat, looking to pick up the
pieces that BJ scattered everywhere. Uno was disregarded as a
top lightweight, forced to start over.
As
we all know by now (unless you've been living in a coffin for
the last year), BJ lost a split decision to Pulver, but bounced
back with a TKO of Paul Creighton and decision win over tough
Matt Serra. Uno battled memorable grappling wars with Thomas
and Yves Edwards, winning both by decision.
Of
course, Pulver performed a solitary exodus from the UFC, vacating
his title in the process and has since been dismantled by Duane
Ludwig in just 73 seconds. With Uno and Penn's victories over
Thomas and Serra, respectively, at UFC 39, the lightweight tournament
was complete. Finally, MMA fans received what they asked for
as a final to the mini tourney for the coveted UFC lightweight
crown: the rematch between Penn and Uno.
Could
lightning possibly strike twice? Could Penn do the unthinkable
two consecutive times? Could Uno unimaginably get caught with
crippling punches that quickly again?
Well,
yes. It's possible. It's very possible. Highly improbably, but
very possible. Nothing's impossible, you see.
Nobody
thought George Foreman would destroy Joe Frazier twice in the
manner that he did, but he did. Did anybody think Lance Armstrong
could three-peat as the Tour de France winner after surviving
cancer? Of course not! Who could win that race three straight
times, especially after suffering the horrors of cancer? Did
anybody envision Shane Mosley getting his ass handed to him by
Vernon Forrest both times? Did anybody in their right mind actually
believe that N'Sync would somehow still be around? Unfortunately,
they are. So, with that said, it's very possible. According to
Sherdog's expert panel of voters, we feel Penn will win by the
votes of 8-2-1.
However,
it's very doubtful because of a myriad of factors. For starters,
Uno isn't that dumb to fall into that same bear trap again. He
won't toss himself through the air in hopes of shattering Penn's
face. Penn will be extremely cautious early and will easily survive
past the 12th second. BJ might try to duplicate his extraordinary
feat early, but he won't become over zealous because he might
actually become entrapped in some sort of mess. The chances of
this fight going the full 25 minutes are high, given the way
BJ has performed in his last two outings. He's been a tad over-cautious
and nowhere near as explosive as he usually is. Did the loss
to Pulver really take that much out of him? One would figure
he'd explode all over Creighton, more or less a tune-up for the
Prodigy, but BJ instead played it safe and carried him several
long minutes before finally submitting him. What I see unfolding
is a long, drawn-out yet exciting chess match of a grappling
contest. Whoever is the hungrier guy after the 25 allotted minutes
will be crowned the new UFC lightweight champ.
Ah,
now the next question begs to be asked; will the winner be deserving
of the title bestowed upon him? After some debate, the answer
is yes. Since Pulver got planted by Ludwig, the race for world's
#1 lightweight is on. Whoever wins will be deserving of the UFC
lightweight strap, even if it isn't gathered by beating Pulver.
Jens vacated the belt and eventually lost, so that should warrant
enough of an argument for the title to be deservedly won by the
winner of Friday's match. If Pulver hadn't lost to Ludwig, then
I would argue in the completely different direction, but he did
lose. When all is said and done, the winner should be rewarded
with mandatory defenses to both Ludwig and Pulver. Zuffa shouldn't
slack on this because, to me, it's an ingenious move to resign
Pulver and sign on Ludwig. Hell, pit Ludwig/Pulver 2 on the next
UFC, with the winner getting either Penn or Uno. That's a no-brainer
(are you listening, Joe Silva and Sean Shelby?) Then, after the
dust settles after those fights, we'll have an undisputed lightweight
champ. Well, that is, until he faces the oft looked-past Takanori
Gomi. When will he get his due? Hopefully soon. It'd be a shame
for the winner not to face him.
Oh
yeah and one more thing. How much do you want to bet that Genki
Sudo gets a crack at the title before anybody?
